Chapter 44: Jack; Sharaun 46th; 344SR; 2:47

Jack's heart beat like a drum as he stood three steep steps from the edge of the gondola. He stepped down slowly, just barely leaning over to look down at the rubble the giants walked over. His heart beat even faster and he stepped back up out of fear. Decrepit druids marched in unison with the massive skeletons dispersed among the field. An army of over ten thousand surrounded the gondola, marching with weapons in hand.

"Magnificent isn't it..." A man spoke to the left.

Jack turned to see him sitting a few steps up, he wore a dark brown trench coat. Over his left arm was the druid's common clothing covering the entire side of his body, a dark green robe with a border of golden triangles connecting at their bases and tips. The man held a scythe that looked exactly like the one Ajal would forge from shadow. His curly black hair reached his shoulders, obscuring his wrinkled face. His eyes glowed a pale green under his simple hat. 'That's Ajals scythe... How did he get it?' His skin was dark, a pale hue with darker spots randomly scattered about.

"What you see here is Pathos, one of Xenia's three great kingdoms, along with Logos and Ethos," Vincent pointed the scythe towards the ruins.

"Logos?" Jack repeated. "There was a kingdom called Logos?"

"Indeed, it was the capital of the druids... The name is Vincent by the way," he greeted.

"I'm- Jack..."

"I've never seen a weapon like this in my entire life, it's completely crafted from shadows. You'd think it wouldn't be strong, but-" Vincent tried to bend the shadow, "It's quite sturdy... I can't even bend it enough to break it..."

"How did you... Get that?" Jack asked curiously.

"The rite of sight, my gift allows me to see into a person's mind, and forge physical replicas of weapons from their memories..."

"So... You can read minds?"

"Not necessarily, though there is a rite that allows for that..."

Jack looked at a giant that carried the corner of the gondola, they each stood at least fifty feet tall. Thick gold armor clad its head and arms, it made their eyes hard to see. Their steaming breath escaped from the gaps in the helmet, dissipating into the air slowly. Their grey skin was crusty, covered in cracks, with a slight green glow between them. The green hue was more intense closer to the torso.

The Gondola lowered slightly, and giant steps rumbled the ground, after a few seconds it rose back up before lowering slightly again. Jack glanced off the edge back towards the battlefield once again. The impacts of Oaraun and Ajal's battle echoed through the air. They sprinted along buildings, clashing hard enough to blow them away, and destroying the city around them with each exchange of power. A wave of flame spread out over the top of a building, while a purple beam shot through it.

"Incredible... The power of two divine beings fighting each other!" Dariel laughed while raising his arms.

"Wow," Wren was awestruck by the black scythe in Vincent's hand. "He can make that from shadows? My shadow manipulation is always so sloppy... The darkness coming from him was so... Pure..." Wren pondered with a curious tone. The bubbly girl in a black dress looked to Jack, "Hey, hey, you know that black-haired fellow right?" Wren asked with a bright smile.

Jack twitched slightly because of her positive enthusiasm, it confused him. Instead of answering, he turned and walked up the steps. He felt mentally and physically exhausted, his body was still sore from the fall and the fight with the Lightbringers.

"Heh, you sound head over heels Wren," said Dariel.

"Head over heels? What does that mean... Weirdo..."

"You've been cooped up underground your whole life, hopefully, if Oaraun doesn't behead him you'll get a kiss from the three-eyed monster."

Wren frowned at him, her cheeks glowed red slightly. Elisia took her sword from her hip, holding it by the sheath. Dariel turned in surprise only for Elisia to tap his head with the handle of her sword.

"Judicator, leave my sister alone..." Elisia warned with a strict tone.

"It's just a joke..." Dariel obliged with a bored huff. "And my name is Dariel... You're all no fun," he sighed as he rested his hand on his cheek, he glanced towards Lector.

Jack sat on the same row of steps as Lector, and his head throbbed as it continued to race. 'This is too much to take in...' Lector and Jack sat silently over an arm's length apart. The blonde angel was curled up with his knees close to his chest, he watched Oarauns battle while nibbling on his thumbnail. Lector's other hand tightly gripped the grey robe over his left shoulder. Jack was equally nervous, his memories of when they trained, the conversations they had. It all kept repeating in his head. 'Without Ajal, I'd still be in Logos... Or dead...'

"Who do you think will win..." Lector suddenly asked.

Jack looked at him with a puzzled expression. Lector just looked at him, expecting an answer.

"I think Alexander... I mean... Huh, what do I even call him now?" Lector laughed with a worried look on his face but noticed Jack's confused expression. "What?"

Jack glared at Lector with a tired face, then shook his head.

