Chapter 67

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The beautiful moon shines through the barren landscape that once bathed in crimson and orange sunsets, providing a soft glimmer from above. Its reflection sparkles upon the endless sea of sand while the stars illuminated across the pitch black of night. The winds blew gently over the land, lifting the grains up and swirling them around in the air, leaving only traces behind.

Seth remained awake as his exhausted friends lay on the ground, snoring softly in peace. He tried to close his eyes, focusing his mind solely on listening closely to noises from the gentle waves rolling by and gentle gusts of breeze brushing over him like ghosts whispering amongst themselves.

In the peacefulness of the night, it was easy for anyone to sleep without wanting to dream or be aware of their surroundings. Even though this world is always full of danger, there is always a chance of peace from time to time, but only if one knows where to search for it.

Opening his eyes again with his back still resting on the soft sands beneath his form, he gazed at the majestic full moon that illuminated through darkness itself. Its cold blueish color appeared like a ghostly apparition hovering in front of him, casting its gentle light onto everything below.

Usually, he would get sinful thoughts from being exposed to life itself, but strangely enough, nothing came up when observing the celestial orb above them. As if it were being cleansed away by something powerful enough to remove all traces of desire that corrupted his soul for decades upon decades.

He had fun today; the smiles and joyful laughter were something that Seth had rarely experienced in his lifetime. It is nice to enjoy himself without having to worry about the consequences that plague him and everyone around him.

It is enjoyable to be surrounded by others who genuinely care about one another despite being different kinds of people altogether. Their differences are what make them special individuals in this world, unlike many others who prefer to have identical lives without any deviations whatsoever.

From the corner of his eyes, he watches Solomon sleeping soundly nearby, his smile etched onto his pale features. It warmed his own heart to see that a small boy can enjoy himself just like anyone else despite experiencing terrible loss that took away his mother before him, robbing innocence in the cruelest way possible.

But Seth knows that nothing is permanent in this life; as they remain on earth, change is always inevitable, no matter how hard people might wish for things to be different than they truly are. Unfortunately, some don't get lucky enough to have a good life after a tragic event happens to them.

Sighing tiredly, he slowly stood up while the melodic sounds of the waters in front of him still played on repeat, like music from ancient instruments being played in harmony, along with the gentle breeze continuing to brush through his white robes gently.

Inhaling the crisp air deeply, the holy man closed his eyes and took a moment before opening them again. With renewed energy inside of him, Seth decisively turned and walked through the shoreline as if guided by an invisible force that tugged his body towards the water itself.

Walking past sleeping friends who lay unmoving against the soft sands, the young man began to enjoy the soothing sensation of feeling each step become lighter than before as he proceeded deeper into the shallow areas with gentle waves lapping onto his feet, splashing water upon them.

Each time another one crashes over the shore, he feels himself being washed away by its current, which sweeps him far from where he initially started. The sensation is quite pleasant as well as addictive, if he may add, like a clueless child playing around without care for the future or what's next in store for himself.

Not long after this peaceful walk, he noticed something rather odd in the distance: a familiar form of woman appearing out of a flowery bush as he kept on moving closer towards her unconsciously. Once the moonlight was strong enough to reveal details of her figure, he was instantly captivated by her appearance alone, which made Seth's heart skip a beat.

"Mother?"

Muriel, with her graceful features, smiled on seeing him approach closer to her. "My child," she greeted lovingly at him, and her blue orbs sparkled brightly under the starlit sky above them. There is something about those eyes that brings him warmth in this cold, merciless world.

She smiled happily. "What a joy to see you once more, my son," her voice echoed through his ears pleasantly while standing tall in front of him; she was indeed as beautiful as the day he met her in his dreams. "Come and walk with me," Muriel offered while gesturing her hand out towards Seth.

Hearing these words from her lips, Seth became uncertain of whether he should accept her invitation or decline in order not to offend her, but when she continued smiling brightly with those inviting eyes, he knew it would be rude not to do so.

Nodding his head, he then replied with a question of his own as the two began to walk side by side: "Mother, may I ask you something?" Seth inquired with a hint of curiosity in his voice, catching her attention as her gentle gaze stared at him directly. "Am I really your son?"

Seth had probably asked this for a long time, but he wants to hear her say it aloud so he can confirm whether she actually claims him to be family despite her not being the one who gave birth to him originally. He is awaiting her response patiently.

The kind woman looked downcast for a few seconds, glancing over to her side as she frowned deeply at his query before looking back at him. "You are God's son, but to tell you the truth, I am not your mother," she explained quietly while placing her free hand affectionately on his shoulder, "but in the eyes of God's kingdom, everyone is a member of his children who are His people; therefore, we share similar bonds as a true family."

