I had to force myself not to let Janus carry me the whole way back. I was tempted to ask, but one wit was better for me to fly my way back. I felt better when with her, so the fear of pain was not gonna come back.
For now, at least...
We were back in my room. Casper went straight to the end of my bed, curling himself into a ball. I then lay down as well, pausing for a moment to notice Janus's hesitation. She stood above me, looking back before she smiled and sat beside me.
I moved closer to her, pressing myself against her side. She unfolded her wing and wrapped it around me, pulling me close. I adjusted my own wings to avoid interfering with hers. Resting my head on her shoulder, I felt her arm wrap around my back and settle on my waist.
I smiled, closing my eyes at the safety in her hold. She ran a hand down my cheek and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. I turned up at her. "I have a question.."
"What is it, my angel?"
I chuckled and placed my hand over hers, which rested in my lap. "At the party, Laetitia, the Euphorian goddess, mentioned that a new Cupid would be introduced. She said this after giving Rue and Brick a kind of… Blessing?"
I heard the goddess chuckle softly, and I felt my face flush bright red. "Right. Sometimes I forget that you don't know everything," she replied. Her wing gently rested over me, covering my head. "I assume the party was in celebration of the bond being announced between those two Cupids?"
"Yeah, Rue and Brick."
"Your friends, of course." She squeezed my hand with her own, gently rubbing her thumb on my palm. "Well, there is a reason the party is so important that all the cupids go to it. The bond has to be powerful enough on both of the cupids' parts; if it is, they are gifted with a child. A new cupid is welcomed to the cove."
I jolted my head up to her, surprised at the information. "Th-That is how Cupids are made?"
"In some way, yes." She pressed back my hair. "Of course, it has to be accepted by the Euphorian Goddess. With the help of the Mother Goddess, they create that new life. It's extraordinary."
"Weird." I leaned my head back against her chest. "I haven't seen any young Cupids or children here… well… Cupid children?"
She laughed affectionately, fluffing up her wings, and I couldn't help but sigh at the feeling it brought. "That's because they are rare. New Cupids aren't as common as Angels. Along with Heaven Pups, they are the only ones capable of creating more. Angels are different."
"Will you tell me how?"
Silence for a moment. "You will find out my angel."
I nodded, understanding that this was all I would receive. My eyes felt heavy, but I had a few more things to ask and say.
"Will.. will the new cupid look like Rue and Brick?"
"Yes. They will share some of the same features along with their own. You will get to meet them soon."
"I would like to see a baby…" I giggled, feeling lightheaded and tired.
Jaus rested her head on my own, the weight almost feeling weightless. "You will."
I closed my eyes, letting the darkness envelop me as it always did, and I sank into the abyss, allowing it to carry me away. I heard the goddess whisper the same words to herself repeatedly, almost like a promise only she could hear.
I believed her, of course.
I will see the new cupid. Rue and Bricks' very own cupid..
. . .
This time, it felt familiar once more. I was softly relaxed in her arms, gently sleeping in the overpowering abyss when a bright light flared in my vision. I pressed a hand against my eyes and hissed, sitting up from the mattress where I had been lying. Confused about what had awakened me, I soon realized the buzzing sound coming from my wrist. It continued on and on.
I forced myself up from the mattress to stretch my wings out with a sigh. Casper was by my feet, pawing in confusion as we had to get going soon.
I wasn't surprised that Janus was gone, but I had hoped to see her soon. The thought of having to return to that field made me nervous, especially knowing I would have to face Athur after I had yelled at him. I realized I needed to apologize; I had no right to say those things to him.
With that thought pushing me forward, I pressed my wrist and took flight, my armor gleaming in the sunlight. I quickened my wings, glancing back to ensure Casper was following me as we traveled toward the field. We descended into the trees, and I hurried ahead to arrive just in time to take my place in line.
I let out small pants, my wings trembling slightly. Arthur made no move, though I could make out a slight pressure in her shoulders. I knew I was making him uncomfortable by standing next to him, so I promised myself that I would apologize once we had the time.
With all of the sparring sessions over, I had no idea what was gonna come next. What activity were we gonna do? I knew all of us were now full Warrior Angels and that we would fight alongside the older warriors. Still, I had no idea if we had any activities or additional training to do.
Apollonia stood in front of us, her hands resting on her hips as she took us all in.
"Now that we have all finished our last training session," she said, directing a pointed look at the younger warriors, "it's time to start your new training with the top instructors. This means that things will become more challenging, hands-on, and you will need to be here significantly more often than before."
I don't know if it was excitement or dread that filled my chest. Now that we are no longer adolescents in their eyes, we will start new training with the older warriors.
That means we will learn how to use our wings like they did, and we will also need to have more sessions than before.
That meant less time to spend with my friends..
I had some mixed feelings about this...
"Alright, all of you youngsters will have to be paired up with some of the more experienced warriors. That partner will be the one you sparred with in the last few sessions."
I felt myself grow weak, rolling my eyes into the back of my head.
Great, now I will have to see that sly warrior again.
"So, all of you must show your respect, as they will be the ones keeping you on track. This training will be more challenging; you will follow Arden's orders during these new activities. Additionally, your Heaven Wolf will need to be fully bonded with you."
Apollonie flipped her wings slightly and stopped in front of us so we could all see her. "For the first training activity, you will meet your partner and play a little game I like to call," she paused for dramatic effect, "Getting to Know Your Superiors!"
