Chapter 163: 163
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Breathing fast, my heart pounding in my throat, I scan around the darkness, peering at the oncoming form that makes its way towards me, shaking like a leaf.
"Stay back!" I warn, stretching out my hand to wave my fingertips which are alight with flames, revealing a familiar face in the beckoning shadows. My strength wavers.
"Woah, woah, calm down, darling. It's me," says Soren, who puts up his hands in defence, eyes wearily scanning the flames that coil at my fingertips. He of all people should know what these flames are capable of, he has every right to be terrified of what I might do to him. But that doesn't make me trust him.
We may not have reached Azrael's part of the maze yet, but that does not render the possibility of his illusions as null. In fact, it just makes them all the more probable. Azrael is a tricky creature, and I wouldn't put it past him to attempt foul play in a game of his own creation.
Snarling, I lift my hands, warding him back. I try to ignore the hurt on Soren's face as I do so, the way his eyes dull, crestfallen in the face of my scepticism. Mind reeling, I say:
"What is the first thing you said to me in the great forest?" I hiss, eyeing him up and down, my flames licking the air between us, forcing the Prince to take a step back into the darkness.
Soren doesn't hesitate on his answer.
"'You really shouldn't be out here alone'."
My shoulders relax. I lower my hands, puffing out a long breath. Thank the heavens, I think gratefully to myself. If I had to face Azrael head on right now, I would certainly come off unfavourably, especially after using so much strength to annihilate the halflings.
"Alright, good. I had to make sure. If you were Azrael, that would be very bad news for me. Besides, no offense by the way, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for you to be here."
Soren shakes his head morosely, slipping my hands in his. With a resounding shudder, I notice that his hand is colder than I am used to and has a strange, partial quality to it, wisps of smoke fanning over my palms of his form, as though he might evaporate at any minute. Despairingly, I pray to myself that that doesn't happen. I can use as much support in the hell hole as I can get.
Squeezing my hand tightly, he murmurs:
"I'm not actually here. This is a puppet of me, a shadow extension of my consciousness, my being- I have been using such mechanisms for a while now, it is very handy to be in two places at once. I am still in Azrael's possession, but I have extended some of my power out to find you," he admits, giving me a small but guilty smile. Temporarily, I let go of his hands, recoiling, shocked.
"Soren, you have to be careful. If Azrael finds out you are extending your magic to find me-"
Soren cuts me off, pressing his finger to my lips.
"There are a lot of things Azrael does not know about me, Serena. While he certainly had the upper hand in capturing me- mainly the element of surprise, he does not have the upper hand, I can assure you."
I furrow my brows.
"But what do you mean by that?" I plea, stepping towards him once more. But Soren only stands there, his eyes glittering with untold secrets.
"You shall find out soon enough."
I start to protest, but upon seeing the stony look on Soren's face, I fall quickly silent. This one would be a losing battle for me to fight, whether I like it or not. Besides, there is no telling what Azrael might overhear running through the walls of this labyrinth- to give away such precious information would be naïve, if not suicidal.
Instead I fold my arms around myself, staving off the chill as I run my toe along the ground.
"So how did you find me then?" I query, giving him a sly glance upwards. At this, Soren looks remarkably pleased.
"I felt your magic- it was really strong," he remarks, smiling a little, his amber eyes glowing with pride. Reaching over, he draws me closer to him, his shadowy fingers cool against my skin.
"I'm proud of you, Serena. Your powers have flourished incredibly in such a short space of time. I knew you could do it. You have come so far, my dear," he murmurs, sliding a hand up to cup my face, before slowly, tenderly, planting a tentative kiss on my lips. Blushing a little, I deepen our kiss. Shadow or not, it is still Soren, so any time I can get with him I will surely take.
After all, who knows when I might see him again. But I don't want to think about that.
"But why are you here?" I ask, pulling away to meet his gaze, slinging my arms around his neck to steady myself, wobbling like a new born deer. Soren bites his lip, and a cold jet of emotion rushes through me.
Ah, so there is something more to this.
