New Chapter!
Chapter 3!
Yeah!
Enjoy!
"I must go speak with Apus Major about matters of utmost importance. Please excuse me," Aquila said, once they had re-entered the Observatory.
"Alright, Master," Millie said, even though he had already walked away. With a shrug, she walked towards the library, where she assumed Ankaa would be. Surely enough, her freckly friend was sitting at one of the tables with an enormous tome out in front of him.
"Millie!" he shouted when he saw his friend.
"Hey, Ankaa!" she greeted, wincing at his loud voice. "I just got back from the Protectorate."
"Me too!" Ankaa declared excitedly. "Master Phoenix finally let me go!"
"Really? That's amazing!" Millie exclaimed as she took a seat across from him. "Where did you go?"
"We went to Gleeba! It's an enormous palace in the desert!" Ankaa said.
"Isn't that where the old king lives?" Millie inquired.
"Yes, but he died, and Master Phoenix said that I could help his ghost move on!" Ankaa said with pride.
"Really? How did that go?" Millie asked.
"Not so well," Ankaa admitted. "He'll only move on if his daughter turns out to be a good ruler."
"And does that seem likely?" she asked. She noticed the expression on Ankaa's face. "I'll take that as a no."
"You're right," Ankaa muttered with a heavy sigh. "Mortals are so mean and selfish. I'm glad that I'm not stuck in the Protectorate with them."
"Not all of them are like that," Millie pointed out, her thoughts flashing to Erinn. "Besides, they are part of your flock now. You must protect them."
"I know," Ankaa muttered. They fell into a light silence.
"Did you get any benevolessence?" Millie inquired eventually.
"No," Ankaa said with a tiny hint of regret. "We just fought a bunch of really strong monsters."
"Really?" Millie asked. "The only thing that ever attacks my flock are weak monsters, like cruelcumbers and slimes."
"Well, Master Phoenix and I had to protect the city from what seemed like an invasion," Ankaa said.
"What monsters were there?" Millie inquired, getting excited.
"Mummies and axolhotls mainly," Ankaa said. Millie nodded as she recognized the names.
"That's amazing," she murmured.
"Yeah, and at the end, we had to fight a giant gold golem," Ankaa said. Millie felt a slight pang of envy towards her friend, but quickly pushed it aside.
"Wow," was all she said. She had only read about monsters like that in books.
"I know," Ankaa agreed. He was about to say more when the door behind them swung open, revealing Master Phoenix.
"Hello Millie, Ankaa," he said, looking down at the two apprentices.
"Hello, Master Phoenix," Millie greeted with a smile. "Ankaa was just telling me about his first day in the Protectorate."
"Really?" Phoenix inquired, giving his apprentice a hard look.
"Oh, yes," Millie said. "He told me how he helped you protect the city of Gleeba."
"Did he now?" Phoenix continued to give Ankaa the same look.
"Yes. He also said that he helped take down a gold golem," Millie said sweetly. "That's very impressive."
Master Phoenix continued to look at Ankaa before he did something that caught Millie entirely off guard.
He smiled.
"Great job, Ankaa," Phoenix said, giving his apprentice a hard thump on the back. "You're already improving by leaps and bounds."
"Thank you, Master," Ankaa said. He didn't seem as surprised by the praise. Millie, on the other hand, was absolutely flabbergasted.
"Did you tell her who actually took down the golem?" Phoenix prompted. Ankaa shook his head, looking a little embarrassed. Phoenix scoffed before turning back to Millie. "Ankaa did it, all on his own. I didn't even know it was there until he had already killed it."
"That is very impressive," Millie said.
"It's nothing really," Ankaa mumbled. Phoenix gave him a shocked look.
"'Nothing really'? No, Ankaa, that is very impressive," Phoenix said. "Remember that."
"Yes, Master Phoenix," Ankaa said, sounding a little more pleased now.
"Good," Phoenix said. "Now Ankaa, you and I will be returning to Gleeba with all due haste."
"Already?" Millie asked. That was quite a small amount of rest time between patrols.
"Of course. I want to see what else Ankaa is capable of," Phoenix said. "If he keeps improving as he is now, he could become the Guardian of Gleeba soon."
"Bye Millie," Ankaa said. He now had a broad smile on his face. "I'll see you when we come back."
"Goodbye, Ankaa," Millie said as her friend vanished out the door. He was much happier with Master Phoenix. She had seen mortals act like that. Father and son.
Millie felt another slight twinge of jealousy. Almost all mentors and apprentices turned out that way. Columba and Olivia always spent time together. Cygnus always spent time with her old apprentice Deneb, and Deneb's apprentice Albireo. It was like they were all little families.
Except for Millie and Aquila. She was always left on her own while he went to talk to Apus Major. Always talk talk talk. And Millie never heard any of it. She just waited for Aquila to return. It was fine, since she could talk to Ankaa, but now it looked like he was going to be gone a lot.
Millie again pushed those emotions away. They didn't matter much anyway.
She got up from the table and walked quickly out of the library. She really shouldn't have spent so much time talking to Ankaa when she should have been making a report to Apus Major.
Once she got to the platform, she realized that it didn't matter either.
"Where is Apus Major?" Millie asked one to the guards.
"He left with Master Aquila a while ago," the guard informed. Millie sighed. More talking. "They were speaking of the celestial carriage."
"Do you know where they went?" Millie asked.
"They looked like they were heading to Yggdrasil," he said, pointing towards the doors.
