8. Bastian

8

BASTIAN

"You have to take a break, Kieran," Noah warned, brow knitting together with his concern. "While I admire your dedication, this won't come to you in a day. We're making great progress as is, and there is no reason to push past your limits and hurt yourself like this."

Her eyes flicked up to where he stood in front of her before narrowing on our new instructor, lips parting.

I knew she was going to refute his advice, so I cut in, "Kieran, stop." At the risk of drawing her ire, I continued in a softer tone, "I know how important this is to you. I get it, Darling. But you're covered in small burns all over."

The taste of sulfur was on my tongue, speaking the words as I forced myself to sit and watch as the wounds appeared on her delicate skin. My hands were numb from sitting on them in an attempt to restrain myself. All I wanted to do was pull her from the daze she fell into as she attempted to link to her power.

Her gaze morphed from the pinched, determined look from moments prior to wide, doe eyes that punched me in the gut. "Just a little?—"

"That's enough for today, Darling," I said gently, doubling down.

It felt odd to have to find this stern, unwavering resolve with her. This wasn't our usual dynamic, but watching her destroy herself, all for the chance of helping everyone else, broke my heart. Perhaps it was selfish of me, but if it meant Kieran suffering daily to achieve their salvation, everyone else could be damned.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips as her gaze fell to her hands resting in her lap. Noah let out a sigh, the sound dragging my eyes up to meet his, and he nodded at me. Giving him my own sharp nod of understanding in return, I freed my hands from their prison of warmth underneath me and slid myself toward Kieran.

Immediately, my fingers found their way into her hair, massaging the base of her skull as I tilted my chin down toward her. "I'm proud of you, Darling. You've found a foundation to build upon."

"I just…" She huffed before shaking her head slightly, the locks of her hair tickling against my hand wrapped within them as she did. "I just can't stop thinking of the prophecy. I have to figure this out as fast as I can, Bash."

I bit down on my bottom lip, hard, in an attempt to keep a hiss of frustration from escaping. Amelia's foreboding words about wanting to speak to Kieran alone about the damned prophecy hadn't sat right with me, but it hadn't been brought up since they first met to discuss Kieran's affinity.

Lifting my free hand to her lap, I grabbed her hand gently, squeezing. "Will you share the demons that haunt your mind with me, Darling?"

Her face turned toward me, hazel eyes running across my face like she was attempting to commit it to memory. I watched the soft flesh of her throat move as she swallowed, noticing the thumping pulse carrying her precious blood. Before I could allow myself to become entranced by it, my eyes shuttered closed and I leaned across the short distance between us to press a kiss to her temple.

"You don't have to," I murmured, sensing the hesitation within her.

"I need to," she countered. "Amelia told me about the book of prophecies. Bash, it has four hundred and ninety-seven prophecies, penned by the greatest Seer of old times."

My eyebrows rose but I kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt her.

"The final prophecy she wrote was the one about me," she breathed out as her eyes fell closed. Her chest shook with her next deep inhale. "She was never able to see the future after mine, so she never wrote another prophecy."

Well that was rather fucking grim. It wasn't a total shock to hear, not after already hearing that the fate of the world was tied to Kieran preventing the stars from falling.

"The prophecy says,

Glass will rain down on the chosen.

Deep within the archives is the key.

Falling from Grace is only the beginning.

She must do what no other in her line has done before.

The stars will seek a home within her, but will she be strong enough to be their vessel?

While the ending is unknown, two things are certain.

If she fails, the world will be no more.

If she succeeds, her death will be written in the stars.

A fate she never saw coming, but one only she can fulfill.

She is both our hope and our demise.

Only she can decide."

Silence spread through the room as her gaze turned to me and then to Noah, who was sipping his cup of tea. "I have to be strong enough to be their vessel," she said, the words ground out between clenched teeth. "I have to be."

"Well, you're no good to yourself or your goal in your current state," Noah observed before setting his cup down. "Why don't you head over to the medical center and have the healers see to your wounds? I need to work with Bastian now, anyways."

A huff fell from her lips as she pushed off of her knees to stand, and I followed her up, examining all the burns I could see. My lips thinned, seeing a few disappearing under her clothes. I had no idea how many lay beneath, and the prospect of her sustaining so many injuries was enough to drive me mad with worry.

"They have their hands full there, and my injuries aren't life threatening," she argued, shaking her head. "I'll just wait here as you all train."

Stubborn, stubborn, Darling.

I took a few steps toward her before gently gripping her chin and drawing it up until our eyes met. "Now, Darling, imagine it was one of us in your position. You'd be relentless until we went."

She rolled her eyes, but a small smirk toyed at the edges of her lips, so I pressed on. "Don't make me take the time to throw you over my shoulder and take you there myself. As enticing as that sounds, I need to get some answers of my own today, but I can't concentrate if I know you're sitting here in pain."

While we knew I had the ability to heal, I wouldn't risk it with Kieran until I knew I had a true grasp on it. After all, this wasn't exactly a life-or-death situation.

"You're making it impossible to say no," she grumbled.

I couldn't help but smirk at her cute little pout. "That's my goal, Darling."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead before gently grabbing her shoulders and turning her to leave. As she shoved her feet into her shoes, she looked over at Noah. "Same time tomorrow?"

"I'll be here, Star Keeper."

