Celestial Wars Ch. 03

PUBLIC BETA

Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.

You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.

Click here
Noble_Truth
Noble_Truth
2,018 Followers

He sighed and looked back down. "To make a long and involved story short, this coven of faelings summoned me to help them deal with a detachment of legionnaires that wanted to eliminate them so that humans could claim that land."

The room had started to grow cold during Devnik's story. I could feel him drawing his power in close. The light from the window seemed to dim, and the shadows from the candles began to grow long and deep.

"When I scared off the offending angels, the Tree-Shaper of the coven gave me what all demons desire from the fae."

I couldn't help but lean forward again.

Devnik placed a single finger on his ruby and he stroked it fondly. "They wove a sun-shield enchantment for me... and they put it in this ruby..."

A tiny rush of air escaped my lungs. If Devnik could go outside in the daylight that meant that he could face Michael head on. Perhaps things weren't so grim after all.

"Why don't you walk in the daylight all the time, Master?" I asked. It was an automatic question. I had spent a great deal of time over the centuries watching Devnik avoid the sun.

Devnik removed his finger from the gem and placed both hands on the glowing rune. "Daylight shields are enchantments that require a ludicrous amount of time to recharge," he said. "It has been eighty years since I last used the ruby's enchantment. It probably only has enough power within it to shield me for about four hours in the afternoon sun."

"That seems—" I began to say, but I was cut off.

The rune on the ground flashed brightly before going dark. The candles that had once burned a natural orange began to glow a cheerful green that symbolized earth magic. Red and green sparks began to glitter with the multi-faceted ruby. They danced and mingled in a mesmerizing and chaotic fashion.

Then, it all stopped.

The room lightened and the candles winked out.

The rune on the wooden floor looked like an ancient coal stain.

Only the ruby remained.

Devnik reverently picked up the gem and slipped it into his pocket. "Well," he said as he cast a look over at the sleeping Maria, "she seems to be an extraordinarily heavy sleeper."

Chapter 14

~Why do the Light cast no Shadow? What does this mean of my Shadow? Should I fear it? Is it plotting secret sins as I sit down to write? I do not know. I am watching it now... as sways in my candle's light.- A Diary found in the charred ruins of an Abbey~

The Valiant

-Maria-

I could feel my Master's venom circulating through my veins. I could feel my Master sucking the blood from my body. Something...deep in my belly... shuddered contentedly. There was nothing better than this.

Every time his mouth pulled another draught of blood my mind slipped gently away from consciousness. With every drop he took, I could feel a soft and satisfying sleep drift ever closer.

As I felt the last of my essence leaving me to nourish and pleasure my Dark God, my mind sang out one last note.

I love him.

I am his.

These words became my only truth. They echoed like the ringing of a loud, clear bell.

***

In the back of my mind, I realized that I was asleep.

But this was not the kind of sleep I was familiar with. I had only experienced this kind of waking slumber once before...when I had been attacked by the Afflicted woman.

I was dreamwalking.

Why does this happen to me every time I am forced to sleep?

The last time I had walked amongst dreams, I had found my Master's dream. I wondered if I could do that again.

I cast my consciousness around in the dark ether that surrounded me.

Suddenly, almost as if it was waiting to be called, the golden cord that symbolized my Awakening bond with my Master appeared.

It shone brightly amongst the dreary emptiness around me.

I reached out, and touched it.

Instinctively, I realized that the cord currently didn't lead anywhere.

Master isn't asleep right now.

Some part of me huffed at that. I had been rather proud of that blow job. Why wasn't he sleeping beside me right now? Had I not satisfied him? Had I not been submissive enough?

Somewhere, in the deep reaches of the dreamscape, I thought I heard a voice say:

Do you hear the thoughts you have now Alarial? Were these your thoughts a few mere weeks ago?

I shook my head. Every once in a while a small part of me would question my relationship with Devnik. It would ask me where my backbone had gone.

Admittedly, I had enjoyed punching my Master onto that stalagmite.

Suddenly, I had an idea.

I focused my thoughts, and attempted to see if I could control my own dream while I was in this altered state of sleep.

