There I was, standing in the middle of the road like an idiot—stunned and unable to run. My best friend, Nacina, was safely on the sidewalk, desperately beckoning me toward her, but her screams fell on deaf ears. I stood there, mesmerized by the giant ball of fire hurtling toward me.Today started so normally. I never would've guessed it'd be the day I die.
Earlier...
As usual, my mom entered my bedroom and shook me.
"Hey, get up. You have to get ready for school," she nagged.
I merely groaned in response, refusing—and unable—to move.
"Mom... why can't you just let my alarm clock wake me up?" I muttered groggily. And just as I finished my sentence, the alarm clock began screaming. I quickly shut it off.
"Don't you prefer me gently waking you, instead of that noisy thing?" Mom asked. She waited for my answer, but I could only glare at the ceiling. Several seconds passed before I finally replied,
"No…"
My mom decided that was a good time to yank the covers off me.
"Ah! Mom, stop! It's cold!" I screeched.
She only laughed to herself, leaving the room with my covers in hand as she yelled back,
"Hurry up and get dressed!"
I swear she does this every morning to spite me.
I dragged myself to the bathroom for a shower, then carefully pulled on my uniform. After fixing my hair, I stared at myself in the full-length mirror on my bedroom door.
Why do I keep hoping something will change every day?... This uniform will never look good on me.
I grabbed the oversized white hoodie I wore every day and pulled it over my uniform. After breakfast, I headed outside to meet up with my best friend, Nacina.
"Hey, Akina!" she called, waving enthusiastically. "I had this crazy dream last night! Wanna hear about it?"
I gave her a weak smile and nodded. She seemed excited to tell me about it on our walk to school.Which reminded me—I'd had a crazy dream last night, too...
"I was a samurai princess in my dream—or something like that—and I had to battle this giant turtle monster thing. It was all like, 'Nacina, even you cannot defeat me!' and I was like, 'Don't you dare underestimate me, idiot!' Then I charged him head-on. He was fast, especially for a turtle-creature, but it didn't matter! I dodged all his attacks and as soon as I saw an opening—BAM—I slit that bastard's throat. Blood was everywhere. I wish you could've seen it, Aki."
As she recounted her dream, Nacina became incredibly animated, and I couldn't help but be amused.
"I think you might be watching too much anime," I teased.
"There is no such thing!" she argued defensively. I laughed, and she straightened her back, proud to have made me laugh so early in the morning—an accomplishment, for sure.
"Oh yeah," she added, "there was a guy in my dream."
"Oh really? Was he someone we know?" I asked, ready to tease her.
"No… well… actually, he looked a lot like the Guardian."
After that comment, I decided it would be better to change the subject.
These days, we humans are protected by a species that resembles angels—though we call them Guardians. In truth, they're an alien race called Infaniyans. We're basically livestock to their natural enemies, the Afarions, who've been at war with the Infaniyans for centuries. The Afarions enslave humans and feed off them until their victims die. To them, we're an easy targets.
The Infaniyans claim to be protecting us, but I believe they just want to hinder their enemies, and, aside from fighting the Afarions, they rarely interact with us—almost like they see us as lesser beings.
For as long as I can remember, our city has been protected by one powerful, high-ranking Guardian. Usually, one city requires multiple Guardians, but he hasn't ever needed help. And for just as long, nearly every girl I know has been in love with him. I've never seen him up close, and I can't understand having a crush on someone I don't even know. I've grown tired of hearing people gush over him every day.
"I had a dream too," I said, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"Oh really? What was it about?" Nacina asked with eager curiosity.
Where does she get all this energy...?
"Well... everything around me was in flames. I was alone, and no matter how loudly I screamed, no one came to save me," I said.
"Oh, so that dream again," she noted, tapping her chin. "The fact that it's recurring is kind of ominous. Maybe it's a premonition."
I shook the thought away. "I really hope not."
Right then, unbearable heat slammed into us. I looked up from Nacina and saw a massive ball of fire descending toward us. Instinctively, I pushed Nacina out of the way. Then the fear hit me, locking me in place.
"AKINA!!!" Nacina screamed.
She was crying, but I couldn't move.I'm going to die... there's no escape...
I braced myself. The fireball shrank suddenly and—miraculously—veered off course, barely missing me. It slammed into the road just behind me, creating a deep crater.And lying in that crater… was a boy.
He had blazing red eyes and charcoal-black hair that never seemed to stay still. A fierce expression burned on his face. He was shirtless, shoeless, and wore dark red jeans that clung to a well-toned body.
He must've forced himself to change course—to avoid hitting me.
I recognized him instantly from posters.
"I hope you didn't think that weak attack was enough to stop me!" he roared at the sky.
I followed his gaze upward and saw another figure flying above—someone with huge, bat-like wings, each around five feet long. His silver hair was as long as he was tall.He's an Afarion…!
Panic bloomed in my chest, but then I heard something flutter to my left.
The boy who'd landed near me was now standing—completely unharmed. Huge white wings unfurled from his back, twice as large as the Afarion's.
He was our Angel.
And even though I'd never been one of his fangirls... in that moment, I was entranced by his beauty.