Chapter 13: Ciel

I had always looked up to Lucius. He was a beacon of hope. He didn't care if his actions and his ideals were looked down upon by those higher than him; he prioritized those who had sunk at the bottommost part of the ocean, no longer trying to swim to the surface. He faced backlash from the kingdom headstrong, mocking those who preferred to watch the world burn down while believing that they wouldn't get affected by the turmoil.

'You can do it…chii.'

If it wasn't for him, I would still be in the chasm of hypocrisy, selfishness, and self-righteousness. I wanted to pay his kindness forward. I want this world to experience the same warmth that he made me feel. No one deserves to be alone. 

No one deserves to live in darkness. 

"Brother, I can't…fall down now," I murmured. "I have to…protect this child."

The child watched me with wide and unblinking eyes that had ceased crying just a moment ago. New beads of tears formed in his pale eyes. His breaths turned ragged, he stopped a sob from coming out fully, and stared up with profound fury and tenacity in his gaze.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

His voice produced soundwaves that shattered the maze above us, pushing back the army of corpses and causing them to clash and stick to the wall before falling limply on the ground. Cracks formed through the guardians' forms and the fires that illuminated the room were blown out briefly before coming back but in a different shade. 

White fires erupted around us, shocking Nether. Someone landed from above, releasing ripples of winds that would have thrown me off balance if not for the arm that wrapped around me and the child. 

"How dare you…hurt my charge?"

A swift sound of blade broke me free from the spears that dissolved into fine ashes. Raphael swiped down on my back, closing the wounds and providing immediate relief. 

"He had it coming. I will not hold back on anyone who dares oppose me. I am the deity of these ruins. It is the only domain I rule. You, barging in here, is enough impudence."

Raphael stood, releasing a bubble from his palm that swallowed us and floated at the height far from the corpses or the guardians' reach. I peered at the angel who grasped his spear tightly, surrounded by creeping corpses and faced with a phoenix who was entirely different from Sparkles. 

"Laying your filthy hands on him, do you think I'll let you slip that easily?" the angel threatened. 

Gales gyrated around Raphael's feet. 

"I am a shadow that exists even without light. Even if the world is consumed in darkness, I shall live on." 

Raphael scoffed, rubbing his two fingers along the shaft of his spear.  "The physics don't add up. You are flawed from the start. Let me show you the consequences for harming someone of perfection." 

The angel's body was coated with scintillating light. We squinted and shut our eyes as if we had stared directly at the sun. He swung his spear, releasing a curve of luminosity that burned the corpses into cinders. Nether's fury erupted, his body burned brighter, overtaking the blaze that Raphael forced upon in his own room. 

"My light is brighter than yours!!!" 

Raphael leaped, the guardians aimed their spears at him, staking an illusion of the angel to the floor. For a second, Raphael vanished; he reappeared behind the guardians, flying towards Nether. 

Nether screeched. "Get him!" 

In an attempt to turn, the giant statues ceased their movements when their heads rolled off their necks. 

"You've mistaken me for a competing idiot. I wasn't trying to match yours," Raphael retorted, tossing his spear towards the phoenix. Nether effectively dodged but was alarmed when the angel was nowhere in front of him. He turned around, the spear that he evaded pierced through his chest. Interwoven radiant rings with mysterious markings appeared and revolved Nether.

"My fire is stronger than yours, I am brighter than you!" 

The angel alighted, crossing his arms. "You are a shadow, you were never meant to be bright and you cannot be both at the same time. Phoenixes are creatures of eternal fire, they bring light to a dim world. You were born out of Imjin's spite towards his believers. You are the curse that took a life of its own."

Nether attempted to resurrect his army and his guardians by releasing another wave of purple aura. Ashes remain as ashes, he could only stare at the wide room of empty panoplies in surprise and revelation. 

The rings revolving Nether restrained him. Raphael's eyes narrowed.

"Nether, the power you have is never meant to be." He raised his hand, shutting it in a tight fist. "The moon shall collect such impossibility as such brings imbalance to the world." 

Nether unleashed a piercing cry. The ruins shook from its immensity. The rings grew tighter around him. His eyeballs popped from the pressure. Before he could burst into a gory pulp, he turned into purple glitters. Raphael grabbed the conch that I dropped, bringing us down. The bubble popped. 

"Are you okay?" Raphael queried, holding my shoulders to inspect for any more injuries. 

I nodded and then looked at the child who watched us cautiously. 

"Ar…kay?" the boy said. 

The angel scrutinized him. His body was indeed distinctive. 

"I am fine, how about you?" I responded. 

"You? Am. Ow?" 

His eyes were focused. He was trying his best to understand us. 

"Let's get out of here first," Raphael sighed, standing me up. "What is your name, boy?" 

"Boy? N–Nem…"

I knelt in front of him, pointing at myself. "Lucian." I then pointed at the angel. "Rapahel." And then I pointed at him.

The boy pointed at me. "Cian." He pointed at Raphael. "Phel." When he pointed at himself he couldn't say any name and appeared distressed about it.

"Ciel. Your name is Ciel," I hushed him as I saw that he began to tear up. I directed my finger at the boy once more. "Ciel."

