The Art of the Sky

“Ars Caelus? One of my potential prize…”

But not like this! They had saved the day, and she had been caught in the middle of the chaos with no role, no cover.

Fuck! she thought, her mind racing.

If the saint is purifying the stone then I have no alibi that would make me good in the face of the knights!

“Anna!” Jarce finally spotted her and rushed to her side. “Are you alright?! What’s going on?!”

She knew it! The perfect excuse. Anna’s legs gave way, and she stumbled, “I…” she gasped, her voice frail. “I can’t move…”

“You can’t?!” Jarce looks panicked.

Thankfully, Apu, who had been cowering nearby, understood instantly.

“Jarce!” he cried out, his innocent mind connecting the dots. “Anna’s a vampire, and that’s… that must be the Saint’s power! There’s too much holy energy in the air! Of course she can’t move!”

Thank you, Apu! Anna screamed inside her heart, committing fully to the act of a weakened vampire overwhelmed by divinity.

But the night wasn’t over.

From the shattered remains of a nearby building, a black-clad figure leapt out. Uetum! Her eyes glowed a bright, feral yellow, a wide, manic smile on her face as she lunged directly at the “paralyzed” Anna.

Maren shot forward, blocking the catgirl’s claws with a sharp clang of steel. She wanted to warn her,

Caelus is here, you idiot, get back! Abort! but Uetum was too fast.

The man wielding Ars Caelus spun, his blade carving a golden arc through the air aimed at Uetum’s neck. “Nya! Not that easily!” The catgirl becoming so fast, easily dodging the holy light, twisting in mid-air to avoid the blow, her own shadowy claws parrying the sun-bright blade in a high-speed dance.

As if this wasn’t enough, another figure appeared on a nearby roof. Pietta. Her half-corrupted eye glowed a sickly, ethereal white. She raised her hands, “Marutur! Open!” 

The very air tear open as a dozen swirling portals of darkness erupted in the courtyard. From them poured a new wave of grotesque troll like monsters.

Still playing her part, Anna could only scream a command.

“Maren! Attack!”

With a cry of holy fury, Ars Maren became a ribbon of pure silver light, scything through the portal-spawned abominations. Holy energy erupted with every monster she cleaved in two.

Across the courtyard, Uetum laughed, her speed and ferocity a perfect match for the silent, golden warrior and his legendary blade. “Nya!! Can’t catch me nya!”

The duel at the heart of the courtyard was a clash she never seen before. Uetum, who Anna had dismissed as a scrappy but minor threat, was fighting like a demigod.

She moved so quickly and efficiently, her claws trailing arcs of dark energy that hissed against the air. The silent warrior was her opposite, a being of pure, golden light. Sparks of holy and profane energy exploded with every parry, shaking the very stones of the barracks.

How is she this strong?! Anna thought, her mind reeling as she watched from the ground.

She’s going toe-to-toe with a wielder of a holy weapon! What is she? And who in the hell is he?

She tried to reach out to Maren, but the sword was too busy fighting for her life to answer any questions.

Anna’s eyes snapped to Jarce and Apu, who were standing protectively over her, their own swords drawn. “Don’t just guard me, you idiots!” she barked, her voice cutting through the din. “The main line is about to break! Fight the monsters!”

Jarce recognizing its truth, gave a sharp nod. 

With a battle cry, he charged into the thickest part of the battle.

Apu, meanwhile grabbed a fallen longbow, nocked an arrow with ease and began loosing shafts with decent accuracy. 

Anna smiled, “You’re a great archer, Apu! Keep going.”

He beamed getting her compliment, “Thank you, Lady Anna!”

From her perch on the ruined rooftop, Pietta’s voice boomed, magically amplified to carry over the chaos. “Fools! You cannot win! The age of humans is over! The prison beneath your feet will become your tomb, and Morvane will kill you all!”

Her gaze, one human and one a glowing white orb of corruption, fell upon Anna. “And look at you!” she sneered. “The vampire who submits to humans! You could have had true power with us, but you chose to be their pet! Pathetic! You’re weak!”

“Power is a tool, not a leash, you child!” Anna shouted back from the ground, “Your Lord Morvane offers nothing but chains! I choose my own side!”

Pietta smiled, “Now now. Why don’t you reach your hand and join us?”

“Don’t listen to her, Anna!” Jarce yelled, cutting down a dog-like beast before turning back to her. “She’s just trying to get in your head!”

The taunts were just beginning. The fight was far from over.

“That’s right, child!”

A new voice cut through the battlefield. 

Suddenly, the pre-dawn sky ignited with a brilliant, artificial daylight.

The holy radiance was so intense Anna actually felt a little burning sensation on her skin, but just as quickly, a cool shield enveloped her, the veil stone activated just in time.

Standing atop the ruined gatehouse, wreathed in light, was Bella.

“Lady Serenya!” Jarce cried out, his face filled with pure, unadulterated joy.

Bella paid him no mind. She reached out a hand towards the silent, golden warrior. “Ars Caelus!” she commanded. The man and the greatsword dissolved into a single stream of light, which then reformed in Bella’s grasp as the magnificent holy weapon. She held it aloft, its light banishing every shadow.

“Witness the Art of the Sky,” she declared, her voice echoing with celestial power. “The wills of heaven…!”

With both hands, she brought Ars Caelus down in a single, horizontal slice that seemed to cut the very fabric of reality. A clean line of bright light expanded across the courtyard, passing through every portal Pietta had summoned. The dark gateways fizzles out and then dissolved into nothing.

Uetum and Pietta knew they were utterly outmatched. Without a word, they turned and fled, vanishing into the portal. Pietta’s final threat drifted back to Anna. 

“We will meet again, vampire. Let’s go, Uetum!”

Jarce was ecstatic, his faith completely reaffirmed. To play her part, Anna simply gave a respectful nod towards the “Saint”. Maren zipped back to her side, humming with residual energy.

What the hell… Anna thought, her mind racing.

The power required for a single attack like that is astronomical. If I were to get Ars Caelus, the holy energy every time he attacks would probably burn me to a crisp from the inside out.

“Lady Serenya, what are you doing here?” Jarce asked, still star-struck.

“I am the Saint of this kingdom,” Bella replied simply. She turned her gaze upon the exhausted, wounded knights, her voice softening into one of charismatic authority.

“Knights of Minilon! You have faced the shadow and held the line! The darkness is not eternal. Have faith in your steel, your comrades, and in the light that protects this land. Rest now and heal, for the true dawn is coming.”

The men cheered, their morale instantly restored. Bella looked at Anna, her expression unreadable. “You and I need to talk later,” she said before walking towards the main gate.

But Ars Caelus didn’t go with her.

The greatsword shot up from the gatehouse. Anna’s vampiric eyes followed its trajectory. Far in the distance, atop one of the highest trees of the forest, she swore she saw a small, lone figure catch the descending blade. A girl.

Maren buzzed nervously beside her.

“That must be her… the real Serenya… Anna, did you feel her mana?”

Anna nodded, her face grim. She had felt it. "

“Yeah,” she murmured, a phantom heat still tingling on her skin. “For one second, I think she went past me. My entire body felt like it was on fire… It was like standing next to a star."