Vitaly S Alexius

Somebody Stop Us. Chapter 5: Wings of Sunset

Added 2025-02-25 16:43:33 +0000 UTC

Cinder’s smile was wide and mischievous, a spark of wild energy dancing in her eyes as she grabbed my hand. “Come on,” she said.

Before I could protest, she pulled the stained glass window open and yanked me out of the room to the balcony.

“Where are we—” My words were cut off as she wrapped her arms around me, her wings unfurling slightly, teasing the air. Her embrace was possessive, and just a little too tight, like she was daring me to squirm out of it.

Then, with a melodic laugh, she leapt off the balcony with me in tow like a sack of potatoes.

The world tilted, the silver-white arches and windows of the tower blurring as we plummeted toward the North Sea below. My stomach lurched, a yelp escaping my lips, but Cinder’s grip was unyielding, both arms and legs wrapped around me.

The wind roared past us, tugging at my clothes and hair, the salty tang of the sea growing stronger with every heartbeat. I caught a glimpse of her face—exhilarated, fearless, alive—and then, just as the waves loomed dangerously close, her wings unfurled wide.

We jerked upward, the air catching her iridescent feathers as she shifted into a smooth glide. We skimmed the water, close enough that a cold spray splashed my body leaving me laughing like a kid.

“Oi! You’re soaking me!” I shouted, wiping my eyes.

“Gotta keep my kobold fresh!” she teased, her claws digging lightly into my sides as she banked us higher. The ocean gleamed below, a mirror of twilight hues, and she tightened her hold, her breath warm against my ear.

“You’re the kobold now,” I declared.

“No, you,” she grinned, nibbling on me with a smile.

"You!"

“Hey, um,” she let out after she stopped biting me.

“Yeah?”

“How did you even manage to claim me back?”

“I dunno,” I shrugged. “It just sorta worked. Maybe my Resonance skill leveled up enough for it to work?”

A crackle of thunder announced Vespera before she even hit the scene. She descended from the tower, black-and-white wings spread wide, lightning arcing playfully between her feathers.

“Starting without me, huh? Rude!” she called, her voice cutting through the rush of air and rumble of waves as she swooped alongside us. “What’s a girl gotta do to get in on this mid-air cuddle-fest?”

“No, no air cuddling!” Cinder accelerated, wings beating hard. “Last time you almost drowned!”

“Oi, I’m getting better at air cuddling,” Vespera matched Cinder’s speed, banking beside us directly above the waves.

“Sure, sure, Miss bonus feathers.” Cinder laughed.

“Wat?! Excuse you, I’m the deluxe feathers!” Vespera retorted, her mane puffing up. “How many skills have you taught to our fox? Like one? You’re clearly behind me, try harder next time, bonus rainbo’!”

“Ye, Ci,” I commented. “You gotta teach me more Quetzi-ness. I gotta learn an entirely new skill for Greyfield’s class.”

“Heck,” Cinder made a face. “I completely forgot about that homework assignment already. I don’t even know how to effing learn a skill outside of my Omnitype. Which skill should I even attempt to tack on?”

“I dunno,” I shrugged. “Umbramancy, maybe? So we can all go on dates in the deep?”

“Ugh. The deep doesn't sound like a very romantic place,” Cinder frowned. “Isn’t it a dark and terrifying Astral-adjacent dimension?”

“Not with that birdittude,” I commented. “Open your mind. Darkness is just an opportunity for candlelit dinner!”

Cinder squinted at me.

“Deep dating!” Vespera declared, twirling like a corkscrew. “Complete with Echo-murderage experience gains! I’m down!”

The Quetzi-girl rolled her eyes at both of us.

"Sooooo, Umbramancy it is then!" Vespera clapped her talons. "I'll get SimmiGpt to write an essay about why deep diving is a cool skill to learn from Kat and get started on the Echo-date planning. I'm thinking... mood lighting with skulls, maybe some screaming for ambiance—"

“Wow, using an AI for essays,” Cinder commented at Vespera, turning away from the ocean towards the academy and flapping her wings to rise up. “Someone’s lazy!”

“Not lazy! Efficient!” Vespera fired back. “Ain’t nobody got time for essays, they cut into my ‘ship makeout time.”

