Rayi
She awoke early the next morning, immediately going to the bathroom to examine her face. Her cheek was noticeably better looking; the swelling was gone. She touched her unhurt cheek, feeling the smooth skin beneath her fingertips.
She rarely got to see her own reflection, being stuck in Melanie's mind most of her time. They looked exactly alike, except for their hair and eyes, naturally. Irsya was the only one to maintain her black locks, while Rayi and Kopa's hair lost color. She fingered an ear length strand and scowled. She wished her hair was longer but Melanie insisted on chopping it when it got a little past her shoulders. Melanie accidentally cut it a little too short the last time, most of the strands barely reaching the nape of her neck.
"That Angel's medicine certainly helped." She whispered, glancing at the wound one last time before turning away from the mirror and to the tub. Turning the hot water on, she watched the tub slowly fill.
She had a limited opinion on the Angel. She would be the first to admit she found him attractive and interesting, but certainly not enough to risk her life. While she was intrigued, she was also repulsed by the idea of having a relationship with him. She couldn't believe her own mother did such a thing and wondered why Mahin did it.
"Tavor must have that effect on women." She thought quietly aloud.
Once the tub reached an adequate level, Rayi turned the water off and got out of her dressing gown, sighing contentedly as she stepped into the tub. She settled in and closed her eyes. It was silent on the second floor, Zane's and Mikayla's heartbeats slow and steady. They were still sleeping. On the third floor Tavor was moving around sluggishly, no doubt having just gotten up. He would be leaving shortly to go to the palace. In the kitchen the servants were starting to work on breakfast.
Normally Melanie skipped breakfast since she seldom woke before noon. She was a night owl. Rayi wasn't. She preferred having an early start and getting breakfast after a soak. Her foot twitched as she thought about how she would spend the day. She considered asking Zane to spar with her and smiled eagerly at the thought.
She sat up and quickly scrubbed her body down before getting out of the tub. She drained it and stepped out, drying herself with the fluffy gray towel on the counter. The ends of her hair were wet from where they came into contact with the water. Going back into her room, Rayi waltzed over to her closet, pulling out Melanie's training clothes. She dressed into them and pulled on the ankle high leather shoes.
Unlike Melanie, Rayi did not like walking around barefoot. She felt feet should be taken care of better than that, the bottoms of their feet harder than the rocks Zane hurled around. It disgusted her to no end their feet were so hard.
As she walked down the hall, she could hear her siblings stir. She went to the kitchen and sat at the small table, remaining silent as the servants placed the souls in front of her. She didn't bother with the fork and knife on either side of her plate, grabbing a soft pink soul. It was warm and thrumming; a child's soul. Zealously, Rayi popped it in her mouth, chewing. It tasted like happiness.
The door swung open behind her and the heartbeat of the demon spiked before leveling out again. Zane. Rayi looked over her shoulder to give him a coy smile before turning back to her meal. He hesitated, then came over and sat across from her, his white shirt unbuttoned.
"So, you're in charge, huh?" He asked conversationally as a servant set a plate in front of him.
She nodded, her mouth filled with two souls. She swallowed and answered, "She needed a holiday."
Zane grunted and cut a soul in half, sticking it in his mouth. As the two ate, Mikayla came down, sitting in between the two. She stared at Rayi for a couple of minutes, her expression strained. Rayi was amused, to say the least, when she realized why Mikayla was making that face.
"Melanie is still present; she is resting." She said to Mikayla's wordless concern.
It broke Mikayla out of her stupor. She snapped, "I couldn't care less!"
Rayi's lips twitched and she looked at Zane. He was focused on his now empty plate.
"Hey, Zane. How about we spar? I've been dying to fight since those two Angels." She suggested, leaning forward keenly.
He blinked at her and for a moment she suspected he was tempted to decline. Instead, he stood. "Fine. Just let me change."
Mikayla and Rayi got up at the same time, Mikayla stating that she would watch the match. They walked to the training ground side by side, with Mikayla watching Rayi out of the corner of her eye. Rayi figured it was because she was unused to seeing this body with white hair. Melanie's eyes would change from black to red when agitated, so the eyes weren't a complete shock.
They got to the training grounds, where Mikayla plopped down on the ground, her maroon colored dress fanning out around her. Rayi leaned back, hearing her spine crack most satisfactorily. She halfheartedly stretched her limbs and cracked her neck while waiting for Zane.
He jogged over a few minutes later, cestuses in place. He quickly stretched and gave a couple experimental jabs before nodding slightly. He hunkered down in his signature posture, staring at Rayi keenly.
