Skiels ✔[Complete]

Part 2

The streets or jepas are vibrant. Skiels are gliding about, conversing and doing some job or the other.

There are other purposes in life. Taking care of infant Skiels, teaching older Skiels the ways, training Skiels. Some Skiels act as spies. Though we cannot see in the human world, there are some who see figments. As for how we fight, it's with the movement of the hearts and the feel of bodies around us.

The creatures from the Water Realm fight with us every time a human tries to cross the seas. And it is a lot of times. We usually win, but when we lose, it costs the life of a human.

Eliminating the evil and giving up an innocent life are two very different things. The thing about the Water and Demon realms is that they never die. They are immortal and invincible. Every battle is hard and that is why new recruits are always needed in the Throng. The most capable and the best. We are simply immortal as long as we have a purpose. It is the purpose to live and work hard that drives all the Skiels.

"Where are you going?" A voice startles me out of my reverie. I see the familiar dull orange eyes and white hair.

"Verity." I nod at her in acknowledgement. Names are never the same in the Sky Realm. Each and every name is registered and that name is never used by anyone else. Mine was Azura. I hadn't liked the name at first, but it had grown on me. "Nowhere. I have nothing to do as of now."

She gasps. "Don't say that! Do you have a death wish?"

I shake my head. "I am awaiting a summon by Zima." The breeze picks up, ruffling the feathers on my wings, which are only visible to ethereal creatures like us.

She glides over next to me and slows down to my wandering pace. "Are you allowed to disclose the matter?"

I shrug. "She hasn't said anything of that sort. So it seems I'm in the clear. She has more tasks for me. If I don't complete them, I can't join."

She looks down at the clouded ground. A sign of respect for the disabled. But I didn't need that treatment. I was physically and mentally fit. The ability to love shouldn't be termed as a disability. "Can I ask you a question? Please, don't be mad."

I eye her curiously. Then, I lower my gaze. "Vajake." Promise. A very sacred promise.

She flashes me one of those fake smiles that are seen all over the place. "Good. Do you....love me?"

My eyes snap back to her. "Are you making fun of me? That's not..." I suddenly feel a searing pain all over my body. The promise; I was breaking it.

"You said you wouldn't get mad! And no! I'm just asking."

"I'm not. I-" I pause and take a breath. The pain subsides and I'm glad. That would be a very unfortunate way to die. "Sorry." I force a smile. "I...guess. But in a platonic way. Obviously."

"Obviously," she echoes. "How is it like? You know...how is it like to love someone?"

"Verity, I am not in love with you like the humans usually are. I just care for you..a lot. If something ever happened to you....I would be devastated." 'Would you' are the words that are about to leave my mouth, but I already know the answer.

"Oh," She nods.

The jepa falls silent and we snap our attention to the person who caused it. Noir. She was on the verge of dying once. Fading is considered better than dying. The only way a Skiel can kill another is by saying their name and profession. Obviously, this law does not apply to young Skiels. Saying those two words and killing someone instantly is easy enough, but there is a catch. There always is one. The person saying those words cannot return to the Sky realm again.

A Skiel named Jay said the words about five thousand years ago, killing another instantly, but he then vanished and never came back. Since then, no one has dared to attempt this.

The only time it came close to happening again was with Noir. The Zima was infuriated when she had found out what she had done. She had been kidnapping young children and Skiels, making them do dirty work. She broke their minds and many died because of torture, something very rare amongst us.

No one says a word as she flies, guards behind her. They are taking her to the courtyard. It is a place where all the Skiels assemble for important matters. Noir has shackles binding her arms and her form is even paler and ghostlier. It looks like she gradually fading. Her hair, a pitch black colour, darker than all, is now almost the same colour as mine. Black bottomless eyes gaze past us all as she flies and turns the corner.

"Courtyard. Come quickly," The guard yells and glides off.

Everyone collectively sighs. Groups form and we all head to the courtyard. "I knew something was wrong," Verity mutters to me.

"What?"

She lowers her voice. "Yesterday, the Zima personally came to the foyers and asked for a special kind of weapon to be made especially for killing Skiels." Verity works as a weapons crafter because she thinks the Throng isn't a suitable job for her.

I frown. "But I thought Skiels aren't killed by other Skiels."

"They aren't. But who said a weapon made by a Skiel wouldn't work if someone from the other realms wielded it?"