"Sorry... I guess," Lector replied as he turned back and rested his chin on his knee. "That woman... Lydia her name was... She was captured a few weeks after Logos burned down, by the Lightbringers after House Rover spied on you," Lector explained.

"What?" Jack turned.

"House Rover watched you cross the bridge into Hiria... Rather than go capture the ones in Ulkay themselves, House Lightbringer took the responsibility for the task."

"What... Why! What did Lydia-"

"Nothing," Lector cut him off. "They weren't after Lydia, they were after the children... All of the children that the school of magic had been experimenting on. The Lightbringers need them... Not Lydia, they gave her off to the nobles of Andurill..."

"Experimenting?" Dariel entered the conversation. "What do you mean?"

Dariel walked over, he stomped up the steps in heavy boots. His head was bald, with not a single speck of hair on his brown head. The druid robes were ripped open, revealing his scarred torso, a gem of logorite fused into his exposed rib cage. The most defining feature of his appearance was the mask he wore, it resembled a row of jagged large teeth. It made him look like he was always smiling, which was nerve-wracking for Jack.

"Alexander's blood turns into that stone... Logorite... The three-eyed guy down there, his blood does the same, but they are vastly different..." Lector revealed.

"What do the children have to do with that?" Jack asked angrily.

"Well... Aside from inheriting a part of their divinity... Their body starts to produce the material as well, albeit, in a less concentrated form, it can't provide divinity... But it's a great fuel source... The Lightbringers have been using newborn children infused with the Logorite for some time. When they found your friend's blood and saw what it was capable of..." Lector nodded.

"Fuel..." Jack felt his heart sink. "So- then-"

"Yeah... Generations of non-unified kids have become the fuel sources for their weapons... The hybrids don't know... Most angels don't even know... Heck... Most spies don't either..."

Jack stood up and looked at Lector with a shocked face, his eyes wide with rage. The queen with a faceless mask glanced over at them.

"Those bastards..." Elisia shook her head in disgust. "Even our bodies are unable to handle the toll of that power... To give it to children, newborns at that..."

"Yeah... I don't like them either... After House Rafael's fall, they made me responsible for transporting children out of Logos toward Helios. All the while non-unified parents believed their children were being sent to Torovince..." said Lector.

"Hey!" Wren suddenly greeted Jack in the middle of Lector's explanation.

'What the...' Jack turned to his front and was startled to see Wren crouched in front of him, her face was just inches away from his. Her frilled white hair rocked back and forth. She had a wide smile, but Jack couldn't see her eyes past the dull silver mask. The front plate on the mask was a silver triangle, and symmetrically curved engravings surrounded it. Lector stopped his explanation.

"Huh?" Jack leaned back.

"You know that black-haired guy?" Wren leaned forward as she asked, she practically hovered over him.

"Y-you mean Ajal?" Jack replied.

"So his name's Ajal!" said Wren, "Do you think I can meet him?"

Jack didn't reply, 'Huh...' Wren tilted her head while waiting for his response. Jack glanced around at the others. Lector looked strangely angry, 'Huh?!'

"I... I don't know..." said Jack.

"Wren, I told you it's rude to disregard another's personal space..."

"Oh, sorry sis..." Wren frowned.

"Don't apologize to me..." Elisia huffed as she secured her sword to her waist.

"You two are siblings?" Lector asked.

Elisia stared at Lector for a moment, her yellow eyes peered down at him. Lector glanced to the sides as her sharp gaze pierced his. 'This must be really awkward for him...' Lector scratched his head.

"Yes, we are sisters," Elisia replied.

"Oh, cool," said Lector, nodding awkwardly.

"So, how'd you meet Oaraun?" Wren turned to Lector and asked curiously.

"Wren..." Elisia glared at her sister.

"What?! Oaraun really likes him..."

Lector looked down for a moment, "I uh- I was his spy..."

Jack continued to watch the intense battle in the distance. Elisia turned her head to the queen, who also tilted her head in their direction. Dariel walked straight up to Lector right after that, Lector moved his arms and started to lean away. Even Jack felt a little nervous. 'That guy has a dark spirit...' His body rattled with the sound of metal.

"What kind of gift you got... I know you angels have many, much more than the druids or hybrids..."

"Uh... It'd be better for me to show you," Lector raised his right hand and placed his palm on the top of his left hand, a golden mark appeared as he lifted that palm off. He then stamped the mark on the top of his other hand, leaving another. "Hello," Lector whispered towards the glowing circle, his voice echoing out of the other.

"Huh..." Dariel tilted his head.

