Arakiel felt raw golden soulfire surging through his entire body, more than he had ever felt or even imagined.
Even more so, he sensed an intricate connection to the winged girl in his arms whose golden irises gleamed with a halo of the same color. Her very soul shone softly, gently inside her chest, right where her heart lay.
And yet, his eyes focused mainly onto the two immortal females that watched his every move with a certain wariness. Their silhouettes burned in soft pink flame while all around them, snow had begun to break into the magical Site that had been his prison for the past days.
But he did not waste thoughts on that just yet, for his immediate attention was on them and on this almost staggering amount of power that filled him to the brim and beyond. It practically spilled out of him, wreathing him in a truly flaring aura of gilded flames.
The immortals that wore Nyanna’s and Alannah’s bodies hadn’t made a move yet, but it was just a matter of time.
Both were ready to strike, yet their hesitation allowed his mind and body to adapt to this new kind of wearing Aurora’s aspect, for even his body felt so much more potent than it should be – almost as though active and passive state had merged into one.
“Seelie!” He called out angrily to them while he pulled his seraphim a little closer. Then he declared what he should’ve done right from the get-go, but whatever trickery the immortal had played on him prevented it. “You toyed with us long enough!”
He channeled his rage onto them, especially onto the seelie that had taken Nyanna’s name and body.
There was a lot of humiliation he had to pay back – a lot and more.
“Look, sister.” One of the two immortals – the one that called herself Alanna – answered and although she giggled lightly, he could tell that her body was coiled and ready to go at the first notice. “The Ascendant suddenly thinks he’s invincible.”
“Careful, my love,” Aurora, wearing a dress of splendorous golden light, warned in a low voice, one that resonated so sweetly in his mind. “My power is temporary and limited… use it wisely.”
He had failed her so badly – he needed to make up for it.
Arakiel needed to make up for so many things.
But for now, focus.
“Arakiel,” Nyanna spoke up in a careful tone, not quite sharing her sister’s arrogance, but her dismissive cruelty was just the same. “You may yet salvage this. Allow me to bind you once more and I’ll let it slide!”
He sneered. “So that you can further research me, research us!?”
The seelie smiled. “Of course. I even considered turning you into a permanent servant… you and that little golden one have lots of potential.”
“Your audacity is staggering!” Arakiel responded furiously and when his eyes fell onto the little mark that still marked Nyanna’s flesh, he chuckled darkly before his expression hardened. “You will pay for killing my maidservant-in-training, seelie!”
“I am Nyanna!” The seelie returned, sounding almost frustrated. “She was a fragment of me just like all my other kin!”
“She was a person like any other!” Arakiel yelled back, pointed out. He spit on the ground to show his contempt. “And the fact that you are unable to comprehend this shows your rotten nature, immortal!”
“What are we even talking about, Anna-dear? Let’s just subdue him and be done with it!?” The seelie Alanna called out in an annoyed manner. The other immortal, however, gave her a small sign as if to wait just a little longer.
“No, he’s too valuable. What if we damage his manhood or lessen his virility? Nyanna asked in what might be genuine worry. It only caused Arakiel to gnash his teeth while his fist tightened.
“Do you really want him to be your Knight?” Alanna queried, causing her seelie sister to jab an elbow at her.
“Don’t lie to me, you’re contemplating the very same with the other man!” Nyanna cried out indignantly and for some reason, she blushed.
Arakiel couldn’t believe his eyes or ears. These damned immortals…
“Well of course! His bloodline is excellent.”
“And so is his! I daresay its even better… think of the power I could absorb!” Nyanna tried to impart, yet her seelie sister tried to objected vehemently.
“But…!”
“My love… don’t be deceived,” Aurora whispered in warning. “These two may bicker, but their bond is even more intricate and firm than ours.”
“I am aware,” he responded quietly while a small part of his mind scoured his recollections. It hurt, remembering himself as a stupefied oaf. “I think.”
Realizing the futility, he stopped this particular action and instead began to form a variety of sigils behind his back – out of the seelies’ sight.
He called upon a range of buffs from anti-magic over swiftness and fate-twisting all the way up to body flaring and although his hands remained visible to the seelie, he still felt the sigils taking effect.
