The Azra-El Series Ch. 16

***

"I thought we'd wait until the interview was over, Miss Blaze," Clio commented, as she crouched on her feet and let his cum dribble out of her ass. Blaze watched with interest.

"No. Why do you think I wanted to meet here? Also, please just call me Blaze," he told her. "Do I have to be in the picture with Sky?" he asked her after a moment. He was fine with having his picture taken at Sekat, but he had been receiving more spotlight than anticipated, and thus wasn't sure about once again having his picture in circulation.

Clio seemed to understand his problem. "Don't worry, I will make sure Sky is the one in focus. The rain and being out of focus will ensure that your image isn't very clear.

"Besides, we must take this picture. I just thought of a perfect title: 'Sky and the Blazing Fury, enjoying each other's company despite the rain'", she said, with a wave of her hand, highlighting an imaginary caption.

Soon, the two angels went to find Claudis and Sky. Having missed him over the weekend, the bird was immensely excited to see Blaze again, and that was exactly what Clio needed. She took several pictures of them playing in the rain, with Gyrill tagging along.

Afterwards, Clio quickly interviewed Blaze, asking him his thoughts about the tournament, and how he was preparing for it. She even talked to Claudis about taking care of a Quetzal.

"Blaze, my editor-in-chief provided us with these," she said as she set out to leave. She brought a pair of synced voice projectors out of her ring. "Since I am your primary correspondent, she thought we should keep in touch," she said with a smile, handing him one the VPs. "I will contact you if I have questions, and you can get in touch with me whenever you like."

After Clio left, Blaze conversed with Claudis for a short while. He wondered if she'd bring up her daughter and the incident before he left to Varan for the weekend, but Claudis seemed to have no interest in forcing it. They spoke about casual things before he left for his classes.

***

Fiora summoned Blaze to her office on Aeidie (Wednesday), but once she realized it was entirely Jie Er's choice, she didn't try to convince him otherwise. She told him that she would sending Jie Er a letter and sent him on his way. The rest of the week quickly flew by.

Class 1A played Flyball against two more first year classes that weekend and won both games convincingly. Blaze was benched again, and by the looks of it, it seemed like his class hardly needed him.

Blaze, Elyssa, and Siofra went out to town for lunch on Hadie (Saturday), and while in town, Blaze purchased the Aranya Weekly. It was especially popular that weekend, and the shopkeeper refused to take payment for it as usual.

Clio's pictures had been distributed to other newspapers as per an official agreement, but she was the only one with access to Blaze. As such, a lot of Aranyans wanted to read her paper, including Blaze.

"The pictures alone convey the bond between the young Blazing Fury and the Quetzal. Why are we giving the Holy Caledonian Empire a chance to split them up?" were the final words of Clio's latest article. Blaze felt a new fondness for her grow inside him, as he realized that she was really trying her best to support him.

"Blazing Fury!" he heard a young voice squeal with delight, as they stepped out of the store.

A cute green haired angel, accompanied by her mother, around Jie Er's age, was excitedly pointing at him from the other side of the street. Physically, she looked like a 10 or 11-year-old human girl but it was likely that she was less than five. It was almost impossible to tell the age of very young angels. Blaze had a moment of epiphany as he realized that he was supposed to look like her.

The three angels were soon surrounded. His picture in the current article wasn't very clear, but the little angel seemed especially well-informed. She even guessed Elyssa and Siofra for who they were.

The townsfolk hailed them with greetings, praises, and questions until the trio decided to head back to campus. But not before the little girl, Emma, took their autographs. Siofra was especially excited when she was asked for hers. She had never expected to be popular with an angel.

***

The atmosphere in his dorm completely changed from the evening of Joeidie (Sunday), as most of the students began to prepare for the end-of-term exams. As the angels only attended the Academy once every ten years, the year they attended was intensive. The tests were especially tough at Tir, the best academy in the western part of the HU.

Students like Aahna and Bi had even started preparing a week earlier. However, there were also angels like Blaze and Rachel, who sat on the carpet and played a game of chaken. Siofra sat behind them on Blaze's couch, studying for her own tests.

