I’M TOLD NOT TO leave my room until someone comes for me. I don’t mind too much because I’m exhausted. Once I’m alone, I take a moment to call Imae and check in with her. She tells me she and Yuki had a fight, but she got away. She finishes by saying that Arsen left when I arrived probably because of that—not because of me. She says she wants to speak more in person tomorrow, so grounded or not, she tells me to make time to meet her. Then I catch up on some much-needed sleep.
Come morning, I take a moment to reflect on everything that happened yesterday. That feeling I had in my chest. That knowledge. Somehow I knew that Tasia needed me. She was facing Arsen, but she wasn’t ready to. How did I know she needed me? I was in Philadelphia, sure, but I wasn’t close enough to her to see the danger, and yet I somehow knew. And I reacted rashly because of it. I set an unknown number of thralls loose on the city and now hunter teams have to go out and clean up that mess.
I start my day with a few warm-ups and stretches, as I wait for someone to allow me out of my room. I’m going to have to ask Imae about this. Maybe she’ll know what came over me. I don’t regret my actions, but that doesn’t mean they were right. Now I’m on a suspension just like Tasia, and Blade is furious with me.
The hunter guarding outside my door knocks and finally unlocks the door for me. “You don’t have to stay grounded in your room anymore,” he says. “Blade says you’re free to roam the base. You can even leave. You just can’t go on any missions.”
“Thanks,” I reply.
I exit my room after the exchange. I decide to go to the lobby to wait for Tasia for a few minutes. If she doesn’t come, I’ll call her. When I get to the lobby, it turns out she’s already there, sitting on one of the benches. I head straight for her and put on my best smile.
“Good morning,” I tell her from behind.
“Hello,” she replies without turning her head.
When I’m in front of her, I can’t help but notice she doesn’t smile back. She gives me a rather intense look instead. It’s as if she’s sizing me up, or reevaluating me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask.
“How did you know I needed you?” she inquires. “Last night you somehow arrived just in time. I think Arsen left because of you. Whatever he wants with me, he doesn’t want anyone else to interfere—or something. So how did you know? No one else knew I was gone.”
I want to tell her everything. I want to tell her I’m not exactly human. I know I can’t, but I feel like she has the right to know. I hate that I have to hide this from her. I hate that I have to hide who I am from her.
“You saved me yesterday, and you saved me from my burning house back in Reverie. It’s like you’re my very own guardian angel,” she says.
I try to think of an appropriate reaction to what she said, but it’s just too ironic and painful. So I laugh. She just told me the truth herself, and she doesn’t even know it.
“What’s so funny?” she asks.
“Nothing,” I say. Then I shake my head in an attempt to compose myself. “Nothing.”
“I still want to know,” she says.
“I just had a bad feeling,” I say. “And that’s the truth.”
She searches my eyes, trying to find the lie.
“Okay.” She sighs. “What are we supposed to do? We’re grounded, right? Does that mean we’re not allowed to do anything?”
“A hunter told me I was free to come and go as I please. I’m just not allowed on any missions. No one told you anything like that?” I reply.
She smiles. “I guess Fiona wants to talk to me personally. I’m supposed to be in her office right now, but I wanted to see you first. Hopefully I won’t be grounded from you. I don’t think I’ll mind suspension that much if I can be with you.” She brings her right hand to her black diamond and twists the crystal and silver chain necklace up in her fingers. “I mean, if you don’t mind spending your time with me, or something…”
“I love being with you,” I say, forgetting to filter my words.
“Really?” she asks.
“Really,” I confirm.
Tasia’s face flushes. She tries to hide her embarrassment by twisting her fingers in her hair. “Maybe we could hang out later after I talk to Fiona.”
“Later than that. I need to head out of the base for some fresh air. I should be back in the evening, though. We can meet up then.”
“Okay,” she says, but I can feel her disappointment.
She looks at me for a moment before getting off the bench. Then she does something unexpected. She wraps her arms around me and gives me a tight squeeze.
“Thank you, Rynne,” she whispers. “Thank you.”
I don’t get the chance to say anything back because she’s already running to Fiona’s office. She really shouldn’t feed into my desires like that. It makes it that much harder to control myself.
I reflect on what she said, about me being like a guardian angel. Maybe I’m not giving her enough credit. Maybe she already suspects angels. It’s not that wild of an accusation. She’s already living in a world full of demons. Just because hunters don’t know anything more about angels than they did demons a while back, doesn’t mean one is any less real than the other. They have texts and lore on both. I’m sure they realize that angels are just as real. I also know many are angry because they realize that. They wonder where the angels are, where God is, when they’re here suffering and fighting evil themselves.
