Page 51

~Ariana~

Meforian Forest.

That was where Cassius had brought us.

Specifically, to a clearing within it.

“You brought me here because the ground is consecrated with Celestial magic from where my grandfather fell?”

He turned from erecting a containment dome, and walked the few feet back to me.

“That is part of it. The recognition to his magic will soothe and help you to enter the correct mindset conducive to our training. But it is also because you were here when you and your loves bonded as a whole. I believed it would bring you comfort.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong about the soothing and comforting edge that being in this place brought to me.

But I also didn’t need it.

Not anymore.

For one, my bond with the boys gave me comfort even when we were apart.

And, for another, it had become clear that Cassius wasn’t the tyrant intent on molding me into the Champion that the Celestial Plane had determined it was my duty to become.

And he most definitely wasn’t the threat.

I folded my arms across my chest and told him, “Before we begin, I need to lay my cards on the table where this training and my supposed Celestial duty is concerned.

“By all means, have at it.”

“Even though you have my cooperation, I’m not okay with the duty that’s been foisted upon me.

That said, it’s clear I do need to know more.

There’s been a lot of knowledge that was closed to me, so I need to expand my understanding—of what it means to be a True Celestial, the power, the limitations, the rules and regulations.

We now know that Draco’s sword is on the mortal plane again and that a True Celestial must have brought it, one who could very well be the threat that the Rift Mark warned of.

Possibly even the threat that the Celestial Plane wants me to champion.

And I will work with you to champion it, to see to it.

But you also need to work with me. Because I won’t be doing it to fulfill the bargain and duty struck.

I’ll be doing it to protect those I love and the supernatural world as a whole.

When I stopped that Hellfire attack, it became so clear that they need that from me, that I’m the only one who can stop threats of this magnitude.

All I’d gotten from them in my life up until that point was fear and concern, so much so that I didn’t even see what I could really be to them.

But I do now. I was born with incredible power. A power that can protect them all.”

To my surprise, he smiled. “Such great power and yet you do not seek to conquer or to make the world bow to it. Your intent is to do good, to inspire hope, to take away fear.” His eyes shone. “To spread your Light.”

“Is that what the Celestial Plane worries about? That when I reached magical maturity, I’d become some sort of monster like that? The next Draco?”

“What they worry about goes beyond that.”

“What could be worse than somebody with their power wreaking havoc on the mortal plane?”

“Somebody whom they cannot control.”

Oh. “Then… if that’s the case… they’d see me as a threat… and…” It hit me. Painfully. “This threat I’m supposed to be the Champion against… is it supposed to kill me? Like what happened to my mom? She killed Draco with the Wrath of Hades, but she died also.”

“I only know what they allow me to know.”

“But you can suspect. Do you? Do you suspect they want more than me being their Champion?”

“It’s possible, yes. You are an outlier. They would consider that a danger. However, my role was merely to prepare you, to teach you our ways, to convey knowledge unto you that could assist you with taking on a threat in the future.”

“Yet, now it looks like that threat isn’t as far into the future as we thought.”

“It does appear that way, yes.”

“Then they’ve sent somebody down to take me out?”

“If they have, I haven’t been made aware.”

“They must have, yes? Draco’s sword is here.”

He gritted his teeth. “That accursed Valkrith. ” Off my look, he explained.

“That is its true name. From “Val” meaning to fall or death, and “krith” meaning scorch or fracture. It was once a blade forged by the Celestial Plane’s first weapon maker, meant to cauterize breaches in reality itself, between realms—until Draco corrupted it.

He named it Valkrith , and bound it to Hellfire.

It no longer seals wounds, it tears them open. ”

“And now somebody else wields it. Do you think they’re following in Draco’s footsteps? That they want to conquer the mortal plane and punish the Celestial Plane, like he did?”

“There is a way to pull the sword from the Celestial Plane while remaining here. It’s difficult to achieve, but still possible.” He eyed me pointedly. “With enough power.”

“Celestial power?”

