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When dusk turns to dawn? [Silver!]

Started by Wycliff, January 10, 2018, 03:04:22 PM

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Wycliff

Death.

Aven had practically shook hands with the grim more times than he could count, danced with the lady in grey, and dodged a scythe akin to a limbo stick, but one could only walk the line so many times before crossing. He stood, disembodied, watching his son cradle him, unable to say a word. Damn it... I've failed. He couldn't keep his promise to Hakon, not anymore. Was he truly a man of his word, to fall so easily, not to take even one of them with him?

No. Regret played cruel tricks on the likes of men, but he wouldn't fall prey to its wiles: he'd died as he'd lived, by his ideals. She was not evil, nor did she hold contempt in her eyes when she stabbed him: it was more akin to pity, an unspoken wish that life could be different. It was the same wish resounding from his boy's cries of sorrow, a desperate plea to the silent heavens for mercy that would never descend. 'It's not fair', Jace would say, 'He was a hero, he didn't deserve this!' Was he right? Aven never stopped to think whether he deserved his life before, his misfortunes, his magic, his corruption. The thought was harrowing, but then again, he'd also had so many blessings. Hakon, Elenoir, Jace: they'd lit up his life, made it worth living, however short. If he could go back and do everything again, he knew, in that moment, that he wouldn't change a thing.

Well, besides maybe a cheeky dodge of that sword.


Celegwen

It was like an alarm that sounded all throughout her body when a soldier got cut down. The feeling was unmistakable. Kendra slipped behind a building, disappearing into thin air. She followed the energetic cry for help from Ketra to Reajh in the blink of an eye.

The angel saw a large crowd, then a woman walking off with a bloodied sword. Kendra made her way to the front, as the crowd started to return to their daily lives. A boy held the limp body of a man. His father, she thought, looking at the man's spirit standing over his body.

She walked over to the living boy, while looking at the spirit. Her four wings extended slightly, not enough to be threatening, but enough to make it clear who and what she was. "They can't see us, Aven," she said softly. Kendra's right palm emitted a pale golden light, and she gently touched Jace's shoulder, sending a small stream of relaxing energy into the boy.

Straightening herself again with her hand no longer glowing, Kendra smiled softly at Aven with a small shake of her head. "My name is Kendra." She reached towards the man, palm up. "Come with me. We have a lot to talk about."

Wycliff

Aven looked up, a kind of calming presence he'd never felt permeating the area. His sorrowful eyes were met with the sight of an Angel, a gentle creature that started by soothing Jace's cries. Jace slowly stopped his outbursts and, glancing around at the guards closing in, teleported away, bringing Aven's body with him.

Aven let out a sigh of relief. He'll be safe now. "Thank you, Miss Kendra. I didn't want to see my son follow me so quickly." A tear escaped the corner of his eye, though he failed to catch it, slipping straight through his form and bursting into minuscule rays of light. A soft smile came across his face. "You know, it's funny: you're the fourth angel I've met, and the first who hasn't immediately tried to kill me. It's... nice, to be on the receiving end of this gentle presence." He placed his hand in hers.


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Celegwen

She nodded at the man, a bright light suddenly surrounding them. They weren't moved far, but she had brought him out of the excitement to a place where they could be undisturbed. Fourth angel, she thought. He really got around when he was alive.

Sitting on a bench, the angel looked at the colorful flowers in the garden. "Just Kendra, please," she said, gesturing to the open seat next to her on the bench. "Beautiful, aren't they?" It was a rhetorical question. She just wanted to see what he was thinking.

"Most people have questions," Kendra said, turning to face Aven. "Soldier or not, I'm sure you do too. It isn't easy to transition from one life to another, after all."

Wycliff

Aven nodded, taking the seat offered, his lips becoming a staunch line. Questions were all he had then, he supposed, his body left behind, his magic, his family. Above that, he wasn't supposed to have a functional soul, after the corruption of Dark Matter: it was the stigma he'd carried for more than half his life, a fear that lurked behind the gentle smile he wore. Not if death, but of the unknown beyond it. Was he to believe that his soul had been cleansed by that blade? It was possible, though only Kendra would likely be able to tell him.

