Days passed, but the stranger's words never left my mind. War. The thought gnawed at me, a shadow in the back of my mind. I watched the skies more often now, scanning for signs of trouble. The forest felt quieter, as though holding its breath. Even Seriel's visits became less frequent, and when he did come, he seemed distracted, his golden eyes flickering with worry he refused to explain.
Then, one night, everything changed.
It began with a sound, a deep, resonant hum that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The trees trembled, their silver leaves shimmering like ripples on water. I stood at the edge of the grove, staring upward, my heart pounding.
The sky was splitting.
A jagged crack of darkness tore through the brilliant expanse of light, spilling shadows that churned and writhed like living things. The hum grew louder, turning into a deafening roar as the crack widened, revealing shapes, winged and monstrous, emerging from the void.
Demons.
My breath caught as the first of them descended, their wings dark and tattered, their eyes glowing with malevolent fire. They swarmed like locusts, heading toward the gleaming cities of the lower realms.
For a moment, I was frozen, torn between fear and a strange, fiery instinct rising in my chest.
And then I heard it, the sound of wings.
The angels came like a storm, their white wings cutting through the shadows with blinding light. The air crackled with power as they clashed with the demons, the collision of light and darkness shaking the very ground beneath me.
I stumbled back, watching in awe and terror. I had never seen anything like this, a battle so fierce, so raw, that it felt like the world itself might shatter.
A sharp cry pierced the chaos, drawing my attention to a nearby city. Flames licked at its edges as demons tore through its defenses, their guttural roars drowning out the cries of the angels fighting to hold them back.
I couldn't look away. My wings twitched, the black one pulsing with a strange energy I didn't understand.
"Lucian."
I turned sharply to see Seriel landing beside me, his expression grim. His sword was drawn, its blade glowing with celestial fire.
"You can't stay here," he said, his voice urgent.
"What's happening?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"The gates have fallen," he said, glancing toward the crack in the sky. "They've breached Heaven's defenses. I need to get you somewhere safe."
I shook my head, stepping back. "No. I can fight."
"Lucian, this isn't your battle—"
"It is!" I shouted, my wings flaring out. "I can feel it, Seriel. Something inside me is... calling to this."
He stared at me, his expression torn between frustration and something else, fear. "If you fight, they'll see you," he said. "The angels, the demons, they'll know what you are."
"Then let them," I said, my voice steady now. "I'm tired of hiding."
Seriel's jaw tightened, but before he could argue, a deafening roar tore through the air. A massive demon, its wings ablaze, descended into the grove, its fiery eyes locking onto us.
There was no time to think.
The demon lunged, its claws tearing through the trees as it charged. I moved on instinct, my wings propelling me into the air.
The black wing pulsed with energy, and before I knew it, a stream of crimson fire erupted from my outstretched hand, slamming into the demon and sending it reeling.
I landed awkwardly, my heart racing. The power coursing through me felt both exhilarating and terrifying.
The demon recovered quickly, snarling as it lunged again. This time, Seriel stepped in, his sword cutting through the air with precision. The blade struck true, the demon's roar turning into a gurgle as it disintegrated into ash.
Seriel turned to me, his expression unreadable. "You can't stay here," he said again, but this time, there was no anger in his voice, only resignation.
"Then where do I go?" I asked, my voice trembling.
He hesitated, then looked toward the lower realms. "There's a sanctuary," he said. "Far from here. You'll be safe there."
But even as he said the words, I knew they weren't true.
Seriel's plan was clear: I would leave the grove, leave everything I had ever known, and hide until the chaos passed. But deep down, I knew this was only the beginning. The demons wouldn't stop, and neither would the angels.
As I followed Seriel through the burning forest, my wings heavy with the weight of what I had done, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life was no longer my own.
The crack in the sky was growing. And with it, so was the sense that my place in this war was far greater than I could understand.
The air vibrated with unnatural energy, and the once-pristine grove was now shadowed in gloom. Seriel's wings blazed like twin suns, casting defiance against the encroaching darkness.
Then it appeared.
Descending from the crack was a creature of nightmare, a greater demon, its hulking form towering over the forest. Its jagged horns spiraled outward, black as the abyss, while its molten-red eyes burned with ancient hatred. Its claws raked the air, each movement sparking fire and shadow.