The only explanation he could come up with was that Aurora could now trigger them for him as he kept feeling her hand patting him onto the back. Even more, he was almost willing to bet that it actually affected her partially as well, for the link between their souls was truly special – a one of a kind connection that tied her to him.
Meanwhile, the two immortals argued about things that only made him more furious and when he had given himself every alteration that he could think of, he created an air evocation that should propel him forward while letting go of Aurora.
The next moment, he felt a powerful gust of wind propelling him forward and he dashed into a sprint right at the seelie who needed just a brief moment to react.
“I’ll hold him!” Nyanna shouted as about six different sigils appeared around her in far-too-quick a succession.
Each dissolved into a different effect, some of which might be defensive, but his instincts made him propel himself into the air to dodge what might be interpreted as sliced wind while two emerald vines lunged forth to get him.
It was nothing a quick fire evocation couldn’t handle and with a casual sweep of a golden rune, his golden flames turned the vines to ash. Some of the fire reached the meadow beneath, yet they were too feeble to put the soggy blades of grass aflame.
Over there, one of the seelie hurried towards the cottage which was just a short distance away while a slight rose-colored membrane of water had begun to surround Nyanna who sent all kinds of projectiles his way, ranging from little shots of air over vines and jets of water mixed to a few darts of jagged ice.
Given his current position mid-air, he could do nothing but flare up to stop the incoming threats until he landed, but he hadn't expected the immortal to cast so many evocations in such a short span of time. The seelie’s spell casting was truly on another level entirely and although her spells were fairly weak, he wasn’t exactly armored given that he was naked.
Arakiel had foiled around a dozen evocations through sheer brute force alone by the time he landed again and internally, he was practically begging Aurora to accelerate his time as he still couldn’t do it by himself.
Alas, nothing of the sort came until he realized that he had taken her all in the ritual… and he didn’t know how to send it to her.
“Take your soul!” He called out while bursting into another sprint and this time, he felt even faster than before given his momentum.
But Nyanna not only grew a wall of intertwined thorny vines to block his path, she also rapidly moved away from him while aiming her attacks at Aurora.
“You coward! Leave her out of this fight!” Arakiel roared as he sent small waves of fire to foil her attacks since he hadn’t yet mastered any precise techniques for this kind of battle. And although it appeared small to him, the wide golden arcs he sent out still ignited everything along their path.
He might brim with power, but he could only use it in the most blunt of ways as he hadn’t come up with any refined sigils yet. It vexed him, but was unable to change it for now.
Alanna’s actions further worried Arakiel, but he had no way of chasing after her as long as Nyanna aimed at Aurora, so instead he opted for the big approach.
If he could only do a raw, blunt approach – he might as well go all out.
Arakiel burned it all down, spreading large amounts of golden fire as a way to not only purge Nyanna’s attacks, but to force her on the retreat.
Given how much soul Aurora had gathered for him, he could keep this up for hours and he noticed a nascent emotion blooming inside of him.
No, that wasn’t quite true. He had felt something similar when he forced Nyanna to bow down to his will.
Was this how it felt to be truly powerful – to stand above lesser men and beings?
Because he sure liked it.
“You’re destroying the Site!” Nyanna eventually cried out as his truly staggeringly massive conflagration covered a greater part of the central tree. Its venerable bark ignited and soon enough, it’d fuel the greatest golden fire he had ever created. His flames ignited everything in its wake, be it meadow, tree, insect or vine… anything that could harm Aurora or help Nyanna.
“Then stop aiming for a noncombatant you coward!” Arakiel returned indignantly. The audacity of this seelie vexed him to no end.
But there was also a feeling of dismay since he couldn’t catch up to the immortal.
The fact that she could control three paths just like him slightly lessened his irritation. Air, water and nature – an immortal with three paths was very rare from what he recalled. Exceedingly so.
That he should run into her here on some random minor plane… it was just like she had claimed. It had to be some kind of fate.
“Fine, I’ll stop! Just stop burning down everything!” Nyanna called out and indeed, her next attack went towards him and he responded in kind, narrowing the scope of his counter accordingly.
She stalled him, he knew that – but he couldn’t trust her words.
