Celestians [4]

"Please lift your head and stand up," the Elder in the middle said gently, reaching out a hand toward Aisam and Ellie. Her voice was gentle but authoritative.

After they stood, all five elders looked at Aisam for a moment with unreadable expressions. Then, in unison, they turned to the middle elder as she spoke calmly yet firmly.

"What's your name?" asked the elder, curious, looking at Aisam.

"It's Aisam. And I'm not a child," he replied coldly, being defiant.

The elder chuckled softly, amused. She grinned gently, covering her mouth.

"Young man, then," she replied warmly, smiling, hands graceful on her skirt.

"How do you know our language, Celestians? I've never known any human or other race to learn or speak it," the elder said, moving her hands elegantly as she spoke.

"I'm not sure," Aisam pondered. "But if I had to guess, maybe it's because I've lived multiple lives and come from a different world. This lets me comprehend, read, and speak their language. But should I reveal that to them?" He paused, deep in thought.

"You're saying you're from another world?" the elder woman beside Aisam remarked, a sly grin forming on her face. Leaning closer, she fixed her gaze on him, her eyes squinting in a calculating manner.

Aisam felt a jolt of surprise when he heard her words. "Why would they ask me if they can already read my mind?" he wondered, feeling both shocked and confused. He took a step back without thinking, showing his discomfort.

The elder who had read his mind clarified, "You have to think it first for me to read it, but I could also do it directly which might be a bit painful." Her smile turned sinister as she explained, making a mocking gesture with her hand.

The atmosphere grew tense, and Aisam couldn't hold back his frustration. "Stop it!" he yelled, his voice filled with irritation and desperation as he glared at the elder. His fists clenched at his sides, his body rigid with a mix of anger and bewilderment.

The elder in the middle sternly commanded Lilithra to stop immediately. Seraphine, with a serious expression, was watching her intensely.

"Didn't I already warn you not to use your psychic abilities on him?" Lilithra felt uneasy under his stare, trying to think of a response.

After a nervous chuckle, she said, "Okay, okay, Seraphine! I was just trying to be friendly. There was no harm intended." She raised her hands in a calming gesture and stopped using her psychic powers.

"Are you okay?" Seraphine asked, her voice soft with concern.

Ellie stood next to Aisam, making sure he didn't falter under Lilithra's pressure. Aisam took a deep breath and tried to look composed. "I'm okay," he answered, his voice sounding steady but strained.

He winced slightly, a small twitch in his eye showing his lingering discomfort.

"Alright, let's continue," Seraphine said, understanding his hidden tension but choosing not to confront it. "Is what Lilithra said true?"

"Yes," Aisam confirmed, nodding as he maintained eye contact.

"I understand, but it does raise more questions, doesn't it? I won't ask for more details right now," Seraphine said softly with a caring look.

She leaned back in her chair, smiled gently, then stood up and moved closer to Aisam in a deliberate, graceful manner. Standing in front of him, she asked, "Can I assess your abilities through my own?" Her gaze was focused and inviting, seeming to see deeply into him.

"Will she figure out my abilities? That would really help me understand how to unlock my exclusive system. I'll just wait and see what she does," he thought quietly. With a feeling of acceptance, he eventually said, "Sure, go ahead," speaking without any emotion in his voice. He showed no signs of vulnerability as he faced the incredibly powerful, enchanting, and graceful celestial being nearby.

"Okay," Seraphine said calmly, her voice gentle but firm, "Close your eyes." She reached out her hand and softly placed it on Aisam's head, giving him a comforting touch.

As they both closed their eyes, a peaceful expression appeared on Seraphine's face. A soft blue light started to glow from her hand, surrounding Aisam in a bright aura.

The light grew stronger, casting a radiant glow around them, making Aisam shine in a mesmerizing way that was almost blinding to behold.

...

Seraphine's POV:

"Here I am," Seraphine said with surprise, her eyes widening as she looked around his mind. The darkness and silence puzzled her.

"What kind of mind is this?" she wondered. Moving forward in confusion, she decided to explore deeper.

But as time went on with no change, her frustration grew. "Why is it like this?" she asked aloud, her hands gesturing in search of answers.

Realizing she needed to move quickly, she felt a sense of urgency wash over her. "It's great that time moves 1000 times slower when I use this spell," she thought.

Determined to speed things up, she accelerated herself to float forward at a speed 10 times faster than light, the fastest possible within the parameters of the spell.

As Seraphine moved further into the darkness, faint screams could be heard which grew louder and more unsettling with each step.

The desperate cries filled the air, sending shivers down her spine.

At first, the screams held tones of anger and frustration, revealing unseen torment.

Seraphine felt the weight of their agony in the air.

As she moved forward, the cries changed to a more sorrowful and haunting melody, each one piercing through her heart.

She hesitated but then gathered her courage to keep going, masking her dread with determination.

The cries reached a peak of anguish and suddenly stopped, leaving only a haunting silence.

Seraphine stood in the dark stillness, scanning her surroundings for any signs of what was ahead.

"Why can't I go anywhere? These sounds could mean anything," Seraphine said in frustration, frowning and looking up.

Suddenly, a cracking noise filled the air, and her eyes widened in terror. "Th-this c-can't b-be!" she stuttered, her voice trembling with fear.

She took a shaky breath and watched as the dark sky split open, revealing menacing red eyes peering through.

"I-I need to get out of here!" Seraphine's panic grew, her heart racing, hands fumbling to escape the nightmare. But the spell held tight, defying her efforts.

The darkness closed in, making her falter. "Come on, work!" she begged, feeling scared and overwhelmed.

Tremors coursed through her body, causing her to collapse to her knees, hands shaking violently in her real body.

Abruptly, the darkness shattered entirely to a million pieces, revealing a monstrous colossal creature with twin crimson eyes and a completely red body with a scarred humanoid form, holding an unnaturally wide malevolent grin stretching to both sides of its mouth on its entire face.

"N-no!" Seraphine recoiled, a guttural cry escaping her lips as the creature moved to crush her between its colossal hands.

"Once more!" Seraphine's eyes sparkled with determination as she summoned the last of her strength, focusing all her power.

Just as the creature's hand was about to crush her, she tapped into her last reserves of energy, breaking the spell just in time to escape being crushed into pieces.

Gasping for air, Seraphine's eyes snapped open as she jolted back into consciousness, her body drenched in a cold sweat.

Disoriented and trembling uncontrollably, she struggled to regain her bearings amidst the aftermath of her harrowing ordeal.

Her vision became blurry and the world started spinning. She tried to speak but only managed to whisper "R-ru-" before passing out, lying motionless on the floor.