1 Where it all Started

In a town in the middle of the main land named Parnyeque, there was a beautiful boy named Redellion. Born into a middle-class family, he settled into his life as a clerk alongside his friend and only family. When he is not at work, he roams around the town to teach people, sharing his knowledge.

"Hello Redellion!" A man greeted him with adoration in his voice.

"Oh! Hello Jose," he replied, waving his right hand.

Redellion continued with his walk, and in the distance, he saw an elderly woman having trouble with a basket full of fruits.

He immediately went to the elderly woman's side, saying, "Oh dear! "Let me help you with that, Lola," he says, bending down, grabbing both handles of the basket, carrying it, and then putting it down for display.

"Thank you, dear. Here, have some apples, my child," she said, grabbing Redellion's bag and putting some apples in it for him.

"Let me pay for it, Lola," he said as he searched his pockets for money.

"No need, dear,"

"But- "

"Tsk! No buts, my child," she said, her eyes narrowing at Redellion.

Redellion smiled then scoffed, "I can't win with you, Lola. Thank you for the apples. May my God bless you," he bowed his head, then waved goodbye.

"Be safe, dear!" she said.

Redellion turned around and smiled at her, saying, "I will." He turned and continued with his walk.

He was known as the "angel of Parnyeque," as his kindness, wit, and compassion made people feel taken care of and protected. He also protects people from prejudice, especially those with whom he identifies.

Every time he passed by, people always went up to him and bombarded him with gifts, from fruits and flowers to clothes and food. Overwhelmed with gifts, he asked people if he could give some to the orphans. With no one having the heart to say no to Redellion's request, the people agreed, their hearts filled with warmth and delight at his kindness. With a lot of gifts in his hands, he began to walk in the direction of the orphanage. As he walked by, something fell down. Having trouble getting the item, he looked at both sides to see if there was someone who might help him.

A knight saw him struggling with the gifts. He walked closer towards Redellion, then bent down to get the item. The two stared at each other, feelings brewing and hearts pounding.

"Uhm, thank you," Redellion muttered, biting his lips. The knight looked at him, nodding his head.

"So, uhm, I'm Arthur by the way," Arthur said, staring right through Redellion's eyes with his heart-stopping killer smile, and walked to where the orphanage is. Lurking in the shadows is a girl with jealousy raging inside. Staring at Redellion with a glare that could break a thick glass.

The night soon creaks in, the moon blessing the townsfolk with its light, guiding them from the darkness looming in the shadows. As Redellion was cleaning his kitchen, he heard his horse making a noise of distress. He shook his hands, getting rid of some water and completely drying them by wiping his hands on his sides. Curious and worried, he grabbed the door handle, opened it, and made his way to where his horse was.

On the stable, he opened the gate, looking carefully at each corner, nook, and crevice. Seeing there was no problem, he approached his horse, caressing it to calm him down.

"Shh, shh. "Hey, what's wrong?" He said he was connecting his forehead to the horses' forehead, but out of nowhere, he was then hit by a wood in his back. The horse jumped in surprise. With the impact, Redellion leaned on the gate, turning around to see who hit him, and was faced with a girl full of rage. Redellion tried to fight back, but alas, he lost momentum with every hit he took. The sound of a wood plank hitting a body echoed through the stable along with the horses' cries.

When morning arose, a man went to let his cattle go outside. While checking the perimeter, he saw a body lying in a ditch. face on the ground, wounds all over his arms and feet, bloodied. As he approached the body and laid it on its back, he could not believe his eyes. There, he saw Redellion battling between life and death. Alarmed, he ran off and let the people know what he saw.

"Marie! Marie! Have you heard?" The woman urgently called out to her friend.

"What? What is it now, Susan?" she asked, curious about today's tale.

"Red-Redellion was found b-beaten and bruised," her voice contained so much pain and disbelief. People looked at her as if she had dropped a bomb.

"What! Who would do such a thing? And, to the town's angel?" she shouted, seething with anger. A man suddenly interrupts their gossip.

"Whaa, do you know where Redellion is now?" He asked the two girls.

"From what I know, he was still at Uncle Rodel's farm- " Susan was cut off as Redellion's friend ran towards Uncle Rodel's farm house, outrunning every cheetah out there.

Word spread faster than any flu or disease known to man; gossip made it inside the castle and, more importantly, the knights' quarters.

"If I got my hands on whoever did that to Redellion, I would take my time to torture them," said a knight, cracking his knuckles in anger.

"Torture is not enough," another knight said, his face red with rage as Arthur entered their quarter.

