CHAPTER 3

"Flight of the first angel"

It's not as though the queen herself is considering the consequences. It was because she believed everyone will be able to see the good changes thanks to their lives, coming from a miserable past. The second world war changed everyone. Relius knew in herself that the only way to change the fate of the world is come out as a symbol of peace for them. Knowing the dream is going to be a long road even for herself, she must first prove to one nation that she is not only just to be trusted, but to be considered a friend. She asked herself as she flew towards the small Kremlin-governed city as to how it would be done. She has plans for Orussia, but doing things to make friends with everyone else is considered a big step. It was because she trusted the feelings and emotions of each individual she came across…

FLASHBACK… 1008 hours…

Somewhere at a countryside section of Belgica, Relius was in a normal villager's attire, completed with her brown hood to cover her hair. No person in Belgica had white hair and still looked so young, which was a reason why she had to use a brown hood.

It was a sunny day, but somehow, the cold atmosphere made it rather still exciting for others. She went into town at a marketplace. As she walked through there, she saw people talking and walking around. Others have been looking at items at nearby stalls. It was indeed a busy marketplace with indeed a count of not too many, making it a convenient time for Relius to walk around in. Then she stopped walking and decided to look around, seeing faces mostly happy since they're having a good time. She even saw children skipping as they walked, knowing they would be able to knock themselves around by being happy-go-lucky the whole way, especially if they have friends. She saw groups of kids who were friends with each other. There were even kids chasing each other. This made her smile. "Children are joyful to watch." She muttered it to herself when she felt someone gently pulling her ragged dress from behind.

"Excuse me!" A young brunette girl at about 10 years old smiled as the young woman being called looked at her. "For you, miss!" She took out a small yellow flower that seemed to be native in this area. "I haven't seen you around here yet. Are you new here?"

Relius looked down and blushed a little. "Oh. I walk around here, but I live far from here. And… Thank you." She reached out to the yellow flower with a hand before she smelled it herself. 'It smells good.'

"I have to go now!" The girl then turned and ran while laughing, calling out to her mother. Relius saw the moment the girl found her mother standing while looking around. She saw the hug the girl made before the duo walked together in the marketplace.

The queen had it to herself to smile before turning around and eventually hearing a scream of fear from the distance. "What the…?!" She almost finished her statement when a beam dangerously strafed across the brick buildings before each of them were split or exploded thanks to the beam's heat. Everyone screamed and ran the opposite way, when Relius was facing the direction where the beams came from. Soon, a screeching roar was heard from the same direction before her hood was suddenly pulled off, revealing her white hair. It didn't matter as people ran for their lives. Relius knew the sound was familiar. "A walker?!" Another beam came across buildings and other people, and they were vaporized from where they once stood. "NO!" With a simple growl, she gripped her clothes and ripped them off her letting it fly in the air. Soon, her Astral dress appeared before she spread her wings. Her eyes became red as she summoned Angelus in one hand while transforming her body into her white overall Neuroi armor. With one strong flap she flew upwards and forward to the where the beams came from. 'They're in Belgica of all places?! True, but how?!'

"KEEP ATTACKING THEM!" She heard a bulky man's voice as she flew through the smoke and destruction of the small town. "BURN THEM! BURN THEM ALL!" She kept hearing him shouting orders. As she finally got her eyes at where it came from, she saw a master blade unit slashing off buildings with his beam saber. He even saw other people run and attacked them with beams from his bladed weapon.

'A master blader. He has the nerve to attack here?!' "STOP, MASTER BLADER!" She shouted before he saw the queen himself.

The commanding master blade unit laughed at her arrival while she hovered. He stopped what he was doing and hovered in front of the queen. "So… you must be who that king was talking about…"

"SILENCE!" Relius swung her sword aside to prepare herself. "This is the first of all times I've morphed after a long time. And I did it just to see you all ravage it!"

"So? The king's reign will spread like wildfire over everyone's cities and towns. They call them… a place for bacteria."

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

"It's true. The king himself spoke of it."

"And how is he?"

"He speaks highly of you, but you're no queen. You're a traitor."

"Better a traitor… than be heartless." With this, Relius zipped forward. "COME ON!" And she swung her sword at him, meeting his blocking defense with his beam saber before the two clashed more in battle. The other walkers needed to be taken down, and she had no choice but go through the commanding master blade unit to do so. 'I have to take him down first or he'll keep bugging my progress against the walkers.'

The crawling bug-shaped walkers were walking across the roads they've made through their destruction with beams emitted from their antennae.

The master blade unit saw this as a widespread attack and even laughed while attacking Relius. "This is a good day for us all! They should see the message of the King! They reject us, and we force ourselves onto them!"

"You all have no right!" Relius snapped back at him, while defending herself and parried at him. "Look at yourselves!"

"I look at myself as a great conqueror…"

"…and killer. Fine… You'll pay ultimately." Relius pushed him back before she swung her sword and fired a beam projectile, hitting him critically at his chest where his core should be. It was damaged as she saw it. "I'm not playing around, Master Blader. If your fate was death… then I should have dealt with you a long time ago." She pointed Angelus towards him. "DESECRATION WAVE!" Firing a white beam at him with a larger size than him, it vaporized his core and his body fully while he screamed in his defeat, even hitting other crawlers on the ground with it. Some other buildings were destroyed but they were already abandoned.

"HELP!" The same girl's voice was heard from below and Relius.

'No! It's the same girl!' "Where are you?!" She shouted just below her and looked around.

