Chapter 31

Did I pull it off? Is it over?

I scanned my surroundings, my heart still pounding in my chest. Thousands of people were bowing to me. It didn’t matter if they were Christian, or if they worshipped spirits and ancestors; they were all prostrate before me.

That was a close one. Too close.

The perk that Hwangsook Soft gave me, of all things, had to be ‘Immortality,’ and because of it, my life is a constant tightrope walk of anxiety. The reason for my fear is written plainly in the Bible.

-‘It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.’ (Revelation 13:12)²

-‘And because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.’ (Revelation 13:14)

That’s right.

Of the two wicked beasts in the Book of Revelation, the second one just happens to be the one whose ‘fatal wound had been healed’ and who ‘was wounded by the sword and yet lived.’ He is a malevolent being who appears as the end times draw near, mimicking the Lord’s power of resurrection to deceive the people and lead them away from God. The whole infamous ‘666’ eschatology comes from the passages about this very beast.

What this means is that one wrong move, and I wouldn’t be seen as an angel. I’d be branded a demon or the Antichrist³ in a heartbeat, probably locked away somewhere for eternity. If it weren’t for that risk, I might have tried some self-harm theatrics when things got dangerous before. It would hurt like hell, sure, but it’s a surefire way to prove my identity.

In any case, I had to stop Raleigh from dying, and using my perk was unavoidable. So, I committed to playing the part of an angel as thoroughly as I possibly could.

“…”

“…”

“…”

And… it seems to have worked.

God, an assassination attempt out of nowhere. I thought I was going to lose my mind.

Right, first things first. What do I need to do here?

“…Eleanor?”

“Yes, yes! Sir Nemo!”

“Please instruct the settlers to clear away these bodies. Though they broke the commandment and chose to end their own lives, a fate that leads to hell, their bodies must still be treated with respect.”

“I understand.”

They tried to kill me, but I have to show them grace. I’m an angel, after all.

“Mr. Hewitt? Manteo? Mr. White, Mr. Gonzales?”

“Yes, O’ Angelic One.”

“Is there something you would have us do, O’ Angel?”

“Calm the people and send them back to their homes.”

And with a crowd of thousands, I had to prevent chaos and restore order.

“Sir Raleigh?”

“He who stands beside the Lord’s throne, I await your command.”

“Explain the situation to the new settlers and find them a place to stay.”

Then there were the new arrivals to care for.

What else…

Ah, right.

I turned to the small group that had gathered at my side, the very people I had just given orders to.

“When you have finished the tasks I’ve just given you, gather on the shore near the ‘Farm’.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“I believe there is much I need to discuss with you there.”

I had to take care of them, too. They would become my hands and feet in the days to come. My long-term plans had just been completely upended, so I needed to consult with them.

And they have changed. A lot.

***

My original plan was simple. It was to build two kinds of walls around myself for protection.

The first was a human wall, composed of the Roanoke survivors and Manteo’s Croatoan people, all of whom believed me to be an angel. They would keep my identity a secret, protect me, and act as my agents.

The second was the Virginia colony itself. I would win over and consolidate my control over the colony and the surrounding native tribes, building a foundation that would guarantee my safety regardless of what happened back in Europe. To achieve this, I intended to hide my true nature from the Europeans for the time being and expand my influence from within.

Outwardly, I would build England’s trust by acting as a capable, ‘civilized,’ and cultured native monarch. Inwardly, I would secretly extend my influence across the Americas. Then, at the right moment, I would sever ties with Europe and establish an independent power. I could become the behind-the-scenes authority of that power, or simply vanish into obscurity.

For this plan to work, I only needed a small number of people to believe I was an angel. In fact, it was essential that the number remained small. The core of this strategy was to use a group of no more than five hundred ‘believers’ to hide my identity and ensure my safety. As I’ve said before, there was no YouTube, no social media, no mass communication in this era. Hiding my identity wouldn’t have been all that difficult.

But that plan was now in tatters.

Thousands of people had just become my followers.

“…This is something I’ll have to think about,” I muttered, taking a sip of my Shine Muscat-flavored Welch’s[1] and resting my chin on my hand.

A hundred followers? Manageable. Three hundred? A bit of a stretch, but still a decent number for keeping a secret.