She had her arms behind her back, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. She had a small smile on her face as she stared back at Zane, an equally expectant look on her face.
"Normally you start out, don't you? Or, would you rather I start?" She queried, quickly growing bored with their stare-down.
He called, "I'm waiting for you to get ready; you aren't posed to move."
Rayi laughed softly, keeping her hands where they were. "Oh, I'm ready. I think I won't need to take my arms out from behind my back to take you on. You're hardly a challenge, big brother."
Despite knowing how mocking she could be during a battle, Zane lost his cool and snarled, punching the air quickly. She sidestepped each boulder that hurtled toward her, smile still on her face. Growling, he threw both fists forward simultaneously, two slabs of rock heading toward her. She jumped into the air, avoiding both, and landed neatly on her feet a few meters in front of him.
"This is feeling a little one-sided. All you're doing is dodging." He scorned, his lips curling off his teeth. His eyes flashed black; he was growing annoyed.
"I suppose I should do something, hm?" Without a gesture, lightning shot from her chin, striking a very surprised Zane square in the chest.
He grunted in pain, sliding back. His body ached and his nerves tingled unpleasantly from the shock. When he glanced at his body, the telltale lightning bruise was forming rapidly. He had been struck with Melanie's lightning before, obviously, but it had never been that powerful and she always took a couple minutes to actually summon enough energy to fire it off. His brow wrinkled as he questioned, "What the hell was that?"
Rayi said, walking over to him, "You see, Melanie holds back because she doesn't want me to take control. She's afraid of her own power; if she stopped limiting herself, she could do what I just did."
Finally catching his breath, Zane sneered, "Not even Mikayla can do that! Does that mean Irsya can do the same thing?"
Rayi's smile faltered before returning with an edge to it. "It is a hundred years too early for Irsya to have even a little of the power I have."
She struck out at him with her leg. He blocked it, being forced back from the power of the kick. She kicked at him again, catching him in his ribs. Gritting his teeth, Zane wrapped his arm around her leg, holding it to his side. Balanced on one leg, Rayi teetered dangerously before her body seemed to glow. Realizing what she was trying to do, Zane released her and jumped back from her, eyes wary.
She looked at him, impressed. "You knew what I was going to do before I could even do it. Very nice; big brother is improving."
Zane didn't like this; he preferred fighting Melanie than Rayi. The last time they had fought she nearly killed him. Kopa had to take over and put her back in her place before she gave him the finishing blow. Melanie, on the other hand, was a gentle fighter and never went for the killing blow. From the sidelines he could sense Mikayla's unease and inwardly grimaced. If Mikayla was worried then things weren't looking good for him.
"Well? Aren't you going to come closer?" She called from her end of the field.
In response, two boulders attempted to crush her. She used her superior speed to dodge it, her arms still behind her back.
"I forgot you aren't one for close-quarters fighting." Rayi mused, eyes widening with realization. "How boring!"
A chill went down his spine when her smile grew sinister. "I'll just have to force you to fight me up close then."
She disappeared and reappeared directly in front of him. Shouting in alarm, Zane threw a blinded punch at her. Rayi ducked under his arm and kicked him hard in the ribs. He staggered backward, with her following, aiming kick after kick at his steadily tendering sides. She moved too quickly for him to block and he finally collapsed, panting.
Rayi stopped mid-kick and backed off, placing her hands on her hips. "I guess that's that. It wasn't as exciting as last time; if I didn't know better I'd say you were afraid of me, Zane."
He didn't say anything, his ribs feeling like they were crushing his lungs. Mikayla jogged over to him, squatting beside his head. She poked his cheek until he opened his eyes to glower at her.
"Don't touch me." He groaned, weakly batting her hand away.
She didn't say anything, blinking at him in concern. He huffed, disliking that his sisters seemed to have switched personalities. Rayi walked over to them, an expressionless look on her face. She wasn't looking at them, though, rather she was looking past Mikayla's right shoulder. Mikayla turned to peer over her shoulder before quickly turning back to Zane.
She mouthed, "Father."
Zane struggled to sit up, his sides healed, but still a little sore. Tavor sauntered over to them, an unreadable expression in place, and stopped directly behind his son.
"Got your ass kicked, huh, Zane?" He asked rhetorically, eyes not leaving Rayi.
Zane felt an embarrassed flush coat his cheeks and he looked away. Mikayla placed a hand on his shoulder in consolation. Rayi straightened up, her shoulders high and stiff.
