The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 72

XXXXXXXII

URIEL

Solstice

Fallen Chapel, Earth

Faust stood up and extended a hand burning with black fire towards the incoming projectile. Using only his palm, he grabbed the ball and then threw it off to the side, like he was swatting aside a rubber ball. "Credit where credit's due; that's an impressive increase in power you've managed in such a short amount of time. But you're still behind the curve. I've spent years preparing for this moment. It'll take more than a few sloppy fireworks to best me," Faustt said with a laugh as he brushed off the snow on his shoulders. "He'd be so disappointed with you."

Uriel spun his silverwood sword and summoned a second blade composed of Dawn. "You have no idea how hard I've fought for this moment," he spat, snow sizzling as it fell against his burning flesh. "You've killed others, burned down everything in your path to get what you wanted. Manipulated others, played on their fears. I bled and fought for every last bit of power I've gained; I won't be beaten by someone who's just a shadow."

"I'd rather be a shadow than a sham," Faust said, dark embers lining his body as he began to rise into the air. "I know what I am and I accept it gladly. But you? I can tell there's a part of you that's playing at being human, running around with your little friends and pretending to feel what they feel," he continued, drawing Jonathan's warped sabre from beneath his cloak. "One day, you're going to wake up and realize that this was all just a game of pretend. You'll look at the people you once held dear, the people you think you're doing all this for, and you'll realize that they don't really know you at all. That you're a different breed. That you always have been. And they'll look at you and think the same. And they'll be afraid."

Uriel charged through the falling snow, his blazing aura melting the fragile flakes as flew towards his opponent. He met Faust in midair with a thrust of his right sword. "You're wrong. I know who I am, and so do my friends. They would never turn on me. You wouldn't know this, but not every relationship ends with a bloody sword."

"How can they possibly know you when you don't even know yourself?" Faust asked, vanishing into a black portal before Uriel's blade could reach its target. "The only reason you're still sane right now," he said as he reappeared behind Uriel and raised his blade for an overhead strike, "is because you're ignoring everything that presents questions. The feel of soft grass on your hand, a cool breeze on your cheek, even a wet kiss on your lips. You will never, ever know if what you're feeling is real or something you manufactured for yourself to fit in with what you've been told you should feel. You were trained to believe that you were human because they wanted you to serve them. I'll bet Lady Vigilant knew. Why wouldn't she tell you your true nature apart from fear?"

A blade of Dawn formed out of thin air to block Faust's strike. "You can't trick me, Faust. That's the difference between us," Uriel growled, whirling around and slashing the Nephilim across the chest. "I have people in my life that don't try to manipulate me or use me. Friends that let me decide who I want to be."

Faust scowled down as the wound on his chest quickly healed. "Friends? That's your reason for living? That's where you find your psychological clarity? Don't make me laugh," he spat, a flaming black chain shooting out from his hands and wrapping around Uriel. "Everyone is using everyone else, Uriel. Even if they don't know it. We're all just a collection of needy, self-driven sycophants. We wander around reality finding anyone we can to meet our sexual, ideological and emotional hungers. And then we feed once we find a suitable crop. Suck it dry, then walk away and start again." He chuckled as he tightened the chains around Uriel. "We're vampires, all of us. Friends simply leave their victims living."