“Stop running!” Arakiel yelled as he sent out a shot of air towards her as well. He had tried to mimic her spell by using the concept of ‘projectile’ with ‘air’ and ‘compression’ on the fly.
“When you stop chasing me!” Nyanna retorted just before the jet of air hit her watery membrane, which absorbed most of the impact.
He had succeeded, apparently.
When Arakiel sent two more shots of air, the seelie realized that he had adapted so instead, she suddenly stopped and turned around, sliding halfway over the ground while she spread her arms wide, emerald eyes locked onto his.
Over a dozen pink fiery sigils appeared all around her only to dissolve in an instant, causing an entire barrage of elemental and sorcerous spells to hurry his way. Not all were evocations – he felt some invisible ones crashing against his body and mind yet his magic resistance negated them appropriately.
Arakiel spread a massive arc of fire and boosted it with air, causing another conflagration of gold to deal with most of it.
Behind the wall, he heard a curse.
“Surrender and I will not kill you!” Arakiel cried out, fairly sure that he would do no such thing. Not only would it allow her to escape, but the longer he fought this immortal, the more he wanted to dominate the seelie, pay her back in kind for all the humiliation she had dealt to him.
“Right back to you! Your seed is mine!” Nyanna talked back and while her voice came around the wall’s left side, her silhouette suddenly appeared on the right and if he hadn’t intended to just follow up with another sweeping wave of fire, then she would’ve succeeded with her sneak attack.
Their fight continued for another minute until his time suddenly accelerated and from the corner of his eye, he saw Aurora ablaze in golden fire, her eyes giving him a acknowledging nod.
His moment having come, Arakiel charged at Nyanna at full speed and although the seelie saw him, she decided that she couldn’t outrun him and instead covered her body in as many layers of protection as she could muster.
Water, ice mist, bark, soil – he burned it all away with his punches even though it took time; time he most likely didn’t have.
But this temporal boost lasted longer than all the others he had ever experienced thus far. It was enough to land one solid punch in Nyanna’s gut because he most definitely wouldn’t allow this immortal to just possess another one of her vessels.
He gave the seelie a headbutt right as his time decelerated, causing a momentary lapse in his mind while she stumbled backwards in a daze.
It was then that Alanna’s voice suddenly resounded from the side, addressed right at him.
“Get away from my twin or I will kill your sister!” The immortal yelled, threatened and he froze in an instant, his face turning to the side.
He spotted Mellia and the seelie holding a knife to her neck right away and from one moment to another, he became deathly afraid.
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Next to them, Arakiel spotted Ezekiel holding his nude silver seraphim in an iron grip. Her eyes looked over towards him pleadingly while his partner-in-crime looked him over with hostility.
“You are pathetic!” Arakiel roared, but he didn’t make another move, too great his fear that the immortal would go through with her threat.
He had seen how easily they disregarded any life – and whatever happened, he could not allow his little sister to get harmed or worse, die.
“Seraphim! Go over to your Ascendant and show me your hands! If you try something… anything, I will kill her!” Alanna warned further and Arakiel raised his hands to signal cooperation while his mind tried to look for anything that could help him.
Mellia was still charmed and as such, she would offer no resistance to her potential murderer. Worse, the way she smiled at him only made it more infuriating. Like a gut-punch that he had no way of defending against.
Damn it!
“Coward!” Arakiel accused rightfully, trying to vent his anger in some fashion. Yet the seelie didn’t care for his insults and why should she – they were empty.
To the side, Nyanna covered most of her bloodied nose while her eyes glared daggers at him. “You hurt me!” She deplored with disbelief and anger before she then turned over towards her sister. Her voice turned grateful. “Thank you, Anna-dear!”
Aurora hurried to his side while also having raised her arms. He briefly glanced at her and she gave him an encouraging smile that tried to overplay her worry, but it wasn’t looking good.
Curses.
In front of the cottage, the seelie Nyanna began to heal her face while the sister stared straight at him, shouting. “You will allow yourself to be subdued once more or I’ll end her…!”
“I will do no such thing and if you harm her, I will kill you and all your vessels and if its the last thing I’ll do!” Arakiel threatened back and he meant it.
