Julian, The Elect

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

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"Sanctuary 4 is the best place for you to sire your offspring!" — the trillionaire playboy genius philanthropist watched this advertisement from inside his Off Truck (it was a car imported into Brazil from the USA, of course; the abbreviation "off" did not come from "off" as in turned off, but from "offensive"), a product made by his own company; he called the shots. On April 4th, 2059, things looked far from good for the people walking the streets of downtown Manaus; just by being out there, you were already running some kind of life risk — "…but it's all good…" — said the Manaus comedian on another screen — "…so, I just wanna say that I think maybe, maybe… — the audience was still laughing at his latest jokes; he was a comedian who did political humor — it wasn't a good trade, the one we made with the USA, look at how much land we gave them…! — the audience waits for something. Silence. — Just because now our beggars have night vision?!

The audience goes wild. And he continues — "…just because they have some cool robotic arms? Sometimes they're stolen too, right… (?) — laughter, then silence — "Guys, I swear…" — the comedian himself lets out a laugh, and stumbles for an instant — "I swear, man, the other day I saw a beggar… a beggar who had health insurance, dude!" — the audience goes crazy again; a girl in one of the front rows falls to the floor and the camera catches her rolling with laughter; several comments reading "lol" appear in the live chat, an expression meaning "laughing out loud," which in Portuguese carries the sense of "laughing very hard" — "But guys, now for real… I think we really fucked up, we shouldn't have accepted that agreement that only robbed us and still makes life harder every day for the people of Manaus…" — people in the venue begin to agree and howl in exaltation — "You who follow me know what I think; it's not because you put a navigation chip in a beggar that he stops being a beggar, damn it! He's a high-tech beggar… That said, I would never support a ticket aligned with the USA…! — shouts of celebration and approval from the audience — Not to mention that, as far as I know, nobody here is related to Almeida…! — people laugh again — They have no reason to be so pissed at us like this…!

Comment from the System of Understanding and Progress (SUP):

This joke was funny because the comedian played with the fact that the Americans had failed to close the deal they had struck with Paulo Lindemann, since Almeida had acted first; due to concerns about attacks and that his allies might kill him, Lindemann had programmed his possessions to lock themselves or self-destruct if he were assassinated. The USA managed to unlock the self-destruction codes quickly, but gaining access to Lindemann's facilities and Productive Capital took more than 2 years. They were outraged. But they ended up advancing anyway; Manaus, however, seems to have been punished in response to the Popular Union's attack.

The sole passenger of the medium-sized armored vehicle smiles lightly for an instant, then says: "Navigator…". As if speaking to someone inside his own mind, he waits, then speaks again:

— I would like to sire a son… — he waits a few more instants; the capsule of his Off Truck was in total silence now, and upon the passenger speaking, the screens automatically stopped emitting audio; he juts his chin upward, scratches the sparse beard growing little by little, and exclaims — I'll go with this one, I want Sanctuary 4. Male, of course. Keep me updated on its processes at all times…

The man turns his gaze back to the screen showing the comedian in silence, though still gesticulating nonstop, and says — "I also want to buy this comedian, he's a good left-wing politician."

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Sanctuary 4

Julian is looking out the window of his room. Ana is visible from here, he thinks.

Ana runs across a field of green, perfectly level grass; she is playing capture the flag. She passes a group of girls, three of them, twisting and dodging them like water between fingers. She scores the point and her team celebrates. Julian thinks he likes her.

— Nice one, Ana, you're awesome! — shouts Aurelius, who guards Ana's team flag.

He's older, 17. Ana will surely prefer him, Julian thinks. The young man stands by the window, hypnotized, watching Ana; her body is athletic, and the sweat has made her uniform cling to her skin. For an instant he gets distracted.

"What are you looking at, freak?!"

Julian gets startled and throws himself to the floor in reaction to the attention he has drawn. He can hear the laughter of Aurelius and the other guys; he wonders if Ana laughed too (?).

"I'd better sleep, I wanna forget this shame… Why doesn't He speak to me…?"

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There were 50 minutes left before class, yet Julian had been ready since 5 o'clock. He had taken his morning walk in the woods, read a few more chapters of his Manual of the Elect — a booklet he had already read several times, in fact — and tried to make sense of his thoughts:

"Why doesn't my Creator speak to me?"

In front of the locked classroom door stood only him and Thayrine; the two would be considered nerds for having arrived long before the Teacher. They still had a good few minutes to do whatever they wanted: sleep, play sports, play videogames, eat, use drugs, have sex, or any other activity available in Sanctuary 4. But Julian wasn't anxious for class — he was anxious about his question: "Why…?"

— I'm so hyped for this class, dude! — says Thay, rocking back and forth hugging her own knees — I really wanna know about the foundation of this place…
— Are you taking something for that? — asks Julian, pointing at Thayrine's legs, which agitate nonstop.
— For anxiety…? I am, I am! I take a bunch of stuff, my Creator sends it to me…! If you're lucky, you can see sinners from the windows of this room; this is the highest point of the structure. The sinners pass through the trees down there!
— Really?!
— Yeah, I've seen some myself; they were armed with rifles and technologies from the past…
— And they shoot?!
— I've never heard of it… But we shoot! — says Thay with a giggle — After all, they're sinners, right? But I'm chill… I'm just excited about this class; these meds are good, even with these side effects… By the way, from up here you can see the forest fading into the horizon.

Footsteps are heard turning the corner…. It's Ana. There were still 25 minutes before class. Thayrine gives a sharp look to Julian, then to Ana, then back to Julian — a completely perceptible gesture to both, including to Ana, who was approaching from a distance. Julian thinks Thayrine likes him. He is right.

— Hi Thay…! — says Ana, hugging her friend — You okay?
— Hi bestie, I am! And you…?
— I'm great, — Ana didn't seem to have any issues with Thay
— Ju, can I talk to you?
— What is it?

Ana begins speaking immediately, right there, in front of Thayrine.

— Look... I'm sorry, Au's been an asshole lately, and it's not just that thing on the field yesterday, but for several days I've seen a change in his behavior! And I wanna distance myself from him because of that… — Ana, succinct, objective, sharp as a blade; she was 16. Julian's heartbeat quickened; he didn't need "a creator" to know what this meant.
— Ana, it's all good, we'll always be friends… — Julian seemed to want to say something else — I don't care what Aurelius does, I only care about you guys.

Thayrine gives a positive nod, expressing a smile of understanding and support.

