1 Mission

We just need his power, then we can go back home and you can be human again. He will sacrifice himself for our sake. I will entrust this mission to you, Seraph."

"Yes, sir. I will give you the Elemental Rings in exchange for my mortality." I release my pitch black wings and descend from the dark clouds. Once I kill him, my torment will finally end.

The breeze is nice here in the Mortal Realm. The grass is soft on my feet too.

'Do you remember your mission Seraph?' His demanding voice echoes in my head.

"Yes, I'll contact you when I find him."

"Good, the keeper is a young male, he usually dresses like a knight, I think. He doesn't exactly wear a full suit of armor. The village he lives in isn't too far, remember you can't use your wings. So you will have to go on foot. If you can't find him, be sure to contact us."

"Yes, sir." I stand up and head in the direction of the village. Some knowledge of the human world flows into my thoughts. We have gathered this information over the years, so we can better disguise ourselves among them. Though, we do stick out because of our unnatural beauty. There's been a few times where we have actually been accused of being, Demons. It's rather insulting to be mistaken for those filthy creatures.

Suddenly there's an immense pain in my foot. "By the Gods! This hurts!" I sit down and look at my foot. I stepped on a branch with a sharp point. "You guys give me clothes, but no shoes!" A small amount of blood pours out of my heel. I sigh and use a small healing spell to heal my foot. It takes up most of my energy to heal this little cut.

'He's nearby, he must have heard you yelling.'

Great, now what am I supposed to do? I have no energy for anything, and it feels like the cold is creeping in on me. My body shivers from the breeze. I manage to stand up, and force myself to continue.

I collapse in exhaustion, breathing heavily. Sweat beads down my face. The moon is high in the sky, and at this point I'm sure that I'm lost. Unsure of where to go next, I sit down and lean against a nearby tree.

I only get to rest for a minute or two, when an arrow flies by my face sticking itself into the tree. It leaves a small cut on my cheek, I pull it out of the tree.

The tip of the arrow is blue. Is it poisoned? I am immune to those, unless it's a sedative.

I look in the direction the arrow came from and I see a dirty, scruffy man. He appears to be a bandit of some kind.

I stand up quickly, making myself dizzy. I try to summon my spear, but it doesn't come. I attempt to run, but my legs won't move an inch. "Dammit, why won't this body move!"

"Now you're mine!" I hear the man call from behind me. He runs towards me trying to catch up.

"Hey, are you alright?" A young man in glistening armor comes running up to me as I lean onto a tree for support.

My body feels weak, and it feels warmer than I remember. "Help….me." I manage to say as I collapse into him.

"Don't worry, you're safe with me." He says catching me.

"There you are!" The man that shot me finally catches up to us. He pretends to be relieved.

"Who are you?" The Knight asks.

"I'm her older brother. She ran off from the house and I went looking for her. Our mother is worried sick."

I squeeze his arm, pretending to be scared.

He thinks for a moment and shakes his head. "I think it's better if she comes with me." He lifts me up and starts to carry me away.

The scruffy man raises his bow and arrow at us. Before he can release the arrow, his body bursts into flame. His screams echo through the woods, carried by the breeze.

The young Knight turns us around and walks away. "That signal was smart. I figured you two weren't related. You don't even look alike."

"How did you know where to find me?"

"I heard you yelling, so I came to investigate." He grabs a handkerchief, and wipes away the blood on my cheek.

I feel a warm sensation fall across my body.

"There, now you have a pretty face again."

He healed me? And I feel my energy replenish. "We just have to wait for the paralysis to wear off now.It shouldn't be too long now, it was only a small amount."

So that was the blue stuff on the arrow. That might come in handy at some point.

He continues to walk for a while, and I find myself staring at his face. His light blue eyes sparkle in the pale moonlight, making my heart beat a little faster.

"How did you heal me?" I ask, somewhat curious.

"I guess you could call it Wind Magic. Though in my eyes, I think it's a gift from God. I can use the wind to heal or protect those around me. It's one of the reasons I'm in the King's Guard, that or be executed."

Damn, if he works for the King, it will be hard to kill him without anyone noticing.

"Hey, think you can stand?" He sets me on the grass.

"Thank you, for saving me."

