Introduction and Chapter 1

When people speak of angels, most believe they are nothing but myths; others, however, are convinced they exist and imagine them as the purest, most perfect beings to exist in the highest heavens. But let me tell you the truth: none of that is real.

Angels, just like dark angels, are creatures that desire one single thing: absolute power over the world and over the entire universe. There is not just one place, nor just one sky; there are thousands of lands, thousands of worlds, and dimensions. Some advance rapidly, others destroy themselves, and many exist thanks to the delicate balance between light and darkness. Every possibility has its limit, everything comes to an end, and many realities repeat themselves, yet always remain different from one another.

We were taught that light means goodness and darkness means evil, but the truth is far more complex. We, angels of light, cannot sin or commit any act considered wrong, because every mistake stains our very essence: our wings, born pure and white, slowly turn black, we lose our grace, and often, our punishment is to have those very wings that gave us life torn away.

I was one of them. I believed in the rules, I believed in purity... until I discovered that betrayal always comes from the one you least expect.

...... Chapter 1 ......

Airet

I look up at the sky, and it is so beautiful. Every day I gaze upon it, I fall more deeply in love with it. My bare legs brush against the warm waters of the river; colorful fish swim between my feet, the current is gentle, and everything is surrounded by trees and all kinds of plant life.

"Come on, Airet, nothing bad will happen if we go," that angel says, pleading, as his wings spread wide, ready for flight.

I sigh to calm myself down.

"Very well, let's go. But I will not cross the boundaries; if you cross them, Eco, you will have to go alone. I don't want trouble with the High Lords of Light."

I rise from the river where I stood. I spread my wings, majestic and white as purity itself; my legs dry rapidly, my hair stirs in the wind, and, beating my wings hard downward, I push myself upward to take flight. Eco follows behind me, a little slower, so I slow my pace. My wings feel free and light as they catch the wind...

When I open my eyes, I lift my gaze to the sky. It is no longer the beautiful blue I knew, but rather a pale, simple blue, covered by a few clouds. I blink repeatedly and sit up. I look around me: there are plenty of trees and common plants, but those wondrous species I remember are gone.

I stand up from the ground, my body feeling heavy. I open my wings to fly and extend them, though now it takes me much greater effort to do so. When I am ready to rise and I push myself up, I barely rise a few inches before falling back to the ground. I feel a sharp pain in my back; my wings feel heavy and stiff, and I can hardly move them properly.

I walk through a dense forest, where daylight barely manages to filter through the branches. My feet begin to ache, and discomfort grows with every step. I do not know how much time has passed since I woke up, but little by little, night is falling. A strange sensation runs through my body and I begin to shiver, wrapping my arms around myself to try and keep warm.

Then I see a path. It is not made of earth like the ones I am used to walking on, but it is dark and hard, and when my feet touch it, I feel an unfamiliar texture. There seems to be no end to it, but I decide to go right; even though the sensation is new, walking on it relaxes me and does not hurt me.

The sky turns gray and it begins to rain, and the water is far too cold. In the distance, I see strange lights approaching; I cannot make out clearly what they are. I spread my wings to cover myself a little from the rain, while rubbing my arms to create some warmth. I see more lights appear around a bend, drawing closer and closer. About ten meters away from me, they stop, and from those strange shapes emerge several men.

"Are you seeing the same thing I am?" one of them asks another who has just stepped out.

I cannot distinguish them well; the lights from those devices hurt my eyes. I feel their gazes, and they give me a sense of insecurity. Before, I never felt the need to hide, but now I have an instinct to cover myself. I tremble, and I wrap my body within my wings to shield myself better.

"Tell the guys not to get out of the cars. And tell Jake to contact the boss - I want him here right now," one says, in a tone of surprise, or at least that is what I understand.

The man he spoke to turns around, speaks into a small device - I cannot hear what he says from this distance - and enters what they call a "car." When he steps back out, he pulls out weapons. I recognize them perfectly: in Paradise, we were taught about the objects that humans use, and these were the tools capable of harming not only them but us as well.

At the sight of the weapons, my heart begins to beat wildly. I open my wings to try and move backward, but I trip over my own feet and fall onto the hard path.

One of them, the one they call Jake, speaks as he slowly approaches:

"Can you understand us?" he asks, his voice soft, trying to calm me. "We won't hurt you. We can help you."

He stops a few steps away.

"Jake, stay back from her! We don't know if she can hurt you," warns another man, who steps forward in turn and aims the weapon straight at me, with a cold, hard look in his eyes.

Then a deep fear surges from the very depths of my being, and all I can do is cry. Tears begin to fall down my cheeks; everything becomes blurry before my eyes. I wipe them over and over, but the tears just keep coming.

Little by little, more men come out of those vehicles and completely surround me. Some look at me in awe, others in fear. I do not know humans well, but their faces and their expressions speak far louder than their words.

Some time passes, and I watch as another car arrives and stops exactly where the others are. A man steps out and begins speaking to one of the men present.

"Where is Thomas? If I find out you've been lying to me, you can forget about ever having a vacation again," that man says.

He is accompanied by another person, who shields him from the rain with a strange device that somehow keeps him completely dry. He is tall and imposing, and something deep inside me screams that I must get away from him as fast as possible.

I try to spread my wings to fly, but the pain is too intense. The men around me keep their weapons aimed at me. My breathing quickens, my head starts to hurt, and I end up falling to my knees, moaning in pain.

The circle they form opens up a little, and I watch as that tall man steps closer until he is standing right in front of me.

"We don't mean to hurt you," he says, approaching slowly.

The woman who was protecting him from the rain has stayed back with the others.

I shake my head. Humans are evil; they always seek their own gain, they never help anyone - least of all someone like me. I try to open my wings again to escape, but I cannot bear the pain any longer. I cover my face and my body with them, and after that... there is nothing.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***