Becoming The Strongest Angel With A Saintess System-Chapter 158: Midnight Provocations

Grace trudged back through the village gate. Her hands still shook from killing that corrupted angel.

[Just another day in paradise.]

The guard nodded at her.

"Find anything out there?"

"Nothing I couldn’t handle," Grace forced a smile. After seeing what Alia and Zephyr pulled off with the Void, Grace understood that keeping spirits high was as much her job as killing monsters. "Where are the other angels?"

"Town square. The, uh, black-haired one is putting on quite a show."

Grace followed the sounds of laughter and music. Sure enough, Venus danced in the middle of a crowd, her pink robes swirling as she moved. Petriel stood beside her, face red as a tomato.

"Come on, Petriel!" Venus grabbed the healer’s hands. "Show them how Sisters of Love spread joy!"

"I-I’m a Sister of Compassion!" Petriel squeaked.

"All angels can walk all paths!" Venus spun her around. "Now shake those hips, woman!"

The villagers clapped and cheered. Some tossed coins. A few younger women watched Venus with hungry eyes.

[At least someone’s having fun.]

Grace spotted Mara sitting on a bench nearby. The older angel waved her over.

"So, how was your patrol?" Mara asked.

Grace sat down heavily.

"Complicated."

"Want to talk about it?"

Grace watched Venus dip Petriel backward. The healer’s squeak of surprise made several villagers laugh.

"I ran into corrupted angels." Grace kept her voice low. "Had to put them down."

Mara’s expression darkened. "How many?"

"Just one. She was completely gone. Talking about infinite possibilities, growing flowers from her mouth." Grace rubbed her face. Grace leaned back against the bench. "The Bloom is doing something to them. Changing them into something else."

"I take it you..."

"Yeah," Grace confirmed with a nod. "I, uh... had to put her down."

Mara was quiet for a moment. Then she put her hand on Grace’s shoulder.

"You did what you had to do."

"Did I?" Grace watched Venus spin Petriel again. "Maybe if I’d tried harder to purify her..."

"Grace." Mara’s voice was firm. "You can’t save everyone. Even Eternia couldn’t."

[Yeah, because she dumped all her negative emotions into primordial beings and created this whole mess.]

"Speaking of Eternia." Grace lowered her voice even more. "Before I left, I saw Celestia experimenting with Sin energy."

Mara pulled back.

"What?"

"She said she needs power to protect the Dominion from the Veil. But Mara, that energy corrupts angels. We’ve seen it."

"Celestia... w-well, she knows what she’s doing." But Mara didn’t sound convinced. "She’s the oldest of us. The wisest."

"Wisdom doesn’t make you immune to corruption."

They sat in silence, watching Venus teach Petriel a particularly scandalous dance move. The crowd whooped.

"What are you thinking about doing with the Bloom?" Mara asked finally.

Grace sighed.

"I don’t know. The other Pillars all wanted something specific. The Root wanted connection. The Tide wanted companionship. The Flame wanted to vent her rage. The Void just didn’t know what she was missing out on. The Mountain needed to be forced to change. But the Bloom?"

"Creation without restraint. That’s what Venus said, right? Creation without purpose." Mara nodded. "Our opponent may not be ’broken’ in a traditional sense, this time."

"Exactly. How do you satisfy pure creative chaos?"

"Maybe you don’t." Mara stood up. "Maybe you just have to contain it."

[Or kill it.]

The thought made Grace’s stomach turn. She’d spared the other Pillars, found ways to help them. But if the Bloom gave her too much trouble...

She shoved the thought out of her mind.

"Get some rest." Mara squeezed her shoulder. "We’ll figure it out tomorrow."

"Yeah. Rest. Sure."

---

Grace lay in bed, spooning Mara. The older angel’s warmth should have been comforting. Instead, Grace stared at the wall, mind racing.

[How many more corrupted angels are out there?]

She thought about Celestia playing with Sin energy. About the Veil tensions. About Azrael showing up at the Root’s location, looking for Eternia, way back.

[Everything’s so chaotic nowadays.]

Mara shifted in her sleep, pressing back against Grace. Normally that would have Grace’s Love-enhanced libido going crazy. Tonight, she barely noticed.

After an hour of failed sleep attempts, Grace carefully extracted herself from Mara’s embrace. She pulled on her clothes and slipped out of the room.

The village was quiet. A few torches burned along the main path. In the distance, something howled. Probably one of the Bloom’s creations.

Grace walked without direction. Her feet carried her past darkened houses, past the well, past the guard post. The guard was asleep, snoring softly.

[Some security.]

She found herself at the village edge, staring into the forest. Even at night, she could see things moving out there. Trees walking around. Flowers blooming and dying in seconds. A deer with butterfly wings flew past.

"Can’t sleep?"

Grace spun around, hand going to her rapier.

