Thallium Yan was really feeling the Deja vu.
The flames, the screams, the shockwaves.
They were the same ones she witnessed from a distance. It had been what sent Mist Pine to ruins. Many familiar Nightwalkers were flashing around, spreading the flames and bringing about more and more damage the more they ran.
Thallium Yan slashed apart a Nightwalker she came across, and sound returned to her ears once more. The green glass dagger it wielded shattered when it hit the ground.
Her knights were already spread out, trying their best to catch those wretched ruinous rats. But Thallium Yan knew that slaying their consciousnesses just delayed any future attacks.
Her enemies did not die but her companions did.
'Hopefully, their main force isn't anywhere near us...' Thallium Yan still remembered what had occurred when the true force of the Exiled attacked.
Their strength had rivalled the famed Harmonic Knights of the Holy Nation of Illyas. It had led to a blood-soaked battlefield that still gripped Yan's heart. She had lost many subordinates that night.
Boom boom boom!
Thallium Yan found herself stepping back from the force of those shockwaves. She looked up and saw a Nightwalker wreathed in flames, jumping from the ground to attack a winged woman in the sky.
Golden orbs and fiery fists collided and caused many shockwaves to spread throughout the Middle Circle. Thallium Yan breathed and clutched at her sword.
An air of deadly elegance exuded from the noble knight captain. She was going to strike when the fiery Nightwalker was falling from the sky.
CRACK!
The stone pavement beneath Yan's feet cracked as she flung herself into the air. Her sword broke the sound barrier when she fully extended her blade.
The fiery Nightwalker noticed the presence of a peak Rank 2 Evolver and one that was exuding a jarring killing intent. 'Likely a Rank 1 Dictator as well.' He thought, desperately moving to protect his neck from being severed.
When the deadly sword was about to make contact with its target, a shadow manifested out of nowhere and formed a shield.
Irene, who saw this, watched as Thallium Yan's sword sunk into the shadowy barrier. The attack had been silenced and seemingly sealed. Irene noticed how similar the shadow powers were to Ace's.
"It's not Ace," Athelei whispered in Irene's ear, "It should be another Nightwalker who had gained similar abilities. Be careful and let's focus on the fireball guy. Break his Tangible Will and then I will have free reign."
Irene nodded and flapped her wings. She whizzed past Thallium Yan who was suspended in the air and forced to fight shadows that manifested from out of nowhere. She then held out her hand as a whirling sphere of energy began to form in her hand.
"Begone!" Irene cried out as her strike blasted the fiery Nightwalker into the ruined buildings below. She then fired another volley of golden orbs.
More shockwaves sounded out, and the fiery Nightwalker was able to emerge from within the flames once more. He launched himself at Irene again, but this time he was not met by more orbs of Tangible Will.
A golden lance was flying straight towards him.
"Gah!" The fiery Nightwalker parried the lance but was surprised by the small barbs that tore at his red-orange aura.
He then felt an immense pain flare-up in his arms.
"AAH!" The fiery Nightwalker screamed as his entire form shuddered.
Whooong!
Another golden lance fell towards him, and the Nightwalker realised he could not dodge nor parry. In the first place, the immense and mysterious pain in his arms was preventing him from thinking straight.
His power exploded from within him and he was able to redirect the golden lance's flight ever so slightly.
It whizzed past him, but not without another cut at his shoulder.
"Fuck!" The Nightwalker screamed as more pain was injected into him.
Ssuk!
One more golden lance flew towards him, and this time the fiery Nightwalker could do nothing.
He was skewered, and he let loose a blood-curdling scream.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
It was a horrifying cry of pain that made all who heard it, friend or foe, get chills run through their spine. It shook the air and silenced the battlefield for a moment as the tortured howl echoed out.
Irene had seen a similar occasion once before and she had been utterly horrified. Now, seeing it again, made her thankful that Athelei had sided with her.
'Whatever Angel is... only Libra would know. Please watch over me, oh master of balance.' Irene silently prayed as Athelei's giggles resounded in her ear.
"One down~!" Athelei hummed.
The Nightwalker he just devoured was tastier and of higher quality. Not even Ace, Love, and Jail could compare. It made Athelei desire the shadowy Nightwalker as well.
"Come on, Irene! There are still many enemies to dine on." Athelei prodded his collaborator.
Irene nodded slowly and aimed at the ground where she perceived her next target to be.
Thallium Yan pulled herself out of the initial shock and ferociously slashed her blade, severing the shadowy tendrils that threatened to bind her limbs. She noticed a few golden orbs whizz past her and a flustered grunt sounded out shortly after.
The knight captain then directed her killing intent towards the enemy she has finally discovered. She allowed herself to fall, and the moment her feet hit the ground, her figure blurred.
A sonic boom shook from her sword as she slashed at what seemed to be emptiness.
A curse sounded out from the shadow that she slashed and then a golden lance pierced through it in the next instant.
AAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Thallium Yan shuddered as she listened to that familiar blood-curdling scream from up close. She got goosebumps as she tried to imagine just what kind of pain someone had to go through to scream like that.
But she did not have enough time to imagine for long. A battle was still raging and a city was still on fire.
The winged woman who fought with her had already flown towards the next Nightwalker who displayed the ability to either create flames or to manipulate shadows.
Thallium Yan followed the woman since she seemed to know where the Nightwalkers were.
Irene did not have such an ability, however. It was Athelei who was whispering in her ear and guiding her towards the next foe.
And even Athelei himself was not sure when exactly he was able to sense his brother and sister Nightwalkers. But in the midst of all these raging flames, a growing instinct to consume was enveloping his mind.
The more he ate, the more he hungered.
It was a predatory sense, and Athelei could feel something changing within him with each bit he consumed.