The academy spread beneath us like a gothic dreamscape, its silver spires and hexglass domes catching the fading sunlight. We soared past the main administrative building, its gargoyles seemingly more numerous than I remembered, featuring many new depictions of Slayer Nazareth murdering the leviathan in all of her various forms.

"Hey, was the coliseum always octagonal?" I pointed to the arch-covered building below us.

"Hrrrmmmm," Vespera hummed. "Nope! That was totally an oval before. Architecture got an upgrade! Or downgrade, depending on how you feel about octagons. Personally I think they're just hexagons that are trying too hard."

"The greenhouses are different too," Cinder noted, turning to the aforementioned glass buildings. "Way bigger! Oh wow, they’re extending way out into the woods. And those look like extradimensional domes with alien flora. Wasn't that just a project proposal from the Angromancy Club?"

"Proposal-schmoposal, dimensional shifts make dreams come true!" Vespera zipped above the greenhouses peering at the colorful plants within.

As we circled the main quad, I noted how the landscape seemed subtly shifted—familiar yet altered, like a dream version of itself. The trees were taller, the cobblestone paths more intricate, and the luminescent flowers bordering the walkways looked bigger and brighter.

"Ah, the coliseum!" Vespera veered towards the octagonal building. "It's bigger! And shinier! And look at those banners—those are definitely new!"

Colorful banners fluttered from the coliseum's upper tiers, emblazoned with House sigils.

"Tournament of Houses emblems," Cinder nodded, adjusting her flight path to circle the coliseum. "Inter-house competitions are a bigger deal in post-celestorm reality."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Vespera clapped her talons again, nearly dropping several feet in her excitement. "My History Club office! It should be in that northwestern tower! I'm totally reclaiming that baby tomorrow. It has the best view of hot Omnids training shirtless."

Cinder snorted. "Is that really why you want it? For ogling purposes?”

“Das' strategic reconnaissance, thank you very much," Vespera corrected primly. "And maybe a little ogling. Just a smidge. For morale!”

The sun hung at the edge of the ocean, painting the sky in vivid oranges and reds, light rays splintering through the clouds.

"Let's head to Macleod’s Maidens beach," Cinder suggested, already banking toward the coastline. “Saw pics of it online. Wanna check it out live.”

We soared over the cliff edges, the campus falling away behind us as the roar of waves grew louder. Below us stretched a magnificent sight—a secluded cove where thousands of hexagonal basalt columns rose from the ocean and shore like a giant's playground.

Some columns stood tall like sentinels, others formed natural steps descending into the frothy waves. The setting sun cast long shadows between them, turning the entire beach into a geometric art piece.

Cinder spiraled down, her wings catching the last golden rays as she carefully deposited me onto the black and silver sand. The sand was still warm from the day's sun, pleasant against my palm as I steadied myself.

Vespera landed beside us with a dramatic flourish, spreading her wings wide as she touched down. "Stuck the landing! Perfect ten! The crowd goes wild!" She pantomimed crowd cheers with electric hum, then plopped down, dangling her legs over the edge of a column sticking out of the sand.

I scooped some black and silver sand, examining it. It twinkled unnaturally in my fingers as I poured it from one hand to another.

Vepera scooped some sand too. “Mmm… 689 on the Aetheric density scale,” she commented. “Good shit from the North Sea Wormwood Star impact site.”

“Does this mean that dungeons can spawn and propagate on Earth now?” I asked.

“Potentially,” Vespera nodded.

Cinder eyed me.

“What?” I asked.

“Don’t you dare,” she said.

“I haven’t done anything,” I crossed my arms.

“You’re thinking about testing it,” she huffed.

“You know me too well,” I laughed at her judging expression.

“Honestly,” Vespera said. “I’d be more worried ‘bout hostile worlds opening gates into ours now.”

“That’s a thing?” I turned to her.

“That’s definitely a thing,” she nodded. “Higher Aetheric density worlds are easier to target. I expect all sorts of quirky bastards gating this way to try to take us down.”

“Should we be worried about that?” Cinder asked.

“Eh,” Vespera shrugged. “Let Omnithornia worry about that, they got magitek tanks n' shit. I still gotta fix our personal tank."

Cinder brushed slightly wet feathers from her face. Then, she fished her guitar from her extradimensional pocket—and perched on a flat basalt slab close to Vee.

Her fingers brushed the strings, coaxing out a soft, tentative melody that wove into the waves’ rhythm.

