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"SAINT MINAIS CASTLE...What time is it?" Jade staggered to his feet and walked up the steps as service ended. While sitting in the chapel and worship center alone he listened as the Bishop entered the room. He saw the young man sitting in one of the benches on the far left in the back, walked to his side and saw him looking at the altar. His hands were folded and the Bishop sat on Jades right.
"My son..." He whispered. "What is wrong? Service is done for today... Its eleven o'clock and we need to get ready for palm tomorrow."
"Saturday...so much... No time." Jade whispered.
"Child...What do you mean 'no time?' You have your whole life ahead of you." He patted his shoulder and held it for a moment. "You are safe here child of the lord...would you like to watch or help?" He asked and Jade unfolded his hands and rose.
"No...the garden..." Jade walked past him into the aisle and he stood.
"What? The garden? No visitors are allowed back there."
"I'm not visiting..." Jade started to walk.
"Then where are you going?" The Bishop asked as Jade stopped opening the door.
"Home...towards the light of my sword darkness that dwells in the abyss. For eternal dance, flaming sword protect the garden as the third son is born..."
"What do you mean?"
"Heaven is where we all head as the fire, a wall encloses us in temptation... Heaven." Jade pushed open the door and left.
"What? Come back!" The Bishop yelled after him and met him as he got outside trotting down the steps. "Wait! Who are you?" Jade met the horse and the Bishop stood bewildered as Jade mounted.
"No one!" Jade rode away leaving him speechless in his horses dust. Jade made a right down the street and around a corner out of sight then made his way through town to the forest behind St. Minais castle as it started to snow.
Entry 23 Halo
Hichaigo woke to the sound of hooves and rustling in the trees and bushes.
"Who's out there!" He yelled in the direction of the noise and it stopped. Pausing to listen he waited but whatever it was was gone. He laid back on his jacket and closed his eyes.
"Whew..." Jade sighed. He was hiding in the bushes a couple meters away from a man facing him lying on his stomach in the snow. "So thirsty..." He noticed the mans bare neck and a sharp pain stung in his mouth. "Ow! What the?" Jade felt his canines had become fangs and pierced his bottom lip. I forgot...I may be nephil but I have dads vampire blood in me. I'm a light walker but its nearly evening and times running slow. Just once...one sip then never again. Jade slowly entered the clearing and crouched next to the man's body. Jade sneezed then ducked hiding next to him in the snow as the boy woke.
"Who is out there! Show yourself." He searched from his spot but no one was out there. "Okay...I'm going to sleep. It's almost night Zen." He laid down then rolled over not looking at Zen. Jade peered at the side and saw the boy sleeping away from them. Jade brushed the hair from the man's neck, bent down over it, and bit his soft warm neck. Warm blood filled his mouth as he gasped drinking for the first time but wouldn't let go until the empty sensation was filled. Zen woke up slowly and snapped awake screaming at the sight of his own blood. Jade jumped back drenched in it, fangs still out and backing away as the boy woke and stood as Zen rolled on his back panting from the wound on his neck.
"Hey!" The boy yelled pulling out a glowing dagger. "What are you doing! Get back!" The boy stepped closer threatening him with the knife and Jade covered his head shaking. "Firefly. Rise phoenix!" He spoke and the knife lit up extending to a red sword blade.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Jade froze with his hands up. "Forgive me! Please... I have not much time left sir!" Zen looked at the boy drenched in blood and whispered smiling.
"A fledgling..."
"Fledgling?!" The boy repeated pointing the blade higher. "I should kill you for drinking from a priest. Especially a nephilim one!" He yelled.
"I didn't know he...please I'm sorry." Jade lowered his hands and slowly moved his right hand to his right pant pocket designed to match the chain on the armor.
"Freeze! What are you doing?" Hichaigo asked as his hand went in clasping something.
"Hichaigo!" Zen gasped. "You must stop...I think that's..." Zen was ignored but looked back at the boy studying his features. White hair, crest locket on his neck, light blue crystal eyes, white shirt, chain mill pants, stern look, vampire...must have been his first time. I still remember mine. Jade in a flash pulled out the same kind of dagger but it was pure gold and Zen recognized it, then Jade screamed pointing it at Hachi.
"Seven souls like a river of light extend upon the heavens with all thy might! Raziel arise!" It extended like firefly into a sword blade, silver embedded with jade diamonds.
"Both of you stop it!" Zen held up two pistols, one at both of them then clicked and they both froze.
"Descend!" They yelled at the same time and the daggers returned to normal and they dropped them. Zen pointed the pistols at the sky, shot them, and sat up putting them down.
"You're a half vampire aren't you?" Zen asked Jade.
"Yes..." Jade bowed to him and sat.
"You two...you are nephilim, a vessel, and a vampire. I once knew the pain of thirst. I'm Zen." Zen shook the boys hand and Hichaigo sat in front of him bewildered.
