Something surged from the Whirling Flame.
It naturally grew horizontally like a tree stretching its branches, and just when it seemed to form a single line, the end split again, forming a hand. The hand began to sculpt itself, distinctly taking shape, building muscle, and creating a complete form of a hand.
Thus, the creation began, using the flames as its material, gradually becoming more complete.
Arm.
Leg.
Head.
Body….
And finally, when something like wings sprouted from its back.
Only then did those present realize that what emerged from the flames was an angel.
Born from a Pillar of Fire, it possessed wings made of flame. Though similar to the shape of a person, it resembled something divine, making those on the ground unable to fathom the reason for its appearance. As the wings of flame fluttered, moving from below to above, the feathers shaped from fire waved and swayed inviting a gaze of awe.
Ah, so beautiful yet so bizarre.
How could that form belong to this world?
In the midst of its body, a whirling flame spun.
It was based on a brilliantly white flame, with a pale dot at its center, which revealed itself to be an eye.
When that eye, shrouded in shimmering mirage, gazed back, ah, its gaze was sharp, cutting, and fierce.
Truly fierce indeed.
May the will resonate with that gaze.
“Do not be afraid.”
It spoke—
[ …crackle. ]
Hearken, all who dwell on land.
Those who take root on the earth, standing on the soil with their feet, those with wings, and those living underground, heed its words.
[ …crackle…golem… ]
Creatures with fins, those with scales and those without. Those clad in Armor, and those not. Every living being ought to hear that sound. Truly, do not fear but hold awe.
[ —crackle—pop—! Golem—!!! Crackle—golem!!!! ]
Ah, that Pillar of Fire is a part of Him and a faithful servant; how could it be feared? The innocent have no need to fear, and the guilty must wash away their sins, sincerely repent, and renew themselves, so those with intellect should rightly abandon their fear.
[ Tango Golem—–crackle–crackle! ]
Do not be afraid.
Know that the flames mean you no harm.
Even if some whisper from within try to instill fear within you,
Do not yield to the wicked external whispers that warn you against the servant sent by God.
You must tend to the Things to Do.
[ ——pop———–!!!!! Snap out of it———-!!!!!!!!!! ]
*
Crackle.
Noise.
Noise pierces through.
Have you ever turned on a TV to sleep?
Holding the remote, channel surfing with a fat television, and finally settling on the most boring channel because nothing else drew your interest? You may have found yourself sitting on the sofa, just ‘watching TV’ out of habit or inertia, then dozing off without a care in the world.
The cheap faux leather sofa felt unusually plush, and your eyes felt like they were weighted down. The sound of the television grew dimmer, like when one loses consciousness while drinking, your memories becoming vague. As you slipped quietly into sleep, you may have startled awake with a slight discomfort.
When you awoke from that fleeting slumber, you beheld the noise.
A TV screen filled with white noise.
The irritating crackling noise filled the air.
Somehow, you had managed to sleep amidst that noise, feeling both strangely disturbed yet oddly relieved, experiencing the sensation as your mind returned, yes. It’s an experience familiar to those living in modernity.
Now was just that.
The sensations of the man were exactly that.
[ Tango Golem! Fall back! ]
A dizzying, vague sensation, like waking from sleep.
A surreal feeling as colors began to return to the world, as if the world was revealing itself anew.
All senses registered the world as it drew closer, three-dimensional, with those irritating noises filling the void.
Ah, it felt as if waking from a dream.
A weariness intertwined with lethargy.
That feeling of awakening from a slumber by the roaring campfire, with the heat wrapping around you—
[ Tango Golem! ]
—damn it.
“Suck!”
The man’s mouth twisted.
The lost sense of reality surged back, like ice water splashed on a sleepy body. The machine that had been turned off roared to life, creaking and groaning as it operated. His senses flickered, as if someone had poked him with a weak electric shock. A bit of pain was just a bonus.
“Suck!!!!”
Pain.
Yes, that feeling that ignites the nerves like electricity.
A forced awakening through psychoactive drugs or some means—
It was the ‘insurance’ activated when he was enchanted by something.
The man opened his eyes wide, recoiling.
Unlike his normal self, who lived and died by appearances, he moved urgently.
It might look ridiculous to some, but he didn’t care about that at the moment.
He only wished to back away as swiftly as possible.
Boom—!
Retreating from ‘that’ which had entranced him, the man activated the filter in his eyes.
It transformed his vision to that of a low-quality camera, which he didn’t favor much…but there was no choice.
When gazing without the filter, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t be enchanted again.
Thus, the man donned the filter, grasped his consciousness tightly, and finally faced the figure that had entranced him.
It was fire.
It was fire, yet at the same time, it was wicked.
Wicked, yet disguised as an angel.
It took the form of blazing flames, possessing the attributes of fire yet lacking in holiness, resembling a model crafted from ghosts.
Ah, the chill felt just from looking at it.
That scorching heat could not conceal its eerie essence.
Within the burning flames, ready to scorch flesh, the soul shuddered, trembling and bristling.
It was clear that it was not of the norm.
And it floated in the guise of an angel.
The flames flickered, shaping wings as they traversed the room, igniting everything around while illuminating its presence. Though it hovered with an air of dignity, it struggled to conceal its malicious nature, as the tips of the flames flickered and waved, as if a snake were darting its tongue, overjoyed by the prospect of succulent prey approaching it.
And it rolled its eyeball to gaze at the prey, its mouthless form releasing an aura that mesmerized people.
The ever-changing temperature of the fire.
The splendid colors and lights captivating enough to enchant someone.
Ah, everything ensnared people.
That wicked nature alone was enough to draw in victims.
This false angel lured them with its own body, pulling them towards itself like a carnivorous plant enticing insects, as if waiting with a trap for a wandering hunter.
How could it be called an angel?
“Ahh— Angel of Flame, I realized Metatron has descended upon this place…!”
Behold.
That foolish lamb, unaware of the sulfurous fires of hell trailing behind it.
That lamb stumbles forward, entranced, inching closer and closer to the Pillar of Fire, and finally embracing that which pretends to be an angel—ah, it’s horrifying and utterly dreadful.
Even if it claims to be in the form of an angel, its body is of flame.
Throwing itself into the flames, what difference is there between that and a lamb dedicated to the burnt offering?
Whoosh!
Hair ignites, releasing a nauseous stench.
The cloth wrapping the body blazes, skin catches fire, and muscles burn.
The body melts and flames envelop it.
Ah, what a horrifying spectacle.
How could a person burn alive like that?
“Ohh, Metatron, please open the narrow door to heaven. Descend with flames to testify that our path is not wrong….”
And yet they approach the fire.
Even though one who went ahead was consumed alive.
Even though they surely would become a handful of ash, having hidden within the flames—yet they remain oblivious, stumbling forward.
Like those who went before, they embrace the flames and, likewise, are consumed…
“…Did I almost become that?”
The scene was both holy and wicked,
Simultaneously invoking an unspeakable dread to those who regained their sanity.
The man known as Tango Golem realized he had barely managed to keep his life…