I plopped down beside her, the stone cool against my legs. Vespera slid closer to me her left wing sprawling lazily around me. “She’s too darn swag with that thing,” the thunder-girl murmured, propping her chin onto my shoulder. “Makes my feathery bits all tingly. I’m so glad we coaxed singing outta her!”

“Same,” I said, my eyes on Cinder.

Her half-closed gaze was lost in the music, agate-like feathers shimmering with blues shifting to purples, a flicker of molten gold flaring at the edges. The song grew bolder, distinctive chords resonating across the cozy beach.

I dangled my feet, watching as the waves crashed into the edge of the silver and black beach. The ocean spray occasionally reached us, cool and refreshing against the warm evening. We were inside the Academy’s Ward so the Saxtland autumn was pushed away by perpetual summer hanging over Skyfall.

Cinder inhaled deep and began singing.

"In early autumn's amber glow
Where ocean gale sings below
Your cheeky smile, a binding spell
The darkest power, I could tell!"

The Quetzi-girl smiled at me.

"Bound to your charm, beyond control
Your magic claimed my weary soul
Three hearts entwined, forevermore
In bonds we never knew before."

She looked at Vee as she strummed, colorful tail flickering behind her like a metronome.

"Vespera's storm bows to your grace,
Her lightning yields to your embrace.
Her feathers flash through dark and light,
She's yours to wield as is your right.

My Charmchain voice so fierce and strong
Now purrs to your enchanting song,
My scales a prism in your gaze
Awash in love's all-mighty blaze."

Cinder's eyes trailed back to me as her fingers danced across the strings. She stood up from where she was sitting and paced across the beach in front of us.

"Through passion's fire we found our way
Where darkness melts to burning day
Three hearts united, spell by spell
A sacred bond none can dispel.

Bound to your charm, beyond control
Your magic claimed my weary soul
Your touch ignites an endless fire
I'm burning with untamed desire!"

More strumming as Cinder's wings ignited pink-gold, spreading wide as she spun in one spot, sending sand flying around her.

"As blue waves crash, and worlds unwind,
Echoes of what we left behind,
Through the storm, we carve our way,
In the dusk of a brand-new day.

A Prima-born spark so bright,
Escaped her duties in the night,
Found her freedom by the sea,
Became the girl she's meant to be!"

She winked at Vespera who swayed next to me. The thunder-girl looked like she was already lost in the Charmchain tune, eyes glazed over. My own mind was melting into pure, liquid happiness as Cinder radiated rainbows across the entire beach.

"A Little fox with schemes so grand,
Infiltrated this Omnid land,
Stole two hearts along the way,
Now he's ours, come what may!

Human boy with fractured soul,
Made two Omnids lose control,
Now they fight to keep him near,
Their precious fox they hold so dear!"

Vespera grabbed and kissed me fiercely.

"While skies above bear witness true
Our fates are sealed in loving you-ou-ouuu!"

Cinder concluded, letting the final string-strums carry on as she walked towards us. Then pulled me into her embrace and kissed me.

As Cinder mauled into me, a distant sound echoed across the water—the melodic chiming of Skyfall's dinner bell ringing across the campus.

"Dinner time!" Vespera leapt to her feet, nearly toppling off the basalt column in her excitement. "And let me tell you, I worked up quite an appetite with all that... flying." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Cinder rolled her eyes, tucking her guitar back into her dimensional pocket. "You're insufferable."

"Correction: I'm hungry," Vespera countered, stretching her wings dramatically. "Flying burns a lot of calories, you know. All that... up and down motion." She wiggled her hips with exaggerated emphasis.

"Vee!" Cinder scolded.

"What? I'm talking about aerodynamics!" Vespera's face was the picture of mock innocence. "Get your mind out of the sky-gutter, you pervy Quetzi. Also, I call dibs on carrying the fox this time!"

"Nu-huh!" Cinder clutched my arm possessively. "You'll just probably drop him in the ocean."

"Would not!" Vespera huffed, then paused. "Well, not on purpose anyway. I'd do it 'cus it'd be hilarious."

"That's exactly my point," Cinder said.

"How about we compromise?" I suggested extending an arm to each of them. "Tandem carry?

"Co-carrying, huh?" Vespera tapped her beak. “Now that’s an interesting proposition.”

"Practical," I added. "Double the wings!”