"Nice to meet you Zen. Sorry I bit you... It was my first time. Fangs are painful... The urge unstandable." Jade smiled then his fangs retracted to normal and he jumped holding his mouth. "Ow! I didn't know that they go back in!" Jade dropped his hands and Zen smiled.
"That hurts too...it's alright."
"You are not mad at me? I thought everyone hated me." Jade was confused.
"Do you know him?" Hachi asked bored at this conversation. He pointed at Jade and Zen laughed.
"Do you not recognize him Hachi? Remember why we are here?"
"No..." Hachi got up and Jade stood, took off the chain pants and revealed his dress pants with the crown inside them. Hachi took a step back and Jade helped Zen to his feet then Zen smirked at his nephew. "Who is he?" Hachi asked gesturing to the other boy.
"A friend." Zen replied and Jade backed up a bit.
"Who? When did you meet up with a cruddy half vampire from the renaissance? Its already twilight and this random dude just bit you on the neck! Then you call him a friend? Your weird...all vampires are weird."
"Precisely...Jade freeze." Jade stopped moving towards the trees. Behind them rose the castle he was backing up to.
"How did you know my name?! Who are you? Please let me leave to the garden of Saint Minais castle. If you are a loyal priest then you should know, and if a shade hunter of demons as well then you will let me go. Under my feet by this bush is a rope. Please leave now before the sun rises!" Jade uncovered the rope and loop at the end and looped it on his shoulder. "Thank you priest Zen." Jade turned and left and Hachi tried to chase and go after him but Zen held him back from releasing his fury at him.
"We must not mess with history nephew. You won't be born if he doesn't get to do this."
"Why? How is it you knew that was him?!"
"Because he is king Cain." Zen picked up his pistols, turned around and pointed it as Hachi followed his aim. An angel with a huge broadsword and copper hair with another angel with fiery hair and burning gold eyes watched as Zen froze on spot then started to shake.
"You still are loyal and afraid of me Cain." The sword angel spoke and Zen gasped.
"Michael..." Zens eyes went black and the angel behind Michael smiled.
"Wait? Is he saint Michael? The hunter with the great sword?" Hachi asked.
"Yes-s..." Zens voice shook a bit different and petrified.
"Who is the other guy then? I feel like I've seen a painting of him."
"My name is Raziel, the angel." The angel spoke and a second it looked like he was blue and as he walked over Hachi saw his blue wings. Raziel stood in front of Zen, rose a hand to his head and Hachi yelled picking up his stele and pointed it at him and Michael pointed his sword at his neck.
"Don't touch him!" Hachi yelled.
"Stop...stay your stele my child." Razeil gently and carefully cautiously brushed the hair from Zens forehead and his nephew could faintly see a mark in the center. It looked like a spiral and rose with four thorns. He dropped the stele and Michael lowered his sword and Razeil put a finger on the faint mark in the center of Zen's forehead. "The mark fades...the curse was lifted because of your brother. Abel took on the mark and broke your curse...you should be grateful to him that now you can enter the temple. Now where is my son? Cain." Razeil asked as Hachi watched pale and the mark darkened to normal. Zens eyes went back to blue and his pupils shrunk then widened. "As so the lord put a mark on Cain so that if someone found him and slew Cain, then vengeance will come to them sevenfold. Revive!" Razeil let go and Zen collapsed backwards.
"Uncle!" Hachi gasped and heard Zen laugh.
"You are too late...the Sabbath sun is rising." Zen laughed.
"Razeil look!" Michael pointed at the sky and the angel saw the red reflection and golden light. "We are running out of time! He is going to die when the sun rises over the garden in five minutes!"
"What! Dang we can't let him turn! Where did he go?" The angel looked at Hichaigo and Michael sighed.
"Where do you think? The sacred garden of Saint Minais castle. Three minutes."
"Quiet Michael!" Raziel lifted up Zen and put him over his shoulder and pulled Hichaigo with as they ran through the trees and stopped at the edge of the garden and then hid behind the bushes looking out into the garden. "I don't see him...there are so many trees here."
"We cannot take action Raziel." Michael spoke and Raziel looked annoyed. "All we can do is watch him now."
"Fine..." Raziel sighed. "There!" Raziel pointed to a far tree but was gone running and Zen was leaning on a tree next to his nephew.
"Hichaigo..." Zen woke up and groaned tired. "Where...where is the angel?"
"Trying to stop Jade from killing himself." Michael replied.
"What!" Zen gasped.
"Don't move!" Michael stopped him from attempting to stand. "It's like a maze in there plus you are wounded. Stay here please! You must not be seen anymore or interfere with this or you both will die and you won't be born."
"What happens if Raziel stops him? If I am never born then will my sisters not ether?" Hachi asked and Michael smiled.
"You will see someday...Zen never told you?"
"Told me what?" Hachi asked and Zen whispered.