— My Creatress said he can't act like that…
— Wait, "Creatress"? — Julian questions.
— Yeah, Creatress, I have "a creatress."
— Yours is a "creatress" too, Thay?!— Julian turns to Thayrine.
— No, my Creator says he accepts the existence of a Creatress, but doesn't agree with using the term as a universal application; the correct term would be Creator, and in the plural, Creators! One of the reasons, too, is that these suffixes "or" and "ors" are suffixes of power, and from the moment we are able to alter the Source Code, it is more interesting that we use this terminology to obtain better results with the Most High. Guys, this is in the Genesis of the Code, don't you guys read the Code? I read it every day. — she said all that in 15 seconds.
— My Creatress understands your view and sees you as an ally — says Ana, turning to Julian — Ju, I don't care if you've never heard your Creator, He exists! Just like my Creatress; don't worry about it, you're in Sanctuary 4, it's impossible to live here without a Creator.

Julian listens to Ana attentively. She continues:

— Every month your provisions arrive without fail. Clothes, medications, technological devices, books, the best food, and the most varied types of resources you can imagine for your leisure and personal development… Who sends you that?

Julian falls silent.

— It doesn't matter that "He" doesn't answer you; "He" is listening to you and attending to your needs!

And she finalizes the argument: — It can only be a Creator, or a Creatress…

— It's not good to use that term — Thay warns.
— I'll use it even if you don't like it, Thay.
— It's fine, my Creator understands your view and sees you as an ally.
— Julian... — Ana continues — that's what they do, they create things, that's why they're called Creators… No one is capable of doing that, only a Creator. And each Creator is responsible for their Creature, isn't that right, Thay?!
— That's right, — Thayrine explains — each Creator is responsible for their Creature, which in this case is us, their descendants, also known as the Elect; this is in the Genesis of the Code, "the Creators must care for their Elect," and if they don't care for them, the Elect are left to die, regardless of which Sanctuary that Elect inhabits. In other words, if you didn't have a Creator, you'd already be dead, so it's impossible for you not to be an Elect, for there is no Elect without the existence of a Creator; you committed a logic error. We are Elect so that we may become Creators. But we will only become Creators if we arduously study the Source Code; this is also in the Genesis of the Code.

Julian was relieved… Not by the possibility of his Creator's existence, but by the existence of these two people in his life. And mainly because he now felt closer to Ana.

Several footsteps are heard turning the corridor from the opposite side of where Ana came. It's Aurelius and his servants. There are 10 minutes left before class.

— Ana, what are you doing?! I told you to stop by my room on your way, I was waiting for you…! — Aurelius seems a little agitated — Why are you hanging out with this guy, Ana…?! He doesn't have a Creator, you know how weird that is…? We've never heard of such a thing!
— He has a Creator, Aurelius, — the only thing separating Julian and Thayrine from Aurelius and his goons is Ana — his provisions arrive every month normally, and his contributions are up to date with Sanctuary. He just doesn't hear his Creator… Maybe it's a different Creator, my Creatress told me…
— Creatress, Ana?! — Aurelius interrupts, irritated — What is this, what kind of talk is this? THERE IS NO CREATRESS, ANA! One doesn't have a Creator, the other has a "creatress" — he emphasizes the word as if satirizing, which makes the other 3 teenagers with him laugh in a malicious mocking way — and the other one is there… "Wired"…! Doesn't your Creator send you good meds? He must be a weak Creator!
— See, Aurelius, that's what I'm talking about…! — Ana begins — You've changed, you say horrible things about other people's Creators, you humiliate people as if you enjoy it; we're all Elect here!
— There are different kinds of Elect, Ana! You know that well, everyone knows! We're from the First Wave, she's from the Second, and he's from the Third! — Au stares into Ana's eyes with a threatening look, pointing his finger at his colleagues — We are destined for greater things!

There are 3 minutes left before the start of school activities in Sanctuary 4. Now the sound of footsteps fills everyone's ears, increasing gradually every second; in this corridor there were some rooms that, until then, all had their doors closed. Some students from other classes already waited in front of other doors, but no one had come close enough to understand what was happening with Julian and his group, until then.

— They're my friends, Au… — said Ana.
— "Allies are superior to friends," Ana! — Aurelius retorts.

2 minutes and 10 seconds before class. A purple-haired girl named Catia is already approaching close enough to hear the conversation; she was from the Second Wave, just like Thayrine. She was 15 y.o.

— So my Creatress tells me… — everyone pays attention to Ana's words, including Catia — that she doesn't understand your view, and no longer sees you as an ally!

Apparently this is one of the most offensive things you could say to someone inside a Sanctuary. Aurelius now has a deadly look, full of tears, but they don't fall. At this moment, many students are already approaching the doors, and the Teacher of this class has just turned the corner, from the same side Aurelius came.

1 minute and 45 seconds left.

Au's "servants" look at each other in astonishment; Ana said something they would never have had the courage to say.

— In that case… — Au is clearly outraged, proclaiming his words in a slow, threatening manner — My Creator doesn't understand your views… He doesn't see you as allies… And tells me that I may do whatever I want with you after my Ascension!
— That's against the Laws of the Code…! — Thayrine leaps to her friends' defense — "No Creator may threaten the Creature of another Creator," this is also in the Genesis of the Cod…!
— Fuck the Code!

1 minute.

The Teacher had just arrived and clearly heard that phrase from Au, but ignores it. All the doors in the corridor open simultaneously. Catia runs immediately into the room; she wants no more of this discussion. The Teacher enters next, and right behind him, all the students in the class begin to file in, passing by the group arguing in the corridor. Thay was frightened by the way Au shouted at her, and Julian thought:

"They are 4, and much bigger than me; we're at a disadvantage here. If it were just me and Au… It would be easy… He's so full of himself and doesn't improve his combat tactics…"

— Since you're gonna stay with these losers, Ana — Aurélius begins his little show for those who can catch a fraction of the conversation while entering the room —, remember to never come looking for me after my Ascension…! Did you at least fuck her, Julian…?

"Ooh… did you guys hear that? Au fucked Ana Polinski!" announced a student to the entire class as he entered. The Teacher didn't utter a single word.

— Au, come on, 30 seconds… — warns the last remaining "goon" as he too heads for the entrance. Ana is humiliated; her reddened eyes stare at Aurelius with hatred for his words… She feels ashamed before her friends, but mainly ashamed of herself for having been with someone like Au. She knows it's not her fault; the fault is Aurelius'. Thayrine advances toward Ana, holds her hand, and says in a soft tone: "Let's go in, we're gonna be late." Ana agrees, entering guided by Thay, keeping her head down, without the courage to face the students in the class. She also didn't have the courage to look at Julian.

