AngeMon

Chapter 8: The The Lake of Truth and Confession

Outside the Gate of Pune Kingdom,

Kingdom of Angels

After seeing their best friends leave Arvayarta, Salomi and Raguel returned to Pune Kingdom to screen several female angels to become the next Goddess of Harmony. They were adamant at first, full of hesitations, but they have no choice. The King of Angels, Raphael entrusted them, and they have to comply.

“Are you ready to announce the challenges to these female angels falling in line in front of us, Salomi?” Raguel asks while smiling at her. But, deep inside, she's a bit sad because of Charmeine who left Arvayarta for good.

“Yes, Raguel. How about you? Are you ready to observe and ensure that no one from among them will cheat in the competition?” Salomi answered her in the same manner.

“I do. Don't worry about me. Let's just focus for now. I know, Charmeine won't be happy to see us sad if she's around. She might scold us instead of us belittling her.

“Right. She'll probably won't talk to us if she saw us dispirited. Let's start?”

Raguel nodded. Outside the gate of Pune Kingdom, the applicants were standing in front of them, ready for their journey towards being a Goddess of Harmony.

“Listen, everyone,” Salomi gathered all of them to listen to him. “Today, all of you will be sent to the Lake of Truth and Confession. From the likes of all of you, I can't tell if all of you are telling the truth when you decided to accept the calling of becoming the Goddess of Harmony. And Raguel and I would like to know that.”

“Those who will pass the Lake of Truth and Confession, will move forward to the next round. The next challenge will begin thereafter,” Raguel continued, and saw all the applicants began doubting themselves if they want to go to the Lake of Truth and Confession or not.

“From what I observed, there are more or less much than twenty participated today. Let's see if all of you will advance to the next round. To the Lake of Truth and Confession!”

Salomi raises his hands and closes his eyes. After a short prayer inside his head, he opened his eyes and chanted in front of the female angel participants.

The power of the King of Angel is within me,

I command thee to bring us Verity and Confessus.

Let the truth be told,

And let angels confess!

The female angels who heard Salomi's chants began fearing for their lives. But, they can't leave under Salomi's power. Raguel was just watching some of them trying to flee and shook her head.

“They knew that the Verity and Confessus won't hide their true intentions. Let's see if whose real and who's pretending to be one.”

Raguel heave a sigh after seeing some female angels trying to escape from Salomi's power outside the gate of Pune Kingdom. Then, all of them were surprised, seeing the place change into the Lake of Truth.

“Welcome to the Lake of Truth. If you want to go back safe and unscathed, bath yourself into the lake. Once you immerse yourself into the water, the color of the lake from blue will change it into red. Red means you failed, and you are not going to the next round. If the color doesn't change, it simply means, you are telling the truth, and you will instantly be brought to the Lake of Confession, Confessus. There, Raguel will screen the remaining participants that will advance to the next challenges. Those who doesn't want to bathe themselves, you can't leave Verity and will stay here forever.”

Salomi's words scared some participants. They have no other choice, but to let their bodies immerse in water. It's the only way for them to survive. Rather than living in the lake forever, all of them walk towards the water and followed Salomi's instruction.

“I saw five of them disappeared in the lake, Salomi, which means they are all in Confessus now, and I must head there. Goodbye for now, Salomi. See you at the gate to present the remaining survivor in the Lake of Confession to advance to the next round.”

Salomi nodded and Raguel disappeared in front of him, floating from above the female participants. He was shaking his head when he saw that out of more than twenty who participated, he only saw fifteen of them passes to the next lake, in Confessus. The remaining participants in the Verity remained standing in the water while watching the color of it turned into red.

“You haven't passed this round, female angels. The lake found your intention futile and unlawful. All of you knew that is, angels does not tolerate pretentious, and lies in the kingdom. I am already disappointed. How much more if the Angel King saw all of you in this state? Your impurities and twisted reasoning can create imbalance in the peace, justice, and harmony of this kingdom. I hope all of you here repent for the mistakes you did today. I'll bring you back now to Pune Kingdom.”

Salomi saw all of them bent their heads, disappointed with themselves too from what he said. They are all guilty of pretending and lying in the Lake of Truth. Salomi then raises his hands and reverse his chants to bring them all back to the gate of Pune Kingdom.

Lake Verity, I now request,

To bring us all,

back to the gate.

The truth has spoken,

The water turns red,

And with my power,

allow them to rest.

The surroundings slowly covered with shining light, then all of them disappeared for the Lake of Truth and found themselves standing in front of the gate.

“Raise your heads and look at me,”

he ordered, and all followed. “Return to your post and think of your mistake. Repent and wash yourselves into the River of Purity. Mundare River will clean all the imperfections you have in your heart and the King of Angel will forgive you.”

“Thank you, Salomi.”

Everyone thanked him in chorus, and one by one, he watches them spread their wings and fly to different locations to head his advice.

IN THE LAKE of CONFESSION, Raguel watches the remaining female angels standing above the water, facing their self to confess. Confessus can filter the remaining participants, and she can see that some of them does not reflect their self. The lake is the mirror of themselves, which means that if all of them see the reflection of themselves in the water, their hidden thoughts are revealed.

If none of them saw their self reflected where they stand above the water, it simply shows they are pure and upright. And from what she saw, ten of them doesn't see their faces reflected above the water. The remaining five failed.

“Ten of you passes the test here in Confessus. Confused, right? Allow me to explain as to why ten of you pass while five of you failed to see your reflection,” Raguel started explaining and the fifteen participants listened attentively.

“The Lake of Confession allows you to see your true self. If you haven't seen yourself in front of the water above you, that means your heart is pure and upright. Those who saw themselves reflected in the water only means that there are hidden thoughts hiding inside you, which made the lake suspicious of you. Now, that I clarified, I will bring all of you back to the gate of the kingdom. From there, Salomi will announce your failure, to those who failed, and he will tell you the next challenge on those who pass the test here in Lake Confessus.”

The fifteen female angels nodded without complaints. Then, Raguel, using her power, unleash her scales of balance to bring them all back to the gate.

Scales of Balance,

I command thee,

Lake Confessus has confessed,

And found the five female angels guilty of perjury,

Bring us all back to the gate of Pune!

A ray of light canopied the entire Lake Confessus and all the participants found themselves standing separately in front of Salomi and Raguel.

“Those who passes the Lake Confessus standing in front of me will continue to the next challenges while those who did not pass, standing in front of Raguel must hear my words,” Salomi announces in front of those who returned from the Lake of Confession. He walks towards Raguel and said the same words he told from the first who failed in Lake of Truth.

“Raise your heads and look at me,” he ordered, and all followed. “Return to your post and think of your mistake. Repent and wash yourselves into the River of Purity. Mundare River will clean all the imperfections you have in your heart and the King of Angel will forgive you.”

“Thank you, Salomi. We'll follow your words,” they said in chorus, and then, one by one, they fly to different location, leaving Salomi and Raguel standing in front of the ten who passes the Lake of Truth and Confession.