"This is no fun with only two players!" Rachel threw her hands up in air, after losing the fourth game in a row. Chaken was an intricate mix of chess and poker, and Blaze was beginning to get good at it. He had never gotten into chess as a human, but poker was another story. Making good bets was one his favorite things to do, even if he lost some.

"What difference does it make?" Blaze asked smugly. "I'd have won anyway. But this is a good opportunity for me to try new moves, and for you to learn some," he enlightened her.

"I'd rather have other players to beat. I am done!" she fumed and folded her arms with a pout.

"What about Catopoly?" he asked. Catopoly was a more political and business-oriented game, and it suited someone like Astrid more than it did him.

"No." Rachel seemed to dislike it even more than he did.

"You wanna try a game, Siof?" he nudged Siofra's legs with his shoulder, as he leaned back against his couch.

"Must be nice to be in a class three grades below your level," Siofra said testily, glancing over her book.

"Oi! Even Rachel's not studying!"

"She must not care for good grades. I do." Siofra told him bluntly.

"I don't. Only chumps try so hard for perfect grades," Rachel responded smugly, earning a glare from Aahna, sitting a few feet away from them. "I only want to be a Pegasi knight. I just need to understand the material and get good grades in combat training," she shrugged her shoulders. Combat training was only graded at the end of each year and not every term.

"See, Siof! Grades are not everything. Come play a game with me. We may not get another chance before the next term. I am bored!" Blaze urged.

"If you're so bored, why don't you help those Malakim seven? They seem to be struggling with math," she said, pointing at the group of Malakim gathered around at a corner table. Most of them had their hands by the sides of their heads, holding their hair in fists, as they stared uncomprehendingly into their math books.

"Ah! The duties of a Big Bro," Blaze sighed dramatically, getting up and heading towards them. His impression of the seven had improved over the weeks, and he had actually grown fond of Afriel, who was the best Flyball pitcher in their class. Even he had trouble hitting her curveballs.

"You're big, alright," Siofra quipped at his back. "A big, lazy, dumbass."

***

Matadie and Rhedie went by quickly, and the students got Aeidie off to prepare for the tests. They had ten tests to take over the next couple of days. Blaze flew to his classes on the morning of Radie (Thursday), feeling a little tense. He had only started preparing the previous night, and the nervousness of his classmates had begun to rub off on him.

However, once he saw the first test, Biology, and began writing, his worries disappeared. The other sciences were even easier. By the end of the day, he was back to his usual self and pestering Siofra to do something interesting, while she stoically brushed off his puerile attempts.

He knew she was going to do well in the tests anyway so he didn't mind distracting her.

"Seriously! I should be the Big Bro. You're too juvenile!" she complained, finally getting frustrated.

"Siof. You can't be a bro," he told her sagely, placing hand on her shoulder. She seemed unconvinced.

The tests on the following day were a bit tougher. Art and Architecture was Blaze's hardest subject, and he felt he made a few mistakes on his Literature test. Geography didn't go perfectly either.

Seshat's test on History was the only one he felt good about. History had always been his least favorite subject, but Seshat had upended this opinion. As he finished writing, he was sure he would ace the paper. He was also convinced that he was the only one among his classmates to answer the extra question.

He had learned it while trying to catch up on his fourth-year reading:

"Q. What is special about LE 572? (Extra Credit -- 10 points)

A. 'The day darkness glowed'. A strange darkness, visible only through anja, spread across most of Azra-El. The 'brightness' of this darkness surged for a moment, temporarily blinding the anga of angels who had been watching it. The origins of the darkness are unknown, as it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. But the central continent is where the dark energy was the densest.

"Some claim it was the day Hela ascended to a previously unknown power level -- higher than a Deva or an Asura. Others claim it was the day Hela died, as she hasn't appeared since. Others still, claim it was the day the next potential Asura was born."

All-in-all, Blaze was satisfied with his attempts, especially after speaking with Rachel. If she felt like she was going to do alright, he probably had the best grades in the class. Her answer to the extra question was that her older sister had turned five that year. She claimed that it was technically correct as it was special to at least one person.

***

After the exams, the students began to party, enjoying the celebratory feast their matron had arranged for them. Blaze spent time with his classmates until Siofra and Elyssa arrived later in the evening.

The trio gathered around Blaze's couch throne and began a game of Chaken. Siofra was one of the few in his age group that still posed a challenge to him, and Elyssa was still better than him.

