Fallen Angel

Impulses

I closed my eyes as the sword went deeply into her forehead, splitting her skull and turning her brain to mush. It ended with a sudden squelch, making me want to vomit as I fell to my knees. "I-I..." I trailed off, remembering Alessa. This Marked mortal had reminded me too much of death and all of its tolls. I can't do this. I have to leave. Standing up, I quickly slid my sword from her head and turned away.

"I can't..." There's nothing you can say to fix this, Erich, I thought. Scooping the girl in my arms, I jumped off of the roof. A mild drift of pain shot up my leg, but it was extremely bearable compared to the aching in my heart. How could you do something like this?

Well, I had to be able to do something like this. Warriors were trained to do something as horrible, something as...harsh as this. No matter the morality toll. And besides, it was a mercy kill. She would've died either way.

Again, I was forced to go back into the forest and lay the mortal's body underneath a large oak tree. I can't have Bliss finding her on the roof.

There wasn't any more energy in my body left to bury her. I was exhausted, leaving her on the soft grass. Even still, it felt like she'd prefer to be underneath the open sky. The mortal would've look like she was sleeping except for the slit of blood in her forehead, drizzling a small river down her nose. I didn't touch it, for fear of smearing the red on her cheek. "Rest well, mortal." I stood up, hearing my bones and joints crack underneath the pressure of my body. It groaned for rest. It begged for rest.

I stood and aimlessly walked further into the forest, towards Alessa's grave.

...

A few leaves had fallen off the trees and landed on the mound of dirt that was Alessa. In a month or two, it would settle, destroying the evidence that she'd ever existed. A small urge made me want to dig her back up, just so I could see her face one more time. But, I didn't have the energy. So instead, I sat in front of a large tree that had huge roots curling above the Earth. I laid my head on a bulky one and stared at the foliage above me. It was a nice day, actually.

The sun gently shone on my face as I lay on the ground next to Alessa. "Do you remember that time when we sat underneath that huge oak tree, up in Olympus? I swear we stayed there all day and into the night. Oh, and the stars Alessa." Although I should've been sobbing at the memories that Alessa and I would never talk about again, a small ounce of hope flushed through my heart. The forest was beautiful, and it was making me feel...uplifted. "I remember you telling me that the stars made the night sky look as black as Stylo's heart. Man, you hated that bird." I grinned, smiling towards the leaves and flowers above. It must be a Cherry Blossom.

A bud fell from the branch and drifted to my chest. It landed gently over my heart, making me smile even more. It was pink with tiny yellow stems in the center. Not just ten minutes ago had I been crying at this grave, but now, I felt peaceful. "Thanks, Alessa." I closed my eyes, holding the flower over my heart.

...

"Well, it's not exactly perfect, but considering that the electricity is out, and I don't have a computer, I think this is a pretty good interpretation." Bliss sat down next to me, slamming a large book on our laps. I groaned and readjusted it so that the corner page wasn't poking my thigh.

"Okay, what is it?" I studied the page briefly, seeing that it was covered with pictures of the crater wall. The symbols and carvings were still foreign to me, as if I was expecting them to magically become readable in the photo. Like that's going to happen.

"Uh, drum roll, please?" She tilted her chin to to the sky teasingly.

"What?" I shrugged, not understanding her mortal slang.