“I’m serious!” Alanna returned in a similarly serious tone, bringing the knife even closer to Mellia’s neck.
Arakiel tensed up internally, but he would not let it show. As soon as he signaled these immortals any kind of weakness, they’d exploit it… and he would not fall for it again.
He owed it to Aurora, to himself.
“And I’m quite serious as well!” He shouted back, trying to overplay his worry with anger. If something happened to Mellia… he didn’t know how he would take it.
But nonetheless, he had to remain steadfast.
For a moment, the immortal and Arakiel stared at once another, with neither intending to give any quarter – and none they gave until Aurora spoke up, asking.
“What do you want, seelies?”
“I want your Ascendant to crawl back and beg my sister for forgiveness, spawn of the Great Betrayer!” Alanna demanded in a serious tone, It held neither mockery nor deceit.
By that time, Nyanna had recovered enough to speak her mind as well. Her nose still bled, but her rose-colored eyes looked over Arakiel with something in between respect, fear and desire. “Wait, Alanna… let’s talk first,” she suggested loud enough for him to hear it.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of him, Anna-dear?”
“I’m not!” Nyanna protested loudly, yet she rubbed her cheek nonetheless. Arakiel hoped she did so subconsciously. He wanted her to be afraid of him, this damned immortal. He’d teach her fear and humility!
“But look around… our beautiful Site is burning and if we don’t do something soon, the entire Seelenforst will be endangered!”
Her words caused the other seelie to briefly look around and although Arakiel couldn’t see most of it, he heard the clearing around him burn, most notably the large central tree behind him.
There was a slight wind that pushed the fire southward, away from the cottage – but it’d help the flames find new cinder for a while.
Given her words, he suspected that the Seelenforst was the magical nature Site they were in right now, not the entire forest itself. After all, his flames had little chance to burn down a snow-covered forest.
To his surprise, Alanna lowered the knife just a smidgen… it was barely noticeable, but it was there.
“I am willing to negotiate, if you stop to threaten Mellia’s life!” Arakiel nudged carefully, his mind having found no solution to the problem at hand.
Whatever he did, he would be too slow even if he blinked. The immortals’ reactions were too fast.
“Why should we negotiate with you!?” The other seelie shot back, but Nyanna turned to her sister and then whispered something that he couldn’t quite make out.
Whatever she had said, Alanna lowered her knife even more while turning towards Arakiel once again. She hinted over towards a part where his golden flames had already burnt everything down. “Stand over there while Nyanna puts out your fire. Once the immediate danger is dealt with… we can negotiate.”
“You’re getting everything from that exchange while I get nothing,” Arakiel pointed out and then hinted towards the silver seraphim. “Give me Selene.”
“How dare you little…!” Alanna barked but once again, Nyanna whispered something which he couldn’t make out. It seemed to irritate her, but she nonetheless suggested that Ezekiel let go of his seraphim.
The Selenyean princess scrambled up and forward as soon as her master let go of her. She hurried over towards him, her gaze portraying a mixture of wariness, surprise and frustration.
“There, now go over there and keep your hands where I can see them!” Alanna bid and Arakiel kept his hands raised as he walked over towards the ashen soil while around him, the golden fire spread at a glorious rate.
Once Selene arrived, she spoke up in a low voice at the same time as Aurora. Both ended up saying the same.
“They’re playing for time.”
Selene looked over towards Aurora who spoke on quietly. “They suspect that your power is temporary, my Monarch-to-be. We need to create a binding agreement while they still perceive you as equal.”
“How long do you think it’ll last… my love?” Arakiel asked quietly and although his main focus still lay on Mellia and Alanna, his beautiful seraphim partially walked into his field of view. Gold and white – the perfect combination.
Even in this situation, the sight of her eased him just a little.
She lightly tilted her head. “I suspect until nightfall. The sun’s light was generous, but only because of today’s occasion.”
Meanwhile, Nyanna began to spread copious amounts of water everywhere, tapping both pond, stream and her own soul to quench the flames.
Selene spoke up, asking him directly. “Lord Arakiel, Is there any way to free my Master from this vile spell?”
It was the first time she addressed him properly. “I don’t think I can just purge the spell in him like Aurora cleansed mine – at least not without seriously hurting him. Until we free Mellia, it’s all moot, though.”
