Growth
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The Abandoned Angel and Dius appear on the other side of the portal, entering the Heaven Dimension. Uriel, the archangel of the arts and light, greets the pair, pen and scroll in hand, sketching away. 

“Ah, so you’ve succeeded in bringing dear Dius back to us,” he says, sporadically looking up at the two, then down at his scroll, then up at the two. Anti glances around. 

“Where is the messenger?” he asks. 

“Ah, yes. Well, my brother is currently stationed in the Magnificent Mountains,” Uriel answers. “He said to find him once you have spoken to the likes of Azrael like Michael instructed before your rescuing of Dius.”

“I did not need to be rescued,” Dius defends. “Merely awakened.”

“Forgive me if I am incorrect in stating this, but was it not you that cowered in fear at the mere mention of Apothael?” Uriel tries. Dius glares at him.

“You are incorrect. I no longer wished to do his bidding, yet I had no way of eliminating him,” Dius defends further. 

“Antithesis seemed to manage,” Uriel says. 

“Enough of this, angel of light,” Dius says. “Where am I to be stationed?”

“The dojo is just up the road. And Antithesis, Azrael can be found at The Peak, ” Uriel says, pointing in the proper directions. He leans in close and whispers. “I am not sure whether I am to tell you this yet or not, but more Heavenbornes will be joining our forces soon enough. They are scattered throughout the universe.”

“There are non-human Heavenbornes?” Anti questions. Uriel nods.

“Indeed there are. They are stationed on planets deemed likely to have high demonic activity,” Uriel explains. Just then, he finishes his sketch and spins it around for the two Heavenbornes to see. Dius brushes past Uriel and heads to the dojo while Anti stands still and examines the drawing. It is so well done that it looks as if a photograph was taken of the two. Anti nods.

“Your domain precedes you with good reason,” the wraith compliments. Uriel wholesomely smiles and Anti heads in the direction of his destination. 

The spirit approaches the base of a spire that appears to have an indefinite height. Anti merely teleports upward and reaches the peak of The Peak, where Grim, the archangel of death is waiting. He is looking down at what seems to be a constructed view of the Earth. Anti slowly approaches the reaper and Grim begins to speak.

“You know, this feels like a really good moment to say something cliche about how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things,” he says. “But that’d be rather foolish, seeing as how we are the exact opposite.” 

“Should you not be collecting souls, reaper?” Anti asks.

“Once in a while, there comes a time where I don’t have to. There are rare moments I receive where The Creator decided no one dies for a certain while,” Grim answers, then continues. “It’s giving me a break It feels I deserve. But, when I’ve been created to do one thing for eternity and beyond I’m at a loss for what to do in these moments.”

“You do nothing else aside from collecting souls?” Anti questions further. Grim pauses, then speaks.

“I do other things as well, but 95 percent of my time is spent doing what I’ve been created to do. I enjoy doing other things such as guiding the archangel avatar heroes of Earth, but that will only last so long. When they die off, I have no idea what comes next,” Grim says. He tilts his head in Anti’s direction. “I know it’s odd coming from Death, but I don’t know every little thing of what’s to come. I know who’s going to die and when but not what that other 5 percent of my time will be spent towards.”

“Why not choose?” Grim eyes the Heavenbonre, with his lack of eyeballs. “Years of existence has to yield a good result of some sort. I am aware you do not choose who lives and dies. You cannot choose or control their fates, but you can control yours. Make something of the time that you have to yourself, though it is rare. Do not let it be spent thinking of going back to what you were created to do. Be present.”

Grim’s facial bones crackle to form a smile.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you, Heavenborne,” he says. “Almost everything I said was bullshit but I admire your drive to spread good where you think necessary.”

“...Which part of what you spoke about was--”

“I’ll let you figure that out,” Grim says. “But, for the conversation and company, here is my second favorite scythe and second strongest scythe. Stronger than your stupid slave sword.”

Grim opens a bony palm and a reaping scythe appears from thin air. He hands it to Anti.

“That is Eternal Sleep. Capable of the whole soul siphoning and soul empowerment thing,” Grim explains. “Also, wielding a scythe is different than wielding a sword, so you might wanna practice with her on your own time.”

“Thank you, reaper,” Anti says, examining it before placing it on his back. 

“Ah,” the reaper waves his hand. “No thanks needed. I’ll be taking Dimension Splitter from you though.”

“For what purpose?”

“Consider this an upgrade,” Grim says. “You have many other weapons, tools, and artifacts coming your way. Having a sword that is weaker than a scythe telepathically linked with you just takes up space. I’ll find another use for it.”

