Azra-El Series Arc 2 Ch. 00

The Azra-El Series

Arc 2: The Hela Empire

Book 1

Chapter 19 won 1st place in the March Reader's Choice Awards!

Note to new readers: This is the second arc of the series "When Angels Cum" (It was a troll name). I suggest you read that one, before coming back to this. Trust me, the story is good (xD), though it may be a little lackluster at the start, as I was still growing as a writer; I still am growing, hopefully.

Editor: Chris Anow. Drastic Explorer has been volunteering for Covid-19 response, so he has been unable to work on this chapter.

Proofreader: Pinku Lady

Sex Scene Enhancer: Drastic Explorer

Special Thanks to all my patrons: Ted Miller, Tom Ail, Pinku Lady, Awilix38, Michael Sanchez, Stuhero, Gregorious, Marcel Hearns, Fjiordor, Daniel, Mike Siegmund, BangDi, BramBora, David Valverde, Fips, Yamibomb, BLiz, Eliyahu Bogart, Max Lambon, RogueXVII, Matt Miller, Curtis, RandomTask, Tristan, Vibrant, Tllxman, Wootdiew00p, The Glimmering Warlock, Benno Lorenz, Michael Wall, John Weikel, Clay LaVal, Will Shaddox, Peter Ferguson, Abhi, D5834, David Hunt, Merov, DNAJester, Rui Salveterra, Pavante, Dareliisko, Flypenguin, Dantees, Frazzle_Dazzle, Wypuxx, aporjo, Bob, David Whyte, Torasque, Hexd0t, ATK-49, for supporting my work thus far.

Obligatory Warnings:

1. This chapter contains the events of "The Day the Darkness Glowed", and a look into the lives of some of the angels, after the tournament. Chapter 1 of Arc 2 starts after a time-skip of 7 years.

2. One lesbian sex scene towards the end, between Jie Er and Rebecca. If that is not your thing, feel free to skip it. Except for the conversation before the scene starts, it is not essential to the story.

3. I've said this before, but I wish to clarify that the ideologies and thoughts of the characters are their own. They do not necessarily reflect on my own thoughts.

4. The response to the comments section is extra-long this time, owing to the overwhelming response that I received for Chapter 19. So, this chapter is a tad shorter than it looks.

Clarification on pronouns w.r.t Blaze

In universal perspectives, Blaze will always be a "he". In the perspectives of angels who know him as an unnatural, he will be a "he". In the perspectives of other angels, he will be a "she".

I shall put up a poll on this in the comments section. Please vote.

Lore

Evolution on Azra-El

One of the first questions Blaze had when he began to understand life on Azra-El was how creatures evolved, or rather, how there came to be a variety of life on Azra-El. "God" was an answer, but it was not enough for his scientific mind. Jie Er gave him a gist, but it was from Fiora that he got the real answers.

Evolution on Earth is mostly genetic, passing on desirable characteristics over generations. Creatures on Azra-El also pass down desirable characteristics over generations, but as most life is asexual, the primary process of evolution occurs through a method Blaze dubbed as "Societal Evolution"; the angels used an archaic Avestan word that roughly translated to "Inheritance".

Societal Evolution: Even the most primitive and solitary creatures are a part of a society. They recognize their own kind and often come into contact with others of their own species. When they do, they observe any new traits, and this information is encoded in their bodies through subliminal consciousness.

These traits are then tested over the course of numerous generations, by every creature in that society, until they evolve into forms that are ideal for their environment. As their environments change over time, evolution is a continuous process. This is why there are different types of angels and demons.

Ancestral memories are a form of "Inheritance", unique to sentient beings.

There are other types of evolution, but those are best left for a lecture on Biology, starring Fiora or Alice, depending on your preference.

***

I am fire... I am death!

I am fear... I set a-blaze!

I am fine, until you come near mine!

When you do, beware ye fools!

I am rage, and all will be razed!

Prologue

LE 572, 21^st Bloom

Darkness enveloped the lands of Xian and Aranya, slowly creeping across their borders, and into the Heavenly Union. It was a strange darkness, invisible to the eyes, but nevertheless, blinding to the anja of all energy-creatures. It was perceived as a dirty, nauseating black, spreading a sense of malaise and a general lack of concern amongst all who sensed it.