“Why? She’s just some kin is she not?”
A flash of rage hushed across his face, but he knew that she didn’t know better. “She’s not just any kin; she’s my little sister and I’m honor-bound to protect her life and honor.” Arakiel returned at which point the seelie spoke up once more, shouting his way.
“Here is my offer to you. You will all serve us until the second month of this year is over. Then, we will be on our way and all of you may go.” Alanna proposed ‘most generously’.
“I’d be at your mercy all the time!” Arakiel answered, shaking his head. “That is unacceptable.”
“I won’t trust you unless I burrow into your mind, Ascendant!” The seelie declared and she’d be a fool to do so otherwise.
The two kept arguing back and forth with neither side making a satisfactory answer until Nyanna returned from having put out every single fire around the glade, even if Arakiel had truly wreaked quite some havoc on it. It filled him with some satisfaction for he knew that it affected the seelie.
Around him, some of the snow had begun to cover the ashen-covered glade.
She added her own proposal, addressing both him and her sister. “This will only work if both of us give something. We will free your sister from our bond, but you will submit to me once more until the second month of this year is over.”
“And who will guarantee that you stay true to your word?” Arakiel asked, going back to the old question again. Any scenario they had proposed thus far saw him in a position from which he would need to trust their word – and he didn’t trust these immortal one bit.
Nyanna pointed towards Aurora, saying. “Your seraphim will. She can evidently free you from our spell and she has proven that she can weave even if you don’t want her to.”
There was truth in her words. How had Aurora managed to regain control of her soul when she claimed that she had been unable to earlier. For what it was worth, he didn’t even entertain the notion that she might lie to him. He thought it downright inconceivable.
“Revoke my access, my love.” Aurora suggested and he did just that in his mind.
Whether it worked or not, he never knew and when he suddenly felt some of the golden fire inside him waft over towards her, he could definitely say that it hadn’t worked this time.
Perhaps it never had.
“Did you?” Aurora asked carefully and he nodded slightly. Given her surprised reaction, he only felt affirmed in his earlier thoughts.
Aurora would never lie to him… he had raised her better than that.
Or rather, Marianka had. Maybe both.
“So what do you propose exactly, immortal?” Arakiel returned and although every fiber of his being told him to never make a deal with an immortal, his mind signaled him in no uncertainty that the only way to save Mellia was to do just that.
Because there was just no way he could free her without endangering her and whatever happened, he could not let any harm come to her. Even if it meant doing things that he shouldn’t do under nearly any circumstance.
But his little sister’s life was one such circumstance.
He had vowed to protect her and his mother had entrusted him to safeguard her – he could not let his family down. There was just no way, no scenario in which that was acceptable.
“You will return to my side as my servant for the rest of this month and the next,” Nyanna explained calmly while giving him an amicable smile. “Once that time is up, we will leave this plane and who knows, if you and your friend over there behave we might just decide to help you take care of some obstacles.”
“We can be very generous to our servants,” Alanna agreed from over there, yet her words dripped with poison as far as he was concerned.
“And during that time – how will you assure Mellia’s and Aurora’s safety?” He asked and then hastily added. “Selene as well, of course.”
All the irritation he felt about Ezekiel for the past days were not because of him, but because of immortal interference. That man was as much a victim as he had been.
They had been careless… but then again – how should they have known?
Queen Fodhla, Alannah and Nyanna had all been part of the Class System… how exactly were they to know that they’d suddenly ‘turn’ into immortals?
“You protected them even when you were spellbound,” Nyanna elaborated and Aurora affirmed.
“That you did, my love – you even jumped her when she told you about Lady Mellia.”
“I am aware,” he responded curtly. The wounds on his back and front might be gone, but the humiliation of being tied to some branch while Nyanna whipped him bloody and raw was still vivid in his mind.
There were many things he would need to stomach and process… but not yet. He locked it away.
“This is a fair proposal, is it not?” The seelie queried and as much as he loathed to admit it… if it was but a temporary thing, he might be able to stomach it.
Or rather, he wasn’t sure how else he should tackle this problem. He had several hours in which he might be able to attack and even beat the seelie… but one could keep him in check long enough while the other killed at least Mellia and Ezekiel. Even with his temporal acceleration, it was too risky.
