An answer that is like a fleeting butterfly and disappears in a whisk of a smoke. When one thinks one understands, doubts and questions—replace that one reason. Maybe the question is not why, but the question comes down to what you can do for the change that is flowing in front of you that you do not foresee.
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The teachers and students that were practicing all stopped to see what was going on. They looked over to see where the sound was coming from and followed the loud music that echoed through the campus speakers. It was odd to see the speakers blaring with noise because it wasn't the only thing that was used.
Everybody could hear it from in front of the campus.
"What is going on?" Aurelius curiously looked around, unsure of what was going on. His feet moved; he was summoned like the many others.
Aurelius followed to see what was going on. The harmonious sound reached out toward all corners of the city, turning on holograms and the city streets speakers. Even the citizens were quickly streaming out to see what was going on, curious who was playing.
A loudspeaker called out to the residents as the Angelous sat on top of a Pegasus. Its beautiful wings were tucked to its side as it proudly walked forward with its head held up high.
Pegasus horses are notorious for not allowing just anybody to sit on its back, only the worthiest and the purest of souls without a single ill intent could ride on one. Plus, it wasn't a horse that was seen quite often in the city, making the scene that much rarer.
"The King summons all his citizens! The King summons for all his citizens!" The Angelous male with long platinum silver hair spoke over and over again. His voice was a low melodic tone that brought out a firm but soft feeling to it that caught everyone's attention.
"I wonder what's going on?" said Aurelius. He stood up on his tippy toes to take a better look. Everyone was out as many different Pegasus horses were flying around the city walls, calling the people to attend.
"I don't know, but it seems important. Let's go," replied Lucian.
Aurelius nodded as they both headed toward the loud ruckus. People started to group from all sides, quickly turning into a stream of people as they followed the summoner.
As they arrived in the front of the building of the council hall, there were already hundreds of thousands of people waiting outside. Aurelius tried to squeeze through to get a better view, but the rustling bustling of the crowd moved forward in giant waves, pulling him along with them. He felt like a pack of sardines stuffed in a can, while people who couldn't go past the guards that guarded the door waited outside.
A massive screen appeared out of thin air, hovering over their heads as it illuminated magically. An empty throne room with a majestic chair stood was shown. Aurelius wondered what the message was about that required everyone to come together. Something big like this didn't happen often, and not so suddenly out of the blue either.
"Let's move in closer," motioned Lucian. He slipped through the crowd easily. One thing that amazed Aurelius was that Lucian always somehow was able to appear and disappear, leaving Aurelius speechless. He used that same ability to move through the crowd, almost phasing in and out. Already Lucian was three-fourths of the way through the group, leaving Aurelius further and further behind. Aurelius picked up his speed but was rebuffed backward quite often. Following Lucian wasn't easy, especially when no one wanted to move out of the way.
"What is our King going to tell us?" Aurelius heard the people speaking among themselves as he traveled forward. He was getting excited at the thought of seeing the King of all kings.
"I wonder if our King wanted to congratulate Maestro Regis on the next concert she would be having. That could only be the reason that I could think of," a young lady said with excitement.
"Maybe, I wouldn't be surprised."
"I agree. Maestro Regis makes the most beautiful music with her violin."
Aurelius agreed with the others that Dawn did create beautiful music, but he was still having trouble getting past. If only they didn't pack together so tightly, he would have made it through faster.
"Look! She's descending from the sky." A female Angelous pointed upwards; everyone moved in sync as they gaze up toward the sky.
Aurelius looked up; he noticed Dawn flying gracefully high up in the sky. Her perfect pair of white wings flapped behind her as bright sunlight hit her body, creating a sparkling effect. Dawn was dressed up in a gorgeous dress that accentuated her body, especially her golden hair. Her beauty was breathtaking to the point everyone who saw her was speechless and watched her with awe.
He had to tear his eyes away from Dawn; if he watched any longer, he would be just like everyone else, entranced. This gave him the chance to slip through the guards that usually didn't quite often look away so quickly.
Dawn's effect was quite mesmerizing that almost no one could tear away from her. With a sigh of relief, Aurelius made his way through the tightly packed hallway as he got closer, he was suddenly pulled backward by his collar.
