A string of emotions, ideas, and actions that are interwoven by the complexity of others. With a push and a pull of events that affect the people around us, we are given a chance to become someone who we were meant to become. Does one change by the push of the events around us, or does it give us a choice to react? Is it the will of our wants to see a different end that makes us want to change? Or is it our genetic makeup that gives us no choice but to follow the predetermined plan that pulls us around like a puppet? Do the events that we go through shape us into monsters, or are we born into it?
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Zoned out, sitting on the bed with his heavy eyes closed—Aurelius was fully awake. Memories of the nightmare flashed through his head, giving him a slight headache. His memory was a blur, almost as if it was squiggling in his mind, trying to escape every time he tried to grasp it.
Why did I wake up? Why couldn't I sleep and stay in the darkness that enveloped me with a caring embrace? What happened?
Those were the questions he couldn't answer, but he knew how powerful and horrible that dream was.
"Doc, is he going to be alright?" Lucian asked softly in concern toward the doctor. He didn't realize that Lucian was here, giving Aurelius a soft, pleasant feeling in his heart. The depression was slightly washed away; leaving him with a more bearable pain.
"It seems everything has stabilized for now. He does have a bit of a concussion, and I wouldn't be surprised if he has some amnesia. It should go away later on." The doctor reassured him, but his tone of voice quickly changed. "I'm surprised that didn't kill him," said the doctor with a very concerned voice. "The amount of clashing forces of energy should've destroyed him and the others around him. I suggest that he stay here in the hospital a little longer to make sure that he will be okay."
Lucian was silent for a moment and took a breath before speaking. "Thanks, doc."
"Keep an eye on him. It's crucial to know if there are any energy spikes in his body for the next day."
"I will."
"I'll be back again to check on him later." The light footsteps of the doctor left the room, and he closed the door softly behind him.
With a sigh, Lucian fidgeted in his seat and leaned back.
Aurelius still had difficulty seeing, but he was able to open his eyes. The world before him was blurry, but his vision slowly adapted. Tears still wet his eyes as he reached up and rubbed them to clear them away.
"You alright?" Lucian stood up straight in a hurry and pulled his chair forward, scraping the ground with a loud clatter as he scooted toward his friend.
"What happened?" Aurelius' eyes finally came into focus, and he noticed that he was in the hospital ward.
The pristine clean room had a perfect balance of natural plants mixed with a futuristic look that made up the majority of the room. A dim gold plant illuminated the room with a soft light. A puff of smoke escaped from one of the bud plants, giving the room a sweet smell of caramel that helped calm his once chaotic, negative thoughts.
Soft cascading sunlight tickled his hands and warmed up the room. He felt safe in this room; it wasn't like the false light that he had just dreamt about. It felt more genuine; something he knew was real.
A gentle wind blew through the open window, bringing in the sound of chimes. He could feel the positive energy seeping into him.
"Buddy, you truly astound me every time. I couldn't believe what had happened." Lucian sighed and rested his hands on Aurelius' shoulder. "Your awakening was quite different from the rest of the other students. You could say it was explosive." He half chuckled.
The word explosive didn't sound good at all. Aurelius wasn't sure how to take it. "Did I kill anyone?" He choked up. The thought of killing someone made him feel horrible.
"No one died. The eight overseers descended from the sky and were present in the nick of time to control your little tantrum."
Tantrum. Yeah, right. Aurelius rolled his eyes.
"You can say it was interesting. Part of the buildings were destroyed, things caught on fire, and barriers were set to put things in order," said Lucian. Aurelius' face turned paler and paler from hearing Lucian's words. "But I must say, your wings were unique. I have never seen such patterns before."
"My wings?" Aurelius asked. Did I just hear him right? Did my dream come into reality? "Are they gone?" The words barely came out in a whisper. His hand was unconsciously reaching over toward his back before he had even finished the sentence.
"What are you talking about?" Lucian gave Aurelius a funny look. "Why would you lose your wings? That sounds crazy."
A sharp breath of relief escaped from Aurelius' lips. He had wings. A burst of ecstatic emotions bubbled out of his heart and up his throat. He pushed himself up into a better position.