"Kendra, why do I have a soul?" He glanced her way. It would be easy to assume that the question was made out of ignorance, but the look in his eyes conveyed a very mature understanding of his plight. "Unless a god and two Angels were lying, I should not have the opportunity of an afterlife." He stared forward at the flowers. "I'm not complaining, don't misunderstand. I just expected to be trapped in this realm as a spectre, a Black soul. To bloom again like these flowers, it wasn't a fate I'd foreseen for myself."


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Celegwen

"Everyone has a soul," she said gently. In all honesty, Kendra wasn't expecting that question. She'd never been asked that before, though she'd never taken someone like Aven. He was a unique person with an equally unique situation, so these circumstances were slightly more complicated than she was used to.

Kendra made direct eye contact with him. She didn't need to read his eyes or body language, as she had already - literally - touched his soul. The soul doesn't lie.

"You have yet to bloom, Aven," she said. "Don't get ahead of yourself, or you'll miss what will help you do so." She placed her hands on the starry waterfall that was her skirt and took a breath. "Your passing came too early, but it gave you an opportunity that you wouldn't have been offered before. You shouldn't have been granted this second go at life or redemption, but the mordecai woman's sword cleansed your soul." She smiled, stretching her four wings to show their entire majesty. "You've not only been given the opportunity to have eternal peace, rather have your own life as an angelic being."

Wycliff

Aven's eyes widened. An... Angel? Him? His face cracked, and he began to laugh, the idea so sudden and ridiculous that he couldn't contain his mirth. He'd practically warred with the gods and their servants, and now they wanted him to join their ranks? He turned in the midst of his laughing fit to see her face, expecting the statement to be a joke. What he found, however, was the truth in Kendra's eyes. Angels couldn't deceive, could they...?

He settled down. "You're serious? The gods want me to become an Angel? I thought angels were born, not created?" Kendra had four wings, and while she was quite majestic, the four wings meant she was a middle class angel, a Cherub. Did she have the power to make him into an Angel? Even if it were possible-

Suddenly, the air around him began to shimmer, and holy light emanated from his core. He recoiled by instinct, his days fearing holy light having left him jumpy. "W-what's going on?"


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Celegwen

Kendra smiled at Aven's display of what she could tell was a remnant of fear from his days among the living. "Relax," she said, a light chuckle escaping her lips.

His laughter at her comments was to be expected. He hadn't exactly lived his life in a way that would make the gods grant him a holy afterlife, but somehow, he achieved it. Kendra knew that it was her job to introduce him to his new life. She'd only had that role once before, but it was for a young Adhara woman, someone who truly deserved the angelic afterlife.

"I'm completely serious." A normal being would've been nearly blinded by the light being emitted from him, but Kendra saw it as a faint glow. She stood up and would try to take his hand. "Aven, listen to me. You have to remain calm during this, okay? You've lived your life with a darkened soul, which is now being reborn. That which ended your life is giving you a new one, but you have to be open to it. If you fear this holy energy or try to shut it out, you'll go back to being a spectre to wander aimlessly forever. Calm yourself, and open your heart and mind."

Wycliff

Aven calmed himself, aided by the grasp of Kendra's hand and her calming nature. The light was kin to the warmth he'd felt moments before his death, the sensation of being connected to the world, to a greater power. In a way, it was also kin to how he felt whenever he was next to Hakon, though obviously weaker. Aven let go to the flow of energy, allowing it to rush through him, the light around him brightening.

Nostalgia has an interesting habit of showing up uninvited, this time, a flashback to the first time he was transfigured. Albeit, he'd not much choice in the matter when the Dark Matter overtook him via his shadow, the sensation was not too dissimilar: a fundamental change in being, in existence. Warmth coursed through his veins, to the point of heat, until every nerve was practically on fire. Then, it abruptly ended, and the light settled. He could feel additions on his back, the newly formed nerve pathways twitching and waiting to be used. They felt just like his shadow tendrils had, extensions of himself. His eyes still closed, he unfurled his wings, stretching them to their fullest, a total of six spanning outward. I'm... an Angel. A small spread over his face. Hakon said nothing would ever surprise her again... wait until she sees this.




