“So much for my offensive countermeasure!” Aksel bemoaned between breaths, running through the endless sea of trees that made up this forest. Though he wished he could stop to regain his bearings, he knew the werewolves were hot on his heels.

  “I’m... Sorry... I just need a little more time,” Vine murmured, piggybacking on Aksel’s back. The last few jumps had not been kind to her. Unlike Aksel, who seemed to grow stronger as he continued adapting to his body and abilities, Vine only grew weaker, taking longer to recover from every leap.

  “Don’t worry. I think I’m getting the hang of this perception thing. So long as I don’t think about it, my legs won’t even get tired,” he reassured her, suddenly thinking about his legs after mentioning them. Doing his best to distract himself, Aksel refocused his attention on his pathway through the forest while scanning for enemies.

  Since manifesting his sword, he’d actively taken to testing his limits, though with few breakthroughs.

  Paws stomping against the forest floor echoed close behind, their voices booming through the trees with calls of “Beautiful,” hunting them down like a pack of dogs hunt a fox. It was impossible to tell how many were tracking him, but even one of the corrupted beasts would be more than a match for them in their current state.

  There’s more of them after every jump! Aksel thought, knowing his manifestation of the Sword of the Hero had caused this. What was once the occasional straggler had multiplied into dedicated hunting groups, corrupting more people and monsters as they went.

  The numbing cold no longer affected him. Though he still longed for the warmth of his blessing, his core soul had adapted to life in its absence. Through trial and error, and some extensive, last minute field testing, Aksel had managed to impose both effective low light vision and a state of inexhaustibility upon himself, allowing his muscles to always run at peak condition. An invaluable ability for their current predicament.

  Suddenly, a werewolf leapt from the bushes, blocking his way forward. Unlike Demi-humans, a race born from the interbreeding of man and beast, this creature was a curse inflicted upon humanity, transforming its victims into monsters.

  Standing at least six feet tall, its head jutted forward from its hunched frame, as though dragged out of alignment with the rest of its body. Its neck was stretched unnaturally far, as if perpetually poised to strike. This forward-set head was frame by broad, powerful shoulders, revealing biceps that easily spanned the size of Aksel’s head. Its elongated muzzle twitched, revealing rows of sharp teeth beneath its gleaming, feral eyes. Thick, black fur blanketed its head, back, groin and arms, while their chest and legs remained largely patchy, displaying their enlarged, toned muscles. Aksel glanced at its arms and legs, its dark, muddy claws like razors with enough power behind them to tear him to shreds.

  “Beautiful,” it's rough, almost pained voice spoke.

  “Bloodfalls, looks like were jumping again,” Aksel announced, securing Vine to his back.

  The werewolf leapt; its mouth wide as it aimed for Aksel’s head. The world blurred, shifting from an endless forest to a wooden ship sailing on the open sea. The large wave rocked the boat, almost knocking Aksel off his feet.

  Damn it. At this rate, there will be nothing left of my soul by the time we reach my imagination, Aksel cursed, steadying himself as a set of footsteps approached from behind.

  “Oi! Get back in line!” A towering man in an oiled leather cloak called, fury in his voice. Before Aksel could react, the pummel of the man’s mace was shoved in his gut. Forcing down the vomit and bile, Aksel collapse to his knees, releasing Vine as he hunched over in agony.

  “Bloodfalls, what’s your problem?!” Aksel muttered.

  “I said, get back in line!” The man repeated, dragging Aksel by his shirt collar and tossing him to the ground in front of a line of people, each with metal collars snapped around their necks. Men, women, adults, children, humans and demi-humans, all were stood together, many shivering from the brisk wind rolling over the deck.

  With no remorse, he roughly threw the exhausted Vine to the ground beside Aksel, anger visible on his face. With little other option, Aksel helped her up from the ground and joined the line, placing themselves between the others who quickly made room for them.

  Having regained control, the man walked to the end of the line where two men were waiting, one with a ledger and one without. The head of his mace knocked against his palm as he began some form of inspection. His nasty voice barked several questions at the first person in line. “What is your name?” “Where are you from?” “Have you been blessed?” “What family do you have?” All the while, the man without the ledger skilfully moved his hands across the person’s body, recording every detail: gender, age, height, build, hair colour, even down to the state of their nails and teeth.

  It was strange. Aksel was sure this nightmare filled him with nothing but fear and dread before. Now, it was almost comical how unconcerned he was.

