Angels Never Die

ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ~•Chapter|Two • A Risky Leap

"Once again, I have forgotten all memory of you. I chase you east of the sun and west of the moon. The you that is me. But I find something else. It's Litost—the sight of one's misery. I pursue an impossible direction, but It is my fate as I choose to hurtle headfirst to a place from which one will go either west toward the sun and life or east toward the moon and death."

I felt his heartbeat under my ear, his warmth seeping into my skin. He looked at me with sky-blue eyes, full of secrets and promises. " That's beautiful, what does it mean? " I asked, running my finger along his cheekbone, admiring his handsome features. He kissed my palm and smiled, a gentle curve of his lips. "I'll tell you when you wake up," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. "You've been asleep for too long."

I clung to his voice, his touch, his scent, but they slipped away from me. Darkness swallowed me, then light blinded me. A loud crack breaks the silence, tearing apart the veil between light and dark. 

I opened my eyes and saw a field of lilies, a sea of white, endless and pure. The moon cast a faint glow over the flowers, making them look like spectral shapes in the night. And there was a woman, still and silent, in a deep sleep.

I stared at the woman, captivated by her beauty. She was like a porcelain doll, smooth and flawless. Her lips were like rubies, slightly parted. Her lashes were like ebony, framing her closed eyes. Her hair was like fire, flowing over her shoulders.

 She looked peaceful, serene, and angelic.

Broken memories skated over the frozen lake, like fragments of a shattered mirror reflecting distorted images. Faces were familiar, but names were lost. Emotions were present, but reasons were gone. These confused memories formed a mysterious puzzle locked in the grip of slumber.

From the shadows of the black trees, a dark figure appeared. It was Alex. I tried to reach out to him, but he didn't see me. Alex walked forward; guilt carved on his handsome face. A calmness surrounded him as he knelt beside her, signaling the calm before the storm. His face clouded in pain as he looked at her fragile form, memories of shared joy and sorrow filling his mind. With shaking fingers, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She shivered at his touch, but she didn't wake up.

"Forgive me," he said, his words heavy with pain and regret. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the forehead. "But you'll understand soon enough, this is for your own good."

***

Jolting awake, I sucked in a breath, the air feeling oddly foreign in my lungs. Sunlight, harsh and relentless, pierced through my eyelids, forcing them shut tight. Colors danced behind my lids as I lay still, waiting for the pain in my head to settle.

With hesitation, I cracked my eyes open, squinting at the blurry world around me. Shapes and shadows blurred together, and the ache in my head throbbed mercilessly. I blinked again, trying to force my thoughts into focus.

As my vision cleared, I noticed leaves fluttering in the wind and sunlight filtering through the canopy above me.

Leaves. Am I in a tree?

The sound of birds chattering and chirping echoed vibrantly, mingling with the soft whirring of wings and rustling leaves. Glancing down, I froze as varying shades of green rushed up to meet me. My stomach dropped, and a scream lodged in my throat.

This was not how I imagined tree climbing would go. I tried to remember if I'd read anything about how to get down without breaking something. Nope, not a single useful memory.