"We have another brother... Seth then my grandson Lamech. Now they are Retribution and Lake...then there is Kazes brother Lucifer...Kamikaze, Lancelot, Leonith, Zenith, and Yan. Plus Tengu, our father Leader, Elizabeth, Sarah, Kaminari, Ryu, Yang, Patch, Michael, Talto, Vlad, and the rest of the council. We are all stuck in this time right now and we all rely on this moment."
"Whoa...how many people are there in the council?" Hachi asked.
"Alot..." Zen sighed.
"You know he is telling you what to say? He's an illusionist and has his reasons for being on everyone's bad side. He can freeze and change time and he put you here for a reason. Raziel is going to kill Kaze in the only time that he is vulnerable. There is a secret I know of his but I still have little evidence that it is him. If Razeil gets Jade down from that tree even I'm doomed." Michael explained.
"What? How can you be affected?" Hachi asked and Michael put his sword on his lap and rubbed gently over the runes. There like a mirror looking onto the world through a screen yet in this case a great sword.
"In the birth of the world, the day and the night I created the wind. Before there was nothing to move the world until I was born. My sword in the statue of a jade dragon carved my will as I kept it well. One day when I was polishing it I saw something, a body with pale gold hair, snow skin and motionless lay in the statues belly. As the sun rose that day I saw it and named the child. I was his first father so instead I became his blood brother. The statue cracked then broke but what I did not notice on the child were clear angel wings of light that shone with the rising sun. I was on the ground amazed but he was no child. A man with white eyes like a mist or paper, yet the moment lasted a little while before those glorious eyes went black like stone and the clouds went gray, dark and blocked the sun. Kaze almost destroyed the earth along with all dimensions so I had no choice. I took the great sword and ended his suffering yet, I had only sealed the creature that lived inside him. After that I died and have watched you all grow in time yet Abel stayed the same and each day, with each generation grew more and more isolated and let that creature consume him. I predicted that he would break the seal one day but the only way to break it is with my sword. The only way to stop or destroy him is also with my sword so I made a duplicate to confuse him and kept this... The real one." Light beams struck the sword and Michael went back blinded. A man like the one we saw in the swords memory appeared in the garden in front of him and spoke in the winds younger that only Michael knew the version he used. "No!" He looked shocked almost grabbing the handle but the man froze him and Michael spoke with his mind out loud as he picked the sword up. "I don't remember the name! You can't take it! If I knew that you were watching I would have kept it at home!" Michael yelled and he smiled and then laughed holding the great sword. He unfroze Michael who gasped and stood.
"Stop brother... I may have destroyed your time shield for your father but I won't let him erase you...just be calm and please give me my sword."
"Never." The man spoke and took off disappearing into the clouds.
"That was not supposed to happen was it Michael?" Zen asked standing. "Was that him?"
"No...and we will talk later...Raziel failed and he sent him back... He is almost there." Michael smiled as light crept upon the garden slowly.
Jade stood holding the loop sitting in the tallest tree he could find. The sunlight passed over the tree and him and Jade whispered. "Sorry father." Jade put his head through the loop, tightened it a bit then jumped down to his death.
"Jade!" Zen gasped seeing him hanging in the tree. "He...died instantly." Michael pulled him away as he store crying, and they left the forest. Michael left and they now preceded to crimson castle.
––––––––
ENTRY 24 THREE DAYS later
"Minister look out there!" A man pointed out the window looking out to the garden. They were sharing the peace and a small boy looked outside with the minister and gasped.
"Hey! That guy is swinging on the tree!" The child smiled and his mom pulled him away.
"What in the lord's name... Everyone get out." The minister unlocked the back door and walked out into the garden as some men and woman followed. They stayed a distance back while the minister approached the tree with the hanging man. He was pale, motionless and drenched with blood. His hair wet with melted snow as it melted revealing the green grass, plants, and everything in the past few days.
"He is covered in dried blood..." The man who saw him spoke.
"Lyle, I will put holy water everywhere if you cut this child down." The minister sprinkled holy water on the area and the child.
"Sure." Lyle cut him down with his knife he used to open letters and carve wood. They then laid him in the warm grass and Lyle rested the child's head on his lap, felt for the rope, cut the loop and threw it to the side feeling his cold skin.
"How do you suppose he died?" The minister asked.
"Fraid he didn't just die..."
"You don't mean..."
"Yes, he sinned. He was a nephilim I feel...a strong hearted one Patch..."
"He committed suicide." Patch the minister sat and noticed that his hair grew longer with the holy water. The boy who saw him ran over and hugged the man.
"Richard!" His mother yelled at him and his dad Lyle made him let go then go by his mother.
"Why is he sleeping mommy?" Richard asked pulling on her red dress.
"Look!" Lyle found something at the base of the tree that must have fell from his pocket. "A crown?"
"Not any...the missing run away prince Jade!" Patch gasped.
"Lets get him to the castle and tell the king. Someone get me a blanket or something to carry him!" Lyle yelled and they wrapped him in a dark red blanket, carried him to the carriage, then brought him back to the castle and showed him to the king. He was shocked at the news and the next day had a funeral for him and buried him outside the kingdom in Venice.