[https://d.wattpad.com/story_parts/597828694/images/15dd10c88357f284245942503769.png]
Avernus merely managed to catch up to Velvet, out of breath, exhausted, and with a slight vigour left; he fell to the ground with a thud, his body disappeared under a batch of white flowers. Velvet was already there, looking exquisite and calm, watching the vast plain below from the edge of the cliff. She turned towards him. The air around was filled with flower petals, floating and gently falling back to the ground.
“Tired already?” she said softly.
“Yeah… I’m…I’m a… weak human.” He answered breathily.
Velvet grinned at his collapsed body. His chest was continually rising and going down. He raised his head, pointing his finger at her,
“I want a rematch… later after you’re purified...” he continued to gasp for some air, “Ah… that’s cheating!” his face wrinkled because of his cramped muscles, his head fell back on the ground.
Velvet bitterly smiled and sat cross-legged near him on the ground. “… me, purified. More like wishful thinking.” She said, halfheartedly, bitterly smiling and continuing to stare at the horizon with her stoic face.
Avernus abruptly raised his head again and glanced at her thigh. His eyes began to twinkle, a grin formed on his face, “Oh, a pillow!” He quickly crawled to Velvet and rested his head on her lap, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh of relief. She felt his smooth and soft hair caressed against the skin of her thigh and his hands gently squeezing it,
“Ah… your hair is so smooth, your skin is soft and flawless, your body smells nice, and you’re so squishy. I can get used to this,” he mumbled heartily.
She looked down, “Is that it? All you can think about is my body? Hah, men.” she asked, slightly displeased.
Avernus looked up, “Didn’t I mention your cooking before? Besides, your sense of responsibility, your compassion….” He tallied her merits in an applauding tone of voice.
“But… those are from another lifetime….” Velvet said to herself. Velvet was going to tell him how wrong he was for saying those words, but he said something that immediately jumbled her mind,
“… I’m thinking long term, Velvet.” He told her, honestly and thoughtfully.
She gasped, swallowing. Her brain hesitated and forgot what was happening. Velvet glanced at his peaceful and joyful face. He had no care at that moment, no concern for the threats that their mission held.
A shepherd, looking nothing like a cold, heartless commander.
She recalled that feeling again; the times when Laphi was angry, sad, or sick, she would always lift his mood by being still there for him, making his favourite dish, or taking a stroll near the sea.
Now, he was there for her to cheer her up. Besides Phi, the only considerate one showed genuine concern, for a simple girl and a daemon, despite being the one who was destined to be her enemy and her destroyer.
She looked back at the plain beneath them, “It is a nice view….”
“… Yeah, it is.” He said charmingly.
His tone of voice felt too exciting to her. Velvet immediately glanced at his face once more; his eyes were open, checking out her chest from below. He quickly turned his head the other way.
Her eyes rounded, her expression became softer, like a clueless innocent girl, tilting her head to the side, “What happened to that pure-hearted and simple man that I once knew?” she teased him delicately.
He looked back at her, his eyes narrowed, groaning, “Ah…He is tainted. You corrupted his sinless soul. And so what? With these tall flowers in the way….”
“Aldina Alabastergrass.” She corrected him.
“... Yeah, I can’t see the land below. The only view I have is the joyful curves of a daemon’s body. It’s a subconscious and a biologically driven thing for men,” Avernus explained with a straight face as if it was something ordinary. The time for his private teasing was starting again, like someone who was entitled to his claims.
Her look remained impassive, “Is this your new idea of flirting?” She said lightheartedly.
He sighed, acting disappointed, “Tsk, I’m going to hell for this. I was supposed to stay pure and virtuous. A model for the common folk to follow. Me succumbing to the darkness is solely your fault.”
Abruptly, her mind began to be bombarded by questions, distractions she thought she would never need. That little alone time was seemingly improper for the two of them. Velvet had the feeling that they know each other for a long time — a forgotten moment when he was a simple traveller, and she was a simple village girl. The door to the future was slightly ajar, inviting some concerns that needed explanation.
Velvet’s pent-up thrills need to be verified.
Without warning, Velvet’s legs quickly moved away. Being caught off guard, Avernus lost his balance, and his head hit the ground.
“…Ouch! What the…”
She twirled her body and jumped on his stomach. Avernus’ eyes were wide open. She was sitting on his belly, side saddling him, placing her legs around his waist. Her face was impassive. Her hands slowly went for his scarf and untied it, taking it off and throwing it away if they were in her way. The shawl slowly landed on the white flower beside them.
Avernus swallowed. Velvet’s unexpected moves dazzled him again. Her palms slowly went for his face. Her body was now lying on top of him. Velvet could feel his heart beat faster. Not sure that It was because of the prolonged running or something else. Her hands started to caress his face again, inspecting it, “Are you even real…” she said to herself, her eyes captured each of his facial features from up close and compared them in her mind to the first time she saw him,
“You haven’t changed at all.” She whispered to him, calmly and unintentionally alluringly. Her delicate part was taking over, even for a brief moment of intimacy.
Avernus could’ve answered her about him being dead for three years. But it would trigger something unpleasant in her, ruining the spirit and the moment he worked so hard to awake in the heartless wolf.
