Portrayed of Flames

Stepping out of the shadows of darkness, Zariel could not help but be impressed by the quick teleportation he had experienced. Usually, teleportation was both rigged and rough, bringing on the sensation of nausea, but the Teleporter of the Tower of Sorrow was smooth.

Not in the least bit afraid of the horrid void of darkness, swallowing his vision, leaving only a cold, eerie sensation that ran over his fingertips. Zariel's pupils glowed a silver hue. Easily looking past the magical darkness, an Azure Glow of small candle slowly fell within his line of sight.

"Aurelia," He said loud enough to startle the young fallen from far away.

Shaken by the voice of the devil, she glanced around somewhat terrified, only to be met with the cold dark void. She Arched the Azure candle a little high; when her eyes suddenly grew wide as she gazed upon the silvered-headed Lord, holding onto a terrifyingly long katana more than seven times longer than him.

"You are a pain in the ass. You know that?" said Zariel irritably, but there was a smile on his face, somewhat amused by the shock over her plump cheeks, a little ashen. "This is where people would usually say thank you for helping. I had to humiliate myself to get here, you know."

Blinking away, unable to believe he was here, Aurelia drew closer and poked his cheeks, "Your not a ghost, right?"

Swatting her hands away, he turned towards the ash beneath her feet, under the glow of the Azure Candle. "An undead?" he questioned calmly, noticing the staff and rusty sword.

The golden eye lass nodded. Squatting down over the coarse ash, she reached for the simple-looking staff that appeared no different from a stick one would find on the ground. Running her hand over its rugged surface, she dropped it back down and stood back up. "Ever heard of a spell called Luminus Incentus."

"I am not all-knowing, you know," Zariel remarked dismissively, shaking his head.

"If the Eldritch staff were not with me, I would have died. It cast 'Shield' over me." A shiver had run through Aurelia as she retold all that had occurred. Clenching her small hands over her weapons, she gave a long stare towards the ash.

"This Warding around this building is monstrous. It will take a while for anyone to break through its barriers. For now, you need to make a decision."

"Me?" Said Aurelia.

Zariel nodded and glanced around, "I can get you out of here, but you may miss out on whatever brought you here." he conveyed, trailing his eyes down below his feet as if to peer at this tower's secrets. Still, even with his eyes, there were simply too many strings of creation coiled around each other, confusing him. Clitting his tongue, he turned back to Aurelia and waited for an answer.

"What about Ella and Sionn?" She asked, annoying the young Lord.

"Really? You almost die, and you ask about them? I don't know. You were the only cause of concern." he fired off, coldly sending a flick to her small head.

Holding onto her forehead, she glared, "Big Bully! I will stay, but I want that spell! That seems to gather the power of the moon."

Opening his hand, a surge of Silver Acana filled his palm as a set of garments appeared of his palm had hovered in the air. "This Armor should protect you a little better. I would rather not risk the unexpected in this place."

The young lasses golden eyes could not have gone wider. Placing the garments before Aurelia. The Young Fallen ran her small fingers over the black iron that hid a comforting leather cool to the touch beneath. She marveled at the complete set of Armor that contained: The Breastplate with a fur hood, Pauldrons, Arm Bracers, a belt with a one-sided battle skirt, and greaves."

Turning around, Zariel waited in silence, listening to Aurelia changing in haste. Unable to hide her excitement, she tapped onto her master's shoulder, turning him around. "Aurelia looks great, doesn't she?" She bragged, "I look like an assassin; this is the coolest Armor. Thank you, Dumb-Dumb!" She cried, wrapping her arms around the Young Lord.

Slipping out of her arms, Zariel did not bother to react, having long gotten accustomed to this young devil clinging. He moved ahead as Aurelia followed behind with the Azure Candle, which was more helpful for her than it was for Zariel, who had access to a plethora of spells that could allow him to see within the magical darkness meant to blind mortals.

Leading the way, the Silver Devil slowly came upon a set of spiraling stairs filled with webs and dust leading down. The sounds of growls slowly began to reach his ears. Getting a whiff of the scent of rotting flesh, his footsteps trailed down the spiraling stairs grew soundless. The same could be said of Aurelia following behind her master. Holding her weapon tighter the closer down they came, a gleam of surprise filled her eyes. as she peered at the massive corridor at the base of the spiraling stairs.

Unable to understand how a single stone tower could have such a large corridor, she turned to Zariel, looking for answers.

"You watch Doctor Who with me, 'bigger on the inside,' is a real thing. This Hollow Tower is as big as a castle on the inside but appears as a decrepit tower on the outside." He indifferently informed, and Aurelia nodded, glancing at the tower's walls, filled with various paintings. Most of them were tattered and scratched beyond recognition. Still, there was one that stood out amongst them—a portrait portraying a city of scarlet flames and a mighty seven-headed dragon towering over the city bellowing towards the skies.

"Tiamat," Zariel uttered gravely and approached in a guarded manner. Scanning his surrounding, he studied the portrait with mild fascination. He was not an artist, not yet anyway, but standing before the towering canvas almost thrice his size. He felt like he was standing in the midst of this city of flames, listening to the cries of people overshadowed by Tiamat's mighty roars. He could feel the searing heat of her flames and the overbearing draconic pressure she held.

Glaring at the city that was under flames intently alongside Aurelia. A bit of familiarity ran over her golden pupils. "Doesn't it seems familiar?"

"That's because it's the Capital of Ferrum, Seigram. The city our bodies are currently in." Zariel coldly remarked, placing his hands over the canvas; he pulled it into his soul flame, storing it away for safekeeping.

"How are you doing that?" Aurelia suddenly questioned, noticing no ring on Zariels finger. "You don't have an Infinity ring.

"Rings can be stolen. I like putting stuff in my soul where I know it will be safe till I die." He calmly informed, when suddenly the sounds of ticking began to echo through the air.

Placing both of them on guard, they turned towards the far corridor exit where the light of the Azure candle did not reach. The relentless sounds of ticking resounded, growing louder with each passing second.

"What the hell is this abomination?"