"They are the shadows of the things that were here before," Lyra explained. she pointed to the shadow wrapped around Elijah’s leg. "That bus is dead. But its 'concept' still exists. Your Void power is pulling those concepts to you. You are the center of gravity for everything that has been lost.""I don't want them," Elijah said, trying to shake the shadow off. It didn't move. It felt like a part of his own body."You don't have a choice," Lyra said. She walked over and stood beside him. She looked at the metallic sand. "The Earth is becoming a part of you, Elijah. Every mile that turns into this sand is a mile that the Angels cannot touch. You are creating a 'Dead Zone.' A place where the Gods have no authority.""But the people..." Elijah looked back at the camp. "They're terrified, Lyra. They hate me.""Of course they hate you," Lyra said. She didn't sound sad about it. She sounded like she was stating a fact. "You are the thing that proved their religion was a lie. You are the thi

"Too hot!" Marcus wailed. "It’s burning! My blood is boiling!"Elijah lunged forward, grabbing Marcus’s shoulders. "Marcus! What’s wrong? It’s pure! It’s Life!""It’s too much life!" Lyra shouted, reaching them. She pushed Elijah’s hands away. She used her shadow-magic to pull some of the heat out of Marcus’s body. "Elijah, he’s a human! His soul is like a small candle. You just poured a gallon of gasoline on it! You’re going to pop his heart!"Marcus coughed, and a spray of silver sparks flew out of his mouth. He collapsed into the sand, his body twitching. The glow slowly faded, but he was unconscious. His throat was red and blistered from the inside.Elijah stared at his hands. He felt like a monster. He had tried to give his friend water, and he had given him liquid fire instead."I didn't know," Elijah whispered."You don't know anything about being small anymore," Lyra said. She looked at the tank of glowing fluid. "To you, this is water. To them, it is poison. Their bodies can'

The battle with Captain Elias had stopped for a moment. The Saints were still there, standing like statues in the metallic sand, but they were waiting. The air was too thick with Elijah’s power. Even the heroes of the past were careful.Elijah stood in the center of the camp. His skin was hot. The "Star-Spear" he had eaten was still burning inside him.It felt like he had a small sun trapped in his stomach. He looked at his hands. The gold and black lines were glowing so bright they looked like they would burst through his skin."Elijah..." The voice was weak. It came from the big hole in the middle of the camp.Elijah turned. He saw Lyra. She was finally waking up. She was sitting in the dirt and glass, rubbing her head. Her purple eyes looked tired, but they were clear. She looked around at the gray fog and the black stone walls. She didn't look surprised. She looked like she was seeing something she had expected.Elijah walked to the edge of the crater. "Lyra. Are you okay?"Lyra l

The world above the clouds was not made of soft air. It was made of white stone that never got dirty. It was made of gold that never lost its shine. This was the Seventh Sphere of Heaven. It was a place of perfect order. There was no wind here. There was no dust. There was only the sound of a million humming voices, singing the same song forever.In the middle of a grand hall sat the Celestial Overseer. His name was Malakai. He had four wings that were as white as new snow. He did not have a face like a human. Instead, he had a smooth mask of polished silver. Behind that mask, there were no eyes, only two glowing blue lights.Malakai sat in front of a massive pool of liquid mercury. The mercury was as large as a lake. It did not ripple. It acted like a mirror, showing everything that was happening on the "Farm" below. To the Angels, Earth was not a home for people. It was a garden. It was a place where souls grew like fruit, waiting to be picked.Usually, the reflection of Earth i

The seven stars in the sky were no longer small. They were growing larger and brighter every second. As they fell toward Earth, they left long trails of white fire behind them. These were the Harvesters of Pride, the Censure Squadron sent by the Heavens to delete the mistake that was Elijah.Elijah stood in the center of Haven’s Drop, his boots sinking into the metallic sand. He could feel the power coming from the sky. It was not just light; it was a weight. It was like a giant invisible hand was pressing down on the camp.He looked at Marcus. Marcus was standing near the water tank, his glass skin glowing with a faint purple light. Marcus was strong now, but he was still a "Void-Touched" human. He was not a God.Elijah looked at the air around Marcus. It was vibrating. The "Holy Presence" of the falling angels was so strong that it was starting to burn the oxygen. Tiny sparks of white electricity were dancing on the tents. This was the "Holy Backwash." It was the energy that spill