“You’ve got even better—.” Unexpectedly, her index finger moved on his lips before he could continue.
It didn’t matter. Velvet knew Avernus was going to end up complimenting and flatter her in return. Suddenly, her caressing stopped. She grabbed his face and oriented it toward her own, staring intensely into his green crystals. The inquisitor gaze sent a warning to the former Shepherd.
“Why me?” she asked tenaciously, waiting for an honest answer from a guy who could’ve gone and left without caring about a stranger. A guy that was independent and powerful on his own who didn’t need a cheerless and miserable girl at his side. A guy who could’ve chosen a normal girl and live happily ever after.
Her insecurities erupted.
Why did he want to be with a daemon who couldn’t even taste a simple food, living only to kill and devour? It all was against anything logical or reasonable. To her, it didn’t make any sense. It had to be more than just a generic answer like: “I owe you for saving my life three years ago.”.
Avernus smiled, finding it amusing to see her tense up about something rather than killing Artorius. He was proud of himself. His brows came together, looking naughty and rascal,
“Why not?” he said plainly.
She gasped. Her eyes widened. “Clever answer…” Velvet mumbled to herself.
Her eyes immediately failed her to keep up with him. Avernus had her number, reading her intentions correctly. She dropped her head. Velvet quickly tightened her grips on his face, raising her head and staring into his eyes once more,
“You must promise me….” She said, pleading but felt like demanding at the same time.
Avernus’ whimsical look disappeared in an instant. The weight of her stare had trapped his soul against a wall. Something serious was coming up. No more fooling around.
“Promise me that you won’t die. Promise me that you don’t do anything stupid anymore. I don’t care if desperate people need saving. I don’t care about strangers that need your help …” Velvet gritted her teeth. She frowned even more. Her pupils dilated at the thoughts of him endangering his life. The idea of Phi and even Eleanor’s experiences tied to his survival made her even more anxious. In which he nearly walked the thin line between life and death, the past adventures disturbed her once again. “Damn it! If you slightly care about me, you’ll listen! I don’t need more distraction from you getting killed on my account.”
Avernus smiled again, “Can you do the same?” he said softly.
She groaned in annoyance, “Don’t answer my questions with more questions! Stop being stubborn for once! Your ignorant decision on making Eleanor your squire made things even more complicated for me….”
Velvet quickly noticed his face had gone pale, his breath shortened. She suddenly realized she had lost control of malevolence for a while now, and it was getting out of hand. Avernus was enduring too much. She instantly wanted to sit up, but his arms were wrapped around her waist, stopping her.
“What are you doing?! I need to go. You’re getting hurt.” She demanded coldly.
His eyelids were heavy with fatigue, “Didn’t you know?... The prettiest roses have the sharpest and cruellest thorns.” He said charmingly.
Velvet’s face flushed. His ignorance was too much for her to handle. “Are you crazy?! Right now is not the time to flirt, you idiot! You’ll get sick, and we still need to find a therion! We don’t have time to waste on needless frivolity!”
In Avernus’ mind, Velvet hiding behind a flustered face and a charmless attitude had added more to her glamour. For him, that was more than enough, but their peaceful moment could not last.
Velvet’s senses riled up. Avernus experienced a surge of highly concentrated malevolence flowing through the atmosphere. All of a sudden, a large shadow eclipsed the area. A gust of wind squalled. Avernus held Velvet tight, her cloak and her hair floated up to the direction of the wind, the flowers bend at the mercy of the blow.
With the gale gone, Avernus peeked from the side of Velvet’s shoulder. He frowned, his eyes gleaming, “A dragon!” he shouted.
They both stood up, looking at the flying serpent creature that slithered in the air. Velvet narrowed her eyes at the beast, “That snake dragon! It doesn’t have any wings. Where did that wind even come from?” Velvet observed, her eyes scanned the stormy weather.
Avernus’ face changed from a proud and pleasing look to a serious and calculated front, “That’s a Shenlong, a storm bringer dragon…” concern and fear were apparent in his eyes, “Damnation! How on earth a dragon-like that appears here of all places?”
Velvet slowly walked back, getting momentum to run to Stoneburry village, “It doesn’t matter, we’ll meet the rest at the village. If that’s the daemon the Bloodwings warned us about, and then we can assume that this area holds no therion.”
Avernus paid no attention to Velvet. He started to dash towards the top of the hills, in the direction of the dragon.
Velvet eyes were wide open, “What? Where are you going?”
He wore his scarf, tying it. He looked back, “You’ll go and meet up with the rest. I’ll go and check on that dragon.” Avernus said informatively. His action seemed determined.
Velvet stopped, her boots pushed harder against the dirt as she changed her path in an instant, turning on her heels and immediately following him. “Avernus, you dumbass! Do you think I’ll leave you all by yourself?”
Avernus glanced at her from the corner of his shoulder. “I’m not going in with the notion of dying if that’s what you think.”
“That’s what I’m thinking. You proved to be “untrustworthy” when it comes to taking care of yourself.” She said openly and admonishingly.
