Let's Draw a Picture

by Gothika Angel01

A young girl from the White City wants to travel the cosmos. An Akuma slave child dreams of escaping the hellish tyranny that is her planet. Two unlikely friends share a common dream. How will they do it, though? And who stands in their way? Heaven? Hell? The Counsel?

4. Let's Take A Closer Look

Duleb twirled those golden chains and bracelets that Ophelia had given her in her pockets, wondering what she was going to do with them. It was a small fortune, but it had to be used wisely. An akuma like herself couldn't just wander up anywhere with a fistful of gold, no, this had to be hidden. Hidden where nobody would ever find it. Perhaps she would take it out and bury it someplace deep in the forest.

Duleb only trusted Ophelia and Manol, but Vulgrim had offered her some help in growing her finances. Of course, he'd been giving her that advice all her life, and she wasn't looking to just horde money, she was looking to invest in a property, or at least some land out west where she can get herself some land of her own. Of course, that meant she would have to move to Hena, and in Hena, you had to go through the whole process of buying a claim for the land, waiting for a few weeks for the Grounds Board to send a letter of approval, which allowed her to purchase a lot of land, BUT, if she was denied her claim, she had to wait even longer to go and have an audience with a Landlord, an open interview, more or less, to see if she were worth putting the effort into filing her claim.

She was fully aware that the process would probably take her years, but she was more than determined to get that through and finally have her home in the West, like she dreamed of. Duleb wondered what Ophelia would think, how proud she would have been. Nowadays, the akuma missed her angelic companion more fiercely than ever. Thankfully, she still had Monol to call friend.

Now, being in the racial position she was in, (not to mention her radical social awkwardness ...) Duleb had quite the task on her hands: She must venture into Hena alone and legally procure documents saying that the plot of land she was purchasing belonged to her, and that would be no easy task. People didn't like akumas on this planet. After all, it was their fault that the planet was imprisoned in the first place. Most often than not, akumas never left their home city in the North, but Duleb was a slave child brought from this planet to Hell, and then came back. She was ill taught in the ways of her home world.

She quickly realized that she would need to first become a legal citizen, or have an ambassador to speak to a counsel on her behalf. Succubii were very charismatic, even against their own kind. But befriending a succubus would be tricky all on its own. They were a sneaky bunch, and liked to take advantage of you. The same could be said of the Incubii. Since Duleb was from off-world, she couldn't get anything done in this country without being a citizen first, and that may take years to go through. She had a lot of money here with her, more than enough to but the Land she planned on buying. She could put some in as a means of speeding up the process, but she would have to spend carefully. She still had things she needed after the home was built. She'll need wards, enchantments, chimes, everything.

Living in the woods on her own could attract the attentions of demons, dark spirits, and all sorts of other creatures. She'll need everything she can get to prepare for any possible contingency.

Things were quite complicated there, in that bustling country of Hena. Lots of people having to deal with lots of vouchers, personal identification documents, and all sorts of ridiculous records that needed to be kept, all just to get something done like buy a plot of land or get a decent job at the foundry. Well, thank goodness it would all be taken care of in time. With the right payment, things could be made to move a little quicker.

He who has the gold, makes the rules.

On her way out of the city, to the Surface, The temples and spires were still active. Acolytes watched from their tall spires for demonic invasions; Shamans sat among the open-walled pantheon in the outlands and concentrated on their protection spells over the city; the lancers held themselves up upon the wall, moving their bodies and spears in time with the wind. The wind chimes set up alongside the edges of each structure's awning sang musically in the hot wind while the warriors performed their morning routine. Almost like ch'üan, those ones. They're masks hid their faces from anyone who was watching, but they perhaps knew each other well enough to show their faces around their fellow lancers. Duleb began to wonder if these people knew what "hot" actually was.

Their grace and footwork were impeccable, swaying and striking the air with their spears in time. Truly they were fierce individuals indeed! The Silvian lancers are groups of extremely devoted monks who helped to protect the city from invaders. (Well, not all invaders...) They've been around for centuries; Lancers being the most revered and disciplined fighters that most armies have never seen. Sprites were fast, especially a nimble Sprite female, (or a skinny male Sprite.) So one could imagine being overwhelmed at the unexpected ambush of a group or six or seven ladies with long, super thick wooden sticks, proceeding to clobber you to death.

Now, the Qiang Shǒu, those are another story; the Silvian Gunslingers. According to the history, These were former members of the Silvian Monastery, but were banished and for the usage of outlawed technology and artificial weaponry. Specifically guns. Including, but not limited to, antique Henean rifles and pistols. Apparently, akumas weren't the only race on this planet that liked to tinker.

Duleb had seen the acts of the Qiang Shǒu firsthand in a Silvian trade district before. A shootout between what may have been several parties, against a group of demonic mercenaries. Duleb recognized the uniforms of the bodies as the men began to carry corpses into the smokehouse to be burned. They were sent from the Black Stone. The Qiang Shǒu were outlaws getting themselves involved with civil matters and parliament by acting as protectors of the city beneath the surface, and above it. They have even escorted a princess from Sophia all the way to Hena's Star Capitol. A princess! That's a big deal for these people. It was a strange thing, really. Technology and weapons like guns were outlawed centuries, certainly so were those Gunslingers that came with them.

But hey, this is Sophia! Such things are to be expected. A few robberies; Some random alchemist's failed experiment going up in flames; Another royal scandal; Omens in the sky...

Never a dull moment.

The Akuma made the treacherous journey across the blazing desert back to the warp pad towards the Western nation of Hena. Much like the serpent holes of the Black Stone and other realms, these were simple means of teleportation by distorting one's metaphysical form into tiny particles of light and shooting those particles to the warp pads in another location. The akumas of Nergal had discovered that, and created the first warp pad eons ago.

When at last she zapped into the capitol city, she found herself overwhelmed with the sounds of pulling carts, shouting people, crying children, and much more familiar sounds, like otherworldly chanting, demons shouting somewhere in the distance, and the loud foghorn rumbling lowly over the city's tenor. The streets were packed with people, sprites, akumas, succubi, incubi, and demons of nearly all variations. However, a majority of monstrosities and horrors of the Black Stone could not be seen here. Seems as though only hell's more docile populous would be living in this area.

Heaven forbid they decide to send the bigger demons...

While in town, Duleb decided it would be nice to stop at a tavern for a drink. (An akuma walks into a bar...)

She couldn't possibly ignore the fact that what little conversation being held in this place abrubtly came to a halt the moment she stepped through the door.

There, at the dusty old establishment, she met a lovely, chubby half-succubus with an exquisite face. She had colorful hair, golden eyes, and the prettiest pink complexion. She said her name was Cattie, and she was the owner of this tavern. She worked with the labor board. A rather nice lady, she gave Duleb a voucher to go in and speak with an administrator from the Land Dispersion Administration, along with a bowl of heihei and rice, a free drink and a smile.

"Just tell 'em Cattie sent'cha. And dress nice, these corporate folks like a good first-impression. You'll need a job, a letter of recommendation, and a nice outfit. You're a mighty pretty lady, an' it'd be wise to use that."

There were plenty of wizards and vendors around that would be more than happy to shell out their trinkets for anyone who is willing to pay them a proper coin for it. The same could be said for anyone in the city willing to provide or steal the right documents for her to be able to get what she needed done done.

"Alright, but how am I to get a job if I have no papers?" Duleb asked in a hushed voice.

"Oh, right. Here," Cattie started, reaching behind her and pulling out a pad of paper. She had one long claw on her pointer finger, which struck the paper like graphite as she wrote drown instructions. "Can you lift heavy things?"

Duleb shrugged her shoulders, muscular and strong after all those years of servitude to the demanding demons. "Been lifting all my life. I can do it some more."

"Alright, great. And you say you're from off planet?" She made a hissing sound as she drew in air through her teeth, shaking her head. "That's gonna be rough, considering you almost look like a small legion female-"

Duleb placed a finger on the top of her pad and drew it down. "No. I'm not from off-planet. I'm not a demon. I am an Akuma. I was born on this planet; I was stolen from this planet; I came back. That's it. The only reason I look like this-" she paused to take a moment to really look at her reflection in the mug before her. Dark violet eyes glowed back. Ashen hair fell in stringy locks around her face. She looked nothing like a legion. To her, she thought she was looking at a dragon.

"The only reason I look like this, is because the Black Stone changes you. That planet is attached to a dark star that sucks everything dry, further allowing the Prince of Darkness to build his throne and expand his armies of atrocities. Everything that touches that planet mutates; twists into something that is was never supposed to be. It does it to plants and animals, and it does it to intelligent beings, too."

Cattie had been writing her instructions the whole time, glancing up from her folded up paper and frowning. "How long ya been there, kiddo?"

Duleb looked up from her mug with an empty smile. "Twenty years. Two decades. Several off years."

The succubus brought a hand to her mouth and crossed an arm. "Only seven off years? Gods, I'm so sorry." She paused for a moment to look Duleb in the eye. "Did you cut off your horns? Sweetheart, that's self-mutilation! That's not really an okay thing to do, here. You may have to wrap your head up. Hide it somehow."

A heavy sigh. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that..." She nodded, still smiling vacantly. Quite honestly, now that she thought about it, Duleb had tried to do everything she needed to be normal, but no matter what happened, she still changed. In spite of everything, she now had to come to terms with coming into her own. There was no way anyone would trust her looking like this! She looked like a creature from the abyss, all because the abyss sucked everything good out of her and left nothing but the rot and the sickness.

And abyss.

Now, dress nice? Boy, that's gonna be tough. Duleb had never gotten herself a pretty thing in her whole life, let alone something anyone remotely important would wear. Plus, all she ever really wore was her tunic and trousers, she don't know how to shop! Perhaps she should speak with Cattie again. She seemed to know how to look good, as most succubi do.

A gentleman, an incubus in a dirty, sat in the stool closest to Duleb's seat, calling out to Cattie. "I'll have what she's havin', if'ya please, lovely."

"You still owe me money for the last meal, Danté. You're lucky tomorrow's payday." She scorned from the kitchen.

"You're a saint, Cattie; a gift from the Gods!" he called back in a sweetly sarcastic manner.

"Shut it, before I change my mind."

He hissed a laugh and wiped his yellowish forehead with a rag. As he stuffed the rag back into his pocket, he extended a hand to Duleb. "Howdy there, Miss. Name's Danté, how ya' doin? I hear you're from off-planet, that so?"

