Chapter 66: The Reaper of the Roses (5)
Arthur was having a hard time controlling his nervous breathing as he spun around frantically, searching for Aziel amidst the chaos. His chest heaved with each labored breath, lungs burning as if he’d inhaled fire instead of air. The rain continued to fall in sheets around him, each droplet feeling like needles against his already abused skin.
When he finally located him, he saw Aziel standing amidst the bodies of the dead grimhounds, their corrupted forms scattered like broken toys around his feet. Steam rose from the ground where his lightning-charged body had evaporated the rain, creating an eerie mist that swirled around his ankles. He was staring at the Reaper just as Arthur was, both of them transfixed by the hooded harbinger of death preparing its attack.
The lightning coating Aziel’s eyes was making it hard to tell what he was thinking—the normal windows to his soul now obscured by crackling blue electricity that danced across his irises. His face was an unreadable mask.
But soon Aziel’s gaze turned and met Arthur’s across the battlefield. Their eyes locked for a heartbeat, a moment of connection amidst the storm’s fury. And a split second later, he disappeared in a trail of lighting—leaving behind only the lingering afterimage of his form—and reappeared next to Arthur with a thunderclap that made the air itself shudder.
Arthur jumped back, momentarily caught off guard by his friend’s sudden appearance. The hair on his arms stood on end from the proximity to so much electrical energy, and the air around them smelled sharp with ozone—the scent of lightning strikes and brewing storms.
Aziel leaned in, close enough that Arthur could see the electricity arcing between individual strands of his hair. His expression was frantic, eyes wide with an almost manic energy as he spoke.
"Dude!! I feel like I’m on fucking fire!!" A smile cracked his lips, spreading across his face like wildfire. His teeth seemed to glow with the same blue light that emanated from his eyes. "This is awesome!"
Arthur sighed, a small sound nearly lost in the rumble of thunder overhead. ’Even in dire circumstances like this, he doesn’t change a bit,’ he thought, finding a strange comfort in his consistent nature despite his transformed appearance.
Aziel’s smile suddenly dimmed as he looked past Arthur, his attention drawn to the looming figure behind them. The Reaper stood silhouetted against the stormy sky, its massive scythe raised high above its hooded head, poised to unleash destruction.