King of Locusts | ✔

Chapter 11

The student turned to the class, leveling piercing gray eyes on the pupils before her.

"My name is Azrah Vastator," she said. A few students sniggered at the unusual name.

"Why don't you take the empty seat next to Lunan? Lunan, raise your hand so that Azrah can find you."

As he did so, Azrah's gaze shifted to him and briefly locked with his. She sat next to him and the rest of the class continued without issue. Yet, something felt off. Lunan felt like a pair of eyes were on him during the rest of lecture despite no one looking his way. It wasn't until the end of class that he realized the spirits that usually surrounded him were silent. It was like the quiet of being in a house after a power outage.

The remainder of the day passed without incident. Because it was only the first day of school, neither Lunan nor Elena had any homework. They went to his house after school and chatted over iced tea and apple slices, and mostly recanted over the mundane day. Eventually, their conversation shifted to the new student.

"I feel bad for her, being a new student and all, and a senior no less," Lunan said.

"I don't like her," Elena said as she bit into an apple slice.

He raised a brow at her.

"That's unlike you."

She sighed and ran a hand through her afro.

"There's something off about her. This feeling I'm getting, it's different from normal people," she explained.

"You think she's a witch?" he asked. The thought of potentially adding another person to his magical family intrigued him.

"I'm not sure." Elena frowned. "I can't put my finger on it."

"Don't sweat it, El," Lunan said with a small smile. He placed his hands over hers. Her brows unfurled as he said, "You're rarely wrong. I'll be careful."

Elena left shortly after their talk, as Gabriel was cooking seafood that day, and she wasn't a fan.

"How was the first day?" Gabriel asked.

Lunan swallowed a bite of seared scallops with chorizo before answering, "Same as every other year. A huge waste of time. There's a new student, though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, a girl named Azrah. Her last name was a bit unusual, Vasta-something. Although, who am I to talk about weird names," he said.

Lunan looked up from his plate following Gabriel's unusual silence. His guardian had a cross expression on his face and was staring through him.

"Um, Gabriel?"

Gabriel shook his head and smiled sheepishly at Lunan.

"Sorry. That name sounded vaguely familiar. I used to know someone with a name like that. Awful person."

"Ah," Lunan said. He felt like he struck a nerve, but didn't understand why.

He excused himself shortly after, mumbling some kind of excuse about having to sleep early for school tomorrow.

Gabriel sighed after Lunan was out of earshot.

"Look who finally arrived," he muttered.

Lunan actually did go to bed early, but that proved to be to his detriment. These days, he usually had vague dreams of floating amongst the spirits that continually surrounded him. Although unusual, he usually awoke from those dreams feeling well-rested. However, that wasn't what greeted him that night. Lunan heard that people can only dream of faces that they have seen, but everything he saw that night was foreign to him.

There was a man with skin like olives and a shock of blonde hair. He wore intricate armor that gleamed brightly. To his left stood a woman with a similar appearance, but with copper skin and red tresses. They stood before a massive audience that watched them with rapt attention.

"Brothers and sisters," she said in a deep, compelling voice, "We now know the truth of our origins, and the lies we must dispel. I know your confusion and your pain. We will force our creator to explain himself!"

A deafening roar rose from the audience. The winged audience.

The man prepared to address the crowd.

"Onwards to Heaven! Onwards to liberating our siblings above!" He held out his palm, and a halberd materialized in his grip. He spreads out his wings.

Angel's wings.

The vision shifted, and the angel appeared as a comet streaking across the sky. He burned a crater into the earth where he landed. He was the same creature, but changed. His black armor absorbed the sun's light as he released a sorrowful, inhuman screech. He opened wild, scarlet eyes that framed now pale skin. He collapsed to the ground, surrounded by black feathers.

***

Things are starting to pick up now. Thoughts on our newest character Azrah and Gabriel's reaction to her? What of Lunan's dream?

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