Wish upon the Stars chapter 977

The Seraphim Tower was…big. Not intimidating, or imposing, exactly, just big. If anything the building was strangely comforting in its size. Like a big reliable bodyguard that loomed over the nearby area. It sat in the middle of a valley, surrounded by fluffy golden clouds, and the top of the tower exploded out above the skyline like a great beast rising from the sea.

We flew in to reach it, of course. Seraph, unlike many of our other destinations, was an A-rank planet. We COULD withstand the pressure, of course, but many of our lower ranked companions couldn’t so we mainly stuck to safe areas where the Impact pressure was reduced, especially since those were the areas where the family stayed, given many of them had children who needed the consideration.

As we approached though, I was kind of blown away by the sheer majesty of the place. The Seraphim Tower wasn’t what I expected. For one, it didn’t seem like a tower at all. THe majority of the building was something like a modern skyscraper, a tall building with mirror reflective golden windows set into a white marble base.

The marble itself made up the bones of the building and flowed along it to the top, where it ended in a soaring white marble castle, built directly into the architecture of the tower itself.

You would expect the combination of a skyscraper and a castle to look discordant, but something about the cohesive design, the transition between the castle and the roof of the building, made it almost seamless.

We touched down on the parapets of the castle directly, and as soon as we arrived, Serah and Holly bolted from the shuttle in excitement.

As soon as their feet touched the building, I felt a sort of shudder in the air, a tremble in space itself as the white marble resonated with them. Their eyes lit with their respective fires, and the crystalline veins in the marble I hadn’t even noticed flooded with angelic fire in response, as if the castle itself was celebrating their return.

To my surprise though, when Callie jumped down, there was another pulse, and blue black fire joined the gold and bronze. Making sure my own wings were out, I stepped down next, and sure enough, strands of black flowed among the crystal veins to join the other colors.

It felt…wonderful. Like I was home for the first time. The tower was resonating with the fire inside me in a way I’d never experienced, like my soul was singing a hymn of peace and joy in perfect harmony with the building. “Wow,” I whispered as I felt the sensation from not just my own soul, but Callie’s.

For her it was even deeper. The tower wasn’t just harmonizing with Callie, it was singing counterpoint. Like she was taking charge of the song and it was content to support her with background vocals.

“This is…breathtaking,” she exhaled softly. “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

“I should think not,” chuckled a warm voice. There was a ripple in the air, and a man stepped from the space beside us. As he arrived, the tower pulsed again, and white fire joined the others inside the veins, twirling happily among the multicolored flames. “The Seraphim Tower is a unique artifact, after all.”

We turned to take him in, and I was blown away by the sheer presence of the man. S-rank, from what I could tell, and strong. Maybe not like…Lark or my grandfather,but powerful. Behind him, two pairs of shining white wings sat folded against his back.

Serah and Holly bowed low. “Lord Isaac. It’s an honor to have you meet us here.”

“The sisters Hallah,” he smiled happily. “It is a blessing to have you returned to us at last. I trust your journey was fruitful?”

Holly nodded quickly. “It was, my Lord.”

“I’m glad,” he chuckled. “Ariel has been all a tizzy since you left. She worries about you so. But when she heard you were bringing a wayward Archangel back with you for a visit…I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so proud. You’ve brought great honor to your mother, young ones.”

Holly, who I had never seen respond to almost anything with positive feedback, flushed and beamed at him. “Thank you, Lord Isaac. Callie, this is Isaac Nova, Tower Master of the Seraphim Tower, and the sole Throne in Dominion over the denizens of the tower. Our strongest A-ranker, and a close personal friend of your grandfather-in-law.”

“Hi Grandpa Isaac,” chirped Chelsea from behind us. “It’s been a while.”

He boomed out a laugh. “Chelsea, it’s lovely to see you. I hear you’ve been off having adventures of your own. And this must be Shane. You definitely favor Elijah, but you’ve got that Anders height. Samuel must have been crowing about that.” His eyes flicked to my wings. “Though I admit, I hadn’t heard about this…development.”

I shrugged. “It’s not real. Just a form I can take. I based it off the racial trait from Holly and Serah, but it’s nowhere near as complex.”

“The Tower sings of your arrival,” he said solemnly. “You are kin to us. Though admittedly, its harmony is drowned out by the choir of exultation it emits at the return our lost one. It has been many millennia since the tower shuddered at the presence of an Archangel.”

“What exactly IS the tower?” I asked as he turned to lead us down into the castle. He hadn’t asked us to follow, but we just kind of…knew we should.

We descended the stairs, and I saw several other angels off in the distance. None of them approached, all seeming to be almost afraid of Callie. “Originally? It was a cup. It belonged to the god who created the first Angel. After the foundation of our species, more deities began to use the trait. Angels were, for a time, the most sought after servants of the divine. Some were created right here, their inner flame lit with a spark from the cup, others were born, or created by their gods in our image.”

