Half-Bloods R • 2 : Growing Shadows

C • 25 : Rise Devils, Rise Angels!

Anna and Vaelan were practicing in the outskirts of San Antonio, a lush of green to their right and a jungle of concrete and metal to their left. A cold wind brushed past them, making Vaelan shudder. He stuffed his lower hands into his pockets and placed his magical upper arms behind his back.

"Think you got it?" Vaelan asked.

"Yeah!" Anna pulled her hands close to her body, her feet spread wide, and her aura focusing.

Suddenly, Anna broke her stance and began jumping from side to side, breathing quick and heavy breaths as she patted her face, "I got this!" She stooped and crouched quickly as two beautiful white wings splashed out of her back, a gentle blue flame covering the section of skin between the two wings. A few bright feathers rained from her wings as she slowly stood and spread her arms for balance.

"Whoa, they're heavier than I thought," she said, black runes trailing down her face.

Vaelan opened his mouth to warn her, but only said "Good job," as she closed her eyes and the runes pulled back and dispersed. "You've made good progress, and controlling your demon and angel this easily at this stage is phenomenal. You might just become stronger than any of us."

Or maybe everyone but me.

"Alright, let's get to work," his lower arms melted away as a pair of black, leathery wings tore out of his back. He jumped up and pushed himself into the air, his wings beating hard against the wind. As he flew, the treetops shifted in the wind, as if the trees themselves were terrified of his power. He raised himself up a good twenty feet in the air before he called down to Anna.

"You got this, Anna, just jump up and push higher with your wings," he guided her.

She spread her wings and jumped up, slamming her wings down. She struggled up with a couple of wing beats before falling back down, stumbling back onto her feet. He ordered her to try again and again each time she fell, but as she continued to fail, she rose higher, her wings beating more smoothly, and even catching herself as she fell. She rose up steadily in front of him and stared him down with determination blazing in her cold eyes. She smirked before jerking against the wind and catching herself. She focused on her wings and steadied herself, breathing heavily.

"You ready to try moving?"

She nodded.

"We'll start simple."

Vaelan displayed minute adjustments that could be made in the wings to change direction and aid in mid-air combat, they spent hours going over basic movements and circling at the edge of the forest. Eventually, when he decided she had learned enough, he led her higher where the winds were stronger, where movement would become harder and the magic of her wings would go under more stress.

As they rose higher and higher, the sun slowly trailed its way above them, scorching their backs as they raced through the sky. Anna surged up, sunlight splashing off of her elegant white wings, creating a halo of sorts behind her. He looked at her with wide eyes, and for a single moment, he felt he was staring at a true celestial bathed in light with icy blue eyes. She flew down to him and spoke with an ecstatic grin.

"What?" He asked, still dazed by the angelic power that was pounding in her veins.

"I said I'm feeling pretty damn confident. Man, where's your head at Vaelan?" She slugged him in the shoulder, "We should race to the house!"

"Sure, just don't be mad when you lose," he warned. This should show how well she flies in an urban environment as well, we've been out in the open all day.

He looked at the sky above, "The only rule is you gotta stay below the skyline."

He brought her down to the ground and the two disbanded their wings as they readied themselves. "Ready?" He began the countdown but was cut off before he could say two.

Her wings formed and slammed down and sent her soaring into the air as she shouted, "Go now!" Magical feathers of light flittered to the ground.

"So impatient," he sighed as his wings slowly tore into existence and carried him up.

Vaelan and Anna flew swiftly through the city, taking sharp turns and beating their wings to get ahead of each other. He was surprised, no matter how fast he flew, she was keeping up. He turned right and dodged around powerlines, searching for her aura, he looked up, then down. His heart dropped.

Her aura was shrinking and falling down toward the ground.

"Anna!" He pulled his wings in and dived toward the streets, wind and sound trailing behind him as he zipped down and stopped himself just above four lines of waiting cars. He pushed up and grabbed Anna with a new set of blackened arms, his wings growing larger to carry her weight in flight.

Her eyes were closed and her aura was diminishing. He held her close and began flying to the hospital, "Don't worry kid, I've got you."

He took her to the hospital and, after reporting what had happened, she was quickly wheeled off into the emergency room. He followed the doctors and nurses, giving them answers to their many questions. When they finally brought her into a room, he was asked to stay outside

He called Demi and explained the madness that had happened and waited for the doctors or the nurses, or anyone to come out into the hallway and tell him what was going on. The hallway walls were a gross beige color on top and white on the bottom half. Lights buzzed above him and he trained his senses on Anna's weak aura, as well as the aura of one of the doctors, a nullimancer.

On the other side of the call, Demi was frantically explaining the situation to Elizabeth and Villin. Her voice was cracking.

After what seemed to be forever, he suddenly heard screams from inside the room. He rushed to his feet and swung the door open, the doctors and nurses were trying to hold Anna down as she writhed and cried out, the nurse attempting to hold down her left arm being forced back. Anna's aura was rising quickly.

Vaelan rushed up to her.

"No! I don't wanna be here, get me out! Get me out!" Anna screamed.

Vaelan pulled the staff members back, almost throwing one of the nurses aside, "Stop, she's scared!" He growled.

"Anna. Anna, look at me," he said calmly as the young girl that he knew to be cocky and strong suddenly looked much younger and much more scared as she huddled against the back of the hospital bed. "It's okay, you're safe, I promise."

Anna got up to run to him but immediately fell to her knees and opted to crawl toward him. He walked up to her and sat down beside her, glaring at the doctors as he brought her close and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Her greymus is acting up.

Anna pressed her face into his chest and he patted her head, "What happened, Anna? Why'd you fall?"

"It was him, Nephilim needed his full power to fight him off."

He stood by her side for the rest of the day, for the rest of the hospital visit, and for the entire walk home, he even sat by her side as she fell asleep. Throne: Ophanim was on the move again.