But thousands? Tens of thousands?

How am I supposed to control all of them? It’s not like I can lock them all away on some remote island and watch over them.

The secrecy plan is now half-dead. With the number of believers swelling into the thousands, the amount of effort I’d have to pour into them would be on a completely different scale. A small group and a large collective operate on entirely different principles.

…More importantly than anything else.

To the thousands of people here, I am now an ‘angel.’

This is an age dominated by religious fervor. In England, Spain, France, and Germany, people are diligently burning and tearing apart those they deem ‘heretics.’ The people who now believe in me crossed the sea to the New World during an era when the conflict between Catholics and Protestants was shaking all of Europe. And here, they have found a new religious leader: an ‘angel.’

In a time like this, thousands of people have begun to follow ‘me.’

This isn’t just my problem anymore.

One mistake, and thousands could die. Their deaths would be my responsibility. And that’s a reality I will never accept.

I have to save them.

If I can no longer hide completely, then it’s better to be firmly organized. To save them, I must now become their leader. They are a new sect, and I am its head.

Naturally, this new sect needs an organization.

Likewise, this new sect needs discipline.

And this new sect… needs a doctrine.

I began to flip through the Bible again, glancing at the Christian books my parents had left behind, lost in thought. It would probably take a few days for the people I’d sent out to get the situation under control and calm everyone down.

I would settle this within those few days.

I would lay the foundation of a new denomination.

But… what should I call this new sect?

The Nemo-ites?

…That sounds fucking awful.

***

“Has anyone seen Sir Nemo since that day?”

At Eleanor’s question, everyone shook their heads. The ‘everyone’ gathered here were the ones who had been given duties on ‘that day’—the day their lord had performed the miracle of immortality for the second time. Eleanor Dare, Thomas Hewitt, Manteo, John White, and Vicente Gonzales.

Walter Raleigh, who had the most tasks, had not yet arrived.

One of them had overseen the burials of the wretched assassins. Another had calmed the faithful who were trembling in fear and prayer. Yet another had arranged shelter for those who had left to find new homes.

Three days passed like this.

In all that time, there was no word from ‘Nemo.’ He was likely waiting for them. Waiting for them, and preparing what he needed to say.

“What do you suppose he wishes to speak to us about?”

“It must be something of great importance,” Vicente replied to Eleanor, nodding gravely. “Much will change from this day forward.”

All of them, perhaps not to the same extent as Nemo himself, were aware of it. They couldn’t deny that their lives in the New World, especially their spiritual lives, were about to undergo a fundamental transformation.

They had thousands of new believers. Those who had witnessed Nemo directly give them their tasks had begun to treat them as a sort of ‘apostle’ or ‘saint,’ hounding them with a constant barrage of questions.

—“Is he truly an angel?”

—“You’re certain he isn’t a demon?”

—“Why… why has he come to us?”

…

…

…

And it was only then that they realized it.

They, too, knew almost nothing about Sir Nemo.

Of course, Eleanor took pride in knowing about the angel’s nightly ‘spiritual battles,’ but that was a secret between her and her lord alone.

Why did he save us?

Why did he appear in a physical body?

What is the true nature of his Farm?

Why did he stand before them in the form of an Eastern man?

They couldn’t properly answer a single question.

“I do not know what he will say to us, but…”

Thump.

Thomas Hewitt placed the tome he had compiled, ‘The Collected Sayings of the Angel—1591 Revised and Expanded Edition,’ on the table.

“It will surely be related to these words, so it might be wise to review…”

“Everyone! Ah, do you finally see? Do you see why I was so strict in vetting the candidates for this colony!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

A loud voice from outside the church cut him off, and they all fell silent.

“I ask you, do you finally understand! This colony of Walter Raleigh! And you, with me, Walter Raleigh, have been chosen by the Lord! He has prepared us as his instruments to be lifted up and used for a higher purpose!”

“Ah! Hallelujah!”

“Huuuuaaaah!”

“It pains my heart to leave you all in such a state of fervor. But wait for me! Even if I do not return for a long time, do not commit the atrocity of worshipping a golden calf[2] as the people did when Moses brought down the commandments! Keep your faith strong!”

