#aithneEEEeEEEEEEEEEeEEE

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 6-Aithne

And just when I thought the first challenge was hard, the second one got worse. 

Yes, I did love the aforementioned physical education, and I was great at jumping over hurdles, but doing parkour on a bridge and a cliff wall?! Without our wings to, oh, I don’t know, help us fly?! 

Now, I wasn’t exactly the “safety first” kind of person, but this was insanely hard. And could potentially kill us. Thankfully, this was just a simulation. (Or at least I hoped it was. Wasn’t about to test that theory, though.)

The door swung creakily behind us, slamming shut and—disappearing?! Well, great, now we were trapped in the simulation with a cliff ten feet in front of us. (NOT HELPING, MS. FARRELL.)

Stepping forward, Astra calculated, “Well, on the bright side, if we fall, that's only a fifteen-foot drop. Without our powers of flight, best-case scenario, we break a leg. Worst-case scenario, we get flattened into pancakes. Hey, that kinda rhymes.”

Laila shook her head, “The best-case scenario doesn’t sound very good to begin with.” Then she looked up and stretched out her arm for yet another messenger bird to perch on. First she removed the parchment from the bird’s neck, then she ruffled the feathers around its neck softly. The bird cooed contentedly.

“Jeez, enough with the Disney Princess stereotypes, Laila,” I joked, “We won’t escape this maze by singing to birds.”

“...Very funny, Aithne; you hurt its feelings,” Laila responded. The bird hopped off Laila’s arm, and nipped me annoyedly on my neck before flapping away. Carefully untying the red ribbon, Laila unrolled the parchment with the instructions for this round and began to read them out,

“Round number two, don’t stop and freeze

Students, together, in your threes

Cross the bridge, but do mind this

If you fall in the abyss

That’s it, you’re done, out of the games

The prize no longer holds your names

But careful now, for things may be

Much higher than the eye can see

And one more tip before you leave

Make sure the three rings you retrieve

Don’t look straight at the eagles five

Or you’ll be sealed in ice alive.”

“Well, things just took a dark turn,” I inhaled sharply, breaking the silence. God, how were we going to do this?

“So, we need three rings,” Astra, who for some reason was wearing a completely calm face, said, “Where’s the first one— "

“Over there,” Laila interrupted, pointing towards a bar around ten meters away. Sure enough, tied to it was an icy blue ribbon, no doubt with the ring.

She stared at the bridge for a few moments before cartwheeling and flipping her way over the bridge, pirouetting as she retrieved the ring. (Ah yes, ballet. Proving useful for crossing dangerous bridges and flexing your skills ever since it was invented.) “There we go,” she grinned as she slipped it onto her finger, where it held fast. Well, that was quick.

“Now, for the next one,” I mused.

“Oooh, found it,” Astra exclaimed. We whipped our heads around before spotting the bright white ribbon, hanging precariously over the railing of the bridge, just about 34738492 miles away from where we were. She gingerly put each foot forward, hopping gently over the hurdles, sliding under the bars and putting her foot backwards whenever the wooden bridge creaked softly. At one point, she almost lost her balance, swiveling her arms, but she quickly grabbed onto the nearest bar for support. “Got it!” she cheered, deftly unwrapping the ribbon, and pulling out the ring.

“Two down, one to go,” Astra beamed. “No eagles, though... Maybe it’s a metaphor... for something else..." She started muttering some weird things under her breath, counting something off her fingers, and I rolled my eyes, turning around to look for the last ring.

Well, I didn’t see anything at eye level. Maybe the ring was higher up? I craned my neck.

Then I spotted it.

A strip of red cloth, tied at the top of what looked like a sheer face of I-couldn’t-climb-that-even-if-I-tried, caught my eye.

And as with my bad luck, it got worse.

There was a freaking nest next to it, which meant I would have to go up to the eagles. And probably freeze into a solid chunk of ice. And mess up my hair in the process. (What? It took me two hours to tie it. I know, I’m a noob.)

Astra looked sheepishly at me. “Laila and I got our rings, that’s yours.”

“Oh, who cares? Let’s just do this,” I grumbled, pushing my ponytail behind and rolling my sleeves up.

I jogged over to the wall. Grabbing onto the first rock, I sighed. There was no going back. “It’s just like rock climbing,” I whispered, giving myself a pep talk. “You can do this.” Turning around, I looked at Astra and Laila. Laila gave me a thumbs up. (At least it looked like she was doing that with her thumbs. It was hard to tell from such a distance.) I nodded my head and began to climb.

Ten minutes and a lot of grunting and effort later, I made it to the top. (Training with the local rock-climbing team really helped me for once.) Turning down, I waved my arms back and forth, hoping the other two girls could see me. I probably looked like a fool, but who cared. At least they would be able to tell that I was still there.

Now, to face the bigger challenge.

Hoisting myself up, I grunted. Now I was in front of an eagle nest. And sure enough, the red cloth was in front of me. Untying it, I quickly pulled out the ring and put it on. Well, that was quick. Dusting my pants off, I pushed myself into a standing position.

But then I made the mistake of looking up.

My eyes met with two cold black slits, nested (Hah! See what I did there? Never mind, that was a terrible joke.) in rings of hard yellow. Wait a minute. I think... I had just broken the same rule the stupid instructions told me not to break. I had looked straight at one of the eagles’ eye. And now I would have to suffer.

Below, I heard Astra groan in frustration. I could already imagine her rolling her eyes and double face-palming.

Oops.

If you’re wondering, being instantly cased in ice hurts. And it’s cold. (I mean, obviously, but still. It was freezing.) Thankfully, I could move my eyes and fingers. With a lot of effort, I barely managed to turn my eyes downwards. I instantly recognized the symbol on the ring. Of course! How could I have not realized earlier? It was kenaz, the Nordic rune for fire.

And thank my lucky stars I got the ring of fire. (At least, I was praying that it was a fire ring and that it wasn’t a symbol for something else in another language. Like exploding donkeys in ancient Aztec or something. Those would make for some pretty embarrassing last words on my obituary.)

I wiggled my finger around, hoping the ring doohickey would work. Sadly, I had only learnt about the futhark runes, not how ancient Nordic artifacts and their magic worked, so I was pretty much hoping for the best, that meaning I didn’t maim myself or die in a stupid freak accident. Luckily, the engraved rune glowed a bright orange for a second before the ice shattered, shoving me backwards.

Before I could react, I was abruptly thrown into a dark portal. (Jeez, what was it with me, magic, and being shoved into places?) Was this some sort of side effect of casting that rune? I hoped it wasn’t. Quickly enough, I was spat out into another room.

But I wasn’t alone.

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 12-Aithne

We landed on a surface way too soft to be an egg’s inside. Astra slid down and landed on her feet, followed by Laila. I, rather unceremoniously, fell on my butt. Again.

“FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN AND HIS A-” I began, but was pinched by Astra.

“No. Swearing,” she chided. I pouted, but saluted her.

“Guys, focus,” Laila snapped her fingers, bringing us back to our present state. I peered into the darkness.

“Hello? Anyone there?” I shouted out.

“Welcome, my dears.” Someone clapped, and a lamp twinkled. (Was that...a firefly in it? Obviously, whoever lived here had good decorative taste.) “Now, sit down. We have much to discuss.”

A woman stepped out from behind the light. She donned a majestic silk gown, the reddish-pink material flowing and rippling like water to her ankles. She wore no shoes, but shimmering anklets of gold rested just above her feet. Her lush brown hair fell to her waist, occasionally sprinkled with streaks of gray. All in all, she looked like a goddess herself.

But there was just one thing— she was chained down. Imprisoned by manacles of enchanted steel, tough chains looped through stakes of hard iron. The sadness in her eyes told me she had probably been stuck here for years, decades maybe.

“Don’t be afraid,” she urged. “I just want to talk.”

“Should we?” Laila mouthed. We looked at Astra for confirmation. She slightly nodded. Putting up her hands, the woman stepped forward gingerly. Astra squinted at the woman as though she recognised her.

“Alright.”

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 11-Aithne

We moved in perfect synchronicity, fighting against the hydra as if this was perfectly normal. (It, I can assure you, was absolutely not.) 

With the return of our flying abilities - and our other various powers, we had the ability and a plan (okay, fine, perhaps it wasn’t a very well-formatted one, but it was still a plan!!!) to defeat the monster. But of course, something had to go terribly wrong.

As an angel flew over the hydra at light-speed, he hoisted a heavy sword. Knowing what was going to happen, I looked away. I heard the expected splash and thump, then an enraged beastly howl.

“Aithne,” Laila tugged on my arm. “We might have a problem. A big one.”

