Edward's life was thrown into complete and utter mayhem when he received a job offer from one of the wings, and the prestigious L-Corp at that. It was a once in a lifetime chance, an opportunity given to him from the heavens to completely turn his life around, though that did little to detract from how suspicious it was.
He had little to no education as a backstreet rat, barely capable of reading, and didn't have any physical attributes to make note of other than his slightly larger than average build. Just about any group of rats would have someone like him to intimidate a few desk workers into giving up their paychecks. Certainly not a skillset to become a feather with.
Even more concerning was the fact that he didn't remember applying. He considered rejecting the offer, wing experiments and the atrocities they committed were no secrets, but then he saw the number of zeros on his starting paycheck and the Öufi Association stamp at the corner of the employment contract and decided the risk was worth it. He didn't have much of a future to look forward to either way.
So with a half empty briefcase containing everything he owned, Edward boarded a Warp train, towards the new life that awaited him.
He was put through a month of training that ensured he was at the very least literate and capable of understanding orders. It was quite brutal for someone who's never been schooled in his twenty seven years of living, but he pulled through regardless, and soon enough he was standing in his new workplace.
He didn't actually know what his new job would entail on account of maintaining corporation secrets, though he expected that would be explained to him soon enough.
A chipper feminine voice rang out from the A.I standing in front of him.
"Hello agent Edward! I'm Malkuth, the sephirot of the control team. Though orientation is normally handled by department captains, I'll be your guide for today as you are the first agent of Facility-X-394. Congratulations are in order! You are now the captain of the control team." Edward nodded dumbly at the currently meaningless promotion as he tried to keep up with the energetic robot.
Malkuth continued to ramble about how important their job was and how he needed to set an example for all other employees. He mostly tuned her out, more focused on the scenery passing them by.
Everything felt…oddly familiar. He recognized these newly built halls, as impossible as that sounded, like a dream from months ago that he couldn't quite grasp the image of.
"—and that concludes your orientation!"
…Shit. He didn't hear her explanation.
Maybe it'll just come to him naturally?
Edward found himself standing in front of a giant skull floating two meters in the air, strange hymns and whispers being heard in his head, not his ears. Despite the situation he didn't find himself scared in the slightest.
His body moved on its own, running through protocols and making observations. In an hour's time, he was standing in front of the containment unit with a fully filled professional report in hand. He didn't remember being so good at writing, he was barely literate at best just a few days ago.
How strange.
"Bong!" It was his second day at work, and somehow his first coworker was stranger than the giant floating skull.
"...Are those eye prosthetics?" He asked, making note of the blue haired woman's star shaped pupils.
"Bong." She shook her head. She seemed to understand him at the very least.
He awkwardly stretched out a hand.
"I hope we get along?" It felt more like a question than a statement, such was his confusion.
"Bong!" she wore a bright smile as she shook his hand.
'BongBong!' He yelled in warning, but it was too late… 'GoOdBYe' .
The newly promoted Tier IV agent Edward stared at the E.G.O offered to him. Cobald Scar, a bloody claw of a weapon and a fur lined suit with scars covering every inch of it, quite uncharacteristic of the friendly wolf he worked with all day yesterday.
'I WILL KILL YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!!' The mercenary unleashed a shower of bullets. Only half found its intended mark, the other half cutting down his entire team. The wolf howled in rage, so very different from the friendly being he worked with the day before.
…Edward shook his head. He was just hallucinating, they didn't have a twisted red riding hood, nor has the wolf breached so far. He should just get on with work.
"Shit" Edward cursed to himself as The Red Mist's Da Capo grazed his chest, the damage only somewhat mitigated by Justitia. Mimicry came from above, he was barely able to block the attack with his weapon, and even then he was forced onto his knees from the sheer force behind the attack.
A barrage of stars arrived a moment later, forcing his enemy back and allowing him a single moment of reprieve. It was just the three of them, as two members of the kill squad had been forced to retreat while Mountain's wielder lay dead in a corner. The only ones remaining were BongBong who had stayed out of danger while providing ranged support, and him.
Edward didn't understand why he alone had lasted so long, as he had been taking on the brunt of the color fixer's assault. Justitia was powerful, but it hardly should've made such a big difference when every member of the kill squad were wielding high WAW gear at a minimum.
He just…seemed to know how she'll attack. It felt as though every attack pattern had long since been drilled into him, as impossible as that was.
'Get up! No captain of mine will be an unskilled brute swinging their weapon like a club.' Edward grunted in pain, allowing himself a single moment for the gash in his stomach to close. In spite of exhaustion, he still got up, far greater suffering awaited if he didn't.
Seven consecutive strikes came from mimicry, all blocked in a single moment through well honed instinct. After which…
"Get down!" he yelled at his partner, BongBong didn't question it for a moment. Da Capo and Mimicry were thrown at the two of them at blinding speeds, after which The Red mist took up Mountain's hammer. Edward got up on his feet in spite of his exhaustion, he always did.