Most angelic sentients that experienced it knew something was wrong, but their minds and bodies only felt disinterest. Only the strongest of the angels could gather their wills to defend against this spreading blight.

The phenomenon had started the night before, but it was growing exponentially and was slowly closing in on the capital of Aranya. The strongest of the HU gathered the brightest and rushed to the source of the darkness— a two-yonder dome of crimson black, a yonder away from the base of Mt. Olympus, at the border of Aranya. This crimson darkness did not spread like the black that it emitted, but instead, was calm, steady, and beautifully terrifying, like a solitary blackhole. In fact, it seemed to be the physical embodiment of fear.

Empress Nezha Shangdi of Xian stood with her two daughters, her generals, her advisors, and a battalion of her strongest Taiga warriors, waiting for Michelle Lucian— the Angel Prima and the wielder of the Banner of Light.

Queen Ahilya of Aranya was the first to arrive, with two of her generals. She was also accompanied by Daysi Vinetree, the strongest pixie in the HU, who happened to be in Aranya on a diplomatic mission. After them, arrived the mightiest berserker of Vaikunheim, Freja Nerthusdottir, carrying her enormous energy-battle-axe, known to have split a gigantic Quetzal and her rider in two, with a single strike. Then came the Supreme Bogatyr of Angalnebo, Brynna Nikitich, on her mighty brown Pegasus, whose fiery-red mane fluttered in the wind like a dancing flame.

They quietly stood by the Empress, waiting, and watching the demons on the other side of the dome. Fifteen devils stood there, along with the mighty Quetzal Corps, consisting of more than fifteen-hundred Quetzals and their riders. Combined, they could easily overwhelm the angels present, yet they simply waited. Most of them seemed as curious and confused by the phenomenon as the angels. However, they did not feel quite the same fear, though fear they did— a reverent fear.

Nezha Shangdi's eyes suddenly lit up and her daughters followed her gaze. Nezha had not been sure if the Prima would come, but the distant luminescent speck that shone in the darkness like a sparkling star, allayed her fears. The luminescence was from the Banner that hung around her shoulders like a cape. As she got closer, the cape's brilliance became more apparent. It shone like it was made of pure, white light, so bright that any design on it was lost in its brightness. It was simple, memorable, and holy, inducing a sense of ease and comfort amongst the angels who witnessed it. This sense of well-being only grew stronger as the Angel Prima neared, and it counteracted the foreboding and malaise caused by the nearby darkness.

In her wake was a battalion of her personal guard, various heads of the societies, and a host of intellectuals that they had managed to quickly gather. Behind them was the Cloud 9 regiment, composed of the elite Pegasi-knights of the HU. And, leading one of the squadrons was Claudis Falhoffnir, riding her faithful Pegasus, Gyrill. In her right hand, Claudis carried a long, silver-colored lance, just like many others of her regiment.

Michelle Lucian was way past her prime, and it was only through the power of her will that she still lived. It was the reason why they needed to find a successor for the Banner, soon, but the Banner had not deemed anyone worthy in the last three hundred years. Nezha's youngest daughter, Ying Jie, had all the qualities required to be the next Angel Prima, but she could not, because of her lineage.

When the Heavenly Union was first formed, the queendoms, the societies, and all the other parties involved, agreed that no royal or noble would ever wield the Banner of Light. In return, the HU would not make attempts to usurp their power or property. It was a clause to maintain the balance of power.

Nezha Shangdi had never considered circumventing this rule, until she had conceived Ying Jie. Ying Yue had already hatched by the time Nezha realized that Vida Veles Lokra was her Kindred. They had met before, but their relationship had not blossomed until Vida was posted at Xian, as a general of the HU army.

When Jie Er's stiff-wings, which were an extraordinarily immaculate white, first sprouted, the empress instinctively knew that the child would grow to be an exemplary angel. So, she made a decision. She decided that she would keep Jie Er's lineage a secret. It was not easy for an empress to hide the fact that she was growing a stiff wing. Yet, she pulled it off, and when Jie Er's egg formed, she completely distanced herself from Vida and the egg.