I have wings. I have wings. I HAVE WINGS!
Aurelius' dreams of flight that he had experienced since he was a child had become a reality. The joy of flying soon made him antsy to get out of this stuffy hospital and go out running in the field. He wanted to see what his wings look like. Was it pure white or dark brown with a hint of blue? He didn't know, and he didn't care.
He had wings. A smug smile spread on his lips.
Then Aurelius felt coated with another emotion called guilt. The dream was too realistic, and the feeling made him feel tainted. He felt shame wash over him for even having such dark thoughts. He rarely had nightmares, especially with something so dark that it gave him shivers.
Still, he shook his head, taking the negative thoughts out of his mind and instead enjoyed the idea of him having wings.
"Normally, there are only four different colors that are apparent with the Daemons and Angelous," said Lucian, breaking Aurelius' dream state.
Aurelius' mind was a mess, trying to recall some memories, but they just flew away from his grasp. Instead, he was welcomed with a slight throbbing headache.
"Can you go over them again? I have a headache and I can't seem to remember a few things." Aurelius rubbed in between his brow, trying to massage it out.
"Amnesia?" Lucian leaned forward to rest his hand on Aurelius forehead, but Aurelius stopped him. "Are you sure you are okay?"
"Yeah, just a slight throb. Everything is just jumbled-up words and memories." Aurelius said, trying to calm his worried friend. "I think I'll remember some more if you could explain it to me again."
"Well to start off, the color of the wings depends on the rank structures of each species." Lucian waved his fingers, and then he leaned back on his chair. "The Angelous race is divided into three groups of Choirs: First Choir, Second Choir, and Third Choir. They all specialize in Sound and Light magic: two out of the sixteen elements in the universe."
Lucian's words echoed in Aurelius' head as he listened to his friend's every word.
"The First Choir is made up of three specific jobs: Seraphim Angelous, Cherubim Angelous, and Throne Angelous. Seraphim are the highest order of Angelous that directly works with our king. Cherubim are the top-notch personal special forces that protect the King. While the Thrones are our highest order of justice system that brings righteous judgment to the universe, each of these Angelous has three pairs of wings, and rumors stated that they are pure red."
"Red with three pairs of wings?" Aurelius asked, trying to picture it in his mind. He had never seen any of the so-called elusive First Choir before. Even if he had seen them with their wings, it would probably be on a special occasion. Something that rare wasn't often seen to the point where it became more of a rumor than facts.
"Yeah. They've only appeared a few times in a century." Lucian folded his arms. "Now the Second Choir is the Dominion Angelous, Virtue Angelous, and Power Angelous. Dominions are the divine leaders that send out orders and messages to the other lower ranks. The Virtues are the miracle workers for the King. Finally, the Powers are the soldiers that bring justice and protection laid down by the Thrones. They're the keeper of peace and order. The Second Choirs all have two pairs of wings, and they are pure white."
The Second Choir was something that Aurelius had heard about, and he'd seen quite a few. So, it wasn't much of a big deal.
"The Third Choir are the Principalities, ArchAngelous, and finally the Messengers. The overseers or, in another name, Principalities are the driving force of politics in the universe. Then we have the ArchAngelous, or should I say the Maestros. This title is only given to a very rare few, with a couple of unique exceptions. Even then, the other ArchAngelous don't often have such titles. ArchAngelous move through the ranks, doing different jobs and governing sound specifically. Finally, we have the lowest rank in the structure, the Messengers that go out into different worlds to watch and reinforce the laws of the universe to different races. The third triad has only one pair of wings that are pure white, except Maestros."
"Maestro Regis…" Aurelius drew out the name. The words hummed as if her name had power behind it.
"Mhmm," said Lucian, nodding his head.
"She is considered a genius in the musical field. Her concert was sold out in just a matter of days," Aurelius spoke out loud, getting excited. The broken memory of his childhood friend brightly glimmered in his mind, reminding him of the pure face that he had loved. How could he have forgotten for a moment? He felt ashamed.
Honestly, she is even more amazing than that, Aurelius thought. She had accomplished so much, even though the title was recently given.