10 seconds.

Au and Julian are the only ones left in the corridor; all other students from the other classes have already entered. Finally, the Teacher says something: "Aurelius, Julian, enter the room… Quickly!" — I'll kill you one day, abomination… — threatened Aurelius as he entered the room.

1 second.

— You can try, Frankenstein — said Julian as the door closed behind him.

In Sanctuary, everything runs on schedule.

Comment from the System of Understanding and Progress (SUP):

Aurelius hated that nickname; the other Elect didn't even understand why. The famous novel that tells the story of a monster made from parts of human beings is called Frankenstein, in which Victor Frankenstein is an eccentric, brilliant scientist who creates a monster from human parts. Many think that Frankenstein is the name of the monster, but it is the name of his Creator. Through the SUP's analysis processes, it is believed that Aurelius didn't like the nickname because it reminded him of the idea that he would never be good enough for his Creator, for although he received the best provisions — that is, the best parts — he would always be an incomplete monster and never a complete human.

Everyone in the room is staring at Julian, "the poor guy who likes Ana"; he observes Ana sitting in the first chair right beside the door, and on this side, Thayrine, who also left a chair for him beside her. He sits, looks to the right, and there is 1 of the 3 stooges in the next chair, the 2nd in the one after, and the 3rd in the next, and only then Aurelius. Ana is at one end of the room, Aurelius at the other extreme, everyone is in the same row, and what separates his friends from his enemies is just Julian. He looks at Ana, but she still keeps her head down.

"Today's lesson is: The History of the Elect, how the Creators founded Sanctuary!", the Teacher begins. "I am sending some files now to your navigators; of course, for now, you don't have autonomy over these devices, but we, your Teachers, have permission from your Creators to access them in order to teach you in your process as the Elect, that is, your process of Ascension to Creation; which always happens on the Elect's 18th birthday…

— I'll ascend before then, Professor! — Aurelius interrupted — My Creator prophesied that to me!
— That's against the rules, Aurelius…
— Laws, Professor, it's against the Laws! Rules mean something else! — another interruption; it seems Teachers don't have that much power around here.
— That's right, Thayrine, thank you… That's against the Laws of the Code, Au. The Creators founded Sanctuary based on a concept of equality and non-aggression; the laws must apply to everyone…
— But there's no such equality, everyone here already knows my Creator is the strongest! — exclaims Au; the room falls silent and the Teacher doesn't seem to know what to say — Does anyone here question this claim?

A boy in the back of the room says: "My Creator understands your view and sees you as an ally." Meanwhile, many other students merely repeat "Mine too," "And mine!", but the majority simply stayed silent.

Comment from the System of Understanding and Progress (SUP):

Au's Creator was not the strongest.

— How can you speak to us of equality…? I am the strongest Elect inside Sanctuary 4! Don't you see the bounty I receive from my Creator? Hasn't He given you enough provisions, Professor?
— It's fine, Au, I agree with you… May I continue my lesson? — the Teacher seems to fear Aurelius, for some reason unknown to the class.
— Whatever...

"Sanctuary was already an objective of the Creators since the 30s, but its production and expansion was only intensified after the attack of May 9th. That is, 20 years ago."

— Ju, I have something to give you — Thayrine whispers.
— Really, what?

Thayrine shoves her hand into a small back pocket of her backpack and retrieves a well-varnished wooden object in a rectangular shape.

— What is this? — asks Julian, curious about the object in his hands.
— Careful, it's a retractable blade, — Thay whispers — a switchblade…

Julian feels a ripple at the base of the object, as if it were a button, and presses.

— Wow, it's beautiful, Thay…! — Julian is fascinated with the weapon; its blade shines brightly and appears to be very sharp — Look, Ana, she engraved our initials on the blade!

J.A.T. Julian, Ana and Thayrine — the initials were engraved at the base of the blade.

— Of course I engraved them, it's to last forever, like our friendship…! — says Thay, looking at Ana; who reciprocates with a smile so as not to disappoint her friends, but which clearly expresses sadness — I noticed you training in Combat Anatomy class, Julian. You're very good at hitting vital points; that's why I made it like this, without any kind of connector or electronic device, it's just a switchblade with a wooden handle. I know you like these archaic things. I made it in Constructions class, and I think it can be useful for when you ascend…

— Thayrine…! Pay attention, you're disturbing me! — the Teacher shouted, for apparently, not all Creators inspired fear.
— Sorry, Professor…

"This Sanctuary is the 4…" the Teacher continues, "But today there are many others… The Wave System developed by the Creators stipulates that the first Elect of a Sanctuary shall be Elect of the First Wave; this indicates that their Creators are the most powerful of this Sanctuary, since they arrived first. Their Elect always have advantages over the other Elect. This doesn't mean that if you are an Elect of another Wave you cannot become a good Creator; it only means that First Wave Elect become more powerful Creators! Write this down, it's also in the Genesis… And it will be on the test… Write, it's important to write…!"

The students didn't like using the notebook, but it was still important for their neurological development.

"…Sanctuary Number 4 possesses roughly 3,000 hectares and houses 300 Elect. Each Elect is allotted an area of 8 hectares, which, for the slow ones in here, is 80,000 square meters, and can be used for housing, development, storage of provisions, or any other activity the Creator wishes to carry out alongside their Elect..." The Teacher turns to Au, as if justifying something: "I know, Au, that your Creator wanted more space for you, but that's something even He couldn't get in here; certain lines of the Source Code are unalterable!" and he continues "The Elect may develop various projects in their dwelling, except weapons; this too is the Will of the Most High."

The Teacher makes a gesture with his hand, as if drawing back a curtain before his students; a translucent blue-metallic image appears between them containing text in source code. The text is presented in a comprehensible manner regardless of the student's position relative to the Teacher, but it can only be seen if the individual possesses a navigator.

"Here, look… 'The Most High understands the differences in Nature, and He is the One who brings bounty, balance, and prosperity; thus it is decreed to the Creators that the Elect may not build armaments within their Sanctuaries, for it is understood that weapons are the province of Creators, something for after their Ascension to Creation, something for their coming of age.' This text is found in the Archaic Directories, in the second part of the Source Code." The Teacher finishes.

Comment from the System of Understanding and Progress (SUP):

This was the Teacher's way of toying with the system, saying "slow ones" while directing the word at the Creators. He had no doubt the youths knew what a hectare was.

