Sixth Loss in the 76th year of the New Order
Aurora li Arakiel hummed a merry tune as she playfully minced from the kitchen over to the dining room, holding a tray with one large plate of her own cooking on it. Emerald Beef roasted in Selenyean honey in a savory gravy, mixed with Solarian raisins, herbs and many other ingredients from all over the planes. Aurora hadn’t skimped on the costs for this meal, for it had been exactly four and half years ago on the day that her master had rescued her from the Maidenhold. He had moved his appointments around to ensure that he’d be home for the entirety of the month since he hadn’t been able to make it on the anniversary day half a year ago. It was his way to apologize and she loved him all the more for it.
She still had no clue what kind of work he did as a planeswalker, but it netted them a decent income, enough to remain self-sufficient without having to rely on the House’s finances, which seemed exceedingly important to him.
When she entered into the well-lit dining hall, he was already present, having dressed for comfort and style at the same time despite it being in late summer, with temperatures having reached an all-time high over the last week.
His green buttoned vest with the rolled-up sleeves outlined his lean, somewhat muscular body for her pleasure and he had shaven his beard clean while his dark, well-groomed hair nearly fell onto his shoulders, enough to give him the refined appearance of a true Kalanite gentleman.
Arakiel’s soft green eyes looked up at her and then subsequently wandered downwards and given the way his breathing had briefly stopped, she appeared to have succeeded in making a good first impression.
Aurora had tamed her own lustrous golden hair only loosely below her waistline, letting a few strands fall over her shoulder, playfully covering little bits of her exposed collarbone.
Her white lacy sleeveless dress fell softly, the silk coquettishly outlining the admittedly shallow peaks of her chest while highlighting her overall curvature which had at last blossomed into that of a petite and graceful young woman.
Men stopped and stared whenever she walked by and even women were stealing glances at her, some envious, most jealous and a few lecherous.
For a few months now, rumors of the Traveler’s Evermaiden had begun to circulate, rumors of a virgin golden-haired aurea so beautiful that not even her master laid hand on her and while it truly pleased her that her beauty furthered Arakiel’s reputation, she also hated the truth that the rumor conveyed. She had no idea how people had drawn the conclusion, but it was true, actually.
She had yet to flower and Arakiel had stated outright – had promised – that he would not make love to her before that happened.
He stood by that promise even a year later for he was an honorable man, but it also pained Aurora for she could see him looking her over, could often see his manhood grow strong at the sight of her, but no matter what she did to try and tempt him into breaking it, he would not budge. If Lady Chryse hadn’t let her in on a little secret, she might’ve gone crazy from desire already.
That way, it was tolerable, but so very frustrating still.
Aurora felt kind of impressed just how much information she could think over in such a brief amount of time, but when she finally arrived right next to him, she carefully placed the tray onto the sizable oaken table covered with a red blanket with golden floral motifs.
To her, gold was the perfect ornament that highly enhanced something’s natural attributes, whatever they may be.
“Happy anniversary my love,” she whispered seductively and bend down a little, letting his eyes feast upon her cleavage. She then kissed him on the lips and bit him to show her affection and displeasure in one. She didn’t draw his blood today, for he still needed to eat.
Right away, Aurora gleamed with mischief and took a seat on his lap, having no intention of being anywhere else. Today was hers and she’d exploit it in full and if the little bulge she felt beneath her already was any indication, then he’d be in for a rough day – but it was his fault and his alone.
“You look stunning as ever, Aurora.” He eventually returned when he had regained the grasp on his faculties. “But…”
“Yeees…?” She asked in drawn-out manner, challenging him directly.
He gave her a rueful smile. “How are we supposed to eat like this?”
“I’m sure the famed Traveler is quick-witted enough to adapt to a slight change in circumstances?” She responded ever-so-sweetly. She had sworn to not hold back today and so far, it was going splendidly.
Let him be uncomfortable – she had been uncomfortable for at least two years at this point and only he, only her Champion Arakiel, had the means to scratch that itch.
“It smells delectable,” he went on while trying his best to not stare right at her assets that she had so brazenly put right in his view.
She might just reach to his chest when both were standing straight, but those things weren’t as big a problem when they were sitting and he had to look down.