For all his personal power right now, he was in a terrible negotiation spot and those damned seelie knew, but they were treating him equally enough that they were willing to make concessions.
“My love,” Aurora whispered while still having her hands raised for Alanna to see. “If that is the way you choose, then I will support you.”
“I might be willing to accept,” Arakiel answered slowly and he could tell that his words caused positive reactions in the seelie that had tormented him and Aurora for the past days. “But you will not force any of these girls to do any demeaning labor. They’re not your personal slaves or servants – and you will also keep Selene’s mind free from your disgusting influence.”
The silver-haired seraphim gave him a thankful glance, even if she didn’t seem overly happy with the way the negotiations were going.
Neither was Arakiel, but such was his lot. He had a hard time overplaying his nervousness and his fear. Anger, irritation and a strong desire to save Mellia helped, though.
“Are you fine with that, Anna-dear?” Nyanna queried over towards the other seelie who still remained right next to Mellia, ready to plunge the knife in her hands into his little sister’s throat.
“Sure, it’s not like I need to charm her to control her.” Alanna returned, not even hiding her amusement about this fact.
Selene gave her an arrogant harrumph, but commented nothing else.
“I can live with that arrangement as well,” Nyanna added, undoubtedly trying her best not to sound too excited.
It’d be another win for her… but given the circumstances, it might be the best way to avoid any further.
“And while I can’t, it’s not like you’re giving me a lot of choice here, immortal.” Arakiel said, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice.
“My love,” Aurora then said as she stepped in front of him, turning her back to Alanna who tensed up but did not act just yet. “You’ve given me the means to guide you in your time of need… and I shall not fail you.” His seraphim stated, promised in the sweetest voice imaginable. He wasn’t sure whether it was the new stage of their bond, or whether he had just missed hearing her speak so freely, but her melody caused him a state of delight that gave him strength and even hope.
For right now, his own imminent future looked dark and full of humiliation.
“Aurora… never at some point did you fail me.” Arakiel returned affectionately, yet fear for his sister’s life kept his body frozen in place.
“Then I shan’t start now, my beloved Monarch-to-be.” His aurea promised and he believed her, had always done so.
Because as she was right now, standing upright with a confident bright smile on her face, he loved her the most. His beautiful seraphic servant, his love, his guiding light. She’d guide him through the dark times ahead.
It took a little while – just a moment – for his thoughts to make the final decision, but he needed that brief hesitation to realize and accept that he was not only putting his own, but also his sister’s life into Aurora’s hands… and although it worried him, he nevertheless agreed internally that it was necessary.
If there was any immortal he would trust… then it would be her.
“Very well,” Arakiel spoke up and faced Nyanna in full while still keeping his hands up, even if his arms began to feel just a little leaden at this point. “Do your worst, seelie – but if you renege our deal in any fashion, then beware not only my wrath, but that of my entire House!”
Whether he could truly follow up on that threat he couldn’t say, but it also didn’t matter. It was just a way for him to vent, really.
“I’ve no reason to deceive you, Arakiel il Kalanaar,” Nyanna responded and although he listened closely, he did not hear any deceit – not that he could tell with certainty.”
He closed in on Aurora, whispering for her to take as much soul as she could take and his seraphim followed suit, draining him of nearly everything. But he had so much to give that she left him enough to keep her aspect up. Maybe the seelie didn’t understand what they had just done – or even if they did, it didn’t matter.
As he gazed into her lustrous golden eyes when their lips parted, he felt an odd sense of dread at first, but it was immediately soothed by the affirmation and certainty that Aurora would not betray him – not now or never.
They were bound to one another now.
“I’ll be back soon,” he whispered affectionately while softly stroking her chin. A strand of her hair brushed his skin and for some reason, it soothed his upset condition more than it should.
And then, he turned and walked towards the immortal seelie who beamed a smile at him.
In his mind, he was already looking past the event.
All the humiliation she had and would put him through… he’d return to her in full.
He owed it to the other Nyanna, the one that had been a part of the seelie.
In his mind, the seelie had already taken her place.
She just didn’t know it yet.
* * *