Chapter 3
After walking through the city of Asgard for some time, the pair of Angels finally made it to a clearing. It was beautiful meadow adorned with many varieties of flowers, including the well-known Moon Lilies.
Yuan took out a folded-up sky blue cloth and laid it out for the both him and Lazuli to rest on.
After sitting comfortably on the cloth, both of them took a moment to view their beautiful setting.
"This place... it's always so beautiful..." Lazuli thought to herself in awe.
She then felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to face her friend.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Yuan asked in a concern. "I saw what Malice did to you back there. She roughed you up back there pretty badly."
Lazuli nodded. "I assure you, I'm fine. She was really mad when she got to me, but you arrived just in time. I'm sure... there isn't any permanent damage." she answered.
Yuan sighed. "I can't take this lightly, you know. Your body's rather weak, so it's easy for you to get killed, even if you're Angel like the rest of us." he reminded her in a soft voice.
"I'm sorry..." Lazuli answered quietly.
She then carefully examined Yuan's face. He was still clearly upset over something.
"You're still worried, aren't you? About having to hurt her again?" she asked.
Yuan nodded silently.
The maiden angel inched closer with a sympathetic look. "I noticed your eyes from before... you nearly lost it again, didn't you?"
The ruby-eyed Angel nodded again. "What is Malice's problem? Why does she have to be such a bitch and provoke me like that?" he said aloud in frustration. "I hate it... when I become that way..."
Lazuli slowly turned back and placed her hand on her knees and nodded to her self. "I see... those eyes you make... when you're upset like that. It's like your possessed, and it really scares me. I can see why you hate that so much..." she answered sympathetically.
In frustration, Yuan lowered his head and slammed his trembling left fist on the cloth below him. "Damn it! When I get like that... I feel a dormant wrath burn within me. I could've killed Malice right there! I could've beaten her to death with only a few well-placed strokes and commit an unforgivable sin!" he cried.
The maiden angel then placed a soft hand on his trembling hand. "You're still afraid of slaughter the other angels..." she said in confirmation.
Yuan lowered his head even more. "You know more than anyone... how much I despise this part of myself... how much I actually hate violence in truth... If I... I if I ever awaken my full potential as an Warrior Angel, I'm afraid I'll---"
"No, you're too strong. You're will's too strong to allow something like that to happen." Lazuli insisted in a stern voice. "I know this, because you're the strongest person I know in that kind of way.
She then brought her knees closer together and sighed. "At the very least... you're stronger than I am... more confident..." she finished in an envious tone.
Yuan immediately raised his head upon hearing this. "Saying those kinds of things convince me that you think too highly of me sometimes." he answered rather frankly, yet in slight embarrassment.
"Not at all..." Lazuli said as she shook her head.
Yuan rested his chin on his right hand. "All this time and she still can't see what she has going for her." he thought to himself.
"Now, more than ever, I'm positive that you're strong! They say you've made an impressive showing in the trails, and there hasn't been anyone who's expressed their fear or knowledge of... your personal problem." Lazuli continued in awe "The other candidates look up to you, and the other angels are starting to recognize your abilities! You're finally being respected!"
Yuan breathed another sigh. "Is this truly for the best? I'm being recognized as one of Asgard's top swordsmen..." he said regretfully. "I might as well work my way up to being an infamous murderer!"
"You don't have to be so hard on yourself. At least the Angels are finally accepting you. Being one who was merely taken into Asgard... they'll always curse me as the "Forsaken One". Even the will of the gods must despise me if they left me as this pathetic weakling..." she moped.
"Then screw all those other Angels! They're jerks! Besides, you still have Ledah, Ein, and myself to look out for you when you need some company!" he exclaimed.
"And why can't you take your own advice for once? I'm sure you have some strength in you if you're willing to deal with a nut like me! You need to learn how to take care of yourself for once! I can't always be around to keep you out of harm's reach! Like what happened with Malice earlier! What if I couldn't reach you in time?"
Lazuli released her hold of Yuan's hand and gasped, leaving the ruby-eyed Angel in an awkward position.
Yuan immediately turned to face Lazuli's back and gulped. "Ah... oh, I... was being too harsh, huh? Was that reprimanding a bit premature?" he asked nervously.
Lazuli then turned as well and shook her head calmly. Apparently, she didn't look too hurt by Yuan's harshness. "Not at all. Actually, that's what I really like about you. You're very sincere and not afraid to speak your mind, and yet you're considerate of others at the same time." she confessed.
Upon hearing this, Yuan's face nearly matched the color of his eyes. "Is that so? I didn't know being annoyingly honest was a likeable trait." he answered with a smirk.