It didn't take me long for me to conjure up the image of what I wanted this place to look like...after all, this was the place where my world was irrevocably altered.

The sound of water droplets falling onto cold stone greeted my ears.

Drip

Drip

Drip.

I opened my eyes...and I saw the cave.

This was the cave where I had first learned what I was. This was the cave where I had first made love with Devnik. This was a place of firsts.

I cast my gaze around at the damp and earthy rock walls and the wickedly sharp stalagmites. It was a thoroughly miserable place...and there was something missing.

With a smile, I closed my eyes and concentrated.

"I see you're awake my dear," came a voice from the darkness. It was the same words he said to me just those few weeks ago.

I opened my eyes.

Devnik was standing not one pace from me.

His red eyes were soft and inviting, and his perfect lips were curled up in a satisfied smile.

"You look beautiful Alarial." He took a step towards me. The softness in his eyes was melting into something that looked like hunger.

I smiled up at him. He towered over me, but instead of feeling intimidated, I felt safe.

In the back of my mind, I realized that this is not how our relationship began here in this cave. Devnik had softened since we had left this sanctuary of earth and stone.

"Alarial," Devnik murmured and he ran one of his slender hands through my hair. "What are you thinking about?"

I had never told him about the name Cariel claimed was my real one. Hearing the name in his voice sounded strange and wonderful.

I put my head against his firm chest. Underneath the satin of his brocade I could feel a sheet of rippling muscle contract against my cheek.

I shivered slightly from the chill.

"I'm a little cold," I said.

Devnik's strong arms snaked their way around my body. One hand came to rest at the small of my back, and the other gently grasped the back of my neck. I shivered again for an entirely different reason.

Every woman should experience being held this way...knowing from just an embrace...that they are loved and perfect.

For a moment, as I lingered in the fold of his strong arms, breathing in his scent, I forgot that this was merely a dream.

My heart cracked a little when I remembered.

Maybe I would use my last wish to have Devnik recreate this moment with me.

Dream-Devnik pulled me gently away after a moment or two. His red eyes peered into mine with a lust that I recognized all too well.

"It was so good of you to wait for me without clothes on," Dream-Devnik said with a smirk. "I've always thought that clothes were a constant hindrance in our relationship."

I gulped as I looked down at myself. I was as naked as the day I was born.

Even in my own dream he had me off balance.

Devnik took a step back.

"Would you like to dance for me?" He asked. "Do you know how?"

I nodded my head mutely. Of course I knew how to dance. It was one of the first things the Madame at the Rosy Garter made her girls learn. The Madame knew several kinds of dances. There were dances that said look but don't touch. There were dances that said I could be yours if you tried.

The Madame even showed us a very special dance...only to be used if our patron was very rich, and very dedicated to one girl.

This dance said, I am yours.

Slowly, I began to move. I twirled and pranced about the dark cave...moving to music that only I could hear. Every once in a while my dance would lead me back to Devnik, and I would swirl around him, and nibble at his neck and trace feather light touches across his back.

In the back of my mind, I suddenly realized that I had wanted to dance for him for a long time.

Before I was even half-done, Dream-Devnik launched himself at me. We toppled backwards and while we fell everything shifted.

We landed on a bed made of black silk.

We were in the underground room at the chateau.

His body pressed down heavy against mine. I could feel his hard manhood through his trousers against my bare leg.

I could feel the heat rising within myself. Wetness gathered in my sex in the anticipation of the act to come. The base, animal part of me that my Master had uncovered readied herself.

My nipples tightened as they brushed against his broad chest. I felt like I was drowning in him. His smell was like dark spice. It was masculine and powerful and incredibly potent.

In the back of my head I thought I could hear that same voice from before speak again.

You could shape this place into anything you desire as a dreamwalker. Is this what you would choose over all else?

The voice sounded much closer now.

Suddenly, Dream-Devnik turned to smoke in my hands. His form and smell and presence disappeared like it had been made of ashes and shadows.

The bed and room also began to blur along their edges.

A bright and pure white light began to burn in the center of the dreamscape...and it seemed to wash all my illusions away.