The sorcerer grinned at his partner’s show of concern. The duo tailed the Shenlong. After flying above a few hills, the dragon decided to perch above a mound. Avernus and Velvet stopped at the foot of the mountain.
The air had the smell of moisture. It started to drizzle, and dark clouds obscured the sun.
“What do you want to do, dummy?” Velvet asked anxiously. Avernus, unsure, turned to her, staying silent. Suddenly, they were caught off guard by a familiar voice,
“Hey, Shepherd! Fancy meeting you here!” Zaveid greeted him in a friendly tone.
Avernus looked back and saw the malak, sitting on a block of stone as if he was waiting for someone. Cheerful and relaxed as usual, he jumped down and walked towards them, having his permanent cocky grin on his face.
Avernus nodded, his eyes changed in an instant from a casual to an inquisitor look, “Zaveid… I see you’ve become a man of adventure in rainy weather.” He said skeptically.
Zaveid shook his head and glimpsed at the dragon as it roosted on the top of a hill nearby. “Can I ask you a favour?” he implored without dwelling on more needless talk and straight to the topic.
Avernus followed his glance, already guessed what he was going to ask of him, “Is it about that dragon?”
Zaveid quickly turned to him and frowned, gritting his teeth, “She is not a dragon.” He protested defiantly.
Avernus looked back at him, “She was a close friend, I presume?” he asked, but he already knew the answer.
Zaveid’s smug face was gone; it had been replaced with a mixture of concern and anger. “Can you help her, Shepherd?” he implored, straightforwardly.
Velvet quickly grabbed Avernus’ arm, “We don’t have time to fix people’s problems nor have the resources to deal with a dragon. It doesn’t concern “Us,” Avernus.” She reminded him in a severe tone, stressing on the “Us” part.
Zaveid scowled at her, “I asked him, not you.” He nearly lashed out at her in an aggressive tone.
His scornful behaviour didn’t faze Velvet. She walked closer, icy stares fixated on the malak, “He follows my command, and we don’t care about your problem, Zaveid.” Velvet informed harshly.
Avernus eyes stared blankly into the sky. Their argument held no significance for him. After a few seconds, his attention was shifted to Zaveid, “Do you still have Siegfried with you?” he flatly asked.
Having complete trust in Avernus’ judgment, Zaveid pulled the gun from its holster without haste, instantly offering it to the sorcerer. “Here you go. I’ve tried all of your purification bullets. If you have a new trick up your sleeves, be my guest.”
Avernus took the Siegfried and aimed it at the dragon. Looking calm, he pressed his thumb on the side of the weapon. Siegfried started to glow red.
The gun charged up. Zaveid’s eyes narrowed in doubt, and He knew the red magic meant only one thing. A gruesome death for his target. His breathing stopped as he dashed towards Avernus. Before the red ray of death was going to be shot from the barrel, he caught the sorcerer’s hand and pushed it away. The beam hit the rocks instead, resulting in a loud and bright explosion that vaporized the stones. The dragon was alarmed by their presence. She roared towards the sky, the rain intensified. The dragon took off, creeping towards a higher altitude above them.
“Are you insane?! I didn’t tell you to kill her!” Zaveid protested, eyes burning in anger. He glared at Avernus, demonstrating shock and disdain. They both struggled. The malak was holding his hand, preventing him from firing again.
The sorcerer pulled his arm away but brought himself closer to Zaveid, staring him in the eyes, “You know that’s the only way to grant that dragon peace. If you still hold a tiny spark of compassion, you’ll kill her!” He told him, stridently.
Zaveid’s eyes bulged from anger, his nostrils dilated. “I will not kill her! And don’t you dare call her a dragon, Avernus!” he objected bitterly and in a gruff voice.
“You’re a fool, Zaveid. Your creed won’t benefit that malak! Her soul is suffering beneath that beast’s skin, and you deny her the only chance at a merciful release from this torment. If you don’t do it, she’ll bring only death and misery to everyone around here.” Avernus slowly spoke, emphasizing the starting words and pausing between each sentence.
Zaveid looked at Velvet, crossed his arms, his upper lip curled, contemptuously smiling, “Can you say the same for her, Shepherd? Would you grant the same mercy to your cuddly daemon girlfriend when it comes to “saving” her from bringing death and misery to the world?” Zaveid scornfully remarked.
Avernus pressed his lips firmly together, glaring at Zaveid. He then looked back, glancing at Velvet. After a few moments, Avernus’ head turned back, moving to the inches of Zaveid’s face, invading his personal space, having a hint of a frown, “What is her true name?” he inquired, silently.
Zaveid uncrossed his arms, and his mocked grin was gone, “What?! You that I can’t tell you__” he whiffed in anger but was cut short.
Avernus’ eyes contracted with annoyance, “I’m a pact holder and bound to my oath as an oath keeper of your kind to keep your secrets safe. If you want my help, you’ll do as I say, Zaveid the whirlwind.” Avernus spoke in rapid dialogues, leaning forward. His patience was running short.
Zaveid breathed heavily,
“…Kefuvex Duwuxu Suyeewa.” He mumbled to him, uncertain, his loud voice nearly cracked at saying her true name.