Lazuli laughed. "You're really good at cheering me up, too." she added.
"I guess that's nice to know." Yuan grinned. "But how about we stop flattering me and get back to you for a moment?"
"But I---"
"You're a perfectly fine Angel and the kind I like hanging out with a lot! You've got plenty of good qualities, and if you just concentrate and put your heart into it, you're capable of plenty of things!" Yuan insisted.
"Well, I suppose I'm a decent archer---"
"You're one of the best archers in Asgard! I haven't seen any one else nail so many bull's-eyes so many times in a row! And you look pretty cool and focused like a noble beauty when you start aiming!" Yuan exclaimed.
"Wh-what... really?" Lazuli uttered.
Yuan nodded quickly with a slight blush in his cheeks.
"Th...Thank you, Yuan, but even I'm talented with a bow, I'd still be a heavy liability in a true battle. I'm not too good with melee weapons, so any close range battles would be an immediate failure for me." Lazuli sighed.
Yuan frowned. "That's true, especially for someone as feisty as Malice. Bopping her repeatedly with a bow won't exactly stop her in her tracks" he quipped with a silly grin.
Lazuli laughed quietly. "Please don't joke about this! The thought of trying that is scary!" She then lowered her head. "It's tough being weak like this. If what they say is true, that the Magi are searching for potential Grim Angels, I doubt I would make a good one."
Yuan groaned. "Here I am again! Another person stuck on the idea of reviving the Grim Angels!" he complained. "And again I say this: You're not weak!"
This startled Lazuli in a stuttering frenzy.
"Okay, fine. So I confess the exploits of the Grim Angels were amazing, too. But the idea of becoming one myself just doesn't sit too well with me this day and age, where Ragnarok was 1,000 years ago." he confessed.
Lazuli gave Yuan a blank stare as she held both her hands to her chest.
"Uh... you must REALLY look up to those black-winged guys, huh?" Yuan asked.
Lazuli nodded her head silently.
"Okay. Well then, let's just say that the "Grim Angel Trails" really were revived, and that you met the Magi's expectations and are a going to become a legendary Grim Angel. So then, Miss Lazuli, if you were to receive such a distinguished honor were asked to receive your very own diviner, what would you sacrifice?" he asked in an announcing tone.
"I... I would sacrifice my Fear! Then I could become brave and courageous!" Lazuli cried with all her heart.
Yuan chuckled at Lazuli's answer. "Your Fear, huh? Pretty interesting choice if I say so myself."
Lazuli nodded. "If my fear was taken away, then maybe I could become stronger. I wouldn't hesitate in doing whatever I feel is best, and then nothing could scare me."
Yuan pulled his head back and placed a hand on his forehead. "Then you'd just be plain reckless! Would a daredevil Lazuli be any better than a timid one?" he asked with a big smirk.
"Really? Could things really get worse without my fear?" Lazuli inquired.
"Sure. It would be much harder to look out for you because curiosity would always get the best of you, you might end up picking a bunch of fights that you wouldn't stand a chance in, and because of the reasons above or worse, you could get seriously hurt due to carelessness! You'll just end up making the rest of us worry!" Yuan explained.
"Gee, I never really considered that." Lazuli confessed with a nervous laugh. "It's just that so many things hold me back in life, I've always wondered what it feel like to go on a whim just once."
"It's alright. I'm sure your sacrifice would be a common choice among the anxious population." Yuan said as he pat Lazuli's back sympathetically. "But considering the whole diviner issue, if the Magi ever made you a Grim Angel by spontaneous choice, they better give you a bow diviner! You don't need a stinkin' close-range combat to rule as a fighter!"
Lazuli blinked. "Huh?"
"Sure! I can an see it right now: You'll snipe wave after wave of incoming demons with your graceful skill and deadly aim! The carnage will be ugly, but the one delivering death is elegant and beautiful!" Yuan exclaimed.
Lazuli lit up bright red at the ruby-eyed Angel's blatant compliment and came really close to fainting.
"Ah! Yuan... Yuan? You can stop now!"
Luckily for her, Yuan caught those last few words before he really got into his imagery.
"Oh, right... sorry." he answered bashfully.
During a few moments of awkward silence, Yuan contemplated the incident with Malice once more, then moved on to Ledah's fleeting words.
"Man, that Ledah has a talent for saying things at the right time. It's like he has this uncanny perception!" he groaned.
"Ledah? You were actually able to speak with him today?" Lazuli asked.
"Yeah. He still isn't doing too well with Lorelei's death, but he still trying to stay cool. Sometimes I feel guilty that we were able to move on faster than he did, but she was his lover after all..." Yuan lamented.
