Crystalline Chaos

by Gabriela Voelske

"Do our wings appear broken to you?" Gabriel hissed, arching his wings in a display of anger. The demon raised an eyebrow, but he did notice Uriel's silence on the matter. The Angel Monarch simply shrugged, silently pacing over to the edge of the platform. Once at the edge, he dived off, slowing his ascent as he neared the ground with a few powerful flaps. Gabriel followed suit, making a point to glare at the demon before taking off, landing gracefully on the floor below. Sebastian shook his head; he suddenly became so aggressive when he perceived something as an insult.

  As the demon finished gliding down, Uriel handed him a familiar blade. He gave the angel a slight bow, slotting the weapon back in place. They proceeded towards the exit, shooting one last look up towards the peak of the spire.

  * * *

  Amnur frantically ran, further and further, trying to find someone who could help. The Nightmares had been greatly thinned in number, with the remaining few panicking and trying to run from the surge of angels, demons and humans. It made running much easier, but it still didn't aid him at the second.

  "Amnur, over here!" Ciel's voice echoed through the sounds of battle. He spun around towards the sound, seeing the Demon Prince heading towards him with Abel in tow. Amnur sprinted over to them, taking care not to jostle Sakura's body around too much.

  "What's wrong with her?" Ciel inquired, attempting to examine her body, but the demon had his daughter pressed tight to his body.

  "Nothing good. The stench of blood is potent," Abel replied, watching with trepidation as Amnur gently relaxed his arms, turning the gaping wound into view. Ciel recoiled at the sight, unable to give him a reply. He darted his eyes away, searching behind the demon. In the distance, there was an angel with a demon. Their court mages, he wound have to hope.

  "You need to get her to Solomon," Ciel urged, grabbing Amnur by the arm and yanking him towards the direction of the mages. Once the initial shock of the action had worn off, the fire mage resisted no more, following the lead he was being given. They ran for what felt like forever, closing the gap between them as fast as possible.

  "Oi Solomon, you alright?" Ciel shouted as they approached, seeing the demon sat on the floor with Arariel fussing over him.

  "Bit of a hassle dealing with an overgrown worm, nothing more," Solomon grinned; his smile was short lived when he saw his friend's expression, however. "It's not me you're concerned about is it?"

  Before he could answer, Amnur crouched down next to the mages and showed them his charge. Arariel flinched at the action; it was the first time he had seen Amnur for himself, but he certainly knew his reputation. The drastic wounds on the demon's passenger told him that there was a more pressing issue right now. He wouldn't be his first priority, or even any consideration at the moment.

  "Solomon's really rather exhausted, but that wound is terrible..." Arariel spoke up. His own magic reserves had been drained in order to stabilise him, neither would be overly useful right now, but they had to do something.

  "I'll do it, even if I just manage to heal enough to stop her dying," Solomon interrupted, giving the angel a pat on the back. He was simply concerned after all, but leaving someone to die when he still had enough strength to help was something the demon would not do. "I can't save all of her, though; some of that damage is already beyond repair."

  "That's fine, just use some of that energy on helping her rather than running off your tongue," Amnur spat, softly lowering her body to the floor to allow Solomon access. Silently behind him, Ciel waved his hands to apologise for the man's behaviour. He shrugged it off and ran a hand along the wound. She had taken a significant hit, one which somehow had managed to miss the heart. Even with that fact, it would still prove fatal unless he could stop the bleeding.

  Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind, extending his mana into her body. Methodically, Solomon patched up the regions causing the major blood loss, before turning his attention to the rest.

  Midway through the second half of the process, the young mage suddenly passed out. Arariel dragged his limp body away and began to examine it, shaking his head in resignation.

  "He's spent too much, he's entirely exhausted," the angel remarked. It wasn't a fatal state if treated correctly; it did, however, mean that he wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon. Amnur bit his lip, visibly the wound didn't appear a whole lot different to him and Sakura’s body was still wet with blood which only made him increasingly desperate.

