Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter-113. The holy rain [Asher]

"The crown prince is here!"

A celestial guard's voice rang across the Virgo army, silencing the murmurs as a masked figure strode forward.

The emblem of the Solvaris pack was engraved into his golden chest armor, adorned with the complete nine stars of the Swan constellation. The celestials were notoriously selective about who could bear the full constellation.

Undoubtedly, this was him - Caelum's son.

Usually, nature announced the arrival of the immortals by adjusting itself to accommodate our auras. So, even though the mouse prince chose stealth- suppressing his aura, minimizing his presence - he couldn't stop the shift in the elements of nature around him.

I had already registered how his presence softened the disturbance my aura had created in nature. His determination to conceal his identity was commendable, but in his attempt to do so, he had exposed his power potential.

Even for high-ranking celestials, hiding their presence so effortlessly wasn't easy because their souls constantly resonated at a higher vibration, often in harmony with nature.

Manipulating one's aura in a way that could even deceive nature was something even high-ranking celestials failed to master.

Growing up in the Infernal realm must have wired the mouse prince differently from the other celestials. Even though Cadence pulled him out of the Forced Activation before things worsened, he'd spent months within those walls - surviving, just like Ezra and the others.

Naturally, I expected the unexpected from him, but something that badgered me the most about him was, I sensed no danger from him. Either he wasn't a threat... or he was dangerous beyond the scope of my danger sense.

All heads turned to him in unison. The mortal soldiers bowed their heads, while the celestial guards dropped to one knee in a knight's bow, their armors clicking as they hit the ground.

His black hooded cloak billowed behind him as he strode towards the shadow barrier, revealing a physique that instantly reminded me of Ezra.

Though the hood concealed most of his golden and black masquerade mask, his glowing hazel eyes stood out as they peered at my shadows.

It seemed as if he was trying to see past my shadows to confirm Xanthea's presence.

"Do you see her?" Nikolai asked, standing beside him. "My sister?"

"I hear her," the mouse prince said in a resonating, morphed voice. "It's faint... but she's here."

I frowned, narrowing my eyes.

Hear her?

What does that mean?

I glanced at Xanthea, still resting silently in my embrace.

Even if she were screaming at the top of her voice, no one would hear her through my barrier. So what exactly was he hearing?

The mouse prince's eyes widened, glowing bright golden before they darkened into the shadows.

"This is bad," he said grimly.

"What's wrong?" Nikolai asked, his voice hinted with subtle panic as he skimmed his

eyes from the barrier to the mouse prince.

"He is here," he said, clenching his fists. "Alpha Asher is here with her."

I cocked a brow.

So he can hear me as well, and I am not even uttering a word.

"I've heard Alpha Ezra was the worst of the triplets," the guards discussed among themselves.

"Yeah. Alpha Raven has got a sharp tongue, but he isn't as unhinged as Alpha Ezra." "As for Alpha Asher... aside from attending meetings and handling political negotiations, he never does anything. So this shouldn't be bad, right?"

"So... why does the crown prince look so wary of him?"

"Like your guards said, Asher being here can't be as bad of news as Ezra, right?" Nikolai asked the mouse prince.

"Alpha Asher himself is bad news," the mouse prince said. "And the worst thing about him is that he does nothing. Which means I don't have enough information on him or what he's truly capable of."

We were both wary of each other, and I wouldn't be foolish enough to underestimate him just because he looked afraid right now.

"Whatever. He's just a demon," Nikolai scoffed as he continued in an obnoxious tone. "With you and all these celestials here, he's clearly outnumbered. He might be a lord in his own realm, but here?"

He chuckled, glaring at the barrier with a sneer.

against celestials. You and your people can easily slay him and bring the great demon lord to his knees - to his fucking doom," Nikolai

I tilted my head.

at Nikolai's words was knocked right off their faces as soon as the tendrils of my shadows slithered

and the celestial guards, Nikolai, and the mortal army retreated

between the mouse prince

at the barrier, bracing themselves for an attack. Some celestials shifted

infernals have destroyed more celestials than the cold pages of any book could ever record." Then he turned his glare to Nikolai, allowing a

I suggest you shut your mouth and stay out of this. I don't want a war - and neither does Alpha Asher.

his words, but he gritted back his teeth and

He peered at the

"Begin!"

members of the Celestial Suppression Squad (CSS) materialized around the graveyard, walking out of thin air, holding golden sun staffs in their hands.

their staffs toward the sky. The suns atop their staffs flared

actual goal wasn't to break through my barrier, but something else. "Shift!" the mouse prince

soared into the sky, their staffs clutched in their

and below. Their combined mana condensed to form a halo of faint rainbow clouds, sparkling over

celestials' usual cleansing ritual to suppress demons. They weakened demons with a shower of holy rain, and once they lost powers

the CSS against me only proved he knew me far

this!' Icifer grumbled in

rain mostly irritated Icifer, but one at this scale could inflict actual

deep within me, but he resisted,

to me,' Icifer took over my eyes, glaring

But this rain's good for Xanthea,' I said. 'It will rejuvenate her

already swatted these annoying houseflies hovering in the sky like

holy rain will do torrential damage

it hurts,' Icifer grunted. 'I'm not leaving my mate. Especially with those

'But-'

forget it. This isn't the first time, anyway. I've endured celestial banes far worse than this, and I'd suffer them a

knew. That was exactly why I wanted to suppress him.

pushed too hard, he might not

I shut my eyes.

just have to deal

But before that...

nightgown. Slowly, the soft white dress transformed, shifting and reforming

the change in her clothes, Xanthea parted

metallic chime as they brushed against the onyx gemstones

Her breath hitched when she realized that this was the signature royal attire of the Infernal lunas, but customised to the way she liked to

jewels and chains, but before I

not allowing his hold to weaken on

countless raindrops scorched my skin like acid, sizzling on

parched lips, how it soothed the swelling on

divine radiance, but as soon as she took me in, the serenity in her eyes was replaced with terror and panic. Her eyes widened as she stared at my face, tarnished by the searing scars

holy rain.

"A-Asher?"

covered my face with my

how

head thudded against her chest as she wrapped her arms around

up to her knees.

a few seconds. Icifer was just as confused as me. I

finally realized,

to

trying to... protect

the most beautiful

this good in her embrace, I never wanted the pain to

Icifer awkwardly

weren't used to being protected, but

my eyes, leaning

her tattered soul - she was hurting. I felt it in her restless heart pounding wildly in her chest, in the panicked grip of her fingers clutching my clothes, in her breaking breath as she desperately chanted my name, as

merged with the rain as they bled on my skin. "Xanthea. I'm ok," I

choked out a trembling

It's burning you. I-is this... the holy

knowledge, but her experience and skills as well. No wonder

her chest as

panting as she hugged me closer, trying to cover me

raindrop.

means... celestials... are here?" she panted, her breath hitching as