"But... Lorelei was our best friend as well. It still hurts to think that she died so soon..." Lazuli answered.
"That's why we have to look out for the guy whenever we can. It would suck if we left the poor guy to mourn by himself! I'm also pretty sure that Lorelei wouldn't want him to dwell in sorrow for the rest of his life, so we have to do our dearly-departed friend this favor!" Yuan exclaimed.
Lazuli nodded. "Ldeah was like a big brother to us all. He was always so calm and understanding. He doesn't deserve to suffer the way he is right now."
"The guy's a really cruel opponent in sparring, but at least he was fair. And he used to be more fun outside of training, too. But I guess that's what happens when you loose the love of your life." he sighed.
"That's understandable. I don't know how I'd be able to cope if I lost someone that important to me..." Yuan said with a quiver in her voice.
At that moment, the two of them looked directly at each other's, but it was merely a casual glance.
For a long time, both of them shared a moment of silence as they dwelled on Lorelei's death, as well as Ledah's loss. It was then that Lazuli spotted a rectangular-shaped lump under Yuan's white shirt.
"Oh! Right! Weren't you going to show me some things in your sketchbook?" Lazuli exclaimed.
Yuan laughed nervously as he rubbed his head. "Right! Right! I almost forgot!" He then took out a moderate-sized maroon book with golden lining and a single gold rune.
"I finished a few interesting pieces since last time!" he added before opening it up.
The first was the drawing of a confident Angel with short, dark violet hair and golden eyes that stared coldly into the distance. He wore a long black coat with golden lining with many belts fastened across, and a single brown shoulder pat. His arms were folded casually as pair of magnificent black wings was completely stretched out as if to flaunt them.
Lazuli's eyes sparkled in wonder. "It's like... you can feel the strength of his presence just by looking at him! Who is this?"
Yuan nodded to himself proudly. "This is supposed to be Grim Angel Konan, one of the most prominent soldiers in Ragnarok, as said in the history books. You may not believe it by looking at him, but he's supposed to be one of Ein's ancestors."
"You mean, Etchel?" Lazuli exclaimed in surprised. "You're right. They don't resemble each other in any way! How is it possible that someone as spirited as Ein share the blood of this dangerous-looking Angel?"
Yuan shrugged. "I dunno, but I checked a few records one day and found out they're connected. I don't think even he knows this yet, though."
"Really. I'm not sure how he'd handle knowing he's connected to someone so famous from the time of Ragnarok." Lazuli replied with a nervous laugh. "By the way, where did you get the imagery for this?"
"From a very rough sketch in one of the textbooks. I also went by how it described his features as well." Yuan explained.
Lazuli nodded in amazement. "This is pretty impressive for something based on speculation. Maybe this is exactly how he looked back then? There's definitely a well-defined personality in his eyes."
Again, Yuan shrugged. "Maybe. I'd admit it would be cool if I nailed his look dead on."
Lazuli then turned the page to see a picture of a beautiful Angel woman with wavy red hair, pure white wings, and a charming smile sitting up patiently.
"It's Lorelei..." Lazuli said curiously. "When did you do this one?"
Yuan sighed. "Unfortunately, she passed away before I had the chance to ask her to pose for me, so I had to do this by memory and imagination. I tried really hard to capture her kindly expressions."
"Don't worry. You did great." Lazuli assured. "I'm sure she would be proud to see this drawing if she was still here with us."
"Lovely Lorelei..." Yuan said with a chuckle. "May her kindness remain warm within the hearts she touched." he lamented.
"Ledah once told me she loved red roses the most, so I decided to give the proper addition to this drawing." he said as he pointed out the Rose bush behind her.
"The color of her hair is pretty close to that of the roses'. It compliments her nicely" Lazuli commented.
"I find it odd how casually we can talk about this picture." Yuan grinned.
After the two shared more thoughts of the picture, Lazuli turned the page yet again to show another figure that was unfamiliar to her.
She appeared to be a young female sprite with long green hair and sparkling emerald eyes. She wore a fancy shirt with puffy sleeves, a flowing green dress, and a big green bow with her hair. She was in a somewhat lively pose while she smiled brightly.
Lazuli viewed this picture in confusion. "...Yuan? I don't recognize this one either. Is this sprite? She doesn't have any wings at all, but she looks perfectly fine without them."
Upon closer inspection, she saw an uncanny resemblance between her and an Angel she knew very well. "I don't understand why, but her expression is really close to Lorelei's." she said curiously.
Yuan looked at the picture and scratched her head. "Yeah, I did notice the similarity, but the thing is, I just saw her in a random dream one day. She was frolicking around a village of treetop homes, everything just caught my attention. I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling that what I saw that day was a vision of Riviera."
