♠ Juliet ♠
I squeezed my eyes shut as Evelyn carried myself and Floria through the sky, ducking and weaving as we were pursued by two demons. Floria had almost blown our cover, and it had been my fast thinking that had saved us. I heard the sound of angry screeching and noticed Evelyn gradually slowing down, finally coming to a stop on an unfamiliar cloud kingdom.
"What happened to the demons?" Floria questioned curiously, trying to peer over the edge of the cloud. Evelyn grabbed her by the collar before she could tumbler over.
"They were stopped by a"--Eternity spread her hands apart, mimicking an explosion--"barrier of magic!"
Floria's hazel eyes widened in awe, and she stepped closer to Eternity, asking her for details. I sighed resignedly and crossed my arms, averting my black-eyed gaze to the transparent yet solid ground.
"Let's move along," Evelyn said, her face pale as she glanced at a bleeding Valor in Eternity's arms.
"I'll go ahead!" Eternity exclaimed, unfolding her wings and taking to the sky without a moment's hesitation. I watched the rhythmic beating of her fluffy, rounded wings as she disappeared into the horizon. Soon, she was a mere pinpoint of darkness among the heavens, barely discernible from the birds that flocked around her.
"Follow me," Evelyn told us softly, gesturing ahead of her. Both Floria and I shadowed Evelyn as she quickly brushed through the crowd. It was as if she were floating through the pedestrians walking the street, and Floria and I struggled to match her even and determined pace.
We finally reached a towering building blocked off by a formidably tall iron gate. A concrete wall surrounded the place's perimeter, and inside I could see lush green grass and fertile foliage. I spotted no other life in the area.
As if the gates could sense Evelyn's presence, they swung open silently to let the three of us in. Evelyn never stopped once on her way into the building, her flats kicking up dust with every step she took. We finally reached the lobby of the building, and I recognized the place as a hospital.
"Valor's room?" Evelyn asked a clerk, sitting behind a tidy desk. The woman placed a phone down on the table and eyed our group.
"307, but wh--" Before she could finish her sentence, Evelyn has dashed down the hallways, tearing through the building until she reached Valor's room. I didn't even bother to keep up with her, but Floria tried desperately to trail her to her boyfriend's room. Or whatever he was to her.
Just as I had reached the room, my calculating eyes analyzing every detail of the place, a medium-sized man with unusually pointed ears. He didn't bother to look up at me as he walked past, gazing at the floor with a distracted expression. I continued on into the room to notice Eternity, Valor, and Evelyn all getting ready to leave.
"Juliet! Where's Floria?" Eternity asked.
I shrugged indifferently, not caring as to where the girl was or if she was lost or not. It made no difference to me, really.
"I'm here!" Floria's high-pitched voice called from down the hallway. Joy.
"Great! Now, we have to get to Cloud 9!" Eternity cheered, waving her hands in the air as if she were a cheerleader.
Evelyn looked relieved, yet tired, and Valor still seemed sickly pale, but managed to get out of his bed. Evelyn rushed over towards him, green eyes concerned, but he waved her away, unfurling one wing and preparing to fly out the window.
Evelyn beckoned me towards her and she wrapped her arms around me and took off in the direction of where I assumed Cloud 9 to be. Miles below us were smaller wisps of clouds, and the occasional airplane pierced the mist. How could they not see the heavenly kingdoms just above them?
As soon as we touched down on Cloud 9, we were greeted by a group of glowing angels, all carrying weapons. They seemed to have been expecting us, and Evelyn, Valor, and Eternity rushed forward to greet them. Perhaps they were a part of their group, but it was of no importance to me... As the angels were reunited cheerfully, I slipped away. Even Floria did not notice my inconspicuous form disappear.
In the dim alleyways of the city, a darker light was cast on the dream clouds. Many angels wore tattered rags as they dug around for food in metal trash cans. It was repulsive. I navigated my way through a series of alleys until I reached the main part of the angel city. Angels every which way bombarded me, jostling each other and myself to get to their destinations. None even bothered to apologize.
Angels, really?
From my peripheral vision, I spotted a mysterious man entering a suspiciously unkempt building that was almost invisible amongst the skyscrapers that surrounded it. Slicing my way through the crowd, I finally made it towards the shabby building and jiggled the door handle. It popped open surprisingly easily, and I made my way inside without a second thought.
The inside of the place was pitch black, but I could make out a vague mechanical shape in the center. Nothing else in the darkness moved, and I saw no trace of the angel that had entered from a few moments ago.
Taking a tentative step forward, I reached my hand out and it came into contact with a cold, steel switch. Flipping the metal protrusion, a dull light flickered to life just above me, illuminating the place in its dull fluorescent glow.
A giant machine sat before me, casting elongated shadows that danced in the swaying light of the dying bulb. I crossed the room towards it, placing a hand on its cool surface. Never had I glimpsed something like this before in my life it was quite... Curious.
"What is this...?" I murmured, furrowing my eyebrow in thought.
"Would you really like to know?" A voice inquired from just behind me. I turned my head slightly to see the man I had spotted before who had entered this strange place.
I nodded once and the guy cracked a sly grin. Strutting towards the machine, he placed his own hand on it, next to mine. "This thing here... Will give you powers."
"Powers?" I scoffed incredulously. Who believed in such things?
"You don't believe me? Why don't you try it out for yourself?" The man raised a pierced eyebrow at me, silent challenging me.
"Fine," I consented nonchalantly.
He showed me around towards a chair that sat in the folds of the mechanical device, and I waited for something to happen. And suddenly, a shock went through my body, sending black spots dancing across my vision. My sight blacked out for a moment, and then I regained control of my vision, seeing now ten times clearer than I had before. It was as if I was now staring through binoculars of some sort, although minus the tunnel vision.
What had happened?
~~~
OOh, magical machine that gives you powers. XD So yeah, the Astrum Angels know about this place somehow, and now Juliet has a power that I have yet to come up with! Huzzah! ^^