His voice was strong and proud, and I could tell from his intensity that he was passionate about the subject. “Even after…well, that’s not appropriate conversation for children. Suffice to say that after the number of gods dropped off, we maintained our vigil. To be taken in service to a deity or their retinue is the pinnacle of angelic achievement. I myself am your grandfather’s emissary, and we’ve been on many adventures together.”

Holly nodded. “It’s why we traveled with Chelsea,” she admitted. “We were sort of auditioning for a role as her emissary. No rule saying she can only have one, though it usually works that way.”

“Wait…so the angelic bond isn’t just something Callie and I have?” I asked in shock. The angelic bond was what the connection between our souls had become after she’d become an Angel. I explained a brief version of the process, and the Throne nodded.

“That’s more…intimate than most of them,” he said carefully. “I’ve heard of bonded with relationships like that, but it fell out of favor a long time ago. The bond is usually more transactional than romantic. An angel draws strength from their patron to act as their shield, their voice, or any number of other functions. Though of course the bond can be used in reverse.”

We continued down a winding marble staircase, finally coming to a stop in a large chamber, at the center of which sat a brazier blazing with the most confusing, chaotic, random flame I’d ever seen in my life.

Blue, red, orange, black, white, every color, shade, consistency, luminosity, and any other possible attribute of flame danced inside the brazier.

“Behold the heart of the Seraphim Tower,” he said with unshakable pride. “The flames of eternity. The original spark that lit the flame of the first angle, kindled with a flicker of angelic fire from every angel to have ever passed through the tower’s halls. The ancestral fire of our people. It’s why I’ve asked you to come here today.”

I felt…overwhelmed. Mezmerized. The fire was so complex, so varied, so awe inspiring, that I was having trouble keeping my brain from overloading and shutting down from overstimulation.

Callie took my hand, squeezing it tightly. “You want me to contribute my flame,” she said quietly. “Why? What do you get out of it?” She sounded cautious, which I approved of. Holly and Serah didn’t seem offended in the slightest either.

“I understand this must seem suspicious,” Isaac said reassuringly. “But we simply wish to take your flame into our ranks. You see, when a new Angel is born within the tower, their inner flame is kindled with a spark from the flames of eternity. If you add your flicker, in the future, more angels may be born with your unique fire. It is a rare and precious chance to add new flames to the brazier, and we would be in your debt should you allow us to do so.”

He smiled at me warmly. “And Shane, I would be honored if you would lend your own fire to our ranks as well. It feels quite potent. In return, the tower will accept you as members of our race. You will become true members of the Seraphim Tower, and we will treat you as our own kin. Should you have need of us in the future, you need only call, and we will be at your side.”

That brought me up short. I was going to be the Wishmaster. Having access to such a powerful faction would be incredibly useful. I turned to Callie, silently telling her that she was the one who got to decide. I wouldn’t force her to do this. Her flame belonged to her and her father, not to me. I couldn’t make that call.

But to my shock, she didn’t even hesitate. She flicked her fingers, manifesting a sphere of blue black flame, and then tossed it into the brazier.

There was a rumble beneath our feet and the flames exploded upwards, a column of multicolored fire erupting up the shaft of the spiral staircase and out through the top of the tower itself.

“Welcome, little sister,” Isaac said formally as he bowed to her. “We are honored to hear your song join our choir.” 

Knowing it was my turn, I called for Sammael’s black flame, tossing a spark into the brazier. I too felt the welcoming shudder, but it was much less dramatic. Isaac’s greeting was more perfunctory for me, but I got it.

Then, he clapped his hands together. “Now, with that out of the way, how about we retire to Ariel’s rooms for dinner. Holly and Serah’s mother has been eagerly waiting to meet you all.”

Seeing our friends perk up at that news was probably the most heartwarming thing that had happened here, and I couldn’t help but smile as they practically ran down the hall towards the rooms we were supposed to be heading for.

As we walked, more and more Angels peeked out from hallways or behind columns. They were clearly interested in seeing more of us, and I couldn’t blame them.

Callie though, she barely seemed to notice. My wife had this quiet confidence about her these days that I couldn’t begin to match, and I adored it. I always felt at ease with her at my back. When we arrived at the rooms in question, a platinum haired woman who looked like Holly’s older sister pulled the door open. “MY BABIES!” she wailed, pulling the girls into a bonecrushing hug.

I felt a flush of warmth through the bond from Callie, and I returned it, both of us happy for the girls. When she released them, she stepped back and smiled beatifically at us. “And you must be our guests. Please, come in. I’m so excited to get to know you!” She turned and beckoned us into her rooms, and once I entered, I couldn’t help but be blown away by the smell of the food. Whatever this woman’s cooking Skill was, it was even higher than mine. This was going to be a fantastic meal.