  Right, I must have had dreams about being kidnapped and sold off, He recalled, though the details were murky at best.

  Beside him, a small, demi-human rabbit girl sobbed, as terrified as he was supposed to be feeling. Though vague, he recalled how powerless he felt, unable to help her when they lined up for inspection so very long ago.

  I can do better this time.

  “… Just give me the signal, Aksel… I’ll take care of them,” Vine offered, though her stance suggested otherwise. She was swaying, her eyes more unfocused than ever. Clearly, she was in no condition to fight.

  Kneeling, Aksel put a comforting hand on the rabbit girl’s head. Her sobbing stopped, her tear-stained eyes turned towards him, bewildered and frightened

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save you that time. I don’t really remember all the details, but I know neither of us had a happy ending when this ship finally docked,” Aksel confessed, even as the girl’s confusion only grew. “I promise, one day, I’ll have the power to save people just like you.”

  Another nearby slaver cracked his whip against the ground, most of the line flinching under the dreadful sound.

  “Keep your mouth shut, unless you want to be tossed overboard,” the man stepped closer. Aksel turned his dismissive eyes over to him, annoyed. He had just survived running through a forest with a pack of werewolves at his back, and this guy was trying to intimidate him with a damn whip? Not all nightmares were born equal, it seemed. Standing up, Aksel calmly stepped out of line towards the slaver.

  “…Aksel?” Vine questioned, moving a step forward in concern for his actions, but didn’t stop him.

  “Oh, tough guy, huh? We’ll see how tough you are when you’re keelhauled!” The slaver cracked his whip once more, as everyone on board the ship watched. The Slavers were very amused seeing an unarmed idiot walk out to challenge them to a fight. Aksel spoke only two words.

  “Broom handle.”

  Just like that, a broom handle materialized in Aksel’s hand, phasing into existence from the grip upwards. Unlike his previous attempt, this manifestation was subtle, lacking the explosive light that pierced the hallow dark of his nightmares previously.

  The sudden appearance of a headless broomstick drew uproarious laughter from the nightmare slavers

  “HA HA HA! What are you planning to do with that? Swob the deck?” jeered the whip wielding slaver, a crooked grin spreading across his face.

  “Something like that,” Aksel quipped, his voice calm despite the tension. Without hesitation, he charged.

  The slaver’s smirk didn’t falter. With a practiced flick of his wrist, the whip snapped through the air like a thunderclap, its leathery tip closing the gap in less than a heartbeat. Aksel barely flinched as the whip lashed his cheek, splitting the skin and drawing a crimson streak. He kept moving.

  The slaver sneered and struck again, biting into Aksel’s arm and shredding the fabric, opening another fresh wound. Still Aksel surged forward, his grip on the broom handle tightening with each step.

  The slaver’s confidence wavered as a realization dawned—Aksel was too close.

  Desperate, he napped the whip for a third strike, but it was too late. Aksel swung his broom handle hard into the man’s ribs, reverberating through his oiled leather cloak. The man gave a choking gasp as the air was driven from his lungs.

  Aksel didn’t stop. Stepping closer, he followed up with a savage swing to the slaver’s jaw. The man staggered, barely able to stay on his feet. With one final overhead strike, Aksel brought the broom handle down like a greatsword, and the slaver crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

  “You piece of dright!” the mace wielding slaver roared, stomping over with fury visible in his face, when he was suddenly jumped by the captives he was inspecting. The fear that kept them docile through this ordeal had been swept away with the slaver’s defeat. Even unarmed, the humans and demi-humans still outnumbered the slavers almost six-to-one. Before the slavers knew what was happening, a massive beatdown was taking place on deck.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, he pressed a finger to his bleeding cheek. Fortunately, the wound was already healing up, just as Vine caught up to him.

  “… Good job,” Vine congratulated.

  “The captives seem to be doing most of the work. At least I know how fast this body heals.”

  “…Against the nightmares,” She nodded. “…It seems your training between jumps… wasn’t wasted.”

  “It’s oddly comfortable,” he remarked, taking a practice swing with the handle. “I can hardly fight the horrors with this, but at least I can beat down my nightmares. It’s surprisingly therapeutic,” he admitted, a light smile appearing on his face.

  “Beautiful,” A deep, echoy voice cawed from above. Aksel and Vine turned, spotting a lone seagull that swooped down, landing on the stern of the vessel. “Beautiful.”

