Gabriel stood before Inanis who had grown into a handsome and much stronger version of his past self.
A lock of his hair had turned white and he had a strong aura that far surpassed anyone his age.
"You have progressed well. You seem to understand your lessons and would be a fine addition to the forces of the Lord's armies. It is a shame that you wish for a status far above that otherwise you would be ready." Gabriel chuckled after he spoke.
"I do not care how long it takes." Inanis said with a tone of indifference. "I will earn my name and station as the son of Lord Valerian."
"You are no longer the worm that was so ready to give his life for any and every little thing. I applaud you for this." Gabriel's tone suddenly turned serious, "But understand that even if you achieve what you have dared to dream, if you fall back into your misguided ways and bring shame on the House of the One True Celestial Star, it is not us who will kill you...it is Him. Believe me, we are far more merciful than He is."
Inanis kept a stoic face but internally, he was full of emotion and a little fear. He dared not speak. He did not trust his own voice although his eyes remained resolute and focused.
After a pause, Gabriel chuckled and scratched his own chin.
"Very well. Today we will go back to our history lessons. You must now learn of the laws and the Houses of the Crimson Empire. I have touched on the subject of our home before but it is time for you to understand the intricate workings of our society."
"I understand that learning about the past helps understand how the present came to be and how to avoid our own failures in the future but why must I understand the workings of a empire that is gone?"
It was an insensitive question especially since the his tutors were citizens of the the dead empire.
"The majority of the empire is gone. That much is true. It was destroyed in the war against the Traveller but the capital city still exists in limbo. It is frozen in a dimension between space and time. Nearly a hundred million beings preserved in stasis until our Lord regains enough of His mana to chase away their death-like state and bring back a city that is the size of a third of continent. That is where we plan to return and prepare for a being known as the Traveller. You will learn more at that defiler when the time comes."
Inanis' jaw, involuntarily, dropped. Vampires were weak when they were young but that is because they have such long lifespans. The older they got, the more powerful they would be and the more dangerous they are.
Even a vampire that was in its twilight years should, in theory, have the power to single handedly wipe out a Great Family.
There were many variables of course such as whether they were made or born, the purity of the vampire's bloodline and their own personal ability but still!
Now he had been told that an ancient city full of ancient beings and technology would suddenly be brought back into this world...
"The power balances would immensely shift...it could mean great wars or a great help and advancements for humans if the secrets of old are shared."
He, himself, had learnt things that would shock emperors back on Idris and launch their collective understanding further than thought possible yet according to his tutors, his knowledge was still shallow.
"Before you get any ideas, understand that the Celestial Star has expressed, in no unclear terms, that He has no interest in the mundane affairs of this world. He is not so naive as to believe that the mortals will have no interest in Him or Az'Talon but such fools will be treated as examples for the other curious fools." Gabriel stated.
"If He destroys the mortals who show too much interest, He will give this world a reason to unify under a common threat and enemy." The nameless child pointed out.
"Sometimes I forget how young and inexperienced you are." Gabriel sighed. "Even He knows now that vampires are persecuted in many kingdoms and empires. The other nations will not sit and be idle while a nation with access to all kinds of powerful ancient creatures, technology and magic rises from the ashes, especially if it is a global superpower that has races they suppressed and hunted for ages. The simple truth is that, when all is said and done, our Lord simply does not care."
*****
"The boy still cares about the mortals." Lilith stated without emotion. "He may be a failure."
"You are quick to pass judgement." Asura spoke with a hint of disapproval in his tone. "He has made fast progress and is absorbing all the information we give him."
They had been spying on the lesson from a great distance away.
"We have taught him the basics." Lilith countered. "Practically, the boy shows fair potential but that can be attributed to the aid of our Lord's holy blood. He is ambitious but cautious. He wants to succeed but sheer will power is not enough if he still clings to his human side and their lives. We should terminate this flawed and useless experiment. We should get rid of him."
A shocking bloodlust suddenly exploded and Asura's usual carefree and nonchalant self had disappeared. He had been replaced by the Knight General.
He was clad in his armour, wings tucked and his sword drawn pointed at Lilith's neck. It was as if there was an entirely different being there.
