The Azra-El Series Ch. 16

World energy was hypothesized to be everywhere, but angels found it difficult to take it in or process it at higher altitudes.

These two factors put the average height an adult angel could sustain flight at between 12,000-15,000 feet. Archangels and deities could fly higher.

As they slowly made their way up the mountain, using an upward draft to help them along, Blaze watched the flying squirrels buzz around the treetops like bees.

He spotted a gliding serpent shoot off a tree branch and snatch a squirrel in mid-air, but right at that moment, a poukai dropped down from the sky like a missile, grabbing the snake in its talons.

The squirrel escaped the snake's maw as it attempted to snap at the bird's feet and get free. Its efforts proved futile as another poukai joined the first and tore the snake in two.

Blaze hated snakes and anything else that slithered, but he felt sorry for the creature -- it was a gruesome way to go. The circle of life is unavoidable even in the land of angels.

However, philosophy was quickly pushed out of Blaze's mind as they hit the cotton-candy white of the clouds. One of the most enchanting yet unnerving experiences for an angel was to fly through clouds. Gliding through the beautiful, fluid mists that seemed so material yet parted at the simplest of movements was enthralling, but could make anyone lose their sense of direction. Without a three-dimensional reference frame, it was easy to feel perpetually trapped in the swirling fog.

However, Jie Er and Blaze shot straight up and passed the layer of clouds. Blaze slowly began to feel the stress on his lungs. His angel body had spent most of its life at sea level and the sudden change in altitude began to make him feel woozy. He still had the energy to fly but something made him decide to not go on any further.

"Aunty!" he shouted to the angel flying above him, "I don't feel so good."

Jie Er gave him one look and swooped down to catch him in her arms, descending onto the snowy mountainside.

"Oh shit!" Blaze cursed and fell to his knees. He crawled away from her, before blemishing the pristine snow with his breakfast.

"Altitude sickness," Jie Er told him, kneeling beside him and rubbing his back and belly. Blaze threw up again. "Well, now you know what happens if you fly up too fast," she told him. Blaze gave her a dirty look, before throwing up again.

Jie Er brewed him some tea on an energy stone kettle as he tried to recover from the head spinning, stomach lurching, and the general sense of nausea.

As soon as the hot herbal concoction hit his stomach however, he started to feel better.

"I guess this is a good height for your workout," she told him, watching his pallor return to normal.

Blaze groaned.

***

For the next hour or so, Jie Er made him fly around the mountain at a good swift pace, until he couldn't fly anymore. His wings didn't collapse out of existence and he wasn't completely drained of energy, but his body and lungs just couldn't take it anymore.

He fell to his knees as he landed and began panting.

"Take a half-hour break. Watch out for arctot. They are the only land creatures that may appear at these heights. They are usually docile, and you'll hear them come from a mile away. I'll be back," Jie Er told him, unhooking the rope connecting them.

"Wait! Where are you going?" he cried out as Jie Er bent her knees to jump into the air.

"You're not the only one who needs training. My arch-wings are becoming useable," she said, manifesting her second pair. They were not as grey as before, and the number of diseased spots were reduced by a half.

"Oh!" Blaze exclaimed dumbly.

Jie Er gave him a smile and took off.

Blaze looked around for a proper place to lay his sleeping bag and spotted a rocky surface jutting out of the snow. As he walked across the empty land, blanketed only by snow, he felt that there was something pleasant about the place. Even his emotions had an echo in so much space.

Once he reached the rock, he pulled out his sleeping bag from his space ring and weakly crawled under it. Curling up in its warmth, he fell asleep within a few moments.

Exactly thirty minutes later, Jie Er came back to wake him up.

"How high up were you flying?" he asked, noticing that she seemed a little worn out.

"Maybe around sixteen thousand feet. I was taking it a little easy. Pack up, let's go," she replied.

Blaze sucked a breath in amazement. Only archangels could fly that high, and Jie Er's arch wings weren't even completely healed.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked, rolling up the sleeping bag and putting it back in the ring.

"Same thing," she said, hooking the rope back onto her harness.