— What is a weapon, Professor? — Julian.
— Hmm… that's a tricky one, Julian. But here we are talking about weapons that can be connected to the Source Code, for these are far more lethal and can be improved much more rapidly due to their direct connections to the Heavenly Blessings, in the eighth part of the Source Code, through, of course, the permissions of the Most High. Remember, no Creator creates anything without the permission of the Most High!

Comment from the System of Understanding and Progress (SUP):

"The Elect come directly from the Most High, destined to ascend as Creators to perform the maintenance of the Code." There was a part in the Source Code that cited the possibility of a Creator becoming the Most High, but it was contradicted by all other parts of the Code, which attended to the fact of the Most High's power of permissions.

"You come from the Most High, and the Creators are responsible for creating you until your Ascension."

The Teacher's voice echoed this phrase in the minds of all the students, even though his physical mouth had not moved; the image of the source code transformed into an anime-style animation with Japanese music; some students exclaimed: "Ooohh!! Look how cool, dude!" — The animation presented a drawing where an Elect was the main character of a story; he dedicated himself to the most varied activities of Sanctuary, and always got good grades; it lasted 45 seconds, and at the end, as the animation finished with a guitar solo full of notes, the character kissed a beautiful girl who had been a supporting character in the animation. At the bottom of the students' navigator screens (that is, of "their visions") appeared the words "Forbidden for Elect Under 14 Years Old!!!" in a very vivid and flashy banner. Some students even shout and whistle at the end of the scene.

"It's to generate more identification with them!" — the Teacher tried to explain to certain Creators.

— I've already seen this anime, it's lame…— says Thay.

"So guys, I'll continue talking about the foundation of Sanctuary, but first I need to speak about The Index, that is, directly requested by the Sacred Summit; they are the Creators who are closest to the Most High, and The Index was the way the Most High resolved to organize the Code. How many parts is the Code?"

"Teeen…" — most of the students answer in a dejected rhythm.

"Great, let's review from the first one…"

— Professor!! — Catia suddenly stood up; her gaze was fixed on the window, her chair was beside it — THERE ARE SINNERS DOWN THERE!

No matter what the Teacher was saying, all the students stand up and head to the window. "Where?! Where?!" The Teacher calmly walks to the window and stops beside Au; while Julian, Thayrine, and Ana go to the back of the room to observe from there; they didn't want to stand next to Aurelius.

— Over there! — Au shouts.

Between the trees it is possible to see some soldiers moving about; they are carrying rifles, provisions, and modern military equipment. Everyone is impressed, but the Teacher seems thoughtful:

— They don't look like Resistance soldiers…
— What…?! — Au questions.
— They don't look like sinners, I said, sinners…
— It's a platoon, — everyone looks at Julian — there are 25 to 35 soldiers there.

Julian's count was quick and impressed everyone; he liked studying military tactics.
— Professor! — Catia is frightened — Look…! Four of them are coming out of the woods and heading toward the wall!
— Elect, do not worry; Sanctuary's structures are protected by the lines of the Source Code. If they are our enemies, they will be punished before they can do anything; that is how the Will of the Most High works, which is interpreted from the Source Code. — The Teacher tries to calm the class, which is growing agitated.

Something isn't right; Julian feels a sudden nausea.

The sound of a shot is heard, not like that of a firearm, but like that of a modern climbing device that could only have come from a mechatronic arm; everyone is frightened, except Julian. Outside the structure, on the side of the roof, there was now a taut rope, and at its end, which had struck the roof, was a kind of digging robot that was burrowing deeper into the stone structure of that support beam. The rope was made of a metallic alloy that appeared to be very resistant…

"Professor, I'm scared…!" said Vanessa, a tall, athletic young woman from the First Wave; Julian had seen Thayrine kiss her in the woods once.
— It's all right, it's all right…! — said the Teacher, patting the girl's shoulders — You are a beautiful First Wave Elect!

Another thing that also sickened Julian's stomach, "Doesn't this bother the other Creators? Could it be that it only bothers me?" he thought. "By the lines of the Source Code, he too can be a Creator, and a Creator is always above a Creature. This is in the Genesis of the Code."

The Teacher was almost 40 years old, and was clearly interested in Vanessa, who was 16. But it wasn't just that… The nausea increased, and Julian had a premonition…

"I think we should go to the other side of the room…" — Julian whispered to his friends.
"Did you hear something…?!" — Julian understood what Ana meant, but the answer was "no".
"No, I'm just feeling something…" — Ana and Thayrine exchange glances without understanding, but follow Julian in silence. At this moment, while the 3 cross to the other side of the room, the cable fixed to the beam outside the window begins emitting a sound… The device is pulling something upward… or someone…

Except for Julian, Thayrine, and Ana, who were focused on crossing to the other side, everyone else in the class kept their eyes fixed on the rope pulling something… But that didn't last long, for shortly after, 3 other metallic cables strike the structure's beam… and now all 4 devices were pulling the ropes very rapidly. The 3 stop in the other corner of the room at the exact moment the first person reaches the height of the windows. Some students have a look of horror on their faces; Aurelius seems excited by the situation; the Teacher is also astonished, but he believes in the Source Code.

— Wow!! — exclaims the Teacher — She is a mechatronic soldier! Look…! Her arms are modern attachments only possible for Creators with many Properties!

The students are now fascinated. A beautiful blonde wearing only a white tank top and stylish army pants with combat boots was there, hanging by a metallic ligament in the shape of a rope coming from her right shoulder; her short hair was tied back, and her face showed no reaction whatsoever, she merely seemed to observe the students inside the room as if they were nothing. Then, the second one arrives…"Ooooh…" the students react; it's a hulking brute.

— He is also a soldier, this one also possesses several mechatronic attachments…! — says the Teacher.
— Professor, why do their arms only look like normal arms? — except for the slits at the shoulders, where it was possible to see cables coming out.
— Catia, I forgot, you can't see because you don't have autonomy over your navigators. This technology is a provision of the Most High that molds itself to the Creator using it. That is, it will always look like your natural arm.

The third and fourth arrive. Now, Vanessa lets out a real scream. The fourth mechatronic soldier has eyes that emit a very intense red light; he throws himself at the glass, where the palms of his hands seem to stick like glue, and begins moving very rapidly, as if he were a spider; the sight is agonizing. He stops in front of Vanessa. She looks like she is going to faint.