The sorcerer raised his hand towards the sky, a spark of white magic flashed in his hand. He clenched it, a chiming sound heard afterward. The air above them was perplexed with magical waves, blurring as something conjured out of it.
Emanating a muffled sound, the vast body of Griffin darted from the tear, rising and screaming above them. Velvet ran to his side, looking inimical and aggressive, “We’re not doing this!” she sternly notified him. Griffin dived down and gently landed near them, folding his wings, looking eager to take it to the sky once more.
Avernus ignored her. Velvet instantly and firmly grabbed his arm. He could feel her left hand’s fangs biting into his coat. He briefly glanced at her angry face. The rainfall turned into a heavy shower. Her eyes were furnaces of unspoken emotions, hot with affection and soundlessly demanding him to stay.
“I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He casually comforted her, coolly as if it would do something routine, no need for Velvet to worry. Her grip on his arm relaxed, Avernus gently freed himself without her knowing it.
“Then take me with you.” She suggested but came out as an order.
Avernus jumped on Griffin’s back without any saddle to anchor his legs. He held on to his feathers and neck cautiously. “No, I need you to stay on the ground.”
Velvet thought he had a plan of some sort. Zaveid took one step closer, having the same notion, standing side by side with her and looking confused, “What’s your plan then?”
Avernus raised his hand and gave them a friendly salute, trying to amp himself up with confidence, “I don’t know….” His mind was jumping from one solution to another. His eyes were aimlessly looked at the sky, pausing. “…but I’ll come up with something, and it’s just safer for her on the ground.”
Velvet’s mood became astute at his last sentence; he was going to leave her again. That act was a ruse to keep her away from him and Griffin. She jolted, but The giant bird suddenly took off vertically at Avernus’ command, leaving dirt and dust in its majestic wake. His enormous wings flapped quicker and faster as he gained altitude. Velvet looked up,
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Avernus! If you die, I will never forgive you!” She screamed, her throat sored.
Zaveid was astonished, watching her as she hopelessly observed Griffin climbing fast towards the danger. They became nothing but a dot, disappearing into the dark clouds beyond.
Velvet quickly turned to him. Her raven hair twirled in the air. Zaveid saw her approaching like a provoked wolf. Her eyes were ablaze, ready to attack him. She held her left arm to her side, half-clenched, fumes of malevolence effused from her bandage cloths. “If something happens to him, I’ll eat your limbs, one by one.” Her menacing voice and intimidating glare nearly scorched his resolve. Her brooding about the sorcerer turned into a hostile stance that Zaveid was aware of.
He opened his arms and held his hands in the air, acting clueless, “I thought all you cared about was to kill Artorius. But I guess Avernus can do wonders, even to a wolf that preys on the flock.” He chuckled, ignoring the danger of the daemon in front of him. “Avernus is the real Romeo, stealing the heart of a daemon. I could learn a thing or two from him.” He joked, teasing as usual.
His banter didn’t help her with the situation. But a familiar voice soothed her troubled mind,
“Velvet!”
Her head tracked the source,
“Phi!” her sullen face returned to its natural form. Her voice became calmer. The boy was running in front of others. Magilou groaned, tired and annoyed, “Where have you been all this time? I thought to catch a therion was more important than to walk under the rain with the Shepherd….” She mocked.
Eleanor looked around, “Wait… Where is Avernus?”
Zaveid pointed towards the sky, “Casanova is up there on my behalf, helping his old buddy.” He informed them proudly.
Eizen frowned, “What new game are you playing again, Zaveid?”
The two hotheads were at it again. Eizen received his answer with a silent grin from the whirlwind himself.
Phi looked at Velvet and Eleanor, “Who is “Casanova”?” he innocently asked.
Both girls uncontrollably blushed, their mouths half-opened, unable to utter a single word. Rokurou chuckled,
“I’ll tell you later, Laphicet!” he assured the boy.
His unexpected departure bothered Tia, “What is he doing up there?” she wondered worryingly.
Velvet recalled Avernus’ naive move once again, her brows knotted, “That foolish…” she sighed and temporarily halted her speech to lower her anger, “He is hunting a dragon.” She informed negatively.
Eizen shook his head, partially gritting and showing his teeth, “… no Bueno.”
The sky flashed, a thunderbolt travelled from the sky and hit the ground below the valley. The earsplitting boom muffled all sounds. Eleanor closed her eyes, trying to reach out to him, “Avernus… Can you hear me?”
Moments passed, a faint voice started to talk, echoing from afar, “Eleanor! As Zaveid would say, fancy meeting you here! Is everyone down there with you?” he answered calmingly.
“Where are you?! What are you doing up there?!” she queried worrisomely.
“… Just helping an old friend with his lady problem. Tell everyone that they don’t need to disturb themselves.”
Tia overheard their conversation, clenching her jaw in anger, “That little brat!” Outraged, she metamorphosed into a shining orb and shot towards the sky.
Among the dark clouds, Griffin maintained his ascent. Raindrops forcefully hit their bodies. Avernus covered most of his mouth and face with the scarf, holding his arm directly in front of his eyes. He was drenched in the rain, “Tsk. I’m going to catch a cold at this rate. Velvet is going to kill me defiantly.”