With a muffled yell, Aurelius was dragged back into the shadows. The tight grasp made it exceedingly difficult to twist out of the hold. He raised his feet and stomped as hard as he could, grinding it into the opponent's foot. An annoyed grunt sounded behind him; Aurelius followed it up with a backward elbow strike that was deflected perfectly as he was let go.
"It's me," hissed Lucian. He frowned, rubbing his chest in circles. "Pay attention to your surroundings."
"What did you expect? You could've been some killer or something," Aurelius spat back; he wasn't too thrilled about almost being kidnapped.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm a killer as the first train of thought here in the council. Evil beings can't get in this deep in the city." Lucian stared at him strangely. Then he continued, "Though, that is an Outsider's way of thinking."
"Think about it. Being dragged into the shadows to be killed is what a killer would do," Aurelius spoke back, remembering the words from a crowd of Outsiders when they were talking amongst themselves. "I know there has never been a murder ever in this city or this world, but still."
"Not in this world." Lucian went silent for a moment. "You need to stop picking up an Outsider's thoughts and habits. It's not good for your mind." Lucian looked at him a bit differently than usual, making Aurelius uncomfortable.
What Lucian said made Aurelius feel weird. He, too, didn't expect to have such dark thoughts come out of his mind as his first explanation, especially a topic as dark as murder. That was hardly the first thing that should even be in his mind.
Choking back the thoughts, Aurelius shook his head. "But Lucian, don't all soldiers have such dark thoughts, though? Possibly even Djinns too? You guys have killed before."
"That's a little different. We are soldiers of our Lord. Such thoughts do not pass through our minds, especially during combat. Plus, we don't use such dark emotions to fuel our power. If we do, we lose a good half of it. In which, we wouldn't be able to bring out all of our powers. It's a bit difficult to explain unless you go through it yourself." Lucian scratched his chin, trying to find a way for Aurelius to understand the concept of killing. "Although, I can't speak for the Djinns themselves."
"I didn't know that," Aurelius stuttered. He didn't realize a Daemon's power and ability to control one's knowledge was so complicated.
"Daemons must keep their minds attuned with their bodies to be able to reach their peak performance; having dark emotions just hinders the growth of one's full potential. The stronger one's anger gets doesn't mean the stronger the power becomes. It does get to the power quickest, but it also results in you becoming a bit too instinctual; too emotional. It can become deadly to both Angelous and Daemons if we let our emotions run rampant when fighting some entities. You need to have a very calm mind. You let your body instinctively move, while your mind plans out how to attack. Fighting on foot or the ground needs different plans."
Aurelius was amazed to hear about what Lucian had just said. The whole time, he thought anger was one of the driving forces to bring out the Dark and Void element. He had heard rumors from the people on how a Daemon controlled their powers, but to listen to it differently made him realize how fortunate he was to have a Daemon friend. He had learned something valuable.
"That's probably why the Outsiders are fearful of you guys." It dawned on Aurelius why the Outsiders tend to stay away from the Daemons. Their aura was dominant; sometimes overbearingly fearsome and dark. Not many could handle such intensity. It was completely different from the light elemental, which was much more soothing. "They see you guys as some kind of vicious, emotionless killing machines."
Lucian denied Aurelius' statement as he shook his head. "I believe that the Outsiders are scarier, though."
"Why?"
Outsiders, scary? That was a first.
Aurelius thought Outsiders didn't compare to either Angelous or Daemons. Their powers didn't even come up to the Djinns. Also, they had a wide level of power range in their category.
Lucian was quiet for a moment. He was thinking about trying to find the best way to explain it to Aurelius. "Their thoughts have the potential to become poisonous. Though for Daemons, it can taint us faster than an Angelous because of our affinity to darkness and void."
Aurelius wasn't sure how to take Lucian's words. He had never heard that the Outsiders had the potential to become poisonous. There had been cases where he had heard about the dark incidents that happened to the other planets where the Outsider lived, but toxic wasn't the word he understood.
Even though, Aurelius labled himself as an Outsider, he didn't believe it so. For a moment, he couldn't help but refute Lucian's statement.
"Are you sure about that?" asked Aurelius. He walked through the shadows and climbed up the stairs while talking to one another.
