Just at the bullet impacts the middle of the Mocker’s back, Alex feels his sister with him.
“Alex take what is mine,” she whispers and floods him with her power, releasing all of her gifts to her brother. “My time as the Keeper is over. Take what is mine, I give it all to you. Always remember, I love you brother.”
Alex feels the power flood his body and his head fills with memories not his own and he drops to the earth.
“Nooo, we can save you! Not now! We still have time!” He begins screaming as he sees the cord holding Elina dissolve away in the white hot detonation and his sister begins to fall to her fate.
“Jake, she can’t port! She gave me all of her power! She can’t port!” She plummets to the earth screaming for Malach.
Malach feels the detonation and tears through the air, on tattered wings. He turns toward where he feels Elina and explodes through the cloud of demons between him and her. The winged creatures stab and swing at him, attempting to stop him from his mission. Malach leaves a trail of smoking dismembered bodies behind in his frenzied flight to save her.
Elina watches the light of the bullet as it passes by and says goodbye to her brother. With a jolt she is free and all she hears is a rush of wind passing her ears. She closes her eyes and prays for strength to finish her journey. She prays for those left behind that they will endure what is coming. She hears Malach scream of agony and she senses he is close, but he won’t be in time. Her fate is near.
The Mocker is blown across the valley from the explosion against his back. The pain from the fire is so intense he does not feel his prize drop away from his now bleeding and torn body. He lands in a grove of trees, digging a great gash in the earth.
Jake sees her body break free and hurtle towards the trees below. He grabs Alex and ports to where he thinks she hit. Just as they arrive, they all feel the impact deep in their souls! His scream is joined with Alex’s and he fights the surrounding demons back to keep them from her broken body. A weak moan has Jake diving into the trees and brush looking for Elina.
Jake finds her sprawled on her side at the base of a tree. Limbs and leaves of her passage still drift in the air around her. Her legs are twisted under her, both broken, and her left arm is behind her, snapped at the elbow and bleeding heavily. Her face is bloody with her left eye swollen shut from the impact. A low groan escapes her bleeding, broken lips.
The crash of breaking tree branches pulls his eyes from Elina and he turns to see Malach slide to stop behind them. A cry of anguish escapes his mouth at the sight of his beloved.
“It’s going to be okay, Elina.” He reassures her as he kneels on the ground and tries to heal her body once more.
She stills his hand and speaks to his mind. “Malach, God sent you to take care of me. Shelter me under your wings, beloved. Lighten my path and don’t leave me. Stay near me and defend me against the evil here.”
Jake watches the tree line around Elina and Malach. Loud explosions can be heard from Alex’s fight to protect his sister. The air is filled with the strangled roars of hells soldiers being blown to pieces from his power.
A loud crack of splintered wood has Jake looking behind them to see a huge tree fall from being pushed over as demons clear a path for their attack. They smell Elina’s blood and have come to claim it. “Incoming, We need to move now!” Jake urges.
“Help me Malach, in this last struggle of my life. Deliver my soul home so that I may complete the Blood Covenant!”
A rush of wings batters the broken keeper as a Fist of God lands in the small clearing between them and the advancing mob of darkness. They spread out to protect the broken keeper and her brother.
Alex is pushed back into the trees from the fighting and sees Malach attempt to heal his sister. The angel is bloodied, half his armor is missing showing the ragged gouges and holes in his body from where it was ripped off during the fight. He has dropped his ragged, torn wings down around himself and his sister protecting her with his own body.
Looking past the archangels protecting his sister, he sees the advancing demons and knows they are now surrounded by hells children. He hears the concern in Jakes voice, and is determined to stop the evil from hurting her anymore.
Elina coughs and blood covers her lips as she turns to look at the angels. “Protect the Light!” she orders, pointing to her brother. Coughing again she screams in agony as Malach lifts her. Alex looks on understanding, she is no longer the Keeper.
Tears begin streaming down Alex’s face and a fire of rage begins to burn in his chest. He feels their combined power and lets it build, directing it into his open hand. He creates an orb of holy power saying, “No More,” and steps into the trees hunting for justice.
The angels Gideon, Raphael, Liam and Michael shield Malach and Elina as they watch the new keeper erupt into holy, cleansing fire, burning the limbs and foliage back from his passage. His rage can be felt in the waves of energy rolling off of his body as he stands in front of the Mockers legions.
Elina smiles watching her brother, for she has seen this before. ‘Take me home, Malach.’
“Father! We are ready!” Malach calls and the Ketuwah flows from a crack in the ground softly at first, it glows tall and strong in front of them. A turquoise light flickering and fluttering it
