Back to Present"Thank you, Ma'am Suzan. And I'd personally like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Daniel and Miss Sophia too. Her visions—they’ve always been the stuff of legend, but today, they literally saved us," Petra said with heartfelt sincerity.Suzan smiled warmly. "You’re just like your uncle, Seth. Always strong in the face of difficulties," she remarked, her eyes twinkling with admiration.Petra returned the smile, but the atmosphere was somber. Zack, tormented by guilt over Petra’s injury, wore a look of deep sorrow. He felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility for the loss of her arm.Reading his troubled mind, Petra spoke gently, "Zack, please don’t blame yourself for this. It pains me to see you suffer because of my injury. It’s our will that matters, not the loss of a limb or two."Zack looked at her, eyes filled with regret, and nodded slowly, trying to ease the weight of guilt from his heart.Suzan sighed, her eyes reflecting the turmoil of the recent events. "Look, w
Before her beautiful black eyes, it was destruction, and corpses of her fellows and the human-demon hybrids, tears were rolling down her cheeks it was difficult to move even a step with the severe wound in her abdomen, her white and bright yellow uniform was washed with blood. Despite all this Suzan a young lady with a strong personality ran desperately shouting: "Lucas!! where are ya? the enemies have retreated, c'mon it is not 'hide and seek', Lucas!!!".The enemy's base was about to collapse now, her fellow surviving members told her to stop the search."Suzan, get outta there, it's hopeless to find him in all this destruction unless you wanna die too" Captain Seth shouted.The Captain who was in charge of this sneak attack was himself severely injured but was still trying to save his comrades.But her heart couldn't agree that Lucas was dead, struggling to speak she said in a shaking voice: "Captain let me defy your orders just this one time, I'll get outta here as soon as I find
"You've been driving for 7 hours continuously sister, my joints are stiffed, and look at you, you don't look tired at all..... whoa some real stamina the Angels of the burning Sun elite soldiers have there for sure" Sophia finally spoke after being quiet for hours."Thanks for the compliment but don't worry we'll leave this car very soon" Suzan replied."What do you mean by leaving the car.....besides, I can't see any population thus so far" Sophia looked confused.Suzan didn't reply. After a few more minutes of driving she stopped the car in front of a river and told Sophia to get herself and Zack out of the car, Sophia did so and Suzan also left the car."Hey sister you're not planning on leaving this car here, are you?" Sophia inquired."Nah, I'm just going to destroy it," Suzan said calmly."Are you serious??? did you even forget that it's Lucas' last memory...?" Sophia reacted."No I remember it all.. that's the more reason to destroy it here, the only sign of Lucas I want to tak
Finishing their long and tiring journey towards their new home, Suzan, Sophia and Zack reached the "Forest of Cessation!!!!".A forest where the trees were mangled, and jagged rocks were jutting out of the ground, it was dark even during the day, and very calm, they couldn't even hear birds chirping. Something seemed a bit off and there were no animals seen so far."Finally we're here" Suzan exhaled."This forest... it's so deep..not to mention eerie too" Sophia whimpered " just what exactly is this place.... it doesn't seem like our usual wilderness and I haven't seen any animals so far"."This is the Forest of Cessation," Suzan told."Its name is perfectly accurate seeing how creepy it is, 'Forest of Cessation' huh... I haven't heard about it...and why you'd chose this of all places?" Sophia posed a question."This forest is at the base of the famous volcano. Past eruptions have created a rich layer of soil for the forest to thrive off of. But at the same time, the volcanic rocks an
14 years laterAt Rockbell school, 150km away from the forest of cessation"Zack Everest""Yessir, here I am"A middle-aged teacher handed over a mark sheet to a boy of about 15 years of age who had absolutely no expression on his face, with blue deep eyes, grey spiky hair, fair skin, tall height, and a smart physique."Well done Zack, you scored perfect on every test, next month will be your finals hope you do well there too, best of luck". The teacher said to the boy."Thanks, Sir, I'll keep that in my mind". replied Zack.The bell rang, teacher and other students begin to leave the classroom.While Zack sat still on his chair..."Hmm school is going to end soon... it's not like I had any business here anyway.... well whatsoever I guess I should head home". He mumbled in his thoughts.After a while, he stood up, put his bag on his shoulder, and begin to walk slowly but with a straight and strong posture, there were only a few students left."Dammit leave me you punks, I don't want t
At 8 pm Zack, Suzan, and Sophia all gathered in Suzan's room to hear what important thing she had to discuss, they already had an idea of what it was going to be.Suzan began..."As both of you might already have guessed what is the matter to be discussed here" Zack and Sophia nodded and Suzan continued"It's already been 14 years since we had our last encounter with the enemy, but according to intel collected by the Angels of the burning Sun, the enemy will very soon make a move and we've to be prepared when it comes or do something before that, it'll be up to the commander....it's finally time....for you Zack to join the Angels of the burning Sun but before that, I want to ask you something and I want an honest answer""I'll be honest," said Zack."I've been training you to battle against the devils for so long that even you couldn't remember when it all began....but it's been bothering me lately that maybe I've mistaken, maybe I'm imposing all of this on you... I never asked if are
