"Another successful day. I fret for more of these in the future. How long till Midsummers Night?" Astral looked over to Lilac as she reanimated into her human form. She started to stretch as Astral admired the ruins and how he would repair them.
"About three weeks." She slid to the ground as she reached her arms to her toes. Bending in place as James copied her much less successfully. The two laughed as his stretching worked less as Astral looked at the outer layer of the castle. There were several repairs that were needed. Astral started a slow trot down the hill into the valley as they all watch Astral. Sora took his place as they stood in silence.
"What do you think he is bound to do?" Sora asked as he slipped his swords away on his sides. They watched as Astral rested his hands on the ground, his calmness and focus frightened all of them as they all ran down the hill. Everyone was in the castle as Astral began.
'Inhale, exhale.' Astral focused on his breathing as he brought down the ruined walls into the earthy state of the ground. The four behind him halted as they didn't want to get hurt on accident. They felt the ground slowly shifting beneath their feet as Astral slowly lifted his hands. He wasn't molding the earth together. He was moving it all with his mind. He slowly stood up keeping his arms even as he was deadlifting an invisible weight. The weight in question being a five foot thick marble wall standing at a harrowing thirty feet tall. Astral wrapped it around the castle. Leading for no way in or out at the current moment.
"Well that's great, how are we supposed to enter?" Sora walked up to Astral as he went to slap the back of his head. Astral caught his hand and smiled.
"That's the point. No entry for the demons unless they break in." Astral stumbled for a moment as he shook his head and held his hand up. Opening a hole in the marble for them to enter through. Sora scoffed and ripped his hand away as he passed through. Lilac followed him as James Tina and Astral passed through last. They all started laughing as Astral saw the walls filled with men in armor watching them. Ecstatic about their new line of defense. The sun was setting on the marble wall as Astral looked up to the moon.
"I think we earned a good rest. Let's use it." James pointed to the tippy top of the castle as both rushed through the corridors and the open streets up to the top. James made it there first as Astral guided Tina along with him. The three started to laugh as they set up tents in the upper courtyard for the night. James held up a pot of soup from some of the thankful humans for their actions. The three of them sat in a quiet solace as they waited for the moon to cover them before they all started to rest.
Tina was shaken awake by someone as she opened her eyes to an unfamiliar figure, but the feeling was nothing but warmth from them. "Miss, there is no need to scream. For I have a gift." The lady stood still with her pure white hat, leggings, glove and skirt. Tina admired the lady as she waved for her to follow outside. Tina followed by ditching her better judgment. "This must have been how Mike felt to find him." She whispered to herself as she rested a hand on the tomes at her side.
They glowed for a moment as a copy of each was made besides one. "What are those?" Tina wondered as the lady set them in her hands. Tina felt the magic in them and wondered what they would become.
"They are the start of your first lesson. You are a mage who needs no staff to channel their magic. Very special and powerful but the spells, something that Astral can teach but can't show." She gave a peace sign as she giggled a little bit. "You can begin to read these books and from there you will learn more. Practice with him during the day and I will return at night to read with you." She slowly started to walk away as Tina grabs her skirt.
"Would you stay with me?" Tina asks as the lady nods. Tina leads her into her tent as Tina sits in her lap and slowly starts reading the spellbooks as the lady holds out a staff with a low level of light in its lantern. The two sat together as Tina read through the first few chapters of the tome as the words were sticking in her mind. It clicked together that she was being taught these things before from Astral who wasn't able to use these.
Tina slowly started to doze off in the lady's lap as she smiled with her adaptations. "What is your name?" Tina's voice echoed out in a whisper as the lady ruffled her hair a touch.
"Seraph, and if Astral asks where you got these things from. It is an old friend. May these spells one day cure Angel." She scratched her back as Tina fell asleep. Seraph picked her up gently as she rested Tina in her bed. Her work was done for the night as she knew Tina's potential rivaled that of Mike. Seraph left the tent as James saw her. A nod from the two made a quiet scene loud. They both knew that each was there because of one man, and two different goals.
"If I could find why I was here I could recall all my powers and we could turn the tide of this planet from one side to the other in an dominating fashion, instead I am stuck in a turnstyle of confusion left onto me by none other than myself. Everytime I sleep all I hear is every voice still crying for help." Astral muttered to himself as he pulled out a piece of paper for him to think more of what the situation was like. "Meaning if I figure it out before he does, we will be in a safe monument for a period of time." Astral wrote Sora's name down on the parchment. "He brought Angel and James somehow, someway. This means I can guess with accuracy that the rest of them here are not related to him. But under his control instead. As long as James keeps his wits about him. We can stay safe." Astral set the piece of paper down as he went to bed for another try at a peaceful rest.