Seth stopped in tracks, causing her to do likewise as well. He paused briefly while he stared at her in a conflicting manner before saying, "You claim to be Eve before, the first woman and Adam's wife. But how can an angel be the wife of man?" The question that came to his mind recently, ever since first learning about this concept earlier, was, "Angels can't bear offspring, nor is their reproduction cycle the same as humans are."

This made her nod in agreement, nodding her head solemnly before speaking softly to him. "That is true, but the truth is a bit more complicated than we realize," Muriel said as she looked above the starry skies above their heads with an expression of sadness filling her facial features. "Anything is possible with God; many different impossible and possible actions lead to infinite experiences," she said.

"And one of them was me, name I took after I asked the Lord to incarnate me in taking the flesh," Muriel answered to his second inquiry about being the original first woman who lived on Earth many years ago with Adam during the Garden of Eden: "although I am not Eve, I did meet and fall in love with a man that is Adam, even though there were different realities of him before my mortal death," confusing the holy man further, who blinked in confusion at this revelation.

He was bewildered by this responsibility; what he heard was downright heretical, to say the least, but if God is infinite, then it would make sense that any possible and impossible things man had never thought of or probably learned of had already transpired in some way or form.

Confusing philosophical idea as he looks down onto the ground, contemplating deeply in whatever her words meant exactly, but regardless, he believes them to be the truth because who else can lie about being a higher being who served loyal to the mighty one himself?

Answering his question, she nodded affirmatively with a sad smile gracing her lips. "Yes, that is right. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction; the Lord knows what He does is for the best benefit of humanity and all the other inhabitants of existence itself," the woman pointed out to the young man, who listened intently with rapt interest written across his own face.

"God is good and earth has truly fallen away from his light," Seth admitted with a frown forming across features when remembering his travels throughout the land, "and because of that, I have to be the one in being the pure sacrificial lamb so all who believe in me shall be finally saved," speaking determinedly while staring at her, "am I correct?"

Muriel tilted her head at the statement and leaned close to him. "Is there something plaguing your mind, my child?" She asked in a soft tone with eyes full of concern as if sensing pain hidden underneath those words spoken from him before, "Tell me what is troubling you so I can alleviate them." She implored tenderly at her beloved child, whom she cared greatly for.

Closing his eyes briefly, Seth then exhaled a heavy sigh after feeling pressure build inside his chest all this, not even realizing until now that it was becoming unbearable. "I'm scared, mama," the words carried with them emotions he had never shown anyone before, yet he still spoke them anyway: "I'm scared of dying. I have accepted the destiny I chose, yet I'm still afraid," he confessed painfully before biting down on his bottom lip with clenched fists tightening in trepidation at what's to come.

While the dreams were vague, he was going to die a horrible death. And because of that, he is terrified of whether or not he can overcome those fears gnawing at him, eating away at his sanity and confidence, which have been dwindling for a long period of time now.

She quickly embraced her son in a loving hug that he can only recall faintly through hazy memories. "It's okay, everything will work out fine, so do not fear my child," she whispered reassuringly with arms wrapping tightly around his form protectively. "Trust yourself because your will is stronger than any weapon known in all existence itself; you were born into this place to bring salvation upon us all, so do not fear."

Words of encouragement coming from her mouth made Seth feel slightly better despite knowing he'd suffer in a horrible way. "I-I-c-c-an't..." He stuttered as he cried, burying his face over her shoulder with tears pouring out freely from his eyes. "I want to save everyone, but I'm scared of dying a painful death. How can I save everyone if I am afraid of facing my fate?!" He wept terribly.

Her motherly heart was in pain at hearing this; even she could sense God's depressing despair at the current state of his world. It has fallen from great heights, tumbling downwards into Hell itself for centuries upon centuries now, and she wanted to ease her child's anguish.

"You are the chosen one who will set everyone free from their shackles," she reminded us firmly, despite how painful it is to say this: "God and His kingdom are with you always, so do not be afraid because they will never abandon you nor turn away. Your sacrifice will save all of us, and this is what matters most. For our and your sake, do not lose hope on God," she encouraged before kissing his forehead gently in order to soothe his worries away. "Your journey is long and arduous, but you can endure through faith and willpower alone," the woman advised while rubbing his back comfortingly with her fingertips.

Tears continued streaming down Seth's cheeks, eventually ceasing over time once he calmed down. "Don't let go of me, mama." Clinging on tightly to her, never wanting to release his grasp, "I don't want to be alone during the moment of my death," he begged pitifully, crying miserably, which made Muriel's heart break in pieces upon seeing her child in such agony.

"I won't. Never will we leave you."

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