276 Fallen Angels V : The Darkness To His Light, the assault begins.

This part of the sewage system was rank, the smell of death and despair was incredibly thick here, and for a moment I almost couldn't breathe due to how assailed and assaulted my senses felt. But I just had to hold on a little while longer, just a bit, so that the Nephilim can get in position and begin the assault.But in the main time, I could grill Asha for the reason why she would make such a deal, especially with our son's future and happiness on the line.

"Why would you do something like that? I thought we were on the same page here?" I asked Asha, as I shifted my body a bit, looking up at the grate above us, as people walked past completely oblivious of the fact that two vampires were right below them.

"We are on the same page husband, but this is not earth. And I know you're not exactly happy with me making such a decision for our son, especially with his life hanging in the balance, but there are a variety of reasons why this was the better choice to make, I'm not saying is the right one, it's just the best in this situation.

Cassiel and Michael's future is not going to be easy, especially since I'm a hundred percent sure, we wouldn't be there to protect them. Not after what I've seen, or what I know. Your responsibility as a dragon king will take you away from us, sometimes for years on end, and our children would grow up with a father who is hardly around. It will hurt, not just them, but also you, and me and Xaseah. But this is your duty, your responsibility to protecting not just your family, but a whole freaking universe.

In your absence, our son has to learn to be smart, he must learn responsibility, and just like his father he must learn to make the hard choices, just so that his people can survive. You might think our children would have a peaceful and very ordinary life, but their lives would be just as hard and complicated as ours, because the peace you aim to create won't come into fruition for a very long time, and In the process you will make enemies that would come for our babies weather you like it or not. So as best as we can, we have to foster strength in them, and around them. People who would protect and love our children, friends who would do anything for them. And we have to do it anyway possible, even though it leaves a bad taste in our mouth, and our children might end up hating us for it, that's what it means to be a parent."

I was surprised about what Asha was saying, especially with the way she was saying it. It was almost as if she was so sure I wouldn't be around, and not just that, the subtle hints that she also wouldn't be around was also there. But I chose to ignore that for now, the things she was saying, was not exactly what I expected.

"So you expect me to create shields around our children, have other people give their lives for them, when I'm supposed to be protecting them too. And not just that, we even have to go as far as using a two year old girl, and tying her down with marriage too, isn't that going a little too far Asha? What makes us any different from our enemies?"

Asha shifted, looked up at the grate above us, before looking at me. She moved closer and then kissed me, and to be honest this was the most sincere kiss I ever had with her. It wasn't sexual, it was just a statement she was making to me. Her own way of showing me she loved me and understood what I was feeling. She pulled back and looked at me, before saying.

"I'm no saint husband, heck you know I'm not a good person. Like many others around you, I'm selfish, greedy, and driven by my darkness. But I like it that way, I like who I am. Because being the darkness to your light means I get to be your cover, the person who makes the hard choices for you, so that your heart doesn't tear itself apart. And it would be so, at least for now.

But being who I am, I have to protect my family. Because you're still Kael Cor, the man who saved millions of life and is still saving more, and will keep saving until the day he ceases to exist. You've not yet met Kael Cor the father, the man who would be selfish in his decisionsand not care about anything or anyone else, just so that he can keep his children safe. You'll meet him soon enough,but until you learn to be selfish and think about yourself for once, I have to do it for you.

And yes this choice of mine is wrong, especially when you consider the fact that the person I'm using came to us for protection. But I'm a woman of my word, we will protect the girl, until she's grown up, and then it would be her turn to protect our people, our family. Because at that point, it would be hers too, and her powers are as extraordinary as her mother have said, it's the first thing I noticed the moment we saw her.Besides husband, I have this feeling in my gut, that it would all turn out well, so please trust me on this, and lend your support."

I didn't know what to say. I've tried to make this world as bright as I possibly could, to not live encumbered by the fact that strength decides everything. But it seems that's a darkness that's woven into every reality and universe. We wouldn't have to resort to this if I was strong enough, and as cliché as that sounded, it was true.

I was strong now, but that was just me. Asha was right in the sense that we had to foster strength around our children, not just from them as an individual, but from the people around them. Right now my enemies are gods and entire civilizations, even now I had to go fight aliens.I couldn't do this by myself, and just as she said, I couldn't always be around my children to protect them from the dangers of the world. It was wrong, and it was a hard choice,it was a choice I also had to make. What kind of husband would I be, if I let my wife carry that burden alone, maybe one day, when we're strong enough to stand against even the heavens themselves, capable of protecting everyone that comes to us, we can let our children choose for themselves, granted that they're old enough. But for now, an arranged marriage keeps the little Oracle safe, and gives Ethernalia Leonis an army of winged individuals to fight for it and be one with it. Hopefully we made the right decision and it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass, even though Asha seems quite optimistic about it.But speaking of Asha…

"What did you mean by saying at least for now, you're talking as if you're leaving or something, is everything okay....."

BOOOOOM!

"No time to talk now husband! We have to move, now!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Asha jumped up, blasting the grate above her away as she came up into the street. I shook my head, as I summoned my armor and went up with her. The main island of the Aviary was quite a sight to be honest; the buildings gleamed a dull silver under the light of the moon and their streets were a hundred times more cleaner than the pit's ever was.

The sky was filled with Nephilim, clashing and warring against each other, with Galadriel's prominent white wings being the most visible amongst the jumble of wings, and laser fire. Our destination was the palace at the middle of the island, but based on the sheer amount of Josagn soldiers creating a blockade both on the ground and in the air, I'm sure it would be quite difficult for the Nephilim to break through. Well except me and Asha took the lead that is.

Asha had already taken a position on top of one of the buildings, it gave her the vantage point she needed as she called our a weapon of her own. It was gleaming black staff, with wards for spell amplification and moon like symbols etched on it. She started reciting a spell, and fifteen seconds later, a huge wall of thorns rose up, cutting off the northern part of the island from the southern side, leaving most of Larkin's forces in the north and Galadriel's in the south, battling the other mind controlled Nephilim. Now it was up to me to keep the rest of the forces away, and decimate them as much h as I could and give Galadriel enough time to subdue the other Nephilims and take the fight to the Josagn and Larkin.

At a glance, it seems like a little too much work for just one man, but I think at this point we've already established, that I'm not just one man.