章 7: Memories of the Academy [Past]

It was one of these rare rainy days in The Heaven. Dark, heavy clouds blocked out the sun, forcing the academy to switch on electric lighting. The raindrops created a pleasant white noise background, drowning out the hushed voices in the main hallway.

Integrated into a wall hung a giant digital board, listing names in green or red. It was the end of a grueling first semester for first-year students hoping to be part of the judiciary system one day. Now it was time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Who stayed? Who had to pack their bags and fly home? On many faces, hope had given way to disappointment, as one after the other sighed, accepting their fate.

"Hm." Standing out from the crowd was a young Alric. If his eyes weren't revealing enough of his archangelic heritage, his wings compensated for that. Even in the subdued sunlight, students could catch a glimpse of his wings' sparkle. Some could swear they could hear the melodious sound of crystals clinking whenever he rustled his feathers.

But despite his extraordinary appearance, he was only a mediocre student. Sure, he had passed everything. But it had always been "just enough," no matter how hard he tried. How often did he have to look at the disappointed faces of his teachers? Yet, his peers still put him high on a pedestal for some reason.

"Sweet! We'll be sharing classes again next semester, Alric!"

"Awesome, congratulations! You'll become an executioner in no time!"

"I'm so thankful you accepted doing the group project with me! I passed as well!"

The day could go on and on with praise, yet Alric's heart was broken. Another failure. Why couldn't he excel at things like his older brother? Why was he not gifted with an exceptional talent? Eros could at least foresee the immediate future, but all he seemingly possessed were sparkling wings. Hiding behind a fake smile, Alric hoped to suppress those thoughts by losing himself in superficial conversation.

As he and a few of his classmates headed over to the assembly hall, they witnessed an argument play out. The closer they came, the more heated the voices sounded. Three older students were ganging up on one poor angel with amber wings by the time they arrived.

"Ugh, look at them, it seems they've picked one of our classmates. Glad it's not us," one angel commented.

"What do you mean?" Alric asked with a displeased voice, not taking his eyes off the scene.

"They're known to 'test' first-years with weird quizzes, and when they fail, they start extorting them for 'private tutoring'. And if you can't pay up, they get, well, aggressive."

"Don't teachers intervene?!"

"They're all, 'you are adults now, go figure it out by yourself' kind of approach. I'd steer clear of their attention, to be honest. I've heard they managed to scare quite a few kids out last year. This guy probably, hey Alric, where do you think you're going?!" His classmate couldn't believe his eyes. Without losing another thought, Alric walked up to the group.

"Stop it!" He spread out his wings, placing himself between attackers and victim. Two immediately halted their movements while the third angel was already in full swing, his fist flying into Alric's face. But Alric had anticipated it, lifting his left hand to catch the hand and hold it firmly in place effortlessly.

"Oh..." the angel said, surprised like everybody else at the speed Alric had reacted.

"We are students of the Judicial Academy here, not some community college for Tengus!" Alric scolded, his blue eyes almost glowing. Everybody took a step back, fear painted all over their faces. Even the onlookers felt a strong sense of intimidation they'd never felt before.

"What is going on here?!" Another presence with a deep, female voice released the students from the spell they were under. With hushed voices, everybody hurried on, leaving only Alric and the four angels behind. Alric let go of the fist he had been holding.

"Ms. Raquel, I-"

"Alric, son of Gabriel." The archangel looked sternly at the young man before her gaze wandered to the others. "You youngsters can be glad nothing more severe happened. Be off with you!"

The boys scooted off as fast as they could. Even the one on the floor managed to pull himself up and stumbled away, leaving Alric alone.

"Great." Everybody had scattered with their tails between their legs.

"Come, follow me." Raquel turned around and began walking.

"Am I getting in trouble for this?" Alric was in disbelief, unwilling to comply.

"You will follow me." Alric felt the immense pressure oozing from her again, compelling him to follow suit.

The two headed to her office, where she forced him to take a sit using her voice. Alric could not do anything against it except let his eyes wander through the antique office with Roman furniture. Behind her stood a large cabinet filled with old scrolls. In contrast, her wooden desk had a floating screen and a flat keyboard on it.

Finally, Raquel took a seat herself. The moment she did, the pressure Alric felt immediately dissipated. She sighed loudly.

"There's almost no day in which you are not involved in some kind of dispute."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't let-"

"Don't worry, I do find it commendable," she added, interrupting him. "However, I would pretty much prefer for you to solve issues on a low-key scale. Otherwise, I may have to actually speak out a formal warning."

"I didn't even do any-" Raquel raised an eyebrow, which led to Alric deciding to swallow his words mid-sentence.

"Anyway," she began as she adjusted her blouse and straightened the winged cuff links. "I was tasked to summon you before you finish today."

"Who is summoning me, though," he retorted, annoyed.

"Your father."

Alric straightened up in his chair. Ever since his current wife had died, Gabriel had decided to live life as a recluse, even alienating his two sons. Why did he suddenly decide to crawl out of the woodwork?

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. But your brother has arrived with a shuttle, ready to pick you up. He's waiting for you at the small landing pad."

Eros. He had just finished the Judicial Academy and was heralded as a prodigy. The stoic man carried his hair as long as their father, neatly braided to the back. He had a slight smile on his face when he saw a foul-mooded Alric heading his way.

"Brother!"

Alric's face lit slightly up. "Eros. It's good to see you."

"Same! Ms. Raquel has complained you've been taking your justice duties slightly too literal, eh?"

"I'm... not," he muttered, slightly embarrassed. Eros chuckled.

"Anyway, hop in. We'll be riding down to The Surface."

"Ugh."

"Come now, as a kid, you used to love Mother's home." Eros handed his brother a wristlet. He accepted reluctantly, putting it on and activating it. Immediately, his wings disappeared.

"Why do we even need these. Officially, we're half-humans, so...?"

"Last I saw, no humans had wings protruding from their backs. Now get in, or you can use them to fly down yourself."

Alric finally opened the passenger door to the small and simple shuttle. The interior was cheap and reeked of deodorant.

"I can't believe you're flying around in this thing," he complained while his brother operated the vehicle.

"I can't be driving some expensive shit when heading out to the slums. As soon as I get out, those people will have completely disassembled it and sold the parts on the black market."

Alric laughed. He looked out the window and watched as the cloud barrier drew closer. He then noticed his brother's executioner blade sitting on the dashboard. He picked it up and carefully weighed it in his right hand. It was solid metal, cast in one piece. Enochian text was neatly inscribed all around the hilt, with Eros' name at the end.

"I can't wait to have one myself!" Alric exclaimed excitedly. "How does this activate?"

"I'd rather have you not activate it here in the cabin." Eros side-eyed his little brother while trying to focus on flying. "Besides, you can't wield it anyway."

"How so?"

"Once your name is inscribed on it, it only responds to you anymore. It will then take on the shape of the weapon you desire deep in your heart. But for it to do so, you must open your heart and accept yourself. Strengths and weaknesses. So you better be prepared for some serious self-reflection, or else you'll only be able to activate the blade in its most basic form."

"I see." Alric rubbed across a few letters. They glowed slightly, but otherwise, nothing happened. Disappointed, he put it back on the dashboard. The shuttle rocked heavily as it continued its descent through the eternal thunderstorm. He continued to watch the hilt roll back and forth. The movements were so soothing that he found it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open. Eventually, the young angel fell asleep before his brother broke through to The Surface.

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