Thus, Jie Er spent most of her earlier years as the daughter of Vida Veles Lokra, not knowing her full ancestry.

The Banner did not differentiate between a noble and a commoner, but the only way for Jie Er's mind to not be influenced by the treaty, was to not know that it applied to her. So, Jie Er was raised by Vida as Jie Er Haela Lokra, a descendant of farmers.

Even after Vida had passed, Nezha Shangdi only provided help to Jie Er as a secret benefactor. However, little did she know that Vida had already revealed the secret to Jie Er. Vida believed that Jie Er should not become the next Angel Prima based on a lie. At the very least, she wanted her daughter to make her own decision.

It was only when Nezha met Jie Er by accident, at the Xian Embassy of D'Warka, that she realized that her daughter knew. The joy in Jie Er's eyes was unmistakable and not directed towards a stranger. Thus, Nezha decided to drop the charade. However, a nugget of resentment towards Vida took root in her heart. What was the point of separating herself from her daughter for all those years? Unintentionally, she showed this resentment towards Jie Er. It was not excessive, as it was born out of love and not hatred. Jie Er did not even feel much dissatisfaction towards it. She was only glad that she was finally united with her family. But the seeds of discontent between mother and daughter were sowed, though they had yet to sprout.

Soon, the Angel Prima and her contingent reached the empress and the rest. With the cape of light illuminating everything around her in white, Michelle Lucian posed a striking figure in the darkness. She wore an equally simple, yet elegant, white tunic of exquisitely woven silk. Her shoes were made of cloth, and she wore no adornments except her cape, and this only added to her image as a grand old angel.

For she was old; not just in years, but even in physical appearance. The angels were not used to such an appearance, as most did not physically age past humans in their mid-forties, yet Michelle Lucian looked to be around seventy in human age.

Her long white hair, held loose over her cape, had once been carrot-colored, and her skin, which was once smooth and without blemish, was now wrinkled. Yet, despite her age, she stood taller than most angels around. Only the berserker from Vaikunheim seemed taller. Her figure also spoke of her beauty from once upon a time.

However, though her body had aged, the light in her starry eyes was bright as ever, her pupils grey as a cloudless night. She was no queen, yet queenly she looked, with thought and knowledge in her glance, like one who has known and experienced many things.

"Hello, Nezha. I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances. What is the situation?" she asked the Empress of Xian, as soon as she arrived, her voice a little gravelly, and like an old record. It felt old but was still pleasant, in a nostalgic sort of way.

Michelle was the only angel that could call the Empress of Xian by her name and not offend her. For, to the Angel Prima, all other living angels were nothing but children. Also, she addressed Nezha, instead of the Aranyan Queen, because it was Nezha's spies who had located the source of the darkness.

Nezha gave her a small bow before she spoke, "Dire. I have information from a solid source that Hela herself is inside that wretched dome, attempting something that has never been attempted before. She has prepared well. The demons over there are some of the strongest devils of the Hela Empire, and the Quetzal Corps need no introduction. Currently, they do not seem inclined to fight, but I believe that they would not stand by, should the dome come under threat."

Michelle nodded, pensively. "Do you have any idea of what is going on?"

Nezha glanced at the small group of scientists and philosophers that she had brought along. A blue-haired, scholarly-looking Xian angel flew forward.

"We believe that Hela may be attempting goddesshood. Based on Frieda Watkins' theory of ley lines, this area has a powerful node. This spreading darkness is most likely because, through this node, Hela is absorbing the world-energy at a scale never done before. So, the spreading darkness is not dark energy, but a deficit of energy. If she attains goddesshood, the world-energy itself may bend to her will, and even the Banner of Light will not be able to stop her," she said.

Beside her, stood a younger version of Baozhai Rong. Her eyes did not possess the calculative coldness or the mercurial madness of her older self, but instead, had an uncontainable inquisitiveness to them.

"This is Ban Zhao, our foremost researcher in the field of Energy Physics, and her apprentice," Nezha introduced her lead scholar.

Michelle acknowledged them with a smile and turned to her own scientists.

"It is quite possible, but we need to discuss more," said a brunette angel from Michelle's group of scientists.