"I can create communication channels with my palms," Lector raised his hands. "My gift was embedded inside of my palms- when I was a kid... I can touch someone, and when they go into a place I can't, I can listen in... Or I can make a communication channel between people if you need to talk from a long distance..."

"Elisia and I need something like that... Actually, I need that for a lot of people..." Wren pondered to herself carefully.

"I-I-I could make one- I... Mhm!" Lector cleared his throat. "If I imbue my ability into pure silver, it remains forever... It just needs to be sealed with gold."

"Wow! That's so cool!"

"You think so?" Lector laughed while scratching his head, he was blushing as well.

'What the hell was that?' Jack cringed at Lector's sudden shift in character.

"Hm, interesting..." Dariel pondered as he continued to look at Lector.

The queen stood up from her throne and approached. The other druids all looked at her and bowed their heads on one knee. She was clad in silver armor, her breastplate had a similar engraving of a tree on it. She brushed a green braided ponytail over her shoulder. The gaps in her armor had strange thin roots creeping out of them. 'Roots?' Her white mask was the most jarring of all. It was just blank without any details, not even holes for her eyes or her nose.

A man Jack hadn't even noticed stood close by listening to the conversation, he wore loose white clothes, almost similar to what the guards in Logos wore. However, a key difference was the bulky shoulders and oval-shaped head wrappings, their head almost seemed elongated because of it. Their robes rocked with each rumble. Jack caught a glimpse of an eye underneath the robes.

Jack's attention was quickly drawn to the massive creatures behind them. They were at least fifteen feet tall, with wood-like skin that resembled the barks of trees. Their torsos floated above the ground, their limbs almost like branches. The male one in armor held a halberd with gauntlets connected to the chassis by a thick teal plasma. The female one didn't have hands, instead, she possessed ribbon-like tendrils for arms. Their grey hair floated upwards, the woman was blindfolded, while the man only had one eye poking through a cracked mask, the eye was locked onto Jack. He looked away, the two giants were both extremely unnerving. 'They all consumed logorite? What did it do to them...'

"You're a spy for the angels?" Xenia asked.

"Uh, yes..." Lector replied hesitantly.

"A spy gained Oaraun's favor? That's rather impressive..." Xenia praised.

"Oh, th-thanks..." Lector glanced at each corner of the mask in confusion.

"We will honor Oaraun's wish and take you back to the surface, however, I want to know where your allegiances stand."

Lector's mouth hung open as he looked at her. He glanced at the ground as he thought about it.

"I... I don't want my people to suffer... A lot of the civilians should be getting evacuated right now... Will you subjugate the angels like we did the non-unified?"

Dariel chuckled, "Is that even-"

"No. The angels that are not in our way will be left alive, but we will take Helios," said Xenia.

Dariel and Jack turned their heads to the queen as they heard this.

Lector let out a sigh of relief. "I hate the Lightbringers... I'll help you bring them down, but I'm done after that..."

"I take it you are aware of where those experiments you mentioned are conducted?" she asked Lector while she turned her head to the various druids.

"Y-yeah..."Lector replied.

"You said they are being used as fuel sources... But for what?" Elisia asked.

"Underneath Helios, near the docks are two warships..." Lector revealed.

Xenia's head whipped towards the angel, "Warships?" she repeated with a skeptical tone.

"Ships?" said Jack. "Like the thing that Ajal came to our world on?"

"Yeah, but, way bigger, and way more powerful... These things are the angel's greatest weapons. There used to be three until Abaddon stole one in order to cross the sea to Pandora... If those warships go airborne, the Lightbringers can both escape and wipe out your entire army... That's without considering if they use the Lightbringer itself..."

Xenia looked down in thought. "Gungnir, prepare our path at once."

"Yes, my queen," Gungnir floated towards the front of the gondola.

There was still a wide distance to the wall of the chasm. Gungnir stabbed his halberd into the platform and then floated up into the air in front of the gondola. 'How is he staying in the air like that?' Gungnir stretched his hands toward the ground, then slowly raised them. Jack squinted, however, his confusion turned to shock as he watched a giant teal bridge made of the strange ectoplasm rise. A perfect set of stairs formed and reached the surface, it was large enough for the giants carrying the gondola as well as the army of druids and headless knights charging below. 'Our people really had Celestial gifts...'

"The viceroys and I will lead the frontal assault on Helios," Xenia declared. "Reygar and Henry will assist us, our forces should be sufficient enough with our numbers. The rest of the druids will breach the enemy defenses from behind using Elisia's Spirit Bloom, we must stop these great weapons the angels possess."

"We will guarantee our triumph, my queen," Elisia bowed, and the rest of the druids followed.