His eyes were scanning the area, and thunder flashes occasionally illuminated the sky for brief moments. The dragon was hiding among the dense clusters of Nimbostratus clouds. Griffin’s head pointed to an area on their left-hand side, screaming.
Avernus narrowed his eyes, focusing his senses on that location. Another flash brightened the sky. He caught a dark and shadowy silhouette, concealing itself among the mist.
“There you are!” Avernus raised his staff, and it started to absorb electricity. With the Dreamshadow fully charged, he pointed it towards the front, “Thunder Break!” He blindly shot the energized magical bolt into the dragon’s hiding spot.
Nothing happened. Instead, a pair of red-looking orbs shone in the haze, a ball of lightning began to conjure under it.
Avernus shook his head, “Of course, she controls the lightning… you’re a model of idiocy, Avernus.” He shamed himself.
The dragon fired. The arte raced to them.
“Evade, Griffin!” Avernus shouted. The therion altered its course to the right. He felt the intense heat as the devastating ball of death barely passed him and Griffin. Abruptly, Tia reached him, and her orb forcefully entered his body from the back. He was startled, “Geez, Tia! You gave me a heart attack!”
She ignored his response, “Would you mind tell me; What the hell are you doing?!” Her voice echoed in his mind furiously.
Griffin gained some more altitude. The dragon was exiting the clouds, slithering towards them, “Bringing your relative back to the ground.” Avernus said to her in a focused and hard tone of voice.
“For what?!”
“For purification! Going to have a friendly talk with her,” he informed her. But the malak stayed silent, unable to digest the situation. “Tia! I need more power if you don’t mind!”
Having no choice, she answered his request. Avernus felt the surge of surplus mana in his veins.
The dragon opened up her jaw, and Griffin dived down. The daemon’s attack missed as the therion proved to be nimbler. Avernus raised his staff; the tip glowed, the curved, silver ethereal blade extended from the top, with the help from Tia, the weapon amplified, it looked bigger,
“Greater Harken Scythe!” Avernus slashed the underbelly of the Shenlong in an arc-like movement as it passed above him. A silver, broad bend flash appeared in the sky. The clouds split in half.
The dragon’s cries turned into a whimper as it suddenly descended towards the earth.
On the ground, Phi pointed to their location, “Hey, look! It’s like the sky has been sliced wide open!” he observed, excitingly.
The group saw the dragon coming out of the clouds, falling fast, with Griffin pursuing it. Velvet’s eyes were tracking the corrupted malak coming towards them in her wide-opened eyes.
“Go! Run!” she yelled.
The team dispersed, each one moving to a safe distance. The dragon crashed into the hill, and the earth shook. Pieces of stone, muck, and soil splashed around the area. Griffin came closer to the ground, Avernus jumped from its back and landed on the hill, Tia appeared beside him, looking not-so-friendly.
“Can you tell me one thing?! How on earth do you plan to purify such a tainted creature?! Your artes are weak, and she’s passed her mutation threshold!” She complained, challenging his determination in an apprehensive yet vexed tone of voice.
Avernus firmly gripped his staff, the air filled with dust, but the heavy pouring cleared it rapidly. “Then, I’ll give it all I got.” He declared to her optimistically but with bits of uncertainty.
“Are you listening to yourself?! Because you want it doesn’t mean__.”
Avernus instantly turned to her. She flinched. His eyes were angry, “If I can’t purify this malak, then what hope do I have to help Velvet and Kamoana?” he notified her, infuriated. His voice stuttered. She finally understood the real reason behind his endeavour.
The dragon began to recover from the fall; the rest of the team tried to rejoin Avernus and Tia.
“This is different! Look at her. The malevolence level is off the scales; you will not survive the ritual!” she continued to voice her concerns regardless.
Looking determined to go through with his plan, Avernus disregarded Tia’s concerns, “I have an idea, but I need to test it first….”
The sorcerer lifted his staff. It glowed from top to bottom, charging up with silver flame. Avernus let out a loud battle cry and slammed the Dreamshadow into the ground. The dragon recovered, fixing her attention on the Shepherd. Suddenly, magical chains of bright silver jumped from the ground, shackling legs, arms, tail, and the neck of the corrupted malak.
Avernus gripped his sceptre with two hands, moving his right leg back to support his body, bending against the rod, holding on to his weapon as if he was getting ready for a strong storm. The dragon struggled, wrestled with the chains to free itself.
“Here we go!” he declared heroically.
The chains lit up from the creature to his staff, a blue sigil formed in front of him with rotating sword glyphs all around the center. Velvet and the others stopped behind him.
“Hear me, spring breeze Theodora! The Shepherd has come to purify your soul!”
Magilou sneered, “Heh, he legitimately called himself a Shepherd.”
With his clear remark, the eyes of the serpent opened utterly, staring at Avernus. The dragon roared. A storm of dark smog instantly coursed through the chains and finally reached Avernus.