"Your words border too closely to blasphemy, Lilith. This was the Lord's command. You dare call it flawed and useless?" Asura's voice was low but each word was laced with killing intent.
Lilith was stunned for a second and briefly displayed shock and confusion. She rarely showed her own emotions but this was too surprising even for her. She quickly regained her composure and began to stare daggers at Asura.
"We are forbidden from fighting amongst ourselves, Asura but you seem to think I have found a fault with the Flawless being. You are wrong. It is the subject that is flawed. He is useless and can never become truly worthy of the station he is attempting to reach." Lilith's tone was cold and slightly threatening.
"You cannot refuse to see an experiment through because you believe you already know the outcome. Are you willing to explain to the Lord that you killed the only known descendent of the Abbas Family for no clear reason than suspicion? We can only kill the boy when he fails not because we suspect he will. The Celestial Star made that clear or did you forget that?"
"You would dare?!" Lilith's battle aura flared. "Each word, each command and each whisper from our Lord is worth more than the lives of every living being on every known world. I would never let such a treasure fade from my memory but it is out of respect and reverence that I say this!"
"If the boy is to be deemed a failure, he must actually fail. So far he has not done anything but strive and succeed." Asura did not even blink as he kept his gaze on Lilith. That is why they both failed to react to the incoming threat in time.
BOOM!!!!
Gabriel descended from sky, also fully adorned in his armour, wings spread out, anger and revulsion erased his handsome features. The other two generals shrunk back but it was too late.
Their big brother, Gabriel, reached out and grabbed them both on the back of their necks, his own battle aura suppressing and extinguishing his younger siblings bloodlust.
He knocked the two together and when they fell on the ground with a loud cry, he grabbed Asura.
"You dare draw your sword on your fellow general and the living creation of the Celestial Star?!" Gabriel roared.
"Brother, you do not understand. Please listen!" Asura shouted and pleaded.
"Silence!!!" Gabriel headbutted Asura with enough force to cause a shock wave. He dropped his unconscious sibling and turned his wrath on his sister who stared at Gabriel in fear. "And you..." His voice was a nightmare. "You may be called the mad scientist but you serve at the Lord's pleasure. His orders left no room for interpretation. He was clear!"
"I understand that now, Elder brother. Pardon me...Forgive me!" She begged.
"FOOL!" Gabriel roared and shot his sister with a spell that had a black aura and was far more potent than any spell the gods were capable of! The impact caused the whole area to turn turn dark.
One....
Two....
Three....
Four...
It was five seconds of pitch darkness before the light slowly returned to the world to show Lilith sprawled on the ground, unconscious and wounded. She had summoned her armour in time to absorb some of the force otherwise her wounds would be more severe.
Gabriel spat in outrage. He did not know what was more shameful. The fact that they both failed to behave in a manner befitting their stations or the fact that he had to use the skill [Judgement] to deal with them.
Uriel suddenly appeared and looked at everything before her. The courtyard had been destroyed and two of her siblings were wounded and unconscious. She swallowed. Gabriel was the most noble of the Seraphim but he also held the terrifying position of Law Lord.
"I greet the Law Lord and Elder brother." Uriel said with humility. Under normal circumstances, the siblings were equals but when Gabriel was carrying out the duties of the Law Lord, he was of higher rank than them as he passed judgement on the Seraphim and Nephilim who broke the Lord's rules.
The Eldest of the Seraphim scowled at Uriel. His gaze warning her that her punishment would be worse if she ever broke the rules. "Judgement passed." Gabriel said then shot off into the sky and back to his lesson.
Skill Explanation
[Judgement]
Class - Seraph
- this is a unique skill that is granted to one of the Seraph by the Celestial Star.
- the holder of this skill is given enhanced abilities to enforce the rules of the supreme being and suppress their fellow Seraphim.
Caution - the holder of this skill becomes extremely aggressive when this skill is activated and becomes the Celestial Star's wrath personified.
Caution - if the holder of this skill knowingly breaks the rules, the skill self-activates unleashing the Lord's wrath to attack the holder's mind and forcing the judge's magic to practically invert its natural flow and poison the holder causing immense pain and suffering. The punishment can only be lifted by the Lord.