They repeated the exercise a few hundred feet higher than before. Jie Er once again left him to take a nap before coming back a half hour later. Then they did it again, and this continued until the afternoon, when Blaze's wings finally gave out and disappeared.

Jie Er, as usual, caught him before the rope went taut. She held him in her arms and flew back to their camp at the base of the mountain.

"You have an amazing energy stamina. I didn't last three hours when my mother did it to me the first time," Jie Er praised him on their way back.

"I thought she was a nice lady," Blaze told her sarcastically.

"Mom was," Jie Er answered and he gave her a disbelieving snort.

***

"Heat up some vegetable broth. I will go get something good to go with it," Jie Er told him, leaving Blaze at the camp.

Blaze started the campfire before heading to the nearby stream to collect water. As he lifted the cooking pot out of the stream, he heard something massive tumble out of the woods and come to a stop a few feet away from him.

For a moment, the only thing he heard was the babbling stream and the heavy breath of the creature.

"Holy Hela's Butt!" he cursed, dropping the pail and stepping back in fear. He immediately tried to manifest his wings, but they wouldn't materialize. Shit.

In front of him stood an arctot, larger than the Xenodon he had met when he rescued Sky. It was a great lumbering beast, fifteen feet long and eight feet tall. A voluminous grey coat of fur with a black underbelly covered its skin. Except for the two bull like horns on its head, it otherwise looked like a bear.

The creature eyed him distrustfully, as if considering its options. Finally, it gave him a snort, which came out as a great plume of steam, and bent its head to the running water. It sloppily lapped up great mouthfuls before it was satisfied. Shooting another gaze at Blaze, the arctot snorted at him once more before rambling back into the trees.

Blaze's heart pounded in his chest. He thought of calling out for Jie Er but was afraid he might provoke the beast into coming back. Instead, he quickly collected his water and hurried back to their campsite.

He sat there quietly and warily as he brought the water to a boil without adding the broth powder, afraid the smell may bring back the bear.

Relief flooded him when Jie Er swooped down fifteen minutes later.

"What's wrong?" she asked, immediately noticing his anxiety.

"I saw an arctot by the stream and it saw me too."

"Oh," Jie Er said in comprehension. "Did it want to eat you?"

"No, it just drank some water and left. But it could've easily eaten me! How could you leave me here without my wings?!" he yelled.

"Oh, you were fine!" Jie Er told him. "Arctots don't care much for angels, unless you mess around with them or intrude upon their caves. Besides, I think you're fast enough to at least dodge its strikes until I find you. It would've been good practice," she told him carefreely.

Blaze wanted to tell her that she was a mean old coot, but then he noticed the things in her hands. Two dead gliding serpents dangled from each of her hands. "What the heck are you doing with those?!" he screeched.

"Saraph! They are really good for your body and for building muscle. Lots of nutrients and energy," she told him, cheerily.

"There is no way I'm touching those. I hate snakes!" he declared.

"Have you tried them somewhere?"

"No, but they are creepy."

"Then you should try them," she said, sitting down opposite him. She quickly chopped off their heads, peeled off their skin, and chopped them into little pieces, before dumping them in the boiling water. She added some herbs and broth powder before letting it cook.

Once cooked, she served the stew in a bowl and handed it to Blaze along with a piece of bread.

Doubtfully eyeing the meat, Blaze poked at it with his fork. It didn't feel slimy like he expected. Stabbing it with his fork, he put it in his mouth. Surprisingly, it tasted like chicken.

His stomach suddenly growled with hunger he did not realize he had, and he quickly devoured his food. Seeing his newfound enthusiasm, Jie Er served him more, giving him most of the saraph meat and leaving herself only a few pieces.

Blaze didn't bother to protest and finished the meal before taking another small nap. He knew he would need it.

***

By mid-afternoon, Blaze and Jie Er were back over the snowy part of the mountain.

"There are two types of angels who usually do well in the tournaments: geniuses and those with extraordinary willpower," she told him, as they hovered in mid-air. "And no, being willful is not the same as having strength of will," she added, noticing the smug look that sprouted on his face. It quickly disappeared.

"It takes an immense amount of determination, struggle, and hard work for those of moderate talent to overcome their shortcomings," she continued. "Failure is not uncommon and when they fail, they only come back stronger. Failure is not an end, and they know how to persevere when things look bleak.

