(Ok. Now putting in warnings. There is language, violence, and gore.  Also, this a very dark chapter, sorry.)

 

"Fly away?" A harsh grating voice mocked. "But I have a big surprise for the birthday boy." A creature leaped down through the hole in the ceiling. It was human once, but the body was so disfigured it resembled a gnarled tree. Possession did terrible things to the human body.

 

"You said the boy was mine, I can't wait to drink his sweet blood." A girl’s voice sang out. 

Then you’ll die, Aureus mused. Angel’s blood was poisonous to demons, it would be like drinking sunlight. Unless…

He flung his arm in front of Solar, blocking the arrow with his aura energy. Another poison arrow? Aureus thought as he incinerated it. The effort had cost Aureus a great deal of aura energy. If the arrow had hit Solar, it would have shattered the boy's aura, leaving him as vulnerable as a human before he died. Did these monsters really think Aureus would sit back and let them make a meal of his only grandson?

 

Why were dark forces so interested in Solar? First, something had attacked him and his mother. Then a blood drinker went after him when he was a toddler. Someone had shot one of those demon blood arrows at him barely a year before. Aureus didn’t believe the rumors surrounding Solar. There was a legend that the first angel, the silver sovereign, would be reborn. Reborn in the fire to be exact. That was the only part of translated ancient texts anyone agreed on.

 

It was possible the gloaming believed Solar was a threat. Just as all angels were bound so were all creatures of darkness. Some angels believed the gloaming to be a sentient being residing in the dark dimension. Aureus saw some truth to that, all the parasite demons always worked to the same goal. Destroying light energy until they could summon an Umbra, an elder demon.

 

There had been one near incursion of an Umbra since the Obscura wars. It took dozens of high angels to put the beast down before it could fully awaken and release its poison. Even Umbras were vulnerable to sunlight and angel fire. There was a dark mist surrounding the creatures, which gave them some protection from the sun. Once the Umbra gained enough power the mist became clouds that covered the sky and blocked out the sun. Most angels would die within minutes of being under that cloud. Death was better than what the toxin did to humans and animals. Aureus had seen the images of ‘survivors’ of Umbra toxin. It made the two monsters in front of him seem charming in comparison. 

 

These two were no Umbras, but parasite demons still had the same end goal. They would kill and kill until they had enough power to summon an Umbra. They would have to get through him first.

 

 

"Ew. I don't want to drink your blood old man!" The vampire girl screamed. She was only a few years older than Solar. He recognized her from the town around the castle. He had truly failed the humans under his care. He should have asked for help from other angels. Two possessions under his watch. He would die and be reborn with shame. But first, he would kill these monsters.

 

"Go now Solar!" He shouted at his grandson. Solar stood tall beside his grandfather. He wasn't going anywhere. Or so he thought. Before he could blink, he was pushed out of the dining hall. The doors slammed shut in front of him. Solar was about to blast the door open when he heard a scream. 

 

"Get away from us you freaks!" A servant came running around the corner with a child on her back. What was chasing them? 

 

There were flesh eaters here as well. Aureus thought in the back of his head. Three different classes of demons all in one place. Solar could handle the flesh-eaters (zombies were what humans called them). The blood drinker was a problem, but he was more concerned with the devourer. 

 

They were the most dangerous outside of original demons. They could consume a human body and soul, thereby increasing their power. Theoretically, a devourer's power could increase endlessly as long as it could feed. This one had devoured at least a hundred humans. He could have killed it easily enough in his prime, but he was no longer in his prime.  

 

This level of demonic energy should have attracted a small army of angels, but there was no help coming tonight. The vines surrounding his castle were shielding the dark energy. This had all been planned out. Parasite demons rarely worked together across classes. He felt like this was the beginning of something horrible.

 

"I don't want your help go find the boy, and don't waste any more arrows!" The gnarled creature snapped. 

 

"I think I may want to try the old man's blood." The girl said.

 

"There are 10 servants plus your little boyfriend left to snack on," The devourer told her.

She pouted before jumping up through the opening.

 

"Now dear cousin, we have unfinished business." Aureus's eyes widened, neither one of his parents had siblings 

 

“Your father never told you, did he?” the demon asked with a smile or something that resembled a smile. Was that even his face? Was it originally a male? It was impossible to tell.

 

“Did you know?” The demon said in a disturbingly friendly manner. “That before your father ran off with that angel whore mother of yours, he was engaged to be married.” Aureus didn’t even know his father had a brother before today. Aureus's parents died in a dragon attack when he was still a child. At least that was what he was told. Aureus knew demons to be liars, but the demon's rage was very real.

 

“My father stepped in married her,” The demon continued.” Unlike your father, he was a man of honor. But after I was born, she didn't need him anymore.” The demon looked almost human for a moment. There was the face of a very sad boy in there. Aureus hated to admit it, but the face could have been a relative. 

