Astral Odyssey: Dying Ember

World 4.31: Vanora

When Vlad saw Vanora fly forward towards Angela, he immediately knew something was wrong. Vanora would not act that recklessly, especially since she was not going feral. When he tried to intervene with the intention to retrieve Vanora and escape, he got intercepted by Michael. The light provided by other ongoing fights illuminated the area enough for him to see Vlad approach.

"God fucking damn it! I should have finished you off back then! I'll fucking make quick work of you now!" Vlad said as he engaged Michael in a fight and he kept true to his word. His emotions were at their peak since Vanora was involved and Michael was no match for it. His fast reflexes and the minimal illumination was not enough for him to dodge Vlad's attacks, much less attack back.

Angela has been aware of Michael's fight from the start. She did not worry about him since he was the strongest angel she knew of, but the way the fight progressed between Vlad and Michael increasingly alarmed her. It finally dawned on her that there was one demon who did almost kill Michael before, resulting in the need to recover for almost over a year.

"So it's you!!!" Angela's voice was filled with wrath. She already did not like this demon who had always teased and made fun of her, never leaving her alone, never stopping to rub in her face how she was so far from her ideal self. Just when she thought she could not hate him any more than she already has, he just gave her a new and strong reason to.

Angela then focused her full attention on her fight with Vanora, eager to end it so that she could go to Michael's assistance. She did not believe that Vlad would be able to survive fighting two strong warrior angels. Her new found vigor increased her strength and she forced Vanora back quickly and easily.

Vlad did not pay attention to the crazed voice of another woman as he threw out a succession of moves. Just as Vlad prepared to finish Michael off, Angela also executed her finishing move on Vanora.

Vlad decisively gave up on finishing Michael off and teleported to cover Vanora's body with his. Now that Michael was in no condition to interfere, he successfully made it to Vanora and got ready to take the hit.

A thousand lightning quick piercing strikes rained down on Vlad and Vanora. A loud explosion resulted and shook the entire maze dangerously. Rocks began falling from the ceiling. Everyone was going to be buried underground if they did not escape in time. The hell beings knew the way out so ran off, abandoning the angels and their fight. Angela swung her sword in random around her but she could not find a single trace or sign of Vanora and Vlad. "They're really gone..."

This greatly puzzled her. Her opponent should be riddled with holes or shredded to pieces, not explode so flashily then disappear into thin air like that.

"Angela, we have to go." Michael called out her. He already had a barrier erected around him so was flying towards her to provide her with cover too.

Knowing that she did not have time to mull over it, she took off with Michael without looking back even once.

Angela overpoweringly hacked her way through the falling debris and literally clawed her way out of the earth, except she was using her sword. Michael flew behind her and chanted a prayer to create a barrier around them, causing them to look like a flying comet bursting out of the ground and back to the surface.

When the demon wrestled control over her body from Vanora, the experience was almost like dissociation. Although she found herself back in the black space she was often with BaoBao in between transmigration, she could clearly picture whatever was happening to her right now. Moreover, it was like she was watching it from a third person's point of view.

The only two oddities in this space now was the presence of the head of the demon she consumed and a floating ball of white stars.

"Sweet place you have here inside of you. All dark and black."