She remained in her spot, arms crossed before her on the dirty, worn out bar. "If you're gonna ask about the whole "Heaven and Hell" thing," she grumbled lowly, "Don't. I don't much like talking about it."

Cattie scorned from the kitchen, followed by an unintelligible man's voice. The cook, perhaps. "You'd better not be tryin' to bark up another lady's tree, Danté! Last thing I need is another broad breaking you over one of my tables!"

Danté curled his lip and bit his thumb at the voices. "Now, I heard you're looking for work and you could lift heavy things, so I figured I'd add my two-sense, is'all."

Duleb stared at the kitchen window through a half-lidded, grim gaze, making it as obvious as possible that his presence displeased her substantially. "And what sense do you think you have?"

"I think that the Blacksmith up in the Tower District is lookin' for help since mah buddy, Damion, hurt hisself, and can't work. You said yourself lifting is no problem, and all the work is is lifting iron and diamond quarts from one place to another."

"Damion's hurt?" Cattie asked as she came back on into the bar with large bowls of food; rice and soup with sliced meats, diced scallions and a soft boiled egg."What happened?"

"He lost his leg, 'member? He slipped coming up the pass after those heavy rains, and the breakage was so bad they had to cut it off at the knee. Poor fella's in crutches now."

"Wait' wait, hold on; what was this about a blacksmith needing help, now?" Duleb inquired, grabbing the man's stained shirtsleeve. "It's a bit urgent."

"Well, up in the Tower District, there's a Legion demon that works in enchanted armor and weaponry. My neighbor, Damion, used to deliver his supplies and materials to him all the time, but now he's hurt. His spot is open, but nobody wants to work with a friggen' demon. Zazu's an old demon. I'm talkin' oooold, even for his kind. He ain't a bad character, far as I know. why he's been up there building sheets and Welding metal since I was a boy. He never caused nobody no trouble. The old boy needs help, though, and he pays well. You're from off-planet, so I figured you're used to working with... ya know, those types of creatures."

Duleb stared into her bowl of food for a good long while. "Do you know why this Zazu is even here?"

"I told you, he's an old feller. Says he's retired, but from what, I don't care to know." Danté spoke around a mouthful of food. "You can imagine though, cant'cha?"

Duleb took a bite of food and laced her fingers together, resting her chin on her knuckles and mulling this over. Legion soldiers don't tend to live very long. Most usually die in their youth to mid adulthood; Such was the mortality rate of any lesser demon such as themselves. So how has a legion demon, who has no business being anywhere near a civilized population, lived there so long in the first place? Must be a docile one, and that was like finding a dull needle in a stack of way sharper needles.

Duleb took another bite of her rice and glanced again out the kitchen window. A small Shadow caster lay draped over the window sill, sleeping in the sun like some sort of pet cat. She wondered how many other demons she might find here, and what they wanted. More so, she wondered what she could do to remove them.

"Where is the Tower District? I would like to speak with this Zazu."

---

The quiet of the evening meal was drowned out by Ophelia greedily slurping her noodles loudly; it was so spicy, it made her eyes cry and her nose run, but she loved it anyway. Being the one with the least amount of responsibilities in the house, it was her job to prepare the Sabbath day meal for everyone. Normally, she had help cooking when everyone was home at the same time, and sometimes Luden would come home early and kick her out to take over the remainder of her job. She had no such luck tonight, and slaved in that kitchen forever. But, she managed to get an early start this evening, and everyone was seemingly satisfied with a simple ramen, vegetables and fish meal tonight. Even still, everyone else was tense, and as usual the atmosphere was somehow unhappy. It was a sensation that anybody in this house was used to, and yet nobody ever mentioned it.

The table was a wide, white hardwood antique that belonged to Aboddon'a great great grandmother. Draped over the tabletop was a simple golden tablecloth etched with blues and whites. While Ophelia had not prepared a huge feast, but there was an impressive spread nonetheless. Aboddon sat at the head of the table, Idella and Marciabella sitting at either side of him. Next to them, sat Verdell and Luden sat across from each other, Chamillo, who was joining the family tonight, sat beside the darling sister* and Ophelia sat at the very end. She faced Aboddon directly, but was the furthest at the table.

It was an odd position, really. To be at the very end of an angel's table.*

"Isn't that your third bowl?" Idella nagged from across the table.

"Isn't that your third haircut?" Ophelia retorted around a mouthful of food.

The elder sneered as the youth victoriously slurped the remainder of her meal. Talia laughed and Verdell snickered, Luden and Idella tried to look stoic, Marciabella looked dead as ever and then there was Chamillo. Just sitting there, being Chamillo. Aside from all of that, most everything else was tense and quiet.

"So, I'd like to say thank you, Father, for allowing me this apprenticeship with Lady Bastet." Ophelia addressed from across the table. "It will be a most wondrous opportunity to further hone these mystics of mine." She jokingly twiddled her gloved fingers about in front of her. "Maybe I can even learn to control this, shall we say, "shocking" little quirk of mine!"

Aboddon's one good eye blinked. "What now?"

Idella nearly chocked on a spoonful of soup when she started laughing. "Bastet?! You mean the crazy cat lady at Imundii?!"

"She's not crazy, and yes, I'm going to Silverwall.I thought I told you about that trip yesterday?" She acted coy. "Don't you recall? I told you that I was leaving tonight for Silverwall. If I want to be her apprentice, she'll need me to come and practice my magic with her."

"What?" The general barked. "Why? What does she need you all the way over there for?"

Talia cried out from her spot at the table. "NOOO! If you move away, who will get us up in the morning?" When Verdell whispered to her, attempting to reassure her, He didn't. Far as anyone else at the table could tell, he only made things worse. "No way, she's mean and yells at me! This is nuts, I hate you people!" The child cried as she leapt from her seat and ran off into the other hallway.

"She said she needs some help around the house. She's old and living all on her lonesome, father. Plus, I was gonna be moving there here soon anyways." Ophelia said with a smile.

A bushy platinum brow rose over his eye."How old is this, Bastet, exactly?"

"Far older than you." She gave off an impish grin as she went on. "I thought I had already explained this to you. Were you even listening?" She asked, crossing arms and gloves over her chest.

Aboddon huffed a breath and frowned even deeper, if that was even possible. "I was, and I don't think I'll allow this whole deal to continue any further. You're far too young to be out on your own, and I have already denied you the first dozen times you've asked. So no. You're staying here with us at least until you finish college, then afterwards we'll see about moving yourself out into the Great Big World."

"Father, you're ridiculous. I'm not a child anymore."

"Maybe not, but I lived with my mother for the longest time before I left for the City and became the man that you see before you. I lived under her roof for a good three, maybe four hundred years, so I lived under her rules. You can do the same for me for a couple more years. Have patience, Ophelia."

The young scribe crossed her arms over her chest and gave her father a sour look of contempt. Left for the city? That implied that Aboddon were from elsewhere, and Opi didn't buy that as far as she cold crumble it up and throw it. She blew a tuft of curls out of her face and rolled her eyes as he spoke, just so she knew he could see her disdain. Normally after Abaddon made his plans clear, that was the end of that, but Ophelia had a tendency of arguing her point further. She would never take no for an answer, and he didn't much like that. At all.

A twitching hand rose up to Ophelia's forehead. She took a deep breath through her nostrils and looked over at the General clad in crimson robes. She stared at him from underneath her brows, her eyes dark with exhaustion and grimace. She had been preparing for this move for days, and taking care of her normal household duties, and helping Azreal transcribe a tome on Amaros' fall, and helping Luke and Ignatius repair their ship, and catching up on her astronomy reading.

"Father, why can't I just get out of here? What is so wrong with the idea of me moving all the way to Silverwall while you're here with the rest of your family? Surely it won't make much of a difference being surrounded by your Warrior children while the scribe is out on her own doing her own thing." She retorted. Thinking more on it, she smiled. "Plus, with all due respect, father, I would rather not carry the stigma of a grown adult still living with Daddy."

At that remark, an enormous hand slammed against the tabletop, tipping chalices and sending utensils crashing to the floor. "Ophelia that is enough! This discussion is over. You're staying here, where you're safe. At least until your seventy."

As the young girl stomped red-faced out of the dining hall, her father called to her again. "And you're wrong about something, young lady. I stayed with mother until I was ready, not till I was grown. You aren't ready, and you aren't leaving.'

"Oh hell no," Ophelia laughed as she tugged her gloves off and threw them onto the marble floor. "Watch me." She snapped before disappearing into the hallway Talia had fled to.

Oh, now that escapade made Abaddon mad. He wasn't exactly used to being to being defied in such an open and disrespectful manner, being the great and powerful man that he is, Abaddon was used to getting more respect. More unquestioning obedience than any other angel in the whole of Heaven. Why, he could get anyone to do anything for him. Except his own daughter.

Except one person...

Suddenly, something strange happened; Marciabella's dead white eyes blinked slowly, and she spoke. "Now, I'm nothing if I'm not blunt, and we all know you're just not used to being denied, father. Ophelia just might be the only child of yours to ever tell you no. She's stubborn and hot-headed, just like you. For a scribe, she's got too much bite for her bark. She's feisty, and you don't know how to deal with a girl like that." Marciabella's gaze didn't look up from the bowl in front of her, and she didn't see the wild look in Aboddon's good eye. "You're too old-fashioned, Father dear. You simply have to get down on her level and talk to her like a person, not like a lesser being than yourself."

"Young lady, are you calling me arrogant?" Aboddon hissed through clenched teeth. "Because I will have you know that I-"

"Have every right to be arrogant, I know that, we all know; but Ophelia does not. She sees you as a father, not the Hero of the White Nation. You don't treat her fairly, either, and you can ask anybody else, you're a bit cruel sometimes. It's no wonder she practically hates you. But then again," came the monotonous chuckle. "What do you care?" She daintily sipped from her chalice. "Honestly, I have no idea why you can't just let the girl be. Not like she's hurting anyone."

Luden sat rigid and awkward in the seat beside his sister, who had a pretty sound point. The words lingered there, on the surface of his tongue, but the fear of what punishment might ensue afterwards gave him the power to keep his mouth shut. Throughout the whole ordeal, Marciabella remained blunt and impassive as she ever did, and the sheen splay of red slowly but surely kept its way onto Aboddon's grim features, the archangel slowly got to his feet and cleared his throat. Marci's half-lidded gaze never met his, but he knew she still watched him. She always watched him.