Jack turned to Lector. "You said outposts, do you mean the one in the forest Ajal blasted a hole through?" Jack mentioned.

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"He did that?!" Lector gasped.

"Yeah..."

"Well, they never wanted to use the west outpost because it was too close to Ulkay, and after he attacked the east one so easily. The children are most likely in Helios..."

"Jack, I'd like a word with you," Xenia turned and walked away, her white cape dragging behind her.

"Huh? Uh, sure..." Jack stood up weakly and followed her.

Jack felt pressured, it weighed on him as he walked. He glanced towards the battlefield once again, giant pillars of smoke rose from the buildings. 'Ajal... Sarah... Everyone... We can't live on so long as they do...' The air felt heavy as Jack walked away from the group of high-ranking druids.

A distant rumble blended with all of the other sounds, Jack barely noticed it as the giant steps shook the ground. Xenia stood by the pillars at the corner of the Gondola and turned to Jack. The queen leaned forward, tilting her head as she observed him. He felt uncomfortable as she seemed to observe him as if the mask wasn't there.

"How- do you see?" Jack asked curiously.

"My apologies, I haven't had to explain this for a long time," Xenia giggled. "This is the gift of our harbinger."

"Our... Harbinger?"

"Yes, unlike Zadia and Yurias, Xenia's gift can only be used by one person. But it allows me to heal my subjects of any amount of damage or curse, even from the brink of death. That, and its ability to grant a portion of Xenia's strength and spirit to those oath sworn to me."

"Oath sworn?"

"Yes, in exchange for a part of their body, they will be granted great strength."

Jack felt anxious looking at the expressionless mask. He couldn't tell what she was looking at, or have any sign of what she was thinking.

"Eldritch... It's a family name I don't recognize..." said Xenia.

"My last name?" Jack replied with a confused tone.

"Oaraun told me about it. Over a hundred years have passed, and the survivors of the angels' and demons' arrival were been enslaved. Countless generations of Ammonian families, all disgraced..."

"Ammonian?" Jack repeated. "What does that mean?"

"Hm?" Xenia glanced at Jack. "Ammonian is the true name of our people, not that despicable label..."

"We aren't... Called the non-unified?"

"No, in our era the descendants of Zadia were known as Lithonians. The descendants of Yuria, the Hydronians."

"I've heard of Zadia, who is Yuria?" Jack was even more confused.

"Xenia, Yuria, and Zadia... Three titans were each tasked with ensuring their people's prosperity. The three peoples arrived in this world with the Celestial hundreds of years ago... To this world ruled by giants... Our people were led by the titan known as Xenia, we Ammonians are her descendants," the queen explained.

The giants had walked halfway up Gungnirs bridge. The sun started to shine through the gaps in the pillars.

"For thirty years, our people and Xenia struggled. We were destined to die off, neglected by fate itself... However, Oaraun arrived one day, unannounced, at random. A truly unpredictable occurrence," said Xenia.

"Alex- I mean... Oaraun showed up randomly? What, like, out of thin air?" Jack questioned.

"Indeed, he was truly divine, he was said to have risen from a pile of the dead. Whether or not the Celestial sent him, our envy was finally answered."

"Oaraun conquered the other races..."

"Yes, and once he did, our envy for the giants and the other races subsided as we finally earned our right to life. The Hydronians and Lithonians waged war against us as we expanded, Oaraun crushed their opposition, however, he didn't want to slaughter or insight fear, he believed together we could become much better than what we were."

"He didn't want to slaughter... Or insight fear? Really?!" Jack asked in disbelief.

"Had it not been for the angels' arrival and the Lithonians' betrayal, he may have achieved it. However, we were selfish with our beliefs."

"Selfish?"

"The envy of our people turned to kindness and generosity, while the Lithonians and Hydronians inherited the very same envy which we once felt."

"The hybrids... They helped the angels..." Jack tried to understand, but a throbbing in his head pulsed.

"One could put it that way, that envy has flowed between our peoples, and now..." Xenia looked at Jack. "You hold a portion of that envy within you," she poked Jack's chest.

Jack's head reared back slightly, he didn't expect her sudden change in focus. Xenia walked toward him. She opened up her thin arms and enclosed them around Jack, embracing him tightly. A pleasant floral scent came from her hair. Jack's hands froze, 'Uh...'

"Uh..." Jack felt an awkward tightness in his throat, he skipped a breath.

"No one can deny your envy, it is true, pure," Xenia whispered to him.

"Uhm-"

"However, that very envy will destroy you if you don't quell it," Xenia said coldly.

Jack's eyebrows raised as Xenia pulled away and touched the cuts on his dirtied face. She raised her hand and held his cheek gently, turning it to the side and observing another scratch.

