The Twenty Virtues Book 1- The Twenty Generals

17. The Angel.

Sometimes, I like to contemplate the sky and see the stark contrast it has with the Earth. When I look at the Earth, I see permanent dirt; the entire ground is made up of what we, humans, consider dust and filth. Minerals, rocks, soils, among various other types of... well, dust. But the sky has always seemed clean to me, whether blue or black, day or night, it's always gentle. Even when it gets clouded, it clears up after a while, and even when filled with stars, it never looks polluted. This makes me wonder: What about the beings that live in it? Are they all reflections of their environments too? Do the terrestrial and celestial beings share these contrasts? Well, this is an interesting debate to have, so why not go up there and find out?

This story begins in the sky. Remember the Mother? Well, she wasn't alone; there was another god with her, the Father, and together they had twin daughters, Ângela and Ana Larissa. They belonged to a unique race called the Flarmen. What distinguished them so much that they became their own races? Unlike their parents, who merely didn't age but could still be hurt and die, the two were immortal and beautiful. Both were graceful, lovely, and enchanting. Anyone who looked at them would feel something stirred by their beauty. I'm not lying when I say they were the most beautiful beings in all of reality.

The family's relationship was special. The Mother was extremely affectionate, the Father was powerful and imposing, and while Ana saw the world with positivity and fantasy, Ângela was a bit more pessimistic. They lived in a castle created by their father above the clouds, where the virtues were kept in a special hall that both parents studied whenever they could. For a long time, they were happy.

"Ângela, you know that's unfair!" said Ana Larissa, irritated, while her sister flew around, sticking out her tongue as if teasing her. At that time, they were still children. "I don't have wings; how am I supposed to catch you?"

"I don't know, Ana, figure it out."

"MOOOM, ÂNGELA IS CHEATING AGAIN!" The Mother then entered the room, sighing. This mess had become common between the sisters. As the older twin, Ângela loved to tease and provoke Ana, and it didn't help that her sister's personality irritated her greatly.

"Ângela, come down here now and play fairly with your sister, or you'll be grounded." the Mother said. Ângela kept flying around, not obeying.

"I don't want to" she said stubbornly. Her mother called her a bit more, ordering her to stop messing around, but the little Flarmen didn't listen and continued to fly. It was fun, and none of them could catch her anyway; they couldn't even touch her, which made it all the more enjoyable. They would forget about it later—it was just a game.

"Ângela" the Father's voice echoed, intense and strong. He didn't shout, he didn't scold, he was just serious. Serious enough to make the castle tremble, serious enough to make Ângela sweat and descend to the ground as she had been asked, within reach of them all. "Don't play with your mother like that, and don't make your sister cry. That's not the way I raised you. Now, apologize."

"Yes, Father. Sorry, Mother. Sorry, Ana. I overdid it." With heavy, firm steps, the Father approached his daughter and extended his one hand over her, giving her a brief pat on the head. She looked up at him, who now wore an approving smile.

"That's the girl I raised, who cares about her family and acknowledges her mistakes." The Father's praise made her blush. He was scary when angry, but he was a good father. Ana Larissa, a bit jealous, ran over to the Father and jumped into his arms.

"Hey, Dad, I'm a good girl too. I love you both, and I know I make mistakes."

"You liar." said Ângela, frowning comically as she looked at her sister with disapproval. Ana stuck her tongue out at her in retaliation.