"Go and fetch Talia for me. I'll straighten her out." the great general grumbled. Luden immediately rose, wiped his lips, and made for the stairs. "As for Ophelia,"

"Don't say that, Father, and then go yell at her. She doesn't respond when you yell at her. Do like we talked about." Marci said from behind her chalice.

Aboddon waved her off. "Yes, yes, yes. That's all sorted. As for your other sister, I'll speak with her once she's all settled."

---

Ophelia stormed out of the dining room as quickly as dignity would permit, slamming the door shut behind her, face ablaze in angry red wrath. She stomped down the stairs and out onto the street, hoping that a walk would ease her troubled mind. She heard Verdell and Luden calling her name after her, but she walked on. Her stomach churned with all the frustration. Hestus was smart, but Bastet was far older, and more tolerable than he. Opi wanted to learn from the best, and usually, the best was usually the most experienced. That, and Hestus was a jerk. But Bastet didn't live in the City, like every other scholar among them. They all lived close to their respective places of work. Bastet lived in the mountains of the Chasm; In a cottage; with nothing but the forest animals to keep her company. Everyone thought she was crazy. Either that, or she was an eccentric recluse.

Luden came up from behind her. Chamillo and Verdell came along with him, both wearing their pleading faces and calling her to reason. People walking up and down the avenue seemed to spot her as she came, they quickly noticed there were no gloves up to her elbows and dashed to get out of her way

"Ophelia, wait, calm down for a moment." The eldest brother spoke softly, almost a whisper to his sister, as if the volume of his voice would possibly upset her more. "Just talk to us for a moment."

She continued forward. "No. Stop following me."

"Ophelia, please, just stop-" Verdell called as he and the boys dodged traffic of oncoming angels. "Where are you even storming off too? This is a one way street toward a bakery! A bakery! What, you think cake's gonna fix your problems?"

"Hey, it might! You could get Father an apology cake?" Came Verdell's smart-ass input.

Ophelia growled at her brother's attempt to diffuse the situation, hissing a long breath. "Why should I apologize for our control freak of a father?! I'm up to my ears in his condescending nature and disdainful looks. I'm tired of being treated like some sort of child, and I'm not wanted in my own home! I'm leaving tonight, and nobody is stopping me."

She made an attempt to try and stomp past her brother, but he tried to reach out for her. Instinctively, she opened her arms and hands, holding them out to her sides. All of the boys backed away, as did many of the pedestrians who noticed her little yellow glow.* People started staring and whispering in those hushed voices you never ever wanted to hear on these streets. They wondered if she would harm another angel again.

Luden's eyes shifted from her exposed hand to his sister's narrow gaze. "Fine. If you won't cooperate with him, then let us help move you out. Father would probably have our heads for helping you, deliberately disobeying him, and undermining his authority," each time he brought up another downside,his countenance grew darker and grimmer. "-But we seriously don't want you to be around when he finally does snap." He then wrapped an arm around her shoulders and walked as he spoke. The other brothers trailed behind and beside, almost protectively.

Chamillo spoke next. "You said your going to Silverwall, right?" He scratched his ear annoyingly above Ophelia's head. "Why would you want to live there? Of all places? You do realize that's where all the crazy people live, right? There's only, like, forty-five people there. Why not move to Jordan? It's nice and warm, beautiful island landscape-"

Verdell interrupted, shoving the blond-haired youth away from his sister. "No, Jordan is far too hot. She said she was moving out to Azreal's old loft on the pier. Remember?"

"Yes, I am." The youngest sister spoke up again, still huffy and angry. "I've already been to the property, I just haven't been inside yet. It's a beautiful place, and it's right on the water! It's the perfect place to watch the phases of the planets and movements of stars."

Luden's big hand rested heavily on her shoulder. His breathing came just as so. "I know you're trying, Opi, but this whole science thing you've gotten yourself into had gotten you into a lot of trouble with father as of late. It's putting a huge strain on all of us at home."

The way he said that was as if she had intended to cause strife. At this point, they were back at their home, at the front steps. Ophelia's gaze followed the marble pavement up to the front door, paned in gold and silver and colored glass. The glyph above that magnificently imposing door read, "House of Aboddon," in a dull blue color. Should darkness, or night, or absence of light fall upon the City, that glyph would glow. Every house marker did that.

That glyph never meant anything to the young scribe. This never really felt like her house. She felt, rather, that she lived with some friends and a strange old man she's known her whole life. Being home alone with everyone made her feel so lonely at times. But that shouldn't mean anything to an angel of the White City; satisfaction of one's emotions should come second. She had duties to attend to. She had a job at the Argent Spire, a good job, and father was right in wanting her to stay put.

But that was the last thing she wanted to do. What is an angel if she is but confined to one corner of reality her entire life? Most other angels got into serious trouble for such rebellion to their parental figure. That was, are all, the gateway to delinquency, so they say.

In times like these, she truly missed Duleb. If only she could just hear her voice again.

Luden walked her up the stairs and went on. Ophelia hadn't even been paying attention; hadn't even noticed he was still talking.

"-All I'm saying is that, you can still make peace with him, even if you aren't here to do it. We'll help you move, later tonight, when the moon finally shows up near the water."

"And if we hurry, father may not even notice what we doing." Verdell murmured."I know he'll be with the Winged Lighting all day today investigating Eris's disappearance. He'll be pretty occupied, so I suggest we start immediately."

Chamillo waggled a finger at his brother. "Ah, but your father doesn't leave until later on, another two hours or so."

"Then we're going to have to wait. But Verdell has a good point. Well get started as soon as possible."

Ophelia couldn't believe her brothers were so insistent on helping her move, in spite of their father's orders, no less. Common for young men in the White City, doing bold stupid things for a lady or sister was just a part of growing up. A lot of the time though, Luden would get himself into situations he never thought completely through, and it would often get him into trouble. Sometimes serious trouble.

But he was willing to take the fall for someone who couldn't take it themselves; some would call it foolhardy childishness, but for those who looked up to Luden, they saw that as the hallmark of a true hero.

That was who Luden was in the family; the ambitious hero, the one no one really expected much of, but at the same time had Grand ideals for him.

"So, if I have all this set up here for you to move in stages, can you get it all done by the time I get there?" Opi asked as she packed her final back.

Ophelia was overjoyed that her brothers were there to help her. She even thought that their bickering over who would move what and how fast they would do it was kind of sweet. It was unwise however, to try and leave all of the work to the brothers. They were very disorganized, and had no idea how to stack a bunch of boxes, so, the younger sister had to take the role of overseer and supervisor to ensure that the boys were getting the right things in the right places, and moving them along to the other property in a way that wouldn't destroy any of her belongings.

"What do you mean, by the time you get there?" Chamillo inquired. "Aren't you coming with us?"

Opi reeled back, slapping a palm to her forehead. "Ah, no! I can't! Lady Bastet said she wanted to speak with me at the Imundii spire before I get settled in. She wanted to discuss something with me, I've no idea what, she was so vague in her letter." She paused from her rambling and glanced over to the trio of young angel men holding large chests and coffers of books and other things. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

Luden shook his head. "No, we can get all this done in only a few hours. Piece of cake. You go on and get you business taken care of."

"Yeah, Lord knows we've got nothin' better to do!" Verdell mocked, earning a slap on the head from the two older youths.

Chamillo laughed that theatrical laugh of his and bent to pick up another set of chests. "It's funny because it's true! We've not a thing to do, other than help our dear sister, of course~"

"Okay. Well, that's a relief! I appreciate you boys helping me get this under control!" She grabbed her curls, twisting them up into a messy bun and took the straw hat from her doorknob. "I'll be off, then. I'll see you boys soon. Oh, and Luden?"

He turned and lowered the shoulder of his wing to see her. "Yea?"

"Thanks again, brother. I owe you one."

He pointed a finger at her. "Yes you do. I expect you to write to me, often; not wisp calls, real letters, that I can keep."

"Aww~!" she cooed. Luden just did and said the sweetest things sometimes...

---

The hills and valleys just outside the gates were almost as spectacular as the city up above, Ophelia had never seen so much green; the grass went on for as long as the valley stretched on to meet the small lining of mountains on the horizon to the West, and to the sea in the East. The water that fell from the decorative falls along the bridge leading down to the gates fell into the long and winding river that flowed the opposite direction from Ophelia's destination. This seemed to be one of those places lost to the angels, untouched by another soul for eons. The wildflowers grew in blotchy yellow and blue patterns, insects and birds hummed as they flew around, and in a few places particularly low on the terrain, she could see the remnants of the Moat and the river flowing off to the east.

She looked back up the way she had come. Luden, Verdell and Chamillo were still watching from all the way up there, they had come with her to see her off. They were even waving. She waved back at them, her gaze trailing off to the rest of her former city above her. Something inside made her feel like she was going to miss this place; the schoolyard, where she spent much of her time outside, granted while she was away from Lostlight; the Argent Spire, where she constantly violated her rights to eons worth of information about any type of knowledge she could have ever hoped for, and been greatly disappointed that the subject matter about Astrology and outer space was only limited to one section.; the ramen shop, nothing very special about that place, but when there was no place else to escape to that nobody in her family knew to look to find her, it was Downtown, at Heinia's ramen shop.

The White City seemed so much larger from here; an enormous artificial tube in the sky filled with angels and their homes, schools, and churches. She found it odd how structures so grand and imposing could even stand on a platform of it and not fall through, or tip over, or something. She knew, though, that the foundations of the city lay so deep within the huge crater directly below it, it would be sturdy enough. That, and magical fortifications are most definitely used here. She followed the impossibly large structure from it's roots to the clouds. Even as she stood directly at the stairway to Heaven, she could hardly see past the start of the Downtown area. It was truly a vast city indeed. Perhaps it could still be seen from all the way in Silverwall!

She looked up toward the gate again. Luden and her brothers were gone. Ophelia drew in a deep breath, saying farewell to her home one last time, before turning around to face the road ahead; a primitively paved dirt road dotted with wildflowers. This would be the very first time Ophelia had left the safety of her home, not just for a stroll through the forest, but for a whole new part of her world she had never seen. Out into a world she had only seen in the pages of books. She was so anxious to be on her way, seeing things and writing everything down, she was tempted to pull out her pad and quill.