"Alright, look, I don't have much time. Azrael administers me a diluted shot of silver every hour to keep me more of less sedated. I cannot move from where I am, but I can extend my consciousness into a shadow form, to guide you through the next level of the labyrinth. I know you probably think you can do it on your own, but believe me, it would be much easier if I offered my assistance," he offers.
In truth, it is quite the opposite really. Any form of aid would be greatly appreciated on this perilous journey we are making- or even just someone to talk to, since Kal has long since passed out cold and displays no signs of waking. Sure, the consequences would be dire if Azrael found out, but who is to say I will let him?
It is only then in the darkness as I emerge from my thoughts that I see a tear slide down his cheek, glimmering faintly in the darkness, leaving a trail of water spilling down his face. My heart pounds with grief.
"Soren," I whisper, my heart pounding grievously. Instantly, all thoughts of keeping him are wiped away. "Nono, you are in pain, I cannot let you do this. Please, stop pushing yourself, I can find you by myself, I promise." I beg, leaning up to wipe away the tear with my thumb. The Prince rests his cheek against my palm, breathing in the scent of me as he closes his hand around my own, capturing me there. For a few seconds, he stands there in a dull silence, the darkness lapping at our forms, sucking away my breath.
"I will be fine, Serena. I can handle it. What's a bit of silver, anyway?" he laughs, but his voice is strained, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. Standing on my tip toes, I reach up to kiss his cheek.
"Soren, honey, you don't need to be brave for me. Please."
Another tear trickles down his cheek.
"You are my only reason to be brave. I am fucking terrified Serena, that I might never see you again. That all of this, all I have worked towards it going to go down the ditch like every other fucking thing in my life has. So please, let me have this. Let me help."
I can barely stand to listen to the way his voice cracks, how broken he seems, how desperately he clings onto my hand. Reduced to but a shadow of himself, crumbling under fear, I find myself proven yet again that vampires never were the heartless monsters we made them out to be.
Gently I bring my arms around him, pulling him close. Soren leans his head into my shoulder, his body shaking despite his best attempts to hide it. Curling my fingers in the back of his hair, I sway with him for a few moments, soothing his worries.
I dare not tell him that those very worries are the ones I too share. But perhaps he has already figured that out.
"I am going to find you, Soren. Whatever it takes. And when I find Azrael, I am going to beat him so fucking hard that he-"
Soren pulls me back, smiling now, a real smile, ruffling up my hair lovingly with his hands.
"And I am sure you will, my fiery little dove, I have no doubt. You practically obliterated those halflings, perhaps I should pray for my brother, I don't think he will stand a chance," he chuckles, tucking a strand of hair away from my eyes.
"Mm," I say, not entirely convinced, but grateful for his support anyway.
I have seen what Azrael can do. After all, he took down Soren- somehow.. How he did it is a question I have yet to figure out, but the point is, he still did. If a thousand year old vampire cannot take down Azrael, then what sort of hope does an eighteen year old angel who is only adjusting to her powers?
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Breathing fast, my heart pounding in my throat, I scan around the darkness, peering at the oncoming form that makes its way towards me, shaking like a leaf.
"Stay back!" I warn, stretching out my hand to wave my fingertips which are alight with flames, revealing a familiar face in the beckoning shadows. My strength wavers.
"Woah, woah, calm down, darling. It's me," says Soren, who puts up his hands in defence, eyes wearily scanning the flames that coil at my fingertips. He of all people should know what these flames are capable of, he has every right to be terrified of what I might do to him. But that doesn't make me trust him.
We may not have reached Azrael's part of the maze yet, but that does not render the possibility of his illusions as null. In fact, it just makes them all the more probable. Azrael is a tricky creature, and I wouldn't put it past him to attempt foul play in a game of his own creation.
Snarling, I lift my hands, warding him back. I try to ignore the hurt on Soren's face as I do so, the way his eyes dull, crestfallen in the face of my scepticism. Mind reeling, I say:
"What is the first thing you said to me in the great forest?" I hiss, eyeing him up and down, my flames licking the air between us, forcing the Prince to take a step back into the darkness.
Soren doesn't hesitate on his answer.
"'You really shouldn't be out here alone'."
My shoulders relax. I lower my hands, puffing out a long breath. Thank the heavens, I think gratefully to myself. If I had to face Azrael head on right now, I would certainly come off unfavourably, especially after using so much strength to annihilate the halflings.
