The Levels of Pain

You fell to the ground as the prophecy repeated itself over and over, echoing in your mind. You tried to understand what it all meant but your vision was getting fuzzy. Luke's voice cut through the swirling words and you focused on his black eyes. "Y/N? What happened? Where's Michael? I thought you said you were going to find him." He said rushed. You blinked and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Luke lifted your chin to look in your eyes and gave you a look of concern. "Y/N? Can you hear me? Are you hurt?" You shook your head and held onto his outstretched arms and stood up. He crushed you into a hug and told you everything would be alright. You knew it was nothing but a lie.

Luke had gathered Skylar, Calum, and Alessa around the library table to see if anyone could decipher the prophecy that you had written down. Calum looked very tired. He had purple circles under his eyes and he looked thinner than usual. His hair was sticking out everywhere and he just looked awful. "Calum are you alright?" You whispered. He faced you and his eyes flashed navy blue before he gave you a sad smile. "There's no need for you to worry about me" He answered. You nodded and mentally thought of ways you could help him. Alessa's auburn hair was twisted into a messy bun and her nails were painted a lilac color that reminded you of one of the shades in Michael's hair. She smiled and winked at you and you grinned. She was one of your best friends. Skylar was sitting to your right with his arm resting across the back of your chair. He constantly asked if you were alright and if you needed something to drink. You just waved a hand and told him you were fine. No one believed that, but they humored you.

"Ok so we know there's a sacrifice involved. But what kind of sacrifice?" Skylar questioned and looked at the group. Calum shrugged and cracked his neck. Alessa chewed her lip and looked deep in thought. Luke caught your eye and smiled and winked at you before he started coughing. Alessa's and Calums' eyes turned black. Luke stood up and bent over the table and tried to control his breathing. Alessa placed a hand on his back which seemed to relax him. After a few minutes he sat back down and grinned. "Well that was fun. Guess I've forgotten how to breathe!" He joked good naturedly. Alessa looked away and Calum scoffed. Skylar contained to ask several questions about the prophecy. "You will lose someone dear to you. Well that's not morbid at all is it?" He pointed out and wrinkled his nose. You groaned and rested your head on your arms. All you could think about was Michael. His smile filled your mind. His laughter echoed in your memory. You felt your heart tug and you knew something bad had happened. You knew you had to find him.

Calum, Luke, and Skylar followed you down each hallway as you explored different rooms and parts of the castle. Alessa had to get back to the kitchen but she'd said she'd keep an eye out. Calum ended up leaving because he said it was 'a waste of time'. So you ventured onwards with Skylar and Luke. Luke checked every room before you, just in case. He always looked out for you. "What if we don't find him?" You asked. Skylar grinned. "Patience grasshopper. We'll find him. Besides, you have two big burly men to protect you!" You snorted and dramatically looked around. "Where? I don't see any!" He narrowed his eyes and lightly punched your shoulder. Luke smiled and started gagging and braced himself against the doorframe. You ran to him and placed your hands on his back, hoping to relax him. Unfortunately it only seemed to work with Alessa. He started coughing and you noticed something black on his wrist. "Luke?! Is that blood?" You asked frantically. He grimaced and nodded. "I never wanted you to see me like this. I'm so sorry." He coughed and more blood spattered on his shirt. "Luke what do you need?" You asked. "G-Gold liquid on my dresser." He muttered. You pushed Skylar and yelled, "Go get his medicine. I'll stay here with him." Skylar nodded and sprung into the air and flew down the hallway with great speed and disappeared. Luke's knees buckled and he dropped to the floor. You sat and pulled his head into your lap. He shivered and closed his eyes. "Shh. Breathe Luke. I'm here. I won't leave you. I'll never leave you." You whispered. He coughed violently and more blood spilled from his lips. Your fingers ran across his forehead and the heat was getting more intense. "Luke you're burning up." You mumbled. He answered with a moan and a wracking cough. His eyes snapped open and they were black. The whites and iris together. Completely lost in darkness.

He opened his mouth and a shriek filled the air. You covered your ears and watched as his body writhed and trembled. His wings seemed to stop working. He screeched and you heard cracking. You couldn't tell where, but it was loud. Suddenly he stopped and his eyes turned blue. He didn't look like a dark angel. He looked like a normal teenage boy. He looked up at you and whimpered. "Y/N help me." He said softly. He then screamed and his eyes went back to being fully black. His back arched and his hands clenched. "NO ONE CAN SAVE ME!" Another scream ripped from his throat and you held him tightly, trying to help him overcome his pain. You placed a hand on his chest and felt his heart beating rapidly. Where was Skylar? " Luke please don't leave me. You'll be Ok. I promise. Just stay with me. I need you. I love you Luke." You felt his heartbeat slow down and his breathing become more normal. "Listen to my voice Luke. I'm here. You'll be Ok. Please." You cried and a tear rolled off your cheek and onto Luke's eyelid. His eyes opened and they were burgundy.