"It'll destroy me?" Jack asked, her words bothered him.

"Jack, what would you have wanted, had your life not been dictated by the angels?"

"What..." Jack stuttered.

Xenia simply stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"If... I wasn't a slave..." Jack thought about it.

'Well... I'd... I'd...' Jack froze in his thoughts, unsure of what to even say. After a minute, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rumble. Despite the crash of the giant's foot against the fresh grass, a growl from the land caused Jack to wobble. 'Huh...?' Outwards from where Ajal and Oaraun fought, massive cracks split through the ground, Jack turned back to the battlefield. The ground started to rise around where they fought.

"Do you feel that as well?" Xenia asked.

"Yeah, what is that..." Jack replied nervously.

The rumble grew, and the ground started to shake uncontrollably, causing Jack to stumble where he stood. 'What the...' The ground rose like a bubble before a white pillar pierced through and sent the rubble around it into the air.

"What the!" Jack shouted in surprise, a large cloud of smoke erupted where Ajal and Oaraun fought.

"With the abyssal being's death, the Celestial it was born from will return..." Xenia whispered to herself.

"A second Celestial?"

"Our world possessed three Celestials originally, each harbinger receives one..."

"Three? Three..." Jack raised his eyebrows as he tried to comprehend that.

"Their arrival devastated the land and knocked down the Celestial of the Lithonians and Ammonians... They no longer receive gifts as well..."

The pillar rose out of the ground with a stunning speed, and an unclear dark figure hung off the top of it. Jack and the rest of Xenia's forces were in awe at the sight of the Celestial rising. A white pillar shot straight up from where the divine beings battled.

"Spirit Bloom!" Oaraun's voice echoed across the cavern. "Viridescent Eyed Slayer!"

A white pillar of energy shot into the sky, even higher than the Celestial. 'What... A Spirit bloom?!' Jack was speechless as he watched the pillar of light split the clouds. The force sent dust and debris flying outwards in all directions. The sky's hue instantly shifted to dark green.

"To think he can force Oaraun to use his Spirit Bloom... That off-worlder is powerful," said Xenia.

The white pillar disappeared, and from the smoke, a winged creature with skinny limbs quickly zoomed into the sky for the top of the Celestial. Its roar sent a nostalgic fear down Jack's spine. 'What chance did me and Carol ever have...' The thought made Jack shudder, an anxiety within him bubbled to the surface as he held his throbbing head. 'It's not fair...' Jack said as he looked at the Celestial. 'This world is not fair!' His teeth jittered as he clenched his fist hard enough to draw blood.

"What's wrong?" Xenia asked. "You seem frustrated..."

"I..." Jack shook his head while exhaling from the overwhelming sight. "I've never been able to do anything on my own... And it's because of the Celestial... The one time I actually managed something... I just hurt my friends..." Jack explained.

"Hm..." Xenia crossed her arms and put one thumb to her chin. "You are the one responsible for our return to the surface world, we have you to thank. While Oaraun did want you to witness the fall of Helios, I believe you'd much rather fight on the front lines... Elisia."

Jack turned and saw the armored woman already two steps away. "My queen," she lowered to one knee as Xenia turned to her.

"Take Jack with you as well," the queen ordered.

"Him?" Elisia repeated in confusion.

"Yes."

"With all due respect my queen, this boy wouldn't be of much aid without a gift... And he's injured..."

Jack felt the negativity in Elisa's tone, he knew she didn't like him. A slithering crackle came from the queen's wrist, Jack looked down. 'What the...' He took a step back as she raised her arm to him. From underneath her wrist, intertwining roots stretched upwards, sprouting a white flower. It bloomed to reveal a smooth and perfectly circular black-colored berry within. Jack looked at the queen's mask, he had a hunch she was looking straight at him.

"Eat it, the fruit of Apollo will heal your wounds and fatigue," Xenia offered.

Jack reached for the berry and plucked it from the flower, it had a decent weight to it for its small size. 'I have a strange feeling about this...' Jack placed the berry in his mouth and bit into it, a tart liquid gushed out and spread across his tongue. It left a sour and sweet taste that seemed to send a tingle through his body. The moment he swallowed it, its juice stained his throat, the aftertaste was strong, but it invigorated his body. 'Woah...' Jack looked at his arms and watched the scratches and cuts on his body vanish. In seconds, his fatigue disappeared, and he immediately felt like he could fight once again. Jack clenched his fist and flexed his arm, focusing his spirit.

"That's amazing..." Jack muttered to himself in shock.

"You're already aware of Spirit Arts, good," Xenia praised.

"I can fight..." Jack focused his spirit up and down his body quickly.