“There you are.”
I sigh because I know this voice all too well. The timbre and Spanish accent is something that’s been burned into my subconscious. I turn to face him and his tattooed body, “What do you want, Miguel?”
“I want a rematch,” he states. “I want you to fight me for real.”
“I’m not interested in fighting you again. We’ve been over this.”
“Of course not. The only thing you care about is that girl, Fiona’s niece or whatever you want to call her. It’s pretty weird. Don’t you think? First, you show up, and then she comes along the day after. It’s like you were planning around her, hoping she’d join you here. The fact that you two even knew each other is pretty strange. Don’t you think?”
I know he’s just trying to get a rise out of me. I know I shouldn’t take the bait, but I do. “Tasia is the most important thing in the world to me,” I say icily. “If she dies, all of this is for nothing. I don’t care what you think of me, but that’s the truth. I will protect Tasia no matter what it takes. Everything else, shows of strength, me fighting you, is irrelevant.”
Miguel just stands and stares at me for a moment. I think he might punch me in the face, but a grin spreads to his lips instead.
He says, “That’s the first time you’ve ever gotten angry, and the first time you’ve ever been honest.”
And then he walks away. Just like that, he’s satisfied. Was that really all he wanted from me?
The first thing I do when I leave the base is meet up with Imae. We meet in Wissahickon Valley Park, greeting each other with our usual exchange of a kiss, and then we walk and talk together for a while, just like two ordinary people braving the cold temperatures, enjoying the last days of fall—though last night’s storm seems to have brought winter early.
“And that’s everything that happened,” I tell her, relaying yesterday’s events in full detail.
“I see,” she says. “I don’t think I’m the best angel to ask about this feeling of yours. It sounds like something akin to heart magic, a type of magic I am not well versed in.”
“Heart magic?”
“Love, specifically.”
A chill crawls up my spine, and I bring my gaze forward. “Love can do something like that?”
“So I’ve heard, but it’s not just any love, Rynne. All angels love. The kind of love that can make you feel something powerful like that is a love that has been invested, a bond that has been created.”
“You’re not angry?”
“You’re still doing your job.” She purses her pink lips. Then she changes the subject. “That fight with Yuki was a nuisance. I had to retrieve my sword and take care of a few cameras, but everything should be fine. Blade didn’t say anything about missing footage?”
“No, but I’m on suspension since I’m the reason for releasing all of those thralls into Philadelphia.”
“What’s done is done,” she says as if my impulsive actions have little to no consequence. “Everything is still going well enough. Tasia’s reaction to Arsen this time around was a bit worrying, however.”
“What happened? She said something strange, like she felt this sensation… love for him. How is that even possible?” I ask.
Imae shakes her head. “It was…” her voice trails off. “I don’t know how feeling love for him would be possible, but I reported everything to the Oracle and he said to continue as planned for now. He also said that he wants you to return to Ilenima.”
“Right now? What for and how long? I told Tasia I’d be back this evening, so if I’m going to be long, I should let her know.”
“Yes, now. Not long, I think. He simply wants you to take a breather, he said.”
I’ve never gotten an order like that before, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything. “Understood. I’ll get going then,” I say, not wanting to waste any time.
Imae and I just passed the stone bridge above the Wissahickon Creek, so I only have to do a little backtracking before I reach the stone bridge again. There’s a portal located just underneath it. I slide down some rocks once I’ve reached the bridge, careful not to crash into the cold river below. I can feel the displacement of energy coming from the portal now. I reach out my hand to find its exact location. Then I slip into the shadows and disappear into the portal.
The currents of opposing forces berate me as I’m tossed between worlds. I squeeze my eyes shut tight like I always do. It’s better that than to scream at the sensations that feel like they’ll rip my flesh apart if I stay in between worlds for long.
Relief washes over me once I’ve made it through the Peacekeeper and into the Mirror Room. All angel soldier eyes are on me the moment I emerge, but their gazes shift after they’ve confirmed my identity.
The soldier closest to me says, “The Oracle wishes you a pleasant stay.”
“Thank you,” I say, even though having a “pleasant stay” in Ilenima is the last thing I want. As amazing and beautiful as this other world is, it’s not where I’ll ever belong. I came because the Oracle told me to come. I’ll also attempt to enjoy my stay, but I’ll likely spend my time here inside of the home the angels gave me, wondering about the point of this ordered, and hopefully short, vacation. All I really want is to go back to Tasia. I didn’t want to leave her in the first place.