— It's all right, it's all right…! I already told you, they are not a threat! If they were a threat, our system would have already fried them!

For the first time the Teacher spoke in those terms: "system," "threat," "fried." The movement also frightened him. The "spider soldier" slowly returned to his initial position while staring through the glass, with his demonic eyes, at the students who averted their gazes; the blonde soldier was facing the Teacher. She made eye contact with the other soldiers and looked inside the room as if she knew something.

— Those "red eyes" are Controller Eyes. Many Properties are also needed to get one! This soldier is probably a chemist, a specialist in explosives or laboratory productions… You can handle a lot of "molecules" with a "beauty" like that…! — the Teacher tries to lighten the mood — And you can also see people naked, if you want… Not me, Vanessa…! I don't have any kind of attachment that does that!
— I know, Professor! — not even she believed in that.

That was when Julian heard it.

"Son…" the calm, serene voice sounded in his mind.
— What face is that, Ju?! — says Thay, observing the change in Julian's behavior; he is paralyzed, his gaze fixed on the window, but he doesn't seem to hear her.

"…I need you to listen to me, Julian… I am your father…"

— Julian, talk to me, what is happening?! — Thayrine grabs Julian by the arm trying to get his attention; she gestures, but he doesn't seem to hear anything from the outside.

"The door of your room will open, run through it, run as you have never run before… Your life and the lives of your friends depend on it…"

A tear ran down his face; Ana stared at Julian with both hands over her mouth, visibly moved, and he too, "is this what everyone feels? Is this being in contact with your Creator?" he thought.

— You heard it, didn't you…? — Ana was very religious.
— I heard… Listen, we have to run!
— Run where, Julian?! There are still 31 minutes before the doors open — said Thay, looking at her phone — class hasn't even been going on for an hour yet!
— They'll open in half the time, trust me…! — Thayrine and Ana don't seem to trust Julian's assertion — My Creator told me! — now they seem to trust.

The following events took place in an interval of less than one minute. The soldiers sway and make a forward movement, swapping the positions of their metallic cables with great ease; now they are bracing their feet against the glass, in rappelling position. The Teacher tries to regain control over the class: "Elect, listen, with or without soldiers, we need to continue the class…" and he questions mentally: "I know they aren't a threat, but why didn't the Source Code repel them anyway…? They're disrupting the class…"

Aurelius takes 2 steps back, away from the glass.

— Professor… I told you my prophecy would come true… I will be the first 17-year-old Creator!
— Au, to this day, that has never happened; if it is the Will of the Most High, so be it, but I cannot go around affirming things that are outside the Source Code…!

"Son, now!"

Julian signals to Ana, who runs wildly, "the door is closed, I'm going to smash myself against it, but I'll run for Julian!" Ana thinks. Thay follows right behind Ana, and Julian at her heels. Ana was the slowest in the group; Julian was the fastest. Everyone turns hearing the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the room. Aurelius looks to his right as he watches Ana running through the middle of the room, and shouts:

"Ana, wait, nothing's going to happen to you…!"

The sole woman in the group of mechatronic soldiers propels her legs, which are modern military attachments, hurling herself a considerable distance from the window. Only the Teacher turns his attention to this. Upon reaching the limit of her cable's extension, she curves her body backward, rapidly raises her left arm with her hand open, as if to deliver a karate strike, and descends accelerating toward the glass while her arm opens into slits that emit a green light revealing an enormous retractable blade.

The Teacher can only say "This technology is not registered…!!"

The door opens, Ana passes through; the students are all observing the scene as if they had never seen a door open before; Thayrine passes, Aurelius is at a safe distance, heading toward the door; Julian passes, and watches, slowly, as the mechatronic soldier shatters the glass in a deafening noise using her retractable blade, which tears apart the body of his Teacher and his childhood friend on the spot. The girl is distracted looking into his eyes when it happens.

"She didn't feel a thing."

Comment from the System of Understanding and Progress (SUP):

This military attachment is considered modern, for after the end of the War in 2084, the Government's automations did not see the need to produce more military apparatuses. Thus, this technology is the most modern because it was the last to be made, and the SUP understands that we must not destroy all weapons, for we are still in a process of understanding and progress. Although the SEP is the most advanced A.I. that exists, not even an A.I. is capable of predicting the future… These analyses are still in process…

And Julian runs. And screams:

— RUN… DON'T LOOK BACK… FAST!! — and all 3 heard the sounds of screams and shattering glass in the room they left behind. Thayrine and Ana emit whimpers and seem to be crying. They need to turn the corner. Julian passes observing all the rooms functioning normally. The Teachers are giving their lessons as if nothing were happening, for the rooms in Sanctuary were soundproof, after all; the Elect should only hear what is necessary.

And he shouts again, "Go, fast…!", and thinks, "Talk to me, Creator, what now…?!", everyone is running in synchronized fashion, like soldiers, and they are nearing the end of the corridor. Julian is afraid to look back, to see Aurelius on his heels. He shouts "Ana… descend doing parkour!", this was easy for them, after all, they were Elect, and at this moment there was no Teacher on the staircases to prevent them from doing so. Upon turning the corner and seeing the stairs, Julian looks back, and sees absolutely no one in the corridor. And he thinks "Why didn't Aurelius come after me?", and they begin to descend jumping from railing to railing, for the hollow inside this staircase was cut in the shape of a square; if they fell, they would smash themselves on the floor. Ana slowed the group's pace a little, but they were already almost at the ground floor where the Capsules were; it was only 10 floors. When Ana steps on the ground, Julian, who is still hanging from a railing, looks up and sees Aurelius' head appear at the top of the staircase. He also hears the sound of approaching footsteps, but he won't wait to see their heads appear. He leaps and falls in a roll between Thayrine and Ana, darts toward one of the hundreds of doors in this corridor revealed by the staircase, and inserts his hand into a scanner that confirms his identity…

1…

2…

The door opens, Julian enters, Thayrine, Ana. And he says "To the Polinski dwelling!". The door closes; the capsule with space for 10 people is launched at an absurd speed, and Julian can still see the blonde soldier who was now at the base of the staircase, and this image is already growing distant. The image of the mechatronic soldier looking through the glass that separated the capsule from the structure of the Teaching Laboratories in Sanctuary 4. Only the sound of Ana's crying is heard, while Thay tries to console her.

"Calm down, Any, everything will be all right…" — says Thayrine, clearly shaken, while looking at Julian. Who remains silent. The capsule is passing through the middle of an enormous plantation of Brazil Nut trees. These trees are immense, capable of reaching 50m in height.

