Zeres stood in front of Calithar with a sardonic smile stretching slowly across his lips. The duel between the two had long ended and both fighters were allowed to go, but Zeres still stayed back.
Since they were in the third heavens, other heavens weren’t visible from where they stood. To avoid being attacked by mbers of the first and second who were mostly demons and evil beings, Calithar had to leave now.
Calithar remained still as Zeres approached him. He watched Zeres approach with an unreadable expression, the wind brushing softly against his hair and the faint glow of the heavenly horizon outlining his silhouette. His wings were folded calmly, although the edge of one still bore a faint burn from the duel. Zeres had used the very sun to burn him.
Without warning, Zeres pulled his fist back and launched it toward Calithar’s face.
Calithar was quick enough to notice it on ti and lifted his arm.
His fingers closed around Zeres’ wrist with perfect precision, stopping the punch inches before impact. Their eyes locked and Zeres’ lip curled to one side in a scoff. A cold laugh escaped him, sharp like a shattered shard of glass.
Calithar’s grip tightened slightly. "Give it up, Zeres. Even with your almighty sword, you still lost."
Even though Calithar said it with all calmness, it still cut deeper than any blade. Zeres’ expression darkened two trillion tis over. His jaw flexed and his eyes lost whatever sadistic brightness remained and turned into pools of venomous rage.
It was one thing to lose. It was another to have his most treasured weapon mocked. The sun god’s pride was legendary, woven into the very power he wielded. And that sword was a testant to it.
"You better watch your back," Zeres hissed, playing with his tongue in his mouth. His voice was low and hard with restrained fury. Zeres knew quite well fighting in heaven was as bad as joining the fallen angels. The third heaven was sacred and his soul could be shattered for it.
Calithar’s would be too but he wasn’t going to go down with that despicable entity.
"...anything can happen at any ti."
Zeres jerked his hand away as though Calithar’s touch had burned him. His eyes flared, scattering tiny sparks of golden sunlight over his irises. Calithar stepped back, refusing to be drawn into another confrontation. The duel was over but Zeres could as well be called a normal lunatic.
The victory was his and Zeres’ bitterness was no longer his concern.
Calithar lifted two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute, then flicked his hand outward with a playful smirk. With a pull of wind and a sweep of his erald feathers, he hurled his wings open and leapt from the edge of heaven, letting gravity carry him downward toward the glowing sphere of Earth.
Zeres remained where he was, fists clenched, jaw tight, eyes seething as the erald wings disappeared into the mortal realm.
"I’ll get you. And when I do, even your precious Seraphine wouldn’t be able to save you then." he said through gritted teeth before vanishing to his station in the sun.
~~~~~~~~A decade later~~~~~~~~
Ti flowed differently in the divine realms and when Calithar descended again, a full decade had passed on Earth.
The world had changed faster than even the gods predicted. Humans had developed themselves and moved to a higher level than what they were.
This was definitely the handiwork of Wura, the goddess of growth and goodness.
Eden and Edna, Elena’s children, had grown into tweens, though barely four years had passed in their lives. Their divine blood made them mature quickly, their bodies stretching and strengthening far ahead of human pace. They looked about ten years old now, bursting with curiosity, mischief, and the glowing beauty of mixed celestial lineage.
Now grown, Eden took up most of his father’s qualities: black, thick hair, slit eyes and small mouth. Edna on the other hand, took up most of her mother’s qualities: Long, chestnut hair, large brown eyes and a slender body.
Even with the mixture, the personalities of both children differed greatly from whom they resembled the most. Eden had Elena’s cheery nature while Edna had her father’s questioning gaze.
Elena had long dread of giving her children sothing she never had. A proper education: a place among other children to be normal. The freedom to learn, to grow, to be part of a world she herself had been forbidden from exploring.
Damien resisted at first. His love for his children was fierce, almost abrasive to the point of denial. He feared for their safety especially with Xavriel out there planning God knows what. He feared what exposure might bring and Elena knew he wasn’t wrong.
But Elena was a woman of unyielding will, and she had mastered the art of convincing him with her mind, her words, her charms, and when needed, her body.
After many nights of persistence, teasing, promises, and threats whispered against his ear, Damien finally yielded.
He enrolled their children in the most prestigious modern school in Zerathane.
