I looked at my friends, all wielding a piece of the Silver Halo. I looked at mine, then looked up.

"Okay, guys," I said. "Let's finish this."
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A Few Days Ago...

I stomped down the street after school back home. It was that horrible day again: May 24! The day of my banishment! Yes I passed a test today, but other than that, it SUCKS! Five years ago, I was pursuing a dark angel and accidentally almost hit Kyoto with a tornado. I was thrown into the tornado and had my wings ripped off. I asked for them to be saved, and they got transformed into a big sword for me so I can still use my powers. I can cast spells, summon small cyclones, and fly. The last one only with my sword. But one thing stands. May 24. Completely. SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zoe came up to me. She was my best friend on Earth for as long as I was there. All five years.

So anyway, Zoe ran up to me.

"Dude," she said, "You're in a worse mood than the past four years. What's up?"

"I'm fine," I muttered. We got to the park in silence and sat on a bench. I took my sword, the Redemption, out of my bag, and it grew into a big sword with a four-foot blade and a small golden halo on the top of the hilt. I then put it on my back.

"Zoe. I have a secret to tell you," I said.

"What?"

"I'm an angel. The Redemption is my wings."

"So my best friend for the past five years is an angel?!" she asked. I sighed.
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I said this before, but here is the REAL story. Five years ago, in the realm of angels, I was training to master my sword when a dark angel ran through the park, holding the key of Tartarus. I ran after him, taking off after a good dash. I soared towards him and was ready to catch him in a Cyclone Slicer, but my wings were too strong. They sent a tornado flying at Kyoto. I was pulled into my own vortex, destroying the tornado, but my wings were torn from me. When I woke up, I saw a winged sword next to me. I was on a bed in an apartment. Bandages were wrapped around my body to stop my back from bleeding. The sword was also covered in blood. My blood. A woman in an apron over a yellow dress gave me some miso soup and took me in. I lived in Kyoto ever since.
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My thoughts were interrupted when a light pierced the sky, and an angel descended. I recognized him as my old friend Castor. He taught me some spells and guided me through training. We were both 15, but in terms of weapons, I prefer the sword; he prefers the bow. I ran to him.

"It's been a long time, old friend," Castor said.

"How about we catch up with a duel?" I suggested. He loved testing my skill.

"Sure." Castor summoned two brown blades. They were his Fissure Daggers. They increase speed and can dish out some deadly attacks. He also called his Lumino Bow, which can show arrows of light and even become a double blade. I removed the halo from the Redemption, which split into two halves. Handles grew, and I grabbed them. They were the Halo Blades, my secondary weapon. They could slice through many materials, launch shockwaves, and join together to be thrown like a disc. We assumed a fighting stance and readied ourselves. A mark appeared in the center and flashed to send us into a Roman style coliseum. The fight had begun.

I rushed at Castor with all my might, slashing at him. He quickly parried it and smiled. Was he taunting me? No. I'd know that smile anywhere. I smiled too and stepped back to free myself. I shot some waves of light at him, and he sent waves of geothermal energy. Both exploded when they collided. Castor charged me this time, but I parried it and blasted the Daggers out of his hands. I then reunited the Halo Blade as he called his Lumino Bow. I tossed the Halo into the air and pulled out my sword. It landed on the hilt. I sent a wave of energy flying. It hit Castor, who shot an arrow just in time, which hit me.

"Gotta say," I groaned, "Your timing ain't what it used to be."

"What about your strength?" he remarked with a smirk.

Then we unleashed our final techniques.
Castor flew up. Lucky. I conjured up illusions of myself as he nocked a flashing arrow. My illusions flew at him as he shot the arrow. It split into many projectiles of light. Both hit each other and exploded. Out of the smoke, Castor charged downward in an orange light, same color as his eyes, with his Lumino Bow in front of him. I flew up with Redemption in my hands, in a silver flash of light. His charge connected while I slashed an "X" into the air. we hovered there, back to back, until the "X" flashed on Castor's back and exploded, sending him to the ground. The coliseum vanished as I flew down, placing Redemption back on my back.
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"So, why are you here, Castor?"

"Remember that dark angel five years ago?" he asked.

"How could I forget?" I recalled my confrontation with that guy.

"He's back. And he's got the Spear of Tartarus," was the grim answer.

"But that's impossible!" I could feel myself paling, and see Zoe's confusion. "I thought it was sealed away by the King for the unholy power it could give to an impure heart."

"Me too. But apparently you were the closest one to preventing its release. But your skills were undeveloped."
I sensed something. I rushed to push Castor out of the way.

