Chapter 9 : Liberation

"What the hell!" Emory exclaimed as he just barely moved back just enough to dodge the lightening fast fist that moved past his face, grazing his nose in the process.

"Oh" Michael said in monotone whilst staring at his fist "I won't miss the next time"

"You're crazy!" Emory screamed just before another fist caught him off guard landing a direct hit on his solar plexus which caused Emory to kneel over, drooling and clutching his stomach desperately "okay…I'm sorry…y-ou're not crazy, let's...talk please" he said struggling to talk between breaths.

"Perhaps I held back too much, that should have rendered you unconscious at the least, the next one will claim your life if you don't reinforce yourself with Aether as you did"

"This maniac is really going to kill me if I don't do something" Emory mused, trying to figure out his next course of action.

Emory concentrated desperately, trying to feel the Aether, but to no avail. As Michael continued his advance, each strike landing with increasing force, Emory's frustration mounted.

"Why can't I sense it?" Emory muttered to himself, his mind racing with panic.

Michael's blows seemed to echo with a sinister rhythm, each one driving Emory further into desperation. With each strike, Emory felt his strength waning, his hope slipping away.

"Come on, Emory, focus!" he urged himself, his voice strained with effort. Emory concentrated desperately, trying to feel the Aether, but to no avail despite his best efforts, the Aether remained elusive, slipping through his fingers like sand. Michael's relentless assault continued, each strike landing with increasing force, Emory's frustration mounted, Emory's resolve began to crumble.

"I can't...I can't do this," Emory gasped, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he struggled to stay on his feet.

With a final, devastating blow, Emory screamed out, a primal sound echoing through the air, reminiscent of the night the fallen attacked him. But even with the climax of his scream, he couldn't summon the Aether, and dropped to the ground, consciousness slipping away as darkness enveloped him.

Michael looked down at Emory's unconscious form, pondering if he had expected too much from him. With a wave of his hands, they were back in the familiar surroundings of the bookstore.

Hours later, Emory awoke on the floor of the bookstore, his body sore and bruised, but miraculously intact, his clothes miraculously intact. Slowly, he pushed himself up, taking in his surroundings with a mixture of confusion and anger.

Michael leaned calmly against the counter, a pile of books next to him, he was absorbed in a book as if nothing had happened. Emory's frustration bubbled to the surface as he approached him.

"Did I sense it, did I sense the Aether?" Emory asked, trying to mask his anger and frustration but doing a terrible job of it

"No you did not" Michael said, his face still buried in the book he was reading

"Then why?" Emory demanded, his voice laced with anger and confusion. "Why did you make me go through that?" Michael looked up, his expression unreadable.

"Manipulation of Aether requires patience and endurance, I needed to test your limit" he replied simply. "And you failed."

Emory's fists clenched at his sides, his anger boiling over. "Failed? I almost died!" Emory bursted out, unable to calm his anger but Michael's gaze remained steady.

"But you didn't," he countered. "And now you know what you're up against, a fallen would not have shown you the mercy I did"Emory shook his head, incredulous.

"I'm done," he declared, turning away. "I won't stay here and risk my life for you and you 'Creator' and 'Gods' and whatever nonsense you also have going"

Michael remained silent, unfazed by Emory's outburst, his attention still fixed on his book. Emory's anger reached its peak as he slapped the book out of Michael's hands.

"I'm quitting, I'll find another job somewhere else where they don't randomly try to kill me" he said declaring his resignation from the bookstore and storming out, slamming the door behind him. As he disappeared into the night, Michael's gaze followed him, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

Emory walked home angrily, grumbling and fuming about Michael and his reckless actions "I can't believe how a person would be like that, so…so…so f**king annoying!" he said taking out his frustration on a can by kicking it with full force. The can got sent flying at an incredible speed until it journey was stopped by a brick wall.

"Where would I get a job now" Emory sighed

Emory soon realised that he had gotten to his usual shortcut route; the alley, he had no idea why he walked there, it was likely due to instinct since he had passed there over and over for a long time. Emory stared at the empty alley, it's darkness uninviting and the eerie fog did not help the matter in the least. Emory furrowed his brows and walked into the alley.