Soon, nothing remained of the underground bedroom, and I was once again floating in the grey ether of the dreamscape.

Except this time I wasn't alone.

***

I couldn't see my interloper. It was more like a feeling...a kind of knowing.

There was a presence here in the dreamscape with me...and it was not my Master.

I felt unsettled as I looked out amongst the unbroken sea of nothing, as I waited for the presence to speak.

"I agree," said the presence. "I have always found untempered dreams to be unsettling...let me take you to one of mine."

The white light flashed again, and for a moment I was blind.

All around me, I could feel the dream reworking itself.

***

I was standing on a grassy cliff covered in flowers of every kind. I recognized pink tulips and white daisies and an array of deep purple violets. The sound of rushing and receding water hung like a half-heard melody in the background. I peered over the edge of the cliff. A calm light blue ocean rolled placidly below.

The peace that suffused this place was overwhelming. This was truly a place that could only exist in a dream.

"It did exist once," a voice said mildly.

I turned around.

A man dressed in an unadorned white tunic stood behind me. He had silver eyes and his hair was the color of burnished copper. His locks spun down to his shoulders in elegant ringlets that looked like flowing molten metal.

This brilliant hair framed a face that looked like it had been carved by a master sculptor, whose only desire was to press the face of bravery incarnate onto cold marble.

That was the most inescapable aspect of this man...one could not look at him and not think...brave.

The man gave me a gentle smile.

"Nearly two million years ago this cliff was a real place," he said. "It was my favorite place in the mortal world."

"It's beautiful," I said without thinking. Overhead, a purple bird I had never seen before flew lazily across an azure sky.

I suddenly realized how little of the world I had seen.

"Is it not real anymore?"

He shook his head.

"What happened to it?" I asked.

The man met my eyes. They were silver and sharp, and...for a moment...I thought I could see all the eons of the past dancing around their edges.

"An age of ice came," he said, "and this cliff became a glacier."

I looked around me, and tried to imagine this perfect place covered in ice and snow. It was troubling to reconcile that much change with what I saw before me.

It was like he just told me something as grand as a mountain or something as vast as an ocean wouldn't last forever.

"Who are you?" I asked hesitantly.

The man's smile wavered. He took a step forward, and placed a hand over his heart.

He gave me a smooth, slow bow.

"I am Michael," he said. "And I am to blame for your sorrows."

***

I staggered backwards. The back of my foot met the edge of the cliff, and I had to force myself to stay still...lest I plummet into the ocean below.

Could one die in a dream? I thought to myself.

"No," Michael said, "you cannot die...but it is possible to get lost within Somnatul. That is what we call this...dreamscape...as you have come to call it."

A creeping realization struck me.

"You can read my mind!" I shrieked, before I clapped my hand over my mouth. I hadn't meant to raise my voice, but I was beginning to panic.

"Peace young one," Michael said. "I have invaded your dream...so I am able to glean some of the thoughts that float on the surface of your mind."

Michael paused then said, "It is normally a great offense amongst the Somna to invade another's dream...but this is the only way I could speak with you before I meet with Devnikolus."

Meet with Devnik...why?

"What business do you have with my Master?" I asked.

Regret washed over Michael's face.

"It pains me to see how my own magic has made you call a Demon your master." Michael said sadly.

"It was my Working that created the Aethling bond...I thought I made the spell impregnable...but it would appear that was prideful thinking."

Michael slowly got down on one knee. He lowered his head and put one fist on the ground. He bowed to me as if I were a queen. For a brief moment neither of us moved. I stood there frozen and shocked.

"Please forgive me Alarial, daughter of Ilirial." Michael said, without looking up from the ground. "We of the Light are not above fault. We can be hypocrites, and we can be blind."

"Um..." I stuttered. I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks.

"...Please stand up," I finally managed to say.

Michael rose in a fluid motion. He gazed at me wearily, waiting for me to continue.

I didn't know what to say. Did I forgive him?

There is nothing to forgive. Without the awakening bond, you would have never met the love of your life.

