⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
The following content may contain descriptions
that could make some readers uncomfortable due
to sensitive material.
The author does not intend to be morbid with any
of the descriptions mentioned below.
Please remember that everything narrated here is fiction.
Reader discretion is advised.
✒️ AUTHOR'S NOTE 🫠
Guys, I'm going to be busy these days.
The good thing is that I've been writing chapters and
backup chapters, but they still need revisions.
I ask you to be a little patient.
My cycle is ending after all.
If you see that I'm somewhat absent, please forgive me.
Thank you for your understanding. 💫
________________________________________________________________
In the forest of Vermont was Dánae.
Among so many thoughts rolling through her mind, the only thing she wanted
was to ease her stress with the piece of chicken leg that, hungry,
she devoured with pleasure.
She had cooked it for hours while murmuring,
"Needs more pepper... and... a bit... of bay leaf."
While Dánae was outside the cabin, Adelaida was preparing
the meal. She was thinking about finishing a painting she had left halfway—
a landscape of the Vermont forest. She wanted to capture it,
because the confined forest, according to her, ought to have memory.
Meanwhile, Nuriel continued researching in her room.
She had reached a conclusion: she needed more materials
to build a new statistical board, something that could support her theories,
since everything was still very abstract.
"There's only one way to prove this..." she murmured.
"I have to build an X-ray machine."
But building it from scratch? Kamei-san was the one who got the metals...
"And now what will I do?"
"The ones from the warehouse won't be enough," she thought.
"I'll have to work like a blacksmith. Damn it. Well... time to get to work."
As she went down the stairs, Adelaida announced,
"The food's ready. I'm going to paint for a while."
I still have some of the clay we got from...
"Where are you going?" asked Dánae.
"What's wrong with Adelaida?" added Dánae.
"I don't know," she replied.
From afar, Nuriel said firmly,
"Don't worry, girls. After analyzing this,
we'll know the truth."
Both looked at each other, confused.
"What truth are you talking about?" they asked in unison.
Nuriel's thoughts were hazy.
She had reached several conclusions,
but all of them were more theoretical than real.
She opened the door of the second warehouse,
where Kamei-san had gathered gold, iron, copper, magnet, lead,
and many other materials that could be useful to her.
"I don't know how to do it," thought Nuriel.
"I only have basic knowledge, barely references
from the chemistry and physics books Kamei-san gave me."
She realized something: X-rays could be her only answer.
Perhaps the best way to understand the gifts of creation
was to know if there was something in their morphology that had changed.
"If I can answer this," she murmured,
"not only will I understand how to control my gifts,
but also if a transformation occurred within us."
Because if they were capable of withstanding angelic technology,
then their morphology must have changed.
"But building that from scratch… it'll be hard work.
I can barely bend a spoon," he said in frustration.
"Calm down, Nuriel!"
She repeated it insistently and took a deep breath.
"This is the only way to calm myself…
the only way to find an answer."
"Come on, Nuriel!" she said aloud.
"You have to see what materials you have
and try to identify them."
The good thing is that Kamei-san also left me books
to recognize minerals and how to analyze them with basic tests.
"I need a scale, hammers, an anvil… lots of things.
I need tools," she said while pacing back and forth.
From the doorway, Adelaida and Dánae watched silently.
"Don't mock him," said Adelaida.
"He's stressed, let him be."
"I think he went a little crazy," replied Dánae with sarcasm.
"I was already expecting it."
"He hasn't been very well since he arrived."
"But if he wants, I can help him play."
"Have more respect, Dánae," warned Adelaida.
"Sorry," she replied, annoyed.
"I'm not a science lunatic like that scholar with the black fingers, okay?
So don't come giving me sermons. I'm leaving."
Adelaida was thinking only of one thing.
"I think the fact that Kamei-san and Jack left the forest
affected Nuriel too much."
"Nuriel, I know you're trying to hide it," she murmured,
"but it's obvious you miss them."
"Please, just don't isolate yourself from us, alright?"
Nuriel said with a smile,
"Don't worry, Adely, I'm fine."
Adelaida only smiled and walked away,
but Nuriel noticed how, as soon as she left,
her face changed—from joy to an expression filled with worry.
Maybe she really did miss Jack and Kamei-san.
"God… please, don't be selfish…
Don't let them die halfway there."
While all this was happening in the confined forest of Vermont,
Helena was in Lisbon, far to the northeast.
Outside Teodoro's house,
she was speaking with an angel among the crops.