Once again, he briefly paused as if unsure how to proceed and when he swallowed, she gave him a knowing smile, saying in a loaded tone. “Allow me to assist you…”
She gently slid away from him in a twirling motion, hurrying to the back of his chair while brushing the soundeater’s plate or switch as some called it in the process.
A low melody of several violins playing in harmony began to set a pleasant mood and she arrived on the other side of the chair, where she picked up the crystalline bottle of Selenyean nectar that Lord Lyktos had brought over for their ceremony.
From it, she poured him a goblet of silver liquid that she picked up in order to sit on his lap once more. Then, she put the cup to her lips and swallowed but a tiny, teensy bit before offering the drink to him.
She had almost forgotten how supremely divine the nectar tasted, but the aftermath of last time was still well present in her mind and she’d rather not experience something like this again. Too shameful were the things she had done, too pristine her memory.
“You’re angry, aren’t you?” He asked as he took the goblet without ever breaking contact with her eyes.
“With you, always.” Aurora returned and right after he had taken a sip, she pressed her lips onto his. Caught off-guard, she managed to steal some of the nectar right from his mouth and the little battle that ensued saw some of it spilled, but she didn’t care.
Now he tasted divinely, which was as it should be.
When their lips eventually parted, she added. “But I love you even more, Arakiel.”
“I can see that… but what about the food, won’t it grow cold?”
“Shut up you idiot!” Aurora returned irritated. “This isn’t about the food!”
“But you put so much effort into making it.” He returned, which was true. She was very proud of her work and it flattered her immensely that he thought of that aspect and not the food itself.
He always had this way of distracting her with subtle flattery and it worked every single time. It did this time, too. “Fine, the food then. But I’ll feed you.” She stated matter-of-factly, brooking no excuses on that subject.
She could never quite stay mad at him for long, even when he irritated her with his antics. He knew that she loved him more than anything else in the world, knew that she had sworn to serve him to the best of her abilities – but still he set out alone – often for weeks – as to not put her in danger.
It was highly unusual behavior. Even Lord Lyktos took Lady Chryse and his favorite argents with him whenever they set out on a long planeswalk. They had been gone for three-quarters of a year at this point – the planeswalk to make the final push in having Lyktos and another member of their party become level 20.
Only complete idiots would try to attack, never mind harm aureas, argents or even aes. Even if for some ridiculous reason one had no further desire in adding more to one’s collection, they could be ransomed to family members or sold to the Slavers’ Guild, the most influential commoners’ organization. They had an abundance of planeswalkers in their employ while weak – but wealthy – commoners could get a taste of a planeswalkers’ amenities.
It basically boiled down to there being no danger to her at all, but he wouldn’t have it. Sometimes, she doubted whether he loved her since it appeared as though he didn’t want to be near to her, but then he always came up with something new to recapture her heart all over again, with his latest stroke of genius revolving around a very special piece of jewelry.
The thin golden ring with a tiny, embedded alexandrite had been enchanted to not only never leave her finger again, but to also act as a beacon for his skills. Now, he could teleport to her from any place from across the planes – or so he claimed. This way, he could always come to visit if he had some free time during his missions, whatever they had been.
She hadn’t been able to test it yet, but it sounded quite lovely even if she wanted to accompany him. By now, the Alexandrite Keep and it’s accompanying district were too small a world to contain her. Or it would, if he was with her. Aurora certainly wouldn’t venture beyond the House’s influence all by herself. She’d be snatched up by a rival House quicker than she could call for help.
Lately, a new novel had been all about this ‘shadow war’ that happened in the Eternal Cities, tying it to the multitude of raids that had seen many scions – male and female – abducted alongside their parents’ aureans or argents. Some of them were later seen in rival family’s holdings – or so the parchments claimed.
Officially, such conduct was denied and kind of looked down upon, yet there had been one case that had gone public, and the public’s reaction hadn’t been one of outrage, but of fervent interest in the conflict that had seen two minor cadet branches, one of House Diamond and the other of House Onyx, more or less fall from grace since they used up all their resources in an escalating spiral of conflict.