This form of transport consisted of a capsule inside a tube that ran on high-speed train tracks; it wasn't the most modern type of transport of the time, but it already met all the needs in Sanctuary 4, capable of reaching from 300 km/h to 500 km/h.

"Did Vanessa die…?!" Ana asks Julian, with very swollen eyes, while observing the tiny Teaching Laboratories that lay behind. He remains silent; he doesn't want to speak of what he saw.

"Huh…?!" Ana questions desperately.

— Everyone died, Ana… — said Julian, trying to remain calm — Everyone… Everyone except Aurelius…
— How do you know that?! Did you see him coming after us?
— No, but I know he was behind me… So, he stopped, but I don't know the reason…
— Did your Creator tell you that?! — Thayrine interrupts.
— No… He stopped talking…

They fall silent; now the capsule is closer to the ground, and its tube is passing over a river following its trajectory. It is possible for the Elect to see feet of various different crops, that is, there are feet of various fruit trees on the banks of this river. Mango, cupuaçu, avocado, tucumã, açaí, among others. It is also possible to observe a group of alligators, and some capybaras, while the tube begins to reach a higher level.

— What are we going to do? — Julian questions in a good tone, as the tube rose above the forest and revealed the beginning of the dwellings.

That was when they all came to their senses.

— Wait, are you hearing your Creatress, Ana?! — it was the first time Thayrine had said it.
— No…! — said Ana, astonished, regaining control of herself — I don't hear my Creatress anymore… I haven't heard her since the moment Julian heard his!
— So we're alone here?! — Julian began to grow desperate.
— This is against the Laws of the Code; Creators cannot cut direct contact with their Elect, even if they leave us with one of their Representations...!

Comment from the System of Understanding and Progress (SUP):

The Sanctuaries were private schools where parents raised their children. The Representations were simulations of the parents' voices, which were used when the Creators could not attend to their Elect. Many parents did not like their children, so they placed simulations of their voices — that is, Representations — to raise them their entire lives until the moment of their Ascension. Of course, without the Elect knowing whether or not it was their true Creator. It is believed that the Elect could not see visual representations of their Creators, for they could describe their parents to other Elect, revealing their identity to those Elect's Creators. Which would be unfair, according to the Will of the Most High, for outside of Sanctuary, all Creators are competitors among themselves; in other words, they could not mix the problems of parents with the problems of children.

— Forget the Code, Thay! We need to get out of here!
— Get out…?! — Ana exclaims as the capsule approaches her dwelling; it is a beautiful country estate with vegetable gardens and very flowery flowers.

Beside her house, which is a simple white block but immense, is another slightly smaller block, also white. It is Ana's warehouse; inside there were a large quantity of books, medications, laboratory equipment, and a machine with which it was possible to synthesize almost anything, given the permissions granted by the Creator to the Elect. Ana wanted to be a psychiatrist.

— Out there it's dangerous, we're in Sanctuary!
— Didn't you see? The soldier went through the glass, and we all heard the other glass breaking afterward…! — and not just the glass — We have to get out of here, it's not safe!

The capsule stops in front of Ana's house; it opens, the tube opens too, and even though there doesn't seem to be any marking, it's as if a door had appeared. Everyone exits, the capsule closes, the tube too, and the transport launches again at high speed. Ana is heading toward her dwelling, Julian is behind, then Thayrine, who says, "Ana, what did we come to your house for?"

— I don't know, Julian gave that order to the capsule…
— I thought if we came to a First Wave Dwelling it would be safer… Fuck!

Thayrine passed Julian and is now with Ana at the door, which holds the latch; now, both look at Julian.

— What is it? — says Thay.
— Aurelius' dwelling is near here, isn't it?!
— It is, Julian, but I still can't believe he did this…! — Ana observes the immense tube behind Julian, which slowly moved reaching a height greater than that of the house. The tubes changed all the time to facilitate the passage of the capsules. It was the Miracle of the Source Code.

Ana enters her immense minimalist living room and already begins removing her clothes, throwing them on the floor, before turning down the hallway, heading to the bathroom; she is already completely naked. This impresses no one around here. Not even Julian, who loved her.

"I'm going to get more proper clothes for running… Come, get some too!" said Ana.

Thayrine, who was ashamed of being naked in front of Julian, only began removing her clothes when she turned down the hallway, far from his sight. Julian removed his jacket, remaining only in a white tank top and pants, and shouted "I'm already wearing comfortable clothes…!".

He stops in the middle of Ana's room, and looks at an immense window that is on the other side of the room; it is impossible to see anything if a person is on the outside, but from there, it is possible to clearly see the Main Gate of Sanctuary 4; between this gate and Ana's house stands Aurelius' dwelling, which lies at the back of her property. Julian observes Aurelius' 80,000 square meters. It is an area crammed with things. Constructions much taller than those of the other dwellings, various objects difficult to decipher scattered throughout the region, leisure areas, pools, courts… There were so many things in his dwelling that it would be difficult to figure out where he would come from…

Comment from the System of Understanding and Progress (SUP):

The Main Gate of Sanctuary 4 only opened on the day an Elect turned 18 years old. Often it was possible for the other Elect, who stayed behind, to see those who were departing in the distance. Normally someone was waiting for the Elect who was Ascending; the Elect believed that this person would be their Creator, though usually the person the gate revealed merely pointed to the vehicle the Elect should board. Sometimes, the revealed person ran toward the Elect and embraced them as if they were someone very important to them. Many Elect were ashamed to admit it, but that was what they wished. In rare exceptions, the gate opened and there was no one; the Elect exited, and the gate closed. They used to call this Ascension to Creation.

— Ana, do you still have that motorcycle you synthesized for me…?!
— I do… It's in the warehouse… Wait, we're already leaving…!
— All right, I'm going to take a look at it, I'll be back in 1 minute!

Julian heads toward the door at an accelerated pace, goes outside and begins advancing toward the warehouse…

"What will we do? We don't have weapons in here; if we stay, we die, and out there is the world of sinners. Even if we left, it would still be very dangerous; we are still not Creators. However, out there, at least we would have a chance…"

Then, when he is halfway between Ana's house and her warehouse, he thinks "If only we had a way out…"

At this exact moment, a few kilometers away, an enormous noise of gears begins; Julian turns to his right, and has the vision of the gigantic gate of Sanctuary 4 slowly opening. It is a structure larger than a 30-story building.

"It can't have been a Creator… This can only be the Will of the Most High!!"

