The Demise Of One's Love

Soon, the moment that both of them had been waiting for finally came.

The time when Requaniel would be selected as the angel of protection, A.K.A., Lady Celestia's angel aide.

The council of three ancient gods held the authority to determine the suitability of an angel to serve as a goddess's aide.

Lady Celestia's wise choice of a sword master as her aide proved fortunate for Requaniel. Over the past fifty years, he not only mastered his sword art but also surpassed some angels and deities in physical strength. This achievement secured his position and shielded him from being a target for bullying.

In a voice carrying the echoes of ages, one of the ancient gods spoke, "Requaniel, swear upon your life to be the steadfast guardian of the Goddess of Mystery, Celestia. Promise to stand by her through every challenge, unwavering in your support."

His gaze, intense yet infused with a touch of understanding, fixed upon Requaniel with humane scrutiny, bridging the divine and the mortal.

The ancient gods seemed indifferent to Requaniel's lineage, showing no concern about whether he was the son of a traitor or not. Their focus remained steadfast on rules and regulations, transcending personal considerations.

"I swear on my life to always protect my lady from any harm that may befall her on her journey," Requaniel asserted, his crystal blue eyes reflecting confidence. This was the moment he had patiently awaited for two hundred years.

"Having proven your worth in the art of the sword, from this moment onward, you are appointed as the personal aide to the Goddess of Mystery, Celestia. You are not merely Requaniel, anymore; henceforth, you bear the title of the Angel of Protection, Requaniel!" The proclamation of the ancient gods resonated, echoing throughout the room.

"Why him!"

"Why the son of that traitor?!"

As the announcement unfolded, a wave of anger and frustration surged among the angels. After all, the position given to Requaniel was one that every angel would fervently desire.

The position bestowed upon them held the power of the Supreme Angels, and it was none other than the esteemed role of the angel of protection.

However, despite the continuous loathing from others, Requaniel no longer lets it bother him.

He turned his gaze toward Lady Celestia and offered a warm smile. In return, Lady Celestia smiled back, though her expression held a hint of nervousness, as if she were having an inner conflict.

Time elapsed, and a significant number of years slipped by. One day, the Goddess of Beauty, Seraphina, convened a meeting with Lady Celestia.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

However, their conversation turned into a heated argument, with Lady Seraphina insisting on removing Requaniel from his position.

Lady Celestia, on the contrary, staunchly denied it without even contemplating the idea.

"Why are you doing this, Celes?!" Lady Seraphina asked in a rather frustrated voice, adding, "You know how bad his reputation is?! You know he's the son of that traitor, don't you?! He's the only reason why the blood war—"

"Seraphina!" However, her words were cut off as Lady Celestia interjected, replying, "I'm the one who decides whether I need him as my aide or not! It's none of your concern!"

"What…?" Her words hit Lady Seraphina like an arrow to the chest. She stepped back in disbelief, replying, "W-Why are you talking to me like this? Aren't we best friends?"

Despite being best friends for hundreds of years, the way Lady Celestia spoke with Lady Seraphina hurt her deeply.

In response, Lady Celestia lowered her gaze and remained silent.

"Why…? Why are you silent?!" Lady Seraphina raged as tears welled up in her eyes, and her face turned red in anger.

"Please go," Lady Celestia commented in a low voice, adding, "I want to be alone."

"?!" Her words hurt Lady Seraphina on a deeper level as she slammed her legs, yelling, "Don't blame me that I didn't warn you! He's not a normal angel! You'll only suffer with him by your side!"

Fueled by anger, she slammed her fist on the desk before storming out of the room.

Sigh!

As Lady Seraphina left, Lady Celestia sighed and spoke to herself in a hushed tone, "I understand, Sera. But there's more to Requaniel than meets the eye. I see the darkness, but I'm trying to mend it to save him from that abyss. Can't you all just see the struggle and the pain he carries within?"

Her words held a mix of pity and love, concealing the darker truth she was working to redeem.

In the passage of a mere two hundred years, the connection between Lady Celestia and Requaniel deepened, evolving into a bond stronger than ever. They became secret lovers, their relationship shrouded in secrecy.

Lady Celestia even introduced him to her little brother, Zephyr. They became good friends, as Zephyr wasn't the type to treat Requaniel with contempt.

Aside from Zephyr, Requaniel also made a good friend named Demenisis. Being an angel of protection, Requaniel assisted Demenisis in becoming an angel of light.

Finally having some genuinely supportive people in his life, he appreciated his existence for the first time since the death of his mother.

Regardless, as the saying goes: If something good happens, bad follows.

It all came to an end with the demise of one's love…

***

"Ngh…" Requaniel felt pain coursing through his entire body as he slowly attempted to open his eyes, but weariness overwhelmed him.

"Guh…" He let out a weary response and finally managed to open his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the ceiling of Lady Celestia's room.

