Elza let out a sigh, and fell back into the snow. The sky poked through the gaps in the pines above, and every pinprick of light was just as piercing as the biting cold. She'd been amplifying her vision for too long. It was probably time for her to give up on anyone coming out with her-
<”Who were you waiting for?” Alex asked.>
<”That doesn't matter,” Elza said. “And…”>
<”Yeah?”>
<”Anyone,” Elza said.>
She closed her eyes, and without consciously willing it, that amplification shifted to her hearing. It was painful, hearing just that much nothing. There were few things in this world as quiet as a snow-covered forest, and the mind was not meant to hear such things. Lack of stimulation led to the mind wandering.
<”What do you mean?” Alex asked.>
<”You know. When you're lying in bed, and the Sisters have fallen asleep, and your roommate stops snoring, and there's just nothing. So much nothing that you hear things that aren't there. Have you ever just heard an explosion? Or a door slamming? So loud and so clear that you could swear it was real, but there's something still left in you to tell you that you only heard that with your mind's ear, and not your own?”>
<”No…” Alex trailed off.>
<”Well, put your imagination to work.”>
And just like that, she wasn't sure if what she heard was real or not. Distant impacts. The distinct sound of parted air collapsing back in on itself. It didn't usually go on for this long. So, Elza sat up, and looked through the trees, from horizon to horizon, as much as she could. The air seared her nostrils, and she lost focus for a second, just long enough to not see it coming.
<”See what coming?” Alex asked.>
<”For God's sake, Alex, has anyone ever told you a story?”>
<”Sorry,” Alex said, hanging his head. “I'm a little stressed, what with the…” He nodded towards the bunker, its surface pockmarked with centuries of decay, the iron door covered in rust and barely attached to its hinges, with the few remnants of smoke that didn't follow their makeshift chimney pouring out the pillbox windows, who's machine-gun mounts were still evident in the form of sunken-in sheared bolts. “This.”>
<”Just let me talk.”>
A ball of flame cut through the sky for a fraction of a second. By the time she heard it, it was shattering trees, and the sound of it crashing into the ground resonated through her whole body.
She couldn't see what it was, but through the woods, she could see flame flickering, little bits of light, and she had to investigate, against her better judgment. As if she had any. She got up, and ran.
There was a man. He-
<”You saw him. He was like that when I found him.”>
The man moaned in pain, his eyes unfocused. Elza knelt over him, adrenaline shooting through her. Then, suddenly, his eyes locked on to her. “Please. He's coming. Kill me before he gets here.”
She couldn't do that. She was many things, but she wasn't about to let someone she just met make her a murderer. Elza could feel his soul bleeding out into the ground around them – he'd been working powerful magics, and something had nearly turned him into a pulp in human skin.
He couldn't afford to be found.
She couldn't afford to be found.
If she ran, he'd be discovered, and she might be. If she stayed...
Elza did the only thing she could. Calling on every amplification technique she knew, multiplier spellforms, repetitions, all of it, she cast Obscuration.
<”Obscuration? That’s the spell you’ve been using?” Alex asked.>
<”Yes.”>
<”You do know that that’s forbidden for us to learn for another year or two, right?”>
<She looked at him funny. “And you don’t learn forbidden spells? I recognize you from the top of the performance lists.”>
<Alex sighed. “I ask for permission first.”>
<”Do you?”>
<He looked down. “Usually.”>
She felt the fabric of perception bend around them. In her mind's eye, she added a slight twist – instead of pulling the sensory data from around her, she threw in the image of the man's corpse, twisted crystals scattered across the ground, unmoving, unbreathing, unliving.
She heard the flap of wings, and looked up.
Cloaked in wings, crowned in light, his regalia fluttering beneath him, he descended. He held one foot above the other, his leg gently raised. His wings, massive white constructs of feather and bone, steadied him, extending from his shoulderblades, pushing immense quantities of air, kicking up the snow beneath him, and knocking it off nearby branches. He wore red on white on white, a high-collared open greatcoat falling behind him, belted shut at the chest. A capelet accented the open breast, covering the shoulders, and shifting with each flap of his great wings. He was beatific. Perfect. Descending as if gravity, nor nature itself could grasp hold of him. A shock of blond hair ran over his head, the rest taken away by an undercut, and his eyes were a brilliant blue. She could see him more clearly than light would allow – by merely existing, he seared his image into the magically-sensitive mind, such a concentration of power and will. His arms were only slightly out – his fingers splayed, feeling the air, and in the burning chaos of the wood, he was serenity.
<”An Angel?” Alex asked.>
<”Yes.”>
The tip of his boot touched the ground, and almost tentatively, he let the other down, and landed. His wings folded back upon themselves, changing almost imperceptibly until they rested calmly on his back. The Angel smiled.
“You're gone really far without turning. It's impressive, but you know how this ends, right? Sorry, but it's for your own good.” His voice was bright and clear, friendly as death could be.
Elza could feel him.
The Angel looked down, directly at the two of them. He cocked his head. “Oh.”
Elza amplified Obscuration as far as she could. It was like her soul was going numb – She couldn't tell how far she was pushing the sensory field, or what the borders even looked like anymore, but she had to hold it. If she didn't…
<”If you didn't, you'd be found out?” Alex said.>
<Elza said nothing.>
<”You snuck out. It's against the rules, and you made a bad decision in the moment.”>
<”Yes.”>
She didn't know how long the Angel stared at them, but eventually, his gaze passed. The Angel shrugged. “Sorry. Didn't think that'd kill you, but hey, saves you the interrogation. Great fight, though.” He chuckled. “Hopefully God forgives you, and we can hang out sometime in the afterlife.” He threw an informal salute at the “corpse”, and crouched before leaping into the air. A ring of snow and dirt kicked up beneath him, the trees blowing away from his path.
However far away he was, he could still be watching. The powers of an Angel were mysterious – even the weakest, when their focus was properly directed, could accomplish miraculous feats, and if he was one of the more skilled ones, he could be well over the horizon and still be holding his consciousness here.
Elza held the Obscuration spell until she collapsed on top of the broken man. He hadn't moved for minutes, but he shifted and winced at the impact. She looked him over. Few joints looked “right”, and feeling for his soul, it felt weak. It felt stronger around his shattered wings, but they all felt dangerously close to dissolution. This was more of a problem than she could solve.
She needed help.