Aetherion stood tall, his staff glowing with the power of the Sacred Flame, the air thick with heat and tension. The archangels had fallen, their strength no match for the fiery swords Aetherion had summoned. The path to the Sacred Flame lay open before him. But as he prepared to move forward, a brilliant burst of light exploded behind him.
Gabriel, kneeling from the impact of Aetherion's last attack, was far from finished. His body flared with a radiant, blinding light, his wings glowing with divine energy. He was not just any archangel—he was the Messenger of Light, chosen by Goddess Boltia to carry out her will. His title was a symbol of his unwavering faith and connection to her.
"Aetherion!" Gabriel shouted, his voice echoing with divine power. "I won't let you take the flame. You don't understand what you're doing!"
Rising to his feet, Gabriel raised his sword, now bathed in light so brilliant it illuminated the entire sanctuary. His eyes blazed with determination as he prepared to fight once more.
Aetherion's heart clenched as he watched Gabriel rise again, his aura flaring with the power of light. He had hoped the battle would end here, that Gabriel would step aside and let him take the Sacred Flame without further conflict. But it was clear now that Gabriel would not relent.
"Gabriel, stop!" Aetherion called out, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't want to fight you any more than I already have. Can't you see? The goddess... she's hiding something from us. She's using the flame for her own dark purposes!"
Gabriel's wings flared, sending waves of divine light rippling through the air. "You're wrong!" he shouted, his face filled with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "Boltia is the source of our lives, the reason we exist! Without her, there is no us. There is no flame without her divine will."
Aetherion's fists clenched around his staff as he prepared for what he knew was inevitable. He didn't want to kill Gabriel, but the bond they shared would not stop him from seizing the flame. He had no choice.
Gabriel, fueled by his unwavering loyalty to Boltia, raised his sword high into the air, his wings beating furiously as light surged around him. The air crackled with his power as he prepared to strike. His voice echoed with divine authority. "This ends now, Aetherion. I won't let you betray everything we were created to protect."
With a mighty swing, Gabriel's sword sliced through the air, a beam of pure, radiant light shooting toward Aetherion with incredible speed.
Aetherion reacted instantly, his body instinctively calling upon the Sacred Flame that burned within him. His Halo of Sacred Fire flared to life, glowing brighter than ever as he activated the abilities granted to him by the flame. Wings of Flame erupted from his back, engulfing him in a protective aura of divine fire.
"Enough!" Aetherion shouted, slamming his staff into the ground. The impact sent a wave of fire through the sanctuary, colliding with Gabriel's light in an explosive display of power.
The clash of fire and light sent shockwaves through the sanctuary, the ground beneath them trembling with the force of their conflict. Aetherion's Crown of Flames ignited around him, forming a radiant shield of fire that protected him from Gabriel's relentless assault. His divine presence filled the sanctuary, his aura growing stronger with each passing moment.
"Gabriel, I don't want to kill you!" Aetherion shouted, his voice raw with emotion. "But I won't let you stop me. The goddess is hiding something—something dark. Can't you see? She's manipulating us!"
Gabriel's eyes narrowed, his grip on his sword tightening as he prepared for another strike. "Boltia has given us everything! She gave us life, she gave us purpose! You're blinded by your ambition, Aetherion. You're the one who's fallen."
The light surrounding Gabriel intensified as he charged forward, his sword glowing with divine energy. Aetherion braced himself, summoning the Censer-Staff of Sacred Light and creating a barrier of flame around him.
As Gabriel's sword clashed against Aetherion's flame, sparks of light and fire exploded into the air. Each strike sent tremors through the ground, and the air between them crackled with divine power. Aetherion's heart ached with every blow, his mind torn between his duty and his bond with Gabriel.
"I don't want to kill you!" Aetherion repeated, his voice strained. "But you're blind to what's really happening. The flame... it's more than just Boltia's power. It's the key to something greater—something beyond her control."
Gabriel's face twisted with frustration as he fought back, his sword slicing through the air with precision. "You're the one who's blind! Boltia has protected us since the beginning. She's the reason we exist, the source of the flame's power. Without her, there is no Sacred Flame!"
Aetherion's wings of flame surged forward, pushing Gabriel back. "You're wrong. The flame existed long before her. She's using it to control us, to keep us from reaching our true potential. I'm doing this to free us!"
Gabriel's resolve wavered for a moment as Aetherion's words sank in, but his faith in the goddess was unshakable. His sword flared with light once more, and he lunged at Aetherion with renewed determination. "I won't let you destroy everything we've built!"
Aetherion's Divine Presence amplified as the Sacred Flame within him pulsed with power. His voice boomed through the sanctuary as he unleashed the full force of his abilities. "Stop, Gabriel! Can't you feel it? The flame is calling to us—to something greater than Boltia's control!"
With a final, desperate strike, Aetherion slammed his staff into the ground, unleashing a wave of fire that engulfed the entire sanctuary. The flames swirled around him and Gabriel, creating a barrier of fire and light that separated them from the other archangels.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The two friends, once bound by brotherhood, now stood on opposite sides of a conflict neither could avoid.
Gabriel, his body battered and his wings scorched by the flames, fell to his knees, panting heavily. His sword flickered with fading light, but his eyes were still filled with defiance. "You don't understand, Aetherion. Boltia... she's the source of our lives. Without her, there's nothing."
Aetherion stood over him, his heart aching with the weight of the battle. His wings of flame flickered around him, his halo still glowing brightly above his head. "You're wrong, Gabriel. There's so much more than what she's told us. The flame is our future—not her control."
Gabriel shook his head, refusing to accept the truth. "I can't let you do this. I won't."
Aetherion closed his eyes, pain surging through him. He had never wanted to come to this point. He had never wanted to raise his hand against his friend. But the flame—his path—demanded it.
"I'll give you one last chance," Aetherion said softly, his voice filled with sorrow. "Step aside, Gabriel. Let me take the flame."
Gabriel's eyes flickered with emotion, but his answer was clear. "I can't."
The chapter ends with Aetherion standing over Gabriel, knowing that the final choice has been made. His heart heavy, he prepares to move forward, the Sacred Flame within his reach—but the cost of his ambition weighs heavily on his soul.