"Watch out!" A dark blast fell next to us. We looked up to see a red-eyed, black-winged dark angel flying in front of us. In his right hand, he held a spear with a black tip and markings on it. The Spear of Tartarus.

"So you are the brat who tried to get in my way five years ago," he said coldly.

"Who are you calling 'brat', Blackwing?!" I shot back.

"The name's Sin. Thought you would remember me, Ophiro."

"What is an Ophiro?" I asked.

"You don't know your own name?" Sin laughed. "You were named after a constellation like all of the royal guard angels? You are the Paladin of the Silver Halo or whatever it was? Whatever. Prepare to be destroyed!" Sin raised the Spear of Tartarus and charged. I threw the Halo Blade, knocking him back in a burst of energy before returning to me like a boomerang. Sin gritted his teeth as he disappeared in a cloud of darkness. "I'll see you later."

"We need to find out his intentions and stop him," I told the others. "But something about him is pretty familiar."
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Today was a Saturday so we met up in the outskirts of the city, Castor looking extremely serious.

"I know what Sin wants to do," he said grimly. "He is planning a coup to overthrow the King of Angels."

"That's impossible! He can't get there unless his heart is pure. That is the only way the gate will open."

"Um, not to interrupt you guys, but what are you talking about?" Zoe asked.

"You know how I'm an angel?" She nodded. "Well, we angels live in another realm where a king rules and purity of heart is the key. In the center of the city, the shrine is a gateway to said realm and therefore will only open for angels and select individuals. Who knows? You may be one of those individuals." I ended teasingly. Zoe blushed a little, but turned away so I wouldn't see, but I did. I always did get the feeling that Zoe has a crush on me, but I just saw it as an excuse to tease her occasionally.

"So Zoe's your girlfriend or something?" Castor asked, nudging my shoulder.

"I'm just gonna say this once," I said, blushing madly. I was blushing, and I was mad. "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Okay, sheesh. Anyway, Purity Rings are on Earth. Two of them. The shrine can only be unlocked by angels." Purity Rings are the secondary keys to the Angel Realm. Sin must want to use them for his mission.

"The Shrine is a two days' trip there and back," I objected. "But good thing this is the Memorial Day weekend. We'll get there with time to spare, then kick some major dark angel butt."

"Wait!" We turned around to see Zoe grabbing my shoulder. "I'm coming with you. I want to help you take Sin down." Her fan glowed blue, the same color as her eyes, unlocking the power of a new angelic weapon. The edges were beveled by a small whirlpool, forming the fan into two beautiful blue tessens. There were only the outer pieces of the fan, the paper to be formed by water. It can also split in two for use as daggers or double fans. "Besides, I don't want to see you get hurt." Zoe's cheeks turned a light red as she said that.

"All right, you can come, but I don't want you to get hurt either," I said semi-reluctantly. I didn't want her to get hurt or suffer seeing me hurt. My friends say that I have a crush on her, but am too shy to say it, but that is crazy. And so we began on our way, backpacks on our backs, weapons in front of them (the Redemption was dagger size once again and in my backpack), and all of us ready for anything.

We set up camp at the end of the day and saw that we were nearby. Early in the morning, I walked up to see both golden Purity Rings intact. I tried to touch one, but I was zapped by it. Hearing me cry out in pain, Zoe walked up to me. Then I saw it. There was something written on the stone tablet in the middle:

The Rings will not move for anyone
Until the halo is lit by the morning sun.
One who knows betrayal, and one who knows love
Will hold the matching key to the realm above.
If his heart is dark, and his intentions as well,
He will be repelled by the seal and suffer in hell.
If his heart is pure, and his mind has no seal,
He will gain great power, and a sacred weapon will become real.

"I have no idea what the heck this means," Zoe groaned. I felt something grabbing my hand, looked down, and saw Zoe holding my hand. I almost flinched, but understood instantly. Zoe is the one who knows love. I blushed a little bit, but also had a bad feeling in my stomach. I turned to face her.

"You are the person of love mentioned in the poem!" I exclaimed.

"If so, then I was right to go with you," Zoe said, blushing even more.

"You know, I never thought that all this time, one of my greatest allies would be standing next to me now," I said, feeling myself blush an even deeper tone of red. Then I started leaning towards her.

Zoe's POV

Ty started leaning towards me. I just followed his lead. He tilted his head. Oh my God, is he gonna do what I think he's gonna do?! I closed my eyes as the moment played out. Just as our lips were about to touch, Ty pulled back and tackled me to the side as a dark blast came down beside us. I looked up to see Sin, flying above us, the Spear of Tartarus in his hand, his silhouette colored by the morning sun.

