"What are we?" A small voice asked.
"Beings," the person began, "beings that have roamed this space since the beginning of time."
"Why can't I remember?"
"You're too young, little one. Too young to understand the dangers in knowing of your entire existence. Too young to know what truly lies beyond the unknown."
"Will I ever be able to know?"
"Perhaps, someday. Maybe in the future when you see the world for all that it is worth, for everything that it is and isn't; Maybe then you can understand the true meaning of our existence."
George sighed as he watched the time tick by on his traditional clock that sat on the wall in front of him. When he had decided to get a normal desk job beside streaming, he thought it would be fun and give him something else to do. This wasn't the case, he often found himself wasting the day away with reckless abandon which resulted in him playing either Among Us or Minecraft on his phone. Granted, it wasn't nearly as fun as playing with his friends at home, but it was still something.
This time, the Brit had decided to contemplate life as he sat there with only twenty minutes until four, which was when his shift was over. He thought back to all of the things that he could've changed, to the things that might've made a positive difference in his life. He thought about his friends, Nick, Darryl, Clay, and others that were always there for them. His mind also wandered to things that were beyond the earth: to the cosmos that surrounded their world, untouched. He wondered what it would be like to live among the stars, to watch humans as if their daily lives were being played on a movie screen, just for him.
"Are there other people out there?"
"Yes, it's our job to watch over them."
The man pulled the child over to the edge of the dark substance, placing them onto the railing and holding tight.
"Those are the people, young one, they are very special, just like we are."
"If they're like us, why do we have to protect them?"
"We don't protect them, per say, we help them along their journey."
A loud thump was heard as George dropped his bag onto the floor, his keys following with a clang into the saucer by the door. Paws tapped across the floor as George knelt down to meet Rat, giving her soft pats as the other animals greeted him, Kitty and Patches. He smiled and stood up, making his way to his room and changing out of his formal clothes. He absolutely hated wearing ties, much less a full on suit. His muscles relaxed as he put on a hoodie and sweatpants, then booting up his pc as he took a seat in his office chair.
His fingers nimbly made their way across the keyboard, quickly signing him on and opening Minecraft. Everything came from muscle memory as he started up a new world and began to practice speedrunning. Normally he would stream but he just wasn't feeling up to par, something about his thoughts earlier had him going. He frowned as the thoughts returned to him and everything else seemed to melt away into nothing, giving him a feeling of emptiness. His mind wandered as his senses became numb and he allowed himself to fall into routine as he continued to wander with no coherent place in mind.
George's heart began beating faster as he delved into the deepest parts of his mind, the speedrun forgotten. Colors that he had never seen began to flash through his mind when he thought of them, of the cosmos. The beautifully dangerous unknown to which no man had even dared travel, to the place that he felt at home and where he felt his heart truly belonged. He felt himself reach out to the unknown, he felt it beckoning him, telling him to come home and be free; to be relieved of the earthly chains he felt wrapped around him. A gasp left his lips and his body went taught, reveling in the feeling.
The child raced to the edge that *redacted* had once brought him to. The place where he could watch the 'humans' as they had called them. The air around him changed as he thought about what life would be like, how different life would be, down there amongst their charges. His eyes wandered as he leaned further onto the railing, fully trusting it to give him the support he needed to stay upright. He felt joyous as he watched them run to and fro, going on with their daily lives.
What would it feel like, he wondered, to be an ant, to be as meaningless as the next person, and try to live amongst them? Would it be challenging? Would he prevail?
He found himself slipping a small leg over the railing which was quickly followed by the other. His hands loosely clasped the golden railing behind him as he rocked back and forth on his heels, contemplating the decision. This new life would be much more interesting than his current one, he would be free from the responsibilities that he held on his small shoulders. He would be free.
That was his last coherent thought as he tumbled down, down, down.
George shot up straight in his chair, knocking over the coffee mug that had been placed at the edge of his desk. A small sticky note accompanied it, with a quick sentence jotted down on it and a smiley face. The male quickly discarded it and wiped off his desk in a hurry, trying to save his pc. He leaned back in his chair, his head resting against the headrest as he thought about what had just happened. His usually calm mind had been sent into a tizzy, leaving him out of breath afterwards.
"What the hell," he murmured, running a hand across his face. This hadn't been the first time he found his mind wandering, but this, whatever it was, this was a first.
He slowly got up from his chair and made his way to the connected bathroom. His tired eyes blearily looked at the image of himself in the mirror, slowly taking in what he saw before him. The black wings that stretched behind him were not normal, as well as the cracked halo that now adorned his head. George let out a shrill scream and fell back into the shower curtain, taking it and the rod down with him. He groaned when his back hit the porcelain of the shower but the pain was ignored due to what he had seen.
Luckily no one else was in the house, as they had apparently gone out with a few friends; they hadn't invited George because he was passed out at his desk, that's what the note had said at least. George shakily stood like a new-born fawn that had just grown into its legs and stepped out of the tub, gripping the edge of the sink hard. He stared at his reflection and winced when it stared back, his right wing twitching. A shaky hand reached up to touch the black feathers, quickly jumping away at the new feeling. The feathers were oily and gross, having a texture that almost made him throw up. They looked downright awful and George could only guess why.
A loud ringing sound bounced around his head, so loud that George immediately covered his ears and screwed his eyes shut. It only intensified when he fell to the ground in pain and curled up into a ball. He screamed out for anyone in the vicinity to hear and he lay there in agony as he trashed and sobbed in pain. The brunette wailed over and over to anyone who was listening, before it all stopped. He felt a strange presence behind him slowly creep up and a hand reached out, latching itself onto the Brit's head and yanking him to his feet.
"Found you, angel."
Oh. That's why Clay called him angel.
"Knowledge comes at a price, young one. The first fallen angel, Dream, was the first to buy it."