Every other faction had kept their hands clean but the parchments had then claimed that a few unnamed individuals had seized the opportunity and hired foreign planeswalkers to act as mercenaries. It probably related to the fact that most of these branches’ members had ended up in the possession of foreign planeswalkers, who had then used the reputation as a stepping stone to become hired in Selenya which was growing more antagonistic towards Kalanaar by the day.
Aurora had been guilty of that as well – she had followed the stories unfold with bated breath… and had been extremely disappointed when the side she rooted for had fallen.
But this was also Arakiel’s fault. She wouldn’t be bored so much if he just took her along.
It was not like anyone needed to keep the house clean, given that only the two of them lived inside it. Her education on an aurea’s duty had long since concluded and she could refine her dancing and musical skills on the go.
What he didn’t know was that these tunes in the soundeater… they had been her recordings from her lessons and they alluded to a side he had not yet seen of her.
Lady Chryse had recommended her to an aureus maestro who had stated in no uncertain terms that Aurora was a highly-talented natural, she had just lacked proper guidance – guidance the old man had provided for a sizable fee.
It had been worth it, though. In just under a year, she had learned what others might pick up in ten. It had felt a bit like awakening from a long, drowsy slumber. It didn’t feel like she learned things when it came to discretion and cadence, it felt as though she remembered them, like they had always been there… just buried under years of emotional abstinence, of emotional stillness.
When Arakiel’s rescue had saved her from wilting away, her rediscovery of song and dance had caused her to truly blossom into something special. She could only assume that the abbess’s scars had run much deeper given how hard Aurora had found it to gain access to the cadence and the rhythm. And then, Marianka’s death had only worsened it but now… now she felt free and unrestricted.
And the fact that her loved one was yet oblivious to this side of her filled her with gleeful anticipation.
How would he react?
She’d find out very soon.
After lunch, Aurora led him into the living room that had been entirely redecorated as to not cause bad memories to arise. It had been one of the first things she had quite literally payed the way for after having taken control of the household and nowadays, the light-flooded room with the armchairs, the rows upon rows of bookshelves and the low table alongside many other smaller decorations was more a library or reading chamber… for that was what Aurora usually did here.
She had him sit down in the wide, heavily cushioned armchair and told him to close his eyes so that he might relax in order to appreciate what she was about to show him. She promised it to be something very special indeed.
After ensuring that he did just that, Aurora pulled out the old maestro’s violin from underneath the blanketed, low table. The dark wooden instrument created by an ascendant – a Nature Constructor plus Musician – had been tailored to her measurements on behalf of the old maestro.
It’s shape was elegant and regal, the four strings woven from the finest phoenix hair and two semi-permanent arrays had been carved into the corpus whose fine, wavy patterns were mesmerizing to behold. The enchantments would see the sound ring true and keep the instrument from harm.
The bow had been fashioned from the same wood, only that it held a few subtle golden ornaments to compliment Aurora while its strings were still phoenix hair, but of a slightly different make. She didn’t know the specifics, only that the instrument would last as eternally as the immortals that had helped to build it – if she treated it with the respect it deserved.
The violin was very light and easy to handle and she routinely set it in place, reminding her champion to just sit down and relax after such a hefty meal.
And then, she began to recall the melody she wanted to play before her inner mind. It appeared pretty much right away and her hands and body began to move on their own. Aurora had string meet string in the softest manner possible at first, but as the melody she wove grew in intensity, so did she.
She lost herself in the rhythm, in the melody and in the movement. In it, she poured all her love of Arakiel il Kalanaar, the Traveler that had saved her life and had rescued her from a fate that would’ve been worse than death, a fate without music, without desire, without delight, without anger and sorrow – she was all these things and each one complimented the other in some way, lessening or strengthening it.
A life without emotions was no life at all and she spat on the abbess and everyone that supported these kinds of institutions.
She spat on her elder sister that had doomed her to such a fate, too – just for good measure.
But with Arakiel, she found the anchor that she could revolve and orbit around – she could hate him, cry over him, love him, desire him… delight in his antics and his ways – he let her experience everything that life had to offer and for this, she would serve him eternally for there was none equal, none comparable.
