The Spirit

Victor stumbled onto the wooden porch of his house, groping for the door knob. He felt dreary and tired, the now-congested streets of Alcorith having stressed him out to the point of exhaustion.

He pushed open the door and trudged in, and Umbra instantly collided with him, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"My son! You're back!" The man cried, making Victor blush. He was well aware of Aunora cracking a smile behind Umbra, watching them in a painfully sardonic fashion.

Umbra pulled away from Victor, kneeling down and grabbing his shoulders. "You took a little longer than I expected you to, so I got worried. Did everything go okay?"

Victor almost told his dad about how he nearly got blood-mugged and was rescued by Seraph, but he quickly pushed down that thought. He knew if he recalled the event to Umbra, he'd overreact and probably be driven to tears. Umbra would never let him leave the house alone again!

"Oh, everything went fine." Victor forced a smile, squeezing his father's hand. "But, the greatest thing happened, dad! I made a friend!"

Umbra frowned, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "A friend, huh? Who was this punk? Was he older than you? Did he want money?"

"No, no!" Victor exclaimed, flustered. "Seraph was amazing! Well, he was kinda weird, but still amazing! He used this telepathy spell on me so we could talk, and it was the best-and longest- conversation I've had with a person that wasn't family!"

"How old was he, Victor? I'm not very comfortable with you being in affliction with an adult when I'm not around. There are too many sleezebags in this city for you to do that."

"I didn't get his exact age, but he looked around ten, like me. He's not a creep, I swear! Seraph said he going around and helping the people of Alcorith, that's not even remotely sleazy!"

Esper suddenly stood up from the stool he had been sitting in and grabbed Victor. Victor stiffened under the unexpected gesture from the nature spirit, looking uncomfortable.

"This Seraph..." Esper whispered, pulling Victor close to him. "What kind of strange was he? Simply quirky, or otherworldly, like he wasn't human?"

Victor groaned, scrambling out of Esper's hands and running to the kitchen counter. He snatched a pen and notepad, scribbling down 'otherworldly' in his messy handwriting and handing it to his father.

"Victor says he was otherworldly. But why does it matter, Esper?"

Esper rubbed his forehead, looking overwhelmed. "It matters because that friend you were talking to is no mere human, he's a very high-level celestial spirit. I could feel the power signature he left on Victor, it's incredible. I wouldn't be surprised if he was one of Celeste's personal guards."

What?! Seraph's that powerful? I'm glad he was with me, not against me... Victor thought, his breath quickening.

"What the heck is a celestial spirit? Is that kinda like you, Esper?" Aunora asked, standing up and joining Umbra, Victor, and Esper.

"In a certain way. We spirits are all the same at our core- a formless orb of pure energy- but we all come from different sources and have separate powers. As a nature spirit, I have an affinity with nature and plant life. Other nature spirits may hold control over animals and such. But celestial spirits are the most powerful variation, and their domain are the heavenly elements, like light or space."

"So are celestial spirits dangerous? Should I be concerned about Victor befriending one?" Umbra asked, crossing his arms.

"That's a difficult question, sir." Esper replied. "Some are ruthless and bloodthirsty, but others are benevolent and harmless. They're just like any other creature- there's no set morality for celestial spirits. Seraph sounds kindly, so I don't think you should be worried."

Victor sighed in relief. Well, at least if I ever get to see Seraph again, Dad won't chase him off. That's good.

"Hey! Aunora! Don't touch that!" Umbra snapped, stomping over to Aunora, who had picked up his phone and started to play on it. "That's mine!"

Aunora dodged his grabbing hands, smirking. "Don't get yah panties in a twist, Hot Chocolate. I just turned it on, I haven't seen your porn stash yet."

"P-Porn?! How dare you even accuse me of that! I'm not that kind of man! And stop calling me that, I told you my name!" Umbra shouted, sounding more like a frustrated child than an adult.

Aunora's playful smile faded when she glanced back down to the smartphone's screen again. "Wow, dude, have you checked your messages lately?"

"No, it's been off all night charging." Umbra paused, growing concerned. "Why?"

"You've got, like, twenty missed calls and a whole lot of unread texts..."

Author's Note- More about spirits! Yay! Anyway, here's a question for all y'all: if you could make an arc for the series, what would it be about? What kind of scenario do you want to see the characters in? Remember to comment and vote, too!