Chapter 31 – The First Flight
The twin pillars of Origin Light shattered.
Silver-black radiance and golden brilliance swept across the Vault of Legacies like twin tides.
Every awakened relic resonated.
The endless rows of ancient weapons trembled as though greeting the birth of their new bearers.
Azrael slowly opened his eyes.
The world looked... different.
Every strand of mana drifting through the air was visible.
He could see the flow of life within the ancient trees Seraphina had summoned.
He could even distinguish the faint crimson corruption hiding inside the cracks left by the Abyss.
It was as if his vision had evolved alongside his body.
Nearby, Seraphina gently flexed her fingers.
Golden petals floated from her wings with every movement.
The life force around her felt endless, warm, and comforting.
Marcus stood frozen.
"...They’re..."
He struggled to find the right words.
Ryan finished the sentence.
"...Beautiful."
Sophia smirked.
"I didn’t expect our guild leaders to grow wings before the rest of us."
Even Elena couldn’t hide her smile.
"You both look... different."
Azrael looked at his own reflection on the polished surface of Astraeus.
Silver eyes.
An Eclipse Halo slowly rotating behind his head.
Two majestic wings whose feathers shifted between brilliant silver and flowing obsidian depending on how the light touched them.
He cautiously spread them.
The feathers rustled.
The sensation was strange.
It felt as natural as moving an arm.
"Don’t force them."
Astraeus’ calm voice echoed in his mind.
"They are no longer part of your equipment."
"They are part of you."
Azrael took a deep breath.
He closed his eyes.
Instead of commanding the wings...
He simply thought about moving.
The Eclipse Wings responded instantly.
They spread gracefully.
A gentle breeze swept through the Vault.
His feet slowly left the ground.
"...I’m flying."
There was no strain.
No effort.
It felt as though gravity had simply accepted his decision to ignore it.
Seraphina laughed softly.
"Wait for me."
Her Genesis Wings fluttered once.
Golden petals spiraled around her as she gracefully rose into the air.
Unlike Azrael’s controlled ascent...
Her movement resembled a flower drifting upon the wind.
Marcus looked upward with envy.
"That..."
"...looks incredibly unfair."
Ryan folded his arms.
"I vote that everyone gets wings."
Lyra chuckled.
"Not everyone."
"Wings are symbols of evolution."
"They are earned."
Astaroth landed beside them, his six restored Seraph wings folding behind his back.
His expression held genuine admiration.
"You adapted remarkably fast."
Azrael looked toward the veteran Seraph.
"Flying always feels like this?"
Astaroth smiled.
"For us?"
"Yes."
"It is more natural than walking."
He slowly unfolded his own six radiant wings.
"Come."
"Learn."
Without warning...
He shot into the sky.
Azrael and Seraphina instinctively followed.
Within seconds, the three disappeared into the clouds above the battlefield.
Below...
The battle had not stopped.
Duke Valdris stood calmly among the ruins, watching the sky.
He had made no attempt to interfere.
Marcus frowned.
"Why isn’t he attacking?"
Valdris answered without looking at him.
"They’ve just taken their first step."
"I’ll allow them a moment."
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
"You’re surprisingly honorable."
The Abyss Noble gave a faint smile.
"Strength deserves respect."
"Whether it belongs to Heaven..."
"...the Abyss..."
"...or something beyond."
High above the Vault...
Astaroth hovered effortlessly.
"Flying is not simply movement."
"It is control."
He suddenly disappeared.
Azrael barely sensed the movement before the Seraph appeared behind him.
A gentle tap landed on Azrael’s shoulder.
"You were too slow."
Azrael turned.
Astaroth was already somewhere else.
"So fast..."
The Seraph chuckled.
"You relied on your eyes."
"Use your aura."
Azrael closed his eyes.
His Origin Perception expanded naturally.
The entire sky became clear within his mind.
He sensed every current of wind.
Every fluctuation of mana.
Every movement.
A heartbeat later...
He twisted his body.
Astaroth’s hand passed harmlessly beside him.
The ancient Seraph smiled.
