Angel Dust by Terry Kuder III (best non fiction books to read .txt) 📖

will." I responded sitting down beside to her.
She turned towards me; her teal-ish blue eyes were soothing. "What do you know about the Angelic Sanctuary?" She finally asked.
"I've never even heard of anything like that. What is it?"
Before beginning, Lily held out her hand. Particles of water began shooting up from her hand, forming a fountain. The water sprouted from her hand, detaching from it and floated through the air. It began forming, molding its way into a circular shape. She cupped the orb in her hand and threw it out to the middle. The water splashed into mid-air, almost as if it hit an invisible wall. It spread across the open air into a transparent wall. The now vertical pool of water shimmered under the illumination of the moon. An image faded onto the surface, projecting a clear picture within seconds. I was transfixed as the glistening face revealed a pinkish cloud. The view went through the cloud and showed a city on top it. The buildings soared high above the cloud foundation in various heights. The architecture appeared to be that of a Greek gothic type. The columns held up the majority of the foundation. Spirals circled around them exploding into flowery shapes at the top. Arches curved over the top of each column. The tops of the buildings varied in structure, some of them resembling flat surfaces and others spiked up further into the sky. Stained glass told history lessons with each image that they showed. One showed some angels protecting a city from an onslaught of creatures; another showed someone raising up a cloud into the air as buildings, much like the city itself, rose out of the cloud reaching for the sky.
Lily took in a deep breath and began her story. The Angelic Sanctuary was where Angels were born, raised, and trained. It was a temple where many with magical capabilities went to become guardian angels. Located above the center of Ekaz, it was built after the Dark War to guard over the lands. When the Dark Lord, who had conquered eight of the nine lands of Talemenle was defeated, his blood stained the land between Ekaz and Thrae. It seemed logical to build it in Ekaz. Created by Master Dowin, it was meant to be a paradise of peace, tranquility, and overall, a refuge for those who wished to protect their loved ones. In time, those who came there were taught the ways of the guardian, learning the crafts of healing and defense. After a span of eight hundred and fifty years, one of the Elite Guardians, EGs for short, Rongst Ebezra, decided that it was time for a new ruler. After overthrowing Master Dowin, in what was to be known as the Heaven's Open Gates, Ebezra changed the rules to the qualifications for becoming a guardian.
Lily had come to the Angelic Sanctuary from, Arine, the capital of Erwat, searching for answers. Being a wielder of the water element, she was able to control it in whichever way she choose. With this ability, she was instantly granted admission into the Sanctuary. From there, she began her training under the careful teachings of Ezebra himself, unaware of his shady history. She learned the arts of healing, defense, and expanded upon her water control. Between the three powers, she was able to create combinations between them and because of her tenacity to learn the ways of the guardian, she went through the ranks quicker than any other student.
After two months of training, her wings had begun to grow. She was well on her way to becoming a guardian. During this time, she had become romantically involved with Ebezra, believing him to have loved her. After another two months, Lily became pregnant. There was only one person whose child it could have been: Ebezra. Upon telling Ebezra of the news, he told her that she needed to kill it. She didn't understand. It was a child of both of them and he wanted it dead? It was then that Lily was informed of the final requirement for becoming a guardian. Terrified and confused, Lily ran. Ebezra, chased her across the lands until she found safety in Zephyrus to live for the next five years. It was here that Ebezra and Lily had their last encounter three years ago.
As Lily told her story, the images flashed on the water wall giving life to her words. Ezebra didn't look too terrifying. With a medium built, it was hard to believe that he could overthrow someone as powerful looking as Master Dowin. Yet, it was not through power that he had done so; it was through sheer force that it was accomplished. What he had lacked in power, he made up through leadership, acquiring a big enough retaliation to achieve his goal. The images of the Angels, Dowin, Ezebra, and even Lily in her prime helped give me an understanding of the details. Something about the royal blue and gold armor of the angels triggered something in my mind, but only briefly. I quickly shook my head as I witnessed another image of Lily walking to her little house in Zephyrus. Azalia was trailing behind, holding her mother's hand. She was as cute as ever. Lily unlocked the door, walked through to the kitchen, and stopped suddenly.