She offered a small wave before disappearing through the door. As soon as she was gone, I felt my shoulders fall forward. With every fiber of my being, I had tried to exude confidence when she was by my side, knowing she was already struggling. The truth of the matter was much different, though.

"She can do it," I told Noah, despite him not saying a word.

I wasn't sure if I was trying to reassure him or myself.

"I know."

His simple response somehow put me at ease, and I attempted to shake off my restlessness about everything Kieran was taking on. It pained me to know there was nothing I could do to assist her with the stars. For all the power I supposedly wielded, it felt entirely useless in this regard. I was…useless to her.

My head snapped up as Noah approached, and a new thought hit me.

If my powers are limitless, maybe there's a way I can help.

I only needed to find it.

"First, I want to discuss your dead affinity and some of the thoughts that have come to mind after watching you wield it the other night," he began, waving his hand out to the floor, inviting me to sit once more.

I'd heard many thoughts on my powers—especially while imprisoned in Alfemir—so the concept of listening to his opinions left a bitter taste in my mouth. I knew he meant well and I wanted to hear what he was thinking, but my instinctual reaction was to reject any opinion but my own. Only I knew my powers, only I understood my magic.

After a long moment I settled, wanting to give him a chance, just as my Darling did. "Please begin."

He wasted no time, tapping his fingers on the top of his knees as he spoke. "You don't seem surprised about the mention of a dead affinity, so I'm assuming you or one of your companions heard me mention the term Archimage as you were healing your friend."

I inclined my head, and he offered me a short nod in return before continuing. "Much like the Seer affinity, the Archimage suffered a natural decline in affinity wielders, until it died out entirely. They were considered a higher tier of affinity wielder than most, with an unlimited power source and ability to tap into magic without spells.

"They were thought to be a combination of Caster and Elementalist, and while Archimages did have an infinite well of power at their fingertips, it was said that some still had a pull to a particular brand of magic. Many of which were quite…unique."

I leaned back on my hands, splaying them against the floor behind me as I considered his words. "Like what?"

"Let's try this," he countered, "draw your magic to the surface but don't direct it anywhere."

Easy enough.

Sitting forward, I dropped the backs of my hands on my knees and focused on my magic. With a steady exhale, I focused until I felt the slightest bit of energy pooling beneath the skin there. "Now?"

"Now, tell me where your mind drifts when you empty it and see where your power leads you. I'd like to test where it naturally takes you when it's in control."

I didn't think of my magic as separate from me, so the thought that it could be in control felt odd, but I attempted to do as he said. Almost instantly, my eyes closed and I thought of the pounding vein on the long column of Kieran's throat. I let out a hiss, feeling myself wanting to fall into the tempting daydream of her crimson blood's trickle against my tongue as I lapped?—

"That's it!" Noah excitedly exclaimed, breaking my thoughts and causing me to crash back to reality.

Hell . I could guarantee that these thoughts were not the productive ones that Noah wanted me to have. Of that, I was sure.

Feeling my brows pinching together, I opened my eyes, confused by the eagerness in his widened gaze and the toothy grin he offered me. "How so?"

"Look at your palms, boy!"

My face twisted in confusion as my eyes lowered. In my hands were puddles of blood. "How did…" I started to question, words spluttering out as I failed to finish my thought. I swallowed hard. "Whose blood is that?"

Now it was the older angel's turn to look confused. "Yours, of course."

I wasn't so sure about that, but it was quite unsettling to consider the alternative. Could I have…

"You must have a natural inclination for blood magic! That is one of the noted areas of interest for an Archimage, though a rather specific one compared to the others. How intriguing."

His hands came together, rubbing against each other in an excited manner. "Let's try absorbing it back into you and then see if you're able to manipulate the blood while in your body. Once you have a concept of how to do that, without hurting yourself, we will need to test if you can manipulate others."

I imagined the blood seeping hack into my hands, and as it began to trickle beneath my skin, a euphoric high hit my system. Angels practically sang in my ears as the blood seeped through me. Warmth enveloped me from head to toe, and as desire rose within me, I knew one thing for certain: I'd managed to conjure Kieran's blood.

Had she noticed? Had I pulled it directly from her? Or had it been from when I tasted her sweet essence before? I had to fight the urge to jump to my feet and chase after her, to ensure I hadn't unintentionally harmed her in the process of seeking out the nature of my power. Forcing myself to stay seated, I turned my attention back to the man in front of me.

Briefly, I wondered if I should tell Noah that I had conjured Kieran's blood and not my own, but something in me told me to hold some of my cards close to my chest. He only knew what he read from a book, and while I appreciated his insight, I wanted to protect what was mine. I pushed the thought away, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand.

We ran through several more tests, and I had to admit, creating weapons out of my own blood I pulled out was quite nifty. I looked forward to testing all that the blood weapons could do in comparison to regular weapons.

As the sun set through the windows of the cabin, weariness settled into my bones. As if attuned to my impending exhaustion, Noah offered me a small smile, kindness in his eyes as he said, "That's enough for today, same as we told Kieran. There's no sense in running yourself ragged on the first day. Great work, Bastian."

I didn't argue, knowing if I wanted to continue working on honing my magic in this way, I could do so when I made it back to my room. For now, I wouldn't say no to getting back to the house and seeing how Kieran was faring. After that, I had a date with the warmth of my shower.

After exchanging goodbyes, I exited the cabin, letting my wings unfurl from my back and immediately catapulting into the air.