So why was she just standing there, staring at the dirt road before her? The scene felt like something out of a dream. She never knew that there would be so much fear involved in being out on your own. No more parents, or school, no nursemaids, no manners, no tyrannical Aboddon, no worries, right?

At least she thought so. She hoped so as she started moving her feet.

Ophelia walked that dirt road for miles and miles before she came to the grassy stretch of golden plains that laid before a cliff overlooking the Empty Sea. She knew she would have to fly the rest of the way there. She eventually stood at the edge of that cliff and watched the water below, how it slapped violently against the face of the rocky cliff. The water looked menacing somehow; dark and uninviting, not the way she had hoped it would be. She stood there for a moment, and recalled looking back at the White City's brightly illuminated visage in the distance. Is seemed like it was watching her somehow, like there would always be a time when the City would be in her line of sight, or vise versa.

To think, almost everything up there was all fake. All of it. The trees that grew among the collections of fine houses and other establishments of the White City were all made with magic. The only real earth- actual dirt that came from the ground, that looked and smelled and felt like dirt- could be found outside of the City. This was the only part of the planet she hadn't seen in all her life. as she flew over the dark expanse of the ocean, she thought hard about that.

---

The Imundii Spire was a structure located Near the coast of Silverwall, about a forty minute walk from her new home on the pier. It was almost as grand as structure as the Argent spire, towering over the sea and it's home on the rocks; A pillar of sandy colored granite and emerald stone. The plateau looked like it peered out beyond infinity, far beyond what the ocean would allow. It was everything Ophelia imagined it would be, and more; spectacular, a marvel to witness for oneself. The way it's at the edge, right on the edge of the ocean, right beneath the lighthouse; it looked like a castle from a fairytale. It was like a dream really, and now she was going through the deed of making that dream come true. All she had to do was walk right to the front doors, and begin her journey to the Stars.

Right through that front door...

Taking a deep breath, Ophelia began to make her way up the worn and weathered steps. The enormous Imundii, the pillar of knowledge, of Science and Technology, towered above her, making her feel so small. She thought about how everyone else was so small compared to this effigy, and that fact made her more comfortable. She looked around and saw faces unfamiliar to her, which was strange given the fact that almost every angel in the City looked exactly alike. These were names and faces she had never seen before having never left her City. The eagerness of meeting all these people made her stomach swell. Social anxiety also did the same, only this felt like more of a bloating sensation than actual joy. There were four guards stationed outside of the front door, all holding onto long, gleaming rapiers, which was also strange. What were armed guards doing at a library? Didn't they have anything better to do with their valuable time?

Why was the royal guard concerned in protecting an Angelic facility solely dedicated to scientific research? Perhaps an angel of great importance was visiting today. Maybe they were on guard because they had nothing better to do. Or maybe they were sent here to keep an eye out for her; to watch out for the Renegade Ophelia and see if they can convince her to come back home. Maybe Raphael was in.

"Excuse me sir," the young girl called up from a dozen steps below them. "Do any of you know if Lady Bastet is in today? I was sent for her."

The guards, wearing their typical gleaming uniform and heavy helms, must have known who she was, for the identified her by name. The guards clapped a fist to their hearts and bowed their heads. The only man not wearing a helm of any sort addressed her.

"Yes of course, Lady Ophelia," he replied, extending a gloved hand down towards her as his three comrades went to go and open the doors for her. "She should be in her office, at the very top of the Spire , in the observatory. It's a direct flight upstairs."

Politely, Ophelia took the guard's hand and bowed her head. "Thank you, sir." She said with a clap on the soldier's back as she stepped on inside.

Now the Imundii looked a lot larger on the inside than it was on the outside. The floors and walls were paved of the finest gold, which reflected everything from the ceiling to the passing feet that squandered by. The windows, which ranged greatly in size and height, were made entirely from stained glass that one could find in a cathedral. As a matter of fact, the glass was probably made here, from the sand pits in the rock quarries just outside of this tiny town. Ophelia thought to question about that later on.

Curled wings stretched out and gently cast the angel upward toward the spire's peak. On her way up, she noted the similar architecture to that of the Argent Spire, how the library itself revolved around a winding staircase leading to the top. A few other angels all flew about, each one a female of dark skin and dark hair. Angels in the city only ever had white hair! The only other angels Opi had ever seen with any other color hair were Marci, Rose, and Idella. But even still, they were all so fair; the women here were a large contrast to that, sporting deep olive toned or mahogany skin, the diversity of this place was incredible.

She landed on a small jade platform hovering just on top of the lab's landing. The lab was a small, cozy space swathed in a somber golden and bronze color by the amber windows and noon bright sunlight. A simple two-story flat with a short staircase that spiraled around the huge cluster of golden globes in the center. That piece alone was the centerpiece from the entire room, setting directly beneath a ray of golden sun. Planetary models, moon models, star maps and comet charts practically hung from all across the expansive ceiling, which happened to open up to a glass-dome stargazing room! Right where the telescope should be! And the Brazier for the Lighthouse was being tended to by a tall, skinny man in long white robes. There were cats everywhere!

Cats everywhere~

The grinding and clanking of the gears and plates below the globes was rhythmical, relaxing almost. It was all around, in the walls, floor, and even a few up above. Those moved the mobiles and stars hanging from their respective wires. Ophelia also heard humming coming from behind the globe. She hurriedly made her way down the tiny flight of stairs, watching the mechanisms work through the glass floor, and came across the figure of a squat little old lady with a fat white cat in her arms, along with a few scrolls. She set them on the tabletop and giggled to herself, talking in a hushed voice to the cat.

"Now if Sahaquiel would just put his scrolls back when he finished reading them, I could die happy!" she heard the old lady mutter.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Ophelia started, hoping not to startle the little woman. "Do you happen to know where Lady Bastet is? I'm hoping to ask her about an apprenticeship, and I-"

The leathery little lady turned to face Ophelia, looking her over with eyes so small, so obstructed by winkles, she almost seemed to have no eyes. "Ha! You're lookin' at her! This is ol' Lady Bastet. You must be Ophelia, Aboddon's girl! I've been so eager to finally speak to you outside of letters! Oh, and look how beautiful you are! You look just like your father..."

She just met me and already I feel insulted. This will be a fine day indeed...

With surprising strength, Bastet grabbed a hold of Opi's gloved hand and shook it furiously. The white cat traversed the lady's broad shoulders and now sat atop them. Ophelia wondered how such a frail looking woman could have such a strong grip! (And support such a fat cat-) She knew Bastet was older than the rest, but she had no clue she'd be so... well... Angels typically didn't tend to age once they turned thirty, and didn't seem to age for a very long time after that. So an angel as worn and wrinkly as Bastet had to have been millions of years old! That's, like, waaay longer than any other angel's been alive! She may very well have been-

"Why, yes, I am of Aboddon's house, but not any more! I'm setting up shop here in Silverwall now! Right on the pier." Opi proudly declared, taking a moment to reassemble her thoughts and focus on the conversation.

"On the pier? You mean Jophiel's old studio? Well that's awfully kind of her to let you move in. Or did Azreal let you in? I know for a fact she let him in first- Don't you know how often that house gets flooded?"

Ophelia giggled. Bastet has a funny train of thought. "Actually, no, I don't. Although I am aware of the seasonal flooding. Pompeii gets a lot of rain, the sea swells, and Silverwall pays the price."

The old angel laughed as she stroked her cat's head. "True. Well come on in, make yourself comfortable. I'll pour us some tea."

Bastet set the cat on a table right beside the curve of the globe and shuffled off into the bookshelves. The cat then stretched, licked her paws for a moment, and curled back up on the tabletop. Ophelia took a moment to admire the office as she took a seat at the desk. She listened to Bastet clattering around in the hidden kitchenette. The bookshelves lined the areas of the wall in front of the machinery, ever taller to reach the ceiling opening up above. So many books, and they were the handwritten observations of the Angels of the Stars themselves. These were their findings throughout their lives of watching the heavens beyond our own. They had gone farther than any astronomer before, and the Kingdom of Heaven did so at an incredible age.

Bastet shuffled back into her office with a tray of teacups and a large black kettle that hung hung from a woven ring around the crook of her arm. She hooked a long stand of grey hair behind her ear as she spoke. "So you're here to ask about an apprenticeship with me? While I'm utterly flattered, you know that my daughter, Kokabiel is also a scholar, among other things. She regularly gives lectures here at the Spire." She proceeded to pour three cups of tea, one cup for the cat.* "She usually teaches the more juvenile youth of or area, but Silverwall is such a small community. Not a whole lot of families with children. Mostly old folks and workers, so not too many people have any interest in stargazing. Her classes are small."

"Oh, I know, my Lady. In the City, there weren't even astronomy classes! There was hardly nay science at all! Just engineering, military, mystics, medics and scribes. That's why I came out here." Opi said quietly, fiddling with the teacup in her hands. "Azreal told me there was only about twenty people living here when he was in town." she lifted her teacup to her lips. "What I wanted most was to learn more astrology and astrochemistry; My only interest is the cosmos, and the White City only has but a few things to teach. I still have many questions left unanswered, and I feel like this may be a way for me to just, dig a little deeper."

The elder angel sighed nostalgically. "Well, If you're already here, I want you to know that I'm taking a few of my personal belongings from his office, and I'm letting you move in. Whenever I give you an assignment or a project, this will be your workplace, as well as your study. Your own private office at Imundii. I thought you might like the telescope upstairs, so I have the keys to the hard light latch in my top desk drawer."

A sarcastic chuckle. "Oh, do you mean to tell me this is all mine now?" Opi inquired playfully as she set her cup on the table. She jumped when the man tending the Lighthouse brazier left, opening the loud, creaky door.

"Did I just stutter, child?" The elderly angel asked with a raspy laugh, sipping her tea. "I'm old. I've had enough of all this flying back and forth from my house to the spire, and back. I'm retiring, and I'm retiring my space. My daughter has her own office, her own telescope, and I have no other predecessors to give this place to. Plus, my cats seem to think you're nice, so I think I can trust you." she explained as she sat back in her chair and took a long drink of her tea.

Ophelia sat rigid. "Oh my God, you weren't lying." she clasped her hands together over her lips and pulled in a deep breath, nearly spilling her drink. "I'm sorry for swearing, but you can't be serious. All this space? All these books? Your cats? And the telescope?" she asked, not having realized that tears were gliding down her cheeks. "Your cats, though?! I just got here!"