Soon, the HU scientists and the scholars of Xian were entrenched in rigorous debate.

"Right, I shall try to approach the dome and see if I can gain any insights into it. You deities should shield the scholars from the darkness, so they can work at their best. I will need the Banner to protect myself," Michelle announced, before drifting towards the crimson blackhole.

The demons did not even attempt to stop her. It baffled the angels. What was their purpose?

Michelle hovered around the edges of the dome for a few moments, silently appraising her own capacity to invade it. She looked like a small star, skirting around the edges of a supermassive blackhole.

Suddenly, she dove into the darkness, eliciting cries of alarm from many that were watching her. However, she rushed out the very next moment, completely wrapped around by the Banner. She stopped a few hundred feet away from the dome, turned around to look at it, shook her head, and returned to the rest of the angels.

"It is very corruptive," she answered, addressing the curious gazes of those around her. "Only the purest of angels will be able to traverse through it. If not for the Banner, even that mere moment may have tainted my wings."

"Are you not the purest of angels?" asked Ying Yue Shangdi.

She was dressed in long and flowing crimson robes, with emblems of serpentine dragons on the front, seemingly flying up towards the heavens. An exquisite golden crown adorned her head. She was dressed as a princess.

Michelle Lucian laughed, heartily, before she replied, "I may have been, once, a long time ago. However, six hundred years of watching over the Heavenly Union has changed me. It would change anyone. I am no longer the innocent, idealistic young angel, without a single negative emotion in her heart, who was chosen by the Banner. No, child, most of you young angels are purer than I."

"Prima Lucian," called out the brunette from before, "what did you see?"

"I could see nothing. Yet, I sensed her, and she sensed me. In fact, I think she can sense everything within the dome and within the spreading darkness. She seems to be connected to something— I cannot explain what— Maybe it is the 'soul' of the world-energy... She is watching us, but we are of no interest to her. She is seeing something that we cannot see."

"How do you know this?" Ban Zhao asked.

"I do not know. Maybe for a brief second, I was connected to her mind... Which is why I believe that only the purest of angels can enter the dome. Otherwise, they would be infected by her wrath, and may lose their minds to it."

"But, why would anyone have to enter the dome?" asked Manjushri of the Ophanim.

"We may have to..." Michelle replied, looking at the scholars, who were back in discussion.

After much deliberation, the scholars finally came to a decision. The brunette scientist, named Gabrielle Le Tonnelier, finally stepped forward.

"We hypothesize that Hela has managed to connect with the major leyline node at this location. She is using it to absorb massive amounts of world-energy. But, world-energy contains both light-energy and dark-energy. She is absorbing the dark while expelling the light, which is why the darkness seems to be glowing as it spreads throughout the continent.

"We do not know if she may attain goddesshood through this process, but it surely spells calamity. She is upsetting the balance of world-energy. We foresee many disasters, ranging from famines to earthquakes, and maybe even worse."

"How do we stop it?" asked Freja Nerthusdottir.

"We believe the flux of energy into her body is currently out of her control, at least until she attains a new level of power, which is why she does not act against us, and why she needs the protection of her demons. The method we've come up with is crude, but it is the quickest solution we can think of at this moment. If we can compile a vast amount of light-energy and send it into the node, she will not be able to immediately expel it. In its original form, world-energy exists as a combination of light and dark, but once separated, they will react violently if brought together. Thus, we may be able to stop this phenomenon, and maybe even kill Hela."

"But who will be able to take this energy to the node?" asked Queen Ahilya.

Michelle Lucian had made it clear that she would not be able to do it.

"Joanna? Benzaiten?" Michelle glanced at two angels.

Benzaiten, an exquisitely beautiful black-haired angel from Kamikoku, was the patron saint of the Hashmallim society. She wore a light pink robe adorned by pink painted flowers that were emblematic of her lands. Biwa, her kindred partner, silently stood by her side.

Joanna Ezekiel was the "khenpo"— the head monk— of the Chayot society. She wore simple saffron-colored robes, and though her appearance was not as striking as Benzaiten's, she exuded serenity.

Benzaiten was known for her kindness and love for all, while Joanna was known for her detachment from worldly desires. Both were considered to be extremely pure.