"Let's do it the hard way." Malachi said after much debate.
Rowan didn't seem to be too surprised by this, it was almost like he'd already expected it.
The old man picked up a notebook and a pen and began drawing something with great focus.
"Make this." He held up his drawing and revealed it to be a flower in mid bloom.
Almost immediately, Malachi wanted to go back to the easy way.
He had no idea how to shape his flames, much less into something as complicated as a flower!
"This is the path you've chosen, do not regret it, do not run from it. Instead walk proudly into your future."
Rowan seemed to sense Malachi's hesitation and tried to give him the words he needed most at the moment.
With renewed determination, he cupped his hands together to form a ball of bright gold fire.
He began to concentrate intensely, trying to will the ball to change shape.
'If he doesn't understand after ten minutes, I'll give him a hint.'
Rowan pulled up a nearby stool before sitting down and watching Mal struggle with his powers.
- 20 minutes later.
Mal had tried everything, yet there was absolutely no change.
He tried to will it, he tried to beg it, and he even tried to visualize the change step by step.
Absolutely nothing worked.
"Zzzzz…"
Malachi looked up and saw that Rowan was comfortably sleeping in his chair!
'This damn old man!'
He debated on using a small shock to jolt the man awake before ultimately deciding against it.
Knowing Rowan didn't sleep much since his daughter passed, he figured he shouldn't ruin this one moment where he could.
Malachi once again turned his attention back to his flames as he stared at them in frustration.
He never thought once he'd gained all this power that he'd go back to feeling useless.
When he recalled the spectacle he'd caused in front of the gods he found the urge to laugh at himself.
"Damn it.. I can't protect anything like this."
Slowly, the worry that his loved ones would perish in front of him began to corrode his mind.
Sei, Serana, Luna, and Aisha as well as all of his friends at the guild.
'Do I have to lose them all too?'
Suddenly, the flames in his palm began to flicker in a way that they hadn't before.
Malachi became excited and tried to will them to change shape yet again, only to be disappointed when the flames returned to normal.
'What the hell? They were just starting to work!'
Suddenly, it was as if a lightbulb went off in his head.
Protection.
Surely the main weapon of an archangel was intended to be used for the defense of others, instead of offensively.
With a new theory in his head, Mal closed his eyes and tried to visualize his loved ones.
'Aubrey..'
The flames once again began to flicker wildly and turned a faint white.
'Aisha..'
The ball of fire began to compress, until it looked like a radiant gold and white ball.
'Sei..'
The ball of fire slowly began to unfold, until a gorgeous golden lotus flower floated in his hand.
Malachi opened his eyes and was immediately assailed by the feeling of sweat running into them.
He hadn't realized how taxing using this power was on his body while he was focused but he'd certainly noticed now.
While the level of exhaustion was nothing compared to when he used his blessing from Nyx, it was still nothing to sneeze at.
"Ha… I really did it." Mal chuckled.
He suddenly eyes the targets on the opposite side of the wall and gained an idea.
"It… probably won't be too bad right?"
Malachi held out his palm and flicked the fiery lotus towards the center target.
He only intended to pulverize the pail.
Maybe put a small hole in the wall behind it.
But he never intended to unleash the havoc that happened next.
BOOOOOOMMM!!!
Malachi's flaming lotus that was no bigger than a fist, exploded upon contact with the pail and destroyed it, and the entire wall behind it.
Dust and debris flew, and Malachi hurriedly shielded a now awake and screaming Rowan.
"Brat! What did you do!?"
"I made a flower!"
"The hell you did! What kind of flower pulverizes a wall?!"
"The one I made!"
Malachi ended up getting chewed out for ten whole minutes before Rowan calmed down.
Of course Malachi offered to pay for the damages and the old man meagerly accepted before sitting back down.
"So you figured it out huh?"
"It wasn't easy but yea." Malachi wore a small smile of pride.
"Hmph, your training is just beginning brat! Make three more simultaneously and DON'T THROW THEM!"
Malachi looked at Rowan as if he'd just ordered him to put his nuts in a blender. "O-Old man you're joking right?!"
Rowan's only response was to take a cigarette out of his pocket and stare at Mal like he was waiting.
'Sinister bastard!'
Malachi ground his teeth in frustration before he begrudgingly began his task.
- 2 hours later.
Night had fallen and Malachi was currently breathing heavily as he lay on the barn floor.
His shirt had long been removed as he was covered in an ungodly layer of sweat that made it uncomfortable.
"Huff.. huff.. I did it though."
Malachi stared up in satisfaction at the three golden lotus flowers currently rotating above his head.
It took a lot of time and even more energy and focus, but eventually he was able to complete the task Rowan assigned to him.
"Impressive indeed." The old man commented.
Truthfully he was expecting Mal to take a few days to learn how to do this but instead it was only a few hours.
He didn't know if it was determination or just flat out talent.
"Go home kid, get some rest." Rowan finally stood up and began to walk back to his house.
"Hah.. sure, just let me lay here a minute." Mal replied but the old man was already gone.
Malachi dispersed the golden flowers floating above his head and basked in the cool night air.
Something about everything that'd just happened made him miss his loved ones and a desire to see them grew in his heart.
'Should I check on them then?'
Malachi opened his consciousness to the night and suddenly he could see everything that was covered in darkness once again.
He focused his mind on Aubrey and found that she was sitting on the couch at his house next to Aisha.
The two appeared to be watching a movie and had even ordered pizza.
'I wonder if they'll bother to save me any…'
Me thought of Sei and was surprised when he saw her and Luna eating together in a fancy restaurant.
'When did those two become such close friends?' He wondered.
While he could listen in on their conversation, he figured that would be an even bigger invasion of privacy than spying on them like this so he decided against it.
Last he decided to check on Serana and he immediately regretted it when he saw her about to step into the shower.
'Gross and weird! Gross and weird!'
While he knew that Serana was a pretty girl, after being friends for so long he'd never be able to see her as anything other.
Plus he already had her mom and from the small flashes he'd seen, he was pretty sure Sei's charm beat her daughter's by miles.
Suddenly a person creeped into Mal's mind and he couldn't help but wonder about her well being.
'It.. wouldn't hurt to check right?'
Before Mal knew it, he was sifting through his consciousness searching for Melanie.