I walk through the Citadel, just long enough to get out of it. The building is huge, majestic, and made entirely of frost crystals, but I’ve never seen more of its inside than necessary. I haven’t lingered anywhere in Ilenima more than necessary. I’ve never even been outside Zenith, the city where the Oracle dwells. He oversees the entirety of the Crystal Oasis whereas luminaries, angel leaders under the Oracle, are in charge of all other provinces. I don’t know why I’ve never bothered to explore the other parts of the Highlands. Maybe it’s because there’s no reason for me to. I know about Ilenima’s structure. I know it’s separated into the Highlands and Dregs, both geographically and politically. No one in their right mind would want to go to the Dregs. The Highlands are where the angels dwell, and the Dregs are where the demons dwell.
I’ve only ever been interested in doing my duty. Zenith alone is huge, and that’s why I haven’t seen all of it. Maybe today is the day to change that. I don’t feel like waiting around, alone in my home. I’ll do what the Oracle told me to do. I’ll take a break. I’ll force myself to.
I am actually curious about seeing one place in particular: the Crystal Oasis. It’s the landmark that gave the province its name. As the name suggests, it’s a crystal paradise. I’ve heard the land grows the crystals itself. It’s the same place Tasia’s black diamond comes from. I don’t have any first-hand experience with crystals myself, but the ones produced in Ilenima are much more powerful than those made in the mortal world. Tasia’s power was too much for mortal crystals, and that was why the Oracle himself made a trip into Reverie and made sure Tasia received her crystal. I didn’t see the exchange, and I only found out about it after. It happened during a time when Tasia was really struggling. I was worried, so I stuck close by her, hardly ever letting up my watch over her, even though I was powerless in that situation. I thought we would lose her, but the Oracle came through for us.
Tasia’s crystal is a shield for light, and it’s unwavering. The crystals in the mortal world can’t ally themselves to only light or dark forces. They have their baseline energy, and they take in the energies of the world around them as well as releasing that energy back out into the world. That’s how they work. That’s why crystals from the mortal world must also be cleansed and sometimes charged when they are being used for a specific purpose. Crystals from Ilenima also have their own natural energy, though it’s much more powerful than the natural energy of a crystal from the mortal world. I’m told that the crystals here in Ilenima have no alliance just like their mortal world counterparts, but, unlike their mortal world counterparts, they can alter their own energy to become a shield of light if they are tamed. I hear it’s all very experimental though, and taming crystals is something only the Oracle has accomplished. The Oracle, Cassius, is the one who discovered the potential crystals hold. The crystal he gave Tasia is one he tamed, a crystal meant to shield and protect. If he hadn’t made this discovery, I’m not sure she’d be here today. It’s done its job well throughout the years. I’ve been told crystals aren’t something that can be found in the Dregs, not easily, and not in these numbers at the very least—so maybe all crystals have a foundation of light to begin with. The Oracle is the only one good enough to use them. However, even the Oracle can’t tame crystals without a lot of invested time and energy.
The Oracle has tamed crystals for each province leader, each luminary. These crystals help the luminaries watch over their Highland province as well as whatever parts of the Dregs they are assigned to keep order in. As far as I understand, these crystals just expand on the already immense light of a luminary—but every little bit counts. This allows more angels to be deployed in different stations rather than so many concentrated as soldiers in the Dregs. Light will win. It’s not a fast process and immediate results are hard to see, but there is change for the better.
I glance behind at the Citadel, all clean-cut crystals, hard and frosted like ice. It gleams in the sun, bright and majestic. The entire city looks similar to that. The buildings all have hard edges like they aren’t altered structures at all, but natural crystals themselves.
As I walk down into the frost-crystal streets, I start seeing angels other than soldiers. I mostly see single angels, but there are families. Families are much rarer in the immortal world than they are in the mortal world. It’s one of the differences between immortal bodies and mortal bodies. It’s rare for an immortal to conceive, angel and demon alike.
It’s peaceful here. More peaceful than anything I ever knew before I was made an angel. Zenith is nothing but light. It’s comforting and warm. All of the angels here are the same way. I’m part of that light now. I enjoy being in that light, but I still don’t belong here. I’m still a product of an imperfect world. Being here is a constant reminder of my inadequacy.
As I continue down the mountain, I get and exchange smiles with other angels. However, no one ever stops to talk. The crystal buildings are closely compact higher up the mountain, but the farther down I go, the more they disperse, and the fewer angels I see. I continue on even after I’ve passed the last building. I can see the land of crystals now, and the shimmering oasis beyond.