"Excellent."
"Again."
Nearby...
Seraphina trained with Lyra.
The elf floated effortlessly despite lacking wings, using wind magic.
"Your strength isn’t speed."
"It’s control."
Seraphina nodded.
She extended one hand.
Golden petals drifted outward.
Instead of scattering randomly...
They formed intricate spirals around her.
The wind itself obeyed her will.
Her movements became smoother with each passing second.
Then...
Something unexpected happened.
One of the petals landed on a broken pillar below.
The cracked stone instantly became covered with green moss.
Flowers bloomed from the fracture.
Marcus looked up.
"...Did she just make flowers grow on a rock?"
Ryan shrugged.
"I’m done questioning anything she does."
The training continued.
Minutes later...
Astaroth suddenly folded his wings.
He plummeted toward the ground.
Azrael instinctively followed.
The Seraph accelerated.
Faster.
Faster.
Until the wind itself screamed.
At the last possible moment—
Astaroth spread his wings.
His momentum disappeared instantly.
He hovered motionlessly.
Azrael attempted the same.
He spread his Eclipse Wings too late.
BOOM!
He crashed into the marble floor, leaving a crater.
Silence.
Then Marcus burst into laughter.
"Our fearless leader can fly..."
"...but not land!"
Ryan laughed so hard he nearly dropped his bow.
Even Elena covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Azrael climbed out of the crater, brushing dust from his clothes.
"I’m pretending that didn’t happen."
Seraphina floated down gracefully beside him.
Her landing was flawless.
Marcus immediately pointed.
"See?"
"She did it perfectly!"
Azrael sighed.
"Thanks, Marcus."
"I feel very supported."
The laughter faded when the ground suddenly trembled.
A violent pulse erupted from the crimson rift above.
The remaining Abyss Beasts fled in panic.
Even Duke Valdris turned toward the opening.
His expression became serious.
"...He’s impatient."
Astaroth frowned.
"Who?"
The Abyss Noble answered quietly.
"The commander."
A massive shadow appeared beyond the rift.
Unlike Valdris...
This being never fully crossed into the Vault.
Only one enormous crimson eye became visible.
The eye alone was larger than a mountain.
Its gaze swept across the battlefield.
Every awakened relic trembled.
Several weaker echoes vanished instantly.
The System blared throughout the dungeon.
Warning
A High Abyss Sovereign has established visual contact.
Threat Assessment...
Calculation Failed.
The gigantic eye paused.
It settled upon Azrael.
Then Seraphina.
For several long seconds...
Nothing happened.
Finally...
A deep voice echoed from beyond the rift.
"So..."
"The heirs have awakened."
Azrael instinctively reached for Astraeus.
The silver sword materialized in his hand for the first time since their contract.
Only partially.
Its blade was incomplete, formed from shimmering light rather than solid metal.
"Synchronization: 10%."
"Temporary Manifestation Authorized."
Azrael tightened his grip.
The incomplete blade felt perfectly balanced.
The gigantic eye observed him in silence.
Then...
To everyone’s surprise...
It laughed.
Not mockingly.
Almost... curiously.
"Grow stronger."
The voice echoed across the Vault.
"I refuse to kill seedlings."
"When you bloom..."
"...I shall harvest you myself."
The crimson eye slowly disappeared.
The rift began closing.
Before it vanished completely...
One final sentence echoed through the battlefield.
"Tell the Mother of Genesis..."
"...that the King of the Abyss remembers his promise."
The voice faded.
Silence followed.
Astaroth’s expression darkened.
Valdris slowly retrieved his greatsword.
"The war..."
"...has officially begun."
Far beyond the countless worlds, in a realm hidden above the Twelve Heavens, a woman with long silver hair opened her eyes.
Before her floated two tiny flames.
One silver-black.
One radiant gold.
She smiled gently as tears gathered in her eyes.
"My children..."
"You’ve finally awakened."
Yet, bound by an ancient covenant older than Heaven itself, she could only watch from afar.
For now.
The day they would meet again had drawn one step closer.