Bastet smiled so much, her eyes nearly disappeared beneath her wrinkles. "If Mau likes you, then I like you." she said, stroking the white cat's long back. "Besides, I've spoken with some of your old teachers since we've been exchanging letters, including Raphael, and even he says you're a great person. You're clever, reflective, and full of potential. This is the perfect place for you, child. I will be teaching you privately in my home, but this is where you will do most of your research and major projects. And your reading. Did I mention the reading?"

"Oh, there was never a need to mention reading," she mumbled and wiped her cheeks." Forgive me for being so drastic, I'm just excitable!" Ophelia stopped talking when she looked on over to see the wrinkly old smile. A flush heated her cheeks and Ophelia sighed, trying to play it off.

Bastet giggled like a little girl. Something about the way she giggled sent a flush of a deeper crimson across Ophelia's face. The student sipped at her tea, trying to contain her excitement. Bastet's wrinkly little face curled into a tender smile.

"Besides, it's best a working woman has a place separate for her work from home. Work and Home tend to fuse together to make Mess."

She couldn't help but think about the teachings of Kokabiel downstairs. Ophelia had read a few passages on Kokabile at the Argent Spire, but little information was found other than the fact that she was a child of the Archon Bastet, and had fallen in love with science and the universe rather than her Codex. She asked Bastet if and where the Angel of the Stars would be teaching today, and was told that, "Her classroom is downstairs, on the ground floor. It's one of the first rooms to the left as you enter. You can't miss the great big blue door."

Excitement welled up in her guts as she walked around the ground floor, searching for that blue door. The white walls and the golden floor seemed to circumnavigate the enormous fountain within forever, but after about twenty minutes of searching, she found it. The enormous blue door, one that stretched almost as high as the ceiling-

And the doors were wide open.

The room was actually a music room, lighted in ambient white light that looked like it was coming from outside as well as inside. It was about that time for the sun to be it's most intense. The light cast all of the blue and white furniture throughout the room in brightness; the station where the orchestra would be seated; the blue pews of the choir; the cluster of blue and white robed teenagers gathered around the grand organ at the center of it all, one among them speaking in an older, all bathed in the shiny white light of the stainless windows.

"Sound waves are so beautiful to hear, my pupils, but imagine how beautiful they'd be to see with our eyes."

Ophelia glanced about, making sure she wouldn't get into trouble wandering into a class that wasn't hers, and stepped inside. She approached quietly from behind, so not to disturb anyone who was listening, and she listened in herself. There were a few young angels up in the windows as well, one with a large white guitar, another with a long pink lyar, and a young man in light armor. Minstrels. And a paladin? In the White City, you would never see a paladin- or a warrior of any kind- sitting near a bard! She watched them from below as she reached for her writing utensils in the knapsac at her side.

"Have any of you ever wondered why organ pipes have different lengths? I press a key," a high pitched squeal rang out through the room, making Opi flinch. "and it sends compressed air into a particular pipe, producing sound waves. Now, if we could slow down these sound waves a couple hundred times, they'd sound much, much different."

She pressed another key, playing a much deeper tune than the first. Only this time, as the sound came spilling out of the pipes up ahead, the entire room rippled. The waves from the pipes actually emanated all around the room. The younger students gasped and marveled in awe at the sight, as did Ophelia. Impulsively, she began taking notes. She heard laughter from up above her, in the rafters. More young men and women in light armor, bearing the same colors as the paladin the the window.

"The length of the pipe determines the length of the sound wave that can fit inside of it. A short pipe gives you a short sound, whereas a long pipe gives you a long sound. Short sound waves have a high pitch, or frequency," Again, she pressed a key, playing another high pitched squeal. The sound waves bounced from here to there all across the expanse of the beautiful abbey. it was a little disorienting to watch. The more noise people made, the more distorted things looked. It got to the point where Ophelia could no longer make out the text she had written in her notes.

"Let's stop this wave here to get a better look." Quickly, Kokabiel stopped and brought her hands out before her, stopping a small part of the ripple from moving. Ophelia tried to see what was happening behind the more taller classmates. The spell warped the images of her waist and hands, and all the sound waves suddenly stopped in the middle of their paths to the ears. "The distance between adjacent waves is called a wavelength. Longer pipes give you a longer sound wave, with a lower pitch, or low frequency."

It seemed as though the scholar was growing irritated by all of the chaotic waves, so with a flurry of comical and frantic swatting, the magic sound waves vanished from sight, the magic dispelled.

"Thank you. Now, notice how far and how fast these waves have traveled during the duration of this note. Sound waves can't travel through a vacuum, like in outer space, they need matter to travel on, like molecules of air, water, and rock. Light waves, however, are different. They fly solo; and that, my children, is what we will be discussing today."

At this point, the other students were just now getting their notepads out at the ready as the live lecture began. The paladins in the rafters chatted among themselves, and the bards in the windows laughed, soon disappearing with their armored friend out the window. Ophelia had been writing everything down. "Light waves can move through empty space, and they can move fast. Over a million time faster than sound waves. And the wave lengths of the light we see, are so much shorter than sound waves, about fifty-thousand light waves could fit right in here," Kokabiel held her pointer finger about a hair higher than her thumb and let all of the children get a good look. Some giggled, others squinted, as if trying to see the tiny waves of light with their own eyes.

"Just as the wave length of sound determines the pitch we hear, the wave length of light determines what colors you and I see. Prisms, or the glass fixtures of light-bending science, change and manipulate that light. Prisms spread out the white light we see to reveal all of the colors that make up that white light."

A young man raised his hand above his head and Kokabiel pointed to him. "But how can a prism spread out the colors concealed in a beam of sunlight?"

"Fantastic question, Andell, I'm so glad you asked!" Now, she pulled a small crystal out from her robe pocket and held it high up into the light. On the marble floor below, the entire rainbow could be seen perfectly. "You see, when light travels through air or space, all of the colors move at the same speed. But, when it hits glass at an angle, the light slows down and each wave changes direction. Inside the prism, each color moves at a different speed. In glass, violet light, which is carried by the shortest waves, slows down more than red light, which has the longest wave length. These changes in speed help pry these colors apart, sending the waves off in slightly different directions. That, my pupils, is how a prism works."

"You are witnessing Astrophysics; the birth of my own field of science, and the sciences you will all come to understand, hopefully, by the time these next few terms are over. Written in light, the vertical black lines between one and every color, within one and every color, are a secret code."

Hushed murmurs arose from the cluster of students. Now, Ophelia had no intention of coming here to hear a lecture of the the properties of light and sound, but she was already so engaged, there was no way she could tear her attentions away. Well, that, and she had never heard anything about hidden codes in the light. That was some food for thought.

"When I first saw this phenomenon through my telescope, I wondered why. A code, it comes to us from an alien universe. I wondered, what is this message written in the dark vertical lines. Little did I know that it would take a hundred years of research, questioning, and need only experimentation to decipher it. There are many layers to the fine structure of beauty. Like the chemistry of our planet, and its atmosphere. Many distinct threads, allow me to examine one, at the utmost surface: The colors of nature that dazzle us. What's really happening? Let's take a look a bit deeper into the colors that we see and the codes within."

As Kokabiel went on about this subject, Opi heard the Clock Tower start to go off. It was chiming ten. Oh no, the Boys! I'm still moving! I have to get back home!

Ophelia ghosted out of that classroom as quickly as dignity would permit. The flight from the Imundii to her new home was a short one, but somehow those young Paladins made it possible to get everything delivered in less than three trips. Ophelia apologized to the group for getting sidetracked on this most tedious task. They said it was no problem, though, and had spent some time enjoying the scenery. Made her day much easier.

Now the boys said that they would help her move her belongings from one place to the next, but when it came time to unpack all these things and get them organized, they suddenly felt the need to go and stretch their wings.

They didn't come back. They all flew their happy asses home. Very possibly have gone to sleep.

Oh well. At least they swept up their mess.

She was so eager and so excited to get started on her new house, she hurriedly unrolled her hammock and found a nice space, right beneath the skylight for her to sleep. The moons looked enormous from this spot, and the neighboring planet's rings glowed luminously blue. She tied her hammock to the rafters up in the ceiling and searched for her pillows. She made sure to get all of her important belongings off of the ground floor, since she wasn't exactly sure how high the tide came out to her house. She didn't want to take a chance on getting any of her important books or scrolls damaged.

As she lifted heavy boxes up and over one another, she noticed the lines drawn on the floor. They were lined up with certain points on the walls that held a hard light ward, but of course, the wards were empty. The lines on the floor were all in sacred geometry, so she tried not to disturb them at all, lest she disturb some ancient spell Azreal may have set up here.

She stepped out on the porch, listening to the ocean. She listened to the waves, watched the two moons reflections in the mater beyond. A good portion of the shore was nowhere to be seen. She wanted to step out onto the shore and get a better look at things, but the water was all the way up to her top stair! Any higher, and It'd be up to her doorstep! She playfully splashed around in the warm waters, marveling at the faint orange hue the water took in the moonlight. She knew about the tiny animals that made up this strange orange light, and found it oddly satisfying how they made the ocean water, and everything swimming beneath her stairs glow!

She didn't want to stay out for too long, or else she would miss out on work to do tomorrow. She did want to see more of what was going on down there, what the fish were doing, where they were going, what types of fish came up here during the nighttime tides, but she was tired. All this thrill and excitement left her emotionally and mentally exhausted, and let's not even go over the numbing fear of what would transpire should Aboddon find out when he returned home, and her room was cleaned out!

Oh no. That thought settled as Ophelia climbed the stairs back into her house. Once inside, she changed out of her sodden clothing and slipped into a nightdress. She feared what he might pull as punishment for going against his wishes, and even leaving behind his back, of all things! Normally, this was something Ophelia could be seriously reprimanded for; this would made her a runaway, by all accounts. Runaways were associated with Delinquents. A Delinquent under Aboddon's name would be relinquished immediately, Ophelia had seen it happen herself with one of Azreal's sons, Raziel.

Raziel was said to have been a wonderful person, but after the death of Leliel, Azreal's youngest and only daughter at that time, something happened that changed him. He turned sour and distant, often saying or doing things that were considered extremely rude or blasphemous. She remembered hearing rumors about his actions while she was in school, but she knew Leliel; they were in the same class before she passed away. Opi knew that Raziel and Leliel were very close, and knew that her death had done something to haunt him, and from then on, he was corrupted by the memory of his darling sister.