However, Siofra seemed to be a little down. She had not been thrilled to hear that he was not joining her for the special training sessions.

"Don't worry, Siof. Send me a message if anyone bullies you at the training sessions. I'll fly back and beat 'em up," he told her, moving his infantry card pretending to be cavalry, and placing a bet on it.

Siofra immediately called his bet and moved her cavalry on him. "I can take care of myself. It's just that I will miss having someone who actually likes me," she told him, smugly revealing his card. Cavalry beat infantry, lost to artillery and drew against light cavalry.

"Oh no!" Elyssa cried. Her moves and tactics were always solid, but she couldn't account for other angels' actions, especially when they were not as good as her. The only time Blaze could beat her was if he could eliminate her before they were the only two players left.

"Hehehe," Blaze sniggered, as he used the vacuum created by Siofra's cavalry to move his artillery pretending to be infantry into Elyssa's territory and bombard her troops. "I am sure you can, Siof. But that wouldn't stop me from meddling, would it? You signed the deed when you agreed to be my friend."

"Yep, so did I," Elyssa agreed, sharing her misery with Siofra. Her light cavalry couldn't get to Blaze's artillery while defending against his infantry pretending to be artillery on the other side of her territory. She could already see him kill her light cavalry on the next move, and then move his generals in.

"I am sorry, Elyssa. I shall avenge you," Siofra told her valiantly.

"Hehehehe," Blaze tittered again, after Elyssa sacrificed her light cavalry to survive another turn. "I only wanted her cavalry and light cavalry, Siof," he informed her. "I am coming for you."

Robbed of her fast-moving pieces, Elyssa couldn't immediately move in to help, and Blaze rampaged on Siofra's lands.

Troops could be bought with money, but one could only maintain a certain number at a time, and new troops took several turns before they could be added to the board.

Blaze, who had made enough money on his bets against Elyssa's troops, made even more in Siofra's territory. The game simply snowballed into his eventual victory.

Siofra and Elyssa ganged up on him the next game, purely out of spite.

"Are you sure you want to miss the training camp?" Siofra asked him, as he pouted at them for booting him out first.

"I am not," he answered honestly.

"I think it's for the best, Blaze. Mum thinks aunty Jie Er is stronger than she lets on," Elyssa told them. Blaze hadn't told her that Jie Er was an archangel, but maybe Anastasia could tell.

"Sure, but that doesn't necessarily make her a good coach. We're getting expert instructors from all over!" Siofra protested.

"Let it go, Siof. It's decided," Blaze shook his head. Jie Er was a good teacher alright, but she wasn't the easiest of them.

Later that night, Blaze and Elyssa shared a warm warm hug and quick peck on each other's cheeks.

"Lemme kiss you too, Siof," Blaze said, turning to Siofra with puckered lips.

"Eww. Go away," Siofra said, stepping back.

"It's alright Siof. I am not your mother," Blaze said, inching towards her. It was easy to guess that Siofra's relationship with her mother was testy at best.

Siofra immediately manifested her pixie wings and flew away with a shout of goodbye, while the other two laughed at her.

"Don't forget to call me on the VP," Elyssa told him, giving him another hug. She was going off to train with her mum, so they had charged their VPs even before it was decided that Blaze would train with Jie Er.

"I won't," he replied, before they split.

oOo

Blaze woke up before dawn the next morning and went to see Sky. The bird was a bit grumpy for being woken up at such an early hour. He seemed unaware that Blaze would be leaving him for three weeks.

"Don't worry, Blaze. Tonya and I will take good care of him," Claudis said as Blaze took sat down and took the bird into his arms. "My daughter may not be happy about having a Quetzal right now, but I know her. She loves all animals. Besides, even Badava seems to have taken a liking to Sky," she reassured him, brushing Gyrill's mane. Claudis' Pegasus was an early riser, just like her owner.

Blaze nodded glumly. He knew that Claudis would take good care of Sky, but he still felt bad about leaving.

He sat with Sky until the sun began to peep over the horizon. Vowing to train as hard as he could, Blaze put Sky back in his coop and got up. The bird gave him a sleepy, droning squawk before going back to sleep.

