The Azra-El Series Ch. 10

It was a bad move. If she had dodged the throw or blocked the blow with her sword, she would've had a chance to fight a weaponless Blaze. Her shield blocked the bat, but it also blocked her vision.

Blaze dropped on her like a heavy iron and used his leg and momentum to shove the shield out of his way. Priscilla tried to swing her sword at him, but he was already inside her guard.

He blocked her sword arm with his left and brought his right fist down on her face.

Crunch!

A gut-wrenching sound echoed through the field as Priscilla's jaw felt the full brunt of Blaze's punch and weight.

Blood spurted from her mouth and it would've been better if she had fainted. However, her body reinforcement had lessened the blow enough to keep her awake. She clutched her jaw with her hands and fell to the ground with a banshee like scream of pain. Her sword and shield clattered to her sides.

"AIEEEEEE"

Blaze, who had landed a little away from her, was suddenly wrought with an intense wave of guilt. What have I DONE? Drops of blood painted the field and Blaze felt nauseous. He couldn't believe he had harmed a classmate in such a fashion.

"Yoooooouuuuuu!" Blaze heard a scream from Uriel as she rushed to into the arena, with the rest of the students after her. Everyone looked at him with a trace of fear, except Siofra. However, even she seemed a little unsure.

"I am sorry" Blaze apologized sincerely. He wanted to help the downed girl, but he was too shocked at himself to do anything.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU!" Uriel screamed at him, instead of helping Priscilla.

"You daughter of a demon spawn. I will have you and that pixie trash expelled for this" she shrieked at him.

Suddenly, the reason why he was even put in such a situation came back to him. What if it had been him or Siofra who had been the ones lying on the ground and wrenching in pain? Would the teacher have reacted the same way?

His mind was suddenly ablaze with a fury. The anger he felt did not stem from him being wronged. It was a righteous anger he felt for the blatant injustice. He felt angry at the suffering Siofra had already faced and will face in the future. He felt angry at what the teacher was allowing in a school.

He stepped towards Uriel and a bright yellowish white light started radiating from him. Almost like sunlight streaming from behind a white cloud. It wasn't blinding but it was bright enough to blur his form.

"HOW DARE I? HOW DARE YOU? You could've prevented all of this. It is your job as a teacher to protect your students. Instead, you allowed for open bullying of an innocent student. You even let Priscilla pick on me, when I've only just started attending your class. YOU WILL EXPEL ME? I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ATTENDING A SCHOOL WITH TEACHER'S LIKE YOU" Blaze shouted as he slowly walked towards her.

Uriel stepped back in fear while the rest of the students seemed to look at Blaze in deference.

Blaze stopped when he realized that the teacher wasn't responding.

"YOU!" he called out to Siofra's minions. They all looked at him like deer stuck in headlights.

"Take her to the infirmary. NOW!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Yes!" they squeaked in unison and rushed towards girl on the ground. Even she had stopped wailing and was staring at Blaze in amazement, despite the immense pain she felt.

"SIOFRA! You come with me" he shouted, unable to control his voice. It contained a slight echoing tenor that made people want to obey him without question.

Siofra hesitantly stepped up to him, but she wasn't scared. None of the students really felt fear. It was only Uriel that felt the brunt of Blaze's wrath.

He grabbed Siofra by the waist and took off towards the Registrar's office.

Uriel fell to her knees as Priscilla's followers took her to the hospital. The other students stood around, unsure of what to do. Slowly, they began flying back to their dorm.

Neither Blaze nor Siofra uttered a word as they flew towards their destination. Blaze's radiant light hadn't stopped streaming and Siofra silently basked in its warmth. She looked at Blaze's face in wonder, trying to make sense of everything. She knew what was happening, but she couldn't figure out why.

When Blaze dropped at the Registrar's office and walked inside, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him in wonder. Blaze clutched Siofra's hand and led her upstairs.

"I need to see the headmistress, now" Blaze said to Alice when they entered the sixth floor.

Alice took one look at him and rushed to the headmistress' door. She rapped on it a few times and when she got the confirmation, she hastily opened the door and followed the two students into the office.

"HEADMISTRESS! How can you let such a teacher teach at your school? You're supposed to be the best school in Aranya! Is this what amounts to the best? Racism and bullying? We are angels! How can you ..." Blaze started his rant.