"If the abyssal being truly was Terra Gerrenwalt, that is our people's Celestial..." Xenia stated.

"Ours?" Jack replied.

"You could even receive the Celestial's favor now... It's only a matter of when it chooses to..."

Jack froze as he heard that. 'I can... Receive a gift?' He looked back to the tall tower. He squinted as he saw waves of green flames flying off the top.

Elisia sighed, "I do not approve of this decision, but I will respect it," the knight bowed her head. "I will see to it that he survives this conflict..."

"Thank you, Elisia. We will storm the city's walls before the sun is down. Go, quickly."

Xenia walked back towards the other group of druids and Lector.

"Lector, I have a favor to ask," Xenia requested.

"A favor?" Lector tilted his head.

"Spirit Bloom! Wrath of the Reaper!" Ajal's voice echoed across the continent, the sky turned purple as a white light shot up from the top of the Celestial.

Jack turned and glanced over to Elisia, whose eyebrow was twitching up and down as she looked back. Jack looked away awkwardly, 'She really doesn't like me...' Elisia sighed and started toward the front of the gondola.

"I fail to see what they do..." Elisia muttered to herself with a sigh.

Jack looked at Elisa's cowl of black petals. Her spirit started to focus through her back, climbing up the middle of her spine slowly.

"May my soul take root, becoming the foundation for the druid within," Elisia uttered. "Spirit Bloom!"

Elisia's body was engulfed in black flower petals that flooded out from her own body, growing into an obscure mass. Her voice was nowhere near as loud or as mighty as Ajal and Oaraun's. The ball of petals started to rise, 'What in the-' Jack couldn't describe it. The crackling of bone and the unraveling of thin black limbs pushed the petals away. A head with a silver beak roared, with four wings and three tails to float above the ground. Its body clad with silver armor and chains, the massive beast with flower petals growing from its skin turned to Jack as it landed on its two arms. Jack stepped back with a shocked expression, her form had become unnervingly bewildering. The massive creature lowered its head to him, its bright yellow eyes had the same intensity as she did in her previous form.

"Holy crap!" Lector shouted as he saw Elisia's form, he was stamping a rune onto the queen's palm.

"Get on," Elisia commanded with a monstrous voice.

***

Jack held onto the velvety smooth flower petals for his life, 'I'm going to die, I'm going to die!' he continued to repeat to himself as he could barely keep his eyes open from the speed. If he let go of Elisia's petal-like feathers, he felt like he would fly right off. They flew out of the chasm within Andurill and banked towards the bridge between Kamino and Hiria.

"Waaah! The water is so clear! So pretty!" Wren was awestruck by the shimmering sea.

"Did you really spend your whole life in a cave?" Lector asked Wren with a tone of disbelief.

"Yeah, I had to, or else the abyss would spread to the kingdom and eat everyone," Wren turned to Lector.

"Uh-huh..."

Vincent was crouched next to Jack, and Dariel stood behind. Jack gritted his teeth with his face pushed into the petals, 'Don't look up, just hold on!' Elisia flew low, then banked as she curved around and glided under the bridge Jack had walked over not long before. Each time the massive creature turned, Jack awkwardly shifted his weight to hang on.

"Haha, this breeze, this light! Hah..." Dariel let out a sigh of relief, "The surface is amazing!"

"For once I agree with you," Vincent replied while he gazed off at the endless bodies of water to the north and south of Hiria and Kamino.

Jack clutched the feathers on Elisia's back as she flew over the land, 'Shit shit shit!' Jack held on in fear, his heart skipped another beat. Elisia banked towards the dried-out river between Hiria and Kamino, then flew parallel with the ground between the two cliffs. 'We'll be at Helios in minutes!'

"Woo!" Dariel cheered as stood up and embraced the strong winds.

Jack looked to Lector, he seemed to be relaxed surprisingly, his blond hair flicking up in the strong winds. They flew past the mountains of Welis, rising to avoid the mists from the streams of water falling down the mountains. Elisia banked to the right as her wing cut the air, leaving a trailing ripple through the water as they rounded the cliffside. 'That's...' The port of the massive city came into view, the dock itself was the size of Logos. Even further beyond the port, were rows of buildings built up a hill, surrounding a large wall that seemed to have even taller buildings beyond it. The angel's Celestial stood tall from the middle of the city. 'That's Helios?!'

"Home sweet home..." Lector whispered.

"I've never seen this side of Helios..." said Jack, he was momentarily distracted from his panic as he gazed at the country-sized city.

