🐅 🐅 🐅
RYUHO glared at the lake’s surface. The tower would collapse at any moment. If they didn’t return to the shore as soon as possible, the bridge would probably collapse, too.
“Let’s go,” he said. “We can’t wait any longer.”
“But Hisame…” Angelina trailed off.
Ryuho fell silent, biting his lip. He didn’t want to abandon Hisame either, but at this rate, he and Angelina would sink into the monster-infested lake. Neither of them had the power to maintain the ice bridge.
If only we’d listened to Hisame, Ryuho thought with a pang of regret. They should have ignored Rachiel’s desires, momentarily resealing him and taking the sheet music. Hisame’s suggestions were always level-headed and prudent. He’d been correct, regardless of whether his words had been difficult to swallow. Our decision killed Hisame, Ryuho realized, balling his hand into a fist. If I screw up again, I might lose Lina too. I can’t let that happen, no matter what!
“Lina!” Ryuho shouted while picking her up. “We have to go!”
“But—”
“No, we can’t wait any longer!”
Angelina pointed to the water’s surface from inside Ryuho’s arms. “But look over there!”
Hisame floated towards the surface while enveloped in a large, round bubble.
“He made it!” Ryuho shouted, diving into the lake without the slightest hesitation.
Despite his hatred of water, Ryuho fought to push the bubble onto the ice bridge. Immediately, a monstrous fish attacked him.
“Ryuho!” Angelina cried.
Ryuho launched a fireball at the fish, scorching it. The fish let forth an unpleasant screech and leapt into the air. A shadow fell across the ice bridge as if a large cloud had covered the sky. Overcome with fear, Angelina bent down, covered her head, and squeezed her eyes shut. With a loud splash, the monstrous fish fell back into the lake. At the same time, the ice bridge began rocking noisily.
It’s going to break in half! Angelina cried out internally. What should I do?! I have to save Ryuho and Hisame!
“Stand up!” Angelina squealed, slapping her thighs. “Come on!”
Without warning, she shot into the air, her stomach dropping. The next moment, she was flung into a basket woven from wisteria. As she tried to process that in a daze, Ryuho fell into the basket as well. Gaping, Angelina lifted her head. A golden, serpentine underbelly sparkled above her.
“Mishter Dragon!” she cried.
The guardian deity responded with a boisterous laugh.
Ryuho stood up inside the basket and looked outside. “Where’s Hisame?!”
“He’s fine,” the dragon replied with another hearty laugh.
He was holding Hisame—still inside the bubble—in his hands. Before long, he carefully sat all three of them down on the lakeside. Upon seeing this, the Jinlongian forces led by Yuen raised a cheer.
After picking up Angelina, Ryuho called out, “Yuen! Take Lina!” Carrying her out of the basket would be much harder in his human form. Without delay, Yuen did as requested.
Meanwhile, Angelina looked around for Hisame from inside Yuen’s arms. Hisame was lying on his back, still enveloped by the film. The Golden Dragon was using his body to hold Hisame down, as the film sphere seemed liable to roll away.
“Hisame!” Angelina cried, relief washing over her. “Let me down, Yuen! I need to go see Hisame!”
Nodding, Yuen knelt beside Hisame and let Angelina down.
“Hisame!” Angelina cried out again, placing a hand on the bubble. The springy membrane showed no signs of bursting. Hisame trembled and went limp, his lips purple.
“Mishter Dragon!” Angelina squealed. “How can we get Hisame out of there?”
“I do not know,” he replied. “That is Yulan magic.”
The blood drained from Angelina’s face. “What should I do…? I’m not familiar with Yulan magic either.”
She no longer had the Dagger of Mercy, which had dispelled the protective magic around the castle. Unsure what else to do, she raised her head and looked into the forest. Yulan citizens glowered back at her from deep within the trees.
“Are any of you familiar with Yulan magic?!” she called out. “Do any of you know how to break this spell?!”
“The Yulan Secret Arts are reserved for our queen,” one of them spat in response. “If you didn’t inherit the secret arts, you’re no ruler of ours. Why would we listen to your request?!”
“That’s right!” someone else agreed. “Why would we help anyone from Jinlong?! You stole our country, kidnapped Princess Phaenna, and now you’ve destroyed our castle for good!”
Angelina took a reflexive step backward in response to their enmity.
“Shut the hell up!” Ryuho bellowed. “A kid’s about to die! What does this have to do with politics?!”
“You think someone will save you if you shout?!” an old man countered. “We Yulans sought help too. We lost our country, our homes were stolen, and our children perished. Even then, no one saved us! If you’re truly Phaenna’s daughter and the new queen, save the boy yourself!”
Both Ryuho and Yuen flinched in response to the Yulan man’s cries of lamentation.
“Mudder,” Angelina prayed, gripping the dagger’s remaining sheathe. “Please lend me your strength!”
A bell tolled from the crumbling castle, issuing a loud peal followed by a deep, resonant clang. When this repeated three times, the Yulan citizens looked up at the sky.
“This toll marks the birth of a new queen…” one of them mumbled.