Fiora looked at Blaze with both surprise and amazement. She composed herself and let Blaze ramble for a while before she spoke.

"Miss Blaze. I need you to calm down and explain everything that happened. I believe you. I can't afford not to. However, I need you to calm your anger and trust me. I promise I will take care of everything" Fiora told him firmly but soothingly.

The anger inside him was suddenly washed away by her alleviating words. The light he was emitting quickly dimmed and was soon snuffed out. Blaze suddenly felt awash with an inexplicable weakness.

He clutched the chair in front of him and flopped into it. He placed his hands-on his knees and leaned forward to steady himself and stop his head from reeling. Siofra sat down beside him and started rubbing his back to soothe his discomfort.

"Alice? Can you get her something hot to drink and regain her energy?" Fiora asked her secretary.

Alice nodded and rushed out of the room.

They sat in silence as Blaze composed himself and waited for Alice. She came back with a cup of steaming hot chocolate and handed it to Blaze. She quickly sat down on the chair beside him.

"Drink" Fiora ordered.

Blaze took a sip and as the sweet hot liquid flowed down his throat and stomach, he immediately started feeling better.

"Miss Blaze?"

"Can you drop the miss and just call me Blaze?" he said, finally showing some annoyance at the prefix. It had always bothered him. Though Azra-El's language had no gender pronouns, he always translated it as miss in his mind.

"Ok, Blaze. Do you know what just happened with you?" Fiora asked him slowly, enunciating each word.

"I am not sure. Maybe I spent more energy than I expected in my duel. I am here to talk about that ..." Blaze started.

"Righteous Fury!" Siofra cut him off with a squeal of excitement.

"Righteous what!?" Blaze asked her.

"Did you not notice the light you were emitting?" Fiora asked him patiently.

"I was emitting light?" Blaze replied, baffled.

"Sigh, I expected as much. You don't have any idea of what Righteous Fury is?" Fiora asked him again.

Blaze pondered over the words for a couple of moments before he shook his head.

"It's how princess Aleaya put an end to the persecution of the eastern Pixies. She ..." Siofra started eagerly, unable to contain herself.

"Miss Siofra... I think she needs a better explanation. We will get back to it after you tell me what happened at the training field" Fiora put a stop to Siofra's rambling.

So, for the next few minutes, Blaze recanted his experience while Siofra interspersed his tale with juicy details. He felt pleased by her sudden cheerfulness.

He had feared that she had been too bullied to display such expressive joy. If he went by how she had acted during the class, it was easy to assume that she had faced worse bullying at her previous school.

"I apologize for what you have been put through, Miss Siofra. I expect better from my teachers. Uriel will be dealt with. I doubt even the Malakim will protect her against Righteous Fury. Would you mind if I shift you to class F? It has a vacancy and moving you away from Priscilla and her classmates is probably for the best" Fiora said, once they finished their tale.

Siofra nodded.

"I want to take my combat training with her" Blaze interjected.

"That is the idea" Fiora smiled at him.

"So, what's this Righteous Fury?" Blaze finally asked.

"After the demons betrayed the Pixies..." Siofra started.

"Ms. Siofra, can you let me explain this one? I am sure you will have plenty of time to tell her all about the Pixie princess" Fiora stopped her with a grin.

Siofra quietened down with a slight blush.

"Righteous Fury is the pinnacle justiciar for the angels. It is a resonance that occurs with the world's energy when an angel feels righteous indignation against an injustice being committed against others. It only occurs when the source of such indignation is completely pure, so it never happens when someone is defending themselves or if there is even a trace of self-interest. So, when someone displays Righteous Fury, it is assumed without a doubt that their actions or words carry true justice" Fiora elaborated.

"It means that you fought against Priscilla and stood up to teacher Uriel only for my sake and nothing else. It also means that you were right in doing so. The word energy itself deems that you are right!" Siofra elaborated.

"But what if the person displaying righteous fury is simply misinformed? Can the world energy even consider that?" Blaze questioned.

"That is a possibility but there has been no precedent for such a situation. In fact, I don't think there has been a precedent for something so trivial as your situation" Fiora replied contemplatively.

"Bullying is not trivial!" Blaze retorted.

"I don't think it is, Blaze. Princess Aleaya GlitterDust displayed righteous fury at the decadal Heavenly Union General Assembly, for the cause of the entire race of Pixies. Not every incident of righteous fury is as prominent, but you can imagine the usual scale. The news of this incident will spread like wildfire. If you wish for it, I can try to keep things quiet for a while, but I doubt I will be very successful." Fiora elaborated.

