Celestial Hybrid

Chapter 3

Horses neighed in the distance, their cries slicing through the air. Countless slain bodies lay strewn across the blood-soaked ground as winged beings of light and darkness clashed in battle. 

Red clouds hovered above the skies, raining blood and the stench of death polluted the air. Screams of agony and pain reached the skies as the skulls of thousands littered the grounds. 

A figure cloaked in darkness stood atop a blood-stained mountain, wings spread wide as he watched the chaos unfold below. An evil grin stretched across his face, his glowing red eyes gleaming with malicious intent.

The body of a young man laid beneath his feet, a sword impaled into his chest, mortally wounded and on the verge of death as he struggled with his life.

“You'll never succeed in your quest, Lidrian.” “Someone will stop you.” He said, breathing heavily. 

A shrill, wicked laugh echoed through the air as the winged figure gazed down at the near-lifeless body beneath his feet.

“And who would that be?” He asked, mockingly. “Everyone’s dead already and so will you.” his gaze darkened as a sword manifested from his dark auras.

A sword sliced through the air.

~~~~~~~~~~

Remiel sprang up from his bed, sweat dripping down his chiseled face. 

His chest rose and fell rhythmically, as each labored breath escaped his lips, his ruffled hair gave him a rugged look. 

Moonlight streamed through his window, casting a glow on his face that made him look almost godlike. 

“Damn it, the same nightmare again,” he muttered, frustration written all over his face.

“I have to tell her.” 

Remiel stepped out of his room quietly, careful not to wake his brother, who despised being disturbed at midnight.

He stopped at his mother's room, a few inches away from the wooden door. Just as he was about to knock, his folded hands faltered as doubt crept in.

“Maybe I shouldn't tell her yet.” he said, as he reconsidered his decision. “I don't want her to worry too much.”

Stepping away from the door, he walked towards their verandah as he took a seat, facing the stars in the dark night sky, immersed in his thoughts.

Two pairs of red glowing eyes could be seen watching him from the darkness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“WAKE UP!!!” a loud voice rang out into his ears.

David scrambled out of bed, only in his underwear, his hair scattered over his head as he tripped over his dirty socks.

“Ouch!” he groaned, running his hands over his butt cheeks.

“You look miserable.” his elder brother laughed, taking in the funny scene before him.

“What’s the time?” David asked, yawning loudly, his eyes still heavy with sleep.

“It's past eight, you big head.” Remiel answered, lifting his brother.

“You're late for college,” he added.

“I thought today was sunday.” David slurred, as his elder brother dragged him to the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David stopped as he stared at the gigantic white painted school gate.  

“ALVAREZ COLLEGE” was written boldly on it.

He wore a white button-up shirt with a black tie and black khaki pants. His shirt, neatly tucked in, and his shoes clean and polished. The outfit made him look neat and serious.

“Here goes nothing.” he said, taking a deep breath as he pushed the gate open. 

Mrs. Reinhart couldn’t afford to send them both to school, so Remiel chose to give up his spot for his brother.

He walked confidently and proudly toward his classroom, smiling. As he did, students noticed him—some looked at him with desire (lust), and others with jealousy (envy).

“Good morning Mrs Marie.” 

“You’re welcome Mr David.” Mrs Marie answered, shifting her attention away from the board.

“Seems the ladies in your dream were too beautiful, you didn't want to wake up.” she added, eliciting laughter from the student. 

“Go have your seat.”

“Yes ma'am.” he replied, walking towards his seat beside Scylla. 

They both attended the same college and are also in the same class.

“Hey Scylla.” he greeted as he arranged his books on his desk.

“Morning David.” Scylla answered. “I knew you were gonna be late again today.” 

“Duhh, it's not my fault.”

“Oh really? “Maybe the ladies were beautiful after all.” 

“Well, they're not as beautiful as you.” The words escaped his lips as his eyes widened, quickly covering his mouth with his palms. 

“S-sorry! I… I didn’t mean it— n-not like that, I swear…” he panicked 

“It's fine.” she blushed. “You don't have to be a big baby.” she added, trying to calm him down. 

Their eyes locked, glowing for a second. The connection they felt for each other grew stronger with each passing moment. 

Just as the air between them grew heavier, a voice cut through it like a blade. 

“Can you all stop the chatter!!” the teacher shouted, interrupting their moment. 

The classroom went dead silent as she swept her cold gaze over the students. 

“Now in today's class we're gonna be talking about Mendelian Genetics.”

“Would you like to tell us what you know about Mendelian Genetics, Mr David?

Rising up from his seat, he smiled 

"Mendelian Genetics is the study of how traits are passed from parents to their offspring, based on the principles discovered by Gregor Mendel.” David answered, his face glowing with satisfaction. 

“Very good. At least your brain still works fine.” The students giggled as he took his seat.

“Before modern genetics and DNA sequencing, there was Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk who is now recognized as the father of classical genetics.”

“He experimented with pea plants and found out that traits like height or color are controlled by pairs of factors, which we now call genes.” 

“He discovered the basics of how traits like eye color, height, or dimple... are passed from parents to their children.” She addressed the class.

“Mrs Scylla, would you like to tell us about the principles of inheritance?”

Scylla stood up, shoulders high;

“The principles of inheritance are the basic rules that explain how traits are passed from parents to their offspring. These are the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment.”

As the interactive session went on, David's mind suddenly drifted to something else.

His name kept ringing in his ears. He was lost in thought, staring at nothing. A sudden tap on his shoulder made him jump.

“Hey, you okay?”

He blinked and looked around. “Y-yeah… I’m fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David and Scylla walked out of the school gate, their faces etched with exhaustion from the day's activities. 

“What happened back there?” Scylla asked, facing the blue haired hunk beside her. “You kinda spaced out.”

“Yeah… I was thinking about today's topic in biology class.”

“Have you ever wondered why we don't look like our parents?” He questioned.

“Hmmm, my mother said she adopted me from an orphanage since she wasn't able to bear a child.”

“That's the same thing my mum told me when I once asked about my father.”

“So what got you thinking?” 

“There's no orphanage in Eralis, Scylla.”

“How are you…” 

A car's engine revved as it drove towards their direction, interrupting their discussion.

The car window slowly lowered, their faces filled with shock the moment their eyes fell on the person behind the wheel.

“YOU?!?