I looked back at the battlefield, and saw (gross, a severed head) lying on the ground. Looking up, I saw the hydra, with...wait a minute, EIGHT HEADS?!

“Of course,” Astra groaned. “When a hydra’s head is chopped off, two grow back in its place.”

The beast in question roared and lashed against its chains.

“Yeah, well, Mr. Hydra here doesn’t seem very happy about it,” I remarked. “We need to find a way to defeat him. And quick.”

The serpent turned its head to the sky and bellowed, sending seismic ripples across the ground. Those unable to fly wobbled, attempting to balance themselves. Even some angels flailed their arms, momentarily stunned.

Then it struck. In a split second, the chains snapped, sending the beast soaring into the air.

“It has wings?!” a nymph groaned.

“Apparently, yes,” a dryad on the other side responded. The dragon roared, facing the sky, and belched flames, pure white dragons’ fire that could incinerate virtually anything with one touch.

Fire powers too?!

Oh, we were so dead.

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 9-Aithne

We had bad news, and— actually, we just had bad news.

Great. Now we were trapped in a goddamn house. A creepy and ancient one at that. (And for the record, it wasn’t fun. At all.) Picking up the card from the table, I read out,

“Each riddle is related to

The others, like a smaller clue

You have minutes thirty to solve

The puzzle, and you must resolve

The problem, or you’re stuck inside

But still, push your worries aside

You’ll have an hourglass to know

When time’s up, now, ready, set, go!”

A holographic hourglass materialized and began counting the minutes down.

“What are we waiting for?” I exclaimed. “Chop chop! Let’s go find stuff! Time’s ticking!”

Astra picked up the first clue placed on the table. Reading it to herself, she mused,

“You’ll find me on the mantel shelf

I give off light all by myself

But nothing works the same way here

Look for the friend of puppeteers.”

“Seems easy,” Laila said, “Just look for a marionette.”

“Marry who now?” I raised both eyebrows.

“A puppet,” she sighed.

We hunted for that damn puppet for a good two minutes before Astra exclaimed, “I found it!” Hurrying over, we looked down. Sure enough, a Victorian-style doll lay in a sitting position, its beady eyes eerily staring up at us and its strings completely tangled.

“Yup. Creepy as I expected,” I remarked. “Now for the second clue. Where is it?”

“I think we’re missing something,” Laila muttered, “Ah!” She walked over to the mantel, grabbed an ordinary-looking flashlight and walked over.

“We don’t need a flashlight,” I objected. “It’s bright enough already.”

“This probably doesn’t release normal light,” she switched it on. A beam of dark violet, almost black light, shot out. “It’s UV light. Made to decode messages. And if I’m not wrong, there should be one somewhere...” she pointed it towards the puppet, “...here.” Words previously invisible bloomed onto the doll’s skirt, sprouting out like fresh ink.

Laila picked up the doll with one hand and held the flashlight steady with the other. She began to read out,

“Good job, you’re not dumb after all

But science will help you down the hall

Now think— what lives a thousand times?

And tells the tales of heinous crimes?”

We remained silent for a minute, wondering what it could be. Then it hit me. “Guys, I saw a Nancy Drew book on the shelf when we were looking for that puppet,” I realized. “This is what they could be talking about! It does talk about crimes, and the only thing that can live a thousand times is a story!” Dashing off to the living room, with Laila and Astra hot on my heels, I picked up the book. Dusting it off, I was about to open it, when Astra stopped me.

“Wait,” she pointed out. “There’s a note stuck in it.” Yanking the (ew, hot pink) Post-It out, she looked at it, clearly confused.

“4 1 53 60

90 –1

9 53 75?!”

“How’s that even a clue?” I was so confused and annoyed, I wanted to kick a hole in the stupid wall. But then Astra pointed something out.

“Look, there’s something else on the back,” she said. “There’s a picture of the Periodic Table. Maybe there’s some sort of pattern..."

Astra flipped the paper multiple times before exclaiming, “Gotcha! These numbers represent the atomic numbers on the table.”

“But what about the ‘-1’?” Laila asked.

“Uh...  about that...  oh! That could be used to stand for an anion. Anions have one less proton than electron, which has a symbol e. Now all we have to do is line them up with the symbols..." Astra trailed off.

“‘Behind The Fire’! The clue is behind the fire!” I burst out.

“But how are we going to put our hand through the fire?” Laila asked. She had a point there.

“Maybe it’s not a real fire,” Astra smiled, “Like the hourglass; it isn’t real, but we can still see it! A hologram, see?” She put her hand through the crackling fire, making Laila sputter in disbelief. She pulled out a note, her hand unscathed. Peering over her shoulder, I announced, “Oooh, a limerick! Here goes...  

“Great work, you’ve followed through

Now here, I present the fourth clue

It’s tossed up high

As the paddle flies

And bounces on the table blue.”

“What bounces high...?” Laila pondered for a while, “Oh! Of course! It’s a ball!”

“Which ball?”

“How many balls do you think a room has? Just find the ball!”

“What do you mean? This isn’t a real room!”

“Okay, fine, but it’s easy to find a bouncy ball, no? Just find the light ones – like a…”

“Uh, guys, one problem,” Astra laughed nervously, pointing towards the left. “There’s a whole bucket of ping-pong balls.”

“... ping-pong ball...” Laila trailed off.

“Well, then, we just find the one with a note in it, don’t we?” I smiled. “Time to smash some ping-pong balls.”

As I found out, smashing table tennis balls was incredibly time-consuming. And boring. CRAZY boring. Seven minutes had passed, and still no sign of the note. “Guys, we only have eighteen minutes left,” Astra urged. Then, as I stepped on another ball, I saw it. That elusive note. Yanking it out, I passed it to Laila, “Would you care to do the honors?”

She took it and smiled, “Finally, a haiku.

“Darkness swallows you

Then you hit the switch, hopeful

Where is light set free?”

“Alright, haikus are officially my least favorite type of poems,” Astra groaned. “So mind-boggling..."

“Wait, I think I’ve got this one,” I interrupted. “I think... it’s a lamp! I saw a ceiling lamp in the ‘kitchen’. But how are we going to get the note?”

“We stack,” Astra smirked.

Another assumption I had made was that stacking ourselves on top of one another was easy. Again, I was proven terribly wrong. Laila was the tallest and strongest, so she stood below. I climbed on top of her and Astra, being the smallest, scrambled on top of me. In theory, it should have been like climbing stairs. But oh no, it was not. It was much more awkward.

At one point, Laila grumbled, “Aithne, your foot is in my face!” And she did not take kindly to my suggestion:

“Then get your face off my foot!” (Hey, maybe she hadn’t read Aru Shah yet. Or she was grumpy that my foot was in her face. Yeah, probably the second one.) 

“It’s supposed to be on my shoulder!”

“I’m telling you, you should really take a look at what Astra is doing to my head!  Woah... wha— Laila, stand still! I’m falling!”

“Why are you guys constantly shifting your weight between my shoulders—?”

“Astra, how DOES your hair reach me? Cut it – Laila! What the h—”

“No cursing, Aithne!!” Astra scolded, waving her arms.

“Wait, don’t move!! I’m losing balance!” Laila leaned to one side, our human tower swaying.

“I’m moving because you are!! Agh—!”

One and a half minutes (and a lot of cursing that was probably just me) later, Astra neatly hopped off my back, the note in hand. I rather unceremoniously fell to the floor, wincing as I rubbed my sore butt. Laila stretched. “Aithne, lose some weight,” she joked. I stuck my tongue out at her in response,

“It isn’t just me! Astra is heavy too!”

“But—"

Astra shushed the both of us and read out the (hopefully) final note,

“Two doors lie ahead of you

They’re colored white and red

Pick the right one, and you’ll pass on

Wrong choice, restart instead.”

There was also a footnote that read: ‘Even if you restart, the timing will remain.’

“Well, we’d better make the right choice then,” I tried to lighten the pressure. However, it didn’t help. The pressure was so thick that, forget a knife, you couldn’t even cut it with a freaking sword.

Then I remembered something I had heard last time from a Hindu friend of mine. Apparently, white was an inauspicious color. It represented things like asceticism and death and was reserved for mourners and widows... It represented giving up worldly desires. However, red was considered lucky... it was believed to represent sensuality and purity... saffron powder was applied on their foreheads on auspicious occasions... so does that mean should we choose red?

“Guys, I think we should choose the red door,” I decided. “In Hindu myths, white stands for things like death and red, purity and luck-bringing. This may make me sound very superstitious, but I think we should open the red door.”

“Sounds like what I said in the first room. Still, we trust you,” Laila said and gripped the handle. I silently prayed and covered my face as the door swung open, not daring to open my eyes. Slowly, I cracked them open and shifted my hand.