  “Damn it, at this rate, there will be no downtime between jumps at all,” Aksel noted, as he stole a glance towards Vine. She was on her feet, at least, but that was about all she could accomplish right now.

  “…We don’t have a choice… We should move before more arrive.”

  “Erm,” a small, sheepish voice called from behind him. Turning, he spotted the same bunny girl from before, her once saddened eyes shining with nervous gratitude. “Thank you for saving us, Mr. Hero! You’re the best!”

  Offering a quick bow, she darted off to join a group of her kin without waiting for his response.

  For a moment, Aksel stood frozen, silent as her words echoed in his mind.

  “…Aksel?” Vine lent forward, a flicker of concern overcoming her.

  But Aksel wasn’t still out of shock—he was overwhelmed with joy. He could barely contain the flood of emotions coursing through him. His face flushed a deep red, his lips trembled, and tears brimmed in his wide, glistening eyes. At that moment, he looked more like an excited puppy than the hero he was so delighted to be called.

  “…Are you that happy?”

  “This is the happiest I’ve been in so long. A cute little bunny girl just called me her hero! I could seriously die from the sweetness alone,” he told her, looking as though he was about to ascend to heaven.

  “…Don’t die, Aksel,” Vine cheered him on.

  Having eventually calmed down; he looked out over the waters.

  “…Ready when you are,” She announced

  “I don’t know where to jump anymore. Everywhere is just as black as everywhere else.”

  “…We have to keep trying,” Vine stated. Indeed, they had no choice but to keep moving, hoping against hope that they would eventually find the place they were searching for.

  Still, it’ll only be a matter of time before they catch us for good if we keep going the way we are. There has to be some way to make this more precise, Aksel pondered. Unlike in his memories, there were no guiding lights to lead him, or others to direct him. There simply wasn’t an effective way to navigate within his soul, especially while being hunted under these conditions. Then, an idea struck him.

  “I think I have an idea.” Aksel muttered, stroking his chin in a thought-provoking manner. Vine tilted her head.

  “…Idea?”

  “I might have a way to reach my imagination. This place is controlled by my perception, right? So, what if I, like, forge a path there?” He said, unsure of his own words. It was a bold idea, considering he’d only figured out how to materialise weapons recently. In principle, however, he should be able to apply the same logic in this situation.

  “…Are you sure?” Vine questioned, her calm voice not betraying any emotion. Aksel nodded.

  “Yes, if I can just create some sort of entrance, something to link this nightmare and the place I’m thinking of, I might be able to jump us straight there,” he spoke confidently, reaching out towards her. “Do you trust me?”

  “…Always,” She confirmed, taking hold of his hand.

  Wordlessly, he walked them both over to the edge of the boat and glanced over the edge. In the dark, it was difficult to gauge the distance between where he was and the water below, but he guessed it would only take a second or two for them to splash into the sea.

  Turning his back to the ocean, he gave Vine one last glance, confirming she was still on board with his plan. As expected, her expression gave nothing away, but her gaze was one filled with trust, unafraid to look him directly in the eyes with full confidence. With no alternative but to succeed, Aksel closed his eyes, and fell towards the water.

  I’m falling through the sky, high in the air. Below me is a village surrounded by fields of idyllic grassland with the vast mountain ranges of Calvaria looming over the horizon, Aksel pictured the clearest scene he could, focusing everything on making that world a reality around him.

  Gravity took control, as the pair descended towards the water, the wind gushing past them as they picked up speed.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  They fell,

  And they fell,

  And they fell,

  And they—

  “!!!” Aksel’s eyes shot open, greeted by countless clouds floating through the darkened, starless sky. Twisting his head, he recognised this place in an instant.

  “Fuck yeah! It worked!” Aksel roared in triumph. Just like he had wanted, he had transported both himself and Vine to his imagination in the blink of an eye. “We did it, Vine! WOOOOO!”

  “…Aksel?” Vine interrupted the celebrations, the rushing air tugging on her clothes and forcing her hair back.

  “Yeah?!”

  “…How do we stop falling?” She asked calmly, tilting her head.

  “…”

  “…”

  “Ah, dright,” Aksel sighed, understanding the error as the ground slowly grew larger below them.