The angel recited the following solemnly.
In the presence of the celestial being before her,
Helena simply arched an eyebrow,
looking at the cup in her hand.
"Well, do you want to drink with me?
I mean, there's a little more.
It's not nice to drink alone, huh?" she said, laughing.
The angel responded with a firm, authoritative voice:
"Helena, God has sent you a new mission.
Or rather, to reaffirm the one Galton gave you."
Helena let out a huff and said,
"Another one? Isn't what I already do enough?"
"I'm stressed out, my money burned,
I barely have any food."
She took another sip before continuing:
"And well, I don't mind taking care of the…"
She got too emotional, thought about him,
and couldn't help but say the following:
"Have you seen him? I mean, have you seen the boy?
My God, have you seen Teodoro?"
She laughed, pressing the cup against her cheek.
"He has such a beautiful face, so angelic.
I'm not saying you don't look good, but...
God, Teodoro is such a sweetheart!"
The angel looked at her with one eyebrow raised.
"What are you talking about?" he said calmly.
Helena lowered her gaze, blushing.
"I'm sorry, yes, I'm sorry.
It's just that I've never seen a man with those features.
He looks like a cherub painted in a church."
She sighed, as if remembering him softened her.
"He's so beautiful. My God…" she murmured.
Then, with an awkward smile, she added:
"Well, he's handsome, and I…
I'm not saying I'm not, just that... you understand me, right?"
She lifted the bottle, offering it to the angel.
"Want some?" she asked playfully.
The angel looked at her in silence and said firmly,
"Pay attention, Helena."
The angel walked slowly around Helena and spoke calmly:
"Helena, God has chosen you for a mission.
He knows that in these circumstances,
both you and Galton need help."
Helena frowned, incredulous.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, scratching her temple.
The angel continued, unhurried:
"Galton ordered you to take care of Teodoro,
but the way you're doing it is inefficient.
That's why we have come to help you."
He opened the bag and listed its contents
as if dictating a command:
"In this bag, Helena, there are seven dresses,
four pairs of pants, seven bivirís,
ten pieces of underwear, and five pairs of shoes.
"There are also earrings, a pair of rings,
jewels, and hats."
The angel fixed his gaze on her:
"God orders you the following: wash your body.
And burn the clothes that Galton gave you; they will not serve you.
"Moreover, there must be no trace left
that an immortal gave you these garments.
"You will wash your body and apply the creams we prepared.
We, the angels, have taken care to tailor all this for you."
The clothing was strange—stretchable, light, silk and cotton—
but it did not come from this earth.
Even so, the dresses were period-style
and matched her skin tone and body shape.
"God wants you to take care of Teodoro, Helena," said the angel.
"Tomorrow you will go to that house.
You will carry the suitcase with the clothes.
"You will organize them and completely get rid of that weapon.
You will also erase every trace of what remains here,
including the cognac bottles: bury them.
"Then you will go to that house and request work—
as a helper, a housekeeper—
the nona will let you live in that house."
Helena was speechless.
She opened her mouth, closed it, raised her hand, lowered it.
Her eyes darted back and forth, as if searching for an escape.
She wanted to leap, yet also remain still.
A whirlwind of emotions passed through her.
She didn't know which to process first,
so she felt them all at once.
She took a deep breath, her voice trembling:
"What…? Wait, wait a moment.
Are you trying to tell me that you want
me to go get a job there?
"I mean, it's not that I think I'm useless,
but I've always said money has to be brought into the house.
That was my priority… but I don't know.
I don't know, really."
Helena swallowed hard.
Inside, fear disguised itself as sarcasm.
Despite her strong character,
she knew no other work outside her safe zone.
Besides, she didn't feel motivated—
much less to apply for a job as a housekeeper.
"Do you realize they're going to ask me for things like my name,
my identification, the place where I live?
That's why I've never gone to such formal jobs.
I don't know how that is... but I don't know."
The angel took a step forward and stared at her.
His voice sounded like wind through stained glass:
"We spoke with the nona in dreams.
We had to change her spirit, Helena.
That woman had—or has—prejudices
against people of color."
Helena looked away, murmuring:
"Oh, damn it!
You're telling me she's another one of those pale chicks
who always say that people of color crap
should be in the..."
She stopped.
Pressed her lips together, breathed.
"Look, I'm enjoying the wine, okay?
Don't make me upset."
She dropped into the chair, frustrated.
The wine did nothing to calm her anxiety.
