A/N
So... yeah. This story arc is something that I'm going to attempt to make disturbing, so you have been warned. And obviously this arc is also important to the plot, so you need to read it. Have fun.
Hehehehehehehehehehe
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Aether was on a ship, heading out to where the raid would happen. He was on the main deck, leaning on the railing as the ship moved, but he wasn't there because he was seasick. He was there because he needed some quiet. He had been slightly nervous because it was his first mission, and slightly worried because he didn't want to hurt anyone, and definitely wanted to avoid killing.
As the wind blew through this onyx wings, Aether recalled the previous night, and the dreams that had come with the moon's rising. He felt a large chill run up his spine, and then charge right back down, causing him to straighten up. He felt someone's eyes on him, and he turned around to see Aurora standing there, staring at him. She had joined the mission last minute, but for what reason Aether wouldn't be able to guess.
She smiled and walked over, standing next to him and staring out into the ocean.
"Hey, Dark Angel. How's life going?" She asked with a slight smile, expecting some kind of shy answer from him. She was was surprised to see him shrug and stare back out over the ocean with a troubled expression on his face. Silence fell between them in an awkward manner, the two of them keeping quiet for different reasons.
"Is something wrong? Usually you're a lot more lively..." Aurora finally, giving him a questioning look.
"I'm just....thinking," Aether managed, seeming hesitant to speak. She could see that he was nervous and unsure of what to say.
"Aether, if you need to talk to me, you can. I'm not just a flirtatious airhead, although I know I seem like it sometimes. I'm not as good a listener as the captain, mind you, but..." Aurora started, getting Aether's attention.
"If you need to talk, I'll listen," she said, turning back to look at the ocean.
"...I've been having....dreams...or visions, I can't tell...." Aether said, seeming to relax a little.
"Well...could you tell me about them? The ones you remember, at least?" Aurora asked, looking at him with a hopeful smile.
Aether nodded and began to recall one of the dreams.
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Dreamscape Flashback
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Laughter. Evil, unnatural laughter. That was all that surrounded Aether. He had no idea where he was, except that it was pitch black, yet he could somehow still see the color that his hand was as though light were shining on it.
He saw a figure, standing there, hair down over its eyes. It looked like him, only the wings were tattered, and torn, and bloodstained. He couldn't see the face, but somehow felt like he knew that it was a dark mirror of himself.
The laughter stopped. The figure rose its head to look at him, and to his horror, he saw his own face. However, the eyes of this Aether were bestial. The figure began to laugh maniacally, taking out a blood covered scythe that Aether recognized as Ebonblade.
"Aaaeeetthhheeerrrr," the thing hissed, staring him down. It raised the scythe, the body of which immediately fell apart into a chain with the scythe blade at the end. The creature rushed at him, shrieking like a banshee. The scythe blade came towards him.
He woke up in a cold sweat, looking around at the shadows breathing heavily.
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Reality, Present Time
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Aurora had placed a hand on Aether's shoulder at his point, as he was shaking violently. It was very clear that the nightmare was not something he wanted to remember. He stayed quiet, simply staring out over the ocean again.
"Any other nightmares, or are we going to move onto calmer dreams?" Aurora was also extremely disturbed by the dream, despite not having a front row seat for it.
"Two more dreams, but they're relatively calm compared to that nightmare...no demonic people, at least," Aether replied, gaining a bit of a smile.
"One of them involved Athena, and the other involved some weird underground place."
"Underground place?"
"It was a circular room, with carved pillars, yet I somehow knew it was underground. I'm confused how so don't bother asking."
"Ah...so...the other involved Athena~?" Aurora asked, gaining her teasing attitude again.
Aether's face became scarlet before he shouted, "Not like that Aurora! By the gods, do you only think about...that kind of stuff?!"
Aurora immediately burst into laughter, which caused Aether to look back at the ocean, blushing. Aurora's laughter calmed down to a giggle, at which point Aether sighed.
"The dream...had nothing romantic in it, okay? I know I don't have a chance, so why would I bother fantasizing?" He asked, deadpanning. Aurora stopped laughing altogether, looking at him with concern.
"All it was was a battle....only it wasn't like anything that I've ever done. It was...almost like me and her were fighting each other with more than just weapons..almost like we were fighting over something..." he explained, looking confused. Aurora noticed that he didn't go into further detail with his previous statement.
"And the underground place?" She asked, deciding to keep him talking.
"I saw an empty room and heard a voice, telling me that I had one last task before I could enter The Underground," he said, mockingly doing air quotes. This caused Aurora to look at him, confused, before she began to laugh at the expression Aether was making.
"Well...the demon Aether thing seems to be just a nightmare, and I know that since you're an amazing person," Aurora started, getting another blush from Aether, which caused her to giggle before she continued, "the battle is something random, I think, and the only one that really has any realism is the Underground one..."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I've heard of people getting visions from the gods about trials that they would have to face..."
"Were all of them visions?" Aether asked, getting worried.
"I'm not sure for the first two, but the last one definitely is," Aurora replied. She hugged him and went below deck, not realizing she just gave Aether a reason to be extremely worried.
"Not sure for the first two...does that mean that I could become that....thing?" He wondered, looking over the ocean. Aether once again felt a shadow pulling at his heart.
'I hope that I never have to deal with that monster....' he thought, shuddering. The wind once again blew through his wings, but this time, he could swear he heard maniacal laughter floating through the air.
YOU ARE READING
Tears of a Fallen Angel
FantasyA once innocent child is taken from his home after his parents were accused of treason. He was throw in prison and has spent 10 long years wishing for a better life. Follow Aether through his sorrow and redemption, and watch him possibly even find r...