"Yes." Lucian wasn't so interested in Maestro Regis. Aurelius noticed that Lucian seemed to zone out when he started talking about her.
"What about the Daemons?"
"Well, they are similiar. There are only three jobs given to the Daemons. The Daemons have a special affinity to Dark and Void magic, and because the rank structure is more secretive, it's difficult to know what job title is given to who."
"Wait. Wait. Wait." Aurelius held up his hand to slow him down. "You are a Daemon, and you don't know all the inner workings of your group? That's kind of hard to believe."
"Well, that's the thing, we are not told what jobs are given until we have passed the initiation. Even then, the higher tiers of job classes are considered a secret. The first is the Nightingales; those are equal to the Angelous' first Choir. Each has three pairs of wings and has dark blue wings. It is said that to the viewer's eyes, the color is so close to black that they are sometimes mistaken. They do the same job as the first but are considered to do more high-security missions. The second job is called Divergents and their job rivals the Second Choir. They keep the power of void and darkness in check."
"I heard rumors stating that Daemons who control Darkness and Void are considered evil beings. Is that even true?" Aurelius couldn't help voicing his opinion. This question had always stuck in the back of his head.
Lucian burst out laughing. "When people are dealing with the unknown, they label it as evil. As you know, there are sixteen elemental energies. To use the element of Darkness and Void, one must perfectly suppress every single emotion one has to bring up the purest form of these two elements."
"It's difficult, isn't it?" He had heard someone say the same thing as Lucian before.
"This is why Daemons are called emotionless monsters, for we are known to keep our emotions in check to the highest degree. So, in that aspect, we are considered cruel and cold depending on the actions that are given to us. We move by logic rather than emotions while the Angelous is more moved by emotions that are considered benevolent. You can see why we are seen as a darker aspect of the two," said Lucian. "With that being said, the second job has two pairs of dark brown wings. Finally, we have a third group called the Reapers. You could say that they are the watchers that keep the darkness in check from being overused and to bring those who have passed away to the afterlife. The Daemons in the third tier have only one pair of wings: dark brown wings. And now, that is all four colors that I know of."
"I think my memories are slowly coming back. Thanks."
"Any time."
Then Aurelius remember something, he quickly asked, "So, what are my colored wings?" Aurelius scratched the back of his head, itching to know the answer. It was a strange habit that he just couldn't stop himself from doing; it was something like biting one's nails.
"It's similar to a silver pheasant's pattern and color."
"Silver pheasants?"
"Have you not seen one before?"
Aurelius shook his head. Silver pheasants weren't a bird that commonly lived in this world as even the words sounded foreign.
"Ah, I forgot, they don't live in this planet. Think of the base color as pure white with close to black arrow markings. Give me a second." Lucian brought his hands up, where he wore a digital watch. He pressed a couple of buttons, and a holographic image of a silver pheasant appeared before them. Just like Lucian had stated, the bird had a white body with black arrow markings. Its underbelly was black, and it reminded Aurelius of a different variety of chicken. Near its beak was a red-colored marking.
"So, you're saying my wings look like this?" Aurelius pointed toward the silver pheasant.
"Yeah. I had never seen such a pattern before. Maybe your genetic makeup has been different this whole time. Here I thought you were an Outsider from the beginning, but it seems you'll fall under the category of something else," Lucian replied in an interested tone. "You could be considered a new species entirely."
"Wha—?"
The image disappeared, and Lucian raised his hands to stop Aurelius from speaking any further. He lifted his fingers in front of Aurelius' mouth, motioning him to be quiet and let him speak.
Aurelius shook his head, telling him to say nothing further. But before Lucian could say anything, suddenly a voice could be heard coming from the other side of the door.
"Is it alright to even go to their doctor? I hope he's alright." A female voice spoke loudly with concern. Her ringing voice sounded sweet like nectar, so Aurelius instantly knew who it was. His childhood friend—Dawn.
"Maestro Regis." The doctor spoke, a bit dazed by the entrance of Maestro Regis. He stuttered a few times. "He'll be alright. It seems that his energy has stabilized, and he has been doing well since the last time I left."