"Geniuses on the other hand, are not used to being defeated. Everything is effortless and what seems like normal effort is hard work for them. Thus, they are not equipped with the character or diligence required to face a true challenge.

"You, Blaze Er, are a genius. Here on Azra-El and most likely on your other world as well. At least, I don't think you had to struggle for anything or experience true failure. You are afraid of losing Sky, but I don't think you've truly considered the possibility of losing to Nikolett."

"How would you know?" Blaze grumbled. It was true. He may not have been a child prodigy, but he never really had to struggle at anything. School was a piece of cake, he was a natural at sport, and he was born to a wealthy, middle-class family. The only trouble he ever faced were bullies during his short stint at a public school and they stopped being a problem after he realized he had a knack for fighting.

"I can tell," she said without explaining. "Nikolett Lovag was an unknown angel until about eight or ten years ago, so I did some digging. The Malakim have kept a tight leash on details regarding her, but it wasn't hard to find some basic information.

"Her mother is a high-ranking Malakim but Nikolett herself wasn't known to be a prodigy, despite being a good fighter and a Pegasus Knight. She always had to work hard towards getting stronger.

"But that changed about ten years ago. Her wings fully matured, and her hidden talent and genius bloomed. Within a few years, she defeated pretty much all the other geniuses around her age. Elyssa is her final target and I hope you will not become a steppingstone.

"Now, tell me everything that you've learned at the academy," she asked him, abruptly ending her spiel and confusing him. Does she mean that Nikolett has both talent and strength of character, while I lack the latter?

Regardless, Blaze chose to not pursue it further, and narrated everything he had learnt in combat training, including his fights against Priscilla. His weekends at home had been spent in talking about his adventures, and he had never really discussed anything about his combat training with her or Rebecca. Jie Er had not shown much interest in it before.

"Yes," she said, after he finished telling her about his plan to use energy weapons. "Weapon manifestation will be a useful tool in your arsenal. But against Nikolett, I think it will only prove a marginal utility. Someone of her caliber should quickly adapt against different weapons.

"Nevertheless, you should focus on perfecting this idea of yours - while you're at school. During our training sessions, I will simply focus on making you a better warrior -- better than Nikolett; because that is how I want you to defeat her," she told him.

Blaze couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

"What?" she asked him.

"I just thought that maybe you had a secret technique. Something that can blow someone away in a great attack, or something that makes me so fast that Nikolett can't touch me..."

"Don't be silly. You already have a very good technique -- The Swift Wing Style is one of the best out there. But from what you tell me, you have not used it to its full potential. We shall work on it. Your hardened wings are not meant only to defend yourself," she told him seriously. "Anything else?"

"Oh yeah!" he said excitedly, remembering the little move he had invented. "Watch this. I call it the 'Blazing Pirouette'," he told her, shooting up.

He flew up around a hundred and fifty feet over Jie Er and then dove down towards her. He began to spin around with his wings, drawing them closer, while gravity accelerated him towards the older angel.

Just as he reached her, he opened his arms and swung them at her, using all the momentum he had gained. Jie Er blocked him with a single hand without any show of exertion.

"Isn't it just an aerial pirouette? You've only added a bit more flair to it, which makes it inefficient," she asked skeptically.

Blaze looked at her crestfallen.

"I do like the idea, though. We shall work on it. We may be able to use the flexibility we worked on to improve the technique," she told him after a moment. "But now, we shall fight. Defend yourself!" she cried out, balling her right fist.

Blaze felt a sudden sense of danger and he immediately hardened his wings to cover himself.

BANG!

It was only a fist, but it hit his hardened wings like a truck. Blaze shot towards the ground and hit the snow with all the grace of a dead bird.

"Oww..." he groaned, as he slowly crawling out of the angel-shaped hole in the snow.

Jie Er landed in front of him and watched his face covered in snow.

"Your goal over the next few weeks will be to land a hit on me. You can use whatever method you can think of," she told him solemnly, without an ounce of pity for his condition.

Blaze coughed and spit the snow out of his mouth. "But I've landed a hit on you before!" he protested angrily. Her attack had come out of nowhere and he had not been prepared for it.