"Ciel. Ciel," he kept repeating and poking himself. 

I extended my hand towards the boy who grasped mine lightly. His hands were grainy. When I tried to grasp him back, my thumb punctured through his palm, causing him to grimace. Dead skin crumbled from the mere touch. How could someone so fragile be accused of taking down two giants?

"His body is weak. Very weak. He nearly has no presence at all," the angel commented.

Raphael stopped his hand just in front of Ciel's chest, making sure not to touch him. Light engulfed the boy's body, giving him a more tangible form. "One light poke from the children and you'd crumble like a sand castle. I would have to reinforce your build every now and then." He inclined his head at me, cuing that it was safe to touch Ciel. Ciel was hesitant the second time around. I had to be patient before he could place his hand on top of my palm. 

He was warmer now. His grip was stronger. 

"Shall we leave this place, Ciel?" 

He smiled, at awe from still being in one piece at the contact. I had to carry him for Rapahel to lift us as a package. Since the maze had been destroyed, it was one flight towards the exit. The angle was different again as soon as we came out. Sparkles marveled at her shadow. Come to think of it, I didn't notice a shadow following her around until now. 

"My shadow, it's back! My power had grown weak because of its disappearance but now that it's back, I am unstoppable!" Sparkles cackled like one of the nobles my parents frequently had as visitors. "Oh darling, you are my lucky charm! I would give you a hug but I'd burn you into nothing. And since I am stronger now I would be able to burn your soul into nothingness as well. Oh the misery of it all!!! What use do I have with my supreme beauty if I cannot find a man who can match my blazing passion?!"

Raphael and I watched her blabber nonsense. Ciel shifted in my arms, rubbing his head against my chest. He had fallen asleep. Raphael had noticed it too and took off his cape to wrap it around the boy. 

"I am grateful," I said.

"For what?"

"It must be hard protecting someone like me."

Raphael raised his eyebrows, blinking with confusion before his lips cracked into an attractive smile that warmed my cheeks. I had to look away to save face. He placed his hand on top of my head.

"Well you do drive me mad most of the time." 

Sparkles cleared her throat, disrupting the strangely familiar ambiance between us. 

"I am delighted to see you in romantic happiness. I can already feel what it would be like if I was touchable!" she moaned, batting her lashes at the angel who shivered in disgust. 

The dreamy aura of the phoenix shattered when she let out another sigh. "But I fear that I cannot be with you anymore, my love." That fast? I didn't know that the angel was that bad.

My angel and I stared at each other in both bewilderment and relief (more so in the part of the angel). "Do you find Raphael unattractive?"

The firebird swayed her head in sorrow. "No, I merely want to focus on mending my relationship with the moon phoenixes."

"Actually...we have been there and we bring bad news..." I began.

Sparkles cried throughout the entire tale. It took all of Raphael's strength to comfort her again while dodging her attempt to bury her beak against his chest. He would have died. Her tears were molten lava that had dissolved the ground she was sitting on. Her sobs and sniffles died down as the sun finally set. 

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Sparkles. Please come visit Raphael. He can be lonely at times."

"Lucian!!!" the angel reprimanded.

She wiped her eyes. Her mood was better but still bad. "I will. Darling, if I was born as a different kind of bird, would you peck me like you've never pecked a fellow bird before?" 

Raphael was at his wits end. 

"I wish you well, Lady Sparkles!" he blurted out, bowing before taking me in his arms. We flew back to the floating island. Slade welcomed me with playful strangulation while Caleb, Garrison, and Peaches chased Raphael with the intent to murder. 

"Where the hell have you been? Who the heck is that kid?!"

"You made us worry, you should have told us where you were going. I had to ask Buck and Rui nicely," Sevor chirped, pointing at the shivering children with his thumb. 

"We retrieved the key from the Fire Phoenix and we found Ciel in the ruins where the key was kept." 

"Was he a caretaker?" Slade queried with annoyance, glaring at the sleeping boy. 

"No…but the meteor that Peaches threw away landed close to the shrine. Maybe he came from there? If you don't mind, I'd like Ciel to come with us."

Sevor and Slade stared at each other before sighing. "You know we wouldn't mind. You don't have to ask us. Slade and I would have done the same."

"So he's another mouth to feed, so what? We can't just leave him there. You did the right thing," Slade gruffly answered. 

I stared at Ciel, fondness spreading in my chest from the twins' approval. 

Welcome to your new home, Ciel. 

"I shall turn you into a new shade of make-up!" Garrison snarled.

"Come back here, give me your chicken thighs!!!" Caleb screamed maniacally. 

"Oy oy oy!!! Lemme catch you! I'll send you straight to heaven!" Peaches hollered. 

"I was forced! Lucian coerced me to kidnap him!" Raphael reasoned out. 

"Shuddup! Lucian is nice,kind,generous,harmless,and innocent!!!" the three of them barked in unison.

"They don't know what they are saying. Either that or they are lying for you," Levi huffed. 

'They should try being in your mind for once, nephew."

I hid a sly smile that dared corrupt my pure face. "Whatever do you mean?" 

"You know exactly what we mean!" the voices and Levi spat.