 

“Luckily I looked just enough like your father for her to love me. For a while.” The demon said.

 

"How can you still be alive?" Aureus asked. Devourers wore out human bodies quickly, so there was no way his cousin, should still be alive.

 

"Hate never dies," His long-lost cousin said, before sending out spiky tendrils to skewer him.

 

*

 

"Fuck off!" Screamed the little girl, on the maid’s back as she swiped a sword at a zombie that got too close to them.

 

"Watch your language!" The maid yelled

"Who cares we're gonna fucking die!" The little girl shrieked.

 

"Get down!" Solar shouted. Fireballs rained down as the girls took cover. The zombies disintegrated into ashes, leaving behind foul-smelling smoke.

 

“Cool,” said the younger girl.

“My uniform is singed now,” The maid complained.

“I can pay for another uniform,” Solar said

“He saves our lives and you complain about your ugly uniform?” The little girl asked

 

“You’re so embarrassing,” the younger girls said, “Thank you first prince Solar Chiara for saving our lives.” She even did a little curtsy. Her sister attempted a curtsy as well.

“So you’re going to deal with the crazy vampire bitch too, right?” The older girl asked.

“Yes, but I have to help with the devourer first,” Solar said. A devourer. The older girl paled. She pulled her sister close.

 

"Don't let it get us, promise me you'll kill us both first." Some people believed that demons kept the souls of devoured humans, subjecting them to an eternity of torment. There was no evidence to support this theory, but there was no evidence to contradict it either.

 

"It won't come to that," Solar said. If the creature got past his grandfather, then Solar would just distract it until sunrise.  

 

"There's more coming, get to the cellar with the others, stay there until sunrise,” Solar told them. The cellar was originally a shelter left over from the Obscura age. It was difficult enough to fight demons and defend humans, so the angels built shelters. The stones were infused with aura energy, they could withstand even a devourer’s attack. The humans would survive this night. The cellar had a door leading to the outside, the vines would burn away when the sun came up. An angel patrol would deal with the two demons if he and his grandfather failed. But the humans would be safe.

 

"Come with us." The older sister said angel or not he was still a kid.

“No,” Solar said.

“You’re only a child and your grandfather…” She trailed off. She did not want to badmouth Aureus; he’d always been kind to her family. But the king was in his final stage, the devourer would make short work of him and then move on.

 

“I’m still an angel,” Solar said his eyes turning white, “Now go.”

 

*

 

Tired. He was getting tired. Aureus hadn’t been in a real fight in decades. He could feel his aura waning, but he had to hold on to sunup. For Solar and the humans left in the castle.

The devourer was frustrated. He hated this man for years; Aureus’s father ruined their lives. His mother had never gotten over the man. A cunning demon had promised her a way to win his heart if she was willing to make a sacrifice. His mother left him with the devourer, and he never saw her again. The devourer had used up the body it was in, so a child could be the perfect vessel. Or at least a snack. 

 

When the angels broke in, he'd thought he was saved. But they made a deal with the devourer. The demon could possess him as long it worked with them. He hated the angels more than the demon inside of him. The devourer had to consume to survive, but the angels had no excuse.

 

Over the years he and the demon came to an understanding. Other than when eating the demon slept, and he could do what he wanted. They eventually became one being. The angels were so alarmed by the situation they imprisoned him. They didn't kill him since they could use him to channel dark energy. He probably would have spent centuries in his cell if not for Elan.

 

He despised that angel more than Aureus. Who the hell wanted to kill their own child? Any child? It disgusted him, but it was his only chance to kill Aureus. If Solar survived the vampire girl, he'd probably just leave him alone.

 

The boy could have hidden but he was defending the humans instead. Did anyone ever defend you? A dark voice asked him. Why should the spoiled brat get mercy? Rage filled him. He was done toying with Aureus. He sent more spikes towards him than he could block. But Aureus was gone. 

 

He could see it now. A secret doorway behind a cabinet. Aureus had been making his way there all this time. What he thought were clumsy stumbles was just a distraction. He destroyed the door and wall. It didn't matter what Aureus did, he would still kill the old bastard.  

 

There seemed to be a sudden increase in light energy. The demon became alarmed. Had the other angels detected him? No, it was Aureus. The angel was wearing some type of golden armor and holding a golden ax with sun symbols inscribed on it. The ax was emanating intense aura energy. He didn’t know Aureus had a weapon that powerful. It didn’t matter the angel was old and weak. He would kill him and the boy.

 

*

 

Tired. The ax was as damaging as the hottest angel fire. Every time it cut him, he weakened. He couldn't regenerate the limbs it cut. The sun would be up in a few minutes, he was going to lose. All the years of planning were wasted.