"Then it should be okay if I go in," she replied sweetly with an indifferent tone toward the doctor, as if not even caring if he said no.
"Maestro. Please. He already has a guest present there. Too much ruckus could spike an unstable situation."
"Don't worry, doctor, you don't have to concern yourself about such things when I am around. Though you did say that there was someone else there?"
"Yes. It's Mr. Lucian."
"Lucian!" Her voice spiked up to a high pitch. The door was roughly opened; it rattled to the point where the doctor stared worriedly at the possibility it would break. Dawn burst through the door.
"Maestro Regis! Please!" A begging voice erupted from the doctor's voice. He was trying to stop her from entering—but failed. Her golden hair streamed behind her in a fluid watery motion as she proudly came in, walking gracefully into the room. She was gliding into the room itself, making her gait feel surreal.
The doctor rushed in and bowed, asking for forgiveness toward both Lucian and Aurelius from the unexpected visitor. The doctor silently mouthed, "I'm so sorry" and left with the door closed behind him. Everyone knew that Dawn was a force that wasn't easily stopped, especially when she wanted something.
Both Aurelius and Dawn awkwardly stared at each other. Unable to say a word. Aurelius was glad that Dawn remembered him, the nagging constraint around his heart was relieved as their old friendship persisted over time.
"Aurelius," said Dawn, full of concern. Her eyes were heavy with tears, ready to burst with streams of tears and happiness. Pale hands covered her mouth as she stared at Aurelius with relief. She rushed over and flopped on top of him, kissing both his cheeks as she hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't get in touch with you until now. I'm glad that you're alright."
Lucian moved out of the way before he too got squished in between them.
"Ow. Dawn. It's alright." Aurelius cried out in pain. He was hugged a little too vigorously, to the point where he felt as if his chest was caving in. For such a small woman, she had a mighty grip.
"Why didn't you write me back?" Dawn fumed, detaching herself.
"I never got your letters." Aurelius was confused. There were no letters from her or even a phone call once.
"What?!" Dawn raised up her voice in disbelief. "That stupid prick of a secretary!" She yelled.
"I should have known he would have done something like this." The air around her sparkled with energy, making her livid. "He said you never sent one to me. I'm going to fire him the next time I see him."
Aurelius was glad that he now knew the reason why she hadn't messaged back, but he regretted not taking a bit more forceful approach instead of wallowing in his own self pity to reconnect. Still, he was glad she was here.
"Still, are you alright? I should have watched over your awakening. I should've been the one to take care of it, but I was called away. I regret it so much. I'm so sorry," Dawn murmured, a pained expression of sorrow decorating her beautiful face.
Aurelius lightly stroked her head to calm her down. Her eyes softened, and he smiled. "It's alright. You know it's not your fault. My awakening wasn't planned to be so chaotic."
"But, but, but—" Dawn stammered in between her teary eyes and runny nose. Her golden hair was slightly messy, her pink cheeks slightly glowed, and even her droplets of tears glistened underneath the light. Still, she looked radiant.
"You were still there to stop it, weren't you?" Aurelius assured her as he stared into her beautiful eyes that sparkled like the stars. He couldn't help but sway by her presence; even the soft feel of her hair running through his fingers sparked an uncontrollable desire that he had to reel in. He wanted her to stay in his embrace forever.
Slowly, Dawn shook her head and wiped away her tears with her arms. Her rosy lips curled up into the most mesmerizing smile that he had ever seen. For a split second, his heart pounded hard in his chest. He couldn't help but be filled with a warm, tingling feeling that washed over him thoroughly. She was an epitome of a perfect beauty and grace that all women envied. "I thank you for stopping me from getting destroyed." Aurelius pulled her into an embrace. His head snuggled against her golden hair and breathed in her addicting, rosy scent.
Dawn giggled, making Aurelius grin from ear to ear. He just couldn't get enough of her bright smile and laugh. If he could, he would love to keep her smiling continuously for all of eternity.
"Ahem." Lucian coughed to catch their attention—a bit sarcastically. "Please, let me breathe. It's too suffocating."