  “Aksel!” A new voice shouted from above, stunning him even has he fell through the sky. He knew that voice better than almost any other, because he was the one that had picked it out for her. Flipping around, he searched for whoever called his name as his eyes locked onto a faint golden glow zooming towards them. His eyes grew wide, unable to believe what was happening.

  “A-Ariel?! Is that you?!” Aksel called, as the angel of his daydreams descended into view. The sight was surreal. She was everything he’d ever imagined she would be, from her golden blonde hair to her feathery white wings, his perfect angel. It was enough to bring a tear to his eye. Perhaps dying wasn’t that bad after all.

  She dived down, cutting through the air with ease as she grabbed a hold of both Aksel and Vine. With her quarry firmly secured, Ariel extended her wings, slowing their descent until they finally came to a halt.

  “Welcome back, Aksel. I’m so glad to see you’re okay,” Ariel spoke cheerily, overjoyed at seeing her partner, carefully lowering them to the ground. Aksel was reasonably confident the fall wouldn’t have killed him, since he was fairly sure his core soul couldn’t die of fall damage within his soul, but he probably would have hurt like hell.

  “You seem so... Real,” Aksel stated, inspecting his angel lover like an obsessed collector, surveying every inch of their latest purchase. Her clothes were soft, silky, yet durable, finer than anything he’d ever felt in his life. Her wings and hair were gentle and soothing, like brushing his hands over velvet clouds touched by sunlight. Though she was a materialisation from his daydreams and a part of his soul, he held himself back from running his hands along her body, despite how desperately he wanted to.

  “A-are you done yet?” She asked, clearly embarrassed by all the attention he was thrusting upon her.

  No, he wanted to answer, but instead settled for the far more socially acceptable, “Yeah.” With a quick clearing of her throat, Ariel continued.

  “I’ve been anticipating your arrival for so long,” she told him, her eyes shifting towards Vine. “You’ve done a great job keeping him safe until now. From one part of Aksel to another, I thank you.”

  “... You’re welcome,” Vine replied, offering a thumbs up.

  “Sorry we took so long, but you didn’t exactly make this place easy to find,” Aksel explained, scratching the back of his head, to which Ariel responded with a cheery smile.

  “This place was never designed to be found by anyone but you. your memories and nightmares are vivid parts of your life that tickle every sense of your body and engrave themselves directly into your soul. your daydreams and imagination, on the other hand, are worlds contained within your mind and your mind alone. They can only appear when you call upon it. Just like you did now,” She finished, acting like a proud teacher.

  Hearing this, Aksel turned to Vine, a questioning glare visible on his face.

  “If we couldn’t reach this place until I learned to materialise objects through perception, why in Nith were we jumping around my nightmares like a pair of lunatics?!”

  “…I didn’t know,” Vine answered simply.

  “You knew everything else!”

  “…We learned everything else… This is as new to us as it is to you… We knew this place existed, though not where… We believed it was hidden within your nightmares… and that the safest place to be also in your nightmares… and that the perfect place to adapt and learn your abilities…. was also in your nightmares… since it’s less resistive than your memories,” Vine did her best to summarise, as Aksel gave a weary look.

  “Don’t blame her, Aksel. She’s only ever helped you to the best of her abilities. The only reason I know this information is because I materialised within your imagination when you came here. How are you feeling?” Ariel inquired.

  “Compared to how I started, I feel great.”

  “Good, that’s what I needed to here. I always knew you were resilient,” She winked, flashing a flirty smile.

  Aksel felt his face turn red, hiding his face quickly before he embarrassed himself by how happy she just made him. Seeing his reaction, Ariel giggled at how weak he was to any of her advances, as Vine stared on.

  “Well, I guess it’s time. Now that you’ve arrived, what do you wish to do?” His angelic partner asked, catching Aksel’s attention. Glancing between both Ariel and Vine, he couldn’t help but smile. Between these two, there would be no force within his soul that could rival them. Baring a confident grin, he began.

  “We’re going to retake our body.”

  ---

  “Are you sure?” Ariel asked, as Aksel nodded in complete confidence. With his approval, his angelic partner held up her hand. Her golden white aura intensified, as divine essence cycled within her. She closed her eyes, concentrating. Even this task was enough to challenge his perfect angel, it seemed, but there was no other way.

  All at once, she opened her eyes and turned towards the sky, crying out her command. “Divine Warfare | First Wing | Heavenly Flare!”

