Prologue
"With the knowledge of the Magi…Ether Burst!" A sphere of light surrounded by black electricity formed and launched itself at the four Sprites, one familiar and one Grim Angel that stood against its caster.
Ein, the Wingless Angel, raised his Diviner, Einherjar, and with the support from Fia's and Cierra's magic, swatted the sphere away. "Alright, guys!" he yelled. "Now let's go for it!"
"Right!" his companions cheered. Lina, the Spunky Archer, and Cierra, the Scarlet Witch, rushed forward, their weapons at the ready. Stopping abruptly, Lina notched ten arrows at once and Cierra charged her fire spell. Bringing both together, they both yelled, "Calamity Stardust!" The archer released her thunder arrows and the witch set them ablaze with her flames. The burning thunder arrows homed into Hector, the Traitorous Magus, and found their marks before he could conjure a barrier.
"Serene! Fia!" Ein yelled. "Your turn!"
"You got it!" Serene, the Last of the Arcs, and Fia, the Kind Fencer, replied, rushing forward, yelling, "Serene Absolute!" and "Appassionato!" Fia repeatedly stabbed the Magus with her rapier, charged with ice magic, while Serene was at his left swinging her scythe wildly. The ice they conjured further delayed Hector from countering
"Now to finish this!" Ein said, rushing in himself, charging his own divine blade. "This is the will of the gods; Disaresta!" He swung his blade rapidly again and again, finishing with a wave of energy that he conjured from his last stab. Just as the last stab hit home, Hector immediately dissolved and reappeared several feet away from them, on his knees, his breathing pained
"Had enough?" Ein asked, pointing his blade at the Magus.
"Heh," Hector chuckled. "Hmhm...Do you really think you can defeat me? Surrender now and I'll most likely make your deaths quick and painless."
"Fat chance of that happening, Hector," Ein said, keeping his arm and arm and his voice steady. But on the inside, he was worried. Why is he smiling? he thought. Doesn't he feel any pain?
"What's wrong, Ein?" Hector taunted, getting up. "Can't bring yourself to kill me, the one and only father figure in your pathetic little life?" When Ein did not reply, his smirk grew wider and before anyone could react, took his staff and viciously clubbed Ein with it before jumping back into the air. "Now I'll show you what it means to suffer!" he yelled. Putting his arms in front of him, he began to chant, "Gravity Nova!" His palms began to glow with a purple light and the very air around Ein and his friends became heavier and heavier with each passing moment. Soon, the force was too strong to resist, and the entire party were being crushed.
Hector laughed at their plight as he flew away. "Now suffer my wrath! Ether Burst!" The sphere of light appeared again, but this time, Ein couldn't get up to deflect it. As the Grim Angel struggled to fight the overpowering pull around him, all he could do was watch as his companions were struck by the blast.
"EIN!" the girls cried out.
"Rose! Fia! Lina! Serene! Cierra! NOOOOOO!" Ein yelled, breaking through the spell as the effect faded.
As he rushed to them, Hector only laughed and said, "It's too late, Ein! They're already dead, you fool!" Hector's words were all too true; as Ein checked his companions, he couldn't find a pulse, or any other indicator that they were alive. He ran from Fia, Lina, Serene, Cierra and Rose, feeling the side of their necks and desperately searching for at least some kind of movement or breathing. All the while, Hector continued to gloat , "What's the matter Ein? Is a Grim Angel actually showing emotion? My, my, that's something you don't see every day." The way Hector had said the word 'emotion' caused Ein to remember Ledah, his very first friend and fellow Grim Angel who died at the hands of a fake Grim Angel that Hector had "created". "Admit it Ein," Hector continued. "Ledah was even more pathetic than my pawn Malice." Ein's rage continued to grow as he continued, "And you know what? You're even more pathetic than both of them!"
He began to cry, tightly clenched his fists together.
"Now awaken," Hector said, raising his Tentacle Rod, "SETH, THE SPRITE OF DEATH!" inside voice, Hector! Inside voice!
Then, in a flash of light, Seth, the Sprite of Death, appeared before them. Her dark reddish-brown eyes, which matched her hair, slowly opened as she said, "I wAnT PoWer…GiVE IT tO mE!"
"All in good time, my dear," Hector said, moving to her.
"HECTOR!" Ein roared, running towards him, Einherjar in his hands. "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"
"Don't make me laugh," Hector said, turning to him, his palm glowing dark purple. From the glow emerged a black sphere that launched itself towards the Grim Angel, who raised his Diviner to block it. The attack connected, but…
Einherjar snapped in two.
As Hector and Ein stared in amazement, the remnants of the Diviner shone and disappeared. Then without warning, Ein felt a prickling sensation and suddenly white, wings that were tinted with a greenish-blue hue burst from his back.
Seth just watched on in a childlike fascination as she saw the wings, looking on curiously.
"How…?" Hector asked in amazement. Nothing like this had ever happened before, even to the former legendary Grim Angel named Ecthel Demonsbane. Regaining his composure, he said "Never mind! I'll kill you now!" He raised his left hand, and suddenly five strings emerged from his fingers and shot past Ein before fading.
"What was that suppose to be, Hector?" Ein growled, testing his long-gone wings. "Some kind of stupid binding spell? 'Cause if it was, then your aim sucks!"
"No," Hector said, smiling back. "Something worse."
Suddenly, Ein was blasted with a burst of flames. As he cried out in pain, he turned around to see his fallen companions all standing up, but their eyes were black and glassy.
"What the…?" Ein asked in fear. They were supposed to be dead! How did they come back? What the hell did Hector do? "Guys! It's me, Ein!"
Without warning, Rose jumped in his face and mentally screamed, "Blazing Rose!" and rammed into him, burning his stomach and forcing him to jump back to avoid another attack. Her attack was followed by Serene, flying up to him and whispering, "Serene…Absolute." Her slashes narrowly missed, but the last one knocked him to the ground. Next was Cierra, sounding flat, saying, "Calamity…Flare." Again the huge plume of flames appeared, and all Ein could do was endure it. Then, Fia kicked him to his feet and sighed, "Cadenza." The slashes of holy energy again forced Ein to jump up to evade.
It was then, Ein realized, that he had made a huge mistake jumping in the air. He could barely see the visible dark purple strings that were attached to each of his fallen companions and to Hector's staff. Looking at all of them, he clenched his teeth and flew as fast as he could to Hector, but something stopped him…
"Stardust!" Lina said, her voice barely audible, firing multiple arrows charged with thunder. All the arrows hit Ein in some manner, and he fell headfirst on the crystal floor.
"How pathetic, Ein!" Hector scoffed. "Now it ends!"
Fia went up to Ein, her rosary in her palms and chanted, "Evil One, Begone! Banishment!" As the familiar pentagram formed, Ein could only cough up blood as he looked into Fia's glassy unemotional eyes. The pentagram flashed with power, and Ein could feel himself being torn apart.
As Ein started to lose consciousness, he thought he saw a familiar flash of blonde hair and a female voice yelling, "Feel the weight of you sins! Blue Sophia!" Waves of ice ruptured the pentagram, changing its use.
But Ein just thought it was a dream.
Only one thing was certain.
He had failed.
And now he was paying the price.