A woman leaned against a tree behind her. Silver hair fell to her waist. Grey wings folded against her back. She wore the Veil’s typical outfit - grey robes that showed more skin than it covered.

"Who are you?" Grace kept her hand on her weapon.

"Cinder." The woman pushed off the tree. "And you’re Grace. The miracle angel who can kill demons."

Grace’s eyes narrowed.

"If you’re here to fight—"

"Relax." Cinder held up her hands. "If I wanted to fight, you’d already be bleeding."

[Arrogant much?]

"Then what do you want?"

"Just to talk." Cinder walked closer. Her movements were liquid smooth. "The Veil is curious about you."

"Yeah? Well, I’m not interested in joining your corruption club."

Cinder laughed. It sounded like breaking ice.

"Corruption? Is that what Celestia calls it?"

"It’s what it is. I’ve seen what Sin energy does to angels."

"Have you?" Cinder circled her slowly. "Or have you seen what happens when angels embrace their full potential?"

Grace turned to keep Cinder in sight.

"I’ve seen angels turning demonic. That’s what I’ve seen."

"What’s power without a little risk?"

"Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"I sleep wonderfully." Cinder’s smile was sharp. "Do you? Or do you lie awake wondering if Celestia is right? If the Dominion’s way is the only way?"

"The Dominion protects people. Your group only protects itself."

"The Dominion protects the status quo." Cinder’s eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. "Tell me, Grace. How many demons have you killed?"

"Enough."

"Indeed. It’s all on you to resolve this issue." Cinder stepped closer. "Ever wonder why that is?"

"Because I have Eternia’s power."

"Because you’re what Eternia should have been." Cinder was close enough to touch now. "Not some goddess playing with mortals like toys. Not some coward who ran away when things got hard."

"Eternia didn’t run away."

"No? Then where is she?" Cinder’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Why did she abandon us? Abandon Azrael?"

"Maybe she had her reasons," Grace said.

Of course, Grace heard those reasons. They were said right to her face, as she sat across from Eternia. That didn’t make it easier to defend her though. If anything, the reasons Eternia gave kinda made it harder.

"Oh, she had reasons." Cinder’s smile turned bitter. "Guilt. Shame. Fear. The great Eternia, running from her own mistakes."

"You don’t know that."

"Don’t I?" Cinder reached out like she might touch Grace’s face.

Grace stepped back.

"Don’t."

"Jumpy." Cinder lowered her hand. "Good. You should be. The Dominion won’t protect you when things get bad."

"Is that a threat?"

"It’s a fact." Cinder’s wings spread slightly. "Eternia’s betrayal will be rectified soon. The lies will be exposed. The truth will—"

"Let me guess." Grace crossed her arms. "Azrael’s going to reveal some big secret and everyone will see the Veil was right all along?"

Cinder’s expression flickered.

"You mock what you don’t understand."

"I understand plenty. Azrael got kicked out for playing with Sin energy. Now she’s bitter about it. What could be easier to understand than that?"

"Kicked out?" Cinder laughed again. "Is that what they told you? That Azrael was banished?"

"What?:

"She left, Grace. She saw what Eternia was becoming. What the Dominion was becoming. And she chose freedom over chains."

Now, that part, Grace knew for certain wasn’t true. She saw it. With her own eyes, no less. The moment in which Eternia had enough and spurned Azrael.

But, well, what could she say? "Actually, you’re wrong. My medallion told me so." That probably wouldn’t land well.

"Funny how your freedom looks a lot like corruption," she said instead.

"Funny how your purity looks a lot like stagnation." Cinder started backing away. "Think about that while you hunt the Bloom. Think about why Eternia’s creations turn to chaos without her guiding hand."

"Where are you going?"

"Away." Cinder’s wings spread fully. "This conversation is over. But we’ll meet again, Grace Lightsinger."

"Can’t wait." Grace’s voice dripped sarcasm.

Cinder smiled one last time.

"You should visit the Veil sometime. See what real power looks like. What angels could be without the Dominion’s chains."

"Pass."

"Your loss."

Then Cinder was gone, launching into the night sky with one powerful wing beat.

Grace stood there for a moment, staring at where the Veil angel had been.

She started walking back to the village, muttering under her breath.

"’Eternia’s betrayal will be rectified.’ What does that even mean? And that whole bit about Azrael choosing to leave?" Grace kicked a rock. "The Veil’s side of history is literally just wrong. But, how am I supposed to tell people that?"

By the time she made it back to her room, Grace’s anger had cooled to annoyance. She slipped back into bed, trying not to wake Mara.

"Where did you go?" Mara asked without opening her eyes.

"Just needed air."

"Sure." Mara pulled Grace closer. "But we can talk about it tomorrow."

Grace let herself be pulled into Mara’s warmth. This time, sleep came easier.