Angel feathers hold diverse meanings across cultures, often symbolizing hope, acknowledgment, faith, and protection. Many believe that finding a feather can signify that a loved one is watching over them, bringing comfort and reassurance. This belief is widely shared and cherished worldwide.
Blue angels, led by Archangel Michael, represent power, strength, protection, faith, and courage. Among them, Fighter, is a warrior who was part of Michael's army. After suffering a gruesome death, he was sent back to Earth with a purpose. Once he fulfills this mission, he will return to heaven to continue his service to God. However, he becomes entangled in his personal feelings and emotions, causing his once pristine feathers to fall away.
Gray-winged angels are interpreted as signs of peace and tranquility. However, if gray feathers fall from an angel that was not naturally gray-winged, it indicates vulnerability and risk. When an angel feels depressed, hurt, or lost, gray feathers fall like dead leaves from a tree. This is precisely what is happening to Fighter right now.
Fighter is sitting at the edge of the bed, engrossed in a single picture displayed on his phone. It shows Saint and a girl, taken the other day at a restaurant. The girl, who appears to be Saint's girlfriend, tagged Saint in the photo. Although Saint has a social media account, he rarely uses it.
Fighter cannot take his eyes off the screen, captivated by the happy image of both smiling. He feels a deep, painful ache in his heart, and the urge to cry overwhelms him.
He had not eaten since morning, ever since he discovered the picture. He did nothing but stare at his phone screen, even as lunchtime approached. He didn't even notice the feathers falling from his back.
"This...h-hurts," he murmured, clutching his chest and the pendant of his necklace tightly in his palm.
If these dead feathers continue to fall, there's a possibility that an angel could die and vanish forever. The only way to stop this is by controlling emotions and feelings. But Fighter seems incapable of doing so. His heart screams Saint's name so loudly that it reaches his mind and ears, leaving him unable to think straight. Saint, his only favorite person, his savior, strength, and happiness, seems to have found his own happiness, and Fighter believes that it isn't him.
"Fighter?!"
Saint's yell snapped Fighter out of his reverie. He quickly reached out for Saint, but was greeted by a displeased expression.
Saint had come home for lunch, wanting to share it with Fighter. What made him furious was the uneaten food on the table. He had made it for Fighter earlier that morning before leaving for work.
"Why is this fucking food still fucking here?!"
Saint raised his voice, making Fighter flinch at his outrage. Saint had noticed that Fighter hadn't been eating lately. He prepared and ordered food for Fighter, but it always ended up untouched or in the trash. Saint was often late for work because he waited for the food orders or took time to prepare meals for Fighter, compounded by the traffic on his way to work.
"You are wasting goddamn food!"
Saint's fury made Fighter tremble in fear, paralyzed with shock. It was true; he hadn't been eating well lately, only managing to eat some fruits. He had no appetite for a proper meal.
"You are wasting my time and... money!"
Fighter's breath hitched at Saint's angry words and the way he slammed the food cover onto the table. This was the first time he had seen Saint this enraged. He was in complete shock, unable to muster a single word.
"Get out!"
"S-Saint..." Fighter started to tear up, desperately trying to reach his back to prevent his feathers from falling.
"I-I don't have anywhere... else to... go..." Fighter cried. There was no other place on Earth for him to stay other than Saint's penthouse. The thought of Saint wanting him to leave had never crossed his mind. Maybe because Saint had someone else now, Fighter believed he was no longer needed in his favorite person's life.
"Fine! I'll leave!"
Without a second thought, Saint turned and headed toward the front door. Fighter quickly grabbed Saint's hand to stop him, but a furious Saint yanked his hand free and left without looking back. Fighter was left standing there, unable to follow because of the feathers falling from his back.
He sank back to where he had stood frozen before, dropping to his knees and crying his heart out. The pain was overwhelming. The only person in the world he trusted had left him. All he had wanted was for Saint to be honest with him. Humans were indeed dangerous and mysterious; you never knew what someone could do to you. If you weren't careful and attentive enough, you'd end up losing and struggling alone. Today, Fighter felt completely defeated in the battle of emotions. Everything he had done as a human, he had done for Saint.
In the midst of his uncontrollable sobs, his wings weakly fluttered upward on their own, and more feathers fell off. He stopped crying abruptly, startled by his wings moving involuntarily. Turning to check his wings, he was distressed by what he saw.
The original color of his wings was slowly fading, with a noticeable gray hue overtaking the lower parts, while the upper parts retained some of their natural color, albeit less vibrant than before. He sadly touched his wings, and as he gently caressed them, feathers fell to the ground.
"I'm... dying," he whispered, choked with emotion.
He burst into tears again. A brokenhearted and doleful angel was an unusual sight in heaven. Angels were typically known for their positivity, cheerfulness, calmness, and outgoing personalities. Sorrowful feelings were rare among them, usually only surfacing briefly when someone passed away or was injured. But such emotions typically passed quickly.
A ray of golden yellow light appeared in the patio, and Angel Lexus came into view. He approached where Fighter was crying and gently patted his back. Fighter looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't seem to stop the pain, feeling as though it could overwhelm him to the point of death.
"Lexus... I'm sorry," Fighter managed to say between sobs.
Fighter felt ashamed of reaching this pathetic and pitiful state so suddenly and unexpectedly. His heart screamed for Saint and only Saint, despite Saint being the one who had broken it.
"Let's go," Lexus said firmly, snapping his fingers with a loud click. Fighter immediately lost consciousness.
