Chapter 3
Nevertheless, after a bit of laughter and joy, which Adam personally didn't like much, they all quieted down, and he dismissed them with a wave of his hand, not having the desire to finish what he was about to say.
After all, even he, who had only done this for two months, specifically forty-eight times, was getting a bit dull about this routine dismissal part, and he didn't want to imagine what they felt hearing it for hundreds of years.
After they were all dismissed, Adam turned to the city, spread his wings, and flew up to the sky with a big boom that blew smoke and kicked up a storm right in his subordinates' faces. Lute followed after him, just barely dodging the petty revenge of her commander.
The radiant sunlight of the sky washed over his eyes the next second, as the slightly distant laughter of his subordinates, exorcists, sounded as they all returned to their personal, normal lives. With him hearing only a few complaints in his ears despite what he had done through his supernatural hearing.
The wind blew across his face and caressed him gently, akin to a gentle water droplet, as he flew across the sky, like a bullet given human form.
Wooooommm
While he was enjoying himself and relaxing after a worthwhile day, he heard Lute call him. "Commander" Adam turned to her, confused as to why she called him, but he understood it the next second when he saw what was on her hand.
A mask, specifically the one that OG Adam used to wear, but since he didn't want something covering his face at all times, he took it off about a month ago and hadn't worn it since.
"Oh, thanks, Lute," Adam said as he grabbed the mask and put it on, almost forgetting about his panda-like eyes. He briefly forgot about it because he was excited about the idea of visiting the city to unwind and spend some time studying in the library.
While he was flying across the sky at a speed that was faster than all birds, he momentarily lowered his head and watched his hand clench and release, again and again, with no other purpose than feeling how surreal it felt. Just a few months ago, he was just an ordinary person, above average, yes, but still ordinary, with small plans of marrying a girl in the future and creating a family for himself.
A small, warm one
Not one with five or six children, but one with only one or two children, as he wasn't exactly a fan of the chaos that would entail, though he wouldn't have minded much if his startup shot up and he got himself in a ...decent financial state. Yet here he was, as the original human Adam turned angel in the world that he thought to be just an animation, in other words, just an endless amount of drawing rapidly changing to give the illusion of it being real.
"What are you thinking about ?" OG asked from beside him, gliding across him like a ghost he was, with his wings not even moving to boot.
While he would have liked to answer [nothing] to the OG, with Lute here, he couldn't, so he just ignored him and decided to address it later when he was alone.
With a gentle gust of wind and two thuds, both Adam and Lute landed and went to an ice cream store to satiate their desires. Not caring about his injuries since he expects them to heal tomorrow morning, since the injuries aren't fatal and he has enhanced regeneration.
Ding ding
With the bell of a door jingling, both Adam and Lute came to the store and grabbed themselves an ice cream. The one with the size of a whole forearm, specifically, because he was an 'Angel,' he could eat anything and not get sick, though he wasn't sure about the not getting fat part since OG had a bit of a belly when he crossed over to this world, and there was still a tiny bit still there, though not the bulging one but one that hid abs from view.
"Oh, Sir Adam, Miss Lute, coming for another [Big Rainbow Blast]? I thought I wouldn't see the big bad duo of Heaven for another day," the cleric said casually, showing that she saw them both quite often in the past.
"Yes, it has been a long day, and I thought to reward myself and Lute." Adam raised his hand and paid it with a casual swipe, paying for Lute's also. "Though, why would you even call us big bads ?" Adam said, while chuckling in a voice that was a bit deeper than normal, only to snap back and realize that he had made another slip, specifically the sixth slip this month, as he replied in a way that OG wouldn't but just threw that concern out of his mind, thinking a bit more open shouldn't be a problem now as after all he was half amnestic.
"Because there isn't another being in Heaven who can match your style of clothing" She said while glancing at the mask Adam wore intensely. "and you two are always together," Cleric said as she pulled out a bag to put the ice cream in, but Adam motioned her to stop and just grabbed the ice cream and gave one of them to Lute.
After that, they got out of the store, which was in the middle of the park for some reason, found a seat, sat on it, and ate the ice cream with the scoop that was given with it.