"YOU FUCKER!!!" Around him was carnage, entire departments slaughtered by a mockery of the human form that stood in front of him.
"Hello?" A spike shot out from its hand, piercing through Crimson Scar as though the WAW gear was nothing more than paper tissue. Judging from the location of the wound, he might've just had his lung punctured, though he couldn't tell through the veil of crimson rage that had taken hold of his being.
A familiar dark blue lay just a few meters behind him, yet her star-shaped pupils he'll never see again, her torso crushed from the swing of a club.
'I love you.' Said BongBong out of nowhere.
'...What?' The first proper sentence she's ever said to him, and it's a confession of all things?!
'I love you.' She repeated.
'No, no, I heard you just fine the first time. Where is this suddenly coming from?' He slung Magic Bullet over his shoulder to hide the small blush that had bloomed on his face.
'I love you.' A deep sense of discomfort took root in his heart.
'BongBong?' He didn't know that BongBong could run that quickly, nor did he know she had red prosthetics on her arms.
'I love you.' His head hit the floor, he didn't know he had a detachable head installed.
"YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!" He didn't know what he was saying, all he knew was that he was terrified at the idea of blue and red mixing. He wished to never see that sight ever again. Edward unleashed a shower of bullets before charging in with his blade, he'd much rather die first.
He found himself kneeling in front of the bird masked abnormality.
How did he get here again? Wasn't he supposed to guard the entrance? It was the manager's orders, and the manager's orders are to be followed to the letter, people who don't always get crushed under the monolith.
Come, child. Allow yourself a moment of rest.
Rest, that sounded nice. How many millennia has it been since he's last rested?
He was embraced in its gentle wings.
It's been so very difficult, hasn't it?
A million memories emerged, though not one was ever lived by him. Edward nodded without a thought.
When the burden becomes too heavy to bear, come to me. I'll relieve you of your suffering, that the scars upon your soul may be healed. Would you like to be healed?
Edward found himself nodding once again as he began to sob uncontrollably.
Then, I will save your life from destruction and raise you from the end of your existence. Place your trust in me.
Something fundamental shifted within him, a restructuring of the very soul itself. Dreams of a better future, a life to build for himself and those around him, the will to face the darkness of the world head on. A seed of light planted within his soul.
But any garden must be controlled, lest it become overgrown and consume everything around it. The dreams and his hope melted away under the all consuming light, leaving only bliss within his soul.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Edward, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Divine Lord, purge your church of all compromise and sin! Remove every lukewarm heart, every double-minded soul, and make your disciples a holy army, shining with the light of your truth! Let your judgment begin with your house, O Lord!
Edward giggled in joy as his scythe cut down a sinner, one that had dared to stand against his Lord. Together with disciple BongBong they reaped their foes, a righteous lake of crimson left behind their holy crusade.
A joyous occasion indeed, for the two of them to be united in paradise.
He was put through a month of training that ensured he was at the very least literate and capable of understanding orders. It was quite brutal for someone who's never been schooled in his twenty seven years of living, but he pulled through regardless, and soon enough he was standing in his new workplace.
Edward emptied his stomach onto the floor.
O Lord, You are my rock and my refuge, my strong tower and my deliverer. I praise You with all my heart, for Your steadfast love endures forever. You are worthy of all honor and glory.
Where was it? Where was his light? His paradise? It felt as though the entirety of his being was torn asunder, half his soul burned away in a single moment.
Almighty God, we adore You for Your holiness and majesty. Your wisdom is beyond our understanding, and Your love is beyond measure. We lift our voices to proclaim Your name in all the earth.
What was this light? Why did he care so much? He was fine just a moment ago. Didn't his Lord promise him an eternity of bliss? Who was this Lord? He knew of no such being. He didn't want to suffer any more, he wanted to rest. Where were those gentle wings that comforted him?
Lord, we thank You for the gift of salvation, and for the hope You give us each day. We are grateful for Your presence in our lives and for every blessing You bestow.
Edward convulsed violently on the floor, his nails digging into his neck in an attempt to rid himself of the flesh that chained him and find the pure white that he was blessed with. He tried to fly away from it all, to reach the heavens above, yet a wing he had not.
The last thing he saw was the metal fist of a robot before his world turned pitch black.
He woke to voices he both recognized yet didn't at the same time.
"It must have something to do with WhiteNight, its influence persisted across several cycles before, this is likely a similar case." Edward turned to the one who had spoken, a man of black hair and auburn eyes.
"...!"
He could feel it, the light that was torn away from him, the light of his Lord. It was faint, yet it was exuded from the one that had spoken.
Manager.
A broken smile spread across his face.
Ah, my salvation, my Lord.