She reflected on the hearing on his delinquency and when he was banished. She remembered feeling so sad for him. Not even Azreal could help him, and he was cast out to the Wake. She feared if that was what Aboddon would do to her. Hugging her pillows close to her, she looked up at the moons, now a purplish-blue hue in brightness. Her gaze followed the little dark lines in the rings of the nearby planet, finding herself dazzled by their brilliance. This was the way she wanted things to be, a feeling she'd longed for her entire life. There was no way this could possibly be wrong! She didn't deserve a punishment so cruel.

But neither did poor Raziel...

---

The following morning, as the young girl woke from a deeper sleep than she'd had in a long time. She felt out of place. She looked up to see bright morning sunlight peeking past the sunroof in her face. She could still see the planet; the smaller sun hung just above it. She listened wearily for the sounds of approaching feet; no noise, save the cawing of some seabirds. She heard the ocean through her open window. But most importantly, she didn't hear him. No Aboddon. She rubbed her hair back, gathering locks of messy curls of white,pulling some out of her mouth. She was wearing only her nightgown, but she sprang from her hanging bed and bolted out the front door, eager to see her house in a better light.

The salty wind was the first thing that hit her, then it was the sharp coolness of the early morning breeze, opposite the warm stillness the night before. Clouds drifted by in lazy puffs of ivory white and shimmering gold. The sunrise was pink on the horizon. Oh but the sky! She stood a good fifteen minutes just standing on her front porch and staring. She could see heaven's neighboring planet perfectly! Why, she could still make out the small storm on the planet, slowly fading with the light of the rising sun. The rings of that planet were painted a faint green and yellow in the sky. She let her head fall, her gaze following the waves that lapped up along the pebbly shore. All of the pebbles shone a bright orange, like the water of the night before. Did the angels here wake up to this sight all the time?! Every day?

No. No other angels lived right here on the water, they all lived closer to town. Only Ophelia, Azreal,and Jophiel had gotten to see this. Maybe that was why the Archangels have lived in this spot! The morning sky was the most beautiful thing for Jophiel to paint, and she imagined Azreal could meditate out here for hours.

She rubbed her shoulders and stepped on down, flinching when her bare feet touched the cool, smooth pebbles. It was funny to walk on, but she got used to the feeling after a few minutes. She looked around, making sure nobody would be swooping by while she was out in her nightdress. She walked under her porch and looked around to where she saw those glowing creatures beneath the water last night. She searched around the rocks for something alive, but only found crustaceans. Nothing glowing orange either. Damn. She really wanted to know for sure what those things were.

Ophelia headed back inside and decided to have some tea before she head out. She was to go to the pier and meetup with the twins, Luke and Ignatius. They told her at the spire that they had something for her, and she always had a thing for surprises, so of course she had to come. Of course, that would have to wait until after breakfast.

She decided that she would walk to the pier, rather than fly, to get a good view of the scenery. The morning was chilly and the sky was tinged multitudes of purples, pinks and golds. Having lived in the city her whole life, where it is noon-bright all year round, seeing a sunrise for the first time was absolutely breathtaking. All the colors in the sky, and the stars were out! She reminded herself to paint a picture of it for Duleb, to show her she had still been practicing!

She walked down the long expanse of the pebbly shore, and up the grassy hill towards the boardwalk. It was a series of sturdy wooden walkways leading from one part of the island to the next. She also took note that there was a similar wooden bridge leading from the town of Silverwall to the Imundii Spire. Ships dotted the ocean beyond that bridge, coming and going from their places in the fjord. Even more ships were lined up at the pier, angels flying this way and that as they tended to their vessels. She tried to keep an eye out for the familiar faces of the twins, but she only saw mostly dark-skinned shirtless angelic men and their sons working around the docks.

Once she was well away from the ships, she found herself at a crossroads similar to that of Hampchester's Square in Lostlight; four intersections of road that seemed to head into four different districts, she knew not one from another. Opi had to stop a few people and ask for directions. Apparently, this town only had one bakery. One place to go and get some tarts! That was outrageous! Not to mention the fact it was an hour walk across town. It was well worth the trip, however. The bakery in Silverwall was amazing! They had absolutely everything! The fish market was right behind it, and were the spice traders from Jordan and the fruit bearers from Pompeii were setting up seasonal shop next door, and the bakery made one of her favorite things- Ramen!

The boy at the shop was young, about twelve it seemed, and yet it seemed he was running the front just fine. His name was Hermes. It was strange how someone would just leave a kid in charge...

She bought three tarts and called it good, making her way back down to the pier. She walked at a leisurely pace. She wanted to see as much as possible before she went off back to the pier. She walked on past a few shops and homes, not like the identical structures of the White City. These buildings seemed more... modest. More practical for people of a smaller town, not so much grand and imposing as it was blocky and primitive. It looked nice; lots of plants and birds were seen in a great many windows, the outdoor streets were paved in orange sandstone rather than marble bricks. The homes and buildings around also looked to be made of that same sandstone.

Ophelia realized while walking that this was actually a nice change of scenery. She quietly admired the colors and shapes around her; the way the buildings stacked up on top of one another, rather than being all separated, and she liked that things were much smaller here. She could actually see the sky.

Ophelia did take notice of the fact that people seemed to act strangely around her. For instance, while Opi was checking out a floral shop beside the pier, she addressed a younger man asking what types of flowers they were, for she had never seen them, he seemed intimidated by her. He shuffled nervously and wouldn't stop looking over his shoulder, avoiding eye contact, and apologizing every other sentence. Normally, one would be chastise for such foolish behavior, especially in front of a lady, but Opi surmised it may be because of her attire. She never considered while getting dressed that she was actually going to be out on a boat. She was dressed in her usual robes of pink and blue, and noticed how most of the people dressed much more modestly.

She felt rather foolish after that, and even more so at the fact that some stranger would have been intimidated by a woman in a pretty dress. She thought she might as well hurry on home and find something else to put on, but all she ever wore were dresses-

"HEEY! OPHELIAAA~!"

Oh come on now...

Ophelia looked to where she heard her name being called. Two figures with broad white wings and even broader grins waved at her. Luke and Ignatius were without their armor, standing bare-chested in the bright morning sun, which Ophelia would never imagined she'd see in her lifetime. Why, they actually looked a head shorter without all their blocky armor. Nevertheless, they were massive men, and they were not at all unattractive. Ophelia felt a sudden heat spread across her cheeks, and had to remind herself not to stare, but it was a bit hard not to. She sucked her teeth through her lips and waved back, stiffly walking back toward the docks.

She watched from the corner of her eye as Ignatius pulled the long blonde hair from his face and pulled it back into a tight bun. Luke was busy unraveling a huge line of rope. They were chatting about the wind direction while Opi anxiously boarded their ship. A modestly sized ship, just as she hoped it would have been. She had seen a few of the more larger commercial ships, and didn't want to have to dive from a huge bay and plummet into the sea like a dead bird. The size of the vessel made her more comfortable.

"Oi, it's a good thing you came in so soon," Ignatuis started as he hefted something enormous up onto the bay of the ship, perhaps an anchor. "Thought you might not show today. We were gonna sail off without you."

Immediately, Opi perked right up. "Where are you off to?" She asked, crossing her arms as she approached the edge of the bay. She jumped as the screech of a hawk sounded from above, but recognized the bird to be Horus, Luke's animal companion.

"We're making a quick trip over to Pompeii, to the Kilauea district'" Luke interjected, tossing an armful of rope over the edge and into the water. "We're gonna do a round trip around the island, pick up what we need, show you around, and be back in time for supper tonight!"

Oh goodness, this was exciting! In a moment of childish excitement, she squealed and hopped up and down in her spot. Luke and Ignatius laughed along with her, having known her to be this excitable since she was little.

"Ay, you brought breakfast?" Luke asked, pointing with his chin at the bundle in Opi's hands.

"Oh yeah, I bought some tarts. But I'm way too excited to eat this now, I wanna get going! What can I do? How can I-"

Ignatius dropped down from the sails and delicately placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hold on now, haven't you been swimming yet?" he asked dryly.

The ship bobbed with the waves below. "No I haven't. I didn't imagine I'd be swimming today-" she sheepishly began tugging at the collar of her breast. "I haven't exactly dressed for the occasion..."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Luke and I just swim in our small clothes, I'm not too sure about women, though." He scratched his chin and thought for a moment. "I'm sure you could just take off all your robes and jump right in, we're all friends here."

Luke called over from the rails, pulling up the rope he had thrown in. "What are women even supposed to wear in the water?"

"Don't you fools know anything about women?" Ophelia playfully chastised, unbuttoning her collar and slipping off her shoes. "Ladies don't have torsos; just a void of space between our knees and our neck. We wear dresses and robes so not to scare any of our brothers away from us~"

Ophelia and the boys laughed as she tossed the shawl off of her shoulders and handed her treats over to an eager Ignatius, stepping closer to the rails. She could see her reflection in the dark azure waters below, and the shadow of Horus soaring up above. She had never swam in the ocean before, and had never known what it was like swimming in another animal's territory. Especially given the fact that this ocean was filled with whales, sharks, and the Creator only knew what. She was always nervous of swimming out into open water, not knowing what lurked in the darkness below and beyond. She had never even swam in a lake, or a pool, or a pond! The closest things Ophelia had ever experienced that was even close to swimming, were the baths she would take as a child, and eventually grew out of.

She listened closely to the boys talking it up from behind. She was weary of Ignatius trying to throw her into the water, as Luke had warned her that he can a trickster sometimes, and likes to play jokes on people.

"It's not as bad as you think it is. Only real problem about angels swimming is they tend to get real heavy. Going down isn't as much a problem as coming back up. Luckily, your wings are tiny compared to ours, so you might have an easier time moving around." Ignatius remarked, coming in close and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He pointed out toward the horizon. The shape of a small island stood out against the azure background. "That's the Lighthouse where Sahaqiel was raised. It guides in our ships during the storms."

She looked to where he pointed, but had to squint to really see what he was talking about. What she saw, though, didn't look like a lighthouse at all. Rather, it looked more like a flagpole jutting forth from the spire.

"There are two lighthouses?" Opi inquired, watching things stirring beneath the water. "Who lights the second one?"