Adam raised his hand and calmly scooped up a spoonful of ice cream and put it in his mouth. And the moment he put it in, it exploded into a flavor that shouldn't be possible. There were banana, strawberry, apple, kiwi, and pineapple—all the fruits' flavors—and yet instead of suppressing one another and dulling the result, they instead only supplemented one another and created a taste unlike any other. In the ice cream, there was the grape's juicy characteristic, bananas' deep, mesmerizing taste, apples' soft crunchiness, continuously bombarding his taste buds with flavors that shouldn't be virtually possible.
"Mmm," Adam still isn't used to how good some food in heaven tastes. Especially the thing that he was already weak to, specifically ice cream that was of fruit flavor to boot.
Meanwhile, Lute, who was now maskless, just calmly put it in her mouth and ate it like normal, not showing how tasty it was. Though she wasn't looking at her ice cream or him, and was instead looking at...a pair of people? No, a couple ?.
Instantly, the deep, mesmerizing flavors that he was eating turned dull and empty, and random thoughts that were floating in his head ceased to exist as he just silently stared at her, who was also staring at a couple in the distance with her deep, cold signature look.
Adam wasn't sure what he should do about this ... abnormal closeness that is almost akin to romantic interest, but some part is extremely different way that Lute and all his subordinates had it for him—no, more accurately, to the OG. Adam, and some others like Sera and other high-ranking angels, though for him it was the most intense. Still, Lute's was the most intense. Whenever they were nearby him, for some reason, all his subordinates would instantly become more energetic and more open, and they would try to please him and go along with his shenanigans, at least according to OG's fragmented little memory he had, without much resistance. Though there was certain resistance when the OG became too much, still, compared to how a normal winner or angel would react to the OG, they are much ... softer? Bendable to his will?. He couldn't find the correct word.
But this is not a romantic interest, at least that was for sure, since there was no attraction or physical desire; instead, there was only a desire for closeness akin to a ...family.
Family?
Like a bolt of thunder that had just gone off, Adam had a deep realization that he should have already had.
What if
WHAT IF
Because they are creatures that were manufactured and created by high-ranking angels and were put into training just hours after their creation, and weren't given any familiar warmth a baby or a newborn should have. And after years of training with only minimal amounts of interaction and warmth, then was sent to Adam as part of the secret extermination legion.
Of course, they would act like this.
Though OG Adam wasn't much of a father figure—heck, not even any—and instead was only a douchebag with only a little bit of care that one would have for their actions, toys. But for attention-starved little girls who weren't allowed true familial warmth, the little care would be magnified several times and instead would almost be akin to a genuine one. Making them want to get that douchebags attention and approval unconsciously.
"Now I feel bad; I should make up for them." Adam thought, as he felt bad that he blew smoke upon their faces, and the fact that instead of enjoying and joining in on the laughter together with them, he was only annoyed. "I should make up for them," Adam vowed venomously as he checked his bank detail.
[648,500 Heavenly Credit]
A ridiculous number to an ordinary winner or angel, as they only get a thousand or two thousand credits a month. But also reasonable, as despite Adam's less-than-stellar behavior, he was the first human to enter heaven, the original human, and also the leader of the secret extermination legion with over five hundred full-fledged members.
So, including all of that, he was given the 'salary' of 30k credits a month, and that is not including the ridiculous money he earned in every concert he created in heaven, though due to OG Adam becoming a ghost and his body being possessed by another being, there wasn't any concert in the past few months.
Despite this, there was still a small figurine and merchandise that were still continuously sending a steady flow of money into his account.
"What should be the best present ?" Adam wondered, not knowing even a little bit of what they liked. But from the corner of his vision, he saw Lute eating the ice cream with gusto, at least the most amount of gusto that a person who was glaring like a piercing knife could.
"Yes, two [Big Rainbow Blast] for everyone and some other gifts. I also should contact High Seraphim Sera and ask for a budget increase. Can't have them living like an ordinary angel, especially considering that they are technically the only active force in heaven."
While he was monologuing, a sudden word jolted him awake.
"Hello, Adam, it has been a few days since the last time I saw you."
The one who suddenly appeared behind him said as that person took another step closer.
Careful not to show that he was jolted, he turned to the OG, who was flying in the air beside him, looking at him, noting how he was trying to suppress the laughter that was almost escaping.