 

Aureus almost slashed the demon’s core. The core was often thought of as a heart, but it wasn't. The core was what permanently bonded a demon to its host and kept them in the mortal realm. But since he and the demon merged there was no returning to the dark realm. There was only death. The demon in him finally reawakened. They were never truly one, Bellamy thought before everything went dark. Consuming the human’s soul gave the demon temporary power. Lomis hadn’t planned to eat Bellamy’s soul for another 100 years, but this was an emergency. 

 

"You finally show yourself," Aureus said. Aureus could tell when his cousin faded and the demon took control. A dying demon was incredibly dangerous, but the sun was minutes away. Aureus would hold him. Even if he didn’t once the vines burned off the palace, a rapid patrol would be there. 

 

Lomis should have never left that human in charge, now he only had minutes to save his life. Aureus wouldn't let him go, unless. The vines suddenly withdrew from around the castle. Other angels would be on their way, but it didn't matter now.

 

“Remove your armor,” The demon commanded  

 

“Why would I do that?” Aureus asked.

“Because I'll kill him.” The creature had Solar tied up in its vines. One moment Solar had been fighting the blood drinker, and then a spike took her head off and stabbed him in the arm.

 

“Wait don't hurt him,” Aureus said. “This is between us.”

“Now!" Lomis said. 

Kill the boy! A voice screamed inside Lomis’s mind. The Gloaming was speaking directly to him. All demons could sense the murmurings of the darkness, but he’d never had this happen before. He felt truly blessed.

 

“Don't do it grandfa-” Solar was cut off as the vines tightened around his neck.

 

“Fine,” Aureus took off his helmet. “The sun is coming up and other angels will be here soon. It's over.”

 

“It is for you,” The demon snarled sending a spike towards his neck. Before the spike severed his head, Aureus threw his ax one last time. The ax sliced through the vines freeing Solar. The demon sent more spikes to where the child should have landed.  

 

Solar never hit the ground, he was floating in the air, with his grandfather’s ax. The angels were only minutes away and the sunrise was even closer. He could kill the boy, but he would have very little dark energy left. 

 

None of that matters, kill the boy! The voice was even louder, trying to override his survival instincts. Lomis wanted to flee, but he couldn’t. He felt a surge of dark power flowing into him. 

 

He sent a final wave of dark energy and every spike he could towards the incoming angel boy. He heard the crack before he felt it, then everything started to fade. Solar had destroyed his core. Even if the spikes somehow missed the boy, the dark energy should have killed him. The child was on the ground covered in blood; he didn’t appear to be breathing.  

 

So, the brat took him down with his dying breath. Typical. Angels were the worst, he thought spitefully. Lomis couldn’t feel a heartbeat from the child either. I did kill him, the demon thought gleefully. He remembered stories of the times before angels when demons could feast and do as they pleased. Humans were their playthings as they should be. 

Had the boy’s hair changed color? It was pure silver now with rainbow highlights. There was a dazzling glow around the boy. Is that how angels looked when they died? It was rather pleasing, not the worst thing to see before death.

As the sun burned the last life from the demon, Solar Chiara opened his eyes. 

 

 

 

Meanwhile…

Aelius suddenly turned as Kian fell out of the air. He grabbed him before he hit the ground. The other angels continued, while he helped his brother. They didn’t have a lot of time; the demonic energy was high enough to cause a panic among angels. Then it was sourced to the GSK palace. Aureus was in his final phase, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself or the humans. Perhaps that’s why the demons targeted him; demons were cowards after all.

Aelius knew Aureus would fight any demon or demons to the death, he just hoped the old man could last until help arrived. But then Solar was missing and Kian was in a panic. He hadn’t seen Kian panic like this even as a child. Aelius could not allow himself to think that Solar was in the palace with his grandfather. He didn’t want to think at all, he just wanted to burn all demons in existence. Kian would put the pieces together later after Aureus and Solar were safe.

“We’re too late.” Kian gasped, “Solar’s dead.”

“You don’t know that,” Aelius said pulling him back up into the air. So, they were bonded, Aelius thought. Aelius and Kian automatically were bonded as brothers. Though Kian was very guarded about his feelings. Aelius never reached out through their bond out of his respect. But he could feel his brother fading, his aura had blinked out moments before. That’s why he’d fallen. Only an extreme shock, like a broken bond, could turn off an angel’s aura. It was the equivalent of stopping one’s heart from beating.

Kian! Aelius shouted at him mentally. It was like being slapped but in his mind. Kian scowled at him and flew several feet away.

“Don’t do ever that again,” Kian warned.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Aelius told him. 

I almost died, Kian thought. If he had hit the ground with his aura weakened like that, he wouldn’t have survived. When he felt the connection between him and Solar sever, he’d just shut down.  

The bond between Solar and Kian was gone. The bond could only be ended mutually or by death. The connection was broken, just like the promise Kian had made the day Solar was born. 

I’ll protect you.

*Solar will be an adult before he sees Kian(or any of the Azura Clan) again. But will it be a happy reunion?