Of Angels and Demons: A New Generation

Zen's Beginner Training

"I haven't seen Athena in so long; about ten years I believe." Zen says as his armor seemingly melts onto his body, taking the form of a long sleeve shirt and loose black pants. "Wait, how did you do that?" I ask as he looks at me. "Oh, technically I'm not even wearing any armor. I just use my energy to take the form of armor. It is quite durable, but is pretty hard to maintain." He says with a sigh. "I've trained so much, as hard as I can to get to where I am, but no matter what I do." He stops for a moment as he closes his eyes. "There are some people who are born to be stronger than the rest. The gifted always stand above us." Zen looks at his fist. "Malick, whether you know it or not, you are very gifted. Coming from the union of two very strong beings, and being gifted another god-level power at birth, you are destined to be known through the universe." Zen says as he quickly looks at me. "I want to see that power for myself." He says quietly with a smile before speaking back up. "Just our base forms should do." I stare at him for a moment. "Am I supposed to have other forms?" I ask as silence surrounds him. "You don't know how to use a release?" He asks, almost upset. "No; at least I don't think so." I say, thinking as hard as I can to every time I've fought. "Well, do you at least know what a release is?" Zen asks as I nod. "So, all we have to do to unlock it. Most people unlock it near death." Zen mumbles as I see him look up at the sky. "Do you really want to get stronger?" Zen asks, his voice wavering slightly. "Of course, I do." I say as he wipes a tear away. His words finally hit me and run through my head. "Near-death?" I say as a sword runs through my chest. I start to scream in pain as his hand covers my mouth. "Please just relax. Feel the energy flow around the wound." He says as I see tears running down his face as my eyes start tearing up. I feel a strange warmth cover my body as I clench my fist. Make him back off.  I hear a voice say in my head as I swing with everything I have. He smoothly raises his hand and slaps mine away before kicking my knee, shattering it. Once more I try to scream, but his hand blocks my voice once more. "This will sound crazy. But when you're about to die, when you start losing consciousness. When you feel as though all hope has left you, that's when you'll push back with all you have." Zen says as he grabs me and throws me towards a mountain in the distance. In a matter of seconds, I see myself hit the side of the mountain and the world goes pitch black once more. "If there's something in this darkness shouldn't I have seen it the other times I've been here?" I ask as I clench my fist. I feel a wave of uneasy anger clouding my mind. "I don't get it!" I yell as I swing as hard as I can in front of myself. As I hit something, the darkness seemingly shatters and fades away. I see my fist against Zens face, tears still in his eyes. As I stare at him for a second, I see something at the corner of my eye. As I look to my right, I see a large black and red wing. "Wha-" Before I can finish talking, I feel the energy rip through me, almost intoxicating. I feel light, almost like holding a leaf in my hand. "Incredible, it must be Ragnarok's power doing that." Zen mumbles as I look at him. "What?" I ask as he touches something above my head. "Somehow you're already utilizing all of your power. I can only assume it's Ragnarok that's giving you this innate gift. Most beings can't utilize full power right off the bat. That means that was you that day." Zen mumbles as he takes a step back and stares at me, a grin on his face. "It wasn't too long ago I felt a power spike on Earth. It didn't last long, a flash of power. You already unlocked your power. It's what caused that commotion that summoned several very powerful beings. When I felt Animus, I feared I would need to get involved. Thankfully it was a weakened Animus. Most likely a set up for you. Think of it like scouting for a team." Zen says as I grit my teeth. "They were summoned to destroy the planet, if they wanted me, why would they risk killing me?" I ask as Zen stares at me. "They only sent one. The other eleven died the second they entered this universe. I was wondering why, but it's clear. They wanted to see how strong some of us were, while also scouting your potential." Zen says as he laughs. "Not a bad move, right Aziria?" He says as he looks over his shoulder. Aziria seemingly appears from thin air. "We aren't sure what their game truly is, and we can't take anything they say at face value." Aziria says as I speak up. "Their leader, Raizel, said he wants to become a chief deity. He's insane." I say as Zen sighs. Aziria speaks up. "A chief deity has been beaten before; it is possible." She says as a familiar voice speaks up. "Wow Malick, you're involved in some serious shit!" Moxi says excitedly as I spin around and see Raven holding him by his collar off the ground. "Your friend somehow tracked me, snuck into our base, then begged me to bring him to you. Reminds me of our group when we were younger." He says as Zen stares at Moxi, almost bewildered. "Moxi, is it? I want you to fight me." Zen says as his face turns to slight worry. "Heh, sure." Moxi says, still smiling.