"Don't cry aziazor. My sweet aziazor. I'm not leaving you. Not for a long time." He whispered. You kissed his forehead and held him close. The flapping of wings made you look up and Skylar landed next to you and held out the small vial. You grabbed it and lifted the stopper. "What do I need to do Luke?" You asked. He lifted the vial with shaky hands and with a fingertip, dipped it in the gold liquid and drew Enochian symbols on the inside of his arm. Almost instantly, his heartbeat was relaxed and his breathing was normal. You cried out and hugged him. He chuckled and a tear fell from his eye. "Y/N my angel. I'm so sorry. I knew I should've stayed in my room today. I'm so sorry. I never wanted you to see that. I must've scared you terribly. Please know that I never intended for this to happen." You cried into his shoulder and held on for dear life. You almost lost him and it hurt. "Don't you dare do that to me again Luke. I can't see you like this again. It's too painful." You sniffed. He nodded and closed his eyes. "Y/N I love you. I do. So much. I've forgotten how to smile until you came along. You saved me. Thank you aziazor."  You grasped his hand and didn't dare let go.

"Luke why does this happen?" You asked after you stopped crying. He sighed and looked at you from your lap. "I guess it's only fair to tell you what's wrong with me. Ok this is going to take a while. So here goes."

"When I turned seventeen, I was still a teenage boy. I had no idea that angels and dark angels even existed. I had done a terrible thing. I broke her heart. I didn't just break up with her. I literally broke her heart. Her name was Jade. I loved her so much. But a boy named Ashton found me and told me that I'd have to break her heart if I wanted her to live. I asked why he was making me do this and he held a blade to my neck and said, "Because if you don't, the whole world will suffer. Starting with her. I'll make you watch. I'll make you break." So to save her life, and many others, I agreed. Y/N it was the worst thing I've ever done. I told her I hated her and that no one could love a girl like her. I said she was worthless and that...that she should....just die. She burst into tears and ran away from home. I heard her heart break. It was worse than the sound of an infant crying. So I told Ashton that I had fulfilled my task and that he couldn't harm her. He looked at me with a smirk and his eyes turned red. I knew he wasn't human and I tried to run. Then I felt the worst pain I've ever felt. I was changing. The wings sprung from my back leaving bloodstains on my shirt. It was so painful I almost fainted. I cried and asked him what he did to me. He just simply said, "My brother, you've broken the most precious thing. A heart in love. You must be punished. And you have been." He then explained the dark angel abilities to me and I was furious. I almost snapped his neck but he was much faster than me. I wasn't human anymore. I was a monster. I hated myself for what I had done. Ashton tricked me and I went through with it.

He brought me back to Doalim and introduced me to Calum and Michael and I despised them. Michael ended up proving to me that not all dark angels were like Ashton. Pretty soon we became friends. About a year after the incident, Ashton called me to his hall and I went of course. But the instant I walked into the room, I knew something was wrong. I heard whimpers and screams coming from the corner and I turned to see Jade. She was tied to a spiked column with a gag in her mouth. Gashes ran down her face and arms and bruises covered her whole body. Ashton had set a trap for me and I triggered it and it bolted my wings to the ground so I couldn't move. I had to watch him torture and hurt the love of my life. I screamed and begged him to stop, but he laughed and brought a knife down on her throat. I saw the light leave her beautiful brown eyes. He left me there for three days with Jade lying dead on the floor. I begged him to kill me but he said that would be too thoughtful. When he let me go, I flew to Oresa Park and I'm pretty sure Michael already told you that part. But the reason I'm sick is because my body is rejecting the dark angel in me. It's never happened to any other angel but me. I've been trying so hard to become myself again but it's impossible. When I met you, I had hope. I had hope that I could overcome this and live with love in my heart and prove myself wrong." His lip trembled and his eyes filled with tears. You sniffed and kissed his cheek.

"Oh Luke. I'm so sorry. That's so awful. I can't understand why anyone would want to hurt you. You're so loving and amazing and I'm so sorry this happened to you." You sobbed and held onto him. He whispered words in Enochian and reassured you that you made him feel worth something again. He sang a song in his language and held your hand tightly, calming you down. Your heart broke for him and you wished you could bring him all the happiness in the world that he deserved.

Michael's  P.O.V

I opened my eyes for the first time in what seemed like days and squinted at the light streaming from the curtains. I heard the flutter of wings and he appeared in front of me with his hands folded. "I see you've awoken. Maybe now you'll tell me if you plan on sacrificing yourself or making your little girlfriend stay with me." I spit blood on his shoes and grimaced. "You know, I think I'm going to go with neither. Thanks for the offer though." I said with an edge. Ashton laughed and touched me with a palladium brand that was burning over a fire. I cried out and trembled. "Wrong answer." He smirked. I grunted and breathed heavily. "You won't ever put your hands on Y/N." I answered. Ashton clapped and set down the brand. "The sacrifice I presume? Too bad. You were one of my most loyal followers until she came along. What a shame." He raised a double ended sword and brought it down at an alarming pace and everything went pitch black.