"Your face looks better. Did you get your hands on medicine?" Tavor queried, gesturing to her face.
"No," She answered curtly, "my healing abilities surpass hers. This is a simple task for me."
Mikayla dragged Zane to his feet, nervously somewhat hiding behind him as they watched the tense showdown.
"I'm surprised you are even still alive, Rayi. Melanie keeps you on a tight leash, doesn't she? She must be weaker than I thought."
While Rayi didn't have any love for Melanie, she disliked anyone insulting her host. "She permitted me to be out to deal with you. Maybe I can put you back in your place."
Like Zane before him, Tavor fell for the bait, lunging for Rayi. Remembering Melanie's move, she ducked and jammed her shoulder into his gut. As he flipped over her back, however, he caught himself and grabbed her wrist tightly. She back kicked him and he unhanded her with a pained grunt. His golden eyes were smoldering with rage when he looked up and Rayi felt a quiver of fear that wasn't her own.
Hush, girl. He won't harm us. She thought to the tiny presence in her mind. The presence meekly protested before disappearing in a wave of drowsiness.
Rayi held her arms out and glared at him challengingly. She wasn't Melanie; she would fight him and beat him into submission like he did to her host. From behind her, she heard Zane and Mikayla shift anxiously. Her brow furrowed slightly when Tavor made no move toward her, his heart pounding in his fury.
Instead of rising to her challenge, he closed his eyes and turned his back on her. "I do not have the time to fight with a child."
Rayi clenched her fists and bit her lip to keep from screaming in anger as Tavor walked back toward the house. She felt Zane grab her shoulder and spin her around to glare at her.
"Don't do that again." He commanded, much to her annoyance.
She shrugged his hand off her shoulder, crossing her arms. "Why should I listen to you? Afraid Daddy is going to go after you instead of me?"
He snarled, "Anything you do to him will be returned tenfold! Stop messing around and just lay low."
He turned on his heel and stormed back to the house. Mikayla followed close behind him, looking at Rayi nervously. Rayi huffed and sat on the ground, resting her head in her chin.
"You didn't warn me they were so boring. This is going to be a long two weeks." She accused the slumbering presence.
She sat there, wondering what she should do. She briefly entertained the idea of going to the Human World and finding Will to bug him, but put it out of her mind almost as soon as it entered. She didn't really feel like seeing him. She certainly didn't want to read, detesting books, and shopping was just as troublesome.
Growing sick of just sitting there, Rayi got to her feet and began to jog around the training ground. She breathed evenly, her arms pumping steadily with her legs.
Being in motion was when she felt best. She loved the sweet burn of her muscles as they were pushed to their limit and then some. Her blood heated up, sizzling pleasantly beneath her skin. She could go running for hours and never tire.
Soon, jogging around the training ground wasn't as satisfactory. She stopped, only slightly out of breath, and vacated the grounds, heading toward the forest.
There was one thing she and Melanie could agree on: the forest was unsurpassed. Hell's forests consisted of burnt, dead trees that reached toward the sky. There was no grass, leaving the ground dry and brittle. She sometimes wondered how the trees grew with the soil being so unfriendly toward plants.
The moment her feet touched the border of the forest, she broke into a hard sprint. The wind whistled loudly in her ears and she opened her mouth to breathe easier. The ache in her leg muscles returned with a vengeance, but she didn't slow. She slipped between the trees, always a hair's breadth from colliding with their sturdy bark.
It felt like hours before she stopped, placing her hands on the top of her knees as she panted violently. Sweat dripped off the tip of her nose, the ground soaking it up hungrily. She straightened up and looked around, determining where she was in regards to how far she was from home. If she was correct, she was about an hour southwest from the Thirteenth Legion in the Fifteenth Legion.
"You were running like the Devil was after you." A voice whispered, startling her.
Rayi looked around, irked that she hadn't sensed anyone near her. To her surprise, Justin stepped out from behind a tree.
'I must be near the other portal,' she thought to herself, throwing him a disarming smile.
"I didn't know anyone else was around here. Are you a traveler?" She wiped at her brow.
He got closer to her, a pleasant look on his face. He either didn't recognize her face or was playing her. He was dressed in a set of dark grey robes with white fingerless gloves. Like the last time, he was wearing strong smelling cologne, masking his angelic scent. Strapped to his hip was a silver dagger. A red alarm went off in her head, but she hid any alarm that may have swept across her face.
"Something like that. And you? Do you live nearby?" He walked closer to her.
