"You should've just let me kill you like the others...little brother"
Smoke choked the sky, blanketing a broken planet in ash. The voice, taunting, almost amused, echoed from above like thunder cracking open the heavens.
Below, a young man with flowing white hair staggered to his feet. Blood leaked from his mouth. His body was torn, bruised, and barely holding together. Clutched in his arms was a crying infant.
Turning to the frightened villagers, he shouted, "What are you standing around for?! Run!" He shoved the child into its mother's arms and turned back to him.
"Oh, Azariel. What have you become?" Suspended high in the darkened sky, a radiant, human-shaped figure hovered.
Then the screaming began, one by one, hesitant villagers exploded into flames at the sight of it. Their bodies remained nothing but char on the dirty ground.
Struggling to balance himself, the white haired man gritted his teeth. 'I need to stop him! If I can't do that, then what kind of hero am I? If I can't do that, their sacrifices would be for nothing!'
Holding up his left hand, five different colored rings glowed strongly. Yellow, blue, pink, purple, and green. On his right hand, a single ring sat on his index finger, and it glowed brightly with white light.
"Brothers and sisters, please…
Give me the Hope to face this threat,
The Wisdom to choose the right path,
The Compassion to protect the innocent,
The Sorrow to carry our pain,
The Life to carry their will forward,
And the Unity to stand as one."
"I am not alone. This planet is not alone. And I will not fall to my knees before I bring you down!"
The rings burst into rays of brilliant light as the white haired man fully rose to his feet. "Don't make me kill you, Azzy."
The radiant god hesitated before its form began dimming, revealing another young man with flowing red hair and a very annoyed expression.
"Caelus, how many times have I told you not to call me that foolish nickname?"
The ghost-haired protector simply smirked, "How was I supposed to know? You seemed completely fine with it a few months ago." His face darkened, "You know, until you decided to go ahead and enslave half of the universe!"
Raising a glowing red hand, Azariel spoke, "Enough of this banter, just tell me where I can find the river, and maybe I'll make your death faster than those of our siblings."
"That river is this planet's lifeblood," Caelus said, eyes darkening. "It's already twisted you. If you absorb any more... there'll be nothing left of you."
Shifting his feet into a battle-ready stance, his darkened eyes filled with hope. "Don't make me do this, because we both know that I'll win."
Rocketing up towards Azariel, he gut-checked him with his elbow. The force of the blow sent the corrupted sibling flying past the smog-filled clouds.
Struggling to regain balance, Azariel clasped his hands together. A wave of red energy burst outward, ripping through the blackened sky and clearing the choking smog.
"Those Rings you created sure are nifty, too bad our siblings had to die for you to make them." An evil grin spread across his face as Caelus floated in front of him.
Staring blankly at Azariel, Caelus would raise his left hand, the yellow ring glowing intensely. A golden colored field formed around him as a smirk spread across his face. "Guess, I should get this fight started."
Flying towards Azariel, a small sonic boom tore through the air as Caelus surged forward, the golden aura crackling around him like a living shield.
Sending a blast of pure destructive energy towards Caelus, Azariel growled in annoyance.
The golden aura around Caelus shimmered as the beam struck it, and then, as expected, it missed him completely.
Clicking his tongue, he muttered under his breath. "Mary's ability..."
Pulling his right hand back, Caelus used the white ring as a giant hand of light that formed behind him. Azariel thrust his hand forward, red tendrils shooting out, wrapping around the construct's fingers before it could grab him.
Caelus pushed forward, but the tendrils constricted, shattering the hand in an instant.
Azariel was already moving. A red blade grew from his arm as he shot forward. Caelus blocked it with his forearm, the blue ring flaring and forming a reinforced hex-barrier just in time.
"You always rely on tricks," Azariel growled, pressing down.
Smirking, Caewlus snapped, twisting his body and kneeing him in the ribs.
Azariel grunted but grabbed Caelus by the collar. Before he could charge a blast, the pink ring pulsed, and an emotional shockwave rippled out, breaking his focus for a second.
Caelus broke free, spun midair, and smashed a glowing punch into Azariel's jaw. The green ring flared, blue vines erupting from the scorched ground beneath them and wrapping themselves around Azariel's arms and legs.
Before Caelus could close the distance, Azariel's body erupted into a blinding red light, the vines burning off him. Dashing forward, he'd deck Caelus across the face. Knocking him up into the upper atmosphere.
Disoriented, Caelus barely had time to activate the yellow rings' probability barrier as a dragon made of pure destructive energy came lurching towards him.
Whipped off course, it'd instead hit a flock of large birds, leaving nothing behind.
Azariel narrowed his eyes. "That damn ring's getting on my nerves."
Staring at the place the birds once were, Caelus would turn back to him, the purple ring glowing.
"Guess we should stop holding back, huh..."
Smirking, Azaiel's form would begin cracking, the space around him distorting.