And when she eventually opened her eyes as she lightly moved about in the living room where Marianka had died, she saw him staring at her dumbfounded, mesmerized, enchanted… and from that, he developed want, desire… obsession – and she’d welcome it all for none was worthier of her than he, her Master and Champion Arakiel.
By the time she finished, he was shedding tears without noticing and as she approached him while teasingly slipping off a part of her dress, she saw him briefly for what he was, for she had broken through his defenses, had managed to peek behind his facade. There, she saw a man who desired and hated her in equal measure, a man bound by honor while his past weighed him down. A man who loved her and hated the fact that he hated her, but he had found a way to change it – warp it into possessive desire… a desire he constantly tried to suppress for honor wouldn’t allow it.
But more than anything, a shadow weighed on him and to Aurora, it was perfectly obvious as to what that shadow alluded to. On some of the other things, she felt puzzled as to why he thought this way, but she cared not.
There were many stories like this, she had read them a hundredfold at this point – and the message had been the same in all of them. No matter how much one hated or despised, it could always be turned into a source of something new. Power, satisfaction, forgiveness, all but facets, possibilities – and these could then evolve further.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Time was omnipotent, able to grind down anything in order to make way for something new – in this regard, nothing was eternal, not even the immortals, who also experienced emotions and changed accordingly. Sophie had despised Lyktos at first, but now she found the love of her life whom she had gifted two loving daughters.
It had been the same with Mari and Arakiel… and it’d be the same with Aurora and Arakiel.
She leaned forward and then partially crawled onto the armchair, atop him, her eyes staring right into his.
The heartbeat quickened, the blood ran hot, the desire palpable.
A spark ignited.
She was nervous, flustered, but also committed. Today, she would not hold back.
Today, she’d release him from his agony.
She’d become to fire to burn the weights that held him down, that kept him in the shadows.
And through it, she’d become his dawn.
A flame that brought light only to him.
* * *
Arakiel felt spellbound, mesmerized, entranced… taken in. Aurora’s performance had moved him at his very core for he had been completely unguarded against it, hadn’t even realized just how good a musician she had become. He had thought that she stopped pursuing the arts… the opposite seemed to have been the case.
And now, she was so very, very close – smelled so incredibly delectable. A tasty treat he had long since wanted to dig in, the urge growing stronger with every single day they spent together.
The seraphim had grown so disgustingly beautiful he found it almost impossible to not leer every time. Had he not turned to drugs, he might’ve gone crazy from the want, the lust that her very existence evoked because she was his… his alone.
But now she was close, far too close – and he was slipping.
It would be so easy and he had no doubt that it’d feel incredible for both of them, but not yet… not yet. His mind protested at his body, but the blood rushed where it was needed and it wasn’t his head.
Too close… he could feel her breath, take in this vanilla scent that remained utterly pure since she had no odor of her own.
He felt hot, disturbed, agitated – and she was running hot as well, her breathing having gone off the charts. She needed it as her body had trouble radiating heat with no glands to call upon.
Constrained, constricted.
Damn it, he had trouble focusing.
Too close. Almost there.
Just a bit more, and he’d fall off the cliff.
And with it, ten years of planning.
No.
No, it couldn’t be.
Not yet, not when tomorrow was so close.
Her golden eyes glistened with promise, a promise to finally release him.
He wanted to so bad.
Scattered wisps of golden hair lined her immaculate countenance and he was tempted to close his eyes and kiss her. But if that happened, it was over… he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself anymore.
“Arakiel…” she whispered in a low, seductive voice, pouring oil onto his fire and it flared up. He needed something to hit him real hard right now, but his body felt entranced still.
He couldn’t really move.
Bad, very bad.
Just a smidgen more and…
But then, all of a sudden, her eyes widened as her skin began to catch fire… golden fire that appeared to come from inside her.
Aurora let out an aroused moan that was then immediately followed by sounds of pain.
It all happened so very fast.
From one moment to another, she burst into golden flames that began to singe her dress while her body began to cramp as she collapsed. Pained groans immediately followed as her entire frame began to arch up.
He caught her immediately, uncaring for the burns that her flame inflicted upon him. It hurt, but his pain was meaningless in light of the situation.