"It's alright" Blaze muttered. He was gonna get famous/infamous whether he liked it or not. He might as well embrace it in his own terms.

Blaze and Siofra conversed with Fiora for a little while longer as she explained more about the light he had emitted.

"Alice, can you take Ms. Siofra to the 4F dorm and explain to the matron about the situation? Ms. Siofra, I once again apologize for Uriel's behavior. You can expect a significant improvement in the way my teachers treat you, even if the situation with the students doesn't improve" Fiora said to Alice and Siofra.

"Ms. Blaze, if I can have a moment" Fiora added to Blaze

"I will see you at training tomorrow, Siofra" Blaze said to her before they parted ways.

"Blaze, injuries during practice duels are unavoidable, but please go easy on your classmates. I don't expect a similar incident any time soon" Fiora told him seriously. She meant it to be part warning and part request.

"The Malakim can be a fanatical bunch and the chosen are treated as gods. Uriel is a member of Malakim. That is why she was so partial to Priscilla. I apologize for not anticipating her behavior. Regardless, what's done is done. You should expect the Malakim to actively recruit you. They have a thing for purity. However, if you don't plan on joining them, you may face minor reprisals for humiliating one of their own. Just be careful" Fiora added.

Blaze nodded.

"Also, I can't allow Seshat to give you extra lessons, but nothing is stopping you from having a conversation over dinner or lunch" Fiora added with a smile. It was a gift of apology.

Blaze gave her a cheeky grin before he left. He had already been planning to do exactly that.

Blaze flew back to the dorm and gave his matron a quick explanation. She was a little annoyed but accepted that he was delayed at the headmistress' office.

"How did it go?" Fiora casually asked Alice, after she returned from dropping Siofra at her new dorm.

"Min Martina was quite gracious. She said she will take care of Siofra" Alice replied.

"Prepare an official letter of termination for Uriel Arden" Fiora told her as she wrote on a piece of official looking parchment. There was already a stack of them by her side.

"Is it wise to do it so quickly?" Alice questioned her decision.

"I don't want the Malakim to come up with another random excuse. I have put up with them for long enough" Fiora replied curtly, as her quill shaped pen zipped over the paper.

"Min Fiora?" Alice asked after a moment. "Did you anticipate tonight's events?"

Fiora stopped writing and looked at Alice in surprise before she burst into a peal of laughter.

"I am not smart enough to scheme that far ahead, Alice. How can I predict the occurrence of Righteous Fury?" she replied with a giggle. She seemed quite pleased.

"But I don't see why else you would choose to put Blaze and miss Siofra in Class 4A?" Alice pressed on.

"I put Miss Blaze in that class because I knew she wouldn't put up with Uriel and Priscilla for too long. I wanted her to experience the Malakim before they had a chance of wooing her. As you know, their offers can be quite tempting. Maybe my idea was inordinate, but it turned out much better than I even anticipated. Righteous Fury, Alice! Even the Malakim can't go against that. We got a talented child, Alice, and now have a good understanding of her character" Fiora explained to her protegee of sorts.

"And miss Siofra?"

"That was her mother's idea. In fact, I strongly urged against it. However, I am glad she's obtained a friend from it"

The next day went by as usual, except for the fact that he received a few curious glances from his teachers. After a quick tea break, Blaze headed to the class 4 cafeteria to meet up with Siofra.

A wave of whispers went throughout the cafeteria as soon as he stepped in. Blaze spotted class 4A students near the tables at the entrance. Most averted their gazes when he glanced at them. He spotted Priscilla's minions, but he didn't see her. He still felt guilt over injuring her so badly

He found Siofra smiling at him from a table towards the west end of the cafeteria. She seemed to be by herself, but she didn't appear as lonely as she had been when he met her the previous day.

"Yo Siof! Howz it goin'?" Blaze said, walking up to her table and sitting beside her.

"How is what going? I didn't expect to see you until our class"

"Eh. I just wanted to spend some time with you" Blaze responded, grabbing her hot tea and taking a sip.

"Blaze! I've decided to become your loyal follower for the rest of my life" Siofra whispered in his ear.

