Born after the fall of the angels, Azrael had never seen a true angel; he had never witnessed holy energy yet here he was basking in it.
It was all thanks to one man, Regulus Cosmos, whom he had disregarded as a fraud due to his suspicions.
Azrael prepared to take a knee before Regulus and beg for forgiveness, but he experienced another change at that moment.
'No. No, not this quickly, please.'
Like a fleeting intangible dream, he saw his wings return to their original black, his eyes again losing their lustre.
Watching the flow of celestial energy within Azrael's body, Regulus still felt confused about the whole situation.
"The reason behind the angel race's condition is the loss of the Scorpio technique."
Scrunching his eyebrows as he thought deeper whilst the shocked Azrael watched him.
"Yet instead of death, they simply experienced a robbing of talent and the draining of characteristics."
When Regulus had channelled celestial energy into Azrael, he had not expected the effect to be as significant as it was.
Not only was Regulus not a practitioner of the Scorpio technique, but he was still only one star, meaning the amount of celestial energy he had was minute.
"The curse is far too weak; it's likely your clan only obtained the martial arts technique without the cultivation."
Although Azrael didn't understand what Regulus was talking about, he knew from history the angels had only ever used card energy.
"Using card energy as a substitute for celestial likely weakened the curse to what your race is experiencing."
Opening his eyes as he freed himself from thought, Regulus was met with a scene he had seen often as the King of Leo.
His head bowed and expressing utmost sincerity, Azrael Brightwing had taken a knee in front of Regulus.
"I swear from this point on to follow your orders and lay down my life if you are in danger."
His head touching the granite floor, a voice that seemed to carry his race's suffering over the years croaked out.
"So please, help restore the angel race to its former glory; I'll do anything!"
Time seemed to dilute for Azrael as he heard his every heartbeat in slow motion. He awaited the answer that would decide the fate of him and his people.
Just yesterday, Azrael was like a beggar who had never experienced wealth and was able to be happy because he didn't know what he was missing out on.
Yet after the experience Regulus had shown him like a rich man cast out onto the streets, Azrael felt he would do anything to bring back what he had felt.
After a moment's pause, Regulus's voice reached his ears; if Azrael didn't know better, he would think the person he was bowing before was the King of Angels himself.
"I will accept your loyalty and allow you to follow me, but remember, for now, you will not be one of my people. Do not expect me to go to unreasonable lengths just for you."
Regulus felt reluctant to have people under him again in this life. Although he would happily accept a fanatic like Azrael, who was like a drug addict, he was now addicted to the feeling of holy power.
Regulus knew Azrael had a long way to go to prove himself worthy of his genuine trust. Azrael, who felt like he was on cloud nine, was quickly brought out of his drunken stupor.
"Although by the looks of it, you won't be able to follow me very long; I doubt you'll even pass the last test."
The harsh words of Regulus left Azrael shocked, yet he knew every word that came out of his mouth was true.
Despite being the most talented of his race with a detailed 'Ace' card, he was only approaching the mid-stage of the card.
Although, at his age, he could be called talented anywhere in the world, he would be on the lower end of the academy if he could enter.
Azrael was concerned about how to follow Regulus once he entered the academy; although the blonde young man had no card energy, Azrael couldn't imagine a world where he didn't pass the last test.
A true mystery who passed the first test with raw willpower and somehow had the cure for the angel's plight whilst speaking foreign words like 'Scorpio' and 'celestial energy.'
"Luckily for you, it would be embarrassing for me if such a thing were to happen. Meet me in the training room in two hours."
Leaving these words with Azrael, Regulus stood from the comfort of the sofa and leisurely strolled out of the room, leaving a bewildered yet excited Azrael behind.
---
Knowing Azrael needed time to digest the information he had given him today, Regulus descended a stairwell towards the designated training room in the manor.
The room was slightly bland, clearly a temporary measure that would be removed after the application process ended.
A single rack containing dulled swords of varying sizes and training dummies. In comparison to what he had seen in the memories of the Soul Doctor, Regulus knew this only scratched the surface of training technology.
Laying his still-unnamed sword to one side and taking a seat in the lotus position, Regulus spared a moment to think about all he had learned today.
'How did a celestial technique of the constellations end up in this world? Are there other people like me out there?'
'And why did the holy angels end up with Scorpio of all techniques? No wonder they used to be called angels of war.'
Unanswered thoughts crowded Regulus's head, yet he knew that was how they would remain, so pushing them aside, he began focusing on why he had come to the training room.
'Although Azrael distracted me, it's finally time to gather card energy!
Thinking of what he had learned from the Soul Doctor's memories, Regulus began utilising the universal method for gathering card energy.
-Author's Note-
If you've reached this point, consider adding the novel to your collection if you haven't already.
Academy entrance coming soon btw