"What the heck, man?!" I yelled, "Can this wait until another time?"

"Sorry, beautiful," he said, grinning, "I have business to do here." He landed and the seal disappeared instantly. He chuckled darkly as he grabbed the Purity Ring of Betrayal and raised it to the sky. His black aura surrounded him and burst as the ring glowed with a blinding red light while he did so. Then he did something we never suspected he could do: he fired a scarlet fireball.

"Get the other Purity Ring, now!" Ty yelled. I sprinted toward the shrine and grabbed the ring. Sin growled and fired another blast. I braced myself as I raised the Purity Ring into the air. The blast didn't connect. I opened my eyes to see a shield having materialized from my untapped power. It shrunk and became a pole shape. My Tidal Fans combined and formed the head of the staff, two wings forming below them. I felt my shoulder blades ache as two blue wings appeared. I couldn't believe it. I was becoming an angel!

Ty's POV

Zoe was becoming an angel. This must be her untapped powers being unleashed. She was screaming in pain as an icicle formed from her new wings. It flew right into Sin, who groaned upon impact. But the staff. It was the legendary Seraphic Staff! I thought it was a mere legend, but there it was.

"Impossible!" Sin yelled. "A human can't become an angel!"

"It's only temporary, Sin," I said, face palming myself. I got into a fighting stance, the Redemption in hand, and flew up at Sin, sword meeting spear, but he knocked me back with a fire blast. "Wait," I called, making everyone stop. "You're a pyromancer?! But I know only one angel who can do pyromancy."

"So you remember, brother?" Sin smirked. I fell to my knees.

"No. It can't be you. Cinder? Is that you? You're the dark angel?" Tears fell from my eyes as I remembered the corruption. I got up. "Now that I know who you are, I don't want to fight you."

"You're right," the corrupted Cinder agreed. "This has been going on for too long. I should finish this." He aimed a dark shot at me, positioned so it will hit my heart. He fired, but it didn't hit my shield. The shot landed next to me, only grazing my arm. I didn't mind the pain and blood, but I did feel concerned about why the shot missed.

"How?!" Sin growled. "That shot's aim was perfect. It should've killed you!" He was then surrounded by a red aura. His chiton changed color, and his wings became red. This was Cinder- my real brother.

"Ty!" he called to me.

"Brother!" I called back, tears of happiness coming from my eyes.

"Ty, take your friend and get out of here now!" Cinder pleaded.

"No!" I shook my head. "I lost you to Sin once, and there's no way I'll lose you again!"

"I can't hold him back much longer!" my brother begged. "You got the other Purity Ring, now go!" He started screaming in agony, his voice getting distorted as Sin took over.

"I've had enough of this!" he roared. I wanted to defeat him and get my brother back, but he was right. We got what we came for. But as we retreated, I looked back at my possessed brother.

"I'll get you back, Cinder. I promise."
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"Did you get the Purity Ring?" Castor asked when we got back.

"Yeah, but..." My voice trailed off.

"But what?" he demanded.

"Sin is my brother, Cinder," I said grimly.

"He was corrupted seven years ago, but I sense a more demonic presence," Castor recalled.

"I feel it too, bro, but for now, let's go home."
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Once we got back to Kyoto, we met up with Archer, the captain of the king's guard, went to get some ramen at the market, then we thought about our adventure. Then a thought hit me. Maybe I do have a crush on Zoe. Later that day, I talked to Archer about it.

"Wait. So you want to talk to me about how to talk to Zoe?"

"Yeah," I replied, looking down at my soda.

"There's not much to talk about," he replied coolly. "But still, tell me more." We decided to walk to the park.

Zoe's POV

I sat on the park bench waiting for my friend Kit, a Neko. A Neko is a person who is half cat. Me and Ty were the only ones who knew her secret. Finally, she came, wearing her usual black vest over her purple dress. She wore black heels that matched her vest in color. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail down her back between her golden cat ears and above her matching tail. She turned around and smiled at me.

"Konnichiwa!" she greeted in Japanese.

"Konnichiwa!" I replied also in Japanese.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?"

"Well..." I blushed as I thought of Ty. "I don't know how to say that I like him as more than a friend."

"Tell me more," Kit said.

Ty's POV

"Well, she's a lot of fun to be with, she... she's the most beautiful girl I ever met," I felt my face turn extremely red.

Zoe's POV

"He's funny, a little cute, and the best friend I've ever met." My face turned extremely red. "But most of all, he's the best friend..."

Ty's POV

"But most of all, she's the best friend..."

Third Person POV

"...I've ever had," both finished. Both pairs of friends met near the shrine as Kit and Archer both said,
"Just be yourselves."