Both Aurelius and Dawn pushed apart just as quickly as they had hugged. He couldn't help but blush scarlet, his body temperature rising, making him sweat. On the other hand, Dawn glared at Lucian briefly as her tone changed. She gracefully fixed up her disheveled self to make herself presentable.
"Lucian." Dawn said coldly.
"Yes. Maestro Regis," replied Lucian, just as sharply as Dawn.
"What are you doing here?"
"Is that something you ask the first time you meet someone today? No, 'Hello Lucian, how are you doing?' Not even the famous Angelous greeting with a hug and a kiss on the cheeks?"
Dawn's smile twitched. "Hello Lucian, how are you doing today? I hope your overbearing presence doesn't suffocate Aurelius. Though, you don't deserve our custom hug."
"Me? Hardly. I'm just watching over a friend. Why can't I do that?" Lucian leaned back with his hands rested on the back of his head. He crossed his leg and comfortably sat back as if nothing was wrong.
"Sure, you can. It was my mistake to assume otherwise. Though, I have to wonder where your generosity of looking over your friend made him end up like this?" She waved her hand, frustrated at the situation that he was in. "Aren't you slacking off on your job a bit?"
Lucian rolled his eyes. "I was in the middle of being awakened too. Do you think I'm able to break away from such a process and run over? Do you know how dangerous it is to break an awakening stage? It could kill thousands to be so negligent."
Dawn scowled; she wasn't pleased about how Lucian talked down to her. "I would've raced over to help if I was in your position."
"I'm not like you, oh holy one, where I can just turn on and off my awakening."
"Oh, you noticed. I thought you never would. Though I must say, 'oh holy one' does sound quite befitting of me, don't you agree?" She turned toward Aurelius. He just shrugged it off, not wanting to get in between their cold war. Honestly, their little squabble had been going on for a very, very long time, and there was barely anything he could do to change their opinions of each other.
He tried, but every time he attempted to sway their opinion, it was rebutted. At least he didn't feel any hate between the two; just a strong sense of dislike and spiteful beliefs about each other.
Dawn couldn't help but weasel her way back next to his side.
"I was wondering what happened to the people who got hurt. Nobody died, right?" Aurelius asked, trying to cut the thick atmosphere in half. He was concerned about the welfare of others, especially if he was the one that caused it.
"They will be fine. They're being treated with the utmost care. Were you worried this whole time about them?" Dawn squealed with delight. She glomped on Aurelius and snuggled tightly. "This is why I like you. Your consideration of others who are not associated with you, unlike your so-called friend."
"You always have to have the last punch, don't you?" Lucian rolled his eyes.
"What if I say that's all in your head?" Dawn sweetly replied as she slowly let go of Aurelius.
"You guys," Aurelius said, hoping to break up their little spat. Trying to calm a raging storm wasn't easy. He just didn't know why both Lucian and Dawn had such heated disagreement at times. It always starts out small, and somehow it would eventually end up big. He even asked them why, but they never gave him a straight answer to his question.
"How about I throw in a couple of jabs here and there and see your pretty face turn blue instead?" hissed Lucian.
"Oh, you actually think my face is pretty?" Dawn batted her eyes at Lucian with a smirk on her lips. "Why, thank you."
"Well, from one to ten as ten being the lowest, I would say it would be above a five but closely resembles a pig. You know, your nose." Lucian tapped his finger on his nose.
"Did you hear that, Aurelius; he's comparing me to a pig. I could've sworn the rat face here does a wonderful job of squealing if he's cornered. Want to test that theory out?" Dawn seemed to glow even lighter with a holy glow; she was becoming dazzling where Aurelius was having a rough time looking away. Lucian frowned even deeper than before. One would have thought a civil war would begin in front of Aurelius' bed if he wasn't careful.
"Bring it." Lucian's eyes gleamed dangerously.
"I will," Dawn replied without a second thought; she was already face-to-face with Lucian. The air tensed up quickly, making it difficult to breathe. Static and power between the two started to go haywire as magic clashed with each other.