Anti handed over the sword he used to slaughter most of the Hell Dimension in exchange for the stronger weapon. As soon as Grim touches it, he makes it disappear into green embers. Anti assumes that’s the reaper’s way of adding a weapon to his own arsenal. 

Anti then looks down towards the ground and teleports back to the base and makes his way over to the valleys of the Magnificent Mountainous region of Heaven. He trudges through the snow and makes it to the base of the tallest, grandest mountain of the range where he presumes Gabriel is waiting. He attempts to teleport like he did with The Peak, but his ability does not work. He grunts and clasps onto the freezing surface of the mountain, beginning his ascent. 

The climb takes merely a few minutes for Anti to conquer even though the mountain is thousands of times taller than the largest mountain on Earth. All he does to accomplish this is use his fire to keep him warm and quite literally fired up and make use of his unlimited stamina and speed. 

The messenger archangel is pacing back and forth, flapping his wings in the harsh, frigid breeze when Anti arrives. For any somewhat normal being, it might even be difficult to see through the snow and sub-freezing temperatures, but Anti’s fire allows him to. 

“You sent for me, messenger,” Anti greets. Gabriel stops pacing and looks at Anti, pausing when he does before casually flying over.

“I’ve been thinking about how you can expand your ever-expanding arsenal of abilities and weapons, Anti,” Gabriel tells him. “And I think it’d be wise to teach you how to manipulate ice and holyice.”

“Only manipulation? Not generation?”

“First of all, you’re welcome. Second, that might be difficult given you produce the hottest substance-slash-element known to any being in any universe,” Gabriel says. “Producing something that is the complete opposite would prove far more difficult than any task you may have accomplished up to this point. However, manipulating is a different story.

Gabriel holds out his hand and forms a block of ice up to the height of Anti’s torso. 

“Now, the best way--or really only way--I can think to go about this is connecting with what you’re trying to control. Feel every piece of it; the temperature, the shape, even the dimensions. Think of the way you manipulate fire--in any form--and apply it here.”

Anti holds out his hand, applying everything Gabriel just told him, yet the block stays put. Gabriel places a hand on his own chin, pondering the situation. 

“I assume there’s an emotional aspect to your abilities,” he speculates. Anti nods. “Of course there is. Most of the time, beings believe their emotions influence how strong the output of their abilities are, when in reality they can increase the output without that emotional push, if they were to pay attention to the science behind their powers. But, for your case, I believe you. You were born--or, I guess, reborn--in anger, hate, and vengeance.”

“This entire conversation reminds me of a conversation one might have with Zaphkiel or perhaps Jophiel,” Anti adds. Gabriel nods and shrugs off Anti’s point.

“Yeah, knowledge and wisdom. Uh-huh. Yeah.”

“You almost seem intelligent.”

“You’re joking.”

“I do not make those.”

“Anyway, try not to think about what happened to your family when manipulating this element. Think about the future. Clear your mind and look forward to what’s to come. Think about your growth as a spirit; a soul. Think about how far you’ve come and how proud your family is of you,” Gabriel explains. Anti does this and is easily able to lift the ice from the snow-covered rocky ground. “Well, holy shit! There we go!”

“Did you not know it would work?” Anti questions.

“Of course not. I was trying to figure it out just like you,” the messenger angel says. He creates another block of ice. This one lighter in color than the other. Anti remembers this ice from when he was nearly frozen in his battle with his universe’s Gabriel. This is holyice. The coldest substance known across any galaxy, dimension, or universe. When Gabriel created it, Anti should have been frozen right then and there, but his fire kept him mobile. 

“Alright,” Gabriel continues. “Let’s try the same thing here, except apply thoughts of your Heavenborne status along with everything and--well, there it is.”

Anti lifts the block of holyice with his mind just like the normal block of ice. Anti then blows Gabriel’s mind further by creating the element he just manipulated. 

“How the…”

“I am uncertain myself,” Anti admits. “Perhaps something to do with thinking of the future and calming my mind. I wonder what would happen if I were to…”

The holyice Anti created on his hand disappears as a flame of a different, bluish-white tint appears over his hands. Gabriel stares at the flames intensely.

“This looks like Ash’s healing flames, but these are whiter in color,” the messenger says. He exhales and nods. “Okay, hit me. Let’s test what this is exactly. Now, I know it’s a stupid idea and all--”

Anti stops Gabriel from talking further and Gabriel screams in pain when the fire makes contact with his skin. 

“Take it back!”

Anti manipulates the fire back to himself and forces it to dissipate before rushing over to the archangel. 

“The…the sensation. Unlike anything…I’ve ever felt before,” Gabriel informs. “It’s like I was freezing but the flames were still burning and charring my skin. I couldn’t move.”

