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.

another demon. And demons don't stand a chance against celestials. You and your people can easily

I tilted my head.

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

the crowd and the celestial guards, Nikolai, and the

mouse prince

for an attack. Some celestials shifted in their divine wolf forms, while the mortal army had over

have destroyed more celestials than the cold pages of any book could ever record." Then he turned his glare to Nikolai, allowing a fraction of his searing aura to press down;

stay out of this. I don't want a war - and neither does Alpha Asher. Because if he did... do you think any of us would still

winced at his words, but he gritted back his teeth

guards took the frontline. He peered

"Begin!"

the graveyard, walking out of thin air, holding golden sun staffs in their hands. All of them were high rank, with over six stars in the shoulder insignias of their

atop their staffs

before absorbing all the mana radiating from the light. However, their actual goal wasn't to break through my

into divine wolves. Those with wings soared into the sky,

Their

celestials' usual cleansing ritual to suppress demons. They weakened demons with a shower of holy rain, and once they lost powers temporarily, the CSS annihilated them by any

use the CSS against me only proved he knew me far less

Icifer grumbled in my

but one at this scale could inflict actual damage.

he resisted, snarling in

the rain does to me,' Icifer took over my eyes, glaring at

good for Xanthea,' I said. 'It will

reason I haven't already swatted these annoying houseflies hovering in the sky like they own it,' Icifer

rain will do torrential damage to your

don't care how badly it hurts,' Icifer grunted. 'I'm not leaving my

'But-'

the first time, anyway. I've endured celestial banes far worse than

exactly why I wanted to suppress him. But

if I pushed too hard, he might not let Xanthea meet the

I shut my eyes.

have to

But before that...

glided up Xanthea's thighs. My shadows weaved through the fabric of her nightgown. Slowly, the soft white dress transformed, shifting and reforming against her skin into a high-collared black coat and

in her clothes, Xanthea parted

making a sweet metallic chime as they

this was the signature royal attire

over the corset belt at her waist, encrusted with black jewels and chains, but before I could relish the way

not allowing his hold to weaken

countless raindrops scorched my skin like acid, sizzling on contact before they melted deep into my

background when I saw how the rain plumped Xanthea's parched lips, how it soothed the swelling on her

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?"

face with

how

against her chest as she wrapped her arms

up to her knees.

blank for a few seconds. Icifer was just as

comprehend her actions. And when I finally realized, my heart

using her body to shield me from

she trying to... protect

like the most beautiful pain

If it hurt this good in her embrace, I never wanted the pain

Well... t-this is...' Icifer awkwardly shifted within me,

weren't used to being protected, but for once,

eyes, leaning

restless heart pounding wildly in her chest, in the panicked grip of her fingers clutching my clothes, in her breaking

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

burning!" Xanthea choked out a trembling

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

mother's memories, Xanthea hadn't just inherited her knowledge, but her experience and skills as well. No

whispered against her chest

teeth, panting as she hugged me closer, trying to cover

raindrop.

panted, her