Julian runs to the warehouse, brutally opens its door and enters its interior; there it is possible to see many technological devices, laboratory glassware, and bookshelves; everything very organized and clean. At the back, beside the synthesizer machine, there is a black tarp covering an object. Julian runs toward it. Upon removing the tarp from the object, a very old motorcycle is revealed, an archaic vehicle that still ran on fossil fuels — in Sanctuary 4, this type of technology was frowned upon, considered something to be mocked, for it was not connected to the Source Code, and the Elect who made use of such artifacts had their Creators considered irresponsible, since "technologies not attached to the Source Code are not the responsibility of the Most High, thus not safe for the Elect, being entirely the responsibility of the Creators who provide them"; this was in the fifth part of the Source Code, in Precautions, but specifically in the Responsibilities directory — it was a Royal Enfield Himalayan Model 2023. Julian prays, even though he had never had any kind of faith in his entire life up to this moment; he prays:

"Please, let Ana not have removed its gasoline, there won't be time to synthesize this…!"

He grabs the handlebars of the old nearly 200-kilogram motorcycle, shakes its fuel tank from side to side, where it is possible to hear the sound of liquid inside the tank, and says: "Yes!". He turns the key that is in the ignition and gives it a quick start, immediately turning the motorcycle on: the beautiful sound of the Himalayan's engine fills Ana's warehouse. That was all he needed to know. The motorcycle is turned off and the young man immediately runs to the door. He is crossing Ana's lawn toward her house, while looking at the gigantic gate that is at half its opening; this gate did not open inward or outward, but rather, it receded into the wall of Sanctuary 4, until disappearing completely inside the structure, leaving an enormous hole in the wall, which was the only thing separating the facilities of Sanctuary 4 from the Amazon Rainforest. Then, he thinks "It's going to work… It has to work, the motorcycle can handle the 3 of us…!" and remembers "And Aurelius?! And the soldiers?! I forgot about them…"

At this moment, when he is halfway to Ana's house, a capsule passes at high speed over his head; he looks back and sees the capsule disappear from sight, empty. "It's Aurelius! He already reached his dwelling, and the soldiers must be with him…!" Julian thinks.

He runs and violently opens the door, finds Ana and Thayrine arguing in the middle of the room; they seem very agitated…

"Julian, the gate opened…!" says Ana.

— I know, I saw it opening… — Julian responds, approaching both of them. Thayrine is still trying to close the upper part of the uniform that Ana had lent her; it was a First Wave Elect Uniform, it possessed technologies that helped the Elect, such as total protection from solar radiation, temperature control, vital signs monitoring, but mainly, it aided the Elect's mobility. Thayrine turns toward the window, giving her back to Julian as he approaches.
— But what does this mean?! — Ana.

Julian stands between the two girls, turns Thayrine holding her by the shoulder, where it is shown that Thayrine's uniform is at half her bust, revealing a neckline. She had slightly larger breasts than Ana, and was clearly embarrassed that Julian was looking at them; but Julian didn't care… For he was very afraid… He grabs the base of the uniform at her waist and pulls the zipper with force, which finishes closing the garment up to the height of Thay's neck.

— Ju-Julian, the soldiers don't have permissions…! — Thayrine stuttered, but fired off her explanation — Even if they're coming here, they can't access the capsules! One needs Elect permissions to do that…! It's in Operations, in the penultimate part of the Source Code, "Elect permissions are given by Creators, but without an Elect, a Creator cannot possess such permissions." This means the soldiers are still on the other side of Sanctuary; even with mechatronic legs, they have no way of being near here…! It's a logic error!
— But Aurelius can be! — Julian alerts, while staring at the window, observing the entire area of Aurelius' dwelling, "Why can't I see him…? Could it be that he went to get some provision in his house before coming here?!" Julian thought.
— Julian, why do you think Aurelius is evil?! — Ana was very confused.

"Ana, listen to me…!" Julian's voice takes on a masculine form like that of an adult — "I love you, okay?! I love you!" Julian is looking deep into Ana's eyes, which are hypnotized by his gaze.

He was only 14 years old.

He stops for an instant and looks to his right, where he observes the gigantic gate of Sanctuary finishing opening completely, and thinks, "if the gate begins to close immediately, even if we get on the motorcycle now, we won't make it through."

But the opening remains there. He turns to Ana, who also observes the gate; he has his back to Thay, but believes she is doing the same. Ana looks back into his eyes, and he says "We need to get out of here now!".

Ana nods positively with a small smile on her face; finally, she fully trusts Julian, and knows that Aurelius is coming to kill them. The two head for the door. Thayrine, who is still staring at the gate, asks a rhetorical question that needs no answer: "Why is the gate still open…?"

Ana and Julian turn and say simultaneously: "Perhaps it is the Will of the Most High."

It seems that something magical happened, a sign; they exchange glances, and even Thayrine is now convinced. Julian heads toward the door; he is going to run out with that motorcycle together with his friends, and cross that gate. That is what he thinks. He places his hand on the latch and pulls it violently. The door opens revealing Aurelius, who was hiding behind Ana's warehouse, and who points a weapon directly at Julian's chest, who is wearing only a tank top, without any kind of protection, not even a First Wave Elect Uniform.

"So that's it…" Julian thinks "That was the thing he went back for, the last soldier to enter the room must have been carrying this weapon for Aurelius…".

The weapon emits an incandescent green light; it looks like a pistol, but with a slightly thicker barrel, reminiscent of a single-barreled blunderbuss.

Julian thinks "I will be torn apart like Vanessa… I hope I don't feel anything…"

The last thing he remembers is hearing Thayrine scream his name...

Then, he feels something, and it hurts a lot…

And he tries to draw air to breathe, but that only increases his pain more.

And he is regaining his senses… He can't see very well, but is trying to get up, realizes he is on the grass…

His vision is blurred, and he hears the sounds of vehicles that seem to be approaching…

They can only be the soldiers, "I don't know how I'm alive, but I will die soon."

He stands up, and begins to walk, realizes he is at the back of Ana's house, that the shot from Aurelius' weapon had hit his chest squarely, and that he now has an enormous bruise. The discharge was so impactful that it made Julian fly across the room, through the window, and fall into Ana Polinski's backyard.