“Huuuuaaaah!”

“Raleigh! Raleigh! Raleigh!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The church door burst open.

“Ah! You’re all here! Shall we be on our way, then?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“My, they were so excited and pleased when I told them he saw me and declared he would use me for great things! This colonial venture will be a grand success! White?”

“…Well, it is time. We should depart,” the eldest, John White, said with a nod.

The group rose and left the church. The crowd that had been cheering for Sir Raleigh moments ago had not dispersed; they were still there, now deep in prayer. Their mood had shifted from boisterous to reverent. Walking through the throng of people murmuring the Lord’s Prayer, they all felt a heavy weight settle on their shoulders. No one dared to speak. Some in the crowd made the sign of the cross as they passed, while others knelt and clasped their hands in prayer.

They walked the path that led to the shore in this heavy silence.

Finally, the crowds thinned, and the sounds of prayer faded away.

There, a lone man stood.

He was barefoot, dressed only in a light, flowing white garment. The sunlight shattered on the tips of his jet-black eyebrows, and the gentle waves washed over his pale feet. He was gazing at the sun, watching the clouds drift past, half-obscuring its light. Is he looking towards his home?

For a moment, Eleanor felt a sudden fear that he might simply ascend into the sky and disappear, and she stepped forward. Sensing her presence, the man turned.

“You’ve come.”

Thud.

Without being told, Eleanor instinctively knelt on the sand. The others followed her lead, kneeling and bringing their hands together in worship.

“…Do not bow to me,” the man said, raising a hand.

“Worship the Lord of all creation. He who marvels at the created is one whose eyes are clear but whose soul is dark. But they whose souls are truly bright are those who see and praise the will of the Creator that dwells beyond the creation.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“I am merely one who cannot die. And the distance between you and me is not so great.”

“How can you say such a thing? Are you not one who has looked upon the Lord’s light directly, who stands beside His throne?” It was Hewitt who had spoken last.

The angel turned his head, a faint, knowing smile gracing his lips. He began to speak.

“Humanity will become as angels. The world was made for humanity, and for humanity’s ascension.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

He raised a single finger.

“And.”

At that moment, the clouds parted, and the sun blazed behind him.

“I have come to make humanity as angels.”

Bathed in a light that seemed like a halo, they were all rendered speechless.

“Light shall suppress the darkness, knowledge shall conquer ignorance, and righteousness shall tear down wickedness. So have numerous prophets foretold. Now, illumination will come to you. No.”

Nemo’s finger, which had been pointing to the heavens, now swept across the people gathered before him, one by one. Catholic, Calvinist, a converted spirit-worshipper. Man, woman. Spaniard, Englishman, Algonquian. Commoner, noble, explorer, lawyer…

When brought together, they had only one thing in common.

“You will become the light of this world.”

They had followed Nemo here. They had come here in pursuit of something greater, more magnificent, and nobler than themselves.

Vicente’s hands trembled as he spoke. “For us… for us to become the light? What do you mean? And to make humanity as angels…”

“You can save more people.”

“…Pardon?”

“You can feed the hungry, teach the ignorant, and settle those who wander without a home. You can bring happiness to more people, and save more souls. So why do you not do so?”

In that instant, they felt something momentous was happening.

“Of all the desires a person can hold, the noblest is that which is for all people. Therefore, always serve humanity. The Lord commanded you to love your fellow man, and so I now tell you to serve mankind. This is not the abolition of the old commandment, but its fulfillment.”

Eyes and ears that had been closed were opening. Hearts that had been still began to tremble.

“The Lord has already borne your sins and opened the path to salvation, so why do you still wallow in a mire stained with sorrow and anger? Do not be divided and fight amongst yourselves. To quarrel in your own small nations to establish your own small authority is a cause of grief for the Lord. From this day forward, you shall fill the empty heavens and rule the restless earth.”

His overwhelming voice flowed into their ears. A heavenly voice, a heavenly will, seeped into their very hearts.

“You shall illuminate the darkness with light.

You shall defeat ignorance with knowledge.

You shall overcome death with life.

This is the root of the new word.

And it is the fruition of all old words.

Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth[3].

And be great. For the sake of all humanity, be ever greater.”

A new commandment was given.