"I was never serious. I am now. To make things easier for you, I will only use the strength of an angel," she said.

Blaze searched her face. She was very serious.

Ah fuck!

***

Twilight set in quite quickly on their side of the mountain, casting a bluish tint on the white snow and aptly reflecting his mood. He was battered, bruised and wingless. Jie Er had not pulled any punches and by the time they were done for the day, there were a couple dozen Blaze-sized holes in the mountainside snow. He hadn't even come close to landing a hit on Jie Er and he was absolutely plastered.

Jie Er carried him all the way back to the camp and gingerly sat him down by the campfire. She started a fire in the pit before working on their dinner while Blaze sat quietly tending to his wounds, without looking at her.

She made them a meal of hard-boiled eggs, vegetable stew and bread. He wolfed it down ravenously as darkness set around them. Once done, he washed his bowl with water and stood up.

"I am going to sleep," he told her brusquely and headed into the tent.

Jie Er came in after a few minutes. Blaze was curled up and facing away from her, but she seemed to know that he wasn't asleep. She sat down beside him and pulled him up by the hand.

"What?" he asked her impatiently.

"Take off your top," she told him gently.

Blaze knew it wasn't for a fuck and he was too sore to even want one. He pulled off his shirt as Jie Er took out an ointment. She squeezed some of it out and began applying it on his bruises. They were everywhere: arms, legs, chest and stomach.

Blaze hissed at her touch, but she was as gentle as she could be, spreading the balm with careful strokes. He tried to catch her eye, but her concentration was on his body. She took her time and once she finished, she turned him around and pulled him between her legs.

"I am sorry, Blaze Er. I didn't want to do it this way," she told him emotionally, making him rest his head on her bosom.

Blaze swallowed the lump in his throat and lightly nodded against her chest, closing his eyes.

Jie Er continued to gently massage around his wounds, and Blaze fell asleep under her soothing touch.

***

Blaze woke up early at dawn to find himself curled up in bed. Jie Er was asleep with an arm over him and spooning him to her body. He sighed at his dick that rose up in his shorts.

Not today, buddy. I'd rather not give her an excuse to ramp up my training.

He closed his eyes, but sleep did not come to him. He slowly pushed Jie Er's arm away and got out of her embrace. Walking out of the tent, he felt the freezing morning breeze coming from the top of the mountain.

It was still dark outside, but the smoldering campfire radiated warmth and a dim glow. He sat in front of embers and idly poked at them, when a sudden thought came to him. Pulling out a notebook and a quillpen, he began to write, turning the surface of the paper to face the embers.

Day 1: I think it's the start of a nightmare. It began pretty darn awesome, but by the end of the day I was wondering if Jie Er hates me. I mean, obviously she doesn't, but that's how bad the training was.

I could've died, twice. Once whilst she was trying to make me fly too high, and the other when she left me wingless with an arctot prowling about. She didn't even seem that worried when I told her about it. That arctot was a monster.

And goddamn! Jie Er looks like a gentle soul, but she hits like a freight train.

Lunch: I ate some freaking snakes --saraph-- for the first time. They weren't as nasty as I expected them to be.

Dinner: It was some stew with eggs and bread.

Thus, began Blaze's diary about his training adventures with Jie Er, initially intended to be comedic.

Day 2: Passed out while trying to fly at close to eleven thousand feet -- twice. Was wingless three times. The clouds are beautiful at that height, but you can't really appreciate them when your lungs and anga are screaming for air and energy or when you're flying past them wingless and flailing.

Lunch: Strange thing happened at lunch. I went over to the stream to get some water and found a pile of rowan berries beside the campfire. I thought Jie Er had left them there, but she says she didn't. We ate them of course, cause they are apparently rare and very nutritious -- slightly bitter but not unpalatable.

Is Rebecca here and playing a prank on us? I hope she is. Or, could it be someone else? Alice?

More naps cause I can't go on without them.

Dinner: Had more snek.

Got beaten up by Jie Er again, and she wasn't even using her left hand.

More snow holes up in the mountain. I am calling them Blazing Holes, cause why not?