“Guys, we— we did it!”

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 4- Aithne

After writing down our names to indicate our grouping, we left school that day in high spirits. 

Astra was delighted with her transformation (as expected), and spent the rest of the day in the regional library, scouring for books about her powers, which seemed to include lots of light tricks. I snoozed in one of the delicate orbs floating near the shelves (hey, it was warm and comfy, okay?) whereas Laila, the friend who actually paid attention when we learnt about creatures of light, went on and on about the things angels could do, though through my sleep, I hazily noticed she glossed over the parts about angel prejudices. (Okay, fine. Maybe I did pay enough attention to pass. Or get an A. Fine, enough to get an A.)

By the end of the day, Astra had also managed to stay afloat with her wings flailing for about three seconds, and though we all knew Laila and I could do much better, we clapped and cheered Astra on as she waved her arms, letting strips of rainbow light burst out of her palms in celebration. (Just one of the many perks of being a guardian angel – the ability to summon pure light.)

In the end, when the sun began to set, we reluctantly bade goodbye, each one of our hearts filled with a kind of warmth that was as sticky and sweet as honey.

And we wished that the day would never end.

Ew, okay. Now that all that sappiness is over, back to the story.

The next day, all us Almorians gathered in the fields. The lush green grassy land was covered with students, jostling each other to get a proper view of the podium. The three of us (“The Dreeeeeam Team”, as I’d insisted we name our squad, which was turned down, along with “That Smart Kid and the Braincell Sharers” and “Girl Power”, obviously) had snagged a sweet spot close to the podium but out of the teachers’ sight. We decided to discuss random ideas we had for the competition, and what we presumed were the challenges, and at one point in time, the conversation got pretty weird. (And just to give you an idea of how weird, even yesterday’s incidents and Astra’s transformation were considered normal compared to that crazy five minutes.) Thankfully, the principal stepped onto the podium, and silence fell over the swarm of pupils.

“Testing, testing, is this mic on?” she muttered, tapping the microphone. A screechy wave of static burst out, causing everyone to moan and clap their hands over their ears. Ms Farrell nodded, satisfied, and pushed the mic closer to her mouth.

“Alright, listen up, students. Today is the day we are celebrating the three hundredth anniversary of Almoria High. Together, we teachers have set up the challenges. Now it is up to you to complete them. Students, are you ready?”

The field burst into applause and cheers of “YES!”

“Then may your luck guide you till the end,” she smiled. “Let the first ever Almorian Games begin!”

And poof, fireworks burst across the field, and the sky lit up, and- yeah, you know what, I’m letting Laila take over.

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 1- Aithne

Hey, kids, just a tip: if you find some sort of huge nest or anything, don’t go into it.

Don’t even THINK about doing it, unless you want to be hurled down a rabbit hole of drama, history, kicking butts, and saving the world. Especially the last two.

Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. Hello there, I’m Aithne Celino. Half angel, half demon, just your everyday nephalem (NOT! A! DEMON!! LADY!!!) having a regular bad day.  

Speaking of which, ahem, back to that.

“Alright class, so today we’ll be learning about the great battle of Isarok,” Mdm. Danton droned, gesturing towards the whiteboard. Picking up a piece of chalk, she scrawled ‘Isarok’ on it. “Can someone tell me which two kingdoms were at— ouch!” she winced as a paper ball flew out of nowhere and smacked her square on the head.  

“Who was that?!” she thundered, darting her eyes across the thirty magic-wielding students. Yes, you read correctly. Magic-wielding students. Here in the city of Almoria, anyone and everyone has powers, or at least until they manifest (meaning they realise their potential). Anyone can be of any species, ranging from itty-bitty fairies the height of your palm, to angels with delicate snow-white wings that looked like they were molded out of clouds. You could even find therianthropes, people who transformed into their animal of choice. Me? I was a nephalem, the offspring of an angel and a demon, as I already told you. And I was always blamed. All the time.  

Aaaanyway, back to class. Mdm. Danton glared daggers at us, reminding me of a bird of prey. (Hey, maybe she was a therianthrope.) If looks could kill, all of us would already be sprawled flat on the floor, dead as doorknobs. Swiveling her head around the class, she decided to focus her ice-cold stare on me. Whoopee.

“Oh, of course, Miss Celino. What gave you-” she pointed straight at my face, “-the harebrained idea to launch a paper ball at me in the middle of class?” she asked irately, her eagle-like eyes flashing in fury. I gulped, staring at the scarlet-red nail barely an inch away from me. (Yup. Definitely a therianthrope.) “But miss, I didn’t do it— " I protested, only to be stopped by her.

“I don’t want to hear your petty devilspawn excuses,” she hissed.

“Principal's office, Celino.”

Sighing, I trudged out of the classroom in the 'walk of shame', the stupid angels and cherubs laughing behind my back. (And when I say cherubs, I don’t mean those babies wearing nappies, toddling around and shooting love arrows at their ‘victims’. I mean full-grown angels, who also wielded arrows, albeit those that could kill you. Ah, happy days.) And of course, it was most definitely one of them who had done it. Why did they hate me so much?

“What did you do again?” the principal sighed as I dragged my feet into her office, almost slamming the door behind me.

“I didn’t do anything, but Mdm. Danton seems to think I threw a paper ball at her. For the forty-eighth time,” I sighed. It wasn’t just the students who hated me, even the teachers did.

“Look, I see that the teachers seem to, how do I say this, feel biased against you,” she began, steepling her fingers and interlocking her hands. Seemed? I was positive they hated my guts. “But there’s a new student about to join, and I think you would be a pretty – um – enthusiastic guide for her.”

New student? Well, this might be an unexpected chance for me to make a friend. For once. (Yes, my eternal shunning began as early as kindergarten. Sigh. I just wanted people to play with me and Mr. Bun-Bun - ahem, I mean just me.)

Almost as if she could read my mind, she continued, “Maybe you can be friends with her. It would make great bonding experience for you two.” She outstretched her hand. “Is that okay?”

“I’m in,” I grinned, shaking her hand and standing up. “Thanks, Ms. Farrell.”

As I half-ran out of the office, I grinned to myself. Finally, things were starting to turn around. And I had a feeling the day would only get better.

[aithrauniverse]

Prologue

A/N: There may be some inaccuracies in the courtroom’s anatomy, this is all planned out. This is a fictional courtroom, so some things may seem different.   

"Case 29106. Present yourself.”  

Miss Driftlake walked towards the defendant’s table, security angels flanking her on either side. Glancing up at the werewolf looming over her, the hammer poised in his hand, she gulped, and decided to divert her gaze to her shoes. When she was younger, she couldn’t wait to explore the court. She didn’t expect to get an insider’s view this way.  

“Face me when I speak.”  

She jerked her head up once more.

“Attorney Rubensprite, do you have anything to say?”  

Miss Driftlake looked over at the dryad in question, her eyes pleading him to say something, to help her, to save her. Save her from being thrown away, from being cast into shadows for the rest of her life.  

“Any... eyewitnesses?” the dryad asked.  

No one spoke up.  

“Well, it seems to be a unanimous decision,” the werewolf in the judge’s seat sneered. “Driftlake, for committing the sin of murder and treason, I hereby sentence you to—”  

A young girl, barely six or seven, dashed forward, ignoring everyone else's cries for her to get back.

“No! Don’t leave!” she cried, clinging onto the woman as if she was the child’s last hope. Ms Driftlake gently pushed the girl aside, tears slowly pooling in her eyes. No. She couldn’t cry. She had to be strong, for the little girl’s sake.  

“I’m sorry, dear,” she spoke gravely. “But I must go. Remember what I taught you.” The child, seeming to realize that there was no point in arguing, nodded serenely.  

“If you’re done with the sappy moments,” the judge snapped, “your punishment is a sentence to the dungeons— forever.”  

Hopelessly, she slumped forward, allowing the guards to attach the shackles to her hands. As the guards led her out the door, she glanced at her godchild for the last time.

“Goodbye, my dear.”

[aithrauniverse]

We’ve reached the end!

Yes, that’s right - the story is complete, and fully posted!

Thank you to anyone who stayed by our side to read the entire story - or even just little snippets! 

If you have any feedback on our story and whatnot, do please let us know by commenting on any post or dropping a note into our mailbox :>

Thank you once again to anyone who bothered to stop by our page :DDD

Astra, Aithne and Laila wish you the best of luck! (and Evan !!!)

Do look out for character illustrations coming up soon!

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 20-Aithne

As I pulled away from Father, Evan cheered from behind me, “She’s alive!” Turning around, I saw the two angels squatting next to Astra. Before my eyes, she stirred, rubbing her eyes and sitting upright with much effort.