Anti helps the archangel to his feet as he notices the burn marks take more time than normal to heal on Gabriel.

“That’s a serious element you created. Frost Fire,” he says. “But, lemme ask you this, are you gonna continue using the ice and holyice?” Gabriel asks. Anti shakes his head.

“No. I prefer the…Frost Fire. It sounds like it might be more useful than the pure heat plasmic holyflames. It is as if the cold of the frost fire represents my now calm demeanor, yet I will never forget my past, so the fire represents both past and future. Let another have the ice element,” he says. 

“Truth be told--though I’ve never been hit with your plasmic holyfire--I think the frost fire is hotter,” Gabriel says. Anti nods at the messenger archangel. 

“I thank you for the training,” he says before pausing. “However, I feel the fire might not always work or be reliable. Even my plasmic holyflames could not win me the battle in every situation I came across in the Hell Dimension. Using my bare hands was more effective in certain fights. My weapons can be broken, even if only by the two most powerful beings across the multiverse, they can still be broken. I could also come across a situation where I am without them. I need something irrefutably reliable, beyond the realm of possibility.”

Gabriel places a hand on his own chin and ponders Anti’s words. He spreads his wings and points to the sky, revealing he has an idea. 

“You might wanna follow me,” the archangel says. 

“I cannot take flight, archangel,” Anti points out.

“Right. Let’s just…” Gabriel opens a portal to the Golden Court and the two step through. 

The Golden Court is the main court of the Heaven Dimension, where many things take place. There are pillars of unimaginable size at the top of the enormous stairs, several fountains, statues, and more. 

Anti and Gabriel exit the portal to see Michael, Grim, The Creator, Zeus, Odin, Heru, other lead gods from other mythologies, and Renata waiting for them in the Court. Anti recognizes all except for the primordial goddess Renata. She senses his confusion and gets ahead of his question.

“I am Renata, primordial goddess of rebirth among the Haven Gods,” she informs the Heavenborne. “We come from the city you have visited and protected in the past. We are much like the Greek, Norse, and Egyptian gods, each with our own creation stories, families, and stories. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Anti looks at Gabriel. “I am sure this will be further explained.”

Gabriel shrugs. 

“We heard of your worries of being without protection,” The Creator says. “You’re looking for something others don’t. Something that will stick with you, no matter the circumstances. A few things come to mind, but for you, I recommend the Binding Soul Knuckles.”

“A set of two knuckles made of Angelium dipped in the Torpid Trench. One put on, they become a part of you and cannot be removed. They stay a part of the wielder no matter the plane of existence, dimension, or reality,” Grim explains further. “And perhaps my favorite part, they grant you soul siphoning and soul empowerment.”

“There is a downside, though, James,” Michael begins. He pauses dramatically. “No one from any of the realms or dimensions even dare attempt the trials, because the trials could obliterate the soul of whomever was daring enough.”

“And what are these trials?” Anti asks. The fact that he’s even considering the trials causes all of the gods to exchange worried and puzzled looks. The Creator--having no face--stares keeps Its head facing directly at the Heavenborne. 

“Killing each of the mythological lead gods of Earth in one on one battles. Enduring the pain of infinite multiverses collapsing on top of one another. Stay in solitude for as long as the Earth has been alive,” The Creator lists. “If you fail any of these, even losing a battle against a god, your soul will be obliterated.”

Anti nods.

“To be clear, none of what happens to you will be permanent nor affect the multiverses,” The Creator states. “But, you will have gone through everything. Or rather, your soul will have.”

“Anything to say?” Grim asks.

“I am ready.”

 

In what is only a minute to the gods, Anti passes all of the trials. Not with ease, necessarily, but he does it. When he steps before the gods in the Golden Court once again, nothing has changed about him, not even mentally.

“How do you feel?” Grim asks.

“I feel no different, reaper,” Anti says. “I’ve had battles with some of the strongest beings in the universe, endure unfathomable pain, and loneliness. I need what was promised.”

The Creator doesn’t even lift a finger as the Binding Soul Knuckles appear and latch themselves onto Anti’s hands, his hand wraps making way for them. As they touch his skin, glowing tattoos and symbols appear on his arms.

“What are these?” he asks.

“They come with the weapons. They protect your soul. Since you survived obligation, you, in turn, shall never be obliterated,” The Creator explains.

Anti nods at The Creator.

“I thank you all, for the challenge and for the weapons,” Anti says. The Creator and the rest of the gods nod in return. Anti turns to Renata. “May I ask to dip my other weapons in this mythical trench as well?”

Renata nods. “Follow me.” 

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