Ty's POV

We saw Zoe and Kit near the city shrine, reminding me that the mission was not over. I decided to spit it out already and ask Zoe out.

"Zoe?" I sighed, ready to ask.

"Yeah?"

"Um, y-you know how the dance is coming up tomorrow?" I blushed a little.

"Yeah, about that, I wanted to ask you something."

"Me too, but ladies first."

"N-no, no, I insist that you go first."

"Okay. Will you go to the dance with me?"

"Here's my question: do you think I would say no? My answer: it's a date." She grabbed my hands in hers. It was a date. Our first date since last year's festival! Come to think of it, that wasn't even much of a date. Whatever. We leaned in to kiss, but something was suspiciously wrong. I opened my eyes and pushed Zoe out of the way. Something went through my back and out of my chest, leaving no wound and drawing no blood. I turned to see Sin grinning maliciously.

"B-brother. Why?" I heaved out.

"Your brother is gone forever!" Sin snarled. He ripped out the spear. The last thing I heard was Zoe's gasp of terror.

Then all was black.
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Zoe's POV

"TY!" I screamed as his lifeless body fell to the base of the shrine. I ran to him as fast as I could. Kit covered her mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her face as they were streaming down mine. I fell to my knees and did the only thing I could do at that time.

I screamed.

I screamed in despair, agony, and rage. I buried my face into his shirt, my sobs muffled by it. Castor was also on his knees, pounding the pavement with his tight fist. My hands balled up into fists as I got up, not caring if my face was tear-stained. I glared at Sin, feeling the wings form on my back as I took the Tidal Fan out of its sheath, separating it into dual tessens.

"I don't care if you're Ty's brother. I'll destroy you for what you've done!" I charged at him, slashing wildly. He dodged every swing. I formed a whirlpool and released it. He simply destroyed it with the spear. "You should've killed me as well!" I screamed. "I wanted to tell him." Tears fell harder. "I...I loved him! So come on. Impale me as well." I spread out my arms and legs, making myself an easy target for him. "You've already tainted that spearhead with your own brother's soul, taint it even more with my blood. I dare you!"

"Fine. I was hoping for more suffering though." He threw the spear at me, but I created a shield of ice, catching the spear.

"Psych." The shield burst, sending shards into Sin and dropping the Spear of Tartarus at my feet. Castor and Archer joined me in surrounding him. Sin pulled the spear back to him.

"I am, to tell the truth, rather sad that the fun has to stop here, but as a reward for being so amusing, I'll show you my new form." He roared as his wings became tattered and bat like, horns formed on his head, and he became bigger. "Say hello to my new Archfiend Form!" We drew our weapons; I formed the Seraphic Staff, and Castor and Archer pulled out the Fissure Daggers and Thunder Shields, which fit on the forearm and had blades shaped like thunderbolts. We tried to charge at him, but he repelled us with a simple burst of energy.

"I must be going now," Sin told us. "Sayonara!" he cackled as he flew through the gate.

I fell near Ty and sobbed into his shirt again.

"I'm sorry!" I said as my tears made a dark spot on his shirt. "I've failed you." At this point I was barely thinking. I just shoved my lips onto his and closed my eyes, tears flooding from my eyes. I pulled back, and as the last tear landed on his face, a golden light blinded us. After it faded, I saw Ty's silver eyes open.

"What the heck happened?" he groaned.

"Ty? Is... is that you?" I asked tearfully. "T-TY!" I broke down, pulling him into a hug. "But how?"

"The kiss and your emotions must have unlocked the power you possess," Castor said.

"Wait. You kissed me?" Ty asked. He then got up. "Whatever. Let's do this!"

"Ty, your wings!" Archer blurted out. He was right. Ty's wings had come back. A glowing halo formed and split into four. They attached themselves to our wrists like bracelets, and in a flash, we felt great amounts of power. I grabbed my Tidal Fans as silver armor formed on my body. We had medieval style helmets, and our wings became bigger and stronger. Ty formed a golden sword from the Redemption in his hand, the Halo Blade still in the middle.

Ty's POV

I looked at my friends, all wielding a piece of the Silver Halo. I looked at mine, then looked up.

"Okay, guys," I said. "Let's finish this." We all flew up into the gate, my armor forming. We arrived at the palace, but many demons appeared. An arrow hit one of them, destroying it.

"We'll hold them off," Zoe said. "Go now!"

"Stop your brother!" Castor yelled.

"We've got your back," Archer added, grinning and giving me a thumbs up. I nodded and ran into the throne room. The king was at spear point, with Sin holding the handle.