"Guys! This is the hospital! Calm down!" Aurelius exclaimed, breaking up their squabble. The tense air broke, allowing him to breathe more at ease. Any longer, and Aurelius could feel the rising tension between the two. Their thundering gazes were having a fight of its own without words, and any minute now, Aurelius believed they would jump into action. If they did fight, he knew that the building would be totally annihilated, killing the injured patients as well.
"Okay. If you say so." Dawn's tone of voice did a complete 180 She turned toward Aurelius and spoke. "The higher-ups are in a mess right now."
"What, why?" Aurelius asked. It was rare to hear such a massive commotion coming from the Council.
"It's because of you."
"I didn't do anything," Aurelius said flatly without a second thought.
Dawn sighed. She raised her hand and poked him squarely on his forehead. "It's because of your awakening. They are debating on what they are going to do with you. Not only that, they are waiting for an answer from the Supreme Council to send their verdict."
"What?!" Lucian shouted out loud in shock. "How did this become such a big issue?"
Dawn said worriedly, "Aurelius' out of control power has put quite a pressure on the Council from the parents of students. It's something they cannot overlook. The parents have already voiced their opinions, stating that they do not want a dangerous monster being near their children. I mean—" She quickly covered her mouth but was too late.
"You always had a way with words," tut-tutted Lucian. He shook his head with disapproval. Dawn gave him an angry glare that told him to shut up.
Aurelius waved her comment away as if it was nothing, but her words stung. "It's alright. Maybe the Council might know the answer to the question of what went wrong through the whole awakening. When will they call for me?"
"Today," Dawn said flatly, unamused.
"So soon?"
Dawn nodded. "Mhmm. By the time the doctor saw you wake up, he would've already gone to tell the higher-ups. My guess is those old geezers decided by now to do it today because of the number of complaints that they have gotten from students' parents. If my guess is correct in three, two, one…now."
The door suddenly burst open as two Angelous soldiers entered through the door right on cue. Their elegant silver armor with dark blue accents glistened under the light, making them look magical and intimidating. Their hawk light helmets covered the majority of their faces. Something about their helmets made them look more intimidating, with the sharp edges that could gouge a person's eyes out and their regal golden feather that streaked across the top.
"Is Aurelius here?" One of the soldiers called out.
"That's me." Aurelius raised his hand, letting out a small squeak. He was quite intimidated by the Angelous soldiers that greeted him. Their expressions were cold as they stared down at him with scrutinizing eyes.
"The Council had called you for a hearing. Please follow us." Their feet loudly tapped together, startling Aurelius as he felt himself shrink a bit more.
"Right now? He just woke up," said Lucian, taken aback by the sudden appearance of the soldiers.
"Yes. The soldier's voice was stern and unwavering with their decisions. Everyone knew that the Angelous soldiers were not someone to mess with, especially when the Council called them.
Dawn slipped off the bed and turned toward Aurelius. She pulled back the blanket to help him out of bed. "Let's go. It's not wise to keep them waiting."
"Bu—" Aurelius stammered. He was completely confused about what was going on.
Dawn raised her fingers to Aurelius' lips and shook her head. She mouthed quietly, telling him to go. He knew instantly that this was not the time to ask questions, but to follow the soldiers' direction.
"Give me a moment," Aurelius replied. He swung his feet over the bed while Dawn came over and helped him up.
Aurelius felt a bit tired, but he knew he couldn't let his exhaustion show. With great effort, he stood up straighter. Dawn glanced over Aurelius, wondering if he was okay.
"We'll be waiting for you outside. Please hurry, the Council doesn't like to wait," said the soldier. They turned around and went out just as quickly as they came in.
"What was that about?" Lucian was coming out of his stupor. He stood up, lost for words. "The council members? How did it become so serious?"
"I'm not sure. Ask questions later, we need to go now," said Dawn. "Not going to a hearing from the Council is a serious crime. It would be best if we get there as soon as possible."
"Are you coming along as well?" Aurelius asked.
"Yep. I'm curious about what the Council has to say." Dawn pulled his arms, hurrying him toward the exit with great care.
One by one, they left the hospital doors and headed toward the Council. Aurelius was worried about what was going to happen. He remembered hearing horror stories about how strict the board was, and he trudged along with worry in his heart.