“Well, looks like Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake,” Laila cracked a grin.

“What were you thinking, you fool?!” I dashed forward and wrapped my arms around her, my emotions a mix of relief, concern and pure frustration. (Probably a bad idea to hug her really tightly when she was injured and all, but hey. I missed her.) “You could have killed yourself!”

“Ow-Aithne, my bones - that beast was like rock-” Astra winced, then smiled faintly. “Yeah, yeah, I’m glad to see you too.”

“Did you think I was just gonna let you die on us?!”

Astra sighed. “Of course not.”

As I fussed and fumed over her scrapes and injuries (I insisted on tying a tourniquet, using seven sheets of gauze and I-stopped-counting-after-a-thousand Band-Aids, but of course, she said no), Evan pointed out something so obvious, I slapped myself for forgetting about it. Literally.

“Guys, shouldn’t we be getting back to Almoria High? I mean...we’ve left without informing them. Won’t they be... uh...?”

“Oh. Um,” Laila muttered, “We’re so dead.”

And as it turned out, yes, we were.

Father insisted on creating a portal to bring us back, instead of letting Astra do one of her light tricks. (“Your guardian angel friend might still be too weak, and I don’t want my little girls-and boy-to be late,” he pointed out, ignoring Astra’s soft protests of “I’m fine, I swear!”) He clapped, and a swirling, ruby-red portal shimmered, beckoning us in. Evan went first, jumping in confidently. Laila followed suit, taking a deep breath before heading in. Astra went third, still a little shaky after her encounter with the dragon. When the last of her dissolved into the vortex, I stepped forward. Placing my palm into the glowing mass, I turned back. “Thank you, Father, for all you’ve done.”

“You’re welcome, my dear child,” the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Now, see forth, and do me proud. I’ll be waiting at home.”

As I stepped out, I faced a familiar sight— Almoria High’s hall, the place I had known for four years of my life. There was just one thing-I was on the stage, the others next to me in a tight circle, and a mob of students facing us below, an identical look of glee on their faces, clearly wanting to enjoy the show as Mr. Grouchy delivered the blow.

Laila opened her mouth, but just then, Mr. Grouchy made his dramatic appearance. He poofed (is that a verb?) onstage, gesturing towards us.

“And here we have our four delinquents, ready to be expelled,” he grinned, baring his hideous fangs. (Gross. He really needed to get his fangs brushed-and flossed.)

Wait a minute-expelled?!

Evan voiced out my thoughts. “Expelled?! But Mr. Brunt, I mean, we left for a good cause! To save Almoria!”

“And why would I trust you?” he sneered. “For all I know, you may be weaving elaborate lies. Proof.” He beckoned with his hand. “If I didn’t see it, it didn’t happen,” he said in a singsong voice. Astra’s face turned even paler. Laila fidgeted with her hands behind her back, her head down and eyes shut. I looked down at the numerous pairs of eyes, all of them staring back at us. Right now, it felt like my nightmares were coming alive. But this wasn’t a dream I could just wake up and stop. I was helpless, forced to see what happened next.

“Come on, I know you have at least one shred of evidence,” he smirked. “No? Okay, then. I, Brunt Michael Everglow, hereby declare these students expe-”

“No. These young students shall not be expelled. I stand by their cause, and defend them at my own will.” Ms. Farrell stepped forward. A ripple of gasps passed through the hall. “Now, tell us, why did you have to leave the school?”

Astra stepped forward, explaining everything, with occasional inputs from me, Laila and Evan respectively. When it came to Endra, she seemed unable to speak, so I took over instead. Towards the end, Astra reached into her pocket, and pulled out the opal (thankfully without the fire), holding it up for everyone to see. “And that’s how Almoria was saved,” Evan concluded, stepping back.

“Lies! Deceit! I tell you, Farrell, these-these ruffians, they’re merely making this up-” Mr. Brunt spluttered, but Ms. Farrell held a hand up, shutting his trap instantly.

“No. I have faith in them, and know their intentions are nothing but pure.” Ms. Farrell smiled at the four of us. “I’ve been watching you, you know. I have my ways.” It did make sense, actually. Sometimes, I had noticed a lone eagle cruise through the sky. Maybe that was Mdm. Danton reporting to her...wait, did that mean she had seen me litter?! Oops.

“Instead of expelling them, I believe they should be honored,” Ms. Farrell continued.  “So they will be admitted back into the school, and given the prestigious opportunity of being the first group of student leaders.” The hall exploded into cheers, welcoming us back once more, and the four of us formed a group hug, Evan included.

“Guys, I’m just so glad we did it,” Laila smiled.

“Yeah, Astra, you really kicked butt,” Evan grinned. “I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”

Astra didn’t reply. She seemed preoccupied with something, her gaze drifting into the air.

“Hey - you okay?” I spoke, loud enough for only Astra to hear.

Her reply was short and sharp, but enough to snap me out of my bliss. “I’m going.”

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 19-Aithne

The three of us turned around to face our new comrade. The teenage boy lowered his bow. “Don’t make me shoot again,” he warned, nocking another arrow. “I have deadly aim.”

 The beast hissed and yanked the bow out of its chest, sending drops of black blood flying. (Ew.) I squinted at the newcomer. He seemed familiar. Wait a minute. Was that...

“Evan?!” Laila exclaimed. “What-how-why are you here?”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Call me snoopy,” he admitted, “but I was outside the egg when I heard everything. About how it all began. It took me quite a while to piece it together, but by then a week or so had passed. So, I decided to make my way straight to the final spirit, but without you knowing. I-I didn’t want you to think I was doing this to get all the credits and save the angels’ reputations. I just want Almoria to return to the way it was.

“I’m so sorry, Aithne and Astra, for how the others treated you. They didn’t mean it, really. But now, it’s time to fix things once and for all.” A stern look descended on his face, one that longed for revenge, and in that moment, I could almost believe he was on our side. I nodded, raising a fist in solidarity. “Now let’s finish off this beast.”

He flipped his bow (a very unadvisable move unless you’re either a pro or want to strangle yourself) and it transformed into an enchanted sword, identical to the kind the angel at the seventh challenge wielded. The emerald on its hilt glinted, reflecting the gloomy light, and he dashed forward. The beast’s gooey mass molded itself, turning itself into a shape vaguely representing a humanoid creature. It extended its ‘arm’, and an identical sword appeared, but where Evan’s weapon shone of steel, this was forged with titanium, and in the emerald’s place rested pure obsidian. At lightning speed, the beast struck. The blades clashed, sending sparks flying and Evan skidding three meters back. He soon recovered and went for another shot, his boots squelching in the mud. The beast cackled, returning his moves.

“Stop gawking!” Evan chided us, simultaneously parrying the opposition’s attack. “I’m distracting him. One of you, help me draw aggro. The other two, find a way to kill this thing!” Laila dashed forward to assist, leaving Astra and me to find a way to defeat the creature.

“Let me think...let me think...how do we defeat this...” Astra mused, pacing around. Meanwhile, I watched Laila and Evan enrage the beast, buying us precious time. (Yes, I know, very helpful of me.) Laila flew up, yelling something indistinct, while the beast arched its back and began throwing daggers of ice at her, morphing into a black dragon with shiny red scales and spikes. Holding up the blue shield Astra had given her, Laila deflected the sharp knives. Meanwhile, Evan snuck behind the spirit and stabbed it in the tail, causing it to thrash and wail in agony. (Yep. Count on the angels to annoy the heck out of a monster.)

“Got it!” Astra cheered, snapping her fingers and almost scaring me. “See that tiny fire opal on its face?” I craned my neck, trying to spot it. A small red dot in between its eyes caught my attention.

“Hello? You see it, right?” she pressed, a hint of her everyday irritation with me creeping back into her voice.

“Yes, I see it. But what does a shiny gem have to do with stopping it?”

“Let me continue,” Astra sighed. “Anyway, that’s where its power is concentrated. We have to pull that jewel off its face, and there. One dead spirit, and one safe Almoria.”

Listening to her plan, I felt confidence surge through myself. I felt like for once, we could do it without screwing up.

But then we screwed up. Again.

“Laila!” we heard Evan shout, panic rising steadily in his voice. He was kneeling over Laila, and the beast was still flailing about somewhere in the distance.

With a snap of her fingers, Astra caged the beast in a purple shield, keeping it trapped. Astra and I dashed over to find Laila on the ground, her eyes closed. Oh no. Probably not a good sign. I placed a hand on her forehead, tilting her head back to check for breathing. Thankfully, her chest rose and fell, but in shallow, unsteady movements. I cracked one of her eyes open, only to be greeted with blank eyes. No irises whatsoever, just like the fourth spirit.