  "Do I hear horses?" Abel abruptly spoke up, earning a glare from Amnur. Unfazed, he simply gestured east. Ciel stared at the animals for a second. They were the usual mounts of humans, yet one of the riders was different from the others.

  "Dumon, here!" Ciel yelled, waving his arms in the air. The horse broke off from the group, galloping towards them. As Dumon neared his mount reared up, only staying long enough to allow him to dismount before bolting.

  "Really can't understand the human's attraction to those beasts," he sighed, dusting down his attire. “Now then, what do we have here?" Dumon kneeled down next to Amnur, leaning over the examine Sakura's wounds. As he scanned her body, he raised one hand and delicately ran it across the gouge, rubbing his fingers together once he had reached the end.

  Pausing for a moment, he glimpsed over towards Arariel and notably Solomon. "The boy did a fine job, the wound is more or less dry," the demon said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a cloth pouch. As he unravelled the string keeping it shut, a set of sewing needles and thread became obvious, along with a bottle of fluid. Dumon inspected the needles and pulled out the shortest one before picking up the bottle and twisting the top off, dipping the tip of the needle in. "Could you ignite it?"

  Amnur obliged, freeing up one hand and placing it underneath. Snapping his fingers, a flame burst to life and ignited the liquid, burning for a short period until it exhausted. The doctor shook the object to cool it down, threading a line of thread through once he was happy with the temperature. "These stitches will only be temporary, but they'll last long enough to get her proper treatment," he spoke as he started his work, neatly tying the skin up. "I'd like to do it fully myself, but I would need time and the correct medical supplies, to which we have neither," Dumon added, indicating towards the tower. It wouldn't be long until Uriel or Sebastian made an appearance. A confrontation with either of them would be disastrous right now, the simple fact they knew he was still alive was going to have enough consequences.

  "They will be kept safe, do not worry," Abel responded, extending one is his elongated wings around Amnur.

  "Always good to hear my old friend is being well looked after," Dumon replied, before silently returning to his work. When he had finished, he let out a sigh, packing away his tools. "Make sure she gets plenty of rest, give that injury plenty of time to heal."

  The white-eyed demon sheltered Amnur as he stood up, obscuring most of his body from view. He ensured that they were tucked in close, turning his head towards Ciel. "If you wish to contact us, you will know how," Abel spoke, giving the Prince a simple nod. After a pat on the mage's shoulder, they began to depart from the scene.

  "Stop right there Amnur," Sebastian yelled, attracting the attention from the remaining demons. Abel ignored him, ushering his company to walk faster. Behind the Demon King stood Uriel and Gabriel, who were arguing over something in the angelic tongue. A sudden sharp knock from Uriel left Gabriel reeling, apparently defeated for now. Sebastian was undeterred by the angels’ scrap and ran forward, determined to catch up to them regardless of his wounds. His march was cut short, finding himself being lifted off the ground.

  "Not sure I'd advise that, you're injured enough yourself," Kaiser spoke as he pulled the demon towards him, holding him tightly enough to prevent any escape efforts. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, but he was simply greeted with a similar response. "Amnur's just nearly lost who I would assume to be his daughter, leave him be. If you try anything, he's just going to kill you."

  "Well then, shall we wrap up this little war? The battle is just about won,
" Uriel interrupted, watching the two argue. Kaiser was pleased by the angel's change in topic, but his captive simply huffed, relaxing slightly in his grip. "You can settle your personal arguments at a later date," the angel spoke with a wry smile, gesturing in the opposite direction.

  "...Fine, let us gather our soldiers," Sebastian agreed after a moment of reluctance. They deserved rest, healing for any wounds they may have and the chance to reunite with their families. "Hey, place me up on your shoulder," he requested, touching the large demon's hand. Kaiser hoisted him up, balancing the man carefully.

  Uriel stared for a moment, before walking towards Arariel, checking periodically to ensure Gabriel was trailing behind him. "Would it be possible for you to create some form of beacon?"

