Chapter 27 - Shadows of Balance

Bastian stood motionless, the ethereal wind whipping against his skin. The battlefield stretched endlessly in every direction, a desolate, cracked wasteland of shifting shadows and blood-red skies. The air was thick with the metallic tang of despair, a suffocating weight pressing down on him.

This place wasn't just a test—it was a sentence. A slow, deliberate erosion of the soul.

He had been here for hours. Or maybe days. Time bent and twisted, the seconds stretching into eternity and collapsing in on themselves. He looked down at his hands, his knuckles white from clenching his fists. Gabriel's words echoed in his mind like a haunting refrain.

"Erasing all ties between angels and humans."

Bastian's jaw tightened, his teeth grinding together. He couldn't fathom it. The audacity. The cruelty. How could someone like Gabriel—a being revered as a protector—justify such a heartless plan?

The child.

Anastasia's child. His child.

Gabriel called the baby a threat. Dangerous. A harbinger of imbalance. But to Bastian, that child was hope—a chance to prove that love could transcend even the boundaries of heaven and earth. The idea of losing them both twisted his gut into knots.

The ground beneath him shuddered, a deep, guttural roar ripping through the air. Bastian spun around, instinctively reaching for a weapon he didn't have. From the horizon, a monstrous form emerged, black as midnight and wreathed in flames. Its eyes burned like twin suns, unblinking and full of rage.

The Ethereal Battlefield was alive. And it was testing him.

With a snarl, the beast lunged, its claws slicing through the air. Bastian dove to the side, rolling across the cracked ground. The impact rattled his bones, but he barely felt it. Pain was nothing compared to the storm raging in his chest.

The monster turned, its glowing eyes locking onto him again.

"Is this all you've got?" Bastian growled, his voice raw. "Come on!"

The beast roared in response, a deafening sound that shook the heavens. It charged again, and this time, Bastian didn't move. He planted his feet, his muscles coiling with supernatural strength. As the creature swung its massive claw, he caught it mid-air, the force of the blow rippling through his body.

"Not today," he hissed, twisting the beast's arm and sending it crashing to the ground.

The battlefield erupted into chaos. The shadows writhed and howled, their forms coalescing into new enemies. Smaller, faster creatures darted toward him, their jagged teeth gleaming. Bastian fought with everything he had, his fists striking with the precision of a warrior trained for centuries.

But this wasn't just about survival.

Every blow he landed was fueled by a singular thought: Anastasia.

Her laugh. The way her eyes softened when she looked at him. The stubborn set of her jaw when she refused to back down. And now, the image of her carrying their child, a fragile life she would protect with everything she had.

Bastian's anger turned to resolve.

Gabriel was wrong. Love didn't make angels weak—it made them unstoppable.

The battle raged on, the creatures relentless. Bastian lost track of time, his body moving on instinct alone. The ground was slick with ichor, and his breaths came in ragged gasps. Yet, despite the exhaustion threatening to pull him under, he refused to falter.

Finally, the shadows began to dissipate, retreating into the cracks of the battlefield. The air grew still, and Bastian dropped to his knees, his chest heaving.

But the quiet didn't last long.

A voice broke the silence, smooth and cold as ice. "Impressive."

Bastian's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. A figure stood before him, shrouded in light so intense it was almost blinding. But Bastian didn't need to see the face to know who it was.

"Gabriel," he spat, his voice laced with venom.

The archangel stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "I see you're adjusting to your punishment."

Bastian pushed himself to his feet, his fists clenched. "Is that what you call this? A punishment? This isn't justice—it's torture."

Gabriel tilted his head, his gaze piercing. "It's necessary. You broke the laws, Bastian. You mingled with the living. You mated with a human. You risked everything for selfish desires."

"Selfish?" Bastian's voice rose, raw with emotion. "You think love is selfish? You think protecting my family is selfish?"

Gabriel's eyes hardened. "Love makes you vulnerable. It clouds your judgment. Look at yourself—standing here, defiant, when you should be reflecting on your sins. Your actions have consequences, not just for you, but for everyone."

"And what about you?" Bastian shot back. "You're so consumed by your precious balance that you've forgotten what it means to be an angel. You're willing to destroy innocent lives for the sake of control."

Gabriel's jaw tightened. "The child is not innocent. Its existence threatens the very fabric of our world. You know this."

Bastian stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous. "You lied to me. You said the child wouldn't be harmed."

"I said it wouldn't be harmed if you came willingly," Gabriel corrected. "And it won't be—if Anastasia brings it to the Celestial City. There, we can contain its power. Protect it. But if she refuses…"

"Don't." Bastian's voice was a warning, his fists trembling at his sides.

Gabriel's expression softened, almost pitying. "You don't understand, Bastian. The child is a fusion of angelic, demon, and human blood. That kind of power is unpredictable. Unstable. If left unchecked, it could destroy us all."

"Or it could save us," Bastian countered.

Gabriel shook his head. "It's a risk we cannot take."

Bastian's heart sank. He realized then that Gabriel wasn't going to budge. The archangel had already made up his mind.

"Don't worry, Bastian," Gabriel said, his tone almost condescending. "I'm sure it won't come to that. Anastasia will do the right thing. She always does."

Bastian's hands curled into fists. "You don't know her like I do."

Gabriel's eyes gleamed. "No. But I know you. And when you come out of here—if you come out of here—you'll see things differently."

With that, Gabriel turned and disappeared into the light, leaving Bastian alone.

Alone with the weight of his choices.

He looked toward the door of the Ethereal Battlefield, its jagged edges glowing ominously. Beyond it lay years of torment, pain, and a transformation he couldn't begin to imagine.

But he stepped through it anyway.

Because if he survived, he would find a way back. To Anastasia. To their child. To everything he loved.

And he would fight until his last breath to protect them.

On the other side of the battlefield, in a dimly lit room, Gabriel stood before a council of archangels.

"We must act swiftly," one of them said. "The child cannot be allowed to live."

Gabriel's face remained impassive, but his eyes glowed with a cold, calculating light.

"We'll wait," he said. "For now. Let the pieces fall where they may."