Definitely not a good sign.

Evan muttered, “I... think this is a hex that can only be reversed by the power of two.”

“Astra, it’s all up to you to make the final move,” I resolved. After all, as much as I hated to admit it, she would probably be able to figure out a smarter plan to get that stupid opal. “Me and Evan will stay here and get Laila up again. It’s our only shot at saving Almoria. But before you go, here.” I unclasped a chain and pressed it in her palms. She looked at me, and I explained, “For luck. It’s helped me before. Maybe, just maybe it will help you.”

She nodded, and I could almost see Endra’s manacles flashing through her mind as she straightened, clutching the chain around her neck. “I’ll do you proud.” Turning on her heel, she dashed off, ready to defeat the spirit.

Now, to fix Laila.

“She’s probably under a hex,” Evan concluded. “To be specific, the Soulless Hex. We learnt about it in Curses and Antidotes. It causes the victim to behave as if they-”

“-Don’t have a soul, like they’re dead, yada yada. Yes, we learnt about it too. But how do we undo it?!” I panicked.

“I may or may not have spent the past two weeks learning about curses,” he grinned, waving his hands. "Now, say it with me.”

Bane of life, muse of death

Darkness in your every breath

Turn the clock back to before

And let this person live once more!”

As we chanted the last line, he raised his hands. With a sharp gasp, Laila stirred uneasily. Her hand immediately went to her head. “Who-what happened?”

“Well, now you’re okay-and very much soul-full,” I squeezed her hand and smiled. “Now, sit back and get some rest. You’ll really need it.” Laila nodded and obediently curled up into a ball, almost immediately drifting off into a deep sleep. (Wow, the Soulless Hex really did take up so much of her energy.)

While she was busy having her beauty nap, I turned to Evan. “Thank you,” I mouthed.

“No problem,” he smirked. I turned back to Laila and smiled, watching her wings beat ever so slightly as she snored.

Hey, maybe angels weren’t so bad after all.

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 18-Aithne

As we walked along the magical tightrope (or at least Laila and Astra walked. Me, uh, it’s safe to say I mostly tripped and fell rather ungracefully), I looked back. 

Laila seemed pretty confident, striding forward with her wings out for balance. But Astra seemed troubled. Her head drooped downwards, and she absentmindedly fiddled with the feathers on her wings -something she only did when she was nervous. Clearly, something was troubling her.

And I had to get to the bottom of it.  

Praying that I wouldn’t fall on my butt again, I turned backwards, inching towards Astra. Somehow, I managed to make it without toppling over. (Okay, fine, maybe I did fall once or twice. Or five times.) Slowly, I placed my hand on Astra’s shoulder. She hesitantly looked up, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes and threatening to spill over.  

“What?” she snapped.  

“Are you okay?” I asked, a concerned look on my face. (At least I hoped I looked concerned. And not, like, constipated or something.)

“Yeah,” she lied through her teeth, swiping at her face. Yep. Definitely something bothering her.  

I raised my eyebrows. “There’s no point trying to hide it, Astra. You can trust me.”

She took a shaky breath. “Fine.” Inhaling deeply, she blurted out, “I’ve been thinking about what would happen if-if everyone found out about the Great War. About the truth.” Then it hit me like a tidal wave. Of course. Everyone would be at a loss for words, to say the least. It would completely turn Almoria upside down. Riots would break out. Rebellions would strike. The demons would want revenge for the decades of unjust. Buildings would be vandalized and cars, torched. It wouldn’t be safe to even step out of our homes. The city would be reduced to utter chaos. No wonder Astra was so...so devastated. This was her home. No, this was our home. And we would defend it with all we had.  

I tried to sound soothing. “Don’t worry,” I spoke calmly. Internally, I was a wreck, but I couldn’t let that show. “It’s all going to be okay. Everything will be fine. Almoria will still remain the city it is. It’s going to take much more than a myth or two to destroy our city.” I put on a grin, even though I was trying to convince myself just as much as I was trying to calm Astra. I swallowed hard, and pushed the knot of worry downwards, where I wouldn’t have to worry about it. For now, at least.

Astra looked up once again. This time, though, her indigo eyes (yes, a unique colour, I know.) shone not with tears, but with a new spark of hope. “Really?” She sniffed. “You-you think so?”

Looking at those eyes, I thought of Endra. I thought of her current predicament, and our vow to her. This time, though, I had made a decision. We had sworn to fix this mess, and I wouldn’t stop at anything if it meant we could save our home.

“I know so.”

Wiping the last of her tears away, Astra stood straight, a new, much more confident energy radiating from her. “Then what are we waiting for? We have a final spirit to fight. Come on!”

For the next few hours, we walked on, carefully teetering on the rope. Now, it was even more dangerous, the thin wire hanging over ice-capped mountains. Beautiful view, but probably not where I wanted to die. Laila still led the way, but gradually slowed down, eventually standing still. By now, we were all sweating buckets. “We need a break,” Laila declared, panting.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Astra puffed from behind me, her head tilted down at the valleys as if she saw something I didn’t. I merely raised an extremely floppy thumb, too tired to even speak. Without bothering to explain WHY she would take away the rope and leave us to fall from the sky, the guardian angel snapped her fingers, and the rope poofed, leaving us with about half a second to react before gravity took over. (Stupid gravity.)  

 Bad news- I wasn’t very fast to react, and spent three seconds screaming my head off as I fell through the sky, bursting through clouds and forming large Aithne-shaped holes in them. (“Shush, Aithne!” Laila yelled.) Thankfully, a voice in my head chose that perfect time to scream at me, “YOU HAVE WINGS FOR A REASON, DUMBASS!!!!!” That caught my attention. I furiously flapped my wings, slowing my fall and preventing me from being flattened into a (completely unappetizing) pancake. A few more beats, and I touched onto solid, grassy land for the first time in five hours.  

I instantly collapsed onto the soft vegetation, folding my wings up and tucking them into a sort of bowl below me. (Extremely comfortable and safe. Try it at home, kids! Oh wait – you don’t have wings. Never mind.) Astra and Laila followed, dropping onto the ground. Tiredly, I pulled out three granola bags from my rucksack. Having handed them out, I unwrapped mine, taking a bite out of the heavenly-tasting grain.  

Next to me, Laila downed hers in two bites, while Astra nibbled on hers, still staring off into space. Finishing up the bar, I popped the last bite into my mouth, crumpling up the wrapper. (At least there wasn’t a Mdm. Danton here to scold me for it. Hah, take that, old hag.) I pulled my knees towards me and stared at the snowy peaks and lush vegetation, deciding to enjoy the view while it lasted.

God, only five hours to nightfall. Time really was against us.

After about ten minutes, I dusted my hands, pulling myself into a standing position. The other two followed, Astra clapping her hands. In a flash of light, the rope appeared yet again. We flew back up, took our positions and continued our journey, walking on in silence. I supposed we all had the same thoughts-the same worries bubbling and brewing in the deepest pits of our despair. But no, we were so close to saving Almoria. Just one more fight, I told myself. Only the final battle is left. You can do it.

Around one hours later, the fluffy white clouds began to grow thicker and more clustered. “We’re close,” Astra deduced. “The altocumulus is turning into stratocumulus.” I stared at her blankly, not understanding a word of what she had just said.

“Uh... in English, please?”

Astra rolled her eyes. “The clouds here are growing thicker.”

”Oh.”  

Watching the clouds get darker, Laila shuddered, “Looks like somewhere Satan would love to be.” She quickly realized her mistake. Almost immediately whipping her head towards me, she sheepishly apologized, “S-sorry. Didn’t mean it that way.”  

“It’s fine.” I nodded. At least she didn’t say that on purpose.

We closed in, the rope steeply curving downwards. Astra clapped once more, and the rope disappeared with a flourish, leaving us to fly down on our own.

We touched down on warm land, folding our wings up. This place looked like nothing we had seen before. Hard-black dirt lay in mounds, occasionally pulsating from some sort of seismic force. The dry, empty fields were punctuated with occasional craters that looked like ponds, only these weren’t filled with ordinary water. In fact, they weren’t even filled with water. They were filled to the brim with...lava. Hot, bright orange magma that would scald us terribly, and make us the perfect flambéed treats for any hungry monster lurking around.

And the HEAT.  

Astra rolled up the sleeves of her uniform. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have worn this...” she glared at the uniform.

Laila shuddered. “Wow. This is actually scary.”

Then, just as I thought it couldn’t get worse, it got worse. Because obviously.

A flash of bright, unearthly red light drew our attention to the center of the fields. A man stepped out of the light. I squinted, almost stepping forward to get a closer look, but Astra held me back with one hand.