The era had shifted. The early twentieth century arrived like a crashing wave of invention. White explorers from abroad brought new technologies, new ideologies, new architecture, and the promise of a world evolving at unimaginable speed. Schools were built. Machines were introduced and electricity, that foreign word, humd through almost all the cities in Zerathane. The old ways were slowly giving way to the new.
Damien embraced it all. He wanted Zerathane to grow, not remain a forgotten shadow in history. He wanted the best for his people, the best for his children. So when opportunity ca, he opened his arms, not with suspicion but with ambition.
No longer were horses the primary form of transport. Daimler cars, bicycles, tricycles, and curious tal contraptions began to crawl their way into Zerathane society. Roads were widened and tarred instead of just cented. Workshops were built with people volunteering themselves as apprentices. Curiosity thrived.
Damien himself learned to drive from one of the white visitors whose ho country was also ruled by queens and kings. The royal palace was among the first places to welco the lessons among the countries in the continent.
Damien learned quickly, becoming surprisingly adept behind the wheel. When he was confident enough, he taught Elena.
She picked it up well, though fear of endangering her children kept her from driving independently just yet. Damien understood that fear and refused to allow her to face it alone.
So on the morning of their children’s very first day of school, he volunteered to drive.
The palace courtyard was awake with morning light. Birds fluttered in the gardens and the sky stretched clear and bright above them. It was such a perfect day and Elena had woken up extra early to prepare her kids.
Even though they didn’t need any form of food, she still went through the trouble to prepare it for them each day. What would the human kids say when the king and queen refuses to feed their own children?
Elena was already twenty-three with two children but was still as agile as ever.
Cooking for her family made her feel so good and besides, they weren’t complaining.
"Kids, get in the car so we will not be late," Elena called out. She rushed over to Eden and her hands fussed with Eden’s hair while checking Edna’s dress for the tenth ti.
Edna was calm but can be very, very playful.
Eden peered up at his mother who was making his hair. "I haven’t worn my jacket yet mommy." Without waiting for her to respond, he dashed out of her hand and ran to the lounge.
"One minute, Mommy," Edna called back. "I cannot tie my shoelaces."
Damien approached with a grin. He bent and lifted Edna effortlessly, settling her on his forearm. Her tiny legs dangled, swinging in the air as she giggled.
"Co here, sweetheart," he said warmly.
Edna wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her head into the curve of his shoulder. Eden, anwhile, hopped from one foot to the other impatiently, his untied laces flapping wildly.
"Daddy, hurry!" Eden pouted.
Damien knelt and tied them with speed before focusing on Eden’s.
"Now let’s go before your mother yells at both of us."
"Mm!" they nodded with wide smiles.
Both children climbed into the back seat of the early-model car. Their eyes sparkled with excitent and curiosity. School. Other children their age. A world beyond the prison-like palace walls.
No matter how much Elena tried to make them comfortable in the palace, she always felt like she was trapping them in just like she had done.
Which is why on so occasions, she takes them with her once in a while.
Elena smoothed her dress one last ti and Damien adjusted his sleeves.
The king and queen had to look presentable didn’t they?
They moved toward the car doors when Damien stopped.
"Oh wait. I forgot the keys." Damien suddenly rembered. He kissed her gently on the lips. "I’ll be right back ok?"
Elena hud a response as she watched him retreat back into the palace.
How can anyone look so good in a simple outfit?
Then it happened.
A blinding flash ripped from the back, shooting forward with maddening speed: a streak of pure electricity, coated in surreal energy.
It struck the car with devastating force.
A boom followed, followed by thunder crumbling in the air.
The vehicle burst into flas instantly. Orange fire licked up the doors, consuming tal and glass. Eden scread and Edna began to cry, pounding her small fists against the window in terror.
"Eden!" Elena shouted from where she stood which was a bit far from the car.
She ran, trying to reach the car but the heat surged outward in a violent wave, pushing her back.
The flas roared higher. The sll of burning fuel filled the air. Cracks of electricity slithered across the surface of the vehicle like living serpents, feeding the fire.
Eden’s voice shrieked. "Mommy!"
Edna cried, "Daddy, help us!"
Elena’s world collapsed into chaos.
And as she moved to get her kids herself from the fire again, her knees buckled.
Her vision blurred.
The power she had buried deep inside her, the power she had forced into silence since the night Calithar intruded into their ho, suddenly surged.
Her chest tightened.
Her breath vanished.
A searing pain shot through her spine.
It was too much.
Her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the ground while the fire burnt the car rcilessly.
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