Temper, by Shannon Green

Chapter 1: Angels and Demons

You, and whatever else is to be, have not yet become; you're formless, and void.

You move like a spirit, and discover the same emptiness over, and over, but nothing more and nothing less. It's impossible to tell whether it's you who moves or the emptiness.

From the depths of the emptiness comes a guilty spark, that shimmers, once, before it collapses and creates a super-massive explosion.

A larger surge happens within the depth of the first, it looks like a Sun hidden behind a grey cloud, and it causes the boom to mutate into a disproportionate ring-shape. The boom expels through holes untold amounts of light, that bend; they form a crown over both holes, simultaneously and symmetrically. They breathe, and exhale colourful rays that echo into the emptiness; this continues until they are suffocated, which you tell from their dull light. You watch as they collapse and are sucked back into the boom.

For a moment nothing happens...

Suddenly, a special, calm-looking light ascends from out the apex; it twists, and creates hooped wings. For a moment, it looks like an angel. It twists, again, up into a bud, and then blooms into the grandest amount of electrical lights; they branch into different shaded buds of energy that sink into the apex, the rest of the electrical lights fall gracefully and cover the boom.

“This is a beautiful phenomenon”, you can't help but say.

The angel has reacts badly to your words and spins, chaotically; it's at a lopsided angle, whipping the boom and causing it to deform. The spinning causes some of the energy-buds to cut off, and dive into the emptiness, making small electrical impulses. It continues to spin, until it's spun to an even angle, and then slows down gracefully; some of the shaded energy-buds droop down to the side of the boom, and consequently heal the deformations.

From the index, rather eerily, descends an excited-looking light. You expect this to be another angel, but it doesn't create wings, instead it slaloms like a snake, and looks like a demon. The demon turns, and rushes aggressively toward the angel, latching onto it's lights. Groups of electrical lights release a strange gas, and it pacifies the demon so it's light is no longer excited. It let's go of the angel's light, and starts to fall into the emptiness.

A moment later the demon regains it's conscience, but not it's excitement, and resumes its attack on the angel.

The angel's lights graciously make a pathway for the demon to follow, strangely. The lights part in the demons presence, and create a gap at the pinnacle of the bloom- it reveals a flower made of condensed energy. The demon ceases this chance, and charges toward the energy-flower.

The angel had seemed to expect the demon, but when the demon reaches the angel's core, it becomes excited, again. The angel's lights try to close the gap, but it's too late, for the front of demon splits, and reveals a small red light; it uses it to speak words in a demonic language, and then latches onto the energy-flower.

The angel reacts worse than when affected by your word. It's drained of all colour and power, and it's effect is reversed; the electrical lights retract and break off, and the energy-buds around the boom, drop, and explode near the index. You see a static black Sun behind the grey cloud of the boom, the boom that starts to deform.

From the index of the deformed boom, countless demons descend into the emptiness...

“No...” , you say, and sadness comes over you.

Suddenly, a calm-looking light shoots out from the gap in the bloom, and moves at high speeds towards you; it's pursued by all of the demons, including the arch-demon who leaves the energy flower. Almost instantly, the angel flows through your spirit, and you feel a warmth in your heart. Shortly after, the arch-demon flows through you, and you feel a pain in your mind. The rest of the demons all flow through you, and you feel immense pain all over your body.

You see through blurred vision, the dying energy-flower at the pinnacle...

The scene fades to black...

Chapter 2: Sol

Your tired eyes are shut tight. You listen to the endless peace of a nearby ocean, wave by wave, as they send a gentle breeze your way. You're thinking of the dream of last night...

“The Angel, and the-” your thoughts are cut off by someone who pushes your arm, softly.

“...Temper! Temper, wake up!” a girls voice exclaims- she continues to push.

“Huh, that's not my name?” you think, and open up your dreamy, lazed eyes.

You're led on your back, upon soft sands that are hot to touch. There's an ocean to your left, and above you is a shimmering sky. A girl with short, red hair and a fringe, is to your side, shading you from the Sun; the tide comes across her feet, and goes out. You push your elbows into the sand, and look up at her.

The girl has feminine look, and is in her mid-teens; she has eyes like seas, wide and wild, switching dubiously between yours and your right hand. She has a chiselled, rare nose, and perked up ears, like her immediate impression. You see her as about five foot eight in height, and of a high metabolism. The veins of her slim body are like rivers, running across her Mediterranean skin. Her palms look soft, and they're moving toward yours; the shining Sun glares partially over her shoulder as she crouches.

“Come on, Temper! Get up! You said you'd take me to the city today...” she says as she pulls your hand. You give way, and allow her to pull you up into the bright sunlight that's quickly seized by her sun-kissed face...

She is happy you're awake, a tear of happiness falls from her eye; like a Father you smile, and rub her hair.

“What's her name? I shouldn't be rude...” you wonder. “I... I will take you to the city...” you proclaim with honesty.

She rushes off in front, along the shoreline, “Come, we have to be quick” she commands, and you pursue her.