The intensity of corrupted malevolence flowed through his body, and his eyes nearly popped from the terrible evil of the dragon’s rotten soul. He lost his focus. The only thing he could’ve done was to yell from the pain. Eleanor and Laphicet ran to him, “I’m here! Let me help!” Eleanor pleaded, clenching her fists in desperation.
Avernus squeezed the staff; the air around him was getting poisonous. He slowly turned his head but was still unable to look at Eleanor’s face, “No... I…must do this alone!” he said, breathy and groaning.
There was something else besides malevolence. Avernus' focus was fading away as if he was dying.
The pressure was suddenly gone. Avernus felt a fresh breeze air, birds were singing, and the scent of spring flowers had filled the area. He opened his eyes. Avernus stood up, checking his empty hands; the staff wasn’t there anymore. Gasping in anxiety, he hopelessly checked his surroundings. He was in an unfamiliar village; the sun was high up in the clear sky.
“Hey, Theodora! Where are you?”
Avernus turned his head towards the sound; Zaveid was slowly walking around a courtyard, his head was moving around, searching for someone. Then, the door to a nearby villa opened, and a woman with long white hair, azure eyes came out. She looked gloomy but unshakable, like a hardworking parent.
Zaveid and Theodora glanced at one another, and her mood turned for the better, smiling and euphoric now. Zaveid slowly closed the distance, gently grabbing and holding both of her hands. She lowered her head,
“Their mother died this morning.” She notified him disappointingly.
Zaveid was still cheerful. His smog face didn’t go away, as if all he needed was her presence and nothing else mattered. “You did everything you could. It’s not your fault, babe.” He tried to calm her down.
Theodora raised her head, smiling, “If you don’t mind, would you go to the town and pick some groceries… for the kids, please?” She charmingly asked him, touching and caressing Zaveid’s cheeks.
Avernus’ eyes blinked faster. She did the same thing as Velvet did to him.
Zaveid gently grabbed and held her hand on his face, tilting his head to that side. “Don’t make plans for tonight.” He said to her charmingly.
She giggled softly in return, “Looking forward to it, whirlwind… and thanks.”
Zaveid quickly leaped and took off, disappearing, becoming one with the wind. Theodora’s smile went away for a moment, and she slowly walked towards the villa. Avernus sensed malevolence erupting nearby. The occupants were creating corruption, but she didn’t hesitate to be with the mournful kids. Those orphans needed motherly love, and she didn’t deny them that chance.
“…That’s the reason Theodora turned into a dragon. Protecting the orphans. A recipe for disaster, why?... just what is wrong with this world?!” He said to himself, distressingly.
The area blackened. Avernus’ spirit pulled back towards his body harshly as if a rubber band was drawing him into reality again.
The feeling of sickness was back — nausea, dizziness, and headache. Avernus found himself among the toxic smokes of malevolence. His body was enduring the pains and cries of a lifetime. But like Velvet, she didn’t deserve this fate. He gripped his staff firmer, absorbing even more quantities of malice emotions. His vision was nearly gone, but his resolve didn’t change. He began to recant the ritual once more.
However, this time, something was changed inside him; Velvet, Phi, Eleanor, and Magilou were looking dumbfounded. His voice had changed. It echoed in their ears, speaking in a different tongue,
“(I… Shepherd Avernus Diphda…*gasp* will… purify your… *cries of pain* soul!).”
Velvet frowned, “What is he saying?!” she asked, stridently.
Eizen eyes were widened in shock, “He is… talking in the ancient tongue!”
Avernus yelled in agony. He fell on his knees, and his clenched hands slid down to the bottom. The dragon gained the upper hand; she opened her jaws, targeting the Shepherd.
Velvet dashed to attack the monster. Zaveid quickly moved between her and the dragon, looking furious, putting the barrel of Siegfried on his head, “Back off, or I’ll make you back off, daemon!”
Suddenly, the dragon freed her tail from one of the chains. She horizontally slashed it at Zaveid, hitting his back and throwing him off across the field. Velvet jumped and dodged her attack, moving back near her companions.
Groaning, Zaveid raised his head. With only his right eye opened, he glanced at the dragon, smirking, “That hurts, babe.” He moaned in pain, but he maintained his smile, “…the Shepherd has this under control… just… endure a few more minutes, and it will be all over… I promise… I will take you... to Westgand to see the geysers… just like you always wanted….” He breathy said, in short pauses.
Phi suddenly encased with sadness. The dragon was charging up a huge fireball. The little malak instantly pulled a group of guardian papers out of his satchel and threw them, making a tall wall in front of Avernus. The fireball impacted with Laphicet’s protective arte, vanquishing in steam and smoke.
Avernus stood up,
“(My silver flame is not enough to cleanse her corruption…)” he groaned and looked up, eyes gleaming with determination, “(This staff is my body, if they are not enough, then I must put my soul into it!)” he continued speaking in the ancient tongue.
The flow had changed, the dragon roared, and her body fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Tia jumped out of his body and landed beside the rest of the team. Her face was wrinkled. The darkness began to envelop Avernus, consuming him.
“He will not survive it!” Tia shouted worryingly.
Eleanor and Phi ran towards him. Avernus turned his head, they both stopped, staring terrifyingly into his darkened eyes; his pupils were red “(Stay back!)” he ordered them harshly.