There was silence; no one responded, with only the breeze rustling through the wings. Apollonie let out a huff, slumping slightly with an eye roll. She turned to Arden, who was holding back a giggle under the trees. "That was good, right?"
"It was great, hun." Arden nodded to her, sighing as she slumped against the bark.
Apollonia was back to us, seeing how no one gave any energy to her joke, the warrior just decided to pair us off into our small partner groups. Everyone knew where to go, but I still needed to apologize to Arthur, and I was in no rush to meet my own partner.
"Arthur!" I quickly caught up with him before he could walk away.
I noticed how he flinched when I called for him. Instead of turning to look at me, he shifted to try to turn away. I let out a grumble, moving my wing out so I could trap and force him to look at me. Even though he was facing me, he avoided eye contact.
"Y-Yes..?" His voice was soft, trembling slightly, just like his wings.
I had to force air into my lungs, guilt tearing at me painfully. I waited a bit, knowing that we might get in trouble for waiting like this. But I had to build it inside me, build up the courage to speak..
"I'm sorry."
Arthur finally looked at me, his eyebrows raised in surprise and curiosity. He let his shoulders relax from their tense positions and raised an eyebrow at me. I felt a lump form in my throat, unsure whether I should apologize again or say something to justify my actions.
"I'm sorry for saying that to you, Arthur. I was mad, I didn't mean it." My heart spiked at the lie, but the short boy didn't notice.
He drifted his eyes down, smiling slightly under the shade of our wings. His eyes finally looked up back to me, and softness carved into me. "Thanks, Vienna. I'm not mad at you, but I appreciate your apology."
His warm smile made me smile in return, and my heart swelled with happiness at his understanding. I knew he wasn't the type to keep things bottled up, but he would have blamed himself if I hadn't spoken up. None of what happened was his fault. I had lost control of my emotions and lashed out at whoever was nearby.
If anyone was to blame, it was that stupid older warrior. Whatever his name was.
"What's this staring contest about?" Apollonia surprised both of us as she pushed between our wings. We fell backward, quickly straightening our backs and wings to present a respectful stance. Without waiting for a reply, the tall warrior smirked and turned to Arthur first. "Go on; your partner is waiting for you, fox." Arthur ran off to do as he was told, leaving Apollonia to shift her gaze down to me, her expression changing. "You as well, little mouse."
She was doing that on purpose, condescendingly.
It was the same thing she did with Arthur, speaking down to him and underestimating the small angel because of his size. She stopped once the boy proved his worth, now turning her mockery onto me because of my epic fail against the older warrior.
Who was already waiting for me.
Instead of snapping back at Apollonia, I managed to force a smile and turned to face her. I quickened my pace until I stood across from a man who had removed his helmet, allowing me to see his confident smile clearly. He had black hair that reached his neck, with his bangs slicked back, and his hazel-green eyes sparkled brightly in the sunlight.
His armor was worn out, and his face held a few bags under his eyes. The man gave me a tilted look, clearly reading my annoyance at being paired with him.
"Why the long face, kitten?"
I growled, refusing to let him get a rise out of me. I turned my head in another direction and took out my Branchie. The older man moved slightly, his sigh reaching my ears, making my wings bristle. I unshielded the Branchie, pulling my hair back and turning to face him.
"I want a rematch."
His smile widened, and his eyes flew open with a burst of laughter. He hunched over, clutching his chest as he laughed at me. I gripped the Branchie tighter, glaring at him as he mocked me with his laughter. I understood how strange it sounded, especially to someone like him who took pleasure in belittling me.
I also knew what to expect from the angel. When his laughter died down, he looked back up at me. "Really? You're that big of a sore loser?"
"I deserve a rematch."
"Oh, why? I didn't cheat; you lost fair and square." His eyes darkened as he took me in. "Or did something actually happen?"
I growled under my breath, gripping my weapon tightly to suppress my shaking anger. I tried to maintain a calm, stoic expression so he couldn't read my face, although I knew it was futile.
He shrugged his shoulders, looking off into the sky. "How about we introduce each other first. I never even got your name."
"Are you trying to stall? Axel?"
The use of his name made the male stop, his eyes turning to me with a low glare. The words were meant to egg him on, to get him riled up. I could see it inside him, the anger at my words building up.
He played it off with a laugh, scratching his head. "Alright, so you know my name. But I need to know yours, don't I? How else can I call you as we fight?"
"Vienna," I replied sharply, pulling my Branchie up and digging my feet into the dirt.
He watched my movements with keen eyes, raising an eyebrow as his smile grew even wider. He reached for his weapon, ready to face off against me, and let out a few laughs as if this were all a joke. "This isn't what we're supposed to be doing, you know that, right?"
I glanced around and noticed that the other pairs were either chatting or the older warriors were helping the younger ones with how to hold the Branchie or wield their wings. I smirked and threw a glance back at Axel. "I didn't hear Apollonia say anything about not sparring. It's just another one-on-one session, right?"
He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I mean, I guess." His teeth shone as he glared at me. "If you're that eager to lose again, I'll just give you what you want." He spread his legs and shifted his wings to catch the light breeze. Branchie pointed at me, ready to clash with my own.
Instead of feeling fearful or slightly irritated, excitement swelled up inside me. I was ready for a rematch, even if this one didn't count. I couldn't wait to wipe that grin off that cocky warrior's face!