Chapter Two: The Foolish Emperor, a Beautiful Angel Who Would Ruin His Empire, Saves Me
DOWN from the heavens drifted a human with unfurled wings. I felt the wind next; weeds scattered like dandelion seeds in the whirling gust, and the pillar of fire was forced to dance along as well.
The knights all recoiled in one motion, almost as if they’d rehearsed. The shadow draping over the ground expanded in an instant, and the gale simultaneously sent dust swirling into the air. Wind tore at the column of mana-fueled flames, and like a shower of petals, the inferno dissipated piece by piece.
I gasped, alarmed, as the looming shadow enveloped me in the blink of an eye. Magnificent wings crowded my vision, along with smooth hair the tint of ivory. I looked up—and an angel dressed in foreign garb was staring back down at me, and he was like a painting on the canvas of the cerulean sky.
“I’m glad I made it in time.” His voice was soft and gentle, like the tender caress of a delicate flower. Beautiful eyes of ashen blue sequestered a smile and shone bright like sunlight over a gauzy spring horizon. Layers of glossy white silk comprised his clothing, similar to the Japanese Heian-period court kimono—the jūnihitoe—or Chinese hanfu. Breathtakingly gorgeous was the only way I could describe his features, and to match his angelic appearance, a crown in the shape of a halo graced his head.
“Ah… Um…” I stammered.
“We’ll talk later. I’ll break that binding mechanism on your collar now.”
He didn’t give me any time to respond, and with a crack, the gem on my collar splintered apart. Nor did he grant me a moment to recover from my shock either, for the angel immediately gathered me into his arms and soared into the sky.
I inhaled sharply, my eyes wide. The knights were apparently no less rattled, because their mouths were gaping in surprise. Bathed in rays of daylight, their armor shimmered like stars under the bright sky. I peered down at them, and within the span of mere seconds, they shrank smaller and smaller…
With a start, I yelled at the angel, “Arrows!”
He replied with a small noise of acknowledgment before flapping his wings. With a loud whoosh, a current of air barreled downward. The wind that had blasted away the blaze devouring my house was tossing members of the Order around like hay.
“It’s going to be troublesome if I hurt them, so yeah.” The angel shrugged. “Let’s hurry.” After that brief explanation, he turned to face another direction and flew off with me in tow.
Everything changed instantaneously. Like a bird of prey chasing fleeing game, the angel thrust forward like a raging cyclone, shooting through the forest of my homeland. Occasionally, he would fold his large wings and alight before kicking the ground and vaulting into the air once more.
My head swam from being jolted up and down, and although we were traveling through my domain, I couldn’t tell where we were going at all. The only thing that I knew for sure was that the angel cradled me securely in his large and sturdy arms, and that he was heading in a straight line toward an unknown destination.
My awareness dimmed, yet my thoughts still raced. I recognized the angel from somewhere. His face, his dress, and even the different language he spoke with its softer intonation.
My voice was barely a whisper. “Your Majesty Emperor Haruka…”
Memories from my previous life surfaced, a recollection of an illustration I had carelessly skipped through during my countless braindead replays of the game. A destroyed plaza. Lightning. Torrential rain. White silk sullied with mud. Deathly pale skin and disheveled ivory hair.
The ruler of the Orient Empire, Emperor Haruka was a foolish man who caused the demise of his empire when he ran away from his imperial court, abandoning a body double to the wolves. And that cutscene art had depicted the tragic fate of his stand-in.
I knew him from the otome game I played in my previous life, but as Sai in my present life, I had never met him before. “Why…did you save…me?”
He held me tightly, as though shielding me from the world. My mind was brimming with questions, but slowly, the warmth of his arms spread through me, accompanied by a sense of relief. And just like that, my consciousness succumbed to darkness.