The sound of splashing water caught my attention. I whirled around and carefully made my way towards the sound. I never reached this part of the woods before. The big sparkling lake in front of me was nothing short of mesmerizing.
I walk towards the lake, all while keeping my senses alert in case there is someone. Not that I'm worried about being in danger, this is Celestial Realm after all, what danger could there be? I glance down at my reflection and frown, no one seems to be here. Did I imagined the sound? Was it just an animal? I was about to walk away when a sudden voice from behind me interrupted my train of thoughts.
"Hello." I let out a surprised yelp and turned around too fast, lose my balance and fell backwards into the lake. "Oh, did I surprise you?"
I wipe the water that splashed into my eyes away and look up at the young girl looking down at me, leaning forwards with her hands on her knees. She looks to be around my age.
"You caught me off guard," I grumble as I eye her. I have never seen her before, what's a little girl doing in the woods? Moreover, judging from the clothes she's wearing, I could tell she's one of the higher ranked angels.
"I'm sorry, here, let me help you," she stretch out her hands to offer them to me. I stretch out my hand to take hers but suddenly she seems to get further away from me and I couldn't reach her.
Suddenly, I'm in the sky, wings flapping behind me, keeping me afloat. My hand still outstretched towards where she is, so near yet so far away. She's a young woman now but I could tell it's her.
Wait!" I yelled and tried to fly towards her as fast as I can. "NO!" The scream that ripped through my throat is something one wouldn't usually expect from an angel but I didn't care as I watch in horror and dread a spear found her and sliced straight to her stomach. Her mouth widen and she coughs up blood before looking down in horror at the spear. "No no no!" I tried to reach her, the one outstretched hand she put out as she starts to fall. She was so near, so so near, and yet so far. Another scream ripped through me as she falls faster and I had no way to reach for her.
I sit up as I gasp for air. One of my hands is outstretched. That dream, I've been having them ever since entering the secret room at the House of Lamentation. This is something that I am not happy about, after all why would I want to relive that memory again and again? I let out a shaky breath as I rub my face and try to calm myself down. I had nightmares of that dream, that memory all those years ago after the Celestial War, or really it's just the part where I'm flying and watch the spear go through her.
I remember the memories, the moment all too well. Ever since going into that room, I've been having dreams of my old memories with her. This, however, is the first time I have one about our first meeting and this too is the first time two memories get mixed. Of course I knew who she was, or rather the parts of her that she shows me. We've played together a lot of times while growing up but we never really talk much about our personal lives. I suppose that part is my fault.
All of our past memories are still fresh in my mind, it's as if everything just happened yesterday. But this dream, this memory, there's something wrong about it. I remember my first encounter with her. And I also remember that I never tried to take her offer to help me and just ignored her hand. Looking back, I regret it, of course I do. Maybe I should've took her hand back then, maybe things would be different if I did.
A small sound from beside me pulled me out of my thoughts and it took me a second to realize it. I'm not in my room, or really the room I'm staying at while here at this castle. I scan the room, my guard up as I try to ignore the growing panic inside me. This room seems familiar, where have I seen it before.
A rustle of clothes, I look to my side to see MC dozing off in a chair. Oh, that explains why the room seems fami- wait, what am I doing in her room? I rack my brain trying to remember what happened and the memories came flooding back. Oh no, that's embarrassing. My hand nudged something and I look down to see the both of our masks and a wet towel. A glance to the table next to her bed shows that there's a basin. I must have caught a burning fever again. I thought she was bringing me to my room, why am I here?
"You're awake, finally," I glance to see her still in the position she was sleeping, cheeks squished against her arms as she sleepily opens her eyes to look at me.
"Why am I in your room? Weren't you bringing me to mine?"
"Are you honestly complaining right now?" She sits up and props her chin using the palm of her hand as she watches me.
"No! I'm just..." Come to think of it, he is complaining, isn't he?
"Well in case you forgotten, I didn't have the keys to your room and then you fainted right then and there. Since it seems like too much of a hassle to go back and fetch the key to your room from Simeon, and since we were right in front of mine, I thought it was a good idea. If you have any complains go ahead and voice it."
"No! I mean, I don't. Look..." I took a deep breath, unsure how to start. The little outburst she had before everything happened is just.... it made me realize how wrong I've been treating her, how I see her. "I guess I should start with I'm sorry,"
"You guess?"
"Okay, I should apologize to you for... everything. I can't really deny that I didn't think of you as a weak human, can I? That would be lying and it's against an angel's nature to lie." I shift around in her bed trying to find a more comfortable position. "And I'm sorry for troubling you with having to carry me,"
"That's it?"
"Is there... something I forgotten about?"
"I don't know, what about the way you've been treating all the brothers, Lord Diavolo and Barbatos?"
"We're talking about them now?" I frown.
"Yes because you're treating them unfairly,"
"They're-"
"I know they're demons, you don't have to tell me again for the millionth time," she sighs.
