"Recruits! Gather 'round."
We halted our chatter and quickly gathered around our leader, eager to hear what he had to say.
"We, the Daemonium Casus Coetus, fearlessly stand as the vanguard of human protection, ready to confront any adversary. Our ranks consist of the finest, boldest, and most formidable soldiers in our Army."
We all fell silent as he paused, his intense gaze slowly moving over the crowd. Tension hung heavy in the air as we awaited his next words. After a brief moment, he drew in a short breath and proceeded to deliver his announcement.
"I will be hand-picking three exceptional recruits from our ranks to join me on a mission to the realm of demons."
The hush that had settled over the room was abruptly shattered by a chorus of startled gasps and murmurs. Confused glances were exchanged as everyone turned to their neighbours. I glanced at Igna, and her expression mirrored my own: a mix of bewilderment and apprehension. So soon? I found myself thinking. I had expected this to happen after years of dedicated training.
A brilliant, luminous light materialized in Leader's hand, its radiance so great that it caused everyone to cease their murmuring and fix their gazes upon it. The light gradually transformed and pulsed until it eventually coalesced into the form of a sophisticated checklist board. Leader cast a swift glance at the board, paused to take a short breath, and then fixed his gaze upon our apprehensive and expectant countenances.
"Olander Mulciber."
The entire room turned its gaze toward the recruit, who hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to take a firm step forward. Leader cast another glance at the board, took yet another brief, steadying breath, and prepared to address the group once more.
"Ignis Clara."
I heard her inhale sharply, causing me to glance at her with concern etched on my face. Despite my silent inquiry, she remained wordless and impassive as she made her way toward the front of the gathering. He looked at the checklist for the final time and took his last steady breath.
"Venus Luceat."
The entire world seemed to freeze in place, and I found myself holding my breath. What? I can't believe it. Me? Now? But I forced myself to come back to the present moment. No. This is my chance. With determination, I strode purposefully to the front, ready to take on the mission.
Leader glanced at the three of us, nodding in approval before announcing, "Follow me. We'll gear up and head out." With a gesture, he led us into the next room to prepare for our mission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The chamber, unlike any other within the academy, was small and dimly lit, with walls made of red bricks and a cut stone floor. At the rear, towering stacks of massive wooden crates obstructed the view, soaring up to the ceiling. Two of the walls were adorned with lengthy workbenches, on which lay an assortment of tools such as ozams, chisels, screwdrivers, hods, nɪns, and an array of ɠosəd containers of all shapes and sizes.
In the rear of the room, perched on a high stool, sat Bennett Coruscus, the Assistant Leader, reclining on his elbow, appearing to be in deep slumber. When Leader carefully placed a small sphere of light into a lantern, the resulting glow filled the entire space, prompting Olander and Igna to shield their eyes from the sudden brightness. The radiance also roused Assistant Leader, who wearily rubbed his eyes and gazed in our direction. As soon as his eyes met ours, the weariness in his expression transformed into a vibrant enthusiasm.
"Greetings, recruits!" he cheerfully greeted, flashing a wide friendly grin. "Ya ready for your very first mission?"
We simply nodded.
"Splendid!" He walked over to the sturdy wooden crates, effortlessly levitated two from the top, and gently brought them down to the floor. After that, he carefully nudged one of the crates in our direction and gave it a light tap. "Let's suit up, shall we?"
Upon opening the crate, he uncovered neatly stacked rows of vibrant orange and light blue jars. Atop the jars lay sleek black full-body suits, adorned with colourful stripes running down the arms, legs, and front.
"Take out the suits whose colour of stripes correspond to your race," Leader commanded. "White for Light and orange for Fire."
Olander and Igna opted for suits adorned with vibrant orange stripes, while I selected one featuring crisp white stripes. We put on the suits, though with some difficulty due to its tightness. Next, Assistant Leader produced a brimming orange jar filled with deep reddish-brown ashes and picked up a hod from a nearby bench, flashing a sly smirk.
"I will help you out here. Devil's ashes are quite hot and must be applied with care lest you get burned. They are to be lightly sprinkled all over the suit and wings. Do not worry, your wings will not be harmed." He left the jar of ashes floating in place, reached into the crate and held out a blue jar. "Afterwards, you carefully apply this gel over the ashes. It will make them stick to your body for a long period of time." He waves the hod before us. "This is used to sprinkle the ashes. Now, stretch your arms to the side and unfurl your wings."
We followed his instructions and stayed still while the Assistant Leader spread the Devil's ashes over us and our wings, starting with me. Meanwhile, I heard the door slam shut. As he scattered the ashes, he jokingly commented on my extra wings, saying, "Your other wings are eating up the ashes here fast! At this rate, I may have to open another jar! I heard two pairs of quiet chuckles from my right and allowed myself a bemused grin. Well, sir, that is what happens when you are the child of archangels.
As Assistant Leader applied the thin, semi-transparent gel over my suit, I turned to face Igna, who was on my right, displaying a reserved yet excited grin. I leaned toward her as far as I could and gently whispered, "This is our chance. To ascend as magnificent Archangels side by side. Her dark grey eyes shifted in my direction, carrying that same vague sadness as usual. I shrugged it off.
As Assistant Leader wrapped up with Olander, the door swung open, and Leader, now wearing armour, strode in with four sets of light armour floating behind him. Two, worn by men, featuring broad steel strips attached to internal leather straps and interlocking iron rings. The other two types, worn by women, were studded leather armour made of leather reinforced with metal studs or small metal discs. As he placed them down, he glared at us recruits and his golden eyes turned starch white. Without a word, the sets of armour began to levitate off their stands, their forms dissolving into a brilliant white light that darted towards us. When it struck, the intense heat of the light enveloped my body and momentarily threw me off balance. As the light receded, a cooling sensation washed over me, and my vision gradually cleared. Looking down, I realized that I was now clad in metallic armour from the chest down. Glancing at Igna and Olander, I noticed that they too were now armoured. So was Assistant Leader. Leader's eyes became golden once more and he said matter-of-factly, "This is the only time I will do this for you."
I looked back down at my armour. We're venturing into the land of demons and this is all we wear as protection? I turned to Leader and asked, "Leader, why are we only equipped with this scanty armour for our journey into Inferncenem? I highly doubt it would be enough to protect us from demons." However, it was Assistant Leader who answered my question with a reassuring smile. "We're going to a safe part of Inferncenem to meet friendlier demons, so we don't need much armor." I still had some reservations but chose to trust his words.
"Okay, then," Leader announced. "Let us get going." He deftly strode to the very center of the room and with deliberate and precise movements, he traced a perfect pentagram with a shimmering white light on the floor. Suddenly, a towering column of flames erupted from the pentagram, casting a searing heat that seemed to reach for the very heights of the chamber. My heart raced within my chest, yet I willed myself to maintain an unwavering facade of calm. Glancing at my companions, I noticed Igna's stoic expression betrayed a subtle undercurrent of unease, while Olander struggled to conceal the tremor in his hands.
"Shall we?" Leader gazed at us, raising an eyebrow, and gestured toward the towering inferno. I drew in a deep breath, steeling myself, and bravely ventured into the flames, ready to confront whatever awaited me.