"HELP ME!" The girl's voice was coming from the northwest.

Relius flew to the same direction, aware that crawlers have reached that section of the town. 'This is crazy! The commander's units really dug themselves deep in the town. What is Austerys thinking?!' And when she finally saw some beams and explosions ahead of her… "Not good," She muttered to herself. She flew faster as she could take herself and eventually saw the same girl at the roof holding a teddy bear. "I'M COMING!"

The girl was shocked to see the young woman, and she recognized her as the same one in the marketplace. 'She has… wings?!' "Help! Over here!"

Relius saw a nearby bug walker turn to the girl's voice and immediately spots the girl on the roof. She spreads her wings out before she lowered her altitude and immediately hides Angelus, then pulls her arms out. "Jump… NOW!"

The girl saw the walker nearby releasing a beam. Then she sprinted towards the edge of the building, trusting the flying angel she saw. Just as her feet left the edge while she jumped, the same section of the building was cut off by the beam and left a devastating below letting rocks fly off. She was about to scream in falling when someone caught her from behind while seeing herself leave the ground below. She looked up to the one holding her and saw the same white-winged woman now carrying her. "Wha… What… are you?!"

Relius sensed some fear from the girl. 'She must be seeing my lines. They're the same hexagons as them after all.'

"You're an angel but… You're a Neuroi too. Are you… going to hurt me?"

The innocent tone caught the queen's attention as she knew the girl's question had a collected tone. 'How brave could she get?' She smiled at her. "It's okay, dear one. I'm not going to hurt you. I saved you from that same walker Neuroi. They're not even supposed to be here."

"I… I can't thank you enough."

She didn't reply immediately, knowing she had to fly her out of the town and look for her mother. It took a little while she flew out west at the town's limiting borders. Soon, she recognizes a figure down on thhe ground and lowers her altitude. "There she is!"

"MAMA!" The girl shouted at the woman on the ground.

"Ylvie ! Moy rebenok! (My child!)" The woman shouted as she held her arms out, seeing her daughter descending from the sky while seeing the other figure hold her. Not caring about the winged woman, she saw Ylvie hold her hands as she descended to the ground. As she was brought to her, the girl landed on the mother's arms. "You are okay… You worried me!"

"I'm okay, mama…" Ylvie hugged her mother tightly. "This young woman saved me. But…"

Relius landed on her feet while lowering her wings. As soon as she saw the woman look at her with surprise… 'She's surprised of me.'

The woman gulped at the sight of the winged Neuroi woman and looked at Ylvie. "Did she really save you?"

"Yes, mama."

The queen only glanced away and looked towards the ravaged town. "Wait." She heard the mother's voice and eventually turned to the mother. "You saved my daughter. I can't repay you in full for this."

Relius nodded. "I know, which is why you don't need to. My purpose is to look at the lives of many around here. I did what I can."

"Still, you saved my daughter. It's good enough I trusted you. I thought all Neuroi were…"

"I thought so too. But I knew I have different ideals before I even got here." Relius smiled. "I'm not seeking blood, but coexistence."

"I see… You wanted to live here?"

The queen nodded in response. "Not all Neuroi you see are evil. The king's forces are, and I'm around to stop them along with the rest of the Blue Neuroi. But for now… we're preparing ourselves."

The woman frowned at this. "Oh. When will you fight them?"

"I'm not strong alone. But with the help of my other subjects, we'll make sure to take them down. This war has dragged you all long enough. I can't say when we'll be here, but soon. Humanity didn't deserve something like this."

"Maybe we did." The woman sighed. "Orussia and Liberion were once at it in competition in the fields of rocket science. Maybe it's because of how we prosper..."

"Those are the mistakes of others, and not yours." Relius interrupted the woman. "I knew some have made mistakes, but all you can do is whatever you can to correct them. We'll be at your side soon."

"I hope you do, and soon. Still, I thank you."

Relius glanced towards the girl. "I want you both to get to safety."

Ylvie smiled and held tight on her mother. "You can count on me to protect her."

And Relius chuckled at the idea Ylvie had for protecting her own family. "That's good. Now I have to do what I can." She spreads her wings out. "I have a town to save." And with one big flap, she flew off the ground the headed towards the ravaged town.

Soon, the girl and the mother saw beams and explosions from the town, giving them a clue the winged woman is keeping the Neuroi occupied.

END OF FLASHBACK…

0857 hours…

Leonid Brezhnev himself was seated in his office as he looked at a picture of Ylvie and her mother from Belgica. He was smiling, still remembering that story Ylvie told him about… an angel who came to save humanity. 'It seems strange things just become quite real when in these perilous times. I'm glad she was saved.'

"General'nyy sekretar?" A blonde Orussian lieutenant woman was at his desk. "The other members have started to gather for the briefing."

He sighed, knowing he still has somewhere to get to and stood up before hiding the picture at his desk drawer. "Olivia, you must have good timing."

"Oh. Ufufu…" Olivia chuckled as she turned her back on Brezhnev and started to lead him out. "It's time, okay? Flattery isn't always a good thing."

"Indeed. Indeed." He made a little smile as he walked, still remembering he should be positive about things.

Brezhnev – And I thought things would be normal. Well, I haven't seen anything yet, and it would happen at this very meeting. I just hope I don't spill my guts anywhere, though. Orussia depends on the discipline of my own stomach. I would never forget the tale of that angel. Ylvie is my niece. I'll be sure to meet that angel… someday.

Little did he know… that he would meet her sooner than expected.