“Don’t!” she warned. “This could be a trap!”

The man stepped forward. “How smart, my dear.” He smiled, revealing razor-sharp fangs. His dragon’s wings flapped in the air, a red similar to mine. I looked him up and down. Those immaculately polished boots...that scarlet vest...those deep crimson horns...that ebony hair...wait a minute. It couldn’t be. Was it...

“Father?”  

“Oh, well done, sweet girl, you’ve recognized me.” his lips curled into a devilish sneer, his glassy eyes staring right into mine. (Oh, I get it, devilish, ha ha. Very funny, brain.)

I backed away, narrowing my eyes at him. “How could you do this?” I spread my hands, gesturing towards the wastelands. “This isn’t you!”

He snapped his fingers, and a dusky rope wound itself around the three of us, tying us up and yanking us towards each other before we could react. I was immediately squashed against Astra and Laila. Great. The foul creature hadn’t even given us elbow room.  

He stepped forward. “Let me tell you something, my dear,” he purred, stroking my hair. “It’s been so long, and times have changed. So when a powerful entity came to me and offered me powers beyond my wildest dreams, of course I accepted them, with great joy, as anyone would feel when given more liberties. But of course, there was a catch.

“I had to bring the three of you to my master. Alive, mind you. I don’t know what he plans to do, but it’s probably best you don’t argue with him.” The demon I once called my father shook his head. “He gets very cranky when he doesn’t have his way.”

“You’ll be meeting him soon. But for now, you’ll have to wait a bit. He’s...busy.” The man dragged the last word in deep thought. Then, as if he was denying something, he shook his head and wiggled his fingers in a wave, grinning diabolically. “Toodledoo! Have fun!” With one last glint of his fangs, he was gone, leaving us all alone and with no way out, with nothing to do but watch the sun sink deeper down, turning the sky a pinkish-purple.

I turned to face Astra and Laila, and two terrified pairs of eyes stared back at me. But nothing could match the pure shock pulsating through my mind.  

The man who’d raised me – fed me – told me bedtime stories – had just left us helpless, victims to the last spirit.

Fun indeed.

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 17-Aithne

“Five down, two to go, with three days left to spare.” I grinned like, well, a Cheshire cat. “Good job, us.” Stretching out my hand, I high-fived Laila.

“Now for the sixth one,” Astra mused, pulling out the ancient book once more. Slowly waving her hand over the cover, she flipped to the page on the spirits. “Seems like...the sixth spirit is Temptation. You can only beat it by-”

“Firmly refusing whatever it offers,” I finished. “Laila, why don’t you take on this one? I know you have a stubborn streak in you.”

“Sure, why not?” she smiled and turned to Astra, “Lead the way.”

Astra, however, was busy scratching her head. “Astra...?” Laila asked again. She continued turning the book this way and that, murmuring,

“Huh, this map makes no sense...” Laila continued watching Astra ‘work her magic’.

I heaved a dramatic sigh. “Astra, intuition!” When she turned to glare at me, I tapped the side of my head. “Let those instincts fly!”

At that exact moment, a dreamy smile slowly spread across Astra’s face. “Ah.” she murmured, standing up and shoving the book into the bag. “Follow the light!”

Knew she had something in that crazy huge brain of hers.

She whipped her arms into the sky, and a beam of light appeared right in front of us, bouncing this way and that, and disappearing into the horizon. Wow... that was a long journey. But then again, it seemed to be the only way to get to the next spirit, so I shoved my complaints away and rose into the sky along with Astra and Laila.

Okay, fine, I allowed myself a small sigh.

Once I was up in the sky, however, I realized that the beam stretched so. Much. Further. Than. I. Thought. Even further than it first seemed.

“Why is this stupid beam so looooooong?!” I dragged my palms down my face and groaned. Loudly.

Laila elbowed me in the ribs. (She really needed to stop that– her elbows were SHARP. Ouch.) “Seriously, Aithne, shush and let Astra think.”

Rolling her eyes, Astra started along the path, and we followed behind her as she jumped and twisted and turned along with the light. Me and Laila followed, narrowly dodging clouds.

At one point, Laila slammed headfirst into a really fluffy cloud. Pushing her way out, she shook her head, bits of cloud flying everywhere. Looking at her face, I lost it, bursting into loud laughter.

“You- you look like Santa Claus!” I snorted, also falling back into a cloud. (Quite by accident. Definitely not because I wanted to touch one of them. You saw nothing, go away.)

As I found out the hard way, clouds do not make a good meal. Sputtering, I threw myself out of the fluffiness, only to face Laila’s remark, “Well, now you look like you lost a fight with a fifteen-foot marshmallow!”

Ten minutes and a lot of bantering later, we decided to move on. (Actually, Astra did. She literally dragged the two of us with her light-lasso-thingy. Man, she was strong. Or maybe it was the light…) We fluttered on, occasionally marveling at the clouds that frankly just looked like random blobs to me.

After a long, long time (and a lot of breaks), Astra exclaimed, “Look, the light is curving downwards! I think...we might be close!” Joyfully, I dipped my wings downwards and spiraled in a circle, following the bright streak. Oh, at last. My wings probably needed a lot of rest, and so did I. The clouds thinned and eventually faded away. Now, we were flying over empty fields, which gave me a bit of déjà vu to our third challenge. This time, though, we had our own powers to support us.

Laila slowly glided towards the ground and landed softly on her feet. Astra landed right after, slowing her wings and bouncing onto the ground. I came in last, not being able to stop in time and (very embarrassingly) planting my face into the ground, getting a mouthful of lush green grass in the process.

Well, I had an extremely delicious meal that day. Clouds and grass. Yum.

Blushing, I pulled myself up to a sitting position, spitting blades of grass out. My face was probably dusted with a pink hue, but who cared. Looking outwards, I saw a shadow swirling on the ground. “Astra, shield!” I urged. Quickly enough, she raised her hands, summoning the familiar dome of pure, enchanted light.

Just in time. Temptation was here to pay a visit.

As soon as Astra completed the shield, a beautiful woman landed on the ground. She dipped an elegant curtsey, and cocked her head at us. Her chocolate brown hair was neatly tied up in a flowing braid, with flowers woven in at regular intervals. Her storm grey eyes shimmered, but whether with joy or greed, I couldn’t tell.

She clapped twice, and a miniature phoenix flew down from the sky, perching on her shoulder and screeching. It folded up its mystical shimmering wings and narrowed its eyes at us. I took one look at its talons and decided I would not appreciate being on the receiving end of those. Smiling, the woman scratched the ethereal bird’s belly, and it cooed contentedly. (It was so cute! And deadly. Also quite deadly.)

“Welcome, girls,” she announced, spreading her arms. The phoenix squawked and flapped its wings, rising into the air behind her, its tail feathers fluttering in the wind. “I have been awaiting your arrival. Now then, shall we begin?”

The woman moved in a light, elegant and graceful manner. She had an amazing appearance in her past life. The woman even had those flowers in her hair. They were—

Wait.

Flowers? The flowers were freshly plucked; some of the flowers had fresh-green stalks, and the beautiful buds were nourished and blooming. I looked at Astra. She was watching the woman intently, but avoiding her gaze.

No reaction to the ‘pollen’, huh? So… were they fake?

“Don’t they all say that?” I asked sarcastically, trying to show that I wasn’t one to really think through the situation, but was cut off.

“Alright, we’ve arrived. So what? You said something about ‘begin’, didn’t you?” Astra asked.

“Your ‘test’. First question is to be answered by Astra,” she looked at her, “What do you think of me?”

How did she know her name?!

“A filthy, dangerous, and cunning person.” While Astra was speaking, the woman had placed her hands behind her back. I attempted to see through what she was planning. But then Astra’s voice disrupted my thoughts:

“Wha—is that… an exam paper…? With my name on it? 200...%?”

“Astra! That’s a hallucination! Astra—” I exclaimed.

But at that very moment, the world around me faded away, and the questions swirling in my mind became nothing more than an annoying hum. “Huh? Why am I back in Almoria High…? Is this...my first day at school?” The area around me was so familiar. I’d see it every day when I came to school.

“Erm… do you want to be my friend…? You look really cool!” a schoolgirl my age asked from behind. I turned around to face her, confusion taking over my senses.

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 16-Aithne

Looking at the woman, I paled.

I should have already realized that she was the stuff of nightmares, just by looking at her bloodstained dress. The white-and-red cloth of her dress fluttered in the wind as she placed each foot in front of the other. I slowly moved my gaze higher. Her hair hung down from the side of her face, thin, straight strands as black as dusk. They seemed shorn off at her waist, like someone had cut them with a sword. I didn’t speculate further.

