That was long ago, and my decision had become our reality.
We were summoned tonight, summoned without choice, just like every other time.
I walked in with Lily by my side, and even though I had been here many times, I couldn't normalize the sensation I felt when I entered.
The doors once again stayed shut as we approached, choosing to open only when we had arrived before them.
These doors didn't open like a door was supposed to.
They were more like an entrance, existing when you're outside, then disappearing when one was permitted to enter.
The hall of Aphōnos is what we call it, and even though it was grand and overbearing, it felt small and empty.
In the large hall, the walls and ceiling were very distant, and the only thing that existed here was a ring of seats.
They were fifteen now, but the first time Lily and I stepped here, there were thirteen.
We sat down in our respective seats, Lily being six seats to my left.
Soon enough, the other seats were filled, but like before, I was unable to see what they looked like. Everyone was shrouded in smoke and glass, fractured and translucent. Even though we were named as a group, none of us knew the other. This was to keep us all safe. Everyone existed in different locations in the world, and it could never be known if the person closest to you in the real world was one of us, for we kept this a secret.
It was our vow.
The fifteen of us, known as the Concord of the Ascended, had only met together like this once, when Lily and I became damned, and had to be tested by Aryon and Oren.
The fifteenth seat remained empty, for he was the last to arrive.
The ground cracked, and he flew out, standing in the center of the ring. Distorted as he was, we all knew his position as the one with the greatest power, and he was the only one who knew our true identity.
This was the first ascended, and he was closest to Aryon and Oren, who in turn were closest to the Entity who made us.
"It is time," he said.
The silence in the room had always been the same, but tonight, I knew there would be a major change in our lives, permanently.
He walked to his seat, but it disintegrated and disappeared, allowing him to walk unhindered till he was fifteen steps from the ring.
He turned around to face us, then sat. Before his body fully bent to sit, the ground grew, twisting till it formed a grand seat. The ground raised itself till he was now elevated above us all.
"Today," he started, and I felt my stomach twist. "is retribution!"
He didn't shout, but it felt extremely loud in my ears.
"Fourteenth and Fifteenth ascended, come!"
My body rose on its own and floated before him. The force placed me before him, Lily standing to my left.
I lowered my head, clenching my fist.
"You were reformed by Him, and made to accept your identity as damned. From that day, you two belonged to Him and had no one else to choose, yet you chose to elevate yourselves, allowing passion to decide who you belong to. Today, it is retribution!"
The room was silent, but I felt noise from the gazes the twelve seated behind me gave.
"What do you have to say?" he asked.
"We are guilty and accept our wrong," Lily spoke almost immediately.
I didn't look at her or raise my head. It was what needed to be said.
"And what do the rest of you have to say to them?"
Silence, but only for a minute that felt eternal.
"No damned person is to share passion with others, no matter what. To love is to sin, and no one will be forgiven," someone spoke.
"I agree, they broke the gravest law, and must be punished."
"Punished? Destruction is the only choice!"
"I prefer eternal punishment for them."
I felt rage boiling within me, and it wasn't because of what they said, but because all this was because of my carelessness.
Lily and I chose passion, but never continued when we became damned, not until I found out my flames were able to hide our presence from all of them. I always surrounded us with the flames, but this time, I failed.
"Let us hunt them!"
I shivered when I heard those words.
To be hunted by them is a fate far worse than any I could imagine. If they found us, what they would do was unimaginable. Everyone hated that they were bound to HIm and had no choice but to belong to Him. Their jealousy and hatred for us breaking the rule they could never break, would lead to extreme things I couldn't imagine.
No one spoke after that, and it seemed they had all come to an agreement.
This was how we made a choice, I was told.
After a moment of forever, the First Ascended, acting as Judge, spoke.
"THey have spoken, and you will be hunted."
I looked up at him, heart torn apart for Lily's sake. I couldn't lose her a third time.
"To be hunted is a fact, but your identity is not to be revealed. The two of you will be marked, and when you are near any other ascended, they will know of your identity. They can hunt you, but if you are confident, you can fight back. Your duties will not be forsaken, and you will continue to serve until someone hunts you down."
This was a lethal punishment, but far too generous for this group. Our hands weren't tied, so we still stood a chance.
I need to get powerful.
I looked at Lily, and she looked back. We had the same thought. Strength and power...
"That is your punishment, but now," he said, and the throne disappeared. The platform he stood on shifted backwards and higher, leaving steps before it.
"It is time for a sacrifice to be made. One of you shall come forth and make the sacrifice."
This was the inevitable I knew of, and I had already made my decision.
Lily stepped forward, but I was quick, holding her shoulder.
Our eyes met, and I almost stopped, but then i remembered why I decided to do this in the first place.
"Sorry," I whispered.
I didn't allow her to understand my words before my fist struck.
She never saw it coming, so she didn't defend herself. She fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
She tried to stand up, but I struck her again, increasing her pain.
"I'll make the sacrifice," I said as I stood straight and walked up the stairs to stand before him.
"Don't do it!" Lily was desperate, but I didn't turn around.
"Vey well," he said, also ignoring Lily.
He raised his hand toward me, and a light appeared before me.
"You shall burn this and ascend!"
Ascend? It sounded familiar. I felt like I had done this before.