Elisia flew towards the city, rising over the buildings and soaring over the inner wall. However, the moment she did a green blast flew toward her. 'Woah!' Jack shut his eyes and clenched the feathers as Elisia spun in mid-air, his heart sank into his stomach as she dived between the buildings. Lector gritted his teeth in fear as the wind was strong enough to pull him off. Dariel also crouched.

"What the?!" Lector exclaimed in surprise.

Two blasts struck Elisia's left wing. She wailed as her body hit a building, the impact echoed throughout the city. Jack held on as tightly as he could, the streets of Helios below him zoomed by as Elisia pushed all of her strength into her wings and flew upward.

"Are you okay!" Wren shouted in a sudden panic.

"Where the hell can we land?!" Dariel shouted at Lector.

"North West of the city! There should be a cliffside behind the wall leading to the council hall!" Lector directed.

Elisia flapped her wings and flew straight upwards, then arched her path and flew towards the northwest. Jack's eyes raised as he noticed the petals on Elisia were falling off, he raised his hands and noticed several more in his palm. Jack turned and looked around to see green blasts flying through the air, another struck Elisia. Jack just barely glanced up and saw the building at the top of a narrow cliff.

"Ghraaw!" Elisia roared through Helios.

The creature dived towards the council hall and crashed through the ceiling. Jack's face slammed against the black feathers, as he rolled off of her back and into a table.

"Agh!" Jack tumbled into a chair and knocked it over.

Dust fell from the ceiling, piling on the wooden table like coarse sand. Jack clenched his rib as he looked down, the ground wasn't very hard, but rather it was made of soft fabric on the floor. 'What the...' Jack opened his eyes to see a maroon carpet, he glanced to the left and saw the banner with a shield covered with two wings. He slowly got to his feet, turning to the other side of the broken room where a banner with overlapped circles hung, the current symbol of the Lithonians allied with the angels. The middle of the room was mostly taken up by a circular table that surrounded a single stone bathing in the light of the broken roof.

"The Lightbringer should be here... But it's not..." Lector huffed.

"Well shit, there's no telling when they might use it again..." said Dariel.

Wren knelt down next to Elisia's massive body, and the feathers dissipated, eventually revealing the significantly smaller woman. She stood up, her armor clicked together as she rubbed the dust off her shoulders and stretched her arm.

"Well, you know everything don't you, where are they going?" Vincent asked.

"Most likely castle Patheon at the center of the city... It's a stronghold where most of the city's paths have to cross through. That or House Lightbringer itself..." said Lector.

"We have a small group, we can't-" Dariel stopped and glanced toward Jack. "Hey kid, get out of the way..."

Jack tilted his head but heard footsteps approaching from behind him. He turned to see a large door that led into the room. Jack quickly stepped back as Dariel reached behind him and pulled out a golden hammer. Vincent glanced at Dariel and a similar weapon appeared in his hand, they both hoisted it above their heads. Elisia drew her sword and hopped onto the table.

"Was that an attack?", "What happened?", "Something crashed into the roof!" hysterical angels shouted.

The moment the doors burst open, guards in white robes holding silver polearms paused for a moment as they observed the people in the room. Dariel and Vincent both whipped the hammers, they spun through the air toward the small platoon of angels at the door. The ones at the front reflexively raised their arms to block. As both hammers struck the angels, a large force launched them off their feet down and down the stairs.

"Ah!" the angels who got struck directly cried out.

The impact even pushed Jack back as well. 'What the hell was-' Jack was speechless as Elisia quickly sprinted across the table and jumped out of the room, kicking someone down the stairs. Jack quickly stood up and followed.

"We're under attack- Agh!" an angel screamed before Elisia's blade pierced through his chest.

Elisia kicked the corpse off, ripping the blade out and clashing with an angel at the bottom of the steps. She pushed the blade up and angled it to the side, quickly stepping around him and dragging her short sword down the guard's back, then spun around and clashed with another. Her speed and ruthlessness with a sword made Jack shiver. Many more angels ran into the white-tiled hallway, a red hue of blood splashed onto the chandeliers and obscured the lights. Jack rushed forward to help, only to see Vincent and Dariel sprint passed him and assist the female knight. The angels barely stood a chance, Jack watched in amazement as the three of them dispatched the platoon easily.

Wren walked down the stairs slowly, she looked at the blood around the room with her mouth hung ajar. Lector watched with wide eyes, he looked at some of the angels on the ground and shut his eyes.

"Ah- Aaah!" one of the guards fled out of the door in fear.

"Jack! Stop him!" Elisia ordered as she held off another angel.

Jack turned and saw the angel run through the door in the corner. He quickly sprinted forward, and his body didn't ache at all, 'My body really is back to full strength... I can do this!' Jack focused his spirit on his legs, sprinting after the angel that made his way towards a descent of stone steps. 'Spirit Ignition!'