"Then why?"
"Because Lord Diavolo and Barbatos are my friends! The brothers are my friends! My family even! And not because I am Lilith's descendant but they are and will be my family even if I'm not Lilith's descendant," she states with with a glare at me.
"Why are you even so put on being nice to them? They're demons! They don't deserve kindness!"
"Everyone deserves kindness, you as an angel should know that the most." And she's right, I do.
"Yes, everyone that is not demons. Demons aren't human MC, they don't feel like humans do and don't really need the things human needs," I shake my head.
"Why do you even hate demons so much?" She leans back in the chair to watch me. A memory, the dream, the young woman falling, flashed again in my mind and I blink to clear my head from it.
"You asked that question before and I already answered you,"
"I don't think you were being honest before,"
"Are you accusing me of lying?"
"No, just that you're hiding something." And she's right, I did hide something. I wasn't lying back then, there was truth in the answer before but it's not the real answer.
"Does it matter? They're demons, they're not meant to be liked and that's reason enough,"
"So you are hiding something,"
"And what if I am?" The words were out of my mouth before I even considered it. I realized my mistake but there's no taking it back now, I watch her as she stares at me for a long time before sighing.
"Be that way then, I don't really care. The year's ending anyway so it won't be long before I return back to the human world and you're job is done and you can get out of the Devildom and go back to your oh-so-beloved Celestial Realm," she says with a wave of her hand.
"And who said I'd stop being your guardian angel once you get back to the human world?" I ask in defensive. To tell the truth, even I don't know if that means my job is done but the thought of being away from her and no longer have whatever it is this connection between us... it scares me. I realize that I don't want to leave her.
"I did," she states as she gets up and walks towards a window.
"What do you mean you did?"
"I said you're not going to be my guardian angel when I go back to the human world and that's final," she answers without looking at me and just staring outside.
"Huh and who said it's up to you to make that decision?" It's ridiculous, the thought that she will be the one making this decision when me coming here isn't even a part of her plan nor was she able to tell me to go away the first time.
"I'll make that decision for myself and whatever Michael or whoever has to say about this, I'll deal with them myself." She finally turns around and in her eyes is a burning rage I've never seen before. It took me by surprise, the look in her eyes. Has she always have this fire, this rage inside her? Had she been burning silently inside? How did I not notice it before? How did I not see it before?
"Why do you even want me gone so bad?" I ask, it seems like the safest thing not to continue about who's going to make the final decision.
"In case I didn't make it clear before or if you've forgotten, I did state that I don't need a guardian angel and I really don't need one especially if I'm back at the human world so I don't need you when I go back." The way she says it, the look in her eyes, her words hit me somewhere inside and it hurts me, hurts that she doesn't want me around her. Suddenly, the amount of times she hid just to go away somewhere alone with just the brothers makes sense. It's not that she doesn't want me to come along because of the way I've been treating the brothers, she really doesn't want me around her.
"You think the human world isn't that bad?" I decide to ignore the way her words had affected me, making sure it doesn't show on my face.
"Oh I'm perfectly aware how bad the human world can be but I also have the pacts of six demons with me and I'm not a mere weak human you think I am, I can handle myself." The way she's looking at me, the burning look in her eyes, it's not hate. No, it's clear that even if she doesn't want me around, even with the way I've been treating the brothers and the other demons she's close with, she doesn't hate me. The look in here eyes are just one of pure rage that I never see before. This type of rage... it seems demonic. Perhaps the times she spent here really did affect her much more than I thought.
"MC-"
"Look, you seem fine already so I suggest you leave to go back to your own room. The party must have ended by now and even if it hasn't, I'm sure Luke is in your room. I need my own rest if you don't mind," she states.
"MC listen to me-"
"Leave Kegan and let me rest." It's clear that she doesn't want to talk anymore and this must the worst argument we have yet since this is the first time she's told me to go away.
"I'll leave just-"
"No, I don't care what else you have to say." She doesn't give me any chance to say anything as she turns and slams the door of her bathroom behind her.
With a sigh, I get up to leave her room. I didn't even get to thank her for helping me, did I? How did the conversation even turn into this? I was planning to apologize and yet it seems like I just made things worse.
Back in my own room, I laid down in my bed, our argument playing inside my mind. She was right, Luke was in the room even though the party hasn't ended, fast asleep too. I can't get rid of the rage I saw in her eyes, it keeps coming back to me as I lay to think about our argument. Despite what I said about it looking demonic, I can't help but feel that it's strange and I might be wrong. Because I'm an angel and I've seen demons before, I'm literally living with demons at the moment, and deep down I know that look was not a demonic rage, so what was it?
A/N: So who's the girl at the start of the story? If you guys can guess it then congratulations! And if you guys can already tell why Kegan hates demons so much then congratulations again! And what about the rage in MC's eyes that Kegan saw? What was it actually? If you can guess that one too then uh congratulations again!