Blaze kissed Claudis goodbye and went to the carriages waiting for students. Siofra came to see him off and after he was done saying goodbye to his other classmates, she let him hug her. He quickly sneaked in a kiss on her cheek before he pulled away.

"Our score is 11-9," he reminded her, climbing up the wooden steps of the carriage and pausing at the doorway to look at her.

"We shall make it even when you get back," Siofra told him.

***

When Blaze reached Varan, he found Agatha waiting for him at the town square, instead of Jie Er or Rebecca.

"What are you doing here?" Blaze asked, skipping towards her.

"I am taking you out to lunch. Jie Er knows," she answered with a smile, giving him her hand.

"Oh?" Blaze replied as he let her lead him. If you wanted a romp, you could've just asked me. No need for lunch.

Agatha was one of the first angels he had come to know well, and he'd always had a soft corner for her. He hadn't spent much time with her since he began to attend Tir.

Several of the townsfolk waved and shouted at him as the two made their way to The Parrot's Tail. Someone even cursed the Malakim for him. Blaze had always liked the bread biscuits and gravy at The Parrot's Tail, and was currently craving some.

"You will get fat if you eat too much of that," Agatha laughed, as Blaze wolfed down his food. The bread was airy crisp and easily soaked up the thick, buttery gravy. It melted in his mouth and Blaze couldn't help but shove more in. Agatha had chosen a light meal of sautéed fowl and rice.

"I've yet to see a fat angel," Blaze replied with a full mouth. It was true. The fattest angel he had met was his Literature teacher, and she was curvy at worst.

"What do you mean? There are a lot of fat angels. I've been putting on weight recently," she said poking at her food.

Blaze gawped at her. He couldn't see any extra weight on her. Angels must have a different definition of fat.

"Don't tell her I said this," Agatha whispered, "but over the years, Jie Er has gotten pretty fat over here," she said, pointing at her breasts. "They were only as big as mine when we first met. That was over fifty years ago, though," she said nostalgically.

If that's how Jie Er got fat, she can eat all she wants.

"But I guess you do need some fat over there," Agatha continued after a moment.

Blaze wisely chose to stop eating at that point. "What's this about, aunty?" he finally asked. He got the impression that Agatha wanted to ask him something.

"Blaze Er," her voice suddenly turned serious, "do you want to get into business with me?"

"Huh?" Pimping?

"I've already spoken with Jie Er about it. She said we could do whatever you want, as long as you're properly compensated."

"Okay... But what are we doing business in?" I ain't gonna be no heavenly gigolo!

"You know about the sister I have in Puhar, right?"

"Yeah. The one you don't really like," Blaze replied.

"Yes, but Medina's got an excellent sense for business. She saw your picture in the Aranyan weekly and remembered the clothes I made for you whilst I was visiting her last time. She thinks they will be a huge hit and wants to produce them in bulk. She already has a silk merchant lined up to provide the raw materials and the workforce," she explained.

"Aunt Aggie, most angles think my clothes are a old-fashioned. I only wear them cause they are comfortable and not too revealing," he explained to her. Elyssa was the only angel to ever like his clothes. Even Rachel thought his clothes were too boring.

"That's the thing, Blaze. Fashion is somewhat cyclical. Revealing clothing is going out of trend."

Goddamn! NO! Blaze screamed internally.

"And when people tire of impractical clothes, comfort becomes a priority. That's where you come in. People have seen you and what you wear. If we market it right, a lot of young angels may buy our clothes just to emulate you. Once they get used to the comfort, they will be back for more. We will create and capture the market!" Agatha said, waving her hands excitedly.

"So, where do I come in? You want me to be a brand ambassador or something?" Blaze asked with uncertainty. He really didn't want any more attention.

"Exactly! But we don't even want you to advertise for us until the tournament. I know how much you and Jie Er dislike publicity. All we want for now is to borrow your name. 'Blazing Fury' will be our logo. Even during the tournament, we shall only ask you to wear our clothes when you appear in public.

"Once Aranyans see you fighting while wearing our logo, they will go crazy over our merchandise. If you agree, you will get a flat ten percent of our profits. More, if Jie Er decides to invest. She will have access to our capital," Agatha elaborated with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"What's your initial planned capital?"