Angelina looked up at the sky as well. There, she spotted Rachiel, his pure white wings unfurled. The Yulan citizens looked up at him with wide eyes and slack jaws.
Moments later, the tianshi alighted before Angelina. “Princess,” he said, placing his hand on top of hers, which still gripped the sheathe. “I would like to form a new contract with you.”
The sheathe transformed into a beautiful conductor’s baton. Red stones forming the Tianshi’s Protective Seal had been embedded in the silver baton.
“Angelina,” he said. “Use that baton to bring about the future you desire!”
Nodding, Angelina whipped the baton through the air. The sound of spring wind resounded from the baton, and the bubble enveloping Hisame disappeared with a pop.
“Hisame!” Angelina cried, racing over to him. After helping him sit up, she cast healing magic on him. Ryuho dashed over to them and rubbed Hisame’s back to warm him. Slowly, Hisame’s lips curled into a smile.
“Is that you, Angelina…?” he mumbled. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Yeah, and it’s all thanks to you,” Angelina replied, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m so, so glad you’re safe!”
“You idiot,” Ryuho said, hanging his head while rubbing Hisame’s back vigorously. “Don’t make us worry like that, ya big dummy!”
“I’m sorry,” Hisame apologized. “Please don’t be mad at me, Ryuho.”
Yuen watched the three children embracing each other with a smile. At the same time, Rachiel bit his lip while standing in front of them. He’d also been blessed with loved ones in the distant past.
I was happy back then, he recalled. I never considered using time-reversal magic to return to the days before my fall from Heaven. How I loved my wife and daughter. I would have exchanged anything to protect their happiness.
Rachiel could hardly behold the radiant children as he waxed nostalgic.
“Is that you, Lord Rachiel…?” one of the Yulan citizens asked in a tone of adoration. All of them fell to their knees, folding their hands in prayer while looking up at him. Nevertheless, Rachiel glared down at them scornfully. His sky-blue eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything. Ignoring the trembling Yulans, he turned back towards Angelina.
“Princess Angelina,” he said. “I promise you the divine protection of a tianshi. Call my name if you are ever in trouble. I will come to your rescue any time.”
“Thank you so much, Mishter Rachiel!”
The tianshi lowered his head. “Forgive me for being cruel.” When Angelina shook her head, Rachiel continued, “Allow me to grant you one wish.”
Angelina furrowed her brow. “Um…” she trailed off, looking around the area. She couldn’t think of a wish off the top of her head.
As she puzzled over the matter, Marfa’s mother cried out, “Lord Rachiel! Please restore the land of Yule—I beg of you!”
“Where do you get off speaking my name?” Rachiel answered with a snort.
“Forgive me, but I speak on behalf of all Yulans. If you would please listen to me instead of the young queen…”
“Stop acting so self-important. Besides, I’ve given my protection to Angelina, not the Queen of Yule.” Rachiel spoke those emotionless words in a clear tenor. Though his words were cold, he still sounded beautiful. “So?” Rachiel asked, kneeling before Angelina. “What is your wish?”
Angelina grew flustered. Rachiel’s kind demeanor was the opposite of his earlier conduct. Before, he’d been as cold as the ice in the castle. Now, he was acting like a doting father. Angelina had no idea how to respond to the sudden change. Regardless, she thought about possible wishes.
I do need to solve Yule’s problems, of course, but I can’t ask Rachiel to save the nation that caused his suffering. Plus, I’m not sure what kind of wishes he can grant.
“Um,” Angelina mumbled. “Um… I got it! Please teach me Yulan magic!”
Despite being proud of her idea, Rachiel merely laughed. “Nope. I would have done that without you asking. Therefore, it’s not a wish.”
“Huh?” Angelina asked, unsure how to respond to the rejection. “Well, uh… O-Okay then! Please teach me how to sing!”
“No again,” Rachiel answered with a chuckle, mussing Angelina’s hair. “Teaching you to sing goes without saying as well. You truly are a child devoid of greed. Well then, how about this? I’ll quell the small border skirmishes.”
“You can do that?” Angelina asked, positively beaming.
“A small skirmish or two shouldn’t be too much to handle.”
“Then please do that, Mishter Rachiel!”
When Angelina bowed her head, Rachiel patted the back of her hair.
“What’s that about?!” Ryuho shouted, his expression sour as he threw his arms around Angelina. “Don’t act like you two are best friends all of a sudden!”
“I’m only kind to those I’m fond of,” Rachiel answered with a smile while standing up.
He unfolded his wings to their full extent. The white feathers bore no trace of their former blackness. His past as a fallen tianshi had been erased. Thus, he soared into the blue sky, his large, powerful wings flapping without hesitation. Small, white feathers floated downwards against the backlighting, grazing Angelina’s nose.
“Here you go,” Ryuho said, inserting one of the feathers behind Angelina’s ear. “You’re just like a tianshi now!” He grinned from ear to ear, a tail no longer protruding from his lower back.
The autumn sky stretched as far as the eye could see. Rachiel disappeared into the clouds, which might have been splashed across the heavens with a paintbrush. Angelina continued waving until he vanished from sight.