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Celegwen

As soon as Aven relaxed himself, Kendra took a step back. Despite her wanting to help him through the transition, she knew that it was a personal experience that he had to journey alone. She watched the wings form on his back, two-by-two, until there were six. Pressing her hands together and touching them to her lips, the angel couldn't help but smile.

"Angels are born from death," Kendra started, "but they are created from the purest human souls. You just so happened to find a loophole. Because of the holy blade, your soul was purified just moments before you died. Honestly, I've never heard of that happening before. Though never would I have imagined you be granted seraphim status." The girl bowed her head to him and rose with a certain sense of pride. "Something tells me you'll be a quick student. Stay with me for a short while - or longer, if you choose - and I can show you how to make the most of your new life."

Wycliff

Aven opened his eyes, glancing at his eyes, glancing around at the six wings. After one more stretch, they refolded, and he made eye contact with Kendra. "It wouldn't be the first loophole I've jumped through in my time. As for the Seraphim... Angels of Fire and Light, purification, if I remember correctly. It seems the gods have a sense of humor." He chuckled. "I appreciate your help, Miss Kendra, I'll be sure to pay you my full attention." He paused. "Come to think of it, am I bound to the Heavens or the mortal realm? I... I want to see Hakon again, more than anything."


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Celegwen

Kendra's smile slowly faded, and she twirled her hair around briefly in her left hand. "I... um..." Taking a breath, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you can't go back to her. You left the mortal world, Aven. Because of this, you can't have real contact with anyone from your life. At least not where they can see you. You can see them when you have your wings, but never without. I truly am sorry, but you have a larger purpose to fulfill now."

Wycliff

Aven became silent, the news hitting him hard. He couldn't see Hakon anymore? Never hold her, never kiss her again... his children, never tell them how proud he was, or correct their paths should they go astray. It was... unacceptable! He shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't accept that. We can come back to the subject later, or perhaps I'll take it up with the gods. Regardless, I won't spend an eternity apart from Hakon. Forget I asked, I'll leave the teaching to you." As ridiculous as his words sounded, they were genuine, a true reflection of what he believed with his entire being.


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Celegwen

"We can come back to the issue," Kendra said with a sigh. "The rules have already been bent for you, so I see no reason why it couldn't happen again. Either way, you'll not be able to do anything without knowing how to function as an angel."

The woman smiled, looking around to make sure no one was around. Training an angel wasn't exactly the most subtle task, and Connlaoth was certainly not an easy place to do it. That being said, the angel is typically more powerful - at least in the early stages - close to where they were killed.

"First things first, get used to your wings. Don't be upset if it's a little shaky at first." Kendra spread her wings and started waving them, being lifted into the air. She grinned at Aven. "Not too high the first time in case you aren't in total control."

Wycliff

Aven nodded, unfurling his wings, and slowly beating them against the air. With each stroke, he lifted a bit, but after three, he tilted in the air, and fell back to the ground, barely landing on his feet. A second try yielded the same fruit, and a third. Having six wings to beat simultaneously was a task, indeed. "Are there any tricks to this? I have to admit, I've spent most of my life nearer to the ground than most, melded to the shadows. It's a bit... unnatural feeling, to separate completely."


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Celegwen

Kendra laughed, finding enjoyment in watching a new angel learn to fly. She hadn't seen it in over a century, so it was definitely a treat. "Think of the ocean," she said. "That's how I learned. The waves move in perfect harmony, one after another." She turned to the side to let him watch the way her wings worked together. "You don't need to flap them quickly, rather together. The top ones, the middle, then the bottom. Make your wings move through the air like a mermaid would move through the water. Not to mention, it looks very graceful."

Wycliff

Aven prepped himself, giving his wings a few experimental beats. He'd not wanted to say anything before, but his strong suit was never fast learning, but rather, persistence. He started a rhythm, top, middle, bottom, and repeat. Slowly, he lifted from the ground, leaving the earth he'd stuck so close to behind. A nervous laugh escaped him, as the thrill of being airborne flooded over him. "This is exhilarating! I had no idea flying could be so liberating!" He increased his pace, steadily reaching Kendra's height. His smile was evident and unabashed, having already decided that he would see Hakon again. That staunch determination shone in his eyes as brightly as before.


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