"Alright, good. I had to make sure. If you were Azrael, that would be very bad news for me. Besides, no offense by the way, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for you to be here."
Soren shakes his head morosely, slipping my hands in his. With a resounding shudder, I notice that his hand is colder than I am used to and has a strange, partial quality to it, wisps of smoke fanning over my palms of his form, as though he might evaporate at any minute. Despairingly, I pray to myself that that doesn't happen. I can use as much support in the hell hole as I can get.
Squeezing my hand tightly, he murmurs:
"I'm not actually here. This is a puppet of me, a shadow extension of my consciousness, my being- I have been using such mechanisms for a while now, it is very handy to be in two places at once. I am still in Azrael's possession, but I have extended some of my power out to find you," he admits, giving me a small but guilty smile. Temporarily, I let go of his hands, recoiling, shocked.
"Soren, you have to be careful. If Azrael finds out you are extending your magic to find me-"
Soren cuts me off, pressing his finger to my lips.
"There are a lot of things Azrael does not know about me, Serena. While he certainly had the upper hand in capturing me- mainly the element of surprise, he does not have the upper hand, I can assure you."
I furrow my brows.
"But what do you mean by that?" I plea, stepping towards him once more. But Soren only stands there, his eyes glittering with untold secrets.
"You shall find out soon enough."
I start to protest, but upon seeing the stony look on Soren's face, I fall quickly silent. This one would be a losing battle for me to fight, whether I like it or not. Besides, there is no telling what Azrael might overhear running through the walls of this labyrinth- to give away such precious information would be naïve, if not suicidal.
Instead I fold my arms around myself, staving off the chill as I run my toe along the ground.
"So how did you find me then?" I query, giving him a sly glance upwards. At this, Soren looks remarkably pleased.
"I felt your magic- it was really strong," he remarks, smiling a little, his amber eyes glowing with pride. Reaching over, he draws me closer to him, his shadowy fingers cool against my skin.
"I'm proud of you, Serena. Your powers have flourished incredibly in such a short space of time. I knew you could do it. You have come so far, my dear," he murmurs, sliding a hand up to cup my face, before slowly, tenderly, planting a tentative kiss on my lips. Blushing a little, I deepen our kiss. Shadow or not, it is still Soren, so any time I can get with him I will surely take.
After all, who knows when I might see him again. But I don't want to think about that.
"But why are you here?" I ask, pulling away to meet his gaze, slinging my arms around his neck to steady myself, wobbling like a new born deer. Soren bites his lip, and a cold jet of emotion rushes through me.
Ah, so there is something more to this.
"Alright, look, I don't have much time. Azrael administers me a diluted shot of silver every hour to keep me more of less sedated. I cannot move from where I am, but I can extend my consciousness into a shadow form, to guide you through the next level of the labyrinth. I know you probably think you can do it on your own, but believe me, it would be much easier if I offered my assistance," he offers.
In truth, it is quite the opposite really. Any form of aid would be greatly appreciated on this perilous journey we are making- or even just someone to talk to, since Kal has long since passed out cold and displays no signs of waking. Sure, the consequences would be dire if Azrael found out, but who is to say I will let him?
It is only then in the darkness as I emerge from my thoughts that I see a tear slide down his cheek, glimmering faintly in the darkness, leaving a trail of water spilling down his face. My heart pounds with grief.
"Soren," I whisper, my heart pounding grievously. Instantly, all thoughts of keeping him are wiped away. "Nono, you are in pain, I cannot let you do this. Please, stop pushing yourself, I can find you by myself, I promise." I beg, leaning up to wipe away the tear with my thumb. The Prince rests his cheek against my palm, breathing in the scent of me as he closes his hand around my own, capturing me there. For a few seconds, he stands there in a dull silence, the darkness lapping at our forms, sucking away my breath.
"I will be fine, Serena. I can handle it. What's a bit of silver, anyway?" he laughs, but his voice is strained, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. Standing on my tip toes, I reach up to kiss his cheek.
"Soren, honey, you don't need to be brave for me. Please."