The angel spoke again, serene,
with that calm only those who aren't human possess:
"We have spoken with the nona through dreams.
We said that a woman of beautiful colors,
like coffee and chocolate,
would come to brighten her home.
"And that if she truly desires help,
she must allow that woman of pure heart to assist her."
Helena smiled, tilting her head:
"Oh, thanks.
That's a way of telling me I'm pretty, right?"
Then she blinked, confused:
"Oh, wait... what?
What do you mean, colors like coffee?
Are you okay?"
The angel watched her without blinking:
"We said that a woman the color of coffee,
with fluffy hair,
will knock at her door this morning."
His voice lowered a tone, deep, solemn:
"The will of God decrees..."
"That the nona needs your help.
And that you must get that job, Helena.
"In the same way your mission
is to protect the saint of ice.
It is God's will that both things be fulfilled."
Helena sighed.
"Maybe I'm a bit drunk,
but I don't know if I can do something like that.
Do I have to?
Frankly, this is torture for me."
She brought her hands to her face.
"I'm trying not to stress out, okay?
I don't have the devil's lettuce to smoke anymore,
I don't have alcohol, I have nothing.
Are you seriously taking all that from me?
I'm not saying that... I'm just asking for a bit of, I don't know..."
The angel lifted one of the glasses and asked:
"Is this what you live for, Helena?"
Helena looked at him, not understanding.
"What are you talking about?"
"Is this what you live for, Helena?" he repeated.
"Do you live for alcohol?
Do you live to smoke and have relations?
Is that what you are?"
Helena didn't know how to answer.
The angel continued:
"If God has chosen you to be the saint of light,
it's because there is no one else in the whole world,
neither in the centuries to come nor in those long past,
who can handle the gift better than you.
"That means you are a chosen one.
You are the saint of light.
You are the star.
You are the saint of Orion.
Your gift is more important than you think.
Even if it seems unbelievable,
light can harm creation
if it becomes too intense.
That's why light is the perfect contrast
against demons and evil spirits."
"Helena," said the angel,
"very strange things have been happening.
What Galton said is true.
Not only saints have been disappearing,
but also other people.
Forces beyond heaven have abducted them.
And not to mention the terrible danger
that heaven itself faces,
which is sending protection
both to the angels and to you.
It is possible that another cosmic war may occur."
Helena said:
"Wait... what are you talking about?"
To which the angel replied:
"That is none of your concern.
I only mention it so that you understand
the gravity of the situation.
God has sent you to go
and protect the saint of ice.
Listen carefully, Helena.
You are a chosen one of God.
Act as such.
If we grant you all the benefits of this,
it is because we know perfectly well your situation.
We know how all this has been built for you.
Even though we follow orders,
we are not strangers to feelings."
The angel began to fade,
and the darkness around started to dissipate.
He only said the following:
"Helena, I believe the moment has come...
I am not telling you to stop feeling fear.
But I am telling you to make the decision to live
and to exercise your free will with courage.
Live, Helena, and be better than us."
After this, Helena lost her sight for a moment
because of the angel's flash.
Then she sat down,
for that weight had knocked her down.
She noticed three things.
Not only was the angel speaking—
it seemed that the Holy Spirit
was speaking as well.
She saw a second presence,
much farther behind the angel.
That presence had no form,
but she could feel the overwhelming power it emanated.
Helena thought for a moment and remained seated.
She didn't know what to think or how to respond.
There was still a little wine left.
However, she thought and said:
"Please... fine, just for today.
Tomorrow I'll drink again,
because without this I can't live, damn it."
She stood up and went to look
for the nearest water source.
While all this was happening,
Jack and Kamei-san were on the cruise ship
that made tourist trips between the United States and Japan.
Kamei-san was sleeping,
while Jack was writing several things in his notebook.
Among them, a letter to himself.
A way to distract his mind.
___________________________________________
"Adelaida, Dánae, Nuriel."
"Dánae, my sister to play and do silly things with.
You have no idea how much I miss you."
"Beautiful woman of golden hair
and sapphire eyes."
"You don't know how much Kamei-san and I miss you."
"I can tell he doesn't sleep at night
when he thinks of you."
"And my brother of the soul, Nuriel.
You can't imagine how much I miss you all."
"I must admit
I didn't know the true value of missing someone."
"To miss someone from home brings a certain peace,
though with an undertone of anguish."
"But to do so while you are in motion
is a completely different feeling."
______________________________________________
Jack felt the rocking of the ship and murmured:
"I don't know what I should do now."
I'm used to boredom, but...
