Angel felt crisp air brushing against his skin.
A stark contrast to the heavy, Stagnant air of the Depths.
He wasn't standing, But instead floating.
Suspended midair.
A strange sensation tugged at his back. Somthing swinging gently, Weightlessly behind him.
He turned his head and glimpsed at the source, Gorgeous metal wings with deep engravings that shimmered with a faint purple light.
They were breathtaking, Each matalic feather intricately designed, Glowing as if they were alive.
Angel looked down, And his heart skipped a beat.
Below him stretched Ironhaven.
The mythical sanctuary he had only ever seen from the depths, It's silhouette always a distant dream on the horizon.
But this wasn't the pristine haven he had always imagined.
The barrier that once protected it, Shimmering and unyielding, Was completely shattered.
Fractured pieces of eclipsium floated like jagged shards of glass in the air.
The skyscrapers, Laid crumbled and broken, Their towering forms reduced to nothing more then rubble.
Fires burned through the ruins, The smoke twisting into the air like ghostly fingers.
And blood.
So much blood.
The streets were slick with it.
Rivers of red carving paths through the destruction.
Bodies of neatly dressed people lay strewn about like discarded dolls, Lifeless and pale.
The sheer scope of devastation was overwhelming, Choking the air with despair.
Angel's wings pulsed faintly behind him.
They weren't light anylonger, Feeling almost heavy now, Burdened by the weight of what he was seeing.
The last sanctuary of humanity.
Had fallen.
His breath caught in his throat and a wave of panic arose within him.
He opened his mouth to scream, But the sound wouldn't come.
The dream distorted, The images blurring into a chaotic swirl of crimson and ash.
******
"Ugh!" Angel gasped as his eyes snapped open.
He bolted upright with the vivid images still seared into his mind. The sight of Ironhaven destroyed, The countless corpses and the endless amounts of blood that flowed through the streets.
'What was that' Angel's heart pounded in his chest unable to understand what he had seen.
His breath came in shallow ragged gulps yet he was forced to snap out of it when he felt a dull ache coming from his wrists.
Angel calmed down as he saw a basement that was covered in shadows that seemed to engulfe everything. He couldn't see behind him but he could feel fibers of rope digging into his skin, Raw and unyielding.
"Angel" A familiar voice called softly from the shadows.
He turned his head quickly.
Relief mixed with dread when he saw Kade sitting against the damp stone wall, His own hands tied behind him. The dim light filtering through a tiny, Barred window above illuminated the frustration on Kade's face.
Angel's chest quickly tightened realizing that if Kade was here then it meant the others were as well.
"She's fine" Kade nodded toward the side of the room, As if reading his thoughts.
"Over there"
Angel shifted his position, His shoulders protesting to follow Kade's gaze. Sable laid slumped against the wall, Her slender frame seemingly unharmed and her hair partially covering her face.
"Ha.." Relief flooded Angel as he realized she wasn't visibly hurt.
She looked peaceful, Almost like she was sleeping. But his eyes didn't stop there as he spotted Axon and Milo lying beside her with their forms stirring faintly.
"They caught you" Angel muttered
His throat felt dry as the weight of the situation pressed down on him.
His head throbbed while fragments of the strange dream he'd had lingered at the edges of his mind mixing with the last scenes of the rooftop.
"We heard your scream" Kade spoke with a heavy sigh leaning his head back against the cold stone wall.
"They were much faster though" He continued with regret in his tone.
"At least we're still alive" Kade added after a moment with a small smile.
"For now" Angel chided darkly.
His grim response caused silence to fall over the room, Broken only by the sound of groaning from the two unconscious boys to the other side.
Axon stirred first, His head lifting groggily.
"Ugh…what the hell…" His voice was thick with pain, And he tried to move his hands only to realize they were bound behind him.
Milo woke next, His eyes wide and frantic as they darted around the dim room.
"W-what…where are we?" His voice wavered with his breathing uneven.
"Caught"
Angel's attention snapped back to Sable as her voice cut through the tension like a whisper of wind.
Angel's gaze locked onto her.
She was awake now, As her usually calm eyes couldn't hide the hint of anxiety that lingered in them.
"Sable" Angel said quickly, His concern overriding everything else.
"Are you okay?" His voice softened but his worry was clear.
She gave a small nod, her expression composed, but her sharp gaze stayed on him. Her eyes ran over his body as of to check if he was alright as well.
"Jeez" Kade huffed from the side, His voice breaking the moment between the two.
"You didn't even ask if I was okay"