Wanderess

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CAEL INCARNATE

The pain was nothing like Fayre had ever felt before.

There was a burning sensation, then a tearing feeling, and she could feel each and every muscle and tendon in her once-glorious wings snap and cut.

The butcher before her took pleasure in shredding her wings. Her Birthright. The one thing that she had left of her father's legacy. Yet, as she mourned through the pain- her only clear thought was that she hoped Malvat at least honoured the part of their deal to not harm Adrian. She couldn't live with herself if he was harmed alongside her. She was the one that dragged him into this entire mess in the first place.

The pain was blinding, her vision turned white when she opened her eyes. Opting to keep them closed was her best option. There was a ringing in her ears that only intensified as the torture went on. She felt her knees go weak the second the blade entered the soft membrane of her wings, yet she held on- waiting it out. She managed to stay on her feet by converting her energy to burrowing deep into her abilities. She had the idea when she left the dungeons and she could one again feel the ancient magic buried deep within her. Her plan was to recreate the blast that destroyed Mount Ares, but she realised soon after she wasn't powerful enough for such a blast. With the blood loss, it would be a miracle if she could manage to jump ten feet in front of her. Yet still, she tried to tap into the well of power she could feel below the surface of her subconscious.

She could still feel the pain. It wasn't someone that one could ever forget. And if she survived this, then the feeling burning and breaking would haunt her for the rest of her days. The Princess could distantly hear Adrian screaming for her and yelling at the King. The thought brought a shy smile to her face underneath the grimace of pain. He cared enough to fight.

She knew then, she knew that no matter what, she had Adrian. He would always fight for her, with her. Adrian was all the family she had left- and she was suddenly very proud to take his punishment away from him.

Down and down she went inside of her mind. Into her very soul, she felt the power of the Halo. It was like a glowing ball of golden light that seemed to emit grace and power. She saw it with her minds eye and reached for it with her mind.

She felt the heat from it, it was searing. Burning. Scolding her from the inside out.

She felt a scream bubble inside her chest before it exploded out of her. The sheer volume of the scream was bloodcurdling. Those surrounding her probably thought it was caused by the butcher and his blade. No one knew it was caused internally. The fire reached its way throughout her entire body, making her blood sizzle. The pain was excruciating.

The room watched as Fayre threw her head back, a loud gasp escaping her mouth as her eyes shot open and a blinding yellow light filled the room.

No one could see before their eyes. The effect was a mirror of the cave in Mount Ares. It was as if she had blinded every being in the room. Including herself.

She could no longer feel the hands on her wings. She could no longer see the blade plunge in and out of the delicate feathers. A small mercy.

Despite this, she could still see the havoc wreaked on her wings. They were bloodied and bruised. There was slashed covering the entire surface and they felt immensely heavy, so much so, she was tempted to let them drag on the floor- but she would not dishonour her sacrifice by doing so. Steeling her core, she lifted them up high and wore them proudly.

The fire in her veins had dulled down, but she could only see herself. The blinding yellow light was still everywhere. It was as if she were standing in a never-ending pool of sunlight.

The Princess shielded her eyes as a white light almost blinded her. It was gone a second after, as if it were never there. Confusion swept over her like a tidal wave, what was going on?
"My child, you are in pain."

Fayre's eyes widened to the size of saucers. This couldn't be. The Angel standing before her stood with the grace of every Angel combined. She knew who he was- from the many portraits in textbooks, in the palace and in mosaics in places of worship.

Cael stood before her. This couldn't be real. She shook her head, "What?"

He didn't have his Halo, yet he sported the most magnificent pair of wings she had ever seen. They were thrice the size of her own and they were streaked golden throughout. Cael himself was so blindly beautiful it hurt her eyes to look at him. He held out a hand in her direction. She couldn't not take it.

"You are in turmoil enough to summon me. You are the one who absorbed the Halo into your very essence and now you possess its many powers. Its abilities are linked to me and so when you called out for help, I was summoned."

She was confused, "I didn't call for help." It sounded more like a question rather than a statement.

He squeezed her hand and gave a pointed look to her shredded wings, "Maybe not directly, but you reaching that far into yourself- that was a cry for help if I ever heard one. And believe be, Child- I have heard plenty."

She looked at him, despite the sting it caused her eyes, "Why are you here?" her voice was only an octave above a whisper.

He sighed before looking back at her wings.

"I came to help. You are my descendant and the prophecy does not end here with your death."

"Prophecy?" Fayre questioned.

He nodded, "Yes, eons ago- before I came to this continent and created Paradisum- there was a prophecy. It stated that my descendant would become myself incarnate. The only one who could absorb the Halo- the only one who could unite the two sides. It said that they couldn't do it alone however, they needed the other side to the coin. For years I believed that to be your sister and her lover. I didn't know it would be you, until you met with the Demon Prince for the first time."

"Adrian." He nodded.

"He spared your life that day- despite everything in him and his lifetime of training. He couldn't kill you and that was when I realised that he was the other side to your coin. Perfectly balanced in power and skill. Without Adrian you would have not been able to take the Halo's power."

Realisation hit Fayre hard enough that she almost stumbled back, if not for the stead grip Cael held her hand with, "That's why he has wings? No demon has ever been recorded with wings. Especially not black ones." She searched his gaze for answers

He nodded once more, "Yes. He was born with the Angelic Birthright and was granted wings because he is your equal in every way possible. Without him, you would most definitely be dead by now. And without you, he would be to. You were both destined for each other, one cannot survive without the other."

She shook her head, "That still doesn't explain why you're here though. Why all this?" She waved a hand around her to emphasise her point.

"You have demonstrated your bravery and your ability to shoulder your own inner demons to do what it right. you sacrificed what you hold most dear for someone else- for a Demon. For that reason alone, I am here to help with one thing. I will do one thing you ask of me, no more- no less." He smiled sadly at her.

She opened her mouth, knowing what she was going to as was selfish and a waste of an opportunity, but she couldn't help herself, "Can...can you fix my wings?"

His eyes shoe with sadness, "That, my Child- is the one thing I cannot do. It is what granted you to ability to use me, I cannot undo what has been done."

Sadness and grief toppled her over; fighting for dominance in this instant. It took Fayre a few moments to gather her bearings and decide on what to ask of the creator of her kind.

When she finally decided, she whispered it in his ear- he looked sad for her pain yet gave her a solemn nod in understanding. Letting go of his hand, she closed her eyes and willed the yellow light back into her being- begging and pleaded for it to become apart of her again, to make her Cael incarnate like the prophecy said.

*****

When Fayre opened her eyes again, she saw that Cael had stuck to this word and done as she asked.