Project: Socialize (Chapters 1-197)

181. A Sin is Still a Sin

[Noah's Perspective] 

With the disappearance of Alevian and the Goddess of Death came a period of awkwardness. Even though things were quite bad before already, this silence that ensued was even worse. As the youngest one here with the least authority, there's not much that I could do. I just don't have any options. I can't leave and I can't speak up. The only thing that I can do is simply stand here, away from the worst of the storm yet influenced heavily by it. That is the pain of being the youngest of all.

I looked over at Ralus, someone who I wouldn't consider to be exactly an older brother figure in my life, but he's the closest to it as I was never able to meet Michael. But, according to what Ralus and Emilia had told me about him, he's extremely gentle and kind, someone who they could rely on in their early days of existence. Their testimony made me quite interested in this mysterious older angel.

My heart pounded nervously in my chest and the atmosphere around me seemed to become more and more dense to the point that it was suffocating. This feeling was due to the aura that the powerful figures around me had emitted. Even for me, standing here is quite difficult and uncomfortable. Therefore, I am actually quite surprised that Alevian was able to withstand it for such a long time with his mortal body. But, I guess that's because of he's special.

"How long has it been?" Ralus whispered in a trembling voice as he stood there with a defeated countenance. "I stopped counting after ten thousand years... Shouldn't it be enough already?"

"It was a major offense," God calmly responded. "He stepped out of line, did something unfit for his status."

"And you're still willing to leave the two alone..." Ralus muttered and sighed. "But shouldn't the punishment be enough already?" Ralus asked in a begging manner.

"He hasn't learned yet," God answered.

"If he hasn't learned in that many years, then it's unlikely he'll ever learn of it," Ralus answered, raising his voice slightly following the slight uptick in his agitation. "He won't change. It's not in our nature to do so."

God raised an eyebrow as he peered over towards Ralus.

"We're not so different from humans," Ralus continued. "We're not machines. We have emotions, have desires. How do you expect us to watch over them if we don't feel like them?"

"As the rulers and leaders," God sighed. "One must not be affected by moral thoughts."

"It's a double-edged sword," Ralus shook his head. "We might not be affected by greed, but we will not feel any mercy or compassion. People sometimes do things for a reason, and they might commit a sin when doing so. But, what if the reason is something that is justifiable?"

"But what if it isn't?" God asked. "A sin is still a sin."

"So is that why you opted to punish him like this?" Ralus looked over at him. "Alevian Michael Messiah, he was the very first, the most venerable one of us all. You've banished him into the moral realms, thinking that after enduring the sufferings of morals and the pains that emotion would bring, he would correct his ways, change his mind and agree with you. Yet, how long has it been? It's been more than ten thousand years. He won't change. Stripping away his powers and allowing him to slowly unlock them through this Socialization app isn't going to help in this so-called 'rehabilitation'."

"..." God remained silent.

"I know it's out of line for me to say this but," Ralus paused and took a deep breath. "You're not always correct."

"Ralus," Emilia muttered to herself, yet on her face was no expression.

"Is this your idea of perfection?" Ralus weakly raised a hand and pointed over towards Emilia's face. "You erased that smile from her face and made her into this senseless machine. How do you expect a machine to be able to comprehend humanity? How do you expect one to be happy when they're stripped of themselves and the capability to do so?"