A flock of blue-beaked gulls fly over you and her, toward the waters; you and the girl make variant turns to watch them glide in the ocean wind. You notice the Sun beyond blue arrows, setting, and the sky getting redder, as the birds begin to fly westward.

You stop for a second, scanning the city that's at the end of the beach. There are many sky-scrapers, some smaller than others, all lighting up their signs and rooms. The girl didn't notice you had stopped, and is a league ahead. You increase your pace, when out of nowhere, you're sundered by a harsh pain, and the distorted panorama is saturated red.

You are over-encumbered by sinister voices, that all speak over each other. There is a loud silence, and the darkest voice emerges over them all, and says “Will you save her?”; and as soon as it does the pain resides. You instantly look up at the girls last position, and like the Sun, the girl is gone...

Chapter 1: Transcendence
You find yourself inside a cathedral of swirled architecture. The black, demonic interior, is dim lit, with candles burning wick and wax; the warmth hikes the scent of ancient blood of many of past rituals and sacrifices. At the end of the cathedral is a duet of stairs that curve to a dais. An altar of silver, below the dais, is ruled by a priest in black robes; he holds a dagger with a tempered-blade, pointing down.

His gloved, right hand approaches the loosened, red-linen handgrips of his tool, to hold it two-handed. Suddenly, as he clutches, you are drawn in by an unnatural pull, and the priest rends the blade to wound you.

Your countenance has fallen, and the lost blood runs over your cheek and across your jaw. Drip by drip, it falls into a bronze vessel laid firmly upon the altar.

The blood that's splattered in the slight concave, boils and fuses together. After a moment, a pool of blood is manifest.

“Speak!” the priest commands with a cold-hearted voice.
“I... What should I say?” you respond, confused, as the priest is making his way to the stairs.

The priest keeps silent.

Suddenly, the blood ignites into a vivacious red flame. You look into the flame as it dances, and start to hallucinate.

In your mind's eye, you envision a lucid image of an angelic girl, knelt down, with a halo shining above her head. The girl looks in pain; the feathers of her white wings have been pulled or ripped into, revealing raw bone- bone that is nailed to a crucifix. Her head is down- her face, expressionless. Torture is evident from bleeding cuts on her forehead, and at the roots of her fine, black hair. You notice the red silhouette of her heart, beating, slowly.

“Fuck you!” you say in anger.
“No!!!” the cathedral priest shouts in wrath.

You hear hastened footsteps descend stairs, but you can't see; only the vision of an angel, who's heartbeat is normal, and who's vigour has returned. The footsteps get closer, and closer, as the angel's heart beats faster, and faster. You hear the sound of a tempered-blade unsheathe, and at the same time the angel smiles painfully and looks into your eyes. In this moment of terror, the scene fades to light.

Chapter 2: Caelum
Your tired eyes are shut tight. You're listening to the endless peace of a nearby ocean, wave by wave, as they send a gentle breeze your way. You think of the dream of last night...
“The Angel, and the-” your thoughts are cut off by someone who pushes your arm, softly.
“...Temper! Temper, wake up!” a girls voice exclaims- she continues to push.
“Huh, that's not my name?” you think, and open up your dreamy eyes.

You're led on your back, upon soft sands that are hot to touch. There's an ocean to your left, and above you, a shimmering sky. A girl with short, red hair and a fringe, is to your side, shading you from the Sun; the tide comes across her feet, and goes out. You push your elbows into the sand, and look up at her.

The girl has feminine look, and is in her mid-teens; she has eyes like seas, wide and wild, switching dubiously between yours and your right hand. She has a chiselled, rare nose, and perked up ears, like her immediate impression. You see her as about five foot eight in height, and of a high metabolism. The veins of her slim body are like rivers, running across her Mediterranean skin. Her palms look soft, and they're moving toward yours; the shining Sun glares over her shoulder as she crouches.
“Come on, Temper! Get up! You said you'd take me to the city today...” she says as she pulls your hand.

You give way, and allow her to pull you up into the bright sunlight, quickly seized by her sun-kissed face...

She is happy you're awake, a tear of happiness falls from her eye.
“What's her name? I shouldn't be rude...” you wonder. “I... I will take you to the city...” you proclaim with honesty.

She rushes off in front, along the shoreline, “Come, we have to be quick” she commands, and you pursue her.

A flock of blue-beaked gulls fly over you and her, toward the waters; you and the girl make variant turns to watch them glide in the ocean wind. You notice the Sun beyond blue arrows, setting, and the sky getting redder, as the birds begin to fly westward.

You stop for a second, scanning the city that's at the end of the beach. There are many sky-scrapers, some smaller than others, all lighting up their signs and rooms. The girl didn't notice you had stopped, and is a league ahead. You increase your pace, when suddenly, you're sundered by a harsh pain, and the distorted panorama is saturated red.

You are over-encumbered by sinister voices, that all speak over each other. There is a loud silence, and the darkest voice emerges over them all, and says “You can't save her...” and as soon as it's spoken, the pain resides. You instantly look up at the girls last position, and like the Sun, the girl is gone...