◆ Celestia Sagrid’s Memories
WHAT…happened to me? My body feels light and unstable. I can’t feel any pain and I’m not suffering, but my memories are all muddled like I was just shaken awake from a long dream, I thought.
My vision was white and fuzzy, but it slowly started to clear up. I realized that I was lying in front of a ruined temple that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the golden desert. I looked like a puppet who no longer had its puppet master. An arm that had transformed into a massive insect’s leg with a sharp sickle sank deeply into my stomach. The wind, clouds, monsters, and everyone had seemingly frozen in place.
It was as though time had stopped while I gazed at the view from the skies above like I was observing a painting. I didn’t feel any fear. On the contrary, I felt a sense of ease, surrounded by gentle warmth. Someone was hugging me from behind.
“Chloe.” A lovely voice akin to the refreshing spring wind reached my ears.
A pale, supple hand drew me close, enveloping me in a gentle scent. It felt like I was lying in the middle of a soft, comfortably warm, sunny spot. I didn’t need to turn around to know who was with me. My chest ached with pain and endearment.
When I finally turned back, I saw an angel with four glimmering, white wings wrapped in a divine glow. She was looking at me with worry written all over her face.
“Mother,” I called out to the angel.
She gave a small nod, implying she was Celestia Sagrid—my mother, who I lost to an illness when I was thirteen. She looked exactly as I remembered, with the addition of four beautiful wings. However, they looked completely natural on her; as if she always had them. As Jahala said, my mother must’ve been an angel.
For some reason, it was then that I remembered my mother’s words: eating past nine at night would make one gain more weight.
“I’m sorry, Chloe,” my mother said sadly. “I’m sorry for making you suffer so much. But could I ask you to hang in there for just a little longer?”
I had no reason to hesitate. “Of course, Mother! I can’t die here. Could you please lend me your powers?”
I wasn’t about to go down here. If I died here, who’d keep watch over Mr. Julius, the ever-oppressive, always grumpy, yet occasionally kind man? In fact…I really don’t want anyone else to take that role away from me.
“I see you found your prince,” my mother said.
“I sure did!” I replied. “Mr. Julius threatens people a lot, so I’m not sure if he can be called a prince, but…he’s so very dear to me.”
She pulled me into her tight embrace. “You’re my pride and joy, Chloe. I’m always so proud of you, my beloved daughter. I may have committed a sin, but you’re our child. You’re my hope. Even the archangels are watching over you.”
Her sad expression and eyes filled with tears transformed into a bright smile. She turned into countless particles of glittering light as her body dissipated into the ether. Just then, my body was filled with warmth that reminded me of the spring sun as power coursed through me. My vision started to blur once more, and I closed my eyes before I was greeted with a completely different view.
The scene wavered as though I was looking at a mirage. Where am I?
Archangel Michael had just defeated the Fallen Angel Lucifer. I served as Lord Michael’s aide and rallied our forces to fight against the demons. And then…ah, I remember now.
To protect my comrades, who had their wings stripped from them, I stood on the front lines to fight. We’d managed to force the demons to retreat, but both my wings had been torn from me and I fell below. I saw the doors of the Otherworldly Gate yawning wide—it was a gate that I wasn’t allowed to pass through. Doing so would mean that I would fall into the realm of humans.
While our worlds were connected, I knew that we were in completely different realms—we applied different kinds of logic to solve our problems, and humans could only live several decades in their world. They were a completely different species from us immortals.
Both the passing of time and our creation varied. The inviolable oath that God created served as the boundary of our two worlds. Staying in the human realm for prolonged periods of time would cause our bodies to turn into particles and dissipate.
“Are you all right? You’re badly injured,” a man said.
I saw the Otherworldly Gate slowly close before my eyes. Even if I wanted to return, I couldn’t fly without my wings, and I could barely get up. I gazed up at the sky in a daze, finding no other solution, when this man had peered down at me.
He was young, had masculine features, and had no wings. I guessed that he was a human. He carried me in his powerful arms back to his manor. For the first time in my life, I think I fell in love.
His name was Clorius Sagrid. He didn’t pry about my circumstances and diligently nursed me back to health. Without my wings, I looked like a human, and I regained my energy as my wounds started to heal. But I knew that I’d disappear soon. I was unable to tell Clorius of the sad news, and as my injuries healed by the day, I felt the magical energy draining from my body.
One day, he said to me, “I love you. I don’t want to lose you. Please, will you marry me?”
A plethora of feelings bubbled up within me—I’d felt nothing like this before when I was an angel. I loved him so much. He was so dear to me, and he made me so happy.
My life here might be short, but I wanted to remain by Clorius’s side for even a moment more and accepted his proposal. I learned later that he knew that I was an angel. He traveled to various nations and desperately searched for a way to keep me in the human realm before concluding that we should form a contract—a marriage.
That was certainly an important reason, but when I sulked and asked, “Is that the only reason why you wanted to marry me?” I noticed him slightly panicking.
“I also love you very much, of course,” he managed to eke out.
A while after I married Clorius, I started to hear Lord Michael call out to me numerous times: “Celestia, you’re not allowed to stay in the human realm. We hold much greater power than them, enough to distort their common sense. It may turn into a spark for war.”
When I still had my wings, I was told that Lord Michael’s words were absolute, but I pretended not to hear him.
“Celestia, return to the Otherworld at once! Having intimate relations with a human is unforgivable. It’s a sin. If you break the inviolable oath and birth a child, you’ll receive divine retribution!”
But I continued to ignore these warnings. Much like a human, I yearned to have a child with my beloved husband. Clorius, ever so considerate of me, stated that he didn’t need a child, but I convinced him time and time again and pushed through with my selfish wishes.
And so, my dear Chloe was born. My precious, irreplaceable treasure.
As Lord Michael had predicted, I surely must’ve received divine retribution. I felt my body lose its energy little by little, and I could barely even get up. Still, I was happy.
All the while, the demons, who’d just ended the long war in the Otherworld and had time to spare, had started to become interested in the human realm. I felt the presence of powerful demons lurking among humans.
Chloe inherited my power. She has the angelic power to fight and destroy demons. She has an unknown power that is far greater than my own, when I was a thrones angel. She possesses the untapped potential that only humans have.
So, I used what little power I had to hide Chloe, Clorius, and my location from the demons. My body was reaching its limit; I knew that I was standing at death’s door. Then I’ll use everything I’ve got left to cast divine protection on my precious family.
It’ll help young Chloe and Clorius protect themselves from the demons.
The protection can be used only once, just as they’re about to be killed by a demon, but it’ll spare their lives. It might not help much, but currently, that’s all I can do.