"Huh…? Wha…what am I doing here…?" In a weak voice, Requaniel muttered as he tried to get up. He recalled being in the library, studying ancient texts, but sudden dizziness overcame him.

Now, as he regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was the ceiling of Lady Celestia's room.

Cough!

"Hmm?" Suddenly, as he heard the coughing of someone familiar, Requaniel shifted his gaze to the left.

"?!" Unexpectedly, as his eyes shifted to the left, he was left flabbergasted by the gruesome scene that he had witnessed.

"MY LADY!!" Requaniel's scream pierced the air, fueled by sheer panic. He rushed forward, a wave of fear crashing over him as he saw Lady Celestia, her back against the wall, a deep wound staining her chest, with the pool of blood beneath her.

Coughing up blood, she embodied vulnerability, and the stark reality of the moment hung heavy in the air.

"Wh-what happened?!" Requaniel exclaimed while using his healing skill to mend the wound on Lady Celestia's chest, which was pouring out blood.

"A-Ah…R…Requa…niel…" Lady Celestia tried to speak, but due to a bloody cough in her throat, she wasn't able to utter it clearly. She coughed again.

"Who! Who did this?!" Requaniel's voice remained panicked, but it grew more alarmed as he noticed that his healing ability wasn't working at all.

"Tch!" Noticing this, Requaniel clicked his tongue in annoyance and roared to the top of his lungs, "ANGEL OF PROTECTION: METALONIAN HEALING!!"

It was the ultimate skill that he could only use once in a hundred years.

"Ha…?" But shockingly, Requaniel was left speechless, his eyes popping out as he saw that his ultimate skill failed to heal the deep wound on Lady Celestia's chest, as if it were a cursed wound.

The cursed wound typically ends the lives of those who are afflicted by it.

"...It…won't…work…" Although coughing up blood, Lady Celestia managed to faintly reply as she continued, "Don't…worry…I don't…think I'll make it…out, Requa..niel…"

"What are you talking about?! Stop spouting nonsense!!"

Requaniel yelled at her in anger and fear as he got up, replying, "Wait! I'll go and look for the Goddess of Healing!"

"Nah…" However, Lady Celestia declined, still smiling, as she gradually grabbed Requaniel's dress, saying, "She won't…able to…heal it…cursed…Cough…wounds…are not…something she could…deal with…"

For some inexplicable reason, she seemed to be in denial, as if she knew that this cursed wound might take her life.

"How did it even happen?!" Due to panic, his mind didn't seem to work properly as he raised his arms, commanding, "Oh, Goddess of Healing. I, Requaniel, the angel of protection, humbly beseech your presence—breathe life into me with your divine power! Grace me with your gift—O, Essence of Rejuvenation!!!!"

However, nothing happened, as if the Goddess of Healing didn't want to bestow her power upon Requaniel, whom she loathed for being the son of a traitor.

"Come on!! I really need it!!" Requaniel screamed, but to no avail.

"Damn you!!" Cursing her, and placed his palms over the wounds of Lady Celestia and raged, "ANGEL OF PROTECTION: METALONIAN HEALING!!"

*Swish!*

A silver aura surrounded Lady Celestia, but again, it didn't heal her wounds.

"Ugh!" However, Requaniel ended up coughing blood, too, since it was an ultimate skill he could only use once in a hundred years. Using it again might result in a physical or spiritual injury.

"Grh! ANGEL OF PROTECTION: METALONIAN HEALING!!"

However, he commanded again to the top of his lungs, but to no avail. His eyes started pouring blood, but he didn't stop but continued healing many times, to the point that his body became so fragile, worse than the body of a mortal baby.

"Ugh…" Exhausted, he succumbed, collapsing against the wall beside Lady Celestia. His eyes, once vibrant, now dimmed as he ended up embracing Lady Celestia.

"Why…is it not…healing…?" While panting heavily, Requaniel muttered. But then again, he pushed him away from the embrace and gazed at Lady Celestia, who was gasping heavily, as he reassured her by saying, "Don't worry...my lady...nothing will happen to you..."

Thinking that he might still have a chance to heal her, he extended his right arm to try once more.

Nonetheless, this time, Lady Celestia clutched his palm. Although her grasp wasn't tight due to fatigue, she still managed to stop him.

"Don't be…stupid…" She called out. As her breathing slowed down, she tried to speak: "I never thought…that my life would end…like this…even after these hundreds of years…we spent together…yet this is…what happened, huh…?"

She giggled a little and mumbled, "I see…so Sera was right…about…the blood war–Cough! Cough!"

However, her words were cut off as she coughed, and she opened her mouth as a trail of blood trickled out from the corner of her lips.

"M-my…lady…" Requaniel tried to use the healing from his left hand, but he failed to do so.

He had already lost the vitality of healing after using his ultimate skill more than ten times, yet it didn't show any effect at all.

"I'm sorry…" Unexpectedly, Lady Celestia apologized as her eyes started losing their shine.