"Ugh, What? I just wanted to be friends!" Blaze replied, aghast. An image of him prancing around like Priscilla and Siofra demurely tagging along behind him appeared in his mind. He didn't like it.

One could argue that his first-year classmates were comparable to Priscilla's lackeys, but Blaze looked at them as his younger sisters. Everything else was a joke.

"But, you're so amazing. Everyone's been talking about you. How am I worthy of your friendship? Only the great Elyssa Marigold can truly be your friend" Siofra replied.

"What the Hela's butt are spou..." Blaze started but immediately noticed the expression on Siofra's face. She had put on a servile look, but he could tell that she was trying too hard.

"You freaking twerp!" Blaze responded by pinching her shoulder.

A clarion laugh resounded, bringing him a smile.

"What happened to the sweet and shy girl from the headmistress' office?" he complained at her laughing face.

"Whatever made you think that?" she replied with a grin.

"Who would think otherwise with the way you've been acting! You're a con" Blaze retorted.

"This is how am with my friends" Siofra replied softly, a sudden blush creeping up her face.

Her vigorous laughter had pushed her hair back and slightly revealed her left ear and she subconsciously brought back her hair to cover it up.

Blaze suddenly leaned in and pushed her bushy hair behind her ears, revealing a pair of long, pointy and fuzzy ears. They were slim and at least three times longer than normal angels and their tips were covered with felt like orange hair.

Siofra immediately tried to hide them but Blaze held her hands. He reached a finger and felt her sharp tip. It was smooth and fuzzy. Almost like a rabbit's ear.

"You shouldn't hide them!" Blaze told her.

"I thought that angels found them weird" Siofra replied self-consciously.

"Oh, they are weird alright. But it is who you are. Don't hide yourself" Blaze replied and went back to sipping the tea. He didn't want to push her too much.

Siofra struggled with the idea for a few moments, before she gritted her teeth and decided to give Blaze's suggestion a try.

"By the way. Ely is my best friend. You will meet her soon enough. I am sure you'll like her. She is easy to prank" Blaze added nonchalantly, after a moment.

"Ely?" Siofra questioned.

"Yes" Blaze replied, still sipping his tea.

"Elyssa Marigold!?"

"Yep"

Blaze and Siofra followed the rest of the fourth year out of the Lecture building. Siofra had asked him numerous times if he was pranking her about Ely but he finally managed to convince her that Ely was truly his friend.

They joined class 4f in the central plaza as they prepared to fly towards the training grounds. Groups of angels took off at once, almost looking like a flock of humongous birds. Siofra suddenly manifested two sets of transparent red wings.

"They are so cool!" Blaze exclaimed, not hesitating to touch them.

They were soft as felt and quite thin. They were stiff like butterfly wings and had no feathers. The top wings were around six feet each with a width of around two feet. The bottom pair were slightly smaller. Each wing had three opaque yellowish orange spirals at the top with trailing tails that curved down to bottom ends of her wings.

"Let's go!" Siofra said, feeling embarrassed by Blaze's ogling. No angel had ever shown any interest in her wings.

"Wait, you can fly?"

"Of course, I can. Why else would I be taking combat training in the fourth year" Siofra replied incredulously.

"Then why did you make me carry you to the Registrar's office?"

"I was just following your orders. You were so emphatic. You just grabbed me and took off, remember?" Siofra replied.

Blaze shook his head and unfurled his own pair. They took off in tandem and were soon headed towards the south west training field.

"Don't tell me you are strong as well?" Blaze shouted as he flew beside her. The rush of wind drowning his voice.

"I am ok, I guess. I think I have a good chance of defeating you in a one on one duel" Siofra shouted back confidently.

"Oh yeah?" Blaze asked her surprised.

"Don't take me the wrong way. I am just a natural counter to your fighting style. I don't think I can defeat Priscilla though" Siofra added, when Blaze didn't bother to argue.

"Why is that?" Blaze asked her, even though he had kind of understood it.

"My wings make me very agile. I can dodge very well but I don't have much power. Priscilla is the defensive type. I have no chance of getting through her defenses and all she needs to do is land a single blow. You on the other hand, can break through her defense with your power alone. However, it will be very hard for you to land a hit on me. I can float around your rapid movements and pepper you with my sword" Siofra elaborated.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Wait, does that make me Mike Tyson? He had to shake off an image of Muhammad Ali wearing Siofra's wings and ears.