Tia grabbed Velvet’s shoulder, turning her body towards herself, “Stop Avernus, or you will lose him, Phi, and Eleanor, all at once!” she pleaded.
Without hesitation, Velvet quickly darted, running into the dark mist of malevolence that overtook the sorcerer’s position.
Avernus’ soul reached its maximum limit, but he was adamant about finishing the cleansing ceremony, his rational reasoning disappeared entirely.
Without warning, he sensed a heavy blow to the back of his head. He felt his consciousness ebbing away. His thoughts, knowledge of artes, as clear and concise as they were mere seconds ago, were coming to an end. His eyes grew heavy. His mind was struck with incoherence and inconsistency in his thoughts. The blow threw him towards the ground. He finally succumbed to the strike, losing his consciousness before the rest of him hit the cold ground.
The restraints were gone; the chains broke all at once. The flow of energy disappeared in an instant. Zaveid turned back, and his eyelids were shaking. His teeth were grinding against one another in anger and despair.
He saw Velvet, her left armed, transformed to its demonic state, standing near the unconscious body of Avernus and looking down at him.
He pulled Siegfried, pointing it at Velvet, “What did you do?!” he barked. His voice was shaking with rage.
Velvet raised her head, “I saved him.” She coldly answered.
Zaveid clenched the grip, moving closer. His walking was erratic, “He was helping Theodora, damn it! You took her only chance of redemption! You are a vile woman! A filthy daemon! I will kill you for this!” he threatened in a fit of anger.
Velvet raised her left arm, opening her reddish claws and pointing them towards Zaveid. Emotionless, she glared back at him, “I don’t care about “your” Theodora, malak. The only thing that matters to me is him, and I will not let this futile attempt in saving that dragon be the end of him.”
Zaveid scowled. His hand was shaking, “You are a monster…” he scorned her, bellowing and shaking his head.
“Rant and call me whatever you want. It means nothing to me.” She answered him abrasively.
The dragon began to move again. The team took a defensive posture. But Zaveid was still trained Siegfried at Velvet, having his back at the scene.
Phi’s eyes widened. Something had changed in the serpent; her eyes were turned blue instead of red.
“…Zaveid.” The dragon mumbled, saying his name.
The malak quickly turned, “Theodora?! Babe?!” he called her, loud and clear.
To their surprise, the dragon didn’t attack. They were exchanging eye contact for a brief moment. Suddenly she roared into the sky. Taking off and flying towards the horizon.
“Theodora!” Zaveid cried her name and hurried after her.
The rain stopped. The sky started to clear out. The sun slowly began to appear from behind the clouds.
Eleanor and Tia ran to Avernus’ side, grabbing his shoulder and turning him to his back. They all gathered around him.
“He’s out cold,” Magilou observed, looking at his passed-out face.
The rest turned their attention to Velvet. She turned her head to the opposite, escaping their stares, thinking that they’re going to admonish her for it. “I had to do it… or he would die.” She said softly.
“That was quick thinking, Velvet.” Rokurou praised her. Velvet looked back at them, surprised. Her eyes were calmer.
Eizen nodded, “Yes, he had no chance of purifying that dragon… but I haven’t seen anything like it. It appeared that part of her consciousness brought back.” He guessed, wondering.
Laphicet was using his healing arte on Avernus. He looked at them, still shocked, “But he was going to purify Theodora….” He said with uncertainty.
Magilou patted his head, “It was either her or Avernus. Which one did you prefer, my little malak?”
Phi didn’t answer her because his response was clear as day. Instead, he lowered his head. Not everything was supposed to go as they wanted, another lesson he learned that day.
“Good thing, Velvet was there to save you all. Finally, the vengeful villainous growing soft.” Magilou mocked her, but Velvet took it as a tease. The witch spoke the truth.
Tia looked up, “Thank you, Velvet.”
Velvet didn’t hear her favourable response; she was busy staring at Avernus’ peaceful face, thinking, “So much for our first date, huh?” she whispered to herself.
Griffin slowly moved to their side. He made soft croaking sounds, checking and touching Avernus with its beak.”
Tia stood up, “We’ll take him back to Van Eltia.” She said, pointing at Griffin.
Eizen and Rokurou both nodded and placed Avernus’ body on the back of the therion. Tia also mounted Griffin. “Meet you guys back at the ship.” She said hopefully.
Griffin opened his wings and, with a scream, took to the skies. The wind tousled their hair around. Velvet watched them until they disappeared into the horizon.
“Hey, look what we found!” Laphicet told Velvet. She looked down and saw a magical stone board of some sort that hovered few inches above the ground.
“What is this?” she inquired. Her mood changed for the better as her thoughts were distracted from their previous encounter.
“It’s a geoboard. A Katz gave it to us. Bienfu said that Normins created it for surfing along earthpulses. The board activates when a normin says their normin name. We can use it to move around the area much quicker!” Laphicet explained excitingly.
Bienfu appeared, “Bieeen, I’m tired! Madam Eleanor and Laphicet used it too much!”
Velvet grinned maliciously. “I don’t care. I want to take it for a spin!”