"It's my job to protect the people, don't mention it." He looks me up and down. "So why are you wandering around the woods at this time of night?"

"Well, I kind of got lost and can't find my way out." I look down at myself and I'm surprised how dirtyI've gotten since I came.

"Do you know where you live? Or a family member you can find?"

I look down at the ground again. "I don't have a home. I haven't had one for a long time."

"I see." He thinks for a moment.

If he takes me in, he's dumber than I thought.

"How about we make a deal?"

"Um, okay?" I can't believe he actually considered it.

"If I take you in, you have to take care of the house and cook for me."

I swear, this mortal is dumber than I anticipated. He's way too nice to a stranger he just met in the middle of the woods.

"A young woman as pretty as you, shouldn't be out here alone. Besides, I find you interesting. You do make an impressive actress."

"Not buying it?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Nope, I may be nice, but I'm not stupid. I feel like there's something different about you."

I sigh. "Alright, I will tell you whatever you want to know when we get there."

'Don't you dare blow your cover Seraph, kill him now!"

I block their communication and ignore him for now. I want to know more about this man and his gift.

He takes me to his home, and it's a small cabin on the edge of town.

"So this is it?" I ask. I thought the King's Guards lived in the castle.

"Yeah, I could've got something nicer with my salary, but it's not my style. I prefer the smaller things in life, it helps me make the most of life. Just because you're rich, doesn't mean you have to show it." He opens the door for me and leads me inside.

There's a stove in the corner, next to a pile of wood. His dry goods are not too far from it, with a door to what I assume is the cellar next to it. The center of the cabin had an oak table with two chairs to match. His wardrobe stands right beside me, with his bed on the opposite side.

"It's not much, but it's home. I can start warming up some water for a bath, if you want."

"Sure." I nod.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." He leaves through the back door.

I take the opportunity and look for anything useful. He literally has no personal items in his own home.

He comes back in after a while, somewhat soaked. "The water is ready for you."

I follow him outside to find a tub of water, steaming in the night air.

"I'll be checking on my animals if you need me." He hands me a bar of soap.

I nod as he leaves. I undress and slowly sit in the warm water. I can barely see what I'm doing. The only light I have is from a small lantern.

I hear him behind me and hide myself in the water.

"I'm going to look for something you can wear tonight. We can buy some better clothes for you later." He says going back into the cabin.

I stand up and look around for something to dry myself off with. I turn around and find him standing there with a towel and a nightgown in his hands.

We stand like that for a moment, not knowing what to do.

I feel my cheeks heat up, and I frantically try to cover myself. Luckily for me, the tub covers my lower half.

He looks away, with flushed cheeks. He hands me the towel and nightgown. I take them and look away. "This never happened."

"Right, I'll be inside." He leaves me alone to dry and change.

Once I finish, I head back inside, I can still feel my cheeks heat up from the encounter. I look away as he removes his armor, and strips down to his skivvies.

"Are you ready?" He asks, climbing into bed.

"For what?"

"For bed, I don't have a seperate one for you yet. And it would be rude of me to make you sleep on the hard floor. Besides, there's enough room here to be on opposite sides. It will only be for one night, I'll buy you a cot tomorrow."

I hesitantly sit on the bed. "This is really strange, I apologize.��

"It's fine, we'll talk more tomorrow, I promise." He rolls over onto his side.

I take a deep breath, and lay on the edge of the bed.

"Goodnight." He says.

"Night."

It's not long after, I hear his breathing even out.

I wait a little longer to make sure that he's asleep. This is my chance to get the rings, and finally become human again. I slowly stand up, careful not to wake him. I summon my spear, aiming for his heart.

I prepare to throw it, as he suddenly rolls over, facing me.

Before I can even move my arm to throw my spear, I find myself staring at him once again. His dark grey hair partially covers his face. I can't help but brush it back, revealing his peaceful face. I don't know why I'm so captivated by him. I've killed many people before him, but what's so different about him? I release my spear back into its place. I can't end his life.

I lay back down onto the bed, attempting to understand why.

'You must protect him from your leaders, so he can fulfill his purpose. Do this, and I will grant your wish for mortality.' The unknown voice echoes in my head.

Who was that? I don't recognize it at all.

As I think about it, I eventually get tired. I finally manage to fall asleep, giving my body the rest it needs.