“Also double the chances of careening into the ocean or a tower,” Cinder said. “How would this even work?”

“I’ll link our minds up,” Vespera suggested. “You can do the flapping and I’ll generate the anti-grav pulse to accelerate and lighten us.”

"Fine,” Cinder said. “I’m trusting you not to flap your wings out of sync.”

“Ye, ye,” Vespera nodded and grabbed me. Cinder grabbed both of us. Electric currents rushed across our bodies from Vespera. I felt gravity around us reducing to almost nothing.

“On three," Cinder instructed. "One... two..."

Vespera launched us skyward on "two," with a gravity wave, detonation of electricity sending us upward a rocket, cackling as Cinder yelped in surprise.

"You insufferable featherball!" Cinder shouted over the wind, wings spread out wide.

The sunset had deepened, painting the sky in rich purples and deep blues as we rose high in the air. Below us, Skyfall Academy was coming alive with lights—golden glows from windows and colorful Kitlix lamps along pathways, flower fields twinkling across a multitude of gardens.

"Look at that view," I breathed.

"I know, right?" Vespera sighed dreamily. "The academy looks so pretty when it's all lit up. Almost makes you forget about all the potential eldritch horrors lurking just beneath the surface."

"Way to ruin the moment, ya knob," Cinder grumbled.

"It's called balance, Skittles," Vespera replied cheerfully. "Gotta pepper in some existential dread vibes for the spooki shivers!"

We banked toward the Silver Tower, our shadows dancing across the rooftops below.

"Let go, I wanna race you to the dining hall." Vespera suggested.

“Not while carrying our human," Cinder replied firmly.

"Spoilsport," Vespera pouted. "Fine, we'll fly at a responsible, boring speed. But just so you know, I'm mentally winning a race right now."

We descended toward the balcony of our dorm room, touching down swiftly. As soon as my feet hit solid ground, Vespera darted into the bathroom. I grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom too. Vee emerged a minute after me with her hair slightly neater and a fresh blue dress instead of her somewhat soaked silver robe. Cinder had a white See-Mass sweater on and a pair of gray pants.

"Food waits for no Omnid!" Vespera declared. "Last one to the dining hall has to eat the mystery meat casserole!"

We hurried to the glass elevator and then down the stairwell of Silver Tower, past the winged fox statue, joining the stream of students flowing toward the Grand Refectory. The massive gothic hall was already buzzing with activity—hundreds of Omnids chattering, laughing, and jostling for hexagonal tables.

The ceiling above showed Slayer Nazareth battling the Wormwood Leviathan, radiant waves of the magitek projection coalescing into a dramatic rendering of the legendary fight.

"Ooh, look," Vespera pointed to the Silverfox tables, where Io, Mags, Kat, and Lilith were already seated. "The gang's all here!"

Two more hexagonal tables were connected to the central hexagon, making the table long, the extra seats inhabited by Team Hydroblades. June sat next to Io and Mags, chatting away to her teammates. Only a few people were bothering with their House robes or specific seating now, most Omnids were wearing their normal clothes, sitting at randomly arranged tables in friend groups.

"Bout time you three showed up," Kat grumbled as we reached the three tables. "Was about to send out a search party."

"We were engaged in very important... educational activities," Vespera declared, sliding into an empty seat with a flourish.

"Educational, huh?" Magdaline raised an eyebrow, sniffing the air. "Is that what we're calling getting it on in the tower and then flying off to make out at Macleod's Maidens now?"

“Oi, staph scrutinizin’ me life deets!” Vespera gasped dramatically. "We were conducting a thorough geographical beach-landing survey! With our mouths!" She paused. "Wait, that came out wrong. Or maybe, right?” She tapped her beak thoughtfully.

I choked on my water while Cinder buried her face in her wings.

"Smooth, you guys," Katherine drawled. "Real smooth."

"Like sandpaper," Io agreed with a nod of his Snufkin hat.

Vespera beamed, completely unabashed as the Kitsune waitress delivered the menus. "Anyway, what shall we nom for dinner? Something extra-fancy to celebrate our successful migration back to Skyfall?"

“I'm surprised there's constantly new menus,” I said, looking over the meal choices.

“The menus depend on whatever gets hunted by Arx delvers each day,” Vespera explained. “Accordin’ to the net, the Diamalune Kitsune clan handles the beast slayin'. They gate the steaks straight to Skyfall kitchens below the Refectory where they clean up the affinity and cook the meals. The fresher the food, the more magically potent it is. Good for levelling up.”