"What is not enough?" Arthur said, putting on his vest and equipment.

"Have you not heard? Redellion was beaten," his friend said with sadness and surprise in his voice. "There was news about his condition; he was at Uncle Rodel's Fa-"

Arthur quickly stood up, then ran to the nearest horse, getting on and traveling to the farm house as quickly as possible. Upon arriving, he saw a lot of people outside Uncle Rodel's house. As people noticed him, they moved to the side to let him in. Inside, he saw Uncle Rodel, Redellion's friend, and him. Without thinking, he carried Redellion's bridal style out of the house. Arthur was seething in rage, fear, and sadness, but he did not let it go over him as Redellion's health was the priority. Seen by the people, they formed a pathway to let Arthur go through and ran to where a healer was nearby.

Days past by and no news has been released about the condition of Redellion. News of him being beaten spread all around towns. People wanting to whoever did the crime to be punished, causing an uproar in each town.

Another day passed; Arthur went to the marketplace to make an announcement. People gathered, fearing the worst for their beloved angel. The silence filled the air for a moment, then was shattered by weeps, moans, and screams from the town's people. The knight, saddened by the loss, went to where Redellion resides.

The town prepared a big and grand funeral for Redellion, filled with flowers he liked. The town sang a song, a melody made by their cries. Cries filled with sadness, emptiness, and loss.

Seconds turned into minutes, hours into days, then weeks. Weeks passed after Redellion's burial, and people still could not get over what happened. But for the girl who caused the death of the angel, strange things happened.

In the middle of the night, she was woken up by a noise downstairs. She went to look at it but saw nothing. She turned and was faced by a bloodied Redellion. Scared, she went running upstairs but was faced by Redellion again, taunting her.

"Why? Why? I didn't do anything to you." Redellion's cries echoed on the four walls.

Days, weeks, and months always in a nightmare. One night, she could not do it anymore and went outside to tell people. She went to her neighbor knocking on their door. The door then opened showing her neighbor behind the door.

"I-I... Redellion's haunting me!" she said, eyes wide open in fear, clutching on her neighbor's clothes, kneeling, and shaking in fear. She snickered then laughed, a manic laugh, saying, "I only want him gone" -laughing- "because he stole the things I should have."

Curious about all the noise, her other neighbors looked outside their windows, some going outside.

"I took matters into my own hands. It's what he deserved. Now he's haunting me. Hah! He can't kill me like I killed him."

Shocked by the revelation, the townsfolk were speechless. Enraged, the townsfolk grabbed her and tied her to a wooden post. People are going outside to prepare the execution, some looking for wood and other fuel. Before the townspeople proceeded to take their revenge, the girl saw Redellion looking at her with a smirk while standing next to Arthur. As she was set ablaze, she realized that Redellion was alive; it was planned by the two. Redellion and Arthur, hand in hand. She lost the respect of the townsfolk and the knight, too. The last thing she felt was regret. Regret for what she did. Looking at the scene, the two only looked at the townsfolk with an emotionless reaction. After some time, Redellion's friend approached them and said, "Everything's ready. Let's go." On their way to their carriage, Redellion looked at the knight with love and adoration. His mind went back to what happened when he was sent to the healer.

Redellion squinted his eyes, adjusting them to the light, and once adjusted, he turned his focus to the two, opening his mouth and saying, "Water, I want water," his voice dry. His friend quickly grabbed a glass of water and handed it to him. Redellion, in turn, drinks the water in his hand.

After taking a gulp, he hands it to Arthur. "What happened?" he asks the two men in front of him.

"You were beaten by someone; Uncle Rodel then saw you in a ditch near his farm," Redellion's friend replied, his face holding emotion.

Redellion then frowned, lowering his head after hearing what his friend said. A thought then pops up in his mind, "I know… who did this," he lifts up his head, looking at the two.

"Who?" Arthur asked, ready to hear who it was and sprinting out of the room to avenge him.

"You'll get to know her soon, but for now, let the people know that I passed away," he ordered.

Confused, the two look at him with a look that tells him to explain. Seeing their reaction, Redellion only gave a cryptic answer: "With fear, one will do anything to get away from it. Fear makes someone talkative." Redellion smiled at the two with a sinister smile, hiding a plan.

"Redellion, my love?" Redellion was interrupted in his trance and saw Arthur snapping his finger in front of him. "Are you okay?"

Redellion smiled at Arthur and then replied, "Yeah, I'm okay, happy even." He leans his head on Arthur's shoulder, and they all go on their merry way to another city.