Zack grasped Ken as he was about to fall."What should I do, I should take him to a hospital but I don't know about the nearby places," Zack tried to think of a possible solution.After a moment of quick thought, he began to run towards the forest of cessation."His aura always felt extraordinary, like he has powers even greater than mine" Zack ran as fast as he possibly could."But it wasn't like he couldn't use them, I knew it, I forever knew that unlike aunt Sophia he can manipulate aura and elements...I should hurry, it'll be better to think about all of this later" Zack rushed to save Ken.It took about half an hour for him to reach home.He threw open the door and the sound of it slamming could be heard all over the place."Mom, Aunt come here quick it's an emergency" he yelled.Suzan and Sophia rushed to the entrance."Mom, he needs immediate treatment" Zack stepped towards the sofa and put Ken on it."Yeah, I can see that" Suzan began to heal him "he has a sudden decrease in b
"A hospital is it?" Ken opened his eyes and looked around "oh Zack you took me here, thank you so much"." It's no time to thank me, we were in the middle of a crucial discussion when you decided to faint " Zack looked a little bit angry." Huh, what was that again? " Ken gave a half-shrug."This bottle kid" Suzan handed the bottle to Ken "remember?"." oh yes, how could I forget " Ken stiffened putting his hands on his forehead."Who are you, ma'am?" he asked looking at Suzan."I am Zack's mother, Suzan, and this here is her Aunt, Sophia" Suzan introduced herself and Sophia to Ken.Ken stood up and greeted them with respect then moves his attention towards Zack "you could have told me earlier that this was your family I could have been more respectful"." Can we begin to talk about that non-sense drink? " Zack moved on to the point."First tell me which hospital is this I am not feeling quite well here...what is this place, and was it necessary to call your family won't they be worri
Back to Present"Thank you, Ma'am Suzan. And I'd personally like to extend my gratitude to Mr. Daniel and Miss Sophia too. Her visions—they’ve always been the stuff of legend, but today, they literally saved us," Petra said with heartfelt sincerity.Suzan smiled warmly. "You’re just like your uncle, Seth. Always strong in the face of difficulties," she remarked, her eyes twinkling with admiration.Petra returned the smile, but the atmosphere was somber. Zack, tormented by guilt over Petra’s injury, wore a look of deep sorrow. He felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility for the loss of her arm.Reading his troubled mind, Petra spoke gently, "Zack, please don’t blame yourself for this. It pains me to see you suffer because of my injury. It’s our will that matters, not the loss of a limb or two."Zack looked at her, eyes filled with regret, and nodded slowly, trying to ease the weight of guilt from his heart.Suzan sighed, her eyes reflecting the turmoil of the recent events. "Look, w
"Let's leave this lair," Suzan said with resolute determination, pulling the devil along by the chains that bound him.She then turned to Zack. "Carry the woman and her child," she instructed. "They need to be moved to safety."Zack nodded in understanding. With careful and gentle movements, he lifted the injured woman and her child, securing them in his arms. With them safely cradled, they stepped through the shimmering gateway.Petra and Zack both nodded in agreement. Suzan then pulled a compact device from her pocket and pressed a button. Instantly, a gateway materialized, leading them back to the serene and majestic Mountains of Purity."We need to report all of this to headquarters," Suzan said firmly. "This is a matter of great significance.""Mom, how were you able to use your powers inside that lair?" Zack asked as they began their journey. "And how did you manage to find it? Most importantly, how did you get inside?""Yes, ma'am, please clarify," Petra added, her voice faint
Zack's fury intensified with each passing second, his attacks becoming more relentless. Blood spewed from the devil's mouth with every devastating blow. "Magnificent," the devil wheezed, clearly impressed by Zack's extraordinary power. "At such a young age, you wield such strength. You'd make a formidable monster.""Shut up! I'm no mosnter like you," Zack retorted, his voice thick with rage, delivering a punch that sent the devil crashing into the ground."Zack, he'll die! He's human. How do we...?" Petra's voice was faint, barely audible through her pain."Yeah, she's right. You wouldn't kill a human, would you? After all, it's your job to protect humanity," the devil sneered, his condition growing increasingly dire.Zack, undeterred by Petra's plea, continued his assault. "Well, I don't CONSIDER YOU A HUMAN!" he roared, his fists smashing into the devil's face. Blood spattered onto Zack's face, mingling with his tears of rage. He pounded away, driven by a relentless fury."You are j