"What…?" Her abrupt apology left Requaniel puzzled. Still gasping, he lifted his gaze, questioning why Lady Celestia was apologizing to him.

Lady Celestia faintly smiled as she asked, "Do you… remember the reason…why I…chose you…as my angel aide…?"

"I do," Requaniel nodded, reminiscing about four hundred years ago when Lady Celestia chose him as her angel aide. She said that she saw a genuine strength in him and compassion that resonated deeply with her.

"It was… a lie…" Lady Celestia replied, her breathing slowing down and her eyelids growing heavy.

"?!" Requaniel's eyes burst open after hearing this heaven-rendering testimony, and he just responded, "Why…?"

He was also weak, so he couldn't muster the strength to inquire fully about why she had chosen him as her angel aide.

"I…" Lady Celestia began, and as her gaze shifted to Requaniel, she replied, "I don't want you…to suffer. Lady Elysia…would be…sad, you know…"

"?!" Requaniel was left speechless after hearing this. Her testimony was enough for him to realize that all she did was for the sake of his late mother. He didn't bother asking why she mentioned her with such respect, especially when his own father never respected his wife.

Hearing all this, a faint smile formed on Requaniel's face as he called out, "Pitying…me, huh…?"

"It was indeed…in the beginning…" Lady Celestia replied as she closed her eyes, adding, "But I…love these four hundred years…we spent together…I really…cherished those…moments…"

Gradually, she moved her right palm and held Requaniel's left palm, as a couple would do. She smiled at him, responding, "I'm sorry…all I tried…was to save you…from him…but it looks like…I wasn't strong enough...to even protect myself…my bad…"

Some tears started appearing in her eyes as he opened her eyes, mumbling slowly, "If only he…didn't exist…if only he…didn't become…a hindrance…we would be…together…"

"Who…?" After noticing her mentioning 'he,' Requaniel asked, thinking that this person might be the one who hurt her.

"...the one…who resides…***"

Lady Celestia tried to speak but wasn't able to complete her words as her breathing slowed even further, to the point that she was about to die.

"My lady…" Requaniel called her but only heard her mumbling something that he wasn't able to hear as she started closing her eyes again.

"Hey…don't close your eyes…my lady…DON'T!!" He finally managed to scream, but gasped afterwards.

Lady Celestia couldn't help but smile in her last moment. With her trembling left arm, she placed it on Requaniel's cheek, whispering, "I…always wonder…did I really…love you…or just…pitying you…but I guess…I understand…now…"

The flow of her tears gradually stopped as she, with the last ounce of her strength, yanked Requaniel and sealed his lips with hers.

"?!" Requaniel's eyes burst open at the sudden kiss as he collapsed on the flood of tears and slowly closed his eyes, wishing that it would be a dream and soon he would wake up and everything would be normal.

Yet harsh reality set in, and he grasped that it wasn't a dream as Lady Celestia lifted her lips and smiled at him again, murmuring, "I might have…pitied you in the past…but this feeling now…it's genuine…"

Then, her eyes locked with Requaniel's as she muttered in her angelic voice, "I really…love you, Requaniel… and I…never regret...falling in love...with you..."

Regrettably, upon finishing her words, her palm, once on Requaniel's cheek, slipped to the ground, and her breathing came to an end. Her once-shining eyes became empty, and she had finally…met her demise.

"M-my lady…" Requaniel's eyes remained wide open, entranced by the reality that she was no longer there.

"H-hey, say…something! Come on, my lady…MY LADY!!!!!" He shouted while crying but received no response, as Lady Celestia's lifeless body remained silent and unresponsive.

"MY LADY!! PLEASE!! PLEASE WAKE UP!!!" Refusing to accept the reality of her departure, Requaniel continued to scream in agony, desperately longing for her to awaken once more.

Yet, before he could react any further, her body began to disintegrate into particles of dust. Requaniel, in tears, attempted to grasp the vanishing remnants, but they dissipated into nothingness.

"NO!!!! WHY?!?!" Crying hysterically until his crystal blue eyes swelled, Requaniel appeared to descend into madness, having lost his one and only hope of life.

***

*Creak!*

Meanwhile, on the other side of heaven, a man in a white astral dress kneeled on the ground. The glass from his palm fell, and tears welled up in his eyes as he sensed something tragic.

"My lord! What's wrong?" One of the astral guards around him asked after noticing him kneeling on the ground.

"Why..." Nevertheless, the man gritted his teeth in fury, fixing his gaze on the guards. He commanded in a furious voice, "Go to Celestia's realm and catch that scoundrel, Requaniel, now!!!"

***

*Slam*

Moments later, to worsen the situation for him, the door to Lady Celestia's room swung open, and astral guards stormed inside.

One of them forcefully pushed Requaniel's head to the ground, declaring, "Angel of Protection, Requaniel! You are under arrest for the crime of murdering your benefactor, the goddess of mystery, Celestia!"