Prologue
Rei Icarus has always admired Icarus.
When he was young, he would hear the story of Icarus' foolish legacy everywhere he goes.
A seraph that burns off his own wings and falls to death during the Great War. Whether that was out of loyalty or something else—that didn't matter.
Wing is the symbol of rank and being. To burn that of—he is truly a fool.
Indeed—to a laughable degree.
When he was young, Rei wanted to be like Icarus.
Rei wanted to be him—who dared to do the extreme no one else dared to do.
To an outsider, Rei Icarus was equally foolish.
Even so, he wanted to be like Icarus.
It was a very childish and abnormal admiration.
—but it is a wish that could never be fulfilled.
]I[
Rei Icarus is a cursed child apparently.
The power that runs through the Icarus' bloodlines. The power that slowly distorted into a curse.
Holy flames that could burn anything into nothingness—even being known as the user.
If he dares to use it, it means one thing—death.
Even with practice, he will find himself falling into a near-death state.
—this was his reality. An unreasonable reality.
Because of that, most people believed that Rei Icarus would live his life in peace. Not wasting his life, chasing after an idiotic tale at the expense of his own life.
They were wrong.
]I[
"Haa….haa….."
Branches scratches his wings and arms.
Accumulating shallow scratches adorns his skin and leaves flew across his vision, diminishing his vision as he tore through the forest.
Panting heavily, he came to a stop.
Retracting his wings—clues for them to track him. Feathers scatters and sways. Blood oozed and skin itches and burns.
Slowly, he drags his heavy legs across the forest.
—It's hot. It's hot. It's hot. It's hot. It's hot. It's hot. It's hot. It hurts.
The burning cough itching his throat—unable to suppress it any longer, he began to cough loudly and violently.
Brutal pain hits him in the parched throat.
Itch. Pain. Blood.
The same cycle each time.
—pathetic.
Rei Icarus bites down on his lips. He felt his eyes beginning to burn and knew there would be tears.
...pathetic...!
He couldn't afford to cry. He can't.
The overflowing tears burns and blurs his eyes. He wipes his eyes with his burnt sleeve as his mind spun.
Glory to be an Seraph - lies.
Regret - too late. Way too late.
Wanting to go home and longing for the warmth of his family after chasing his own tail - such disgrace, he will never forget.
"...!"
He could hear the irritable sardonic voice from somewhere. They were near.
The Devils.
Blood seeps his clothes and pain crawls all over his body. Using his best effort to calm the violent beating of his heat, he pushed on.
He was close. Just endure it for a little longer—…...close to what? Who is he kidding here?
It is impossible. This was clear.
He was naïve.
He had been foolish.
He had been too impulsive.
Even if his opponent were low-class devils, he is still a piece of useless trash when facing against them.
A useless angel that can't do anything right.
"...!"
Stop. Don't think.
It's pathetic.
...but what was the point of even running like this?
Rei shook his head and gritted his teeth.
Even if he had been naïve, he now only has two options. Run or die.
…..really, who is he kidding? Options?
It doesn't exist.
In this state, any resistance is pointless. His body is slowly being engulfed by heat and pain. His stamina has reach rock-bottom and the predator are near.
No matter what he does, Rei could easily guess the outcome.
In the next moment, he could feel the cold, hard concrete on his face. He had collapsed.
Even part of his body was itching and throbbing painfully. He doesn't want to move anymore.
He doesn't want to think anymore.
It's painful to think.
It's painful to care.
It's painful to imagine the future.
..
…...
….…..
—footsteps.
Someone is approaching.
—this will be the end.
So, he must apologize. Because of how he was born—
Actually, he shouldn't think. It'll hurt more. It'll just be even more pathetic.
Beyond pathetic.
Even choosing to live in peace is painful.
Pitiful eyes.
Kind words.
Smile.
Everything and anything was growing to be hateful.
Above all,
—it is himself.
Chasing the fool and becoming the fool itself.
Damn it... To die without a reason and to die voluntarily—pathetic.
Laughable.
Born, thinking there'll be a meaning. To live showered in the kindness and consideration of others. To see them smile after being hurt over and over by him.
—in this unreasonable life where he only hurts others for doing what he wants - disgrace.
The footstep is near. Like that, Rei pushes himself off the ground shakily.
…if he's going to die, he should at least die in style, right?
"Ahhh, ahhhhhhhh…..!"
Head-splitting pain. He felt like something exploded inside him. Something.
It hot. It burns. It hurts.
I want to cry.
But the raging pale yellow flames have no intention of stopping.
So, he kicked the ground and aimed at his enemy.
—obstinately betraying his last wish, his body gave up.
"—!"
Right. This is too cliché.
Dying in style.
Even at his dying moment, he thought so.
His face meets the cold ground again.
It hurts. It really, really hurts, damn it…
A scream and cry tore out from his throat as the flame burned immensely. Engulfing his life and his existences.
He braced himself for death—
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The time stopped.
A heartbeat. A blink.
By the time he noticed,
The unstoppable flame that is burning away his life.
The worthless flame that is killing its user.
The hateful flame that he loathes more than anything.
In a second—it froze.
The melting heat was replaced in a second.
Chills ran up his spine. Coldness assaulted him from all sides. Frigid weight crush down his arm.
Sheets of frosts creeps outward, slowly melting from his dropping body heat. Then the chilling weight shattered in sharp shards that dissipate into disappearing pale blue particles.
That was the first ever cold, summer night he experienced.
He looked up.
Long, silky black hair, tied in twintail, waving gently in the wind and a bottomless, bright blue eyes. Her appearance gave off a completely different feel when compared to those at Heaven. It was a different style of beauty and caused Rei to draw his breath in a trance like state.
Forgetting everything, even the miracle he thought that was impossible, he muttered aloud.
"Beautiful…."
The woman blinked.
Her eyes widened in faint delight as a smile spread on her lips.
She extends her hand towards the boy.
A faint breeze brushes by, ruffling their hair and clothes. She looked at him straight in the eyes and smiled warmly.
"—Are you alright, blue-eyed angel-chan?"
.
.
.
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.
.
Thinking back—it had been this moment.
The moment where the fate of the foolish angel that flies in the enemy' territory and nearly gets killed pathetically begins to turn.