The quiet, in the majestic chamber was complete, dense enough to suffocate. The celestial coldness exuded by the Angel of Death clashed with the feral warmth coming from Valentina.
Cassiathon perceived the term land as if it were a strike. Cousin. It contorted the parts of his heritage into a dreadful tangle.
"He is not related to you " declared the Angel of Death his tone removing the warmth from the surrounding atmosphere. "He falls under my guardianship. Your Queen holds no rights, in this matter."
Valentina's grin stayed, a flawless facade. "Claim? Possibly not. Yet interest, unquestionably." She advanced a pace, unfazed by the celestial being ahead. "Project Phoenix was an… albeit rough endeavor. To extract the spirit of the Queen? Bold. It didn't succeed, naturally. Mortal bodies cannot hold grandeur. Everyone died." Her gaze met Cassiathon's more searching. "Except, for one. An enigma that has intrigued the Queen for years.. Now we comprehend. You didn't merely contain her spirit. You were safeguarded by a force. A living contradiction."
"You comprehend nothing " Cassiathon snarled, the grey energy sparking at his fingertips. The silver tree, in the courtyard was one matter; this being, this envoy of the power that shattered his world was something else. His heart pounded, a rhythm of fury and an odd unsettling draw.
"Don't " Tania whispered, materializing beside him her gun lowered yet prepared. Her words were meant for him. "She's looking for a response."
Valentina observed the interaction with a tilt of her head. "The mortal mother. How… charming." She shifted her focus back to the Angel. "My Lords possess kindness well. They provide a home for the boy. A genuine home, among his peers. Power of his caliber fades when concealed. It longs for meaning. We can grant him one befitting his heritage."
"The mission he holds is not for you to assign " the Angel declared. He stayed still. The darkness in the corridor thickened, reaching out, to Valentina as if it possessed life.
"Is it yours?" Valentina provoked, an edge in her smooth voice. "To imprison Death's offspring in solitude? The universe quivers on a razor's edge. Ancient deities awaken. The Primordials observe. His potential as a weapon—or, as a link—cannot stay impartial. If he does not stand with us…" She allowed the suggestion to linger.
"Then you will turn him into an adversary " Cassiathon concluded on her behalf advancing. His father's forbidding figure stood like a barrier, behind him. Rage blazed through his blood. "You murdered my parents. You shattered my world. You don't get to give me a home."
For the occasion Valentina's flawless calmness altered. Not due to fear. From a flash of keen analytical curiosity. "Ah. The human heart reveals itself. So there are more of those within you than we anticipated." She nodded, as if storing the detail. "The Project was a calamity. A needless conflict in a war humanity was fated to fail. Your birth parents were victims. Unfortunate, yet irrelevant, in the scheme."
Trivial. That term erased the remainder of his command.
Emitting a yell Cassiathon released the force he had been compelled to master. A surge of the grey consuming energy burst forth from him not a blade but a sweeping scythe of sheer destruction rushing over the stone floor, toward Valentina. It scorched the stone on its path leaving behind a fractured trace.
The Angel of Death shifted. Of deflecting the blast he walked straight into it. He lifted a hand. The dreadful surge of decay hit his palm—and disappeared. Not absorbed not stopped. Erased. As though it had never existed.
"Cass " he uttered, his tone a clamor of dismay.
Valentina didn't move a muscle. She observed the spectacle, her eyes gleaming with insight. "Intriguing. The Abyss's appetite, molded by Death's inevitability. A splendid though wild combination."
"You have your response " the Angel of Death declared, his tolerance evidently exhausted. The certainty in his tone was more ancient, than the hills. "Go away. Inform your Queen that the Child of Death is not meant for her. If she pursues him she will encounter not a tool. A conclusion."
The danger was undeniable. Valentina despite her composure appeared to sense its burden. She tilted her head, a withdrawal.
"The message has been sent. The offer remains open Cassiathon Abysswalker. Whenever you grow weary of masquerading as a human, in this tomb remember where your real strength resides." Her shape started to fade into twisting shadows and sparks. "The conflict approaches your threshold. Decide your allegiance before it's decided for you."
She had disappeared. The overwhelming foreign force vanished, leaving behind the well-known chill of the mountain and the sharp odor of Cassiathon's exhausted energy.
The Angel of Death pivoted. His look wasn't furious. Profoundly exhausted. "You revealed your cards to her. You validated every doubt. Wish she held."
"She described them as unimportant!" Cassiathon shouted, his rage twisting into embarrassment, beneath his father's gaze.
". By surrendering control you paid tribute to their memory?" Tania interrupted, putting away her pistol. Her complexion was ashen. "She wished to discover your nature, Cass.. You provided her with the best view."
"What was expected of me?" he begged, the turmoil, within him erupting into bewilderment.
"Your responsibility " the Angel stated, moving toward the rooms. "Is to surpass your beginnings. To control the death, inside you so you can protect the life surrounding you. That explosion would have destroyed all living beings within a mile down the mountain if it had exited this hall. You considered your fury."
He halted at the gateway. "The era of speculation has ended. She's correct on one point: the conflict is imminent. Your control won't come from a tree but out, in the open. At light we head to the Ashen Plains. A rift there is leaking Abyssal toxins into a survivor outpost. You must close it.. Do so without wrecking the outpost."
He abandoned them in the corridor.
Cassiathon collapsed onto the ground burying his face in his hands. The meeting resonated deeply within him—Valentina's words, the draw of the power his father's chilling composure.
Tania crouched next, to him her warmth sharply differing from the stone. She refrained from touching him merely remaining in support. "They'll forever wield your suffering as a tool, Cass. Your father's teaching is severe. It's accurate. Your strength carries a duty. For those you've lost. For those who remain."
"I'm not sure I can become what he desires " Cassiathon whispered, the vision of his rotting power being easily undone searing in his thoughts.
"He isn't wishing for you to become him " Tania murmured gently. "He aims to provide you with the means to become yourself. Whatever that might be." She rose, extending a hand. "Now let's go. The dawn, on the Ashen Plains is brutal. You'll require your sleep."
He took her hand, the human warmth a tether. As he followed her, he looked back at the dead scar his power had left on the floor. A mark of his failure. But also, a proof of his existence. The Child of the Angel of Death, and the Abyss, was now a target. And his first real test began at dawn.