Another tear trickles down his cheek.
"You are my only reason to be brave. I am fucking terrified Serena, that I might never see you again. That all of this, all I have worked towards it going to go down the ditch like every other fucking thing in my life has. So please, let me have this. Let me help."
I can barely stand to listen to the way his voice cracks, how broken he seems, how desperately he clings onto my hand. Reduced to but a shadow of himself, crumbling under fear, I find myself proven yet again that vampires never were the heartless monsters we made them out to be.
Gently I bring my arms around him, pulling him close. Soren leans his head into my shoulder, his body shaking despite his best attempts to hide it. Curling my fingers in the back of his hair, I sway with him for a few moments, soothing his worries.
I dare not tell him that those very worries are the ones I too share. But perhaps he has already figured that out.
"I am going to find you, Soren. Whatever it takes. And when I find Azrael, I am going to beat him so fucking hard that he-"
Soren pulls me back, smiling now, a real smile, ruffling up my hair lovingly with his hands.
"And I am sure you will, my fiery little dove, I have no doubt. You practically obliterated those halflings, perhaps I should pray for my brother, I don't think he will stand a chance," he chuckles, tucking a strand of hair away from my eyes.
"Mm," I say, not entirely convinced, but grateful for his support anyway.
I have seen what Azrael can do. After all, he took down Soren- somehow.. How he did it is a question I have yet to figure out, but the point is, he still did. If a thousand year old vampire cannot take down Azrael, then what sort of hope does an eighteen year old angel who is only adjusting to her powers?
Breathing fast, my heart pounding in my throat, I scan around the darkness, peering at the oncoming form that makes its way towards me, shaking like a leaf."Stay back!" I warn, stretching out my hand to wave my fingertips which are alight with flames, revealing a familiar face in the beckoning shadows. My strength wavers."Woah, woah, calm down, darling. It's me," says Soren, who puts up his hands in defence, eyes wearily scanning the flames that coil at my fingertips. He of all people should know what these flames are capable of, he has every right to be terrified of what I might do to him. But that doesn't make me trust him.We may not have reached Azrael's part of the maze yet, but that does not render the possibility of his illusions as null. In fact, it just makes them all the more probable. Azrael is a tricky creature, and I wouldn't put it past him to attempt foul play in a game of his own creation.Snarling, I lift my hands, warding him back. I try to ignore the hurt on Soren's face as I do so, the way his eyes dull, crestfallen in the face of my scepticism. Mind reeling, I say:"What is the first thing you said to me in the great forest?" I hiss, eyeing him up and down, my flames licking the air between us, forcing the Prince to take a step back into the darkness.Soren doesn't hesitate on his answer."'You really shouldn't be out here alone'."My shoulders relax. I lower my hands, puffing out a long breath. Thank the heavens, I think gratefully to myself. If I had to face Azrael head on right now, I would certainly come off unfavourably, especially after using so much strength to annihilate the halflings."Alright, good. I had to make sure. If you were Azrael, that would be very bad news for me. Besides, no offense by the way, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for you to be here."Soren shakes his head morosely, slipping my hands in his. With a resounding shudder, I notice that his hand is colder than I am used to and has a strange, partial quality to it, wisps of smoke fanning over my palms of his form, as though he might evaporate at any minute. Despairingly, I pray to myself that that doesn't happen. I can use as much support in the hell hole as I can get.Squeezing my hand tightly, he murmurs:"I'm not actually here. This is a puppet of me, a shadow extension of my consciousness, my being- I have been using such mechanisms for a while now, it is very handy to be in two places at once. I am still in Azrael's possession, but I have extended some of my power out to find you," he admits, giving me a small but guilty smile. Temporarily, I let go of his hands, recoiling, shocked."Soren, you have to be careful. If Azrael finds out you are extending your magic to find me-"Soren cuts me off, pressing his finger to my lips."There are a lot of things Azrael does not know about me, Serena. While he certainly had the upper hand in capturing me- mainly the element of surprise, he does not have the upper hand, I can assure you."I furrow my brows."But what do you mean by that?" I plea, stepping towards him once more. But Soren only stands there, his eyes glittering with untold secrets."You shall find out soon enough."I