"I don't want to fight you, but I have no other option. You are not my brother!" I threw the Halo Blade at him, but he deflected it with his bare arm.

"You know, you've gone from a thorn in my side to a complete annoyance," Sin snarled. "For that, I will make your end quick and agonizing!" He roared as a black mist surrounded him, and a metamorphosis began. His legs joined in to form a snake's tail with the spear's point, his body becoming bigger and longer, and his now snake-like face having a large jagged blade on each side of his face. He had become a Serpent.

He flew out of the temple, leaving a hole in the ceiling. I pursued him, trying to strike him, but he immediately shot me down with one blast. Blood flew off my arm as I flew up and slashed at him. The "X" flashed, knocking Sin back.

"Your skills are as good as ever, Ophiro, but now you're in way over your head. Without your friends, you're nothing!"

"Who said my friends aren't with me?" I replied. "My friends are with me all the time in spirit. And FYI, it's not them that make me strong. It's knowing what I'm truly fighting for!"

"Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!" Sin roared even louder than before. "I've had enough of you! Time for you to die!" I felt power surge through me. My arms became thicker, my two wings becoming six and leathery on the outside. I took the form of a dragon. A Seraphic Dragon.

I beat my wings, creating a golden tornado. It spiraled into him, ripping off the scales. Sin was now back to his dark angel form. A serpent's head pattern was on his breastplate, the blades on his shoulders, and the tail moved behind him. I transformed back as well, keeping the six leathery and feathered wings, but gaining a dragon head patterned breastplate and a dragon heads on each of my shoulder armor. My sword also changed, becoming a golden saber.

"Ty! We're ready to help you...take this... chump...down... What happened?" Castor asked.

"He has unlocked his full power," the King said. "The Seraphic Dragon was thought to be myth, but it is not."

"Its power was summoned by Ty's purity of heart!" Archer realized.

"Yes. And love had something to do with it." Hearing this, Zoe blushed.

"I didn't want this coup to be like this. I told you to STAY OUT OF THIS AND OUT OF MY WAY!" Dark power gathered between his hands as he charged up. "For interfering, you shall all go down with your beloved king!" I fired a blast just as he did. Both shots, black and golden, collided and knocked us both back. Then, I saw him.

"Ty!" The voice of my brother called out to me. "I've got him. Blast us now!"

"No! I won't risk losing you again!" Tears welled up as I remembered.

"Do it! I can't hold him back!" I looked at him, then strengthened my blast. The explosion left a crater in the courtyard, but it was done. Sin was gone.
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Castor's POV

The sun rose as Cinder lay in the infirmary. Ty was there all night, keeping close vigil over his brother. He was in very bad condition.

"You can come in now," Bell, the nurse, said.

"How is his condition, Ty?" Zoe asked, seeing the two, one kneeling by the other.

"Shh!" Ty told us. "He's waking up."

"W-where am I?" Cinder groaned.

"It's okay, little bro," Ty said. "You were possessed by something. Bell says you'll be benched for a week before you can come back to Earth with us, another week before you can fight again."

"Aw geez. I'll need some serious training as soon as I'm fully healed," he complained, wincing as he sat up.

"Don't worry. We've got your back," I assured him.

"I don't remember much about these past five years, but I do remember one name," Cinder said.

"What?"

"An archfiend. Named Phantyro."
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Ty's POV

The music filled the auditorium as the school dance reached its maximum level. Everyone was either dancing or talking. Or both. Zoe and I were having fun on the dance floor, but we kept thinking as the dance's third slow dance went on. Zoe's blue dress swayed and brushed my knees, calming me down a little.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, he'll be back in action in two weeks. And besides, you have us."

"Thanks. But, there's something I need to tell you," I said, feeling heat rush to my cheeks.

"I know." Zoe went closer to me, then pushed her lips onto mine. I almost drew back, then kissed her back. I had never kissed someone so passionately. This was my first kiss. When we pulled back, everyone was staring at us and grinning.

"I hoped it would be you."

"You were just too shy to make your move," Zoe replied.

"Hey, I asked you out, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."
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???'s POV

"The loss of the Spear of Tartarus is... unfortunate," my master hissed. "But now every piece of the puzzle is here. We just need to put them together. Feralina!"

"Yes master?" I asked.

"You must test them. Make sure they are not yet strong enough. I want them dead."

"Dead?" I cocked my head. "But the prophecy--"

"I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR YOUR ARGUMENTS!" my master roared. "Just destroy them, and the prophecy will be incomplete. I will rule all the realms! Do not fail me."

"Yes, Lord Phantyro." I walked out, knowing that I will need to betray my friends to obey my master.

To Be Continued...