It is difficult to walk, but he is almost at the window… Where is Thayrine? And Ana? And Aurelius?He feels that the window glass also cut his back and shoulders. He takes the first step inside the room, which is very silent now, and hears soldiers shouting orders coming from behind him… But they still seem to be far away…

Julian begins to walk toward the middle of the room, looks for his friends, but sees no one; he is becoming more conscious now, and understanding that he has no more time. He quickens his pace and notices Aurelius' weapon thrown just inside the door, and it seems to be disarmed…

"This makes no sense at all. A single-shot non-lethal weapon, why did they give him this?!"

Then he heard it, the sound that preceded his trauma. The crying of Aurelius. Who was in the same hallway that Ana had gone to change her clothes.

Julian turns to the right, and a surge of adrenaline takes over his body, and he screams: "ANA!!"

He no longer feels his chest hurting and seems to be fully awake now. Aurelius is holding Ana by the neck, pressing her against the wall, her clothes are all torn from the waist down. She is naked.

"ANA!!" — Julian screams again, heading toward Aurelius, but Ana doesn't move.

— It's your fault! — says Aurelius between tears, turning to Julian, while releasing Ana, who falls lifeless to the floor.

"ANA!!" — Julian screams one last time, already very close to Aurelius, noticing that his pants were pulled down to the floor, at the height of his feet; if he tried to run now, he would fall. Then, Aurelius assumed his usual combat stance, a jab and a straight; that's what he's going to do, that's what he always does. Perhaps the other Elect were very afraid of Aurelius's Creator, because is impossible that they couldn't dodge such a weak attack.

Aurelius throws a left jab that is easily dodged by Julian, who is now to Aurelius' left; this is the moment. Aurelius throws his right, his slowest punch. Julian dodges to the right, draws his retractable blade that was hidden in his hand, and delivers a deep, precise blow to Aurelius' neck, hitting his carotid artery. Much blood gushes out immediately. Aurelius falls to his knees with wide eyes; Julian watches with hatred as his enemy dies while staining him with his blood.

He pushes Aurelius' body, and kneels embracing Ana's body. She does not respond. He looks at his hand, and sees his knife. "Where is Thayrine? Did Aurelius kill her too…?". The sound of the soldiers is getting closer and closer… "I don't care about anything anymore, I want to die…" Julian thinks.

Vehicles have just arrived at the house, much movement, and the sounds of footsteps are heard coming from all directions; Julian embraces Ana's body tightly and prays, "please, come quickly, I just want to be with Ana…". The soldiers enter the room, see Julian in the corner near the bodies of his classmates, and head in his direction…Julian observes the lights of the lanterns that are pointed at him; they prevent him from understanding the shapes that approach… But they are close, closer and closer… "Just a little more, Ana…"

"Boy… This is going to hurt a lot, but it's for your own good!" — Julian feels a wicked pain coming from the back of his neck. It was as if someone were ripping a piece of his spine out from there… and he passes out again.

.

.

.

Julian is waking up… He feels the sun rays blinding his sight; his neck hurts a lot, much more than his chest was hurting before. He opens his eyes with difficulty and observes the gigantic gate that is closing to his right; he is in the cargo bed of a very archaic truck, a truck that he didn't even know from what era it was. There are two soldiers in the cargo bed with him, but they are just normal soldiers with common rifles. He looks around and there seem to be other vehicles in his group; a motorcycle approaches and the rider makes eye contact with him, he seems to know him… Julian remembered that motorcycle; Thayrine had shown it to him. It was a Honda CG 150 Model 1999… The soldier nods his head at Julian and tells the driver "go to base; we need to disperse...!"

Julian's car accelerates and passes through the gate; before him lies an enormous forest, but with many trails and roads. He looks back and sees more than a dozen vehicles passing through the gate and heading toward various paths; he can still see the motorcycle disappear into the woods to his left. Then, he is alone in a tube. In a tube made of trees…

Alone with 2 more Resistance soldiers.

He looks at the oldman on the left, who must be about 60 years old; then at the soldier on the right, and thinks, "He must be only a little older than me."

— Boy… Stay calm, I also came from a Sanctuary… You're going to be all right! — said the young man.

"A sinner who came from a Sanctuary? I must be going crazy…"

And Julian looks at the treetops, and at the blue sky, and is getting sleepy, because they gave him something…

.

.

.

"Boy, wake up…"

Julian hears a voice… Could it be his Creator?

No… It is a sweet, feminine voice…

"Come on, boy, get up…"

Julian opens his eyes; it is night, and there is a beautiful woman outside the truck nudging him. He feels awkward, and tries to compose himself.

"Hey, you all right? Don't worry, okay? You're in our camp."

She holds Julian's hand as she helps him down from the cargo bed.

"And who are you people?"

Julian looks around and sees some military tents set up in the middle of a clearing in the jungle.

"We are the Amazonian Resistance."

She holds Julian by the arm and begins guiding him toward the first tent.

— Resistance? I've never heard of you.
— Of course you haven't, you were in a Sanctuary; there they call us sinners.

They pass by two soldiers who are at the entrance of the tent, while one of them greets the beautiful dark-skinned woman with straight hair, "Captain…".

Upon entering the tent, there is a middle-aged man sitting at a desk. The woman pulls a chair for Julian, and asks him to sit facing this man. And says:

"I'll be right back, just a moment, okay?" — Julian doesn't know why, but nods his head positively.

— Thanks, Pav… Hi, everything alright, son? — the man seems willing and energetic.
— Hi… — Julian responds completely without spirit.
— What's your name?

Julian does not answer.

— You came from Sanctuary 4?
— I did… — Julian doesn't even look the man in the eyes; he is looking at the desk, where there was a paper with a drawing of an angel, which the man was probably making, but it appeared incomplete.
— Look… I know horrible things happened, dude… — the man continues — But this is a safe place.
— You are sinners, aren't you?
— Huh… — the man stumbles for an instant — Yes, "we are," we are the "sinners" that you study inside Sanctuary. But I must say that they don't tell you the truth about us there… In truth, I tell you, that everything they teach the Elect inside Sanctuary is a lie.

At this moment Julian stares at the man, who is serious, "how could it be a lie?!" He had heard the voice of his Creator.

He looks at the drawing again, and asks: "What drawing is this?"

— Ah, this drawing? It's nothing, it's a character I'm trying to figure out if it exists in Christian mythology… Some information says that he is the Angel of Constancy, or also of Sacrifice… Thank you very much, Pav! — the Captain returns to the room with a jug of water and two cups.
— Son, what is your name? — the man turns to Julian.

Julian asks with tears in his eyes: "What is your angel's name?"

— His name is Ituriel.
— Then my name is Ituriel…