start to protest, but upon seeing the stony look on Soren's face, I fall quickly silent. This one would be a losing battle for me to fight, whether I like it or not. Besides, there is no telling what Azrael might overhear running through the walls of this labyrinth- to give away such precious information would be nave, if not suicidal.Instead I fold my arms around myself, staving off the chill as I run my toe along the ground."So how did you find me then?" I query, giving him a sly glance upwards. At this, Soren looks remarkably pleased."I felt your magic- it was really strong," he remarks, smiling a little, his amber eyes glowing with pride. Reaching over, he draws me closer to him, his shadowy fingers cool against my skin."I'm proud of you, Serena. Your powers have flourished incredibly in such a short space of time. I knew you could do it. You have come so far, my dear," he murmurs, sliding a hand up to cup my face, before slowly, tenderly, planting a tentative kiss on my lips. Blushing a little, I deepen our kiss. Shadow or not, it is still Soren, so any time I can get with him I will surely take.After all, who knows when I might see him again. But I don't want to think about that. "But why are you here?" I ask, pulling away to meet his gaze, slinging my arms around his neck to steady myself, wobbling like a new born deer. Soren bites his lip, and a cold jet of emotion rushes through me.Ah, so there is something more to this."Alright, look, I don't have much time. Azrael administers me a diluted shot of silver every hour to keep me more of less sedated. I cannot move from where I am, but I can extend my consciousness into a shadow form, to guide you through the next level of the labyrinth. I know you probably think you can do it on your own, but believe me, it would be much easier if I offered my assistance," he offers.In truth, it is quite the opposite really. Any form of aid would be greatly appreciated on this perilous journey we are making- or even just someone to talk to, since Kal has long since passed out cold and displays no signs of waking. Sure, the consequences would be dire if Azrael found out, but who is to say I will let him?It is only then in the darkness as I emerge from my thoughts that I see a tear slide down his cheek, glimmering faintly in the darkness, leaving a trail of water spilling down his face. My heart pounds with grief."Soren," I whisper, my heart pounding grievously. Instantly, all thoughts of keeping him are wiped away. "Nono, you are in pain, I cannot let you do this. Please, stop pushing yourself, I can find you by myself, I promise." I beg, leaning up to wipe away the tear with my thumb. The Prince rests his cheek against my palm, breathing in the scent of me as he closes his hand around my own, capturing me there. For a few seconds, he stands there in a dull silence, the darkness lapping at our forms, sucking away my breath."I will be fine, Serena. I can handle it. What's a bit of silver, anyway?" he laughs, but his voice is strained, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. Standing on my tip toes, I reach up to kiss his cheek."Soren, honey, you don't need to be brave for me. Please."Another tear trickles down his cheek."You are my only reason to be brave. I am fucking terrified Serena, that I might never see you again. That all of this, all I have worked towards it going to go down the ditch like every other fucking thing in my life has. So please, let me have this. Let me help."I can barely stand to listen to the way his voice cracks, how broken he seems, how desperately he clings onto my hand. Reduced to but a shadow of himself, crumbling under fear, I find myself proven yet again that vampires never were the heartless monsters we made them out to be.Gently I bring my arms around him, pulling him close. Soren leans his head into my shoulder, his body shaking despite his best attempts to hide it. Curling my fingers in the back of his hair, I sway with him for a few moments, soothing his worries.I dare not tell him that those very worries are the ones I too share. But perhaps he has already figured that out."I am going to find you, Soren. Whatever it takes. And when I find Azrael, I am going to beat him so fucking hard that he-"Soren pulls me back, smiling now, a real smile, ruffling up my hair lovingly with his hands."And I am sure you will, my fiery little dove, I have no doubt. You practically obliterated those halflings, perhaps I should pray for my brother, I don't think he will stand a chance," he chuckles, tucking a strand of hair away from my eyes."Mm," I say, not entirely convinced, but grateful for his support anyway.I have seen what Azrael can do. After all, he took down Soren- somehow.. How he did it is a question I have yet to figure out, but the point is, he still did. If a thousand year old vampire cannot take down Azrael, then what sort of hope does an eighteen year old angel who is only adjusting to her powers?