'It's probably the effects of the changes within my consciousness and my race. I'm not sure if it's the Starless or the unnamed mutation though...'
This thought reminded Athelei of his physical body. He nervously looked to the Outer Ring of Aren City and his worries lessened a bit. The fires did not have the opportunity to spread because of the forces of Aren City and their swift reaction.
Athelei could not simply chomp on all the stronger Nightwalkers who would've given him trouble. Just like that fiery Nightwalker earlier, if Athelei could not breach their protective auras or sense their presence like the shadow Nightwalker, he had no way to devour them.
He was an assassin when alone, but a dangerous weapon when with others.
And so, the battle raged throughout Aren City. Many buildings were burned and destroyed while a lot of lives were lost as well.
It made many of the defenders depressed when they learned that the Nightwalkers they were killing could come back if they did not destroy their physical bodies.
It was only Irene who wasn't affected by such information. She was beginning to grow numb to the horrible screams of every Nightwalker she slew. Those devoured by the angel at her side would never return—Irene had no choice but to believe that. If somehow they lived, she wondered if they would still be sane after their traumatic defeats.
Thallium Yan had accompanied Irene throughout the battle, and she too was getting used to those screams. She also learned who the winged lady was.
Irene Vistas was from a famous family in Illyas. Different from the Flower Families that Thallium Yan had hailed from, the Vistas named themselves after their mystical territories that skirted what could be considered real. The Vistas were also more detached from the country's situation, with only the younger generations interacting with everyone else.
The Flower Families on the other hand were right there below the Holy King and Queen. They were like the priests and priestesses who served a pope.
When the battle finally calmed down, Irene flew to Yan who was sitting on a stone in exhaustion.
"Hello, Captain Yan of the Harmonic Knights." Irene gave a friendly bow as she folded her wide wings. "Having you accompany me in battle was a pleasant experience and I would love to fight beside you again."
Athelei hid himself as this was happening, not willing to have anyone other than Irene know about him for now.
Meanwhile, Yan smiled as she spoke in between her breaths, "It was my pleasure, as well. You have a very special power, Miss Irene. I've never seen anything like it."
Irene was chuckled dryly as she felt a sting in her mind. The pain had come with a forceful injection of information that said,
'You will not speak of me to anyone else. This is your power.'
"I was simply lucky to have a fortuitous encounter," Irene vaguely said as she gestured, "May I invite you to the acropolis? I would love to host you in my own home if your current accommodations had been unlucky in the battle."
"Ah," Yan's eyes gleamed for a moment but Irene watched as it was quickly suppressed, "I would love to join you, but I have my knights to take care of. Perhaps in the coming days, we could enjoy afternoon tea?"
"Sounds like a plan, Captain Yan." Irene then spread her wings, "I'll be taking my leave here then. Rest well."
"Thank you, Miss Irene. Please take care of your health as well." Yan waved a tired hand as she watched Irene take to the skies, "Goodbye."
.
.
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{[ March 18, 102 A.A. ]}
{[ Aren City, Inner Ring, Irene Vistas' House ]}
A playful angel was sitting opposite of a curvaceous woman as the two talked over tea. Unfortunately, the former had yet to figure out how to ingest substances with his fog-body, so it was only the woman who was enjoying the sweet aromas.
"...So by leaving your mark on my soul, I will be able to borrow your power and therefore, your wings as well?" Irene asked, nervously. "Will there be any side effects to you leaving a mark on my soul?"
"The answer to your first question is: most likely. The answer to your second question is: unlikely. As I've just said, these abilities of mine are still unfamiliar to me. I hadn't been born for as long as you have, Irene." Athelei shrugged, swirling the tea in his cup as he pondered over how he could eat and drink like Ace.
'They must have taken some other special potion that gave them those abilities,' He loosely concluded, 'I can see no other possibilities, especially when I begin to consider the flames, the shadows, and those weird silencing daggers.'
"I see," Irene closed her eyes and gave it some thought, "What do you get out of this?"
"I would like to be fed any Nightwalkers you come across," Athelei answered matter-of-factly, giving Irene a small shiver. "You can do this by wrapping your attacks with the fog of my consciousness that you get from borrowing my wings. It would also be great if you could share relevant information that I may seek from you in the future."
Athelei placed the cup down and then willed his fog-body to create a pair of eyes for him.
Irene froze when she saw this occur. It reminded her of that creepy smile Athelei had once made. This time, there were only a pair of deep, curious eyes on the featureless face. Those eyes that were filled with a sense of inhuman intrigue were looking at her, seeking answers.
"How does this simple deal sound? I will swear that if you require my wings, I will supply you with its power when I can. I can also protect your mind if any hostile consciousness decides to prey on you." Athelei leaned forward, his eyes looked as if they were piercing into Irene's soul.
The beautiful Rank 2 Dictator bit her lip as she weighed the risks and the rewards. Quite frankly, with the way Athelei had been helping her in the earlier battle, she was incredibly tempted. That was without mentioning the ability that allowed her to fly.
What concerned her was the fact that she had no idea where Athelei came from.
'What if Angel is some malevolent monster from the centre of the continent? Could it be a scout for another monster surge? I wish I had more time to research on what Angel could be...'
In the end, Athelei watched Irene's resolute gaze meet his own.
"Deal. I'll be in your care. How shall we make the contract?" Irene spoke, steeling her heart for her future.
Athelei smiled. He had been thinking about how he could make a deal with humans. He could not simply trust Irene in the same way she doubted his origins. He had to make sure Irene would not leak his identity and capabilities and subsequently draw attention to his existence.
Regular contracts were only reinforced by measly human law.
Mystical Contracts were dependent on unknown, and unstable factors.
Athelei was left with something simple;
He stood up from his chair, wanting to try something only he could do.