"Something like that." She echoed, taking a refined step back.
He followed her, almost casually. His face and body were open and affable, but there was a glint in his eyes she didn't like. Something dangerous. She was tempted to turn and run but didn't dare turn her back on him, else find a blade in it. She figured it would be best not to flee until she had an idea what his intention was. Subtly, she began to deepen her breaths.
"Are you alright? You seem nervous." He inquired, his brow wrinkling in concern.
Her eyesight darkened and she felt her hearing decline as she continued her quiet, deep breathing. Her olfactory nerves sharpened as her sight and hearing diminished to low levels. She could smell the rank poor district thirty miles away and the rotten ground beneath her feet. Not his true scent, though.
"I'm alright, thank you. You wouldn't happen to be lost, would you? I'd be more than happy to give you directions." Her voice sounded muffled and far away to her.
She didn't hear Justin's response as she focused in on his scent. The cologne was more overpowering like this, nearly making her gag by its potency. Rayi felt bile rise in her throat as she forced past the cologne, catching the slightest whiff of ice and death on him. And beneath that was the unmistakable sharp scent of a powerful Angel, yet there was a peculiar "flavor" to it that she had never experienced before. As she decreased her sense of smell and sharpened her eyes and ears once more, familiarity struck her.
He smelled like Luke, though perhaps a bit weaker. With her eyesight back, she noticed Justin was staring oddly at her. She blinked quickly and tilted her head slightly.
"I'm sorry; I spaced out for a bit. What was your response?"
He was staring at her with a suspicious look in his eyes, but she kept her smile sheepish. "I said no thank you, I'm right where I intended to be."
"Alright then. I'll be on my way then." Rayi turned on her heel and began walking back from where she had come from.
Her right ear twitched and paid attention to his heart. It was calm and steady. He wasn't following her and when she had enough distance between him and her, she glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, before I forget: how is it you are able to enter the portal with so many guards around it?"
Justin frowned, looking puzzled. "I'm afraid I do not know what you mean. I am from the three hundredth legion of Hell-"
"No." She turned around to face him. "You're not. You are an Angel; kin of the Angel of Death."
His eyes seemed to widen in surprise and Rayi smirked. "You underestimate me if you think I do not remember you from the party. One doesn't forget a potent scent like yours. You might want to lay off the cologne or change it for future reference."
She lifted her arm and caught his wrist, his dagger nearly touching her nose. His arm shook with effort to continue down toward her face, but she didn't falter in her strength. She had heard the barely-detected increase of his heartbeat seconds before he jolted back from her and disappeared from sight. Spinning around, she caught his wrist again and stayed his hand.
"That isn't polite; turning your blade on a lady." She tutted, chiding him like she would a misbehaving child, a smile threatening her lips.
He wrenched his wrist free and jumped back from her, sliding into a fighting stance. "How did you know it was me?"
She smiled playfully and pressed a finger to her chin. "You did not address me properly when we first met. If you were who you say you are you would have known to address me as 'Duchess.' Instead you mistook me for the common rabble."
His green eyes narrowed and he spoke, his voice echoing, "You will leave and not speak of this to anyone."
Her smile didn't falter and she tilted her head curiously. "That's interesting, so you can control weak minds. Unfortunately for you, my mind is far from that."
Justin sped toward her, dagger ready to strike. She side stepped him and grabbed his arm with one hand. She brought her knee up strongly, catching him in his elbow. There was a loud crack and he screamed, dropping the dagger. She nudged it away with her foot and shoved him back from her. He stumbled, only barely catching himself before he fell.
"Well, Angel, today is your lucky day. My desire to fight has already been satiated and it wouldn't be any fun killing you. So, I'm going to pretend this never happened." She walked away, feeling him burning a hole in her back. Despite the heat of his glower he didn't pursue her.
The idea of telling anyone about Justin left her mind almost as soon as it entered. All it would cause would be panic: after all, he was not normal. Rayi frowned to herself as she wondered if he was a Semifacta.
"What do you think, little one?" She asked the slumbering presence, located in the very area of her shared mind where she was locked up.
She received no answer, not that she expected one, and began to jog back to the Thirteenth Legion section.
An hour later Rayi was back at the house, laying on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, waving her foot idly. It was quiet in the house; Tavor was at the palace, Mikayla had gone out to a party, and Zane was in his room, probably sleeping.
She sighed and mumbled, "What boring things we are."
Of course, she added silently, the Angels were no more exciting than demons.
ns 15.158.61.52da2