Arakiel grabbed Aurora whose clothes were turning to ash. He pulled her close, whispering words of comfort. “Aurora, all is well… I am here.”
At the same time, he tried to stop her body from threshing about as she was panicking, her eyes widened in shock as her body convulsed at the changes that were bound to follow now.
Too early. One day too early.
Damn it!
Arakiel tried to soothe her with words while his body became an anchor to claw into.
Meanwhile, he quickly located the beacon before his mind and as soon as he found the one at the Emerald District, he tore open the rift.
With the nude, convulsing and burning seraphim close in hand, he charged into the rift, uncaring for the fact that she set him and his clothes alight.
He ran through the tunnels towards the variety and when the time came to ascend the air duct, he pictured the variety in front of his inner mind and blinked there without hesitation.
Either he’d die now, or they’d both arrive where they needed to be.
The next moment, he found himself midair in a dimly lit room where low classical music was being played – and then he fell ungraciously backwards onto the edge of a table. The dull ache made him wince, but he cried out nonetheless. “Shemyaza!”
Then, he tumbled onto the floor, taking the brunt of the fall for Aurora who only whimpered in pain, unable to form any coherent words. She was still ablaze, still singing his flesh but he cared not.
He heard an agitated voice from above. “Husband’s balls Arakiel!” It yelled, coming closer. “You bloody idiot!”
He found it increasingly hard to hold onto Aurora, but he assumed that the moment that he let go, she’d panic to the point where there would be no turning back. Arakiel could only stall her awakening a little bit… but he had to, he just had to.
“Shem, we gotta do the solution!” He cried out urgently. There was only golden fire and the trembling, whimpering body in his arms and her soft, strained moans of pain pierced his very heart. He wanted to help her so badly, make it stop somehow.
No matter her nature, he did not wish for Aurora to be in pain. He had made a promise!
“You were supposed to bring her here tomorrow, you fool!” Shemyaza meanwhile yelled in a frustrated tone, even glossing over the fact he addressed her wrongly.
Finally, she entered his field of view and judging by her expression, she seemed livid.
“Well, she awoke today because your damned medicine didn’t work in the slightest!” Arakiel accused, asking in a strained and pained voice. “Can we reach Ezekiel? I don’t know how much longer I can stall her.”
“Right, right. Let’s cool down.” Shemyaza began as she nervously eyed him and the seraphim in his arms while biting her own lower lip.
“Its kinda hard to cool down when I’m literally on fire Shem, do something!” Arakiel felt the need to point out in a tight-lipped manner. He ground his teeth to divert his attention, but Aurora’s fire began to burn even hotter and thus, so did his skin that would soon begin to peel off.
“You seem fine to me,” Shemyaza argued but she thankfully added something tangible as well, something he could cling to. “Just keep her suspended for a while… I’ll… I’ll call Ezekiel and the other.”
“Hurry!” Arakiel urged while Aurora clawed into him freely, her burning nails digging deep into him. He couldn’t fault her for it, but it hurt.
He tried to steady his breathing, to somehow divert his attention away from the ache. Shem had left his field of view and so he slowly tried to move about in order to get a better grasp of the situation, but the burning seraphim in his arms made things exceedingly difficult.
He also found it hard to focus on anything else – what was he even supposed to do now?
From the corner of his eyes, through flickering golden flames, he noticed a large array on the ground in the shape of a symmetrical four-pointed star, a tetragram. It was fairly large and had been formed from ground godgold. Shem had further added a series of impossibly-complex looking runes on the inner edges of the array and although it was hard to make out, it did seem as though every single rune was unique – and there were hundreds.
He could only hope that the preparations for their grand solution were done already. No way they had time until tomorrow.
Shemyaza had vanished into the back of the variety’s room when Arakiel suddenly heard a male voice speak up, coming from somewhere behind the tables. It could only be one person.
“You vile mongrels…” A young man’s voice growled. “How dare you toy with one of my sisters!?”
Arakiel didn’t know why and he really should be trying to save his strength, but he still felt the need to put the immortal in place. “There’s no familial relationship between you seraphim, so stop acting so close!”
