“Wake up,” someone exclaimed. I awakened after hearing an echo invade my dreams.
“What time is it,” I asked in a hazy tone.
“It’s about six o’clock in the morning.”
“Six o‘clock in the morning! It’s so early now Azim. Can I just sleep a little longer? I mean aren’t you tired???”
“I’m sorry but the hourglass is running out of time for your friend Charlotte. Also, angels never have time to sleep. We’re in the sky 24/7 and if we ever rest our maximum sleep time is approximately less than three hours. Since you’ve accepted the quest, you’ll have to face the consequences of restlessness. You’ll get used to it Leo. Come with me,” Azim said hastily.
We went to the gates of Elysium.
“Welcome to Elysium,” Azim said again.
“That’s what you said yesterday.”
“Well I guess I wasn’t sure if you would undertake the quest or not so I didn’t show you everything.”
“What do you mean? ”Then the gates opened into a city of gold. “My friend, you only saw the entrance yesterday. Now you’ll see and experience everything for yourself,” Azim said.
“This is amazing! How could anyone not want to live here,” I exclaimed. Azim lowered his head and remained quiet for a while. “Follow me,” he said finally.
My wondrous eyes were in their glories. The entirety of the city was made of pure gold. Angels flew above the golden castles and fortresses with wing spans as large as phoenixes. I saw many young angels too learning how to fly for the first time.
“It must be fun to fly here in Elysium,” I said happily.
Azim stopped walking and looked up to where I was gazing at. Then he continued sauntering without hesitation and ignored my remark. The golden brick streets became confusing for some time, but Azim seemed to know exactly where we were going. We passed by a few female angels who giggled at me, and I couldn’t help but smile at them in return. Then another female angel crashed from the sky and landed perfectly in front of Azim. She had jet black hair streaming down her neck.
Azim began to speak,”How are they?”
“They’re the same as always Azim. You constantly keep asking me repeatedly, when you already know the answer. Nothing’s going to change unless you confess the truth. So don’t even bother questioning me again,” the girl said. Azim closed his eyes. His reaction proved that he wasn’t satisfied with female angel’s reply.
She turned toward me asked Azim, “Is he your Soul savior?”
“Yes,” Azim replied softly, while shifting his bangs with his fingers to the other side of his face.
She observed me with a gingerly look in her eyes and I responded with a defensive expression. She continued her conversation with Azim again.
“By the way, I found Envy. She’s been hiding in the alleyways on the outskirts of the city.”
“Did you speak with her?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“She only wants to talk to you.”
There was a pause in their conversation and I was beginning to feel out of place too, yet I couldn’t help but wonder what they were parleying about. She transitioned back into her crucial discussion with Azim once more. Azim was obviously offended with every word the girl said, yet the girl didn’t seem to notice.
Azim contemplated me with a sigh of relief and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Farewell Azim,” the girl replied and flew away without any doubts.
Azim didn’t look like he wanted to converse with me, so I kept my curiosity to myself. We kept walking for a little longer while Azim tried to hide his true emotions.
When we arrived at the entryway, he spoke, “We’re here now Leo.”
Azim flew into the air and pulled the latch from the top of the gate. This was my second time passing through a gateway in Elysium but it still felt strange. Everything was so new to me here. I never knew that there was a realm beneath Heaven until now.
Azim and I entered into the arena where the floor was covered in silky sand. It was a huge and vast with shiny stairways rising to the rows of empty benches at the sides of the stadium.
“Catch,” Azim said.
“What do I need a sword for,” I asked.
“You’ll need a sword to defend yourself in battle, defeat your biggest fears, and it’s also a necessary item to train and become a Soul savior,” Azim replied.
"You didn't mention this when I asked you what a Soul savior was," I exclaimed.either.
"Well how did you think you were going to get Charlotte back," Azim asked.
"Oh I don't know...maybe by freezing time again," I said.
"Azim shook his head in disbelief and said,"You can't freeze time here in Elysium. Time doesn't exist here. Your powers can only affect life and time on Earth. Remember, I didn't say your mission was going to be easy either."
A couple of angels flew down from the top of the open dome and started to battle each other. Azim caught me looking at them and said, "Yes, Leo you'll be able to melee one day too."
I was entranced by the way the two angels moved with such grace and force. They dodged each other by sliding on the sand with lightness in their footsteps.
"Now try to lash your sword at me with all of your might," Azim said.
I held a firm grasp in the position that taught me. Then I battered the sword with all of the stamina I had. Azim watched me the entire time, so I became quite nervous because I didn't want to disappoint an angel. After a while, Azim broke the short silence.
“Great job, Leo! This was a great start to your training but it's going to take some time to get used to handling your sword and using it properly,” Azim said half satisfied with my actions.
"Don't worry though. We have enough time to learn everything you need to know," Azim said.
I felt a little heartbroken and displeased with myself, even though it was my first time ever handling a sword. I then striked Azim with full force of my abilities without giving Azim a warning doing so. Azim was startled by my persistence. His cerulean blue eyes grew larger with shock and surprise suppressed behind his bright pupils.
“Now you’re showing signs of improvement,” Azim grinned.
We continued training for hours. My mind focused on only both of our swords clashing against each other. The other two angels had stayed inside the stadium for a long time, but I didn’t even know they were gone until Azim said they were. The sound of metal scraping against each other and the slicing of the wind in the air was all I could hear nonstop. I was starting to get used to my sword and soon enough the movements I made came to me naturally as if they were reflexes I never utilized before.
My heart raced with every second that passed too, and Azim finally said, “I think we’ve done enough training for today. I’ve never seen someone so motivated to fence before. I’m also pleased that you’ve amended. We’ll train again once the sun rises again tomorrow.”
A rush of pain surged through my body. I didn’t realize how much energy I used up and my bones ached constantly from every footstep I made forward.
“Are you alright, Leo,” Azim asked.
He didn’t seem affected with pain at all. It was almost like he didn’t even know pain existed. I fell onto my knees while trying to restrain the agony I felt so Azim wouldn’t notice. I guess you can’t hide anything from an angel since Azim wasn’t oblivious. He came to my side and laid his hand softly on my head. I could tell he was looking down at me when I saw his shadow appear on the ground from the moonlight above.
Sometime in that moment I felt like a different person. Azim had changed me somehow and I knew it was for the better. Then I stood up without any hesitation and gazed up at the stars. Azim’s hand fell back to his side and he looked up too. I still couldn’t believe that heaven was above Elysium because I didn’t see heaven from where I was. All I saw were stars and the constellations in the dreamy sky. If what Azim said was true, then just maybe heaven was really up there.
I wondered if Azim saw the sky differently and if he could see heaven through his angel eyes. According to Azim, I’m just a human on a quest to save Charlotte from disaster. Angels aren’t humans although they share similar traits. I thought about heaven again. It’s hard to believe that heaven is real when you’ve been told your whole life that it was your choice whether to believe it was real or not.
“You know Leo that you’re not exactly alive here in Elysium right,” Azim said interrupting my thoughts.
“What are you implying,” I responded.
“Well we’re nonexistent,” Azim replied.
He saw my puzzling expression trying to figure out what he meant by “nonexistent.”
“I think you should rest now. You’ve had a long and busy day today,” Azim said.
We went back to the same golden castle that I had slept in yesterday and I suddenly realized that I wasn’t in pain anymore. The night was calm and the streets became empty and quiet. Yet I had a feeling that I was meant to be here. Maybe God gave me a sign from the stars or maybe it was just my instincts, but it was definitely destiny that brought me here and I knew Azim knew it too.
