Revelations Unfurled

Chapter seven

Ingozi turned to Kyla for the hundredth time. "Beat me," she demanded. This request had been made hours before, and had been failed for hours on end. Kyla shook her head, exhausted. "I can't," she muttered, staring at the ground.

"Beat me into the dirt, if you can," Ingozi taunted cruelty. Kyla looked up and lunged at her, getting slammed to the ground almost immediately. "Don't be impulsive," Ingozi instructed. Kyla stood, nodding. She took a fight position, and went to hit Ingozi's jaw. She ducked, and flipped Kyla over her shoulder. "Think about what you are about to do, and figure out my counter," Ingozi told her patiently. Kyla nodded again, with a little pain. She looked at her opponent, constructing the perfect moves. After a few seconds, Ingozi knocked Kyla gently to the ground. "Don't think too much," she advised. Kyla stayed on the ground, as Ingozi knelt beside her once more. It was clear Kyla wasn't understanding. Her teacher was contradicting herself. "You are trying too hard," Ingozi noted. Kyla simply took a deep breath, suddenly grabbing her rib from the pain. Ingozi nodded with a laugh. "Yeah," she mentioned, "your rib is gonna be sore all night. It should be fine by tomorrow." Kyla shook her head. "I'm not fighting tomorrow." Ingozi cocked her head. "Why?" Kyla tried to take another deep breath. "I'm terrible." Ingozi shook her head no. "You just don't believe in your instincts." Kyla stopped her wincing to listen. "I want you to try again," Ingozi instructed, "and I don't want you to think at all. Think about what could happen, but don't spend more than half a second on it." Kyla closed her eyes. "That's impossible," she argued, "I won't know what to do." Ingozi nodded in mock agreement. "For a human, yes. For a dark angel with a pure spirit, not at all. That's where instinct comes to play." Kyla looked up hopefully, to see Ingozi smiling. "Just let them run wild," she advised, helping Kyla up. She nodded, and returned to a fighting position. Kyla closed her eyes for a second to focus. Time slowed. Kyla could hear the crickets slowly rubbing their legs and wings. She could feel the wind brushing back her hair. She could smell the sweat of the soldiers training, she could feel her blood pumping through her body. Kyla opened her eyes, reenergized and ready. Ingozi went to flip Kyla, who slid out of the way. She took Ingozi's shirt and yanked it back. Ingozi tried to grab Kyla's head, clawing her shoulders. Kyla went tumbling to the ground with Ingozi above her. "Your faster than this, Kyla, and you know it." She began to kick Kyla's ribs, only getting punched in return. Kyla rolled backwards, and jumped to her feet. She kicked Ingozi's chest with one foot, sending her tumbling back. Kyla pinned Ingozi's head to the ground with her boot. "I win," Kyla proudly announced. She released Ingozi, who dusted herself off. "Very good," she praised. "Next time, however," Ingozi pointed to her temple, "kick there to end it. Don't just pin, you'll be crushed if they are bigger than you." Kyla nodded, noticing the sun beginning to sink. "Have we really been practicing all day?" Ingozi turned to the sun. "Time passes when you have entire belief in your strength. You see not the minutes going by, but the victory of your future beginning to unfurl. So yes, we have." Kyla watched as she walked away silently. "Are we done?" Kyla called. Ingozi did not answer. "I hope I'm ready for this," Kyla murmured to herself, looking up. It would be the last time she saw the sky of Hellacia, whether they won or lost. Kyla wanted to win, not for herself, but for Lucifer. And with her true love by her side, she should. Kyla looked at the sunset. "That is how these things work, right? Love always prevails?" Only the silence of the night was her reply.

Gabriel was in a tiny, dim lit room with bottles and beakers scattered and thrown everywhere. A furnace was raging, sending heat throughout the room, as Gabriel sweated with stress. Liquids were dripping onto the floor, as if an explosion had gone off to cover the entire room. Gabriel was now hovering above a black liquid, swirling it in a beaker. He dripped some red human's blood into the black poison, making it hiss with a release of steam. Gabriel swirled it more, and placed it into the blazing furnace. He ran behind the desk sopped with chemicals, and and ducked for the explosion. He waited as nothing happened. Waiting a few more seconds, he stood, looking around. "That's weird," he muttered. He walked over to the furnace, and took out the beaker. It was a lighter black, but not purple. He turned to the door as Koda came in. "How's it going?" Koda asked, looking at the beaker. Gabriel tried to give a half hearted laugh. "Well, making a cure is definitely harder than it looks." Koda nodded. Gabriel went to put down the beaker on the desk as it erupted, spewing black, sticky liquid all over Gabriel's face. Koda burst out laughing. "Stop joking around and give me that towel," Gabriel ordered, embarrassed. Koda tossed him a blue hand towel, giggling, "that doesn't look right." Gabriel gave him a stern look. "You want to try?" Koda went quiet. "That's what I thought," he added. Gabriel poured some white creamy milk into another beaker of black liquid, making it a grey color. The stickiness faded, and turned to a thick, creamy grey molasses. "Koda, the blood please?" Gabriel asked, waving his hand. Koda nodded, and tossed it to him. "Why is there blood going in?" He asked, a little disgusted. Gabriel studied the beaker as he replied, lips barely moving, "it gives a human like greed to those who drink it." Koda nodded. The liquid turned to a light purple color, as the Angel gently placed it back into the furnace. Koda cocked his head. "You know," he noted, "that fire's not really that hot. Maybe you should make it hotter." Gabriel grinned. "And explode the glass?" Koda gave him a mocking look. "Well I know that in Hellacia it is hotter than a hundred degrees every day. And if the laventine was kept there, it must have been influenced by the heat." Gabriel froze, looking at Koda with wonder. "That's genius!" He exclaimed, throwing liquid gasoline into the furnace. The flames turned dark blue with the heat, as the beaker began to shake. "Get back Koda," Gabriel warned, "it's about to get really dangerous." Koda slid behind the desk, watching. Gabriel tensed, waiting for the heat to swallow him. It died down instead.