It stepped closer, each heavy stride shaking the earth beneath us. "At last," it rumbled, its voice resonating like thunder. "The hybrid. How long Heaven has hidden you."
Seriel moved instantly, his sword drawn, light cascading off its blade. "Lucian, stand back!"
"No," I said, my voice trembling but firm. I stepped forward, my wings twitching with restrained energy. "I'm not running. Not anymore."
Seriel's gaze flicked to me, his expression hard. "This is not your fight."
"But it is!" I shouted, the heat in my chest swelling. "If this is what I am, if this is what they're after, then I need to face it!"
The demon chuckled, a low and guttural sound. "Such bravery. Let me test the strength of your mixed blood."
With a deafening roar, it lunged, its massive claw slashing toward us. Seriel met the attack head-on, his blade clashing with the demon's claws in a shower of sparks. The force sent shockwaves through the grove, shattering ancient trees like brittle twigs.
Seriel moved like a flash of light, his strikes precise and devastating, but the demon was relentless. It shrugged off blows that would have felled lesser creatures, countering with brutal swings of its claws and tail.
I watched, frozen, as Seriel fought. His golden aura flickered with each strike, his breathing growing heavier. He was strong, stronger than anyone I'd ever seen, but even I could see it... the demon was too much.
The heat inside me grew unbearable. My wings trembled as power built within me, demanding release.
When the demon's tail struck Seriel, sending him crashing into the remains of a tree, I snapped.
The energy surged from me in a blinding wave. My white wing blazed with searing light, while the black one flared with crimson fire. I didn't think, I couldn't think. I launched myself at the demon, the raw force of my attack shaking the ground beneath us.
The blast struck the demon in its side, sending it staggering back. It roared, more in anger than pain, its fiery eyes narrowing as it turned to me.
"You dare challenge me, half-blood?" it snarled, swiping at me with its massive claw.
I dodged, the motion instinctive, and retaliated with a burst of crimson flame. The fire engulfed its arm, and for the first time, I saw pain flash across its face.
But the victory was short-lived. The demon moved faster than I could react, its other claw raking across my chest. Pain exploded through me as I was thrown backward, crashing into the splintered remains of a tree.
"Lucian!" Seriel's voice cut through the haze of pain. I looked up to see him standing, his sword glowing brighter than ever.
Seriel faced the demon, his golden aura flaring one last time. He gripped his sword tightly, his bloodied form defying the overwhelming darkness before him. "You will not touch him again," he said, his voice steady despite the weakness in his limbs.
The demon laughed, dark and mocking. "You're finished, Archangel. What can you possibly hope to achieve now?"
Seriel didn't respond. Instead, with a burst of speed, he charged, his sword glowing brighter than I'd ever seen. The demon snarled and swung its massive claw to counter, but Seriel moved with the precision of a blade forged in Heaven itself.
His strike cut deep into the demon's chest, celestial energy searing through its shadowed flesh. The demon howled in pain, staggering back, but its retaliation came swift and brutal. Its claws raked across Seriel's torso, piercing through golden armor.
Seriel fell to his knees, blood spilling onto the scorched ground. He turned to me, his breathing labored. "Lucian… this is where my light ends," he said softly. "But yours… yours is only beginning."
His light faded, and his body slumped forward.
"NO!" The word ripped from my throat, raw and broken.
The world around me blurred, my vision clouded with tears and fury. The demon, now standing over Seriel's fallen form, laughed cruelly.
"So much for Heaven's greatest guardian," it sneered, its molten eyes turning to me. "And now, the hybrid falls."
Something inside me shattered.
The searing heat in my chest erupted, my body trembling as raw energy surged through me. My wings flared, the white one burning with blinding light, the black one pulsing with crimson fire. But it wasn't just my wings, my very body began to change.
Dark markings crawled across the right side of my body, spiraling down my arm, chest, and face. They burned like firebrands, the black-red veins glowing ominously. My right eye burned, its color shifting to a deep, predatory crimson.
The demon faltered, its mocking grin replaced by wariness. "What… what are you?"
I didn't answer. The words didn't matter anymore. The rage consumed me, my body was moving as if it were no longer my own.