17 – Aury’s Punishment

“I didn’t know familiars could rebel against their players,” Ashley said, raising her open palm toward the ceiling. “But here we are.”

Below her, Aury stared up through his porcelain mask. His angelic wings seemed darker and his halo was extinguished and split. Two solid halves spun over his head. Dark and slightly pointy?

No matter. I’ll show him.

She unleashed her magic.

“[Infinite Judgment].”

The false sky blacked out, its cold light swallowed whole by the immense pull of the spell gathering overhead.

Pitch darkness flooded the chamber.

High above, a single pinpoint of blinding white light ignited in the void, burning hotter and more intensely with every passing second until the ambient air crackled with raw, destructive energy.

“No, my lady.” Aury dropped heavily to one knee, pressing his gauntleted hand flat against his chest. “I beg your forgiveness.”

“Uh, Celestine… you’re joking, right?” Simon asked uneasily, his eyes darting between her and the gathering cataclysm. “I’m sure this asshole didn’t mean to–”

Ashley cut her hand downward in a clean, decisive arc.

The cosmic light obeyed her command. A pillar of pure, white radiance crashed down from the dark ceiling, a solid column of absolute force descending straight toward Aury and the stone clearing around him.

Then Paco leapt.

The purple pup hurled his small body right into the path of the descending beam, his golden eyes locking onto Ashley’s with a flash of open reproach.

“Oh, shit.” Ashley jerked her arm violently to the side. The blazing column bent off course at a sharp angle, redirecting just in time to slam deep into the dense forest beyond the clearing.

The explosion sent a shockwave through the ground.

The gale-force wind whipped Ashley’s hair across her face and sent Paco tumbling helplessly through the air. She dove forward, catching the young dragon securely against her chest just as her heels touched the ground.

Aury remained there, utterly still, bent low on one knee. “That was unforgivable. I await your judgment, mistress.”

Ashley released her hold on Paco, stepping forward to look down at the kneeling celestial being from above. Her gaze drifted across the quiet clearing, taking in Simon’s conflicted, pale expression before settling on the massive, dying form of Paco’s mother.

Damn. I was about to incinerate them. What is wrong with me?

She felt the blinding fury recede like an ebbing tide, leaving behind a hollow shadow of resentment and a raw sting of embarrassment. The sheer violence of her own rage had caught her completely off guard.

The familiar had tossed her aside with shocking disrespect, yet she had easily spread her wings mid-air and suffered no actual damage.

“Explain yourself,” she said, her voice cutting through the silence of the vault.

“There is nothing to explain,” he said. “I disrespected you and now must accept the consequences.”

“Oh, come on. That’s too easy. Spit it out.” Ashley’s fury surged again, though this time it lacked the overwhelming intensity from before. It was a fierce, demanding hunger for the truth. She had always loathed half-finished answers.

The familiar paused for a long moment before speaking. Ashley noticed his wings had returned to their pristine white color, and his broken halo was fully restored, floating perfectly above his head.

“As I said, it is incredibly dangerous to overreach. You were almost at the point of no return,” he said, turning his masked gaze toward Simon. “It is fortunate that the Father lent you his aid. Together, you managed to temporarily stabilize the female dragon. Even so, you remained on the very brink of catastrophe. I had to stop you, and I do not regret doing so.”

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“What do you mean by the brink of disaster?” Ashley shifted uncomfortably. She glanced over at the green dragon, watching the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of her chest. “And how is she?”

“Your core was about to split open under the immense strain. Simon’s intervention eased the load for a brief moment, which bought her some time. Perhaps a few days. Maybe less.”

“She’s still in danger?”

“No, my liege. Your efforts were not enough to save her permanently. You did, however, succeed in unlocking your core, advancing it to the Lead Stage.”

Ashley looked from the giant dragon to Simon, whose face was a tense mask of deep unease. Then she spotted the sword [God’s Bane], lying forgotten in the dirt at her feet. She scooped it up and tossed it directly to the priest.

“Don’t lose it, or I’ll kill you,” she warned.

Simon froze, clutching the weapon to his chest.