Jack's spirit rapidly focused on his toes, then burst as he launched himself forward. He caught up quickly, and the angel turned. Jack caught a glimpse of his horrified face and wide eyes before he tackled him to the ground and pinned him. The angel's loose clothing was hard to keep a grip on as he struggled. Jack slammed his fist into their head in an attempt to stop them, but the angel continued to struggle. Jack pulled the mask off their face to see where he was punching.

"Wait- Please!" the angel tried to shield their face from being struck again. "Please don't kill me!"

Jack's eyes widened, and he stood up. The angel coughed as they rolled onto their front, grasping their nose as blood dyed his white clothing red. Dariel approached with his terrifying mask, the sun shone behind him and made his already horrific appearance even more sinister. Jack stepped back reflexively. Dariel's cheeks were slightly pushed up, and he appeared to be squinting, but his eyebrows were raised high. 'Is he smiling?' Jack gulped.

"Where were you running off to? It isn't nice to leave your friends behind like that, but you'll be joining them soon..." Dariel taunted as he walked past Jack.

Dariel lifted the angel by the collar, much to their panic. They struggled and held onto Dariel's arm as he focused his spirit and lifted the angel with one hand over the edge. Jack felt a similar ruthlessness to how Alexander Rael would treat the slaves of Logos.

"Tell ya what, you tell me where the Lightbringer is, and I won't feed you to a giant," said Dariel.

"I- I don't know! Lord Lightbringer requested our squad to stay here! I don't know I swear, it was already gone! Please don't- don't let go," the angel hysterically begged.

"Lying right now is not in your best interest," Dariel's eyes squinted even more.

"Hey... Stop wasting time you mad fool..." said Vincent, the man in the trench coat started down the steps that lead toward Upper Helios.

Dariel lifted the white cloth and revealed their battered face. A stream of blood ran down their crooked nose.

"Hah, you did a number on him Jack, I'm impressed..." Dariel laughed at the angel's face.

"Lord- Lord Lightbringer should be in the center of the city! That's all I know! I swear on my life!" the angel cried.

"Hm... You weren't lying that time..." Dariel raised an eyebrow as he carefully looked at the angel's face. "But why did you lie the first time?"

"Please, please don't hurt me-"

"What do you think would happen if I were to" Dariel loosened his grip on the collar and allowed him to slide slightly.

"Aaah! Ah!" the angel frantically screamed. "Please I beg you, don't- don't!"

"If that's true, I'll storm the castle..." said Vincent.

"On your own?" Dariel glanced over to his comrade.

"Yes. Lector let's make another communication channel if we're going to split up..." Vincent walked back to Lector.

Jack raised his eyebrows at Vincent, his tone made him sound very confident. Elisia walked out of the building with Wren, and the two of them noticed the angel being held over the edge.

"Hey... You cur," Elisia uttered, her words brimming with contempt towards Dariel. "We have a task to complete... Stop wasting time..."

"Aw... You really are no fun... Fine..." Dariel groaned as he let go of the man's collar.

The angel's face turned into panic as he glanced at Jack for half a second. The look of despair on their face as they realized it was the end, almost made Jack feel sorry. They desperately reached for the edge.

"Aaaaaaaaa-" the angel's scream became quieter.

Jack listened to the deep thud that silenced the angel's cry. He nervously glanced between Elisia and Dariel. 'Holy shit...' Even Jack was at a loss for words. Elisia looked off the edge, before turning her head to Dariel. The judicator simply turned and followed Vincent down the stairs with both hands in his pocket. Lector was shocked.

Jack walked toward the edge, he glanced off and saw a slope of jagged rocks. Past a certain point, it was nothing but a free fall towards the stone buildings in Lower Helios. Lector tapped Elisia's hand, as well as Vincent's shoulder.

"Lector, can you hear me?" Xenia's voice came from Lector's palm.

"Ah... Yeah... Yeah, I can hear you," Lector sounded out of breath.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine..."

"Good, we've reached Kamino, we should be outside the city in an hour."

"Angels are defending the rooftops of buildings, they've prepared for the attack..." said Lector.

"I'll be sure to remember that. Stay focused on your task, and please keep us informed of anything new."

The lower city stretched around the outer wall, connecting to the massive part of the city at the docks, the wide sea shimmered in the setting sun. Within the outer wall, four large buildings poked passed the wall's edge. Jack turned to the forests and mountains, 'Logos and the other non-unified towns are passed that...' Jack noticed the gondola carried by the four giants, their steps echoed through the sky. 'We'll finally take our freedom back...'