Angel Feathers

Prologue - Aysu

As I headed home after school, I looked up at the twilit sky, and out of nowhere, two white feathered Angelons appeared. That time of day there were always battles, but never have I witnessed such horrifying scene. These two looked very aggressive. Angelons usually use magic when fighting. Those were not. Those were ripping at each other.

I knew that Angelons never harmed humans, but my survival instinct forced me to look around, in every direction, in search for a temporary shelter. I looked up at the orange sky once more and saw white, blood-splattered feathers falling like snow.

The two Angelons were enraged. I knew this because their wings were short -short wings marked the underdeveloped strength of an Angelon; they were Younglings. They did not have commanders to put them to fight; they were fighting out of their own will. Master-less Angelons rarely fought. Even though those two Angelons had yet to develop their strength, they were showing an enormous amount of power.

Frightened, I ran with all my might towards the closest house in sight, watching the fight as I ran. My heart was beating so loudly that I could no longer hear the sound of my feet striving to reach my destination. I stumbled a few times before reaching the house. I relentlessly rang the bell while keeping my eyes fixed on the battle, ready to dunk or run for my life had this hurricane approached me.

It looked as if one of the Younglings was about to finish the other, and the other strived to hold its own. I took a swift, eager glance at the golden bell I was ringing nonstop, then looked at the navy blue door through the black iron gate of the dwelling in front of me and then turned to focus on the battle. I could see now that the Angelon that was about to lose the battle had a severe wound, and I realized, just as the image of the wound started to sink in, that the reason I could only see that wound now was because the fight was approaching the ground where I was standing.

I could hear my heart rumbling against my chest as if it were struggling to burst out of my throat. I was beginning to move my legs so I would run faster than I ever had in my life when a middle-aged woman opened the door to the house. She appeared higly irritated, and her eyes critically searched at me, but the minute she took a glance at the figures in the nearing skies, her eyes opened wide with horror, and as I was beginning to beg the lady to let me in for shelter, she ran towards me and unlocked the gate. "Come on in!" She urged. I looked at her blankly "Quickly! It's dangerous!" She warned. I couldn't move my legs. I wanted to tell her that, but when I tried to talk, I felt like my lips were woven shut so that I could not let out any word.

I felt extremely scared. I wanted to run away from what was happening. I wished I could just go back to the moment when my friend Belgin was asking me whether I had plans or not. Just one decision could have changed the situation I am in right now. I closed my eyes shut, hoping that it would help me run away from reality. At that moment I heard a desperate voice inside my head fight it! Run! Fight back Aysu! I opened my eyes with shock and a feeling so alien to me. And then a split of a second later, another disturbed, yet firm voice said You stay right where you are, Aysu. The voice paused and then continued with utter calmness: You are mine.

Stricken by the voices, I did not understand what they meant or that I was even actually hearing them in my head. I was very confused that I could hear two voice so clearly, when no one was speaking beside me, yet not understand what they meant. However, this was not a first. I swiftly put my hands on my ears when I heard a deafening screech, and then an abrupt silence.

I was lost in thought with those two arguing voices; even though I couldn't exactly make out what was being said, they were sincere, particularly the first one, that I forgot all about what was going on in the present. The woman then glared at me, then gave me an incredulous look and said "If this is how it is going to be then you leave me no choice", and then she pulled at my forearm forcefully, with strength so tough, into her house and slammed the door shut.

Just when the door closed behind me, I turned to stare at it. There was a sound squealing with pain and this time it wasn't inside of my head because the woman had gasped and said "Never, in all of my life, have I heard such excruciatingly pained voice."