"A mildly venomous snake with the ability to glide in air commonly known as the flying snake" Michael found the description online putting in the search box the word snakes, they were a peculiar type of snake that lives mostly in rainforests. Chrysopelea also known as the flying snake its characteristic scales that look very similar to the monster that attacked him at least besides its gigantic body "begs the question as to why it was here in such a densely populated area at Bailon manor of all places?" "And more importantly how did it assimilate celestial energy without dying on the spot, there are too many holes in my past maybe they evolved?" he hesitated that didn't feel right something was definitely amiss he sighed "this is a matter for another day."
Balls scattered all over the field white and black, white and red along with others Michael couldn't care less daylight waned further as the big orange ball in the sky continued its daily descent into the horizon leaving a chilled atmosphere for the little mortals residing on earth's surface annoyingly he the Arch-Angel leader and commander of the Angels was now one of those mortals reduced to a child picking up footballs with a disgruntled woman on a Saturday evening he probably felt more annoyed than she, they hadn't packed a sweater and since Liam late as usual Michael resigned himself to help coach Darcy if not just to relive the boredom and to monitor the man in the unfinished building next to the football field.
Snakes Michael found out after an intensive deep dive while he was at the local library had a very sensitive body so much so any movement in their immediate surroundings could not go unnoticed, another hefty ability was heat seeing they were able to practically sense a drop or rise in temperature of prey or anything and anyone else in their immediate vicinity. Snakes could actually see them by sensing their body heat throw in celestial energy and those abilities are amplified a hundredfold, probably why the snake could sense the party from so far away.
Michael inherited these abilities. Celestial power differed from one individual to another its energy that coalesces with its host's soul and enhances its natural abilities by combining with the host's essence. Basically to amplify the energy needed to combine completely with the host, the snake's soul was incompatible at its death the energy ate at it completely then moved on to the next nearest most compatible host before it could disperse.
And while the energy became truly Michael's it still held the snake's nature and in turn its abilities.
"I can feel the person walking on the road side, the car passing, everyone and thing that moves on the earth causes it shake such movements are unnoticeable as their effect are miniscule" "yet I can feel them, I can taste the lady on the sidewalk's perfume the changes in atmospheric pressure wind patterns. Most important of all Heat seeing an ability used by snakes to find their prey by tracking their temperature" Michael glanced ever so slightly on the second floor of the building next to the field. It was completely dark he only sensed one person's heat range probably the same one that's been following them around. It was tricky with many people and machines in the city but here with most of the machines down Michael didn't need light. Coach Darcy too far away absorbed in her tasks failed to notice him slip away.
It was four stories tall almost finished they hadn't put in the doors and windows yet only frames painted mostly white. The building's owner built it aiming to rent it out as a work space, supposed to be open months ago but following bureaucratic and legal issues facing him finishing and opening it was halted and the place had been like that for a very long time dust gathered in several places. The construction crew long since abandoned it after their contractual period ended not that they could see it opening any time soon. It was the perfect place to hide out next to no one entered the place and the few who do were vagrants or homeless people who did not care for anyone else's business deeming them to be in a similar situation. Michael found no one in the foyer
As he expected he touched the hard soft floor feeling for anyone else in the ground floor making sure there was no one else his heat seeing could easily be fooled especially in a place with heat source human movements however were unique even from other animals, except for some rags, dust and a weird faint odor he did not understand a few burnt cigarette butts lay on his left. There was a stair case a few steps directly in front of him. The ground floor itself was large doorways to other rooms Michael glimpsed "people must come here to smoke as a hideout" he crept up the stairs ignoring the first floor right to the second floor where the individual still stood overlooking the field "they are bound to notice I am not there anymore I have got to hurry." He thought concentrating on the person.
His pupils dilated vertically to a thin slit while the rest became yellowish dark also dilated in the same way as the pupil, his eyes resembled that of a reptile the more he got closer the more defined the person's outline got to the point that he could actually see them by seeing the range of temperature spread out making up their body. Michael left the stairs into the second floor a small room to his right nothing lay to the left a rectangular room separated by a wall into an even expansive room where Michael's stalker stood. An empty door frame led into the other room directly after the stairs making sure to keep his steps light he went and peeked into the whitewashed expansive area kneeling on a rough floor surface.
