"Greed has poisoned men's souls."
-Charlie Chaplin
***
Crystal took Robb to a lake side. As they got off the car, he called Rachel. She immediately picked up.
"I don't like this motel room. I wanna be there with you." She said.
Robb rounded up around the car. "You're safer there, babe. We have no idea what might happen here and only one spirit can go."
"If you have no idea, why are you going?"
"Because it's the only way I can undo my mistakes." He said with a deeper, underlying message which she, of course missed.
"Promise me. You'll be careful and your safety is your first priority."
"Alright."
"I love you."
"I love you more."
They hung up and Robb looked up to see Crystal draw some symbols on the ground around her.
He wanted to tell her everything. The deal with Alyssa, the dangers he could sense, the secret device on her arm which will help her teleport him..
He opened his mouth but Crystal spoke instead. "Alright, it's done." She dusted her hands and turned to face him. "Are you ready?"
He looked up at the star sky. Humans always believed the divine lived up in the sky. He had never thought he'd sneak in as an intruder in the Angels' home.
As if their anger towards Levi and Alyssa wasn't enough. The last Walker joins in on the wrath list, he thought.
After a pause, he nodded.
"I'm not very sure whether this'll work." Crystal said and gestured him to stand in the middle of the symbol.
"I have faith in you," Robb smiled and walked inside the circle. "You'll do it."
She smiled back. "If it's a success, you'll find yourself in a white room. It's where the door opens. Once you get out of it, you'll have to hide your way through until you come across a dead end with two side paths. Take the left one, it'll lead you to the tree. Right path is where all the Angles go so left is left deserted. Not even the Angels roam around the fallen tree."
"How'll I hide? Can't they sense me or-"
"No, I'll make you invisible. Not sure how strong the hold will be but it should be enough."
Robb realised that this is the main part where Alyssa would be assisting Crystal.
"Alright, how do I get out?" He asked.
"Just find your way back to the white room, the door. I'll pull you back."
"And when I find the tree, all I have to do is pluck it out with bare hands?"
"Yes. It's easy to pluck out, to give in to the temptation. All worst things are easy to take."
"Where will I find the gates?" Robb asked Alyssa.
"You'll have to search, I've never been there."
"I'm already on the clock!"
"No, you're not. Crystal will handle you fine. I'll back her up whenever she's weak. You can take your time."
"You'll be on the clock, Robb." Crystal said and brought Robb back to the present. "Hurry."
He huffed. "Uh, y-yeah. Sure."
"I wish you the best. You're very brave." Crystal nodded encouragingly, her voice had obvious admiration.
"So are you, Crystal. You're helping us when you are refused to do so. Thank you."
The Angel closed her hands in tight fists and brought them forward. "See you soon with the fifth ingredient."
The dry soil around the circle started rising up in the air in the same shape. It created a wall around Robb as Crystal said words in their Angelic language.
The last scene clear enough for Robb was the top of the forest trees swaying violently with the fast blowing winds.
The next second, a white room materialised around him.
He was there.
The Angels' home.
....
He stood paralysed, his wide eyes roaming the bright white room.
It was almost blinding.
I'm actually the first spirit, alive and dead to ever step foot here. How the hell do I make myself move? he thought.
The overwhelming feeling made him feel sick. The fact that he was lying to not just every other Angel but Crystal and Rachel as well wasn't helping either.
He slowly dragged his feet along the long corridor outside the room. He saw no Angel.
Maybe they're all out and fighting battles, he concluded mentally.
When he came to the dead end, he looked at the right path. He could faintly make out a few figures moving but his limited human vision allowed nothing more.
Not wanting to cause a scene, he hurriedly went to the left path.
Not just spirits, not even Angels set foot here. How the hell do I make myself move? he thought.
He expected a more complex process for finding the tree but it was there.
The place had fog floating on the ground, his feet were submerged in it. He took deep breaths and moved closer to the tree.
There was no restriction, no alarms or security. It was easily accessible. The most poisonous fruit since the beginning of time.
No wonder, it was so easy to indulge in it.
It's always just right there. Looking tempting.
Robb reached up to the tree and saw the small purple fruit hanging a little in between the lush green leaves.
He wondered if something would happen if he plucked it.
Okay, Robb. Don't give yourself time to think, he thought and wrapped his fingers around the smooth fruit.
He was feeling inhibited and hence it took a lot longer and more energy than normal to pull a simple piece of the tree away from it.
A small branch snapped as he the fruit fell out and into his hands.
No thunder, winds, or loud noises. But the silence felt more dangerous.
He stared at the purple poison in his hands. The ultimate destroyer of humanity.
Their second last ingredient. Just the purple rose and they've got everything.
The sudden realisation of the similarity between the colour of the fruit and the rose hit him. He frowned as he thought, could there be a connection between the two?
He hid the fruit under his jacket and walked away from the tree. That's when the fear of having stolen something evil and forbidden set in.
He tried to push it out because now he had another major task at hand.
Another, a more evil one.
Opening the gates to Earth.
He had no clue where they were, if the Angels would sense it or how heavily guarded they were.
When will I make a deal that doesn't involve stealing? He thought and braced himself up.
He started going through every corner of the place. It was like a labyrinth of magic.
All the while, during his search, he kept thinking if he should do it. He knew he wanted to because Rachel's life depended on it but then was being alive worth the catastrophe? Will she forgive him?
Or will a new, now unthinkable path will manifest itself? Just like it always does when you come to it.
Time passed and hid himself behind walls whenever he saw any Angel. Alyssa made sure no Angel could sense his presence.
He didn't see many of them, only a few. Rest were all out on realms, trying to save people.
He was thinking about taking this, that he can't find the gates, as a sign that he shouldn't open them and he has to let Rachel go. Forever.
The thought pained him severely. He had been discarding it ever since the day she showed him at his door with Alyssa and Levi.
But the more time he spent here alone, the more the reality hit him.
He felt broken inside and closed his eyes.
What he was doing was wrong and selfish. He decided to not do it. He wasn't evil.
He shook his head and turned back. As he passed a door on the way to the white room, believing that he wasn't meant to open the gates because he never found them.. he found them.
He expected a more complex structure than simple iron like looking bar gates but it was there.
The place had fog floating on the ground, his feet were submerged in it. He took deep breaths and moved closer inside the room.
There was no restriction, no alarms or security. It was easily accessible. The gates to Earth.
He felt almost compelled to open them. He felt guilty for it.
It was immoral, evil and wrong.
But just like the fruit called upon humanity, the gates called upon him. His selfish desires, his resistance to be alone without her, his impractical and illogical side of hopefulness.
Just like one bite of the fruit, this was one push of a gate.
After all, all bad things come easy to us.
It's always just right there. Looking tempting.
____________________________________
I wanna make it clear that Robb can't travel through the gates to Earth because he's in a spell. He can't use the gates. He's only in the Angels' home because of Alyssa and Crystal. He won't be able to do more.
He's not trapped in the memories cycle like Levi and Alyssa (which the Angels had reduced from bad to good or at least better ones) but when Aradia sent him to steal the ingredients through the moonlight cemetery, he entered the spell world. He's tethered to the spell and the only exit is by Aradia's permission into the cemetery or break the spell. Hence, he can't go to Earth and do something to help from there.
I hope you liked this chapter and felt just as conflicted as Robb. I mean, he knows the answer but he wants it to not be the answer.. it's a dilemma for the poor guy.
The parallelism between the fruit and the gates came to me while writing the chapter. And it's quite fitting, isn't it?
Both are forbidden, evil deeds which you're too tempted to indulge in.
Anyways, please VOTE and COMMENT to show your support.
Have a nice day! ❤