Chapter 460: Anomaly
Arael looked as though she was struggling to reconcile what she had just heard.
"This makes no sense," she said. "Angels and deities inhabit the same realm. It shouldn’t be out of the question for relations between them to happen."
Abaddon nodded. "That is true. Angels and gods inhabit Solgard together. However, angels answer only to the Celestial Court and are bound by a strict sense of duty."
"Their purpose has always been to protect Solgard from threats within and beyond its borders."
He paused briefly before adding more details.
"Relations with deities are therefore viewed as a potential source of conflict. Such a relationship could create personal attachments, introduce bias, and compromise the impartiality expected of an angel."
"But that is only part of the reason," Abaddon continued. "There is also the question of what such a union could produce."
Arael then followed with a question this time. "In what sense?"
"Every angel is trained from birth to serve, fight, and protect. Their entire development is built around that purpose. But when a child is born from the union of an angel and a deity, there is no certainty as to what that child will be."
"It could inherit more of its deity’s nature than that of the angel. In such a case, would you still consider it an angel? Would you still expect it to devote itself to the duties prescribed to angels?"
"What happens if the child inherits both natures equally? Or if one side is significantly weaker than the other? Could that affect the child’s development? Its abilities? Its place within Solgard?"
Abaddon spread one hand slightly.
"The nature of such offspring cannot be predicted, and that uncertainty creates complications for a society that has existed for ages upon strict laws and established roles."
There was another brief pause before a continuation.
"There is the possibility that the deity may grow attached to the child and choose to take it away, removing it from the life and responsibilities it was born to fulfill."
Abaddon lowered his hand.
"If such occurrences become common, the angels fear what it would do to their society. Their duties, their hierarchy, even their very purpose could gradually lose meaning."
Abaddon then gestured his fingers towards Arael. "You’re are proof of those uncertainties..."
Both Ethan and Arael looked at him curiously.
"The first angel I have encountered with so many irregularities that I genuinely do not know how to place you..."
"A few minutes ago, you told me that you were able to grow within the World of the Undying. You also possess four wings, and yet you do not possess the level of power normally associated with a four-winged angel."
He paused, studying her.
"At first, I thought perhaps that was because you had never been in Solgard. But if that were the case, you should never have developed a second pair of wings in the first place."
Ethan and Arael exchanged confused glances, especially because Abaddon’s explanation was becoming increasingly difficult to follow.
Ethan then asked. "Can you make sense of what you’re saying?"
Abaddon regarded him for a moment before offering an analogy.
"Seeds require the blessings of sunlight and rain to grow and mature, eventually reaching their fullest potential. Those are the conditions that allow a seed to become what it was meant to be, a tree."
"For angels, Solgard serves much the same purpose."
"Like several other species in this world, angels possess the potential to evolve. That evolution is reflected in the number of wings they possess."
"Although, there is no fixed point at which an angel will evolve, and some may never do so at all. But when that growth occurs, it requires the energy of Solgard."
"The energy of that realm nourishes the evolution of angels. It is part of the reason they protect it so fiercely."
Abaddon then gestured toward Arael.
"You are an anomaly. Somehow, you managed to grow within a realm meant for the dead and the lost. You have also developed up to four wings despite not living long in Solgard."
His gaze moved over her wings.
"Unfortunately, you do not possess the power normally associated with a four-winged angel.... A four-winged angel should be considerably stronger than what I can currently sense from you."
Arael’s expression tightened slightly, but she said nothing, letting him continue.
"Perhaps the fears surrounding such births have manifested in you....Your mixed nature may have resulted in an irregular form of growth, or perhaps your development was somehow stunted. It is difficult to say."
Ethan shook his head. "Or, she simply hasn’t reached her fullest potential yet."
Both Arael and Abaddon turned toward him; and Ethan looked completely certain of himself.
Abaddon studied him for several seconds before giving a nod. "With your summon, from everything I have seen so far, I suppose anything is possible."
He glanced back toward Arael. "Anything."
"An existence that threatens the order of things," Ethan muttered, almost to himself.
He was repeating the words the System had once used to describe the nature of Arael.
"Hm." Abaddon acknowledged the remark but didn’t question it. Instead, he returned to the reason the crux of their conversation.
"To take a step back, regarding the matter that brought us here in the first place, there is something I want you to understand. I have no idea who killed you and the old man."
"I wasn’t even in Solgard at the time. I ceased being an angel who served that realm a very long time ago, even before the conception of this world."
"And I truly cannot say whether the King of Angels was responsible for what happened to you. But there is one thing I can tell you with certainty."
Abaddon’s expression became slightly more solemn. "I abhor them just as much as you do."
Arael’s expression at this time no more held fury nor suspicion. It was as though she had found something she could understand.
She gave him a nod and Abaddon returned the gesture.
After that, there was little left to say.
Ethan was tempted to ask why Abaddon had abandoned Solgard and what happened to make him sever himself from the realm he had once served.
But he decided to leave the question alone.
It was already the early hours of morning; unfortunately, he had spent most of the night between that rowdy dinner and training.
Besides, some questions could wait.
Between the dinner earlier that evening and his training session, Ethan had earned another 45,000 XP, bringing his total from 475,650 XP to: 520,650 XP