The Theft [Balthamos' punishment shorstory]

Previous writing
Comments a criticisms are welcome.
I apologize in andavantage for possible grammatical mistakes.
Warning for gruesome scenes.

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I knew only one method to totally free a soul from his earthly faults :
The Lethe, the hereafter’s river which flows through the Elysian Fields, which precedes the worthy soul’s reincarnation.

And Ariel was a worthy soul, wasn’t she?

It was that way my obsessed mind started to plot sacrilegious plans. I was unable to bring her to the river, but I could bring a bit of the river to her. It could be enough avoiding the other Guardians …

I was in need of just few drops, there could be anything wrong with it?

Indeed no one would ever notice it.
It was easy hiding a little phial in my tunic, white like the snow, still immaculate. I unfurled my evanescent wings and a second after I found myself in the Elysian Fields.
On the Lethe’s shore, I saw waiting for me only bright and stringy souls which were washing in the water, and no Guardians.
Chance?
Luck?
It was stupid of me not wondering this.
Before proceeding, came back to my mind that day I had the possibility to take a decision : forgetting through the oblivion’s river and embrace a new life, or becoming a bright Guardian of the other’s souls?

My altruism, may it be damned perpetually.

Was actually it that made me opt for the second choice?
Or maybe already then there was in me, latent, that desire of venturing further, of doing more?
I shook myself out of those reasoning with renewed steadiness.

I will save you, Ariel.

I am your angel.

I am

Balthamos

The water which was flowing calm and without the slightest sound was disturbing me extremely.
In spite of all my senses screamed me to fled, my body stretched out. My trembling hand skims lightly over the surface : the liquid looks oddly transient.

One

Two

Three

drops fell in the phial from my forefinger.
Just a beat of my sick and treacherous heart, and I was already to her.
She was curled up in a corner of her dirty, little room, shaking like a leaf.

Certainly it’s because I moved away from her.

As she feels my presence, raises her head suddenly and an eye, dark like the water in which I drowned time ago, focuses on me.

"Where were you? Are you okay? You look upset…"

"My good soul. I will save you."

"What? What’s that phial?"

"You just have to drink. Three drops. And thinking intensely about what tortures you the most."
She’s standing now. I hold out the oblivion to her.
I looked at her, heartfelt.

I just wanted to cure her.

She trusted.

She had always trusted, on me.

Three drops, one after the other, slip from the glass on her dry lips. After, she looked at me smiling, a bit unsecure.

For a moment, just a single moment, I thought it worked. I can do nothing but thinking that if They had killed me, exactly in that moment, I were died happy.

But it was right then that a pandemonium broke out : blinding light everywhere, I was knocked down by paranormal energy which completely exhaust me and as background I heard her screaming my name, with terror and sorrow, away from me.
I heard the phial falling on the ground and breaking in thousands of slivers.
Gruesome appeared to me one of the Guardians, Thanatos, one of the most powerful, with immense crow-like wings and clothes that seemed to be made of fire and ashes.

"Madman. Nothing escapes from the Divine Eye.
You have broken your vows.
You lied to your brothers and committed a sacrilegious theft stealing what cannot be brought back to its place "

The voice was booming, ruthless and thirsting for justice.

"So I judge you guilty.
As you desired to wash a living soul’s faults, you will be sentenced to remember everything the others wishes to forget, thanks to your fake good deed. Because everything has a price : this is what you have learnt today. This will be your task, and your punishment."

It was with dreadful pain that I felt my own wings writhing and tearing off my back. Tears fell off my eyes cutting my face like razors, unnatural as the Lethe’s waters. Each single shred of flesh ripped, the clothes became rags.

I saw just darkness until unknow memories ran over me swarming in my mind: an heavy pistol, blood, the morgue, and then the sense of guilt, total and distressing of having killed, involuntary, a beloved one.
I tried to yell beyond the images of Ariel's memories on my eyes again and again, but no one replied.

It was since that day, renegade by the Angels but their slave, that
They have known me as

The Souls’ Washer.

But I had, I have to find her.

I feel so sorry.

I just wanted to save her.

Ariel, where are you?