“What would a lowly mongrel know about us divine beings!? Once I get out of here, I will make all of you pay. I’ll flay your skin…”
“My skin’s already coming off, seraphim…” Arakiel spat out full of disgust. “’fraid you’re too late for that.”
“Don’t mock me, mongrel!” The man seethed with unbridled anger, but he actually helped Arakiel focus on something else, no matter how briefly. He doubted that Aurora caught wind of anything given the way she clung to him. “You’re the delusional one, aren’t you? The ‘little archon’!” Helios went on to taunt, adding with dripping venom. “My father mistakenly allied himself with that runt and his band of misfits… I won’t be making the same mistake.”
“Funny, because the Transcended is eternal while your ‘immortal’ father lies dead – who’s had the last laugh!?” Arakiel returned, challenged as he slowly made his way over towards the tetragram. The annoyance and irritation helped, for now. He needed something to lean against and that fallen-over table with the black varnish looked kind of inviting.
Just a little more.
It smelled of burned flesh at this point and he kind of dreaded looking down. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight, but if this idiot kept talking, he could endure a little longer.
He just hoped that Ezekiel and Selene were somewhere in Kalanaar already.
“I will kill you little mongrel! And then I will breed your daughters, your sisters and your mother over and over until we seraphim are once again restored to our rightful place!” Helios seethed and vowed.
Arakiel let out a loud laugh, a mixture of anguish and amusement. “I’d love to see you try, you little withered, shriveled stick of meat. My sisters would feed you your manhood and you’d thank them for it! And my mother… she’d erase your existence for the mere thought!”
Only his youngest sister Mellia had shown no promise on becoming a combatant planeswalker, but her statline had made her something even more frightening. Just last year, on her fourteenth birthday, she had become an ascendant, a Nature-Astral Enchantress, House Alexandrite’s first. Soon, people would line up with shards and vast amounts of naara to receive her blessing and she’d deny nearly all of them, for the Lady Alexandrite would personally ensure that her talents were only used on very specific people… loyal people that showed promise.
Arakiel hoped to be among them when the time came.
“Just keep on underestimating me – these wards may bind me… but they will fall eventually and then you will feel my wrath!” Helios kept on spouting and he and Arakiel began to insult one another.
In that time, he reached the table and managed to lean against it while his skin began to peel off and his attire was well on its way to turn into glimmering ash, which was also very, very painful.
He had been wounded often during his burglaries, his messenger activities and all other missions he had carried out, but this here might be the worst pain he had ever felt.
Burning alive wasn’t pretty and he could only assume that his Traveler Class mitigated some of the damage.
Despite this, he could not let go of Aurora. He felt her body’s insides shifting and it wouldn’t be too long now – for her or for him.
If she awoke in full before the covenant began, he would die. If he stalled her long enough, then he would live. Only the second option was acceptable.
Eventually, a new male voice joined in, shouting
“You complete moron, Arakiel!” Ezekiel’s deep, sharp voice accused right away. “You can’t even do something as simple as playing babysitter for a feeble girl with no skills whatsoever!”
By now, Arakiel only saw flames and he had to close his eyes lest they vaporize. They might’ve already done so, but he didn’t want to focus too much of his remaining thought onto it. His sense of smell had more or less vanished at this point and he couldn’t feel Aurora anymore.
“Damn, you look awful,” Ezekiel then added, saying. “You are alive still, right?”
Arakiel lightly turned his head to indicate an affirmation, but he would not be able to form a response.
“Serves him right,” a cold female voice added and snorted haughtily. “I hope you turn into a similarly beautiful torch… Master.”
“Sister, free me and let us wreak righteous vengeance upon these mongrels!” Helios chimed in indignantly.
“Who are you to address me so casually?!” The cold voice asked with irritation.
Araziel wanted to see them, but there were only flames and pain.
“Ladies and gentlemen, SHUT UP!” Shemyaza’s voice boomed over everyone else. “Due to unforeseen consequences, we will be enacting ‘the solution’ one day ahead of schedule. Thankfully, I am ever dutiful and prepared for this occasion.”
Arakiel assumed it to be a lie.
“The solution?” The female cold voice queried. “What nonsense is this? I wasn’t abducted by political activists but by lunatics? Oh mother help me…”
“Shut up,” Ezekiel’s voice sharply ordered.
