Astral Force

Aurelia gulped, unable to help the goosebumps from prickling her skin, facing Zariel, whose gaze seemed distant. She felt like he was both familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. A little regret tugged at her heart for a moment but slipped away as she knew what she did was right.

Zariel's arm lowered below the snow-white lotus that hovered over the base of his palm, humming with a soft melody. His gaze lifted to Aurelia, who met his eye without fear.

"Relax your mind, and whatever happens, just let it."

"Umn," Aurelia answered, taking in a deep breath. She felt a little excited and scared at the same time. Unsure of what may happen, she trailed her tongue over her chapped lips. Lifting her eye to Zariel, her hands moved near his.

The Astral Lotus shimmered, feeling the presence of two souls. Astral force slowly licked the surface of its pedals, trailing down to the sepal and into the seed pod. A calming ripple danced over the lake below their feet, carrying forth a pulse that fluttered past their clothing, pressing against their flesh.

Zariel sucked a deep breath of the refreshing fragrance of the lotus that soothed the touch of Hell against of soul. Relieving the torment, and at that moment, his hand clenched, shattering the lotus.

Darkness swelled from his heart, and the silver devil, for the first time, embraced the chaos storming through his heart. He smiled and peered up, his iris a deep scarlet revealing nothing but death and a vile evil one could not be born with. The Weave tugged at his mind, no longer a song but a whisper. The Weave was no longer strings and nodes but a swirling sea of stars and clusters. Of heat and flames, congealing into a greater force, an endless Heaven clouded in a veil of mystery and deceit.

Zariel clenched, bleeding the white lotus of Astral force. He hadn't known what to do. Connecting to any one of the twelve planes was a task meant for immortals or gods, not mortals. But the whisper of the Weave within his ear had beckoned and tempted. He didn't have to listen, didn't have to follow its advice but did so anyway.

Scarlet eyes raised to the cloudless skies damped by the crowning of night, the devil lips curled, and he saw the trembling stars flare to life, and in the depts of his being, a dark star was born. The Weave settled, and at that moment, he knew, who he was, and what he would always be.

The lotus screamed as though it were alive, but from its cries came a milky mist bathing the devil and his fallen in its glow.

—

Days later, the echoes of rain slipped from the skies under the moonlight, drowning the land below, alongside two silver-headed children resting beneath the shade of a lone tree.

Stirred from his slumber, Zariel's eyes trembled as they opened, no longer scarlet but an icy silver, carrying a glint of red over the rim of his iris, so faint even the most skill or observant immortal would fail to notice. His gaze lingered over his companion for a moment, measuring her, before he did so to himself.

He closed his eyes, reaching far into himself where his soul, the very core of his being, should be, and gazed upon not the soul flame that existed in the heart of man and gods but a Dark Star brimming with an icy coldness.

A gleam of surprise did not fill his gaze nor heart but rather pride. Would he still be tormented by the nature of the hells? Would he still wake at night covered in sweat from endless nightmares? He'd hope so. For that was where his power stemmed—the hate.

Zariel had never felt so alive at this moment, so full of anger, compared to his dry, lifeless state. He felt hungry for revenge, for death. He rose from off the wet grass, his gaze smoldering a burning silver, and from his palm, a sliver of Astral Force danced over his skin.

BOOOOOM!!!

The Heavens crackled under the single arc of lightning piercing through the night skies, sending tremors throughout Alos. Zariel smiled, his gaze lingering long and hard, contempt oozing. He lifted his palms, wrapped in the Astral Force, and as if his palm was a beacon, the bolt of lightning pierced down, shattering the tree near him and awakening Aurelia.

"Lovely," He said, easily holding onto the lightning bolt threatening to tear him in half. " I could get used to this." His fingers clenched, and the bolt shattered, releasing a powerful shockwave of thunder and electricity, blasting Aurelia off her feet, sending her body-skimming over the grass.

"Zariel, you dummy! Why are you always bullying me!" Aurelia cried, picking her bruised body off the ground, feeling the numbness of the lightning tracing around her skin; her eyes watered.

The Silver devil pivoted to her, " shall we head to the academy?" he responded, taking note of his body being injury-free. "I think it's almost time, don't you?"

Aurelia's cheery lips pursed, "Big meany, at least say sorry."

Zariel chuckled, rolling his eyes, " Please, not like your hurt much. And now that we have Astral force, our lives are about to get supers easy. Or at least they are for me." he raised a finger and suddenly almost as if he had commanded it, the rain suddenly hovered still.

Aurelia's eyes widen in starry shock, unable to take her eyes away from the small water drops carrying the moon's glow. "Now that I have Astral Force, I can actively start growing stronger instead of waiting for years. If you don't hurry, I may just leave you behind… My little dummy."

"FUCK YOU! I CALL YOU THAT! DON'T STEAL MY WORDS!"

"Damm, I was just kidding," Zariel muttered out with a smile, finding it easy to laugh in an easy-going manner. Enjoying Aurelia's flushed expression, he beckoned to her, "Come I—" He paused as a vision flashed across his mind. "Shit, we got to head back! More time might have passed than I originally thought."

Aurelia sprang to his side, leaping to his back like a koala. "Go! Onwards my Dumb-Dumb!"