  The mage turned his attention away from Solomon, who was now being seen to by Dumon. He blankly stared, before meekly nodding. After a short period of concentration, the angel launched a bolt of light into the air, watching as it exploded out to a beautiful white aurora, lighting up the gloomy sky. The scattered fighters gazed upwards at the spectacle; the angels reacted with delight upon seeing it, leaving the demons and humans slightly confused as to its meaning, aside from it being positive. Now Sebastian had an audience, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

  "You have all fought valiantly and made your leaders proud, regardless of your race." His voice echoed across the field, gathering a few cheers. "Now the battle has come to its conclusion we can return home to enjoy some rest, knowing that we're safe in our beds for now."

  From his vantage point, he could see what he assumed to be the Western forces listening to his words, slowly beginning to trickle away now he had stopped speaking. With a sigh, he turned his attention back downward. The West would have to wait again, at least not on a negative note for now. "I assume I'll be hearing from you in the future?" Sebastian called down to Uriel below, who on hearing the question simply smiled and walked off, with Gabriel and a silently unwilling Arariel in tow. As they walked into the distance, angels ran and flew over to join them, eventually reforming their original ranks. They paused to briefly speak with Thardosean, departing once the discussion was finished.

  "That'll be our cue to leave," Sebastian spoke as the angels disappeared from sight, balancing himself while Kaiser bent down to lift Dumon and Solomon off the ground. He offered the same to Ciel but the demon politely declined, opting instead to walk alongside Drake who had now caught up. Demons began to crowd around them, their cheer being replaced with hints of sadness at the finale of the battle. They could see with their own eyes the wounds their allies had received. While the angels had suffered injuries as well, the feathered kin certainly ignored the fact. Sympathy for others wasn't something commonly practised by angels, letting wounds been known would simply create a teasing point for others to exploit.

  Slowly the battlefield cleared away, leaving only the crystalline towers hanging in the still air, surrounded by the scattered shards left by the Nightmares. Sebastian stopped briefly to discuss matters with the Human King, reigniting the march back home once he has finished. There would be many celebrations they were all home safe and patched up, with not a strange creature in sight.

  Chapter 16: Plans for the Future

  The following week passed without incident; the sightings of the creatures had since disappeared from the stream of news being passed from individual to individual. Celebration was widespread and filled with drink and rich food, but such enjoyment would be short lived. Cold weather had continued to dominate, devastating what crops were being grown around the main isles. Farmers had done their best to salvage what useful parts remained, but it was still going to be a year of limited supply.

  In lieu of this information becoming known, Sebastian had opted to ramp up the order of food from the South, at the cost of other needed materials. Demons can get past having to skimp on materials, but the race is no use if starved, or so was his reasoning. It was thought that the other races had agreed on similar contracts with their trading partners. Contact had been fairly limited so their exact plans were vague.

  So far all communications with the angels had been through Sariel; Uriel had been silent since then. Sebastian himself had been stretched between work and rest. If Dumon could have his way with him, he would wind up tied to a bed to allow his wound time to heal. Ciel was trying his best to force his father to allow him to help, but the Demon King was being stubborn. As long as he could move, he would deal with the political issues. Entirely sheltering his son was not the intention, but Sebastian did wish for him to keep how freedom as long possible to enjoy his youth, something he was unable to do. It didn't appear to create any long-term tension between them, they had been spending more time just to have a family talk in the last few months, which was helping.

  Today was fairly identical to other recent days, the unusually cool morning air nipped at those who were brave enough to venture out. Inside the castle was noisier than average with the buzz of voices. The current population had not greatly increased, but the inhabitants had become far more active. They tried to keep their volume down; else they got shouted at by the chamber guards, or sometimes even Dumon. The doctor had been inundated with patients, from minor injuries to grievous wounds. A few days on there were still several individuals resting within the wards beds, including Solomon. Other doctors and nurses had been called back to the capital to aid, most of them were understudies of Dumon at some point. It had helped him out greatly, so far no one had died from their wounds. Such news had been a relief, although the old demon still worried about his charge. Solomon had yet to wake up, his vitals showed positive but his strength would fade if he remained unconscious for too long.

