Forged Legacy

In the end, Harvey actually managed to accomplish his goal of maxing out his Class before leaving the trial. Killing Brutus had pushed him over the edge to Level 75, meaning all he needed was four more Profession levels before evolving to E-Grade. It felt closer than ever, yet he’d trade every level he had for his father’s life back.

Throwing Steve’s body in a spatial ring felt wrong, but Harvey needed his hands free in case there were any vengeful angels or demons waiting for him outside. Hugging the corpse one last time, the body disappeared into his ring. Struggling to his feet, he felt just how tired he was. Fighting an army, a lieutenant, and two commanders, all while pouring more essence potions than his weave could handle down his throat, left him utterly exhausted. Just walking through the sand was taxing, so he poured an emerald green endurance potion into his mouth. Luckily, healing and endurance potions were filtered through his body instead of his weave, and his Vitality easily digested the potent energy before dispersing it through his body. A health potion followed soon after, revitalizing him enough to make the long walk back to Heaven, where his mother, brother, and sister waited for them.

“What are we going to tell Mom?” Tyler asked.

“The truth. She deserves to know what really happened,” Harvey said.

Celeste anxiously wobbled back and forth, her arms folded like she was trying to make herself smaller. Losing her wings had to leave her feeling naked, but her words made him think it was something else that was bothering her. “I… I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I knew Brutus was fragile, but I never thought he’d do something like this. I really believed he was extending an olive branch when he invited your Dad here.”

“I believe you,” Harvey sighed, his eyes going sharp as he stared at the dead angel. “I doubt anyone would expect one of Heaven’s greatest angels to be such a snake.”

Walking over, he plucked the spatial rings off Brutus’s fingers. One belonged to Hell’s commander and was the first thing Brutus grabbed after sauntering into the arena, and the other was a more ornate version of the ring Celeste wore. He didn’t need three, but he wanted to go through them before handing them over to Hannah and his brother. Slipping them on his other hand for now, he gathered up both Commanders’ bodies. A quick search through the sand ensured he’d gathered all the crystallized Legacy aspects that had seeped out of their bodies, giving him new Imprints to turn into ink. Finally, they gathered the weapons and bodies of the lieutenant and all the elite demons who’d fallen in the arena. Looting every dead angel was a waste of time, but leaving the slipsacks of their strongest foes lying in the sand was a waste of merit.

The last things to gather were Cash and Celeste’s wings. Both stared down at their discarded limbs, seemingly unable to force themselves to pick them up even after several minutes. Harvey was about to offer to hold onto them until they decided what they wanted to do when Cash made a decision. Essence bled from his back as he knelt down and stored the wings. Harvey could feel the stain forming through his aura, and grimaced as he moved to kneel beside his friend.

“I’m sorry,” Harvey whispered.

Sensing the Stain as well, Celeste made her decision. Instead of picking them up, she unsheathed her sword and cut them to ribbons, not stopping until a hurricane of severed feathers filled the air. Each swing was accompanied by grunts of pain and anger that ramped up as essence burst from her own shoulders. The light was noticeably brighter, matching Harvey’s scar. He didn’t know if magical healing could’ve reattached them, but it looked like Celeste was leaving them behind for good.

The three of them slowly backed away as her rampage continued, all wanting to say something to console her but unable to find the words. The glow emanating from their backs eventually faded, but Celeste didn’t stop until she was gasping for breath.

“You… don’t want me?” she panted. “Fine! I’m not… your angel… anymore.”

Taking the chance to dive in before she started swinging again, Harvey wrapped Celeste in a bear hug, careful not to disturb the bony nubs protruding from her back. They stood like that for a long time as Celeste began sobbing once more. The angels had patiently waited for Harvey and Tyler to mourn the loss of their father, and now it was time for them to return the favor.

“Can we see it?” Harvey asked softly.

Celeste nodded her head no.

“I don’t know if I ever told you this, but I got my first Stain the very first day of the integration. I remember how badly I wanted to hide that part of me from the world, but I also knew I couldn’t overcome it alone. Hannah and Julian saw what the System thought I was and helped me remember that I was more than my darkest moments. Now that Stain is gone, and I’m stronger for having grown through it.”

Celeste remained hesitant, but Cash pulled up his screen for all to see.