Instantly, Adam calmed down as the fact that OG didn't do anything or even seem alarmed meant that the person who was behind him was not his enemy or a being with bad relationship. Even if Adam didn't turn to OG, the mere fact of how pure and innocent the voice sounded, not including the excitement that was evidently there, wouldn't have made him assume that he had a bad relationship with the person.
Then he slowly turned to the person who greeted him dangerously close to his back, just in time for 'her' to also greet Lute. "Oh, hi, Lute. I didn't see you there."
"Oh, Emily, hello, it has been almost... a month ?" Adam said as he observed the beautiful, innocent, black-skinned, white-haired girl in front of him.
The girl had long eyelashes that danced to the tune of the wind as it glistered beneath the sun, and her white-blue dress, which was almost iconic to her, gently blew according to the wind. Making any human or any being do a double-take on the beautiful creation of the Almighty.
Though considering that all humans who entered heaven, minus Adam, don't exactly have a human form might have been a bit ironic.
"Yeah, I think so. With me not helping you with the reports, it has become less frequent for us to meet one another." She said with a gentle, soft smile, her innocent eyes twinkling, making even New Adam ashamed of what the OG had done centuries or so ago.
OG had asked Emily to help him with a report for the annual event that was about to taken place in the past. Not something that has anything to do with extermination day, of course, as they don't just laze around a whole year and go down only once and call it the day. And OG asked again just a week after on another thing, then one thing led to another, and Emily became a willing 'assistant' to Adam and has been occasionally helping him since.
"Uh...yeah, I appreciate the help that you gave me for the past few ...decades? No, centuries?"
Emily's smile just widens in response, and she just happily nods, with not even a little bit of anger visible on her features or in any body language. "Of course, 'we must always help one another,' right ?"
Adam winces at her words, as those were the exact words OG said, while silently questioning why, of all the memories that he could have remembered, he remembers this part, this word, so closely and clearly.
"Yeah, also, if you need help, you can come to me; I will always be ready," Adam said as he got up from the bench he was sitting on and towered over Emily like a silent, massive tree.
Emily just smiled as she nodded as she walked around the bench. "Then I will remember this," only for her eyes to be drawn towards the massive ice cream that was clutched in the hands of Adam.
"Is that [Big Rainbow Blast]?" She questioned with her eyes glued to the ice cream.
Adam followed her eyes and looked at the ice cream that was in his hands. "Yeah, Ummmm... you can have it if you want." Adam gave it to her, but Emily shook her head in response. "I mustn't; Sera wouldn't like it if she knew that I ate this behind her back."
Adam just turned his head in a bit of a confused way as he asked. "Why would she get mad? Not like you can get sick or something. Even if you eat it, who would tell her ?"
Emily froze and faltered as she looked between the ice cream that was in the hands of Adam and him as she faltered and looked indecisive. But the next one that came out of Adam put a final nail in the coffin.
"Here," Adam said as he extended his ice cream and told her. "If you are thinking whether this is the correct decision or not. Don't be." Adam silently materializes a big, gentle, holy energy on top of his hand, through which some little thin children could be seen sitting. "If you eat it, I will later go to the human world and feed these starving children, so that you aren't doing anything wrong; instead, you are 'sacrificing' yourself by helping the little human children. I will even find them a loving parent on top."
Emily took the ice cream, sat on the bench he was just sitting on, and started eating it like it was the most delicious thing in the world.
"Yum Yum," "Yum Yum."
Her face was stuffed with ice cream as she chewed it like she was in a race, still looking around every few seconds to check if any people were watching her. Making Adam want to tell her that, don't worry, at worst, she would get a gentle sigh from Sera if she knew about it, with not even a simple punishment visible in the distant mile.
And in just fifteen minutes, Emily finished, with her probably not even enjoying and relishing it much.
Adam?
He was beside them, lying on the grass of the massive park they were in, with sunlight touching and gently caressing his face. Feeling his worn and tired body recover bit by bit, and for the injuries that he received, to lessen slightly. A funny thing is that Adam felt his vision had expanded with the slight bump around his eyes, which was decreasing in size, in other words, healing.