He dropped his backpack and took a deep breath "Come at me you faceless bastards, come at me, or do you only know how to attack defenseless people. Well you're in luck, I'm defenseless, I couldn't even learn to sense the Aether. I don't need that sh*t to kill cowards like you anyways" Emory proceeded to shout at the empty air but he gets replied by unnerving silence, the fallen were not going to come.

Emory picked up his bag, and began to walk home when a figure suddenly appear s out of the fog, Emory shifted but soon furrowed his brows as he assumed a boxing stance

"Come at me you coward"

The figure walked out of the fog and to Emory's surprise, it wasn't a fallen, it wasn't even a human, it was Michael. "Perhaps he has come to collect his precious book from me, after the tantrum I threw, he must think I am not if use to him and now that I know he his an angel he has the more reason to silence me, maybe I acted to recklessly" Emory thought to himself

Michael walked towards Emory slowly, yet emanating an imposing aura, his hands resting in the pocket of his long coat, and then suddenly he disappears and appears in front of Emory and says "be careful they may actually be listening and you are by no means ready to take them on"

Emory being wary of Michael remained still in his boxing stance "Why are you here, how did you find me?" Emory aksed

"I am sorry, I should not have done what I did I wasn't being thoughtful, suddenly dragging you like that was a mistake on my path, I apologize once again"

Surprised at the apology, Emory stood speechless "Next time I will seek permission before beating you senseless" Michael continued

"Ehhhh?, How about next time, you don't beat me senseless at all!" Emory said

Michael paused "I will think about it" he said

"What do mean 'think about it' don't do-" Emory said before getting cut off by Michael "Seems they did hear you and are coming, brace yourself the fallen are here" Michael said with a serious expression, it was the first time Emory had seen him serious, he usually had a near robot like expression

One by one the fallen started appearing out of the Fog, Emory could count eight of them. "I could only barely deal with only one, how can I deal with eight of them! Well Michael you're here so you'll take care of them right?"

Michael shifted uncomfortably and said "Sure..I will"

The fallen launched at them and one after the other they fell down before Michael's fist, he was razing them down like a lawn mower on soft green grass.

"Woah!" Emory stared at Michael in awe, as the man could easily take down eight of the fallen which he barely survived against one!

But as the fight went on, Emory soon noticed something. Despite the fact that Michael was taking down these creatures easily, their numbers never seemed to reduce and that was because Michael was not killing them.

"What are you doing Michael? Finish them off!"

"I cannot. I would highly appreciate it if you use your aether right now Emory Carson"

"What do you mean you cannot?" Emory asked clearly confused as to why Michael could not kill the fallen that his weak self had once killed

"I really do not want to explain in the midst of all this, use it now!" Michael said to Emory

"I can't, I have tried and I can't use it, we even tried your insane method" Emory said, clenching his fist, disappointed in himself.

"...." Michael remained silent "I can not kill them because...they are angels, even if their appearance has changed and their identity has been stripped off, at their core they are angels still . Angels cannot kill angels, it is a law the creator imposed on us after our creation. So you see why you have to be the one to kill them Emory Carson. Use the Aether!" Michael explained as he landed a nasty right hook on one of the fallen's face.

Emory stood, frozen unsure of what to do " I can't use aether, I've tried!" Emory said clenching his fist even harder

"You have to, Where do you think the fallen would head to after dealing with us, they would unleash chaos, and those you care about would undoubtedly get caught up in it, your school, your precious basket sphere and…your mother. They would do to them as they did to the shelterless human"

Emory blood began to boil as he visualised what Michael said, anger welling up from the depth of his core, he rushed at the fallen with incredible speed hitting it straight in the head causing the skull of the fallen to cave in and splatter blood all over him.

"I may not be able to use the Aether, but I will never forgive those who have any intention of hurting anything I hold dear"

"Emory..." Michael called out

"What Michael?" Emory answered, his eyes still fixed on the remaining fallen

"Congratulations, you have successfully sensed and utilised the Aether" Michael said as the corner of his lips slightly curved upwards

"Huh?" Emory looked at himself, inspecting his body "So this is what it feels like, Aether….it feels so.. liberating" Emory said as he pushed his hair back