Prologue Part One
"For the cost of ONE THOUSAND!" Nazo screamed, tossing a hundred small, gold coins in the air, each with the number 10 on them, "I break the limits of Angel Magic and summon the Stairway to Heaven!"
As the coins disappeared into the sky, a brilliant, white light was beamed down where the red hedgehog stood, shining brighter than even the sun. As the light suddenly faded, a shimmering staircase ascending into the sky began to form. The steps were transparent, hovering, rectangular platforms. Nazo stood in front of the stairs with his hand still raised. He looked at his opponent with a death stare in his eyes.
"You wanted to become an angel so badly? Well, here's your chance. As the name implies, this staircase will allow you to ascend to Heaven without dying, essentially making you a true angel in accordance to the laws of this world."
His opponent was awestruck. She had never dreamed that this was possible. Even the strongest of wizards could never sacrifice one thousand coins. That much life simply did not exist in one person. How had this hedgehog pulled it off?
"But how are you doing this?" The girl asked, "This goes against all I have learned about Angel Magic. And why would you even help me? Your guild is my sworn enemy."
Nazo looked down, a dark sense of remorse in his eyes, "Because Angel," he said, referring to the girl's name, "I was raised in a place where morality is different from what it is here. I do not believe that it is a crime to want to become an angel. I want this to happen almost as badly as you. Therefore, I take it upon myself to fulfill the desire of the one person with my same beliefs." He looked back up at Angel, "As for the How, my Phoenix Power allows me to be reborn as many times as I die. This sacrifice means little to me. Now ascend quickly, I don't know how long these stairs will stay put."
Angel, taken aback by this unexpected expression of generosity, slowly walked over to the stairs. The steps seemed solid enough, but there was still a tinge of doubt in her mind. What if this was a trap? Still, if it wasn't, this might be her only chance to become a true angel. Cautiously, the girl placed one foot on the clear panel. She shifted her weight, but the step didn't budge at all. Taking another step, she was met with the same result on the next panel. Walking faster, Angel slowly climbed the staircase. The farther she climbed, the brighter the sky seemed to get. She looked back and saw Nazo staring up at her, his quills unmoving and his hand raised as if to say goodbye. Angel smiled 'I guess it's finally time,' she thought 'At least I know that someone cared enough about me to grant my final request.' Angel took a few more steps before disappearing into the great white yonder.
As the staircase faded from view, Nazo dropped to his knees. Before he blacked out, he managed to summon the last of his strength to make one final request to the Phoenix.
"Phoenix, if there is any power left in you, take me back home. I want to regenerate in my bed instead of here on the street."
In a flash of yellow fire, Nazo was teleported away, and the streets were bare, once again. The only sign that someone had been here was a white feather laying on ground as the clouds overhead started raining.