"Riviera, the isle below the realm of Asgard? The land promised to the sprites? I suppose, but you can't be too sure if what you saw is real. Maybe it's your own impression of what it's like down there, and maybe this girl is somehow connected to your subconscious thoughts of Lorelei" Lazuli speculated.
Yuan smiled. "If that happens to be part of Riviera, it looks like a beautiful place. And perhaps, whatever part of Riviera that Lazuli came from might be just as interesting." he thought to himself.
"So, does she have a name then?" Lazuli asked.
Yuan shook his head. "The entire scene was so lively, but nobody in my dream ever called her by name. It's a shame I couldn't it get it in my dream, but I refuse to name her by my own choice."
"Is that so? Well, I'm glad you're respecting this dream girl's identity." Lazuli smiled. "Does she mean a lot to you?"
Both Angels gave each other curious looks.
"Not personally. I'm just glad to see her as an inspiration for a drawing!" Yuan chirped. He then turned his head to the side reluctantly.
"I have the strangest feeling that she's of great significance to fate in genereal; however." he thought to himself.
Lazuli continued to look through the sketchbook, feeling more satisfied with each picture. After finally making it to the blank pages, Lazuli blinked a few times and let out a slight moan.
"I think the scenery's starting to relax me a little too much. Is it okay if I rest here for awhile?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"Sure. Go ahead and take a load off." he answered with a warm smile.
The angel maiden smiled back before she closed her eyes and curling up by Yuan's side.
The ruby-eyed Angel gazed thoughtful at the sleeping maiden as he recalled an earlier time...
In his memory, he was but a lone, quiet child who left behind by parents who disappeared from mysterious circumstances. His awkwardness in Asgard left him unable to speak or play with the other Angel children, and it may have been the same awkwardness that caused others to either ignore him entirely, or ruthlessly pick on him.
For awhile, toddler Yuan silently wandered with a somber look in his eyes without retaliating against his offenders; however, his anger towards others gradually developed as he desperately surprised to preserve what little sense of peace remained in his life.
It was until one fateful day where he was forever changed from the avoidant child he was once.
On that day, child Yuan decided wander close to the entrance of Heaven's gate. Various thoughts of solitary exploration occurred in the young angel's mind. Apparently, another angel of his age had similar ideas he saw yet another one nearing Heaven's Gate. This other angel appeared to distance himself from the entrance as he threw rock after rock at another figure at the gate. Out of curiosity and concern, young Yuan rushed to the gate to find something that shocked him beyond belief:
Another abandoned angel that was gravelly wounded. The feathers from her tiny wings were terribly molted while the rest of her body was covered from head to toe in dirt and bruises. She had messy, shoulder-length, light blue hair with dulled eyes of lapis lazuli. The only thing she wore was a thoroughly-torn, sleeveless, dirty-crème dress.
The mysterious angel's entire body trembled as she could not avoid the onslaught of rocks. It was not until her forehead started bleeding that she began her silent tears.
While it seemed she could not recognize the witness of her cruelty, young Yuan was glaring straight at the suffering angel.
His composed thoughts became cloudy as his surprised anger started to overwhelm him. He was confused as to how a fellow Angel could end up suffering to such an extent beyond his normal torture, especially in a land supposedly blessed by the gods. He was even more confused how another fellow Angel could allow himself to feel any joy in causing pain to a helpless person.
The wounded angel continued crying as the offensive angel's smirk grew wider and wider. His twisted satisfaction grew to the point where he started laughing as he chucked more and more rocks.
"GO BACK WHERE YOU BELONG!" the angel shouted. "A "FALLEN ONE" LIKE YOU DOESN'T DESERVE TO LIVE HERE!"
Suddenly, young Yuan's mind snapped. He picked up a near by stick and charged at the offender at full speed. The rock-throwing angel couldn't react fast enough as he was swiftly beaten into submission.
After realizing that rocks were no longer being hurled at her, the wounded angel looked up and saw young Yuan standing triumphantly, while appearing out of breath. Young Yuan then turned to face the victim. Her eyes were filled with a conflicting mixture of fear and gratitude.
Upon seeing the trembling victim, and viewing the unconscious body of the other angel, Yuan began trembling from the violent act he committed to save her. He fell on his knees and dropped his stick while he desperately tried to recover his breath. His eyes widened. His mind raced once more, but instead with deep remorse.
Yuan's mind returned to present as he found himself gazing upon Lazuli again.
"That was the first time that my burning wrath took over..." he whispered to himself. "It was because of her..."
Preview
Chapter 4- Warrior's Paradise
"You're pretty tough for a little guy"
"I'm glad to hear it!"