All six of the rings began glowing, the light coating Caelus's body in prismatic light.
Azariel didn't wait.
He blitzed forward in a blur of red light, space warping behind him. Caelus barely shifted to the side, the distortion from Azariel's passing slicing, creating a crack in space-time.
They clashed midair, fists collided, elbows cracked ribs, knees split the sky. Every blow rippled outward, the atmosphere itself shuddering with each hit.
"You're still hesitating," Azariel sneered, grabbing Caelus by the neck and slamming him down. "Pathetic." His voice became distorted.
Caelus flipped mid-fall, fired a beam of white light from his foot, and shot back up, crashing into his brother's jaw.
Azariel barely flinched as the beam cut straight through his left cheek. "Better." He remained still as Caelus impacted his jaw.
The red god unleashed a spiral kick, tearing through a blue hexagonal barrier that Caelus put up. Blood sprayed from his mouth. Caelus twisted, eyes burning, and the pink ring flared.
A second. A flicker. A single memory flashed: their family around a fire, smiling. Laughing.
He hated that memory.
Azariel screamed, "STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!"
A barrage of red blades exploded from his back like wings, all aiming for Caelus's heart.
Allowing himself to fall to the world below, he'd barely dodge them, the blue ring glowing as a hexagonal barrier formed under him, catching his fall.
"I missed this," Azariel said darkly, staring down at Caelus. "Fighting you like we used to. Back when we still believed in something."
Caelus floated back, his body surrounded by light. "I still believe."
"Then let's see what that belief costs you!"
Azariel's glowing form convulsed, power detonating outward. The sky split, and a glowing red sigil formed above them.
Caelus's breath hitched. "I thought you were holding back so you wouldn't destroy the river?"
Azariel grinned like a devil. "We both could've destroyed this planet by accident. But the river's too important… even to you. Pity you won't live to stop me."
"Once I absorb its blood, I'll be reborn. And you, little brother-"
He raised both hands to the sky.
"-will meet Oblivion!"
The red sigil began to spin, warping the clouds, the air, and the light itself.
But Caelus didn't flinch.
Slowly, he raised his own hands.
One by one, six radiant lights flared around him, yellow, blue, pink, purple, green, and white, each ring casting a glyph of its own into the sky.
They hovered in formation, orbiting above him like celestial bodies.
Six sigils. Six forces. Six siblings.
"You're not the only one who remembers how to summon," he said, his voice echoing through the broken heavens.
The air trembled. The planet shuddered.
And
"ALBUS WAKE UP!"
Groaning as he got out of bed, a brown haired kid stood up and began stretching. His joints popped as he stretched out his arms.
Groaning, Albus slowly peeled himself from the warmth of his bed. His joints popped loudly as he stretched his arms toward the ceiling, yawning so wide it felt like his jaw might dislocate.
The morning sun filtered through half-open blinds, casting lazy stripes across his messy sheets.
He shuffled to the window and pulled the blinds up, squinting against the sudden brightness. Outside, the world was already buzzing, cars zooming by, birds chirping, and neighbors busily starting their day.
Albus trudged toward his cluttered desk, brushing past scattered notebooks and half-empty water bottles. He grabbed his alarm clock and slapped the off button, "Ughh, I should've never changed my alarm to that."
Next up was the bathroom, where the cool splash of water on his face jolted him further awake. He brushed his teeth with mechanical precision, occasionally glancing at his reflection. His brown hair stubbornly stuck up in wild spikes despite attempts to tame it.
Walking out into the living room, he'd spot his older brother lying on the couch. Drool leaking frm his mouth.
His phone camera snapped. "Heh, blackmail material."
Breakfast was the usual: a bowl of cereal, milk sloshing over the edges as he hurriedly ate while scrolling through his phone for messages or notifications.
His stomach grumbled in protest, reminding him that a real meal might be better.
After stuffing his bag with textbooks and notebooks, Albus grabbed his worn black jacket and a faded red hoodie off the chair and then slipped on his sneakers that he didn't seem to bother tying.
Walking out in the living room, he'd slap his brother's face a few times. "Hey, Jace. You've got work today, remember?"
Pushing Albus back slightly, Jace would roll onto the floor. "Yea...yea, I remember."
"Alright then, I'll be heading to school now, call me if you need anything."
"Mhmm, alright, Dad, I mean Albus. FUCK!"
Chuckling as he walked out the front door, he'd be interrupted by a glowing white light coming from their welcome home carpet.
"S-since when was the Sun on our front porch?" Straining his eyes, he'd try to look closer. His eyes are adjusting to the light as he sees it.
"Hey, Jace. Did you order a ring or something? Holy, this looks expensive." He spoke as he picked up the glowing white ring.
Jace, coming up from behind simply shrugged, "I didn't order it, so you might as well keep it. Plus who even orders a ring online."
Staring at the Ring, Albus had a feeling that...something was wrong...or was it right?
****
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