  Unfortunately for Dumon, without the mage, he was short of ideas on how to wake him up, short of exposing him to discomfort. Methods such as ice, water and rubbing spots that were generally irritating to demons. He had attempted a few, usually once a day, but it had shown no results. Kaiser had been trying to cheer him up while he was around, recovering from his own wounds.

  With a long sigh, Dumon ran a hand through Solomon's hair, listening to his quiet breathing.

  "Still no change?" Sebastian inquired from behind, with Ciel following him. The doctor shook his head, turning his gaze toward his new company. "I thought I'd check in first, before going to see what Sariel wanted."

  "Uriel’s still not responding?" he frowned; it was unusual, to say the least. Sebastian had informed him of the injuries the angel had sustained during the fight. While possibly painful it didn't come over substantial enough to keep him bedridden for days.

  "Nothing direct, suppose I'll see how willing Sariel is to tell me anything."

  "I think you'd have more luck getting blood from a stone, with their pride issues and all."

  Sebastian laughed at the remark, before gripping at his chest. He still kept forgetting about the seriousness of that wound, even slight movements could cause it pain. So far he had managed to learn to walk in a way to keep it from aggravating. Everything else, however...

  "Come back here afterwards. I'll check you over and change those wraps," Dumon raised an eyebrow as he spoke, watching as Ciel just shrugged his shoulders. Resting was still evidently not the first thing on his mind; his son was just having to make sure he didn't kill himself. Sebastian merely waved it off and smiled, departing the room as quietly as he had entered.

  Shortly afterwards they arrived in the room that had been temporarily repurposed as a communication chamber, being greeted briefly by the one in charge of tending to it now Solomon was incapacitated. Ciel excused himself while the King sat down on the chair, placing one hand on the magically enchanted orb.

  "Hm? Oh, there you are," Sariel's voice echoed through his mind. It sounded surprisingly calm and notably, not annoyed. He had to admit to himself that Sariel had been fairly amicable the whole week, which was a stark contrast to his normal behaviour, more so towards Iomor.

  "Is everything alright there? I've yet to
hear anything from Uriel directly," Sebastian questioned, listening to the angel pause. The lack of a quick response made him wary. Had something suddenly gone wrong? It wouldn't bode well for all of them if it were the case.

  "That depends on who you ask. As far as other angels are concerned, he's just keeping to himself, scheming and plotting. In reality, Uriel's resting up with Arariel at his side." Sariel paused for breath, curious how the demon was going to react to his words. "He is fairly old you know, he doesn't recover as fast as he once did."

  "...I am aware of that, yes. Still, knowing him, I would have expected him to be putting on a display of being perfectly fine." He heard Sariel chuckle, before regaining his composure.

  "Well, you can thank or blame Arariel for that, up to you. It's a little-known fact, but Uriel took the kid under his wing, giving him a stable home after his parents were killed. Due to that, he feels it's his duty to ensure our Monarch's health and well-being."

  "Is there a reason you're telling me all of this? It’s peculiar for an angel to be so frank with me and you of all people."

  "Mhm... It's no secret that I'm no fan of your race, but I'll admit that I was impressed for the most part during that battle. As for why, Uriel didn't specifically say I couldn't say anything. That and I wanted to ask you a question," Sariel responded. Sebastian could hear the disturbance as the angel shuffled his position on the other side.

  Sebastian took a moment to process what he had been told, bracing himself as to what could interest the angel enough to barter information for information. Before he could reply, however, Sariel had accepted the silence as permission to keep speaking.

  "What do you see in Iomor? He's nothing short of a bastard, a point further proven by the information my sources furnished me with."

  "What information would this be?" Sebastian queried; it was the first he had heard of anything and it was worrying.

  "I did notice the lack of women in your front line during that battle, which is supposedly his doing; a male only force which answers exclusively to his whims."