Velvet jumped on the hovering geoboard. She extended her arm towards Laphicet. As soon as he looked at her, she winked, “Come on, let’s go, Phi.” She said, making Laphicet blush. He gradually grabbed her hand, and she pulled him from the ground. Laphicet held on to her back. At the same time, Eleanor also got on. The three of them were now on geoboard with Laphicet in between them. His face was red.
Rokurou noticed this and smirked, “He’s in heaven now.” He said to Eizen wittingly.
Magilou conjured a massive hoverboard out of her guardian paper and jumped up, “See you guys back at the ship!” she declared and looked at Bienfu, waiting for him to say his normin name,
“Normin Breyve.”
The geoboard lit up, and the girls rode towards Zekson port. Their screams of excitement could be heard from afar until they all disappeared behind the vast plains of Aldina.
“And they call us “inconsiderate” men. So much for offering a ride.” Rokurou chuckled and jokingly complained. He looked at Eizen, “Do you want to race to the port?”
But the malak’s attention was on the direction of where Zaveid and Theodora vanished from eyesight. He returned Rokurou’s challenge with a grin of his own, “Sure, why not. It’s entertaining to watch you whine after you’ve lost.”
Rokurou chuckled, “That’s the spirit!... on my mark; one, two, three!”
They both took off, trailing dust as they bolted towards their destination.
----------------------------------------
The Temple of Innominat, Empyrean's Throne
----------------------------------------
The metal doors to the main chamber of the Empyrean Throne opened. Lucian walked inside. The room was cold and barren of emotions, and it bothered him. Artorius was sitting on the ground, meditating as usual. He moved closer. The Shepherd noticed his approach,
“The Myrmidon is ready for departure. You will assume its command and begin to hunt for Avernus.” He ordered him, plainly and without wasting words on greetings.
“Why just him? Why not the Lupus, the boy malak, or the reaper? They pose a far greater threat than him. I can kill them all in one strike if you let me.” He suggested.
Artorius opened his eyes and stood up. His icy stares didn’t help with the situation. He pulled a book from under his coat and raised it, showing its cover to Lucian,
“Man can turn reason into disorder, but also can we surpass it. Our true power is in transcending the possible to achieve the ideal.”
“Claudin Asgard’s famous quote.” He widened his eyes in wonder, but he was unimpressed, “What it has to do with you wanting him dead above everything?” Lucian asked annoyingly.
Artorius offered the book. Lucian skeptically took it and began to read through the pages.
“Observations on the ancient order of the Shepherds of far-continent.” He glanced at Artorius, unmoved, “Are you trying to teach me my history?”
Artorius stood silent and emotionless, waiting patiently for him to read it. Lucian shook his head and started to skim through it. With each page he turned, his face tensed up more, sneering.
“These are… King Claudin’s remarks on our murals, past, and forgotten chronicles…” he stated confusingly.
“Tales of antediluvian, a time of the ancients,” Artorius remarked.
“But this is not possible. How could Avernus be connected to all of this?!” Lucian asked furiously.
“A long time ago, my master tried to make a pact with all Empyreans, but he could not achieve to do with more than two of them. It required incredible willpower, but somehow, the Shepherds of the past achieved that, regularly in fact.” Artorius explained thoroughly.
“We never had any connection to your Empyreans. We only had Lady Tiamat, and she’s not an Empyrean.” Lucian said plainly.
“Continue.” Artorius coldly ordered.
Lucian read more pages. His eyes squinted at a long list of names.
“We honour those who given their lives to awaken the goddess. May their souls will forever be blessed by all-mother.” He read the passage, raising his head, baffled and dumbfounded. “But he didn’t even faint once when he made a pact with her… how can she….”
Artorius cut him short, “Where did you think we got the idea of sacrificing a soul with high resonance to awaken the Empyreans? My master never wanted to kill a single soul, even for the greater good. Your “Empyrean Tiamat” went through a lot of insignificant soul offerings until ten thousand years ago.”
“Then what kind of Empyrean is she?” Lucian impatiently inquired.
Artorius turned his back, staring at the sigil of Innominat, “Your chroniclers hid her track pretty well. We couldn’t find anything on her true nature or true purpose. All I can say is her endeavours would likely serve as maintaining her domination over the earthpulses or the earth itself.”
He sighed and continued, “If they have a plan to awaken all Empyreans, your friend has the ability to form pacts with all four of them, as they’re already calling out to him.”
Lucian’s eyes were wide open, “The artifacts…” he mumbled.
“Make haste, find him, and take him out of the picture, or he will be the greatest obstacle to Claudin’s ideal world.” Artorius recited.
Lucian gritted his teeth and bowed, quickly walking towards the exit door. Disturbed with the new information, he stopped at the courtyard. Two Raven-looking malakhim appeared out of their orbs.
Lucian raised his hand and drew a glyph circle in mid-air; A projection of a small girl holding an umbrella appeared.
“Hugin and Munin, find this little malak and bring her to me.” He ordered them.
The malaks flew off, and Their transparent bodies were indistinguishable in the sky. Lucian smirked,
“It is time for the reaper to retire… to the void.”