“Even for me?” I asked her.

[Especially for you,] she squeezed my hand with her talons, sending her thoughts dancing across my nerves. [I’ve been gradually optimizing the Resonance fractal-weave in your soul, so that you could claim us.]

[Ah, thanks,] I thought back at her.

[While the meat digests in your stomach,] she added. [Resonance should be able to use it as a temporary beast core to help you grow stronger. We’re pretty much out of magic lighter fluid, ye?]

[Yes,] I replied with a nod. [Am I going to be able to get XP someday?]

[Working on it,] she replied. [Your whole... constantly spinning soul-armillary composed of fractured soul bits is particularly bad at holding onto XP. I have no idea how it even stays together. By all accounts you should be dead. I don’t want to introduce stat levelling up in there and destabilize the whole thing.]

[Gee, thanks,] I commented. [How do ordinary mixie souls and Omnid hold onto XP?]

[It sorta spins around them like an Astral ring structure with new bits added every time they slay a beast, nom beast flesh, or complete a Quest on Arx,] Vespera explained. [The more stable a soul is, the more XP it can hold and the easier it can level up. As an Omnid with a mini Fractal Engine soul heart I can hold onto a lot of XP for example.]

The meals arrived quickly.

“Yum! Chrono-salmon!" Vee declared as she stuffed the fish into her mouth.

The conversation around our trio of tables flowed easily as we ate, discussing classes, the changes to campus since the dimensional shift, and plans for the upcoming weekend. It felt... normal. Comfortable. Like we'd always been here, together, sharing dinner and jokes.

As my stomach filled with salmon from Arx, I mentally pulled up my stats. The usual errors showed up as expected.

[System error. Unable to parse experience, no heart-core detected.]
[Delineating current state. Reassessing stats.]

[Level 5 state approximated!]

I smiled as my stats loaded.

| Skills:
Thunderbird: Resonance, Lightningball, Electrofractal Sight, Dreamwalking, Chain Lightning
Quetzalcoatl: Charmchain
Stollwurm: Umbramancy, Deep Diving, Echomancy
Death Moth: Sundergate
Megalodon: Scrutiosmia

| Two way soul bond: Vespera Simmi, Cassiopea Cinder Nova
| Blood Contract Pact: Vespera Simmi, Prima-Sword
| Clan Knights: Iogann Wanderer [Deathskull Mothman], Magdaline Satoshi [Megalodon, Katherine Kells [Stollwurm]
| Clan Sixies: Solace Exill [Deathworm], Quint Thornton [Wendigo], Emerald Stratos [Lindworm], Tate Lissthoric [Yara-ma-yha-who], Renmar Igoshec [Mapinguari], Viktor Opperhimm [Bies], Izzy Jones [Catoblepas], Ash Ketkoff [Erlking], Lilith Moongriss [Lamashtu], Mariana Darkwater [Scylla], Uliuss Yolt [Grootslang], Royaul Niss [Camazotz]

Ah, how nice of the System to recognize all of my knights and mooks. Claiming Vee and Ci cost me 14 Soul units, but now I could feel their presence on a whole new level.

Halfway through dinner, Christi bounded over from her table, her flame-hair flickering with excitement. "Hey, guys! Guess what? They're announcing the Tournament of Houses schedule tomorrow! The first event is going to be Arcane Capture the Flag!"

"Yeah?” I arched an eyebrow.

"Yep, yep,” Christi enthused. "Teams from each house compete to capture magical banners while dodging spells and traps!”

“How big are the teams?” I asked.

"Depends on the game. I think that the capture the flag is fifteen people per team max," Christi said.

“Readin’ up on it now. It's basically legal warfare!" Vespera commented, tapping away at her phone. "Ah ye, I think it’s designed to train Omnids against future dimensional incursions, how fun!"

"Sounds violent," I observed. "I'm in."

"That's the spirit!" Vespera slapped me on the back, nearly sending me face-first into my mashed potatoes. "We're totally gonna dominate. I've got this lightning move I've been working on—totally legal, mostly non-lethal."

"Mostly?"

“Ye. Mostly,” she shrugged. “It's not a big deal if someone’s heart explodes, that's what the incarnator is for!”