I step into lush green grass with countless crystals scattered in between the blades. They’re almost as many crystals as there are blades of grass. I’ve never seen anything like it. This place wasn’t exaggerated in the slightest. This is obviously the reason why the angels were able to build Zenith entirely out of frost crystals. Most of the crystals I see are small, but there are structures off in the distance, jagged and hard like stones, but much too reflective. They must be giant crystals. They’re refracting the light and bathing the already colorful landscape in more colors than I’ve ever seen in my life.
I catch a glimpse of creatures only ever mentioned in legends and fairytales in the mortal world. A herd of unicorns, in particular, catch my interest. Their horns look like they’re made from the same variety of crystals that coat this land. No two horns are alike. Not in their color, shape, or luster.
I make my way to the effervescent waters of the oasis next. The bubbly liquid surface seems to emit and refract light like a crystal in motion; the crystals underneath its surface only amplify the effect. The water overflows and spills outside of its pool and down the cliffs of this highland. I walk closer to the edge and look out into the distance beyond. I see the other isolated highlands, making up the paradise above the Dregs. They’re all masses of land jutting out from a sea of clouds, misted by atmosphere. Most are mountainous and jagged, but I see flat plains too.
The closer I get to the edge, the scarcer the crystals become. Once I’m there, on the very edge, I look down. The clouds seem darker now. It’s like smog, covering the dirty land below that I’ve only ever heard of. The covering is too thick to see past, so I still have no idea what the Dregs look like. But I can feel the darkness. I can smell its putrid smell. I feel lightheaded, like I’m going to pass out. I gag as I back away from the edge. Crystals crunch underneath my feet as I struggle. How can two opposing forces exist so close together? How can there be such goodness, such light, next to so much darkness and evil?
I fall back onto the crystals and grass. My landing would have been soft if not for the crystals jabbing uncomfortably into my pants. I ignore the pain and pick up a yellow crystal. It feels neutral, or maybe light. I’m not sure. I know it doesn’t feel like Tasia’s crystal though. This crystal thrums with energy, but I can tell it’s an energy not pointed at anything in particular—unlike Tasia’s black diamond, an advocate of light.
I hear the soft crunch of someone stepping on the grass and crystals behind me before I realize their presence. I have a much harder time discerning presences when I’m in the immortal world because there’s such an abundance of energy. I don’t recognize it until it’s right on top of me. I glance over my shoulder, and I see the Oracle. His rust-colored hair seems a much brighter shade with all of the light surrounding us.
I realize I’m gawking and immediately scramble to my feet and bow.
“Oracle Cassius,” I say. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Be at ease,” he replies.
He outstretches his hands, welcoming me. I’m not a close friend of the Oracle, or anything like that, but he’s gone out of his way to seek me out himself. This isn’t an official meeting between a countless number of angels. It’s a personal exchange of some sort, and as such, I should greet him with a kiss. If I don’t, it would be a great insult. But I’ve never greeted the Oracle like this before. I start second-guessing myself on the proper conduct of angels. He must sense my hesitance because he closes the distance between us, places his hands on my shoulders, and kisses me quickly. Then he holds out his hand to the ledge in front of us.
“Sit with me,” he says
As much as I don’t want to feel that darkness again, I can’t very well disobey him. I’ve already come dangerously close to insulting him.
“Do not worry,” he comments. “I won’t let its stench overwhelm you this time.”
With newfound confidence, I follow the Oracle’s example and take a seat beside him on the ledge. He’s right. This time the darkness is bearable, probably because I’m being shielded by his vast light.
He asks, “How are you doing, Rynne?”
“Honestly, Oracle, I’m not sure,” I say forlornly.
“I’m listening.”
I take a deep breath. “Yesterday I had this… premonition. There was something inside of me that told me Tasia needed me. When I finally gave in to the urge and went to her, I found that she had been confronted by Arsen. I guess things didn’t go as well as hoped. Imae has already informed you about what happened, but I… She told me she couldn’t properly explain what happened to me but that it most likely has something to do with heart magic.”
The Oracle’s eyes are trained on mine. His eyes are so bright, so vivid, that I can’t even tell what color they are. It’s like the color is always moving, shifting from one to the next. I almost feel lost in them.
“Can you tell me what’s happening?” I ask. My voice sounds distant, like this is a memory rather than a real-time event.