This isn't normal for me.
He closed his notebook,
one of many he already had,
and decided to go out to see the sea.
He climbed the stairs toward the bow.
Dawn had already broken,
but Kamei-san was still asleep,
slightly drunk from the night before.
Jack rested his arms on the railing,
letting the sea breeze
brush against his tanned skin.
Although he didn't want to cut his hair,
he remembered Vermont
and the reason why he had done it for the trip.
He couldn't hide the scars on his face,
but at least he could disguise them.
The clothes he wore were somewhat old,
and the only thing he thought was:
"Guys, we'll find the Saint of the Earth
and bring him back to Vermont.
We'll return home."
As the hours passed,
the birds rose toward the clouds,
like a promise to heaven
and to himself.
Jack only wanted to understand his soul.
Maybe that was freedom,
or an emotion he couldn't process
because he still didn't know the real world.
But now he was getting to know it,
alongside the man he considered his father,
in the middle of the sea.
The only thing he thought was:
When will I return home?
That is the price of freedom:
to unmoor yourself from everyone you love,
and live with the constant fear
of feeling lost in the world.
A sensation that few understand,
because most have already explored,
or more or less learned how everything works.
But Jack knew nothing.
Not where he came from,
nor who his parents were,
nor the country he was heading to.
For him, everything was a dreamlike world.
And he only said, to ease his anguish:
"I miss you guys."
He spent hours watching the sea from the bow.
While the waves of the Pacific lulled the thoughts
of those continuing their journey,
in Lisbon, Helena leaned over a water fountain,
letting the water run down her skin.
She noticed that the clothes the angels had given her
fit well,
but the skirts were too long.
"Oh, my God, I look like a nun.
Why do I have to dress like this?" she said, frustrated.
"Well, I would have made the skirt shorter,
but if it comes from heaven,
I can't complain."
She took her briefcase
and followed the angel's instructions
to the letter.
She buried the weapons
and also burned the garments Galton had given her.
She tied up her hair, applied the creams
the angel had indicated, and put on perfume.
She thought to herself:
Calm down, Helena. Yes, calm down.
You just have to knock on the door,
and they'll hire you.
Although I don't know how that's going to be.
As she knocked on the door,
the footsteps of the nona
could be heard approaching the entrance.
But our attention must now turn to Teodoro.
Teodoro dreamed of confusing things,
although among them Helena appeared.
He dreamed that she hugged him
and took him out of his confinement to explore the world.
It was the first time he had a hopeful dream
and not one of the usual nightmares
caused by the absence of his mother and father.
He rubbed his eyes,
repeating his morning routine.
The same voice as always.
"Young Teodoro, time for breakfast," said the nona.
He thought it would be another ordinary day.
"I'm coming," he replied listlessly.
He brushed his teeth, his face,
and let himself be guided to the kitchen.
The nona spoke excitedly:
"Today is a spectacular day.
I'll go to the market, and at last we'll do
everything I had planned for the house."
While she spoke,
Teodoro barely listened.
His mind was trapped
in the memory Helena had left him.
Although he had been scolded,
and despite everything that had happened,
Teodoro felt for her something new,
something he had never felt for his parents.
But his thoughts were broken
when the nona interrupted them:
"There's another person in the living room, haven't you noticed, Teodoro?"
"Another person?"
"Yes, the new kitchen helper.
At last we'll clean and paint the house.
What do you think?"
Teodoro only murmured,
"Yes."
"Very well, introduce yourself," ordered the nona with displeasure.
Then, the woman in the long dress
and with an imposing presence
resounded in Teodoro's senses.
He didn't know how to react
to her recognizable voice.
"How are you, young Teodoro?
Let me introduce myself: my name is Helena.
From today on, I will work here for you."
Helena thought to herself:
"Is this how wealthy people talk?
My God, how exhausting."
Teodoro turned around, surprised.
"Helena?"
The nona confirmed:
"Yes, it's the young lady Helena.
Well, I'm going to the market.
Hurry up, Miss Helena."
The nona showed a grimace of disgust.
"Yes, I'm coming," replied Helena.
Before the nona left,
she whispered in Teodoro's ear:
"Now I'll be able to take care of you more closely, Teodoro."
Then she smiled, as always.
"I'm coming, ma'am," she repeated sweetly.
Teodoro couldn't process it.
He didn't even finish his breakfast.
He was completely red,
from embarrassment… or from what he felt.
And the only thing he thought was:
"Is Helena going to work here now?"