"I accept your apology...Michael," I said after a pause. Calling such an entity by his name rather than a title seemed...wrong. But, I didn't know how to address an archangel properly.

The purple bird landed in a field of tulips. It plucked a flower from its stem and ate it in one quick motion. When it was done, it warbled happily before flying off.

Both Michael and I had turned to watch the little creature.

"I am glad you can offer me forgiveness Alarial," Michael said softly. "Though, I know the reason you are so quick to forgive."

He turned and fixed his angelic eyes on me.

"You feel like things have turned out for the best...don't you?"

A swift wind blew across the cliff. Violets and Tulips and daisies fluttered gracefully along the sloped earth. I heard a particularly loud wave crash against the rocky crags below.

I didn't know how to answer his question. I could feel a deep, rippling sadness in the timber of his voice...it made me feel like there was something I didn't understand...like there was some deep regret I didn't realize I should be mourning.

Michael began to walk slowly up the slope towards me. Before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me.

He was tall. With the incline, I was nearly up to his shoulder. I wanted to take a step back...not because I felt threatened...but his intense gaze made me long for some kind of escape.

The cliff dropped just behind me...I couldn't get away.

He raised a slender hand, and touched it gently to my forehead. For a moment, his fingers were above my eyes, and I couldn't see what he was doing.

When he withdrew his hand, he held the shimmering golden cord that was my Awakening bond.

My eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" I asked...too terrified to speak above a whisper.

"Don't touch that...please," I said meekly.

The bond looked delicate and fragile in Michael's hand. Like it might snap if he squeezed it too hard.

"It would be fitting if I severed this," Michael said, as he stared at the shimmering tether. "It is my magic, it is my transgression. I should put it right."

I stood still...like a frightened rabbit caught in the gaze of a wolf. My body quivered...and I was afraid to move.

Please don't do this...please don't do this...please don't do this.

I chanted this phrase in my mind over and over again...like a prayer...I held the words tight like a crutch...like a drowning man might hold driftwood.

Michael dropped released his grip on the bond, and it disappeared.

"I cannot severe the bond right now," he said. "To undo this working I would have to expend all of my magic...and I have to meet Devnikolus today...even with the sun aiding me, it would be arrogant of me to approach him with less than my full strength."

I let out a breath of relief.

"But you should know one thing before you wake Alarial," Michael said, once again fixing me with his eyes.

He stared at me for an entire minute. Then he said,

"The bond does not simply influence you. Such magic is always reciprocal in nature. Just as the bond has changed you...so has it changed the Lord of Destruction. The man you claim to love...and the man he would be without the bond...are as different from each other as summer breeze and winter chill."

Of course, I thought to myself...as I remembered those first few days with Devnik. Why did I not see it before?

Michael looked closely at me, then nodded.

"I see you understand." Michael said, then his eyes hardened.

"But, before I allow you to wake, I will show the memories that some of the faithful have of your beloved before this bond came to be."

Wait...what?

The beautiful cliff side began to darken...and I could feel the dream changing again.

"Know that I do this not to be cruel," Michael said sadly, "But because you need to know."

Michael and his dream vanished like a wisp of smoke and new shapes began to form around me.

***

I saw a primitive village in the still of night, with huts made all out of mud and grass and human determination. People with golden brown skin were running to and fro. True fear shone in their eyes. The tears of mothers fell like spring streams as they ran...clutching their babes.

One by one, the huts burst into black, heatless, flames.

Devnik appeared from out of the smoking ruins of these people's homes. His eyes glowed a malevolent red. The black flames moved forward as he did.

He cast his head back, and cackled frenziedly into the night.

***

I saw a forest bathed in moonlight. It was a primeval part of the world, untouched by human hands. Upon the forest floor, blue blood flecked the ground. Amongst the leaves and brambles, an Angel lay on his back. His face was cut and broken, but his brow was creased and resolved.

Above him, Devnikolus stood, he was wreathed in black flames, and he barely looked human. He looked like he was made up of those black tendrils of fire...like he was made of pure destruction.

The flames descended upon the Angel...and he screamed.

Noble_Truth
Noble_Truth
2,018 Followers