  A beam of holy energy poured out of her palm, shooting towards the sky. For a time, all the released essence collected in one location, concentrated in a single, compact orb. This alone was enough to bring light back to Aksel’s soul like never before. It was so bright that he couldn’t help but turn away, his eyes unable to adjust to the daylight after so long within his soul’s darkened halls. Then, the orb scattered, splitting into dozens of new beams that spread across the land. The intensity of the light reduced, exchanged for a nice, even spread of lights hovering in the sky.

  “There, that should do it,” Ariel declared, smiling happily.

  “I knew it wouldn’t be a problem for my amazingly beautiful and awesome partner,” Aksel enthused, grinning from ear to ear. Daydreaming about her was one thing, but getting to witness her powers first hand was something else entirely. If only the situation was less unbearably grim, he’d want nothing more than to love and cuddle her until the end of time. As always, his compliments turned her red as a tomato.

  “A-Aksel, please, we need to be serious here, and pick your words more carefully. Do I need to remind you that I’m just a figure from our soul’s imagination. You are basically flirting with yourself right now,” She explained through Rosey cheeks. It didn’t matter what she said at this point, he was simply absorbed by how adorable she was.

  “By the First, you’re even cuter in person.”

  “J-just go get ready! This place was difficult to reach before, but now that it’s lit up like the sun, it’s going to get pretty busy here.”

  “Right, I’ll go check on Vine,” Aksel answered, rushing off back towards the village.

  The plan was simple, lure the horrors into his imagination where Aksel was at the peak of his power, and eliminate them. However, the execution would be another beast entirely. Vine wasn’t far, sitting by the entrance to the nearby village, her eyes fixed on the ground as if lost in thought. When the plan was discussed, she seemed confident that she’d be ready in time for the battle. Despite his misgivings, he had continued with the timetable.

  “How are you holding up?” Aksel asked, trying to meet her gaze. Upon hearing his voice, she slowly looked up towards him.

  “…Okay… How about you?” Vine responded.

  “Good as I can get. I wish you didn’t shoot down all my ideas though.”

  “…Oh?”

  “Like, I could have tried to make this village into a fortress, or spawned an army of loyal knights, or spawned a fortress with an army of loyal knights.”

  “…Too risky… We don’t know your limits… Even us fighting back could prove too much… remaking this world with a fort could make you weak… and making others outside of Ariel might only add to their numbers.”

  “If you say so. I told you though, I’ve gotten the hang of this, really. I know my limits.”

  “…And, I’m reaching mine,” Vine admitted softly, causing Aksel to raise an eyebrow.

  “What do you mean?”

  “…I’m tired, Aksel… I’m only a small piece of us… but I’ve been fighting, and jumping, and killing since we met… I don’t know how much longer I can keep going… This battle may be my last.” Vine admitted through her mask of neutrality.

  Aksel stared into her eyes, thinking. He was aware of her degradation for a while now, but chose not to address it, until she was so weak she couldn’t move anymore.

  “Don’t talk like that, okay? You’re going to be fine, and we’re all going to make it out of here.”

  “…You’re scared,”

  “I’m not scared. You said it yourself, this is the place we have the best shot of beating them,” Aksel spoke, though Vine shook her head.

  “…You’re scared… of losing me.”

  “What?”

  “…Don’t worry, Aksel… The horrors you kill… you will remember who they were in time… when we have a chance to heal… If you forget me… If you have to kill me… I will come back.”

  “I said don’t talk like that!” Aksel told her, as he quickly glanced at a nearby home within the village. In an instant, it’s walls were transformed from wood and thatch to that for stone and mortar, its door crafted into dense metal that few people could push open, and windows replaced by iron bars.

  “…Aksel—” Vine’s protests fell on deaf ears as he cut her off, easily lifting her off the ground.

  “You said it yourself, if they get a hold of you, we’re done for.”

  “Ak—”

  “You’ll be safe in there. Remember, they are looking for me, not you. Even if you made another of those candles, I doubt they’d notice. Don’t worry, Ariel and I have this handled. You should know how powerful we can be.”

  “…My job—”

  “As the core of our being, I’m relieving you of duty. Your job now is to stay safe. You’re the last person I remember out there in the world, so it’s very important that you keep yourself safe now, okay? When this is over, I don’t want to be some strange amnesiac not knowing who anyone is,” he informed her. For longer than usual, Vine didn’t respond, clearly pondering their situation.