"Yes. Why do you think that an Angelous' main job is to guide the Outsider and help them suppress dark thoughts?" Lucian asked. He pointed out something that everybody knew. "While we have to go through extensive training to train our mind against such intrusive thoughts."
Aurelius had never thought of it like that before. To train their mind and body to take on against the evil words of the people outside their world. He didn't quite understand how words could change whims so easily.
Both carefully made their way to the balcony overlooking down toward the throne room. The red curtain hid both in the darkness as they watched.
Was this the reason why I had been living with an adopted Angelous family?
It would make perfect sense why he had such thoughts to begin with ever since he was little and why he thought himself as an Outsider. Even the Outsiders' ideology was slowly beginning to make sense.
"It's not common knowledge, so be careful who you tell. The Outsiders get offensive if you say something rude toward them about what we just talked about." Lucian said.
Aurelius had heard about the fluctuating emotions that Outsiders tend to have, bringing trouble with them everywhere. Having feelings wasn't the problem, but controlling it so it didn't flare out uncontrollably. "I understand," replied Aurelius.
"Good." Lucian turned his back toward Aurelius, and he leaned toward the open balcony.
Aurelius followed Lucian's movement; he noticed Dawn walking through the open double doors from where they entered. People parted ways as she walked past until she stopped in the middle of the throne room with the Angelous soldiers following behind her.
An Angelous soldier from behind handed Dawn a red violin carved from a sacred white tree. Its white handle and body was meticulously crafted, giving it an elegant look. Something about the violin felt ancient but powerful. Even Aurelius could feel it up on the balcony. She gently took the bow with one of her hands and positioned herself to play.
Aurelius was wondering why she needed a violin, and what purpose she needed it for. It was very unusual, but nobody dared to speak a word. Everyone knew that she was going to play, and they held their breath in anticipation.
A gentle but clear pluck of the strings caught everyone's attention as she started to tune the violin. With a deep breath, Dawn gently placed the bow down onto the string. A strong, sharp sound pierced through the silence, giving everyone a sudden shudder. Each pull of the bow created a vibrant vibration that rang out throughout the room and escaped out into the world.
Aurelius held in a gasp and stood still, unmoving, drowned by that single sound. This was a unique sound magic that Dawn rarely used. Each powerful musical sound filled the air, gently moving swirling, he couldn't help but feel his heart move from Dawn's violin. Her special sound magic was something only her soul could produce; this was one of the reasons why she was considered a Maestro.
With a step forward, Dawn bent low. Then she stood up and twirled to the music as she danced, emphasizing each sound. An exceptional performance was being held in the throne room. It was more primal, soul-shaking, and personal, almost like a special lover.
Mechanical sound could be heard, mixing in with Dawn's music as the ceiling opened. Light shot through from the sky and down upon her and the throne. Fifteen Councilmembers majestically flew down from the ceiling, landing gracefully one after another as they tucked in their wings.
Words couldn't explain the music that Dawn played. It rejuvenated Aurelius' soul and moved him to tears. It uplifted him; bringing in a gentle ride throughout the whole time. Eventually, Dawn's music intensified with passion, reaching its climax.
Suddenly, a bright warm light cut through around them, blinding everyone temporarily. The room became vibrant with life. From the brightness, a rosy hand raised to stop Dawn's music. Then all of a sudden, the music stopped with a single chord, back to the same note as she first played, echoing out until the sound finally disappeared. If Aurelius could describe it in words, the universe welcomed the King in a grand manner.
"My Lord." Dawn stopped; she fell onto one knee as she deeply bowed down in front of the King. Everyone followed right after, bowing in submission like a tidal wave. Nobody could see through the bright light that shimmered, making it impossible to see.
Even Aurelius couldn't raise his eyes toward the King without going completely blind. He was dazed by the King's presence. It was gentle but powerful. Relaxing, but stern. A sweet smell of different flowers drifted through the throne room, riding on a gust of gentle wind. Every time Aurelius moved, he smelled a different seasonal flower.
An overwhelming power descended upon everyone as the world saw their beloved King appear before them cloaked in pure light; the King's shadows stretched out before the citizens, and all the known elements circled the King in different colors of floating orbs and streaks of light.
Aurelius and Lucian also fell on their knees unconsciously and bowed downwards into a full submission.