“You are in love with her,” the Oracle states as if this is perfectly normal. He doesn’t seem to have the same reservations about the idea that Imae did.
I blink and bring my gaze down to my hands, which are balled into fists. I’m ashamed. “Guardians aren’t supposed to fall in love with the human they’re watching,” I say. “I have failed. What am I supposed to do? How will I continue my assignment like this?”
Oracle Cassius reaches out his pale, almost translucent, hand to my shoulder. He grips my shoulder in a firm but somehow gentle way. “It’s true that guardians aren’t supposed to be involved with the human they are watching. But you forget your assignment as guardian is unique. You are unique. No natural-angel guardian has ever been in contact with the human they are watching, not like you. Your assignment started out the same as any other guardian’s, but then it changed. Last year it changed. I told you to become her friend. You did that, and then you fell in love with her.”
“That just means I’m weak,” I say, my voice wavering.
“Your feelings are valid.” The Oracle says those words with such conviction I start to believe him. “Your feelings will not affect what is to come so long as you believe in my commands, in God’s commands, and don’t try to sabotage the connection that Tasia and Arsen have to make on their own. You falling in love with Tasia must also be fate. If you can keep her strong and love her, then she will better be able to control Arsen. Everything is happening according to God’s will.”
“I have doubts,” I say, feeling ashamed once again. “I’ve seen what Arsen does to her. Imae did tell you everything that happened, right?”
“She did.”
“Is Tasia really strong enough to do this? She said she felt a sensation like love for him. How is that even possible?”
The Oracle replies with his never-ending tenderness, “Have faith, Rynne. She will show her power over him in due time.”
“But I don’t understand. And hearing her say that… I got so jealous. So angry.”
“It’s a trick. Tasia will overcome it in time. Do not feel jealous over a demon, Rynne. Such thoughts are detrimental and unfounded.”
I sigh. “When Tasia grows powerful enough, what good will it be for her to control Arsen? At the end of the day, he’s still just a single demon, isn’t he? What good is a single human controlling a single demon to the rest of the world?”
“Arsen’s bloodline has caused a lot of trouble. He is worth far more than a single demon. A human with control over a demon is worth far more than an angel controlling hundreds of demons. Gaining power over him will definitely be the start of something more. You’ve been told of Arsen’s history, haven’t you?”
“I have. I know Arsen’s father, Maelstrom, riled up a bunch of demons and caused an uprising in Ilenima as well as increased demon activity in Terra. Arsen is a symbol of that rebellion. He even lived up to his father’s legacy when he killed Confidant Leo and fled Ilenima.” I pause. I wonder if I was insensitive. I know Oracle Cassius and Confidant Leo were very close. It was their station to be close. I don’t see any pain in the Oracle’s eyes, however, so I continue, “He’s been in the mortal world ever since. He’s been slaughtering angels and causing far more trouble than any other demon there. Since he’s been whittling down angel numbers, more and more demons are free to terrorize unsuspecting humans. Terra is growing darker by the day.”
“That is correct,” the Oracle says. “If Arsen becomes a servant to us, the demons will see the tides have turned. Arsen is powerful, so even if an angel were to be able to control him, times would change. But it’s in the hands of a mortal that we will be saved. When Tasia can control him, she’ll show the demons that they are outnumbered and rebuked by angels and humans alike. They’ll see just how powerless they are to the will of God when she takes control of Arsen. He’ll be the one to set things right as a weapon of God. Tasia will use his vast power and have him seek out the demons in the mortal world and eliminate them. That will be only the beginning. You’re training a branch of hunters right now, and their numbers will only grow. At some point, we angels may even be joining this war for Terra at the front lines. But it will all end one way. God’s way.”
My chest swells with warmth and the knowledge that this will all end for the best. “Thank you, Oracle. I needed to hear your words.”
“If you wish to leave so that you can return to Tasia, feel free to do so. I only asked you here to speak with you. I wanted it to be unofficial and somewhere like this instead of the Citadel.” He smiles. “You made a good choice.”
I smile back timidly.
“Don’t be afraid of your feelings,” he says. “Embrace them. They aren’t wrong. Give this to Tasia and solidify your bond.” Oracle Cassius reaches into the pocket of his flowing white robes and produces a crystal shaped like a heart, but unlike Tasia’s black diamond, it’s white.
“Is it a white diamond?” I ask.
“It is,” he confirms as he drops the crystal into my extended palm. “It will protect Tasia further. Humans, especially human women, adore gifts like this, yes? She’ll appreciate it coming from you. Give it to her when you see fit.”