"Shit! Another person is here" the heat source came not too far down "maybe they are not alone as I'd thought" in the other room the place was completely bare , the person a man presumably by his stature; broad shoulders short black hair with a beard Michael could not see his face he had his back to him the man wore all black. He felt the glass break the moment it touched the ground two floor down a piercing sound broke through the building's silence Michael cursed the man had noticed.
Completely still Michael sat on the floor listening for the man's movements surprisingly he didn't do much judging by the stillness except for a little light pacing then returning to their original position over the window. He heaved a soundless sigh and ventured to kneel next to the door frame he peeked over it.
Something hit him so fast too fast for him to see finding himself on the floor half his right temple badly aching and right eye slightly cloudy. His head ricocheted backwards wildly. Whatever hit him redirected into the wall Michael touched his forehead a hard scaly substance had formed on it.
The man not one to waste any time fired another shot at the door frame except Michael was not there anymore running on pure instinct he jumped away into the room his visage a blur in the man's eyes he fired a shot aiming the silencer connected to the hand gun at place Michael was supposed to land in the corner but he wasn't there anymore repelling himself off it heaved himself across the room on all fours the man fired again this time missing Michael by a hair's breadth. The man shot again but Michael was already upon him tackling him onto the floor black jacket thrashing scraping an uneven surface, baring out his fangs he bit the man's exposed neck so hard the collar bone caved in on itself.
Only after the man's body fell limp did he release the neck a dead body lay under him.
Coach Darcy searched the field cursing "Where has that boy gone" she scanned the field then the road even knocking on the doors of the neighboring houses, "Of all kids it had to be him that disappears on me" Besides the fact that he was a child under her care she couldn't imagine telling his family she'd lost their child "I'd be lucky if I am just fired" she quickened her pace at the thought of the Bailon patriarch angry at her worse if Liam grew wary of her "He's going to be here soon damn it!" "Kid where are you!" she semi-shouted, thirty whole minutes it took that duration for her to notice she was alone on the field it was her fault right? She just hadn't been in her mind of late. The sky began to grow darker she could feel bile rising from the pit of her gut "it will be harder to find him in the dark"
She trotted on the road side going back to the field in case the brat came back she was greeted by an empty field just as she left it. Tires screeched to a halt behind her, beads of sweat collected on her forehead despite the chilly evening air, she turned almost robotically praying it wasn't who she thought it was except it was.
Liam Stepped out of the red Honda Buick striding he looked guilty feeling bad for being late again he shut the door walking towards the small white iron gate into the field towards Coach Darcy, she counted every step racking her mind what to tell him "Hi Liam Michael was here then h—"
"Hey little man sorry for being late."
"What?" coach Darcy couldn't make sense
"Let's go get ice cream!" she followed his gaze turning around a four foot kid in jersey stood Michael "Where did you…" "What do you mean coach I was here the whole time" "You were?" she remembered Liam behind her " erm…Of course you were!" she straightened herself unsurely "go home kid" she said tapping his back as he walked past her towards Liam
"My head is not in it these days!" she chided herself "But there was no one there, was there?" She heaved the net of balls in the back of her pickup closing them in then left she couldn't get a glass of whisky in her hand fast enough to drown the doubts away.
'That was lucky' Michael thought seating in the back seat of the car, Liam drove by the large unfinished building 'should it not been the hard scales I'd be done for. Even now I can feel them fade.' It was Coach Darcy's voice that alerted him quickly he wiped off the blood on the man's black shirt he was dead not like he'd mind surprisingly he thought he would at least be shaken after all once he came to the man was already dead. Had he killed him? Michael could not remember everything he did was on pure unconscious instinct to survive by the time his mind cleared his father was pulling over next to the field. Using the cover of darkness and air gliding ability conveniently inherited from the snake Michael landed behind a tree on the side of the field and jumped just in time not too far away from coach Darcy by the time Liam came into the field.
By the time he entered the car he knew someone else had come into the second floor building the man's heat signature disappeared the moment he died yet now as they went past the building Michael could sense another wavy heat signature in the same place. "I hope whoever it was didn't see me" it faded the further they got "these abilities were convenient but not reliable, I can feel them fade as my body continues to rewrite itself and the celestial energy to match mine"
Then from the deepest parts of his mind another memory resurfaced…