Despite Zack's continuous struggle, the barrier didn’t budge. Petra was in intense pain, every second feeling like an eternity. The devil leaned closer to her, his voice dripping with mockery. “Your resilience is something else. I wish you were on my side, but it isn't too late, is it? I know your true potential, and I can unleash it. There’s no one in this world who doesn’t like power and authority, and I have both. I can give them to you. What do you say?”Petra, barely holding on, gritted her teeth and replied, “All power and authority belong to God, and you belong to hell.”“Oh yeah?” the devil said loudly, his voice filled with malice. He twisted her arm with such force that the bone snapped, and the arm came off. The child's face was splattered with her blood, and Petra cried and shrieked in pain so hard that her voice echoed through the eerie landscape.The devil, unfazed by Petra’s defiance, glanced at Zack with a smirk. “You see how futile your efforts are? This is what happe
"Show yourselves! We know you are watching, and there’s not only one of you. Unfortunately, we don’t have time for your hide and seek!" Zack shouted into the eerie silence.After a moment of tension, a child came running from a distance, visibly terrified. As he got closer, Zack and Petra saw that his forehead was bleeding. The child barely managed to reach Zack before collapsing, his plea barely audible: "Save my mom, please."Petra rushed to the child, her eyes widening in fear as she tried to use her healing abilities. "I can’t use my healing power here!" she exclaimed, panic creeping into her voice. She quickly reached into the bag hanging around her neck and pulled out a potion, applying it to the child's forehead, hoping it would help.Zack, baffled by Petra’s inability to use her powers, attempted to gather energy in his palm but found himself unable to do so. Just then, a cloaked figure emerged, dragging a woman who appeared to be the child's mother. As the figure drew closer,
**Chapter 8: The Unintended Descent**Suddenly, a reddish light surrounded them, radiating from a focal point towards the mountain. It seemed to form a gateway, pulsating with an ominous energy."Petra, is that a gateway?" Zack asked, his voice tinged with apprehension."It looks like one, but what is it doing here?" Petra replied, her eyes widening in surprise."Are you feeling that gravity? It's increasing," Zack observed, his voice growing more urgent."Yes, and very soon we'll be inside that thing if we don't run away," Petra said, her tone laced with concern."Run! We can't venture in there before Mom comes back," Zack insisted.They both started to run, aiming to escape the gravitational pull that seemed to be dragging them towards the gateway. The terrain blurred past them as they sprinted, but the gravity became so strong that they began to feel themselves being pulled backward."Petra, grab my hand!" Zack shouted as he noticed her getting dangerously close to the center of th
Suzan headed out to deliver the cure to Sophia, her steps resolute and filled with urgency, knowing how critical her mission was for Daniel and Sophia's well-being.Meanwhile, Zack and Petra meticulously examined their surroundings, searching for clues to unravel their predicament. The terrain was rugged, with towering trees casting elongated shadows and the underbrush whispering secrets with every rustle of leaves."Miss Suzan must've been out of the bounds of the Mountains of Purity," Petra observed, her eyes scanning the horizon as she contemplated their next move."Yeah, I hope she comes back soon so we can proceed and discover what lies beyond those gateways," Zack replied, his voice a blend of anticipation and caution. He couldn't shake the sense of unease as he eyed the imposing peaks around them, each seemingly guarding untold secrets."Yes, but don't forget we might stumble upon something here that could unravel the mystery," Petra added thoughtfully. Her expression grew more
Emilia turned to Ken, her expression serious. "We should take her to headquarters. Petra mentioned before leaving that we should report everything to HQ. It almost slipped my mind, but now I think she foresaw something."Ken nodded, his concern evident. "Alright. We shouldn't waste any more time; she isn't looking very good. Can't you try to heal her?""I can try, but..." Emilia hesitated, a troubled look crossing her face. "There's something about her aura all of a sudden that's telling me not to do it, but I'll still try."She knelt beside Lilith and began to channel her healing energy. As she did, a strange sensation coursed through her. Emilia's hands started to bleed, the pain sharp and unexpected."Leave it, Emilia!" Ken exclaimed urgently. "We can't afford to have our only healer in bad shape. Heal your hands."Emilia reluctantly stopped, her hands trembling as she withdrew her energy. "You're right," she murmured, quickly tending to her own wounds.Ken carefully lifted Lilith,
With a sense of relief, Lilith moved to the wall and retrieved a picture, holding it out for Ken and Emilia to see. Their expressions shifted from curiosity to shock as they gazed at the image, their minds racing with unanswered questions.Lilith took a deep breath, sensing the weight of the revelation settling over them, before taking a seat nearby. "This," she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur, "is something you need to see."Emilia squinted at the picture, her eyes widening as she recognized a young Violet standing beside Lilith. "Is that... Violet?" she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.Lilith nodded weakly. "Yes, she... she's my twin sister. There's so much you need to know about her, about our past, but..." Her voice wavered, the strain of the confession evident.Ken's eyes darted between Lilith and the photograph. "What do you mean? Why haven't we heard about this before?"Lilith took another deep breath, her strength fading. "Violet... she... be careful... trust.