  “…Don’t die, Aksel,” she eventually told him, her voice softer than normal as he quietly carried her to the safehouse within the village.

  After placing Vine in a nearby bed, he left to rejoin Ariel, sealing Vine inside. Though nothing was in sight, his core was screaming at him that something large was heading his way.

  “Are you sure that was a good idea, my love? She may be weakened, but she is still a third of our fighting force,” Ariel questioned

  “What, worried this is something we can’t handle by ourselves?” Aksel confidently smiled.

  “Hardly, so long as you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure. This is for the best.”

  As the pair readied themselves for what was to come, the world around them began to tremble as, beyond the plains and hidden within the forest that concealed the boundaries of this land, hundreds of the corrupted made landfall.

  Aksel and Ariel snapped their attention towards the treeline before them, as words of “Beautiful” echoed across the land. There was movement in the brush, the greenery getting crushed underfoot by the slow march of determined invaders, until the first one was sighted. It was a woman, somewhere in her late thirties to early forties, with curly brown hair and maddened blue eyes that stared up towards the sky.

  “Beautiful,” the woman professed, wandering out into the open without a care in the world.

  Looks like the plan's working, Aksel thought, banking on the horrors being too fixated on the lights above to notice him, at least until it was too late.

  The woman was followed shortly by a young girl, a child that bore similar features to the adult in question, before a bevy of newcomers flooded into view. Villagers, travellers, Animals, Dungeon-kin, bandits, werewolves, ants and more. It seemed that everyone and everything that had been corrupted within his soul had arrived in response to Ariel’s beacon. It was everything he could have hoped for.

  “So many,” he commented.

  “It’s not too late to get to safety with Vine,” Ariel offered, her eye surveying the approaching horde.

  “No, I don’t get to be safe. This is my soul, and I’m going to stand and fight for every part of it,” Aksel declared, as he closed his eyes.

  This is it. After this, I’ll either survive a hero, or die a failure.

  “Wings,” Aksel intoned, and in an instant, angelic wings grew from his back, their magnificent frame spanning nearly twice the length of his arm from root to tip for each. At his command, the new appendages fluttered, creating a light gust of wind that ruffled their clothes and hair. The feeling was natural, yet unnatural, like regaining control of a once paralyzed limb. Though large in size, the wings were unnervingly light, though brimming with such power that he could send a full-grown man crashing to the floor, should he need to.

  Ariel couldn’t help but stare at the pure white feathers of Aksel’s wings, going so far as to brush her hand against them. Much like hers, they too were warm and comforting.

  “They’re beauti… Handsome,” Ariel stopped herself, chuckling. “More importantly, how do they feel. It’s a little too late to practice, but I can buy you a little time while you get your bearings.”

  Aksel shook his head, his wings expanding and retracting as he got the feel for them.

  “If this were anywhere else, I’d have never rushed into this to begin with. This place though, everything just feels right, natural. It’s like I know how everything is meant to work, even when I have clear gaps in my knowledge.”

  “Oh, well that makes sense. I suppose the perception rules are a little looser here than everywhere else. Nothing needs to make sense should you not wish it too.”

  “Not loose enough for me to drop a mountain on top of them… I’ve been trying that one for a while now.”

  “That’s because your authority is being contested here. Don’t count on being able to affect the environment like before.”

  “Then, I guess I’ll just have to work with what I have,” he said, not shaken in the least as he held out his open palm.

  “Sword of the Hero!” He called his blade into the world, wrapping his fingers around the perfectly crafted hilt of his divine blade. Heat flowed into him once more, and in turn, many of the corrupted began turning their gaze away from the flares and towards him. Wasting no time, he drew his weapon back, leaning forward as his wings grew wide around him. Ariel followed his movements in tandem, calling forth her own Sword of the Angel, readying herself to move.

  “Let’s finish this!” Aksel prompted, as they both launched themselves towards the enemy, their movements rippling across the grassy field like a storm. Before the first blades of grass fluttered to the ground, they were upon them. Twisting his body, Aksel flipped through the air as he powered a swift kick towards the first of his enemies.

  The elven soldier barely had time to open his mouth before Aksel’s boot crashed into his helmet, warping the metal to the contours of his foot and ankle and sending the man clattering to the ground like a sack of armoured meat.