Both brothers laughed. "Uh-huh. What, you didn't read anything about Ananiel in all your years of studying? She's the angel of storms; The Skymaster!" Ignatius frowned at Opi's puzzled expression. "She's the one who watches for storms, and helps sailors return to the shore safely. Her son, Sahaquiel, he lights the lighthouse at the top of the Imundii Spire. When the ships are out during monsoon season, She lights that tower, because the radiance from the sacred hardlight used to house the fire and the brazier intensify the natural glow of the holy fire, making a beacon that's impossible for our ships to miss."

Ophelia's eyebrows rose in surprise. She had no idea anyone had lived in that place. She thought it was just a lighthouse. She wanted to go and visit this Ananiel someday, and perhaps ask her a few questions about the magic hardlight. "That's very interesting. My new office is right beneath Bastet's Lighthouse! I think I may have seen Sahaquiel yesterday, I'm not too sure. Although I have to say, I've never heard the name Ananiel before."

Luke spoke up this time. "They probably have little documentation of her in the Argent Spire. After all, her family didn't belong to the city." He hopped down from the stern and stood a few feet away from the rail. He held a hand out before him, shielding his eyes from the sun's reflection off the water.

Ophelia wondered why any person wouldn't "belong to the city," when the White City was for everyone. She thought back to what Idella had said about Bastet not being of the city. Is that what she implied? That she didn't belong?

Opi immediately dispelled the thought from her mind. Now wasn't the time to be having such negative thoughts. She came out here today to learn about living out on the ocean, and she wasn't going to waste today by moping about while everyone else had a gay old time.

"How deep is the water?" She asked over the one of the screaming seabirds close by.

"Where we're at? About fifteen meters deep. There's a reef coming up in a few miles, thought you'd wanna go see that first." Ignatius replied as he wandered off to the Bay of the ship. "Ya ever seen a shark up close, Opi?" He called over.

"No I haven't."

The blonde elder laughed. "You ever touched one?" He called again.

"That's a stupid question." Ophelia laughed. Luke shot her a thumbs-up from beside her.

Both boys laughed and hooked up the lines, drawing forth the sails. Ophelia rocked on her heels as the boat jutted forward and they pulled through the water. She moved closer, leaning against the rails and watching the waves up ahead, and the young lady's reflection disappeared. More dark shadows moved beneath the surface. She wondered what they were, and was eager to find out.

Ophelia brought a hand before her, shielding her eyes from the sun. They were much further from the shore by now. Ignatuis mentioned that she may want to change before she tries to dive in; heavy angelic robes would surely drown her. There wasn't much else for a young lady to wear in the White City, so she thought it might be best to just go with Ignatius' idea and go out in her underwear.*

After some more sailing, Luke threw down the anchor and raked his bluish-grey hair back. He then brought up what he had said was a Harpoon gun. He demonstrated to Ophelia how the hooked and barbed end was used to catch large fish and sharks, and proceeded to show her what it was like in action. After the three angels scanned the reef, searching for a few good-sized sharks, Luke shot at the water, and it in turn turned put his fingers between his lips and whistled real loud, signaling the falcon to go out and retrieve their catch. Opi held an arm up to shield her eyes from the glare against the water. She watched the bird dart up and out, circling a few times about three meters out before making a dive for the water. Luke had that animal trained well. Opi quietly envied the man for having a companion that actually cooperated with him.

"What did you catch?" the scribe asked.

He didn't face her. "A shark. Small one, though. Just enough for Horus, and he'd be pleased."

The young angel squinted. "You just harpooned that shark for your friend here? With all due respect, isn't he capable of catching his own lunch, sir? And don't we have to bring something back to Pompeii?"

"Aye, but he's a lazy bird sometimes, and stubborn. I find that these small gestures like getting him a treat every so often gets me on his good side, so he's more inclined to do as I ask of him every now and then." He then turned and winked at her. "It's a mutual respect thing."

"Plus,' Ignatius added from behind,startling Opi. "We already have what we're bringing to Pompeii here, and the people don't expect anything more or less. We've got parchment, some sheet metals, a bill of sales, and a sailor princess that everybody wants to see more than anything!"

Ophelia didn't answer. She didn't want to know why the People of Pompeii wanted to see her so badly. That didn't matter right now. She pulled herself up onto the rails, and gained her awkward footing. When at last she felt she could stand up without flipping, she straightened herself out and looked down into the water. She wobbled a little, flinching and nearly loosing her balance as Luke came up behind with a spear in his hand.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get in there!" And then two big hands planted themselves firmly on her rear, shoving her forward and off the rails, into the water. She cried out in shock and the elder laughed, vaulting over the rail and joining her as she crashed into the water.

The sea was like ice, and she feared she might drown if she were to gasp, but she grew used to it quickly. She had to, or she felt she might sink. Opi moved slowly through the water, falling deeper and deeper into the water, watching with awe as colorful fish swam ina tight circle about her, then bolted off in the opposite direction. She watched for the twins through the flux of water as she fell deeper, but could see only rough pink and orange coral. Smaller yellow fish darted away from her, an enormous grey fish approached, frightening the child, and her wings felt limp. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust, by that time Luke's warm hand had found her and was trying to get her to follow him.

She awkwardly tiptoed off of the wall of underwater flowers and allowed herself to roll with the current, gliding down from a drop off and onto a smooth and slippery stone hanging off the edge, almost sliding off. Fish darted all over, brightly colored things the angel had never seen in all her life, all right there at the bottom; small fish, big fish, fish that scuttled along the bottom with their tiny feets, sharks lurking ominously up above. The strange feeling the sand gave her on her bare feet spooked her at first, weary she might step on something hidden. Luke and Ignatius floated easily on by, Ignatius grabbing her by her arm to help her along. He pointed off over another wall of coral behind her and brought her to follow him.

Feathers floated loosely around them as they stepped on through the opening if coral on the rocks. She surmised they were Luke's feathers, given their grey-blue hue. It was a tight squeeze in some places, and Ophelia got a chance to have a good look at some of the smaller and more elusive plant life that hid in those little cracks. Behind her, Ignatius poked his head into a rock, driving out three eels, which frightened Ophelia when she first saw them, but utterly fascinated her a moment after. Where they swam, she watched, weary of a sudden agression, but the eels seemed more afraid of them then they were of it.

She hadn't realized that Luke had come to a stop and was waiting for her to run into him, which she did. He caught her by her shoulder and snatched her attentions away from the eels slithering away and Luke playing around on the reef. Where he pointed, she looked, but her eyes were met with nothing but a dark blue void of endless ocean where there was once beauty and life. Open Water. Something about looking down into that abyss frightened her. She could see some tiny crustaceans scuttling along the rocks as she followed the length of the chasm down. There was definitely something down there, Opi could feel it in her guts. Whether it be ancient artifacts or treasures, or a black hole, there was something.

It must have been quite the pristine ecosystem, the reef. She hadn't even gotten to have a good look at it. When she felt the need for air, Ophelia did as she would if she were flying away and opened her wings. Luke and Ignatius mirrored her, flapping their massive wings and floating upward. All three angels emerged, gasping for breath and Ophelia was left thrashing impotently in the water. With some banter and teasing from Luke and Ignatius, they all got to swimming back to the ship, climbing up the rope ladder and back onto the bay of the ship.

Ophelia's heart raced. Her minds reeled with excitement. She had so many questions, and wanted to ask them all at once. Her hair was stuck to her face, neck, and back in a sodden curly mess; her clothes hugged tightly to her heaving chest, and she shivered at the incoming breeze. (it's a cold day out, i repeat: cold. It's cold and wet.)

While Opi sat in a puddle and rambled on about how amazing that dive was, Ignatius went into the cockpit and grabbed some blankets to dry off with. "I'm tellin' ya, once we get to Pompeii, We'll introduce you to our friend, Israfel. She's a sailor, too, and know every shark and crab and snail in this reef, as well as on her own shore. She's a minstrel, and loves to talk. She'll see ya, Opi."

---

Manol tossed a satchel of gilt over his shoulder with a grin. "This yo' las day workin' fo tha vile merchant demon, yes?" He asked as he watched her shove the payment into the deep pockets of her trousers.

Duleb sat in front of Isis' shrine, her heavenly pink eyes smiling all across the room. Duleb's hair was pulled up into a sloppy platinum bun and she was eating a bowl of rice and shoroko Manol had prepared for her. He had started feeding her every time she would deliver. It got to the point where Duleb was actually gaining some of her weight back. There was always something ready for her, and Manol had started taking her interests into concern more often.

Unless he were fattening her up to eat her, perhaps?

"Oh, certainly, and he's giving me next to no troubles about it! It was almost like he was pleased I was leaving." She finished that with a half-hearted laugh and a broad grin. "I was thinking of staying here, on this planet, I mean."Laughing absently, Duleb clapped her hands to her chest. "Look what Hell's done to me! If I'da stayed any longer, why I'd, I'da turned into..."

"One o' them?"

She spread her arms out and flicked her tail about. All that velvety fur was long gone, now; replaced by leathery red scales and skin. Her horns had been shorn, shortly after she turned fifteen, and she sported many symbolic tattoos of swirling superclusters, blossoming stars and planets with gouged rings, scarring in the places her anatomical points connected with her sacred geometry.* It was similar to the tattoos the women of the Guild of Laniekea Monastery got long ago, and Duleb had gotten the art done in Sophia a few years ago. Manol seemed rather impressed with them, but Ophelia hadn't seen them yet. She hasn't seen her since that festival...

"Pretty much. Guess you could say I already am one of them, huh?"

"Naw. Demons ar' mean an' ugly. You? Well, you no looker, but you' a real peach..."

Duleb had grown a great deal with Manol as a friend, over a good twenty-three years. He had taught her a great deal about his beliefs, and like some deranged disciple, Duleb hung on every tale. Tales about his Nine primordial gods and their deeds in creating the infinite cosmos; everything and anything in all of our reality, their involvement and interactions with mortals, and their respective planets, temples and shrines that once flourished all across creation, but have now fallen silent.

Here recently, Manol's been expecting a son, which has made him distraught, if not ecstatic. Amarii had been pregnant for a while now, and when Manol saw the shaman, he said he can expect a son from this litter. Manol did not have any sons of his own, he only had about thirty seven daughters. Thing is, Sprites hated boys. Their society was fundamentally female, and frowned upon little boys. Girls could do no wrong, but boys always have it rough in Sophia. It was a normal thing to see new mothers literally throwing their sons away.