“Not necessarily. Therein lies the difficulty in determining the threat. However, the Celestial Plane would have been aware of that happening. For Valkrith to have been experimented with to the point where Hellfire was able to be re-engineered, repurposed, it would have taken months at the very least. As such, they knew that weapon was here all this time, before I was even sent here.”

“Why would they allow that? Why not at least warn you?”

“That is a very pertinent question. Information is compartmentalized intensely, but this knowledge is something that could most definitely have impacted my mission here, so I should have been made aware. It stands to reason that they had a vested interest in me not being aware, in a someone like me with such extreme power not seeking out the person responsible.”

“You said you’re out of favor with them because you don’t view things as they do, that you care about those of us here on the mortal plane.”

“That is not the reason I gave you.”

“Yet, I can infer.”

He blew out a breath. “Fine. Go on.”

“Could it be that they wanted this? The sword on this plane while you and I are? That they did send someone to wield it? Or, at the very least, they allowed somebody to take it?”

“You believe the threat is one they have created? All to the goal of annihilating you?”

“Possibly both of us.”

“To kill you… it is barely feasible. Me, yes. All it would take is for them to cast me out, make me a Fallen, then it will be possible for me to meet my demise. But you? Aside from the Wrath of Hades, but that has been lost since before your birth. Rumors are that Cornelius Martel found a way to destroy it, a way he would not allow the Celestial Plane to discover. He didn’t return it there like he did Valkrith , because he feared it could be used against him, your parents, and you. ”

“Death circles you…”

I shuddered at the words.

No. All this talk was making me paranoid.

I had to channel Kai in this instance and not focus on the fear of a threat, but on what could be done about it.

“Together, we need to seek out answers.”

“You need schooling in the ways of True Celestial power and knowledge that has been closed to you all your life. That is the optimal approach to a threat being out there—one, may I remind you, that hasn’t even been confirmed yet.

The investigation can be seen to secondary.

In the meantime, Cornelius and the Guardian Movement are already looking into it via the Valkrith angle.

Moreover, it is also a risk for me to do so.

If the threat is True Celestial in origin, and at the behest of the Celestial Plane, should I connect with it, they will be made aware. ”

“And you’ll be punished.”

“Yes.”

“You’re already at risk of that with that Soul Brand.” I shook my head. “You’re holding on to another possibility existing. You acknowledged that you were trapped, but now you’re shifting back to denial.”

“It’s more than even that. If there is a True Celestial who wields the sword who has actually been activated in a bid to destroy you, like we are positing, if you should come within range of said threat, it would definitely be felt.

It would be a major provocation. A provocation that you are not ready to lay down.

To defeat an enemy, especially one of this nature, you must first possess an understanding of them.

That is what our training will encompass.

You have been trained as a magic-wielder, not as a True Celestial.

That is what I will remedy. So, with that in mind, I will teach you in the proper way, that which has been authorized by the Celestial Plane.

I will provide you with the knowledge that they wish you to have to be able to operate as they see fit.

It will both appease them, and also give you what you need. ”

When I went to protest, he held up his hand, “However, I will also accept you pushing back. We will meet in the middle.”

That actually sounded more than fair.

I was growing to like him more with our every interaction.

“All right,” I agreed.

“Very good. Then let us begin. We will tackle Hellfire extinguishing for our first collaborative effort. ”

I actually chuckled. “Nicely put.”

He grinned. “I thought you would appreciate that.”

He walked to the center of the clearing and swept his hand around.

In the next moment, a glowing circle of scorched runes was etched into the earth. “This is a bound Hellfire locus. I have sealed it so it cannot spread, but it will burn endlessly until extinguished. Step into the circle.”

Cassius remained just outside the boundary. “To nullify Hellfire, one must reject it utterly. Command it to dissipate. True Celestials use a resonance chant to assert dominance over the flame. It is a method long taught by our order. You will recite it while holding focus.”

He began to chant, slow and melodic, a series of ancient syllables that hummed with power.

The flames sputtered slightly under his voice—but they didn't die.

Then he stopped. “Now you.”

I inhaled, trying to mimic the cadence.

But the moment I began to speak them aloud, the Hellfire surged.