  Adrenaline pumped through his veins; a smile filled with the lust for action sprawling across his face as he readied his sword. It all just felt so natural here. All he had to do was think of the action and his body would carry it out without question, just like a daydream.

  With nothing holding him back, Aksel plunged forward, his blade slicing through flesh like a knife through butter. A goblin, a wolf, a bandit, an elf, all fell before they even knew what was happening. Blood and limbs filled the air as the corrupted fell, never to rise again. Before long, this entire space would be littered with all manner of exercised fragments. Not to be outdone, Ariel’s sword cut many more to ribbons, leaving rows of corpses in her wake as the crowd only grew denser.

  Changing their trajectory, the couple flew up into the sky, spiralling through the air until they came back to back with one another. Their eyes glowed golden white as their empty palms radiated a light so intense that all horrors looked at them in blissful happiness, decrying the divine couple’s beauty.

  ““Divine Warfare | First Wing | Smite!”” They called out in complete sync, as bolts of Divine energy rained down upon the horrors. Any living thing their light touched was eviscerated, their bodies reduced to ash or seared to a crisp. He could feel his body heating up with the heavenly warmth he’d so desired, his confidence reaching a fever pitch.

  As he spun in the air with his partner, blasting dozens of the creatures to pieces with a mere mental command, he almost missed the arrows that flew straight towards him.

  “Divine Welfare | First Wing | Bulwark!” Ariel commanded, throwing her hand out in time with her words. A luminous barrier sprung up around them, catching three arrows in their flightpath. They sparked as they hit the heavenly wall before them, bouncing off and heading towards the ground.

  Those weren’t normal arrows, Aksel observed, sweeping his gaze in the direction of the volley for the archers in question. It didn’t take long to discover the perpetrators, as all three were loading their arrows for their next shot. If this were anywhere else, Aksel would be baffled by what he was seeing, but here, he could only assume it was something he’d forgotten.

  All three archers were the same person, though with some differences among them. They were all young women, with hazel eyes and long, brown hair with interspersed blonde streaks, tied up into a ponytail. One wore a full set of leather armor over fiber mail. Another wore only the fiber mail with leather boots, while the final clone, again, wore the leather armor over fiber mail, though this time covered in her own blood. Each of their bows were shined a heavenly gold crafted from divine essence.

  He felt nothing seeing them. If they weren’t a part of some made up nightmare, they used to be someone Aksel knew. It didn’t matter, he supposed.

  “I’ve got this,” Aksel assured Ariel, more than confident of his victory of their first potential threat. With one flap of his wings, he plunged towards the women like a bird of prey. However, just as he was about to cut them down, a warhammer flew out from the crowd.

  With no time to react, Aksel threw himself to the side, smashing into the gathering of humanoids in the area, his wings shielding him from most of the damage as it wrapped his body up like a protective cocoon.

  “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.”

  “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.”

  “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.” “Beautiful.”

  All around him, the corrupted chanted their obsession like broken automatons. The unlucky few attempting to attack him were easily thrown back by his wings as they opened up to the world, revealing Aksel, sword in hand, his body hanging low to the ground like a wounded animal baring its teeth.

  The warhammer the man wielded was clearly divine in origin, though of a far higher quality than the bows and arrows the women where using. He had short blond hair, blue eyes, and a large, muscular build covered by fiber mail and leather armor.

  “Beautiful,” the man said, his disconcerting smile plastered across his face.

  Suddenly, Aksel’s eyes flicked over to the archers, noticing their bows locked onto him, their strings taut, ready to loose another volley of their divine payload. At this distance, he’d have to rely on his wings to take the hit and hope for the best.

  Just as he was about to cover himself, a smite from the sky ripped one of the archers apart. Shifting their attention to the world above, another of them was blasted before they could change targets, their remains crashing to the ground. The final woman got off their arrow, soaring through the air with immaculate precision towards Ariel.

  The pitiful divine arrow never stood a chance, as the final smite collided with the projectile and shattered it to pieces on contact, before its owner was smited to death like her brethren.

  With his air support covering for his screw up, Aksel pushed himself off the ground before he could be surrounded, heading straight for the warhammer wielding man. Unaffected by the loss of his comrades, he swung the great weapon towards him.

  Too slow.

  By the time his swing was complete, Aksel had already moved past him as his torso slid away from his lower half in a gory mess.

  Briefly looking back, Aksel admired his handywork before turning back towards the sky, speeding off to rejoin his partner.