Abel Hayes and the dark phoenix

Acacius pointed to the mess hall. He told me there was one on each isle, but the one on the center Isle was the largest. It was a place where everryone could eat as a big family.

The had greek stule columns, but there was no roof. There were a dozen exquisite picnic tables.

'There arent many rainy days here, are there?'

Acacius looked at me like I had asked a stupid question, then maybe he remembered that this was literally my first day here. 'It doesn't rain or snow here. The skies always remain as they are.' He answered.

Finally, he took ne across all the 200 kilometer long arch bridges as we toured each of the isles.

There were ten of them of them, suspending in the air around the center Isle.

They were arranged in a perfect circle, with each an equal distance away from the center Isle.

And they were without doubt the most majestic group of floating islands I had ever seen — well, the only group of floating islands I had ever seen.

Fascinatingly, each was unique in its own way.

The first one was the largest and the grandest. It had the most meadows and flower gardens, the most lakes and hot springs, and the most palaces, all gilded in gold. However, it was also completely empty.

The second one was really more of a natural paradise. It had the least stone and metal structures, but the most lush fields and water falls. The bulidings that persisted were all covered in flower bearing vines. When the sky darkened you could without a doubt see the lustrous meadows being lit by fireflies. It was without a doubt the most beautiful.

The third was island was not much different form the others, only, it was filled with silver and gold towers that reached towards the skies.

The skies of the dreamtime were cloudless and still, and yet the air around this island seemed to be charged with ozone, and clouds gathered around the towers.

The fourth isle possessd a darker charm. It was till very beautiful, however its structures were made out obsidian. All the tree on this Isle had a weird hypnotic purple foliage. It was clearly the place with the most 'witchy' and etheral vibe.

The island next to it was one of the smallest, but it was also the least occupied by vegetation. There was a large marble statue of a woman holding a shield and brandishing a sword in the islands center. And the rest of the isle was filled with armored, war pavillions and amphitheatres for the sole purpose of battle.

We stopped infront if the statue, and I asked Acacius.

'Why are several of the islands uninhabited.'

It really didn't make any sense. Each of the isles had a different feel to it but they all served one purpose as homes to the denizens of this world.

But then why would some be empty?

'Come now Abel, lets meet a few of your brethren.'

After desceneding onto the fifth island my jaw almost literally dropped several times.

Seeing it form a far was one thing, but it was so much more beautiful when it was right in front of you.

The air was charged with energy and all Sierra and gold building gleamed in the sunlight. The calls of the wild were everywhere, accompanied by pure and untainted fresh air.

Every single home was simple but futuristic and graceful, melding perfectly with the impossibly perfect surroundings.

But funny enough, my jaw did not drop because of how bestiiful the place was.

Besides Esme, this was the first time I had seen the teenagers here close up.

And they really didnt look anything alike. Of the males,some were big and muscled like body builders, others perhaps, were taller and leaner, though still being mascular to a degree. Others looked mere boyish, but still hid muscular physiques.

The shades of their hair ranged from dark and curly to smooth, honey blond, and bronze. Thw same was true for the women, while some were tall and stuesque other were petite and pixy like.

And while some had startling blond hair, others possessed deep raven hair.

But outside all these differences, they were all exactly alike in two ways.

One, every single one of them looked to be much older than me. The most immature of them didn't look any younger than seventeen.

Two: While their appearances vastly differed they were still so similar in this aspect: Their faces despite being so different, were all devastatingly, inhumanely perfect.

It was almost unnatural. They actually all wore a beauty that just did not exist in real life. You could come across faces like these in the exagerrated works of artist obsessed with perfection.

And beyond their faces, in their own way, every man here was an embodiment of masculinity and strength while every girl was a portrait of femininity and sensuality.

I could feel my self esteem plummeting lower and lower by the second.

This was truest when I saw her:

A girl brandishing a spear I'm the nearest amphitheatre.

Even amongst this world of perfect goddesses I was certain she could make any of them take a hit on their self esteem just by being around her.

She had wavy golden hair thay cascaded down her back and nearly touched her waist and regarded others with startling electric blue eyes.

'Who is she?' I asked Acacius.

At the same time she had also taken notice of me.

I blushed at her slightly interested gaze, then she turned away, returning to her training.

Acacius smiled knowingly. 'Her name is Rachel Wood, my most talented student. I believe she is only a year older than you.' He said.

'She is sixteen...!?' I said with some surprise.

'Your kind does not age in the conventional sense. When the gene that makes you all 'special' activates, you reach physical maturity within the next year. Then the aging process stops' Acacius explained.

Okay now I was irritated. At both Vere and Acacius for bringing me to this damn place.

They saw the freak who didn't fit in even with other troubled kids and thought : hey, lets bring into a world with perfect beings who look like literal gods, Im sure he will fit in there perfectly.

What an idea!

Acacius took me to the last few isles.

I saw the crudest one from amongst them.

This Ilse had not a single good thing it fid better than the others.

It was not exceptionally large, beautiful or grand. Rather I could smell the coppery taste of blood the moment I set fot on it.

As far as the eye could see, there were mounted heads of strange cretures.

The teens inside looked meaner than their counterparts. Most of them were shoving eachother around and swinging about makes and other deadly weapons.

They were large and brutish, and the biggest of them should have been about seven feet and looked to be in his early twenties.

He was wearing wearing normal mortal clothes, same as every one else: Cargo pants and a tight miscle shirt.

He also noticed me and grinned evilly to his buddies. He said something — too far away from me to hear — and they all laughed.

Was I intimated?

Let's look at the facts.

His biceps were almost as large as head so.....

Besides him, many of the people here were staring at me.

I didn't like the way they were looking at me: like they expected me to be something special.

One even said, 'That's him. The kid who killed the Burrunjor.'

Like I had said before, all of the teenagers here were much bigger than me. Even the sprites I saw made me think thag Vere needed a donation of growth hormones. And all of them, inhuman or sprite were all wearing normal clothes.

They looked like your average teens, except they were really buff and pretty at the same time.

I kept my head low and didn't meet anyone's gaze, I waited for Acacius to finish prattling on about how the kids hear loved to spill out demon guts, then he took me to the last isle on our tour.

This one was really futuristic, like some alien world. Long before I had arrived, I had heard the sounds of Iron work and machinery.

The pretty dark haired girl I'd met on the open air pavilion was speaking to one of the teens there.

When she noticed us, she nodded politely to Acacius, then turned to me.

'Hello' She said in a soft bewitching voice.

I looked up at her, stunned that she was actually speaking to me.

Her perfect face was friendly, welcoming, and the slight smile she wore was utterly mesmerizing.

I think I replied by saying something along the lines of: " Ah..da.guhhh".

In turn she laughed, it was a magical, musical sound.

I could faintly see Acacius shaking his head in dissiapointment at the corner of my eye, but I didnt care.