Then I saw her eyes.

Off-white holes. No irises, no pupils, nothing. I stared into those white pits, which seemed to be boring holes like bullets in my heart. They stared back, empty, hallow, sunken, almost desperate.

“I know you fear me,” she spoke up, shattering the silence that hung in the air. “I can see it in your eyes. Deep down, you utterly, truly, are scared.”

Gulping, I tried to narrow my eyes at her. “I-I’m not,” I choked, looking away.

“Oh, really?” She seemed to be taunting me. “Well, how about now?”

She transformed, shimmering as she raised her arms. Her dress grew longer, cleaning itself up until it shone, a white brighter than the stars themselves. She snapped, and a denim jacket buttoned itself on top. Her sandals, ripped and broken, were replaced by soft yellow sandals, the strings tied up into small bows. Her entire body frame changed, from pale and skinny, to around my build, just ever so slightly taller than me. Her skin now glowed a snow white. Her face’s change was the most shocking though. Her eyes...they were amber, like mine. Her nose was hooked... mine is too. Her hair grew shorter and wavier, until it hung to her elbows, and the brown that colored her hair was similar to mine, yet again.

And then she sprouted wings. Fluffy and white, identical to Laila’s, just larger. A burst of light appeared, and a halo rested on her head, floating above her hair, glowing brightly. It was the only source of pure light in this whole darn place (maybe other than Astra’s shield and Laila’s wings).

She looked down, down at me, her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears.

“Aithne, it’s been so long since we met. Where have you been all this while? Why haven’t you come to see me?”

Wait. I recognized her.

“C-Cassiel?”

I reeled backwards, as if I had taken a slap to the face. What— how was she here? I thought she had left me and Father years ago. Gone, to live with Stepmother.

“I am not your sister.” The spirit hissed and took on its original form. “Even she had the common sense to leave you.” It felt like the spirit had taken a knife and slashed me straight in the heart, where I was weakest.

“Scared now, aren’t you? See what I can do now? My powers far outweigh yours. Now cower in fear... and kneel to me.” It leered down at me, smirking as if it had succeeded.

That was the last straw.

Yelling, I sped straight at the beast, holding my palms out. A flaming sword flashed, then fell into my palms, enchanted steel encased in flame yet again. At the last second, I jumped, my wings propelling me into the air. I aimed, grimacing and preparing for the final hit, but the apparition was quicker. It turned into a swirling black mass, a terrifying nightmare for most, and shot out a tentacle, grabbing me by the neck. Before I could even react, it pinned me to the wall, its arm shimmering and giving off wisps of black dust.

“Give up already, insolent fool,” the spirit’s red eyes flashed, reminding me of the roses that bloomed in the depths of hell, beautiful but deadly. I looked down. “You are no match for me, young one. Since the beginning of time, when night falls, I creep and lurk under all the young toddlers’ beds, bringing them sleepless nights. I form children’s nightmares, add to the burdens of teenagers’ anxiety, feed and fuel the fire of adults’ depression. I am the pure embodiment of Fear itself. I am dangerous, unescapable, inevitable, sometimes even fatal. I am stronger than anything else. And now, it is time for me to consume your soul, and to keep it with the rest. Well, at least you had the honor of meeting Fear face-to-face.” It cackled at its own joke.

Then it clicked. I knew how to defeat it.

I didn’t just have to look in its eyes. I also had to face my fears. Gah, why didn’t I remember this before? Now I’m pinned to the wall by this disgusting black creature.

Slowly, I lifted my head once more, meeting its cold, hard gaze. I inhaled deeply. “I see you,” I began, then smirked. “I see you for what you are. You’re not a monster, you’re a coward.” The monster’s grip began to loosen as it snarled, rearing back. It was working.

“You hide and strike the enemies behind their backs. You refrain from physical fights; you resort to the mind. You’re not even a tangible being, just a bunch of fluid shadows. Just like the spirit before, yet far, far weaker.” It further loosened its grip, too focused on trying to regain its strength. I stepped out, flapping my wings and rising up until we were face-to-face.

“What sorcery is this?!” it wailed. I merely glared it at, continuing my speech.

“I see you in your true form now. You aren’t even terrifying, just a lost spirit.” Almost there. Now for the final line.

“And now, having seen all this, I have decided. I’m. Not. Scared.” I emphasized on the last three words. With a final howl, the spirit started to change its form—she became a young schoolgirl in her torn, tattered pinafore. She now looked about our age, though her mental state was definitely way older than that.

“So, you’ve found out,” the spirit whispered, in a voice softer than before, “Yes, I’m just a lost spirit. I long for someone to stand up for me. You... don’t know what it’s like to be killed by the pair of hands that had bullied you for a whole decade.

“In my past life, I was a pathetic girl. Poor, weak, and timid. When I died, I had such a strong thirst for revenge that I not only survived reincarnation, but also gained the ability to instill fear into others’ souls. I wanted to make that person feel what I had endured. But I guess... I lost control of my own self...” the girl looked at her open palms, then up at the sky, “It really is time for me to go. So, let me bless you all with the last of my life force. I wish you the best of luck in your journey ahead.”

Then, the spirit began to disappear. She smiled and waved at us, before fading to black, and back to the shadows where she belonged.

I turned back towards my two friends, once again burying the lump in my throat. I smiled tiredly. I hadn’t felt like this since I was five. Since... since Cassiel left me. That spirit led the kind of life I always thought I did.

But maybe it was about time I realized that others had suffered as much as, if not more than me.

“Hey, guys,” I waved weakly, “I did it.” Astra slowly let down her shield. She dashed forward and squeezed me hard, hugging me.

“That... that was so brave, Aithne. I’m so glad you managed to take over that spirit.” I hugged her back and then pushed her away, ruffling her hair absentmindedly. Then Laila stepped forward.

“Aithne... about your sister... I’m so sorry.” She didn’t sound like she was bored, nor tired. She sounded like she had...found out about Cassiel. Had she used one of her angelic powers on me?

I quickly dismissed the thought and raised my head. Laila wasn’t the nosy type. Even if she had found out, it was probably for the better. “Stepsister,” I corrected. “And it’s fine. But we shouldn’t waste any more time dilly-dallying. Let’s get a move on! C’mon, let’s go!”

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 15-Aithne

“Guys, maybe we should refer to the book,” Astra pointed out. “After all, it led us here in the first place.”

“Good point,” Laila agreed. Pulling the tome out of my backpack (jeez, it was heavy), I grunted and tossed it to Astra, who stumbled and fell to the ground. Then she sat back up and flipped to the page and continued reading out, “The next spirit can manipulate our emotions. She grows stronger with more raw, heartfelt emotions. She can completely break a heart— and a neck.”

“This one’s ability is more to the mental side, and I’ve been reading up on emotions and all that stuff. So I’ll take on this one,” Laila decided. “Where’s she located?”

Astra pulled out the map. “Seems like she’s...at the mountains located behind this castle.”

“Hurry up!” I urged. “Clock’s ticking! We only have-” I counted on my fingers, -”seventeen days left! Endra’s counting on us. We’d better do her proud.”

And we set off. We trekked down the hill,  setting up camp many times. Sometimes, when we were too lazy to walk, we merely flew, across the plains, across the hills and valleys, occasionally stopping to take in the view. As we walked (or flew, take your pick) on, the scenery drastically changed, from castles shining dimly in the sunset, to lush green valleys nested between ice-capped mountains, rivers snaking through.

As we neared the third spirit’s location, we encountered many dead ends, Astra’s ‘sixth sense’ barely saving us. Eventually, the peaks got steeper, the cliff faces more jagged, the chances of falling and dying much, much higher. Then, we reached, and we almost didn’t know it.

Trekking through the dense undergrowth, I lamented, “Why does this have to take so long?” Next to me, Laila was too busy spraying on eight layers of mosquito repellent, simultaneously batting at the pesky blood-suckers.    

“Shoo! Go away!” she swatted the air around her.

“Guys, shush!” Astra chided. “I can feel it. She's close...” She stopped in front of an opening. “I think...she’s here.”

“What does a cave have to do with the spirit?” I asked. For once, Astra’s intuition wasn’t making much sense.

“I don’t know,” Laila shrugged, parting a few vines and stepping in. “I guess we’ll find out.” Astra went in after her. Well, I guess I had no choice but to follow.

What I saw made my jaw drop.

“Holy mother of cheese and tacos, it’s beautiful,” I breathed. Craning my neck, I looked up. We had somehow stepped out into a field. (I still didn’t get how portals worked.) The fertile earth was coated in grass and wreathed with flowers alike, ranging from daisies, to bougainvillea, even the everlasting roses, in shades of bloodred and snow-white, were found. The greenery was breathtaking.