Ezebra was sitting in a chair at the table, smirking evilly. His black hair fell along side his face, framing it perfectly. He pushed it back, placing it behind his ears. In between his legs laid his sword. It was a bronze sheen that transitioned in the light to a silver color as the view panned across. He looked up at Lily, her face astonished that he was even there. She let go of Azalia's hand bringing her arm forward to charge an energy ball in both her hands. Ezebra lifted his sword into the air, placing it on his shoulders. He placed his arm holding it on the table and relaxed a little, tossing his other arm over the back of the chair and leaned his body back.
"Mommy," Azalia started. "who is that?" Lily didn't say a word, but just concentrated on what she was doing.
"So, this is her, is it?" He finally said. His voice was lighter than I had anticipated. It almost sounded soothing, but his smirk gave off a different vibe.
"What the hell are you doing here!?" Lily demanded. "Get the fuck out of my house or I swear to the Gods I will kill you right here and now!" She yelled. Azalia looked up at her mother shocked as if she had never heard her mother curse before.
Ezebra laid his sword on the table, leaning forward. "Is that so?" He laughed. He took his gaze off of Lily and focused on Azalia. "You don't know who I am, do you, young lady?" His tone softened towards her.
Azalia shook her head back and forth. "Ezebra, I mean it!" Lily threatened again.
"Eh," He waved his hand in the air, leaning back into the chair again, "it's not important, I suppose."
"This is your last warning: Get out now or I swear I will....!"
"What? Kill me? Yeah, I heard you the first time, Lily." He paused, rubbing his chin. "Oh, Lily, did you really think that you could hide forever in this little shanty town? Did you really think you could hide from me? From us? We see all, don't you know that? You had to know that; you were one of us at one point in time. I have to admit though: whatever cloaking incantation you used, it sure was effective. Yet, you forget that no matter how little amount of energy you use to keep it up, it's still enough for us to see. I just came to see what was rightfully mine, that's all." He slowly got up. This action alone was enough for Lily to act.
A rush of water blasted out of the energy ball between her palms towards Ezebra. He smiled and held his hand up. The water collided into his right hand, splashing upwards. The stream then folded into itself like a mini tidal wave. For a split second, the water turned in over on itself circulating through the air. With his arm extended, Ezebra simply pushed it forward and the water came speeding back towards Lily. Lily quickly shot her arm downwards, palm facing her, and threw it up in a diagonal slant. A sheet of light came from the tips of her fingers and spread upward. The water hit the shield, losing its form and splashing down to the wooden floors. Before Lily could regain her focus, Ezebra had vanished. She looked around as his face appeared before hers. His sudden appearance surprised Azalia and she fell backwards. Lily lifted her hand into the air, bringing it down. Ezebra grabbed it before she could do anything else.
"Lily," His voice lowered. "We shouldn't do this in front of the child." His pretentious concern was enough to fuel her. She jerked her arm, but he held to it tightly. "I'll tell you what: I'm not here for her. I'm here for you. How about we resolve this little altercation elsewhere?" Lily's breathing was uneven. Her chest heaved and she looked exhausted. She hadn't used her power in so long. The realization that any further attempt would be fruitless hit her suddenly. She sighed, relaxed her arm, and he let it go. "I'll be waiting outside. Say your goodbyes." He turned around and began walking forward. Looking down, he saw Azalia. He knelt down and smiled brightly. "There's nothing to fear, little one." He patted her head. "Be a good little girl now, alright?"
Azalia was on the verge of tears. She sniffled and nodded her head. He got up and walked out the door. Lily ran to Azalia as she began crying. "It's ok, sweetheart. It's ok. Shhh." She tried to calm Azalia down. Her daughter's tears soaked her shoulder. Lily began rocking Azalia back and forth. "It's ok, darling. It'll be alright." She caressed the little girl's head. After ten minutes of Lily's soothing, Azalia finally let up, wiping her face. Lily grabbed her daughter's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "Now, dear, mommy needs to go."
Azalia's eyes began to swell again. "B...but where are you going?"
Lily didn't want to worry her daughter. What parent would? She had to think quickly. What could she tell her? Could she tell her that the man outside was her father who was here to kill her? Would a five year old be able to understand that? In fact, would a five year old even remember something like that? If she was lucky enough, Azalia would be too traumatized by the event to even remember it. Lily knew she wasn't going to be that fortunate though. She had to lie.