The Rise Of The Saviour - 26 Fallen wings !!!

Closing his eyes, Balthazaar let his mind wander. He went back into the lanes of memory where his father had told him about Vanaheimr – ‘The land where they belonged’. On his deathbed, he had taken his hands in his own and had told him,

“If the will of the God prevails, then the guardian of the throne will help us to regain the glory of Vanaheimr, where there is no afterlife, no present, and no past. That’s the land where you can meet me again my son, in flesh and blood.”

Breathing out a deep gasp of air, Balthazaar looked up at the sky, trying to read what else was in store for the day. Then lowering his gaze he looked at the patch of land, where he had scrawled upon – ‘Ad astra per aspera’, with his index finger. As he focused his gaze on it he could slowly feel the letters gleaming as if they were coming to life.

He extended his hand to touch but was distracted by the footsteps and turned back.

“What are you here for?”, asked Balthazaar, looking at the keepers of Nubeous.

“We have orders to take you to the prison cell,” replied one of the keepers in a meek tone because even though Nuboeus had ordered them to imprison Balthazaar, he was still the head of the general council.

Balthazaar looked at them for a moment and then turned counter-clockwise to look at the tower. He could see Nubeous standing next to the window, leaning on one side of the wall and seeing the unapologetic look on his face, Balthazaar muttered,

“I wish I could give you some wisdom.”

He then closed his eyes once again in silent prayer and got up. There was no expression in his eyes. They looked blank and distant. Neither anger nor disappointment reflected on his face for he had now realized the inevitable could never be avoided. The very man, whom he brought back from the mouth of death, was now ready to throw him away just because of his sheer ignorance.

Seeing Balthazaar not saying a word, the worried keeper showed the opposite side of his right palm to Balthazaar, and said,

“Master has made us do this !!!”

Balthazaar could see a grave sense of guilt in the eyes of that keeper and his mind pondered,

‘When these mere mortals can distinguish from right and wrong, why Nubeou, you – the son of God can’t figure it out?’

“I shall follow you,” said Balthazaar and asked the keepers to lead the way, which obviously they did, albeit with reluctance. Crossing the Northside of the palace, they slowly started going further.

As they passed the Library of the ancient one, Balthazaar paused for a moment and asked,

“We couldn’t be going to the north-west dungeon. Are we?” To which the keepers bowed their head in silence.

Balthazaar at that very moment wanted to go back to the central tower and call out Nubeous for the atrociousness that he was spelling out on him. He wanted to go back in time and ask his father as to why he had to promise to safeguard the life of this man who couldn’t even differentiate between intentions, who didn’t even flinch to cast him away into the prison for life.

The north-west dungeon was also known as the purgatory of the kingdom. Only people who committed heinous and unforgivable crimes in the kingdom were imprisoned in there. It was the imprisonment of death, for once inside, there was no way of coming out. Nobody had heard or seen anyone coming out. As per the folklore, it was said that inside the dungeon lied the circle of black magic that engulfed anyone who came in.

It was a celestial black hole of imprisonment, abandonment which spoke about nothing but darkness, obscurity, and hopelessness.

The hair in his nostrils quivered momentarily as he shook his head in disbelief that this was how his life was coming to an end.

There were many things which had been left undone.

He was yet to fulfill his promise and he wasn’t sure how to fulfill his promise. Even though he was an angel, he was a fallen one. His reserve had been depleted out. He had not yet chosen the flag bearer of his lineage, a mortal to who he could pass the baton and his remaining energy so that he could be the next protector of the ruler of the kingdom. Although in his mind he had selected Nicholas to be the next in line of his lineage, he hadn’t trained him yet, he hadn’t even told him about it yet.

He was immersed in these saddening thoughts when the keeper meekly tried to ask,

“Sire! Should we…”

Breaking out from his trail of thoughts he replied with a grim tone,

“Of course !” and started walking behind them.

There was a sense of melancholy in the air that started creeping the hair out from the skin as they neared the north-west dungeon. Balthazaar had come here numerous times as the head of the general council to cast away the offenders of the law, but today it was different as he was the one who was being cast away.

The entrance to the dungeon was a small rickety opening through which light could barely go in. As the keepers lifted the guard stone, which closed the entrance, they were welcomed by a repelling stench. It was the stench of rotten flesh, of the carcass that had been lying in the basement for long.

A thin ladder went down to the basement, which was barely wide to accommodate one person.

A swarm of flies surged out from the opening in search of freedom which they had long lost. Waving away the buzzing flies in front of his face, with his one good arm, Balthazaar said,

“Would you pass a message to Master Nubeous for me?”

Unable to even look at him, the keepers kept their eyes lowered in shame and just nodded in agreement to which Balthazaar said,

“Tell your master that if by mid-day he doesn’t have the ingot, then he must come down here and disappear in the shadows because if he doesn’t then the heaven is a witness when I say this – he will be the one begging for death.”