Astra sniffed, breaking me out of my amazement. “What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned. Was she okay?

“Allergies,” she replied, pulling out a pack of Kleenex and dabbing a tissue at her face. “Pollen makes me sneeze,” she clarified, but with the tissue covering her mouth, it sounded more like mmhmm mmf ee sheefe. Well, at least she was fine.

In the middle of the fields was a gazebo, a hexagonal marble structure. Hesitantly, Laila stepped forward, me and Astra behind her. We entered, clustered in a circle to defend ourselves from all directions.

“H-hello?” I yelled. “Anyone there?” Only my voice echoed in the empty, desolate building. “Well, I guess we’re alone.”

I spoke too soon.

A puff of pink dust sprang out, making me and Astra wheeze. It smelled like perfume, roses and... macarons? An apparition emerged from the smoke. Me and Astra raised our hands in defense, holding up a shield of light, as well as a barrier of flame.

But apparently we didn’t need to worry.

The spirit that emerged wasn’t like the other, or at least it looked that way. She was dressed like a Southern belle, clothed in a hooped dress. Her hair was tied back in a low bun, with smaller strands poking out from the sides of her face. Her storm-grey eyes twinkled with a joy so intense, it was almost hungry.

“Welcome, girls,” she spoke. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“So have we,” Laila smiled, speaking with a hint of sarcasm. Astra and I silently held our shields in place, unwilling to let them down.

“No need to be like this. I’m harmless. I’m only here to guide you along your path. The next spirit is beyond the field. You’ll have to walk across it.”

I scanned the lady from the tip of her head to her toe. “Thank you for this clue,” Laila conjured up, “But what may such a beauty be doing out here, in a garden under the hot sun?”

“You do know that we’re sheltered from the sun, right?” She replied.

“You look like a princess; where are your guards?” Laila asked again.

“I don’t have them. I’ve learnt defense techniques before, so I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, then, we’ll get going,” Laila said.

“Are we really leaving, Laila? I’m pretty sure the spirit’s around here somewhere! I mean, that’s what Astra said.” I whispered.

“I won’t send you off. Have a safe trip,” she smiled.

Then, on the green grass, a large shadow could be seen. It was getting smaller, however. Astra turned around in time to shield us from the pounce. I looked back at the gazebo, “The lady is gone!”

Or maybe not.

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 14-Aithne

“Who is’t dares to disturb my own slumber?” the spirit thundered from the darkness, a deep, sonorous male voice like no other. “Fie! The imprudent daws shalt payeth!”

“Great. This thing babbles in Shakespearean,” I rolled my eyes. “Boomer.” The beast of ice bared its fangs and growled, a supersonic roar that almost threw Astra backwards. The sphere flickered, but held strong. I staggered, pushing up a barrier of flame for defense. The beast hissed and reared backwards, as if it was...harmed by the fire.  

“So that’s how ‘flame fights frost’ works. Cool,” I grinned. “Now, it’s my turn.”

Screaming my lungs out, I dashed forward, straight for the monster. My main plan-to distract and hit. Hard.

“Hey, Ice Breath!” I taunted, giving it the stink eye. “Ya too cold? Can’t take in this nephalem in front of ya? Or are you just too scared?” The beast howled, clearly offended. Great. Phase One was working.

Now for Phase Two.  

Still in a run, I opened up my palms. Twin flame daggers sprouted to life, enchanted bronze blades engulfed by blood-red flames. Just what I needed. I jumped up and slashed the air, and flames burst out in an ‘X’, hitting the spirit straight in the chest. It let out a ear-splitting scream and stumbled backwards.  

“M’ron! I shalt englut thy soul!” it seethed, trying to aim an arrow of snow at me.

I ducked, and it zoomed past, barely grazing my shoulder. “Missed me,” I stuck out my tongue, further enraging it.

I continued alternating between throwing balls of fire at it and slashing with my daggers, until the beast was thoroughly battered and exhausted. It tried to attack a few times, extending tendrils of frost that did nothing more than wrap around my ankles. I quickly shook them off, though. I couldn’t be pulled down, not just yet. I was so close. All that was left was the final hit.

“Astra, help!” I yelled. Struggling, she summoned a rope of light, her face covered with a sheen of sweat. The lasso extended, a string of pure light, and pinned the ghoul in place. The apparition screamed, sizzling wherever the lasso touched it. I raised both of my hands, summoning two ginormous fists made entirely from fire. Looking at the huge flames, the ghoul skittered backwards, still trapped and clearly scared.

“I hope you’re still hungry,” I smiled. “Because you’re about to eat a knuckle sandwich.”

Jumping up, I threw my fists down. The flames mimicked my actions, slamming down onto the beast. “Nay!” the beast shrieked, slowly weakening and crumbling to dust. “I shalt... extracteth... mine own... revenge... on thee... who hast... no more... brain than stone...” it choked, before fading back into the shadows.  

Astra sighed in relief and let down the shield. I slowly touched onto the ground, folding up my wings. “Where to next?” I asked, extinguishing the flames.  

“If I’m not wrong...the next should be...I actually don’t know,” Astra admitted. “But I can try to find out. To the library!” (Not something I would imagine a superhero would say, but it worked.)

Laila conjured up a swirling portal – teleportation was one of the powers of angels, and landed in the city’s regional library. (We didn’t want to risk any students finding out and blowing our cover.) Quickly, we dashed towards the ‘mythological’ section, ignoring the annoyed looks we got from senior citizens. Astra slowly reached up and carefully pulled out books meticulously, while I yanked them off shelves and filled my arms with literally any book I could find about spirits.

After about five minutes, we decided to stop. Sitting in an especially large orb, we set out the books. Picking up the tattered copy of ‘Ye Olde Creatures’, Astra skimmed through the wrinkled, yellowed pages, stopping at one specific sheet. She pointed to the handwritten gothic text. “Look-the seven spirits of destruction,” she read out. “Maybe these are what the seven spirits are! Made to rage across the lands, and wreak havoc wherever they go. Apparently, the first one was ice...  and it’s followed by darkness-” she looked up to check if we were following her. I mimicked taking notes on an imaginary notepad.

“Go on, Ms. Driftlake!” I said in a high-pitched voice, rolling my hand. “I wanna get an A on the test!”

Laila laughed, while Astra air-slapped me. “Don’t fool about!” she frowned, reminding me of Mr. Brunt. (Just kidding. I didn’t hate Astra that much. In fact, I didn’t even hate her.) “We’ll read the rest later. Here, catch.” She tossed the book at me, and I caught it, nearly collapsing under its sheer weight. Apparently Astra’s strength was reserved for books, and books only.

Not wasting any time, I shoved the book into my bag, and Laila recreated the portal to bring us back to where the first spirit had gone down, and together, we hunted for clues.  

Oh, we were so gonna kick butt this time.

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 13-Aithne

Well, that was a large bomb the lady had dropped.

“E-Endra? I-is that really you?” Astra looked like she had just been given a sip of the elixir of life, a brighter sheen clearly visible on her face.

“Yes, my dear. It’s been so long,” the tired look on her face was quickly replaced with a sweet joyful smile. (Ugh, sappy moments, here we come.)  

Astra took a step towards her. “What happened to you? You – your skin – it used to be tanned! And you were much plumper.” She tried to pick up the chains. (And I say tried. Those manacles looked heavy - and no offence, but with all due respect, Astra wasn’t exactly the first person to come to mind when strength was considered.)

“I was imprisoned,” Endra sighed. “It was just after the Great War.

“The surviving demons made an alliance with the angels. Anyone who harmed the other species would be locked up in a dungeon, never to see the light of day again. One fine day, I had decided to go on a stroll. I passed by a friendly-looking demon and decided to wave her hello. But that was a grave mistake.

“As she was distracted, she had not noticed that she was on the road. A cargo truck sped past, and... just like that, she was a goner.” Devastation pooled in her indigo eyes once more. “I was charged with murder, despite being innocent. And now-” she rattled the chains, “--this is where I remain, cursed to never see the sun rise again. You were there, at my sentencing, remember?”

Astra’s expression cycled through three shades of cold, hard fury. I had never seen her like that before. Frankly, it was terrifying. “When everything’s over, I promise you, Endra, we will free you. And we will find who did this, and shove these manacles up their-” she seethed.

“Now, now, child, there’s no need to get worked up,” Endra flashed a small smile. “The clock’s ticking. You have seven spirits to fight. Now go, my children, and find them all. Battle them with your best, and remember, defeat them before the equinox.”

“We will, Endra,” Astra promised. “We will.”