BLACK HALO

THE IRON CLAD

~PROLOGUE~

Large red flames rose from a tall wooden building into the night sky. The ground was painted with the golden blood of angels and its beautiful scent filled the air. The bodies of soldiers who fought against the powerful Aaron slowly turned into stardust and floated away into the moon where they would be remade.

“I just wanted a normal life,” Aaron said, staring at the ground blankly. His bright red eyes looked pained, and his face was covered in blood; human blood. His black hair was drenched in sweat as he had been battling for hours. His left arm had been cut off and it bled profusely.

“We divine beings are not allowed to dwell among humans. That child of yours is an anomaly—a mistake that we’ve come to erase. The moon goddess may have sent you here to punish you, but if you refuse to provide that child, I will have no choice but to slit your throat,” Gabriel said. He was second in command before Aaron’s banishment. He was missing one arm and holding a golden sword in the other. His armor shimmered under the moonlight.

Aaron sighed, thinking of everything that had happened to him since his banishment.

“You fool, sending me here was never a punishment. Living among these people, I have attained knowledge beyond what you could ever dream of. I have seen their beauty and goodness. The moon goddess doesn’t separate divine from mortal because of the balance, she does so because she is afraid of their ability to learn and grow,” Aaron said.

“What rubbish are you saying? How could the almighty moon goddess be afraid of these mortal maggots? She could wipe them out with only a snap of her finger,” Gabriel said.

Aaron smiled, then said, closing his eyes, “Is that what you think? How pitiful.”

The footprints of a child slowly trailed toward the two men. The pace quickened and the sound of each footstep became louder as the child ran through the golden blood of the fallen Angels.

“Dad!” The young female’s voice sounded and Aaron’s eyes widened. He quickly turned in her direction and yelled.

“What are you doing here? Get back inside.”

The little girl stopped running and started to cry. Her silky, white hair shimmered under the moonlight and her marble-blue eyes sparkled like two diamonds.

“Dad… I’m scared,” she said between sobs.

Gabriel saw her, and without a moment to spare, he launched at her, swinging his sword with as much force as he could muster. Aaron quickly used his legs to launch himself toward the little girl. He managed to reach her before Gabriel, and he was struck by his sword.

Aaron groaned in pain as he hugged his daughter tightly. Gabriel continued to swing his sword mindlessly at Aaron’s back, but even with that, Aaron refused to let go of his child. Blood dripped from his mouth; tears poured from his eyes. He pushed his daughter's face into his chest to shield her eyes from the horror, and as he stared at the moon, he smiled and said softly,

“It was fun while it lasted.”

Aaron looked back down at his daughter, and said to her.

“No matter what happens, Aurelia, fear no one…”

His vision grew blurry and after a few seconds, his eyes shut, and he fell to the ground.

The little girl stared silently, her eyes widening in shock. She fell on her knees and placed her palms on her father’s body.

“Dad? Dad…” she said softly as she shook his body. Tears dropped from her eyes onto his body and as she saw that her father wouldn’t stand up, she yelled.