"Listen, I had an idea, well-" Manol raked his hand through his snowy hair, pulling it out from his face.

"Wha'cha got in mind, old wizard?" She asked pointedly as she started shoving her payment away into her deep pockets.

His body swayed back and forth very easily as he walked. He seemed taller now, Sprites never seem to quit growing. His dragonfly wings hung limply on his back, shimmering with some alien like light.

"I'm goin' on a trip wit m'wife, Amarii, and we all suspect she's gonna pop any day now. We goin' up into da Baphomet mountains t' try and... procure a rare flower. It only blooms in one area, at one time, for one week, every seventy years." He paused long enough to comb his hair back, stretch, and put on a shirt before he spoke again.

"I need you t'help me take it."

"Is that it," the akuma droned. "You're just taking a trip with your lady warden to catch a magical flower?"

Pale blue fingers tenderly stroked the golden chain of a large garnet amulet that the sprite would almost always wear around his neck. It glowed a dull orange light as he rubbed it over and over, frowning. He pulled a wrap out of his pocket and lit it with a candle flame, taking a long drag. "Somethin' amiss?."

"Well, no. I just never imagined you'd be the one to pack up shop and go on some trek across the desert, all for some flower that might not even be there when you arrive. What's this flower even called, anyways?"

Manol didn't face her, nor did her answer for the longest time. He blew out a huge cloud of smoke and watched it all billow out the open window. "Otehp."

Duleb rolled the name around her brain for a moment. Otehp. Sounded like a paladin's name. She thought on it while she finished her bowl of rice. There was something he wasn't telling her, and she knew it. That way you look at someone when you know something that the other didn't, and was dragging the other further and further into deception. Duleb was weary of looks and attitudes like those, but she ignored her feelings and trusted Manol, as she normally did.

The youth brushed aside an aphid's ear and watched the elder pull that necklace off for the first time. She had to make herself look away, for it was like he was finally truly naked. He then strode over to where the akuma sat and bought the chain to her neck. It felt warm against her chest, and the stone continued glowing that pretty amber color.

"Oi, what's this, now?" Duleb asked defensively.

"Now, don't get the wrong idea, I 'ave no attraction to you whatsoever. But I trust you, Duleb. You're as good as a child to me, but none of mine can be trusted with this-"

"With what? Your religion?" She asked as cold fingers tightened the clasp at the back. "You mean none of your daughters know about this? None of your wives?" She asked dumbly.

Manol didn't answer. He only chuckled and took both sides of Duleb's head in his hands. "Listen, all of my wives, a lot of women in this place are violent. Maybe even more so than what you're used to. I've been dealing with this abuse my whole entire life, and I don't plan on livin' this way any longer. After this whole thing blows over, I'm talking that flower and I'm leaving."

"Leaving to where, Manol? Where will you go?"

"Mandalay."

---

"Seeing is not believing, our senses can deceive us. Even the stars are not what they appear to be. The cosmos, as revealed by scientific research, is stranger than I ever could have imagined. Light; Time; Space; Gravity; all conspire to create realities which lie beyond mortal experience. That's where I am headed.

"Come with me, and I'll show you."

On a clear and wonderfully starry night, Ophelia, the young astronomer and her child sister Talia strode the beach on the Empty Coast. Opehlia had sent a petition to her home in White City for Talia to be brought to her home in Silverwall for a night after school. There were no rejections reported, so sure as fate, Luden came on by with a taller, more talkative Talia and her feathered friend, Nina. Opi had offered Luden to spend the night, but given his recent promotion, he was plenty busy.

Opi walked along the shoreline, barefoot as usual. Nina was with them, and Talia would trow her a stick every so often as she and her sister talked. It had been a good long while since Talia had last seen Opi after she moved to Silverwall. Talia was already taller and noticably more mature then the little darling Opi had walked out on not too long ago.

"My teacher, Bastet, was the first of our kind to see deeper into the waters of the cosmic ocean. There, she glimpsed at the wonders that light does with time." Ophelia mused as she walked alongside the younger angel. She was picking up stones and hurling them back into the water.

"What does that even mean?"

Opi hummed in contentment. "Do you believe in ghosts, Talia?" the elder asked.

"Uh huh. But father says only necromancers concern themselves with ghosts. Why do you ask?" Talia said, stopping to pick up a rock she thought was especially pretty.

"Out of curiosity. But I'm not talking about the spiritual kind of ghost. Oh no, no, no. I'm talking about those," To which Ophelia stopped and put her hand on her sister's arm, pointing a finger up to the sky.

Now the child stopped and looked up, blinking and wiping her nose. She didn't cry out. She looked up and up, observing the stars and their entirety. That expression turned puzzled after a moment's thought. "Do you mean the stars, Opi?"

Ivory hair bobbed as Ophelia nodded. However, it seemed as though Talia still didn't follow.

"Look there, my love, and see a sky full of ghosts. Every star out there is a sun as big and as bright as our own, just imagine how far away from us you'd have to move the sun to make it appear as small and as faint as a star. The light from the stars travels very fast, faster than anything, but not infinatley fast. It takes time for their light to reach us. For the nearest ones, it takes decades, for others, centuries, and even further, even longer! Some stars are so far away, it takes eons for their light to get to our realm. By the time the light from some stars get here, they are already dead. So we see not those stars, only their ghosts. We see their light, but their bodies have long since perished.

"Talia, I have seen further back in time most of our people, millions and millions of years into the past. A telescope, my dear, is a time machine. We cannot look out through space, without seeing back in time. In one second, light travels three hundred thousand kilometers, or one-hundred-eighty six thousand miles. That's nearly the distance from our planet to Titus. So, the next time you look up, and see the moon through our wards,you'll be seeing a light second back in time.

"I once had a friend, clever thing, an inventor, and an incredible artist, named Duleb. She held, that some stars are invisible, that they do, in fact, exist, but we shall never see them. Dark stars, she called them."

"With all due respect, Opi, surely your friend was mistaken. If no one can see them, then how can we possibly know they exist?"

"Did you see the man who lights the Lighthouse at the top of the Imundii Spire, little one?"

"Why, no. I didn't."

"But do you know that he exists?"

Talia had no answer. Surely he must exist, then here would be no lighthouse for the late ships returning from the fishing grounds.

As they continued to walk along the rocky shoreline, Talia throwing rocks and Nina running off to collect it back, Ophelia continued talking. "Duleb was one of the most brilliant scientists you've probably never heard of. If she ever sat for a portrait, it no longer exists. She was a dear friend of mine while I was still in school, such a shame you may never meet her. She imagined a star so big, and so massive, that nothing, not even light could escape its gravitational grip.

"Could she find a dark star?" Talia asked as she stroked Nina's head and beak.

Opi nodded and hummed contently. "Yes, Duleb theorized that we may be able to detect some of these dark stars by looking for the footprint they've left on the cosmic shore; or in a real case, their extreme gravity. If a dark star happened to be near a more luminous companion star, that star would appear to travel in a tight orbit around nothing. Even though we couldn't see it, she knew there had to be something there with a ton of mass. A dark star, or what we in the White Nation call a Black Hole."

"Is there a one near us? Will we get sucked into a black hole?" the youth asked.

"Yes, there is one in our galaxy, but it's far enough away for us to be perfectly safe. Now, black holes are not the world-devouring mindless vacuums of deep space you think they are, not even close. You have to come to them before they can pull you in. But if you do, it may be the last thing you ever see."

"I want to know more. Where do these dark stars come from? Did Duleb ever think of that?"

"Yes she did. I recall one evening, her and I were sitting beneath a tree, having tea before we went home, and I would show her my telescope and try to get her to show me where a dark star might be in our corner of the universe, and I think I might be getting close to finding out exactly where it is. Duleb theorized that a dark star was the result of a star having died out and collapsing under it's own mass, but we have yet to find the evidence that proves all that true."

"Have you been looking through your telescope to find it?"

"No, my telescope isn't strong enough to see that far. I can only see as far as Titus." Ophelia stopped and pulled the long slender golden tube from her knapsack and held it out before her. "If you think you can get around to focusing it correctly, maybe you can see it, too."

Talia spun around and dropped the shiny pebble in her hand and gasped."Really? Wow, okay!Which way should I be looking?" she asked excitedly, pulling out the remainder of the shaft and holding it up to her eye. Opi had to help turn her body and head, angling the telescope just right for her.

She had her sister facing southwest, toward the constellation Cyprus. She had her facing toward the dual-ring planet, Titus, a gas giant in their particular solar system. Talia was silent for a few minutes, twisting the nobs and the lenses back and forth, until she stopped and gasped, mouth agape. She stood there for a few moments, silently looking out to where her sister had pointed her.

"Whooooa~ That's Titus?! It's beautiful! Why is it so big?"

"It's a big planet to draw meteorites and other space debris away from our planet, offering us protection. Without Titus, we would be left at the mercy of the passing star matter and space trash."

Ophelia watched as Talia tried to place the telescope up to Nina's eye, trying to show her the planet up above. Not like the griffon couldn't see Titus where she was. Talia was so compassionate; so caring and energetic. Aboddon was wasting all that potential in training her as a fighter. Of course, all the time she spent roughhousing and romping around with the older boys and girls at the Hellguard facility; those times seemed like simple playtime for Talia, but there are elder angels constantly watching the children, asserting who was stronger, who was faster, who was smarter, and who was...

Like Talia. Those kids that could go on forever, and never run out of energy. Ophelia reflected on that. She wanted more for her sister. More than to hit things for the rest of her life, never expanding her own mind. She wanted her sister to not have that worry about getting hurt or hurting others. She should be playing in the ocean, not playing in the army. She should be drawing pictures and counting stars.

We should be drawing pictures and counting stars.

---

*To be at the end of the table is normally where the youngest sits, although some family members would be placed the ad a symbol of resentment.

*Not to coin a cliche, but how else is she supposed to charge her telescope?

*Think of a baobab tree with little pink and white flowers! How pretty!

*Don't worry, friends! Angelic tea isn't bad for cats, like the tea that grows on earth. It's actually good for them, easing the stomach when they've eaten something they shouldn't have, and making their coats nice and smooth.

*It ain't necessarily "underwear," folks. Think like a little white romper everyone wears under their clothes. I imagine that male angels would just wear shorts, like boxers or something, while female angels would wear something similar, just with a top. Ya' know?