Wars of Heaven and Earth

The school of hard knocks

I woke with a start and immediately my head started to pound. As I writhed on the ground in agony, I bit back several screams of pain, however my low groans were enough enough to alert the others. Tyra was the first to rush to my side, she managed to hold me still in one place so that I couldn't hurt myself. Ryon appeared behind Tyra and jammed a piece of leather between my teeth. Leucos and Ramael followed shortly after, concern and worry were plainly evident on their faces. The sound of Maeror's broken laughter rebounded endlessly through my head, as it rose to a fever pitch, I thought for sure my head would burst from the pressure.

My will and pain tolerance failed, and I screamed through the leather strip that was currently being held tightly between my teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leucos and Ramael give each other a quick glance before they joined hands and began joint casting, a feat which looked very odd when compared to their physical age.

As I fought down yet another scream, my eyes were shut tightly as the pain only continued to grow. Just as the pain became unbearable, Leucos and Ramael finished their spell, and cast it. A soft blue light enveloped me, and I felt the pain slowly begin to recede from my body. When I could think coherently, the leather strip was removed. As I gasped for air, Ryon pulled me upright and sat me against a low wall that might have been the remains of a house. 

"What..was that.." I managed to get out between gasps for air. Leucos and Ramael looked at each other before Ramael spoke. "That was a spell designed to force information out of a subject. It's an invasive and perverse spell, designed to cause extreme pain in order to make the person on the receiving end unable to defend them self.

"You're lucky that your mind is still intact after that. Leucos said. "People have been driven mad by similar spells, or the pain is so intense their heart simply gives out."

Ryon stood and dusted his pants off before he gave me an odd look. "I think it's time you learned how to tap into your own aspect."

"Aspect?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly from the amount of screaming I had done. Ryon started at me blankly before he sighed.

"The circlet Realtai gave you is not a badge of office or a magic amplifier. It's much more than that. Realtai gave you the ability to tap into your soul, the essence of your magic, and summon forth the full might of your ascended form. Which, under normal circumstances, would never happen. However, since she did name you her champion, that makes you the successor to her power." Ryon said while walking towards a clear space about ten feet away from the group. "It takes a while to master, but once you get the hang of it.."

He stood completely still and seemed to enter a deep level on concentration, suddenly he lifted both of his arms slightly, and the same circlet that had adorned Strainseir's brow appeared in his hands. Slowly, with painful amounts of care, he placed the circlet on his head, and then lifted his right arm up to the sky.

"Casurus!" Ryon shouted. His voice boomed out over the blasted fields sending a small shockwave through the ground. At first nothing happened, and then I stumbled slightly from the amount of the Flow that came rushing towards him. My breath seemed to get stuck in my throat, as the concentrated amount of energy was suffocating. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, the pressure abated.

I gasped and slowly looked to where Ryon had stood. In his place, a ten foot figure clad in jet black armor stood in the clearing. "Wo-" I could barely speak before two midnight black wings unfurled from his back. They flapped two times as if to test their own strength before coming to rest.

Ryon's features had become sharper, more defined, and his hair had grown and acquired a longer, more wild appearance. The silver etchings and engravings on his armor glinted coldly in the half light of the rising sun. As he stood before me, I noticed that the signature feeling of his the flow emanating from his soul had changed. It held a darker malice to it, and the air around him seemed to become colder. Although it wasn't an icy cold, it was the same cold you'd expect to find in a crypt.

I shivered self consciously and glanced at the others. Ramael and Leucos both held unreadable expression meanwhile Tyra looked unimpressed. "You might be taller and have a few more feathers than I remember, but I'll still kick your ass three to zero any day." She said smirking.

Ryon rolled his eyes before turning to me. "With practice, you'll be able to master this ability and do it. With, we'll have a fighting chance against Maeror. Although maintaining this form is physically and mentally taxing, which is why you'll need to start training. Now."

I nodded solemnly, and took out Realtai's circlet. The artifact glimmered in a cheery fashion, as opposed to Strainseir's circlet which shined with a sullen and angry luster. 

"Now then." Ryon said, his voice slightly deeper than it had been outside of his form. "What is the incantation word for your circlet." 

"Uh..incantation?" I asked hesitantly.

Ramael, Leucos and Ryon all sighed heavily at the same time. Tyra snorted and stomped off into the nearby field.

"Realtai didn't tell you, did she?" Ryon deadpanned.

"I was a little busy fighting off Maeror's creepy crusaders to ask her for the incantation." I said, glaring at all three of them. 

"Well. We'll have to do this the hard way then." Ryon said as he took a defensive stance.

Leucos sighed. "Try not to hurt him too badly. We still need to fight Maeror you know, and a broken Demi-god is a bad traveling companion." Ramael giggled. "HIT HIM HARD!"

I sighed loudly. "I seriously regret being religious." Ryon sprinted forward using his wings to boost his speed. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact to come.

----------------------Authors Note-------------------

Cranked this out in one day! Woo!

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That wraps up this week, tune in next week for the next chapter! Love you all and thank you for the continued support of my writing! 

P.s: I'm honestly surprised at how many reads this thing has xD