"Thank you," Millie said, flying out. They had probably been waiting for her, and Millie hated to keep people waiting. She could see many other Celestrians standing outside, all looking up at the Great Tree. They smiled when they say Millie. Columba and Olivia waved to her. She landed near the top of the Observatory.
"To think that the benevolessence that I have worked so hard to gather would help lead to this," a Celestrian said.
"The fyggbloom is almost upon us," another one said wistfully. He turned to Millie and smiled. "Go on, Guardian of Angel Falls."
Millie turned away and walked up to the final tier where Yggdrasil stood, proud and tall. Apus Major and Aquila were there, staring up at the tree silently. She stopped next to them and they turned to look at her.
"Well met, Millie," Aquila said. "You have chosen a monuments moment to join us." He turned back to the tree. "Behold! She is almost ready to burst forth into bloom with the benevolessence that we have offered up to Her." Millie looked up. Yggdrasil began to glimmer, as if in anticipation of the benevolessence that Millie had with her.
"Oh ho ho," Apus Major chuckled. "She's so close to bearing fruit!" He sounded both happy and tearful at the same time. Happy to finally reach salvation, but a little sad to leave what had been his home for over a thousand years. He let out a content sigh and began to quietly recite, "'Fyggbloom hails the opening of the Heavenly Gates, and sets the Celestrians on the path to salvation...'"
"'And lo, it shall be in the celestial carriage that we, the chosen custodians, journey unto the Realm of the Almighty," Aquila finished. Millie shivered as she recalled that prophecy, that promise, that was ingrained into the minds of all Celestrians. Aquila spoke without turning her. "Go now, Millie. Offer the benevolessence that you have up to the mighty Yggdrasil. Do so, and she will surely bear fruit at long last."
"Yes Master," Millie said, a little hoarsely. She was numb from the realization that it was now that they would reach salvation. She couldn't help but feel a little sad for Ankaa, who had only spent one whole day in the Protectorate.
She would also miss her flock, especially Erinn.
Millie approached the tree and brought out the crystals. They floated out of her hands and up into the center of the tree. She gasped as heavy golden fruit appeared on several of the branches. She counted at least seven.
"The fyggbloom!" Apus Major exclaimed.
Millie took a step back and saw what looked like a golden comet streak across the sky. It turned sharply and approached the Observatory, slowing down as it did so.
"And the celestial chariot appears..." Aquila murmured. Now that it was closer and moving slower, Millie could make out the shape of a train. It was glowing brightly, its whistle blowing happily as it announced its arrival.
"Praise be! All is as it was foretold!" Apus Major said, his finger following the celestial carriage as it came around and slowed to a stop. Millie stared at it in awe, excitement and joy suddenly bubbling up inside of her. Aquila seemed completely speechless, his mouth agape. Suddenly, he frowned.
Boom!
A massive jet of pink light shot up from the Protectorate. The three Celestrians were knocked off their feet by the intense rumbling and wind that seemed to come out of nowhere. The beam hit the first car of the golden train so hard that the rest came undone, falling down to earth. Celestrians from around the Observatory watched them go, stunned as the last bright sparks disappeared beneath the thick clouds.
One, two, three more of the beams shot up, slamming into the Observatory before vanishing. A fourth came, this one much more powerful. It tore through all the floor and stayed, growing larger and larger, eating away more of the Celestrian's precious home.
Millie took her arm away from in front of her eyes to stare at the light. Apus Major was clinging to a root with his cane, which was quite difficult with all the shaking. It was like there was an earthquake going on, which was impossible since the Observatory wasn't even attached to the earth.
"Wh-What is the meaning of this?" he cried. He and Aquila both looked down with fear in their eyes.
"Were we... deceived?" they asked in unison. Millie could barely hear them over the intense wind, but she still heard them all the same. What they said scared her.
The shaking suddenly took a turn for the worst. Millie felt like her mind was getting scattered by it. She let out a whimper as she began to lose her grip. Aquila heard his apprentice let out another cry and looked at her, just in time to see her lose her grip on the roots of the Great Tree.
"No, Millie!" Aquila shouted, reaching for her as she was thrown past him.
She was already too far.
The jet of light multiplied in intensity, completely enveloping the entire Observatory. Aquila could hear his apprentice scream as she was ripped away. The light reached an explosive level, flinging Millie and all the fyggs down to the Protectorate.
The light faded after just a few seconds. Apus Major pulled himself up and looked around. He felt pain all over his body, probably a reaction from the attack. He had been low to the ground and was next to Yggdrasil, so he had been protected from the worst of it. He looked over, seeing Aquila on his hands and knees next to him.
But Millie was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Millie?" Apus Major asked. Aquila said nothing. Apus Major felt a jolt of horror go through him. He remembered the scream that he heard...
"Aquila!" a voice shouted. It was Columba, and Olivia was with her. They ran up the steps. Columba knelt beside her friend. "Are you alright? What happened?" She looked around, just like Apus Major had. "Where's Millie?"
The bald Celestrian just shook his head.
"Mistress Columba!" Olivia exclaimed as Apus Major fell to the ground. He was shaking with pain. Columba jumped as Aquila collapsed against her, coughing up blood.
"Aquila!" she exclaimed, turning him over in the grass. She was always very worried whenever Aquila got hurt.
"Apus Major, Mistress Columba!" another voice shouted. Columba looked up. It was Phoenix, who was supporting his injured apprentice. He let go of Ankaa and hurried over to where Apus Major lay. Ankaa just stood there and looked around.
"Where's Millie?"
Chapter done!
Yay!