章 3: 'A Rise of a Legend in the Skies'

I had promised myself, I had promised myself that I would never, ever interrupt Seraphinus again...He fought for me, he gave his all in the fight. The least I can do is stay and listen to him until he's finished...

'You have to do it Matthew! Whatever it takes!' I thought confidently...

[Logbook; Mission 'A Promise to Keep'; Day: '0', Hour: '5']

' I can't even make sense of his words anymore...No I must resist! You promised Matt, TO THE END AT ANY COST!!!" roared an old me inside.

[Mission logbook; 'A promise to keep'; Day: '1', Hour: '2']

' No sigh sigh I can't! I can't! Ugh sigh (inner cry)! I can't do it! I'm just weak! I'm sorry Seraphinus. I'M SORRY!!!!! ARRGHHH!!!'

[Ship's log; Mission 'A Promise to Keep'; Day: '3', Hour: '11']

'Remember what Gimli said in the two towers "Keep breathing, that's the secret. Breathe!!!' fiuuu! 'Seraphinus has been fighting for me for 6 whole days! I have to at least hold out for 3 more days! I can do it!!!'

[Logbook; Mission 'A Promise to Keep'; Day: '11', Hour: '6'].

' 'Okay I realised that singing 'Stronger - Kanye West' after the 300th time doesn't work anymore... it's time for 'Try-Pink'

'La la la!..La la la! (Intro)' ....

Where there is desire

there is gonna be a flame! .....

You've gotta get up and try! Try! Try!

.....

[Logbook; Mission 'A Promise to Keep'; Month: 3 Day: '4', Hour: '23']

'Enough this time, I have decided. I'm going to get up and go there.

I'm going to hell! Yes I'm going!

I want to explore every inch of the nine circles, smell the sweet scent of ash and sulphur, throw myself freely into a fiery pit and feel that new and different pain!' I thought, smiling.

'Oh oh oh yes, yes, yes I do! It is decided, then, I will go to Satan himself and kneel to him! I'll be his servant, his dummy... his Whore if I have to!'

[Logbook; Mission 'A Promise to Keep'; Year: 1 Month: 1 Day: '29', Hour: '1']

'I'm so stupid for not noticing this before' I thought sadly.

After trying to relive every moment of my life in chronological order for the fifth time. I realised more and more that with each rewind of the film 'My Life', I could remember events in more detail than I would have noticed before.

People I had offended or insulted unknowingly, girls who had tried to approach me that I ignored by not picking up on the signs of interest.

I finally understood why my brother came back that day bruised, bleeding and with his clothes torn. I was five years old and crying. I was crying because I had lost my bicycle that my grandfather had given me, it was my most precious possession, my 'treasure'. Scott left the house and returned at night in that condition. I asked him dozens of times why he was hurt. He kept telling me that 'a car hit him because he didn't look at the road before crossing!' hahaha. But the next morning Scott, Mum and Dad called me and I found the bike on the porch!!! Mum still half furious with Scott, Dad still trying to hide a smile of pride as he looked at my brother and Scott pretending to be as surprised as I was...now I know. And I never got to tell him, "Thanks big brother, I love you and I always will!"

[Logbook; Mission 'A Promise to Keep'; Year: 2 Month: 2 Day: '21', Hour: '3']

'Yes, I've finally found something that might help me,' I thought excitedly.

By now Seraphinus' voice had become a neutral noise for more than a year and I had found a stability that prevented me from going mad. But that was not enough. I wanted with all my heart to try to listen to the angel somehow. But I still couldn't. Until I remembered a small lesson I took at the age of 15 with my Aikido teacher.

A breathing technique to direct the blood to the head to maintain concentration.

"Remember Matthew, use this technique when you're stressed or think you've reached your limit. It will help you, you'll see." Said a memory inside me.

'Inhale for 6 seconds...hold your breath for 3 seconds and finally exhale for 10 seconds'.

I started the process and it was complicated at first to get used to it...

[Logbook; Mission 'A Promise to Keep'; Year: '? Month: '? Day: '?', Hour: '?'] *

*author's note: Matthew stopped checking time around the third year. He thought that by now the concept of time itself was just a distraction and psychological torture.

'YEEESSS! I finally get it! Eureka!!!! HAHAHAHAH!' I gave a toothy grin.

I could follow, make sense of and ESPECIALLY REMEMBER every word Seraphinus said.

My breathing technique was good but not good enough for this Herculean effort. I had to try and try again to perfect it and finally I had succeeded!!!

"And then my former client Sun Tzu, interrupted me one more time by asking me if I wanted to listen to his book 'The Art of War' for the third time in a row. 'What a strange guy!' I thought but went along with him and so he started dictating it again '...Victorious warriors first win and then go to war, while defeated warriors first go to war and then try to win .... Be quick as the wind, slow as a forest, assault and ravage like fire, be still as a mountain, mysterious as yin and swift as thunder...' Seraphinus continued unstoppably.

Change of scene:

Somewhere in the sky...

"That's it, I give up! I don't care if there's 12 of us taking turns! I don't care about the bookmaker, the betting and the faith credits! There's no point in keeping score anymore! He broke the record, full stop. I won't listen to another word from Seraphinus if I have to start a second war in the heavens!!" Said an angel as he stood up from a desk in front of a screen. It transmitted the image of another angel speaking and a young soul listening attentively.

"That boy is a monster! An abomination that shouldn't exist, I should report him to the Great Father!" He said as he walked out of the room shouting.

[Logbook; Mission 'A Promise to Keep'; Year: '? Month: '?' Day: '?'; Hour: '?']

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