“Of course… Master.” The female voice replied reluctantly, but there was a trace of submission in it.
“Ezekiel – you and your chosen go into the north, Arakiel and his chosen will head over into the east. I’ll take care of south and…”
“And…?” Ezekiel noted and Arakiel tried his best to listen. Shemyaza had claimed to not only have found a fourth candidate, but also the accompanying seraphim… yet she seemed intent on starting now.
“Well…” Shemyaza’s voice sounded irritated and then turned furios. “I couldn’t reach the other idiot and his seraphim. It can’t be helped, we need to do it with three.”
“Three?” Ezekiel returned doubtfully. “There’s four stars on this ritual circle… and we’re doing with three? Won’t that… backfire?”
“Don’t bother with it… it’ll work. I told you, I prepared for this.”
“Yes but with four people – it’s why we’ve been waiting all this time.”
“It can’t be helped. Arakiel over there is about to become an actual living torch and his seraphim will awaken any moment.”
“Awaken?” The cold female voice asked. “What kind of awaken?”
“Shut. Up.” Ezekiel warned coldly.
“Yes, Master.” Selene returned submissively, managing to sound haughty still.
“Ezekiel dear, help me move our immovable bonfire, will you?” Shemyaza stated, adding. “And be careful. The seraphim girl is in the golden fire and if she drops off of him, it’ll be bad. So be careful.”
“Is he actually suppressing her?” Ezekiel asked.
“I can only assume,” Shem returned and Arakiel didn’t know what to think.
Thinking was hard when one was in constant pain. Listening was easy, though. It was the only sense that was more or less intact.
“Alright, put him down here, like this.” Shemyaza said, being very close to him right now.
It was funny, for Arakiel hadn’t even realized that he had been moved.
“Good, gently… gently!” Shem warned.
“I don’t he can feel anything anymore, Shemyaza.” Ezekiel returned with a chuckle. “But I think he’s still alive… not that it’d be a shame if was gone.”
“Will you behave yourself already, Ezekiel!?” Shemyaza complained.
“This cripple is not capable of subtlety.” The haughty female voice stated matter-of-factly.
“If you say that one more time, I will cripple you.” Ezekiel shot back.
“You have threatened me for two years, cripple – and you have never harmed me.” Selene pointed out.
Ezekiel snorted and replied darkly. “Because I needed you for today. Once that is over… I can do whatever I want with you.”
“You wouldn’t…!” The cold voice spoke, sounding a little afraid all of a sudden.
“Will you STOP BICKERING!?” Shemyaza cried out loudly, so loud that Arakiel could actually clearly hear it. For the others, he more or less needed to guess at this point.
It was kind of funny, as he really couldn’t feel anything anymore. Maybe his body was already gone? How would the union work, then? Would he become a disembodied spirit?
“Sayeth the bitch,” Helios then chimed in with spite dripping in his voice. “You’ve been bickering for the past ten years.”
The male seraphim imitated a high-pitched voice. “Oh, is this a wrinkle? Why do I, the Illustrious wife of the Transcended have wrinkles? Oh and what are these aches? And…”
“I will kill you.” Shemyaza stated matter-of-factly, leaving no doubt about it.
“You will do no such thing, Yaza. We need him for the solution!” Ezekiel warned, his voice alarmed.
“Screw the solution I’ll strangle this dickless whoreson right now!” Shem returned, her voice having gone away.
“Shem! Calm down! Time is of the essence.” Ezekiel then said, adding. “Arakiel is dying. We need to hurry!”
To think that Ezekiel would ever say something sensible. It defied the senses that Arakiel lacked at this point. It became hard to distinguish the sounds.
“That’s Shemyaza li Azazel to you, dimwit! But fine, help me bring him in.”
“Unhand me you mongrels, I will…!”
“You will come along like the little puppy you are!”
“Never…!”
“Should I?”
“Stop, Stop!”
“There, good.”
“A bit further… good. Stop.”
“Now go over there.”
“What will you do to me?”
“Come here and be quiet.”
“Yes, Master.”
Arakiel lost consciousness.
* * *