Two streaks of light—one gold and the other pure white—shot onto the surface of a certain moon, both clashing to overthrow one another.
Their fight broke away chunks of the moon that flew into space and headed straight for the planet that the moon belonged to.
Unbeknownst to the two too preoccupied with fighting each other, the debris that broke into the planet's atmosphere ended up killing thousands of the world's inhabitants in mere seconds, with many more casualties to come if they continued destroying this celestial body with their raw power alone.
A gigantic blue dragon—one that reached halfway across the entire moon's surface in length—appeared when one of them shouted "Leviathan Storm". The dragon was too fast so the golden light couldn't escape its jaws in time and was dragged deep underground.
The white light released an ocean mass of white energy that she sent into the manifested dragon, its body swelling up as if it had too much to eat before it exploded, causing the whole moon to break in half, one chunk flying off into deep space and the other heading straight for the planet.
The black-haired girl, who was the white light and caused that powerful explosion, lost her footing so she crashed into the atmosphere like a falling meteor, yet the fear of dying from this height wasn't the thing on her mind.
Did I finally kill her, was what went through her mind as she entered the planet's atmosphere.
Among the millions of debris that broke off, she spotted a golden flare that shot towards her with incredible speed. The first thing she spotted was red hair that burned like fire.
"You goddamn monster!" she screamed before both her arms were engulfed in blue fire. She pulled her arms back before shooting them out, sending a gigantic beam of pure destruction aiming for that golden light that threatened to cut her down.
There was no explosion or eruption of some kind. In fact, the fire was cut in half.
"!"
There were no visible injuries on the red-haired woman who managed to survive a nuclear-level explosion. However, her dress was torn from the top down so her bountiful breasts flapped in the air as she flew towards the black-haired girl, unperturbed by the falling heavenly bodies behind her.
Her opponent took out her own sword and met her head-on in mid-air.
The air itself trembled when their swords met, pushing away every single cloud in the sky, creating a shockwave that destroyed the ground, toppled over trees and broke down houses. Those who couldn't escape in time were either crushed by the collapsing buildings or fell into the ground that had split open from the force of the shockwave.
During all this, the remains of the moon was still falling down in the distance, its gigantic shadow blocking all light.
Both adversaries threw consecutive attacks at each other but even to the untrained eye, one could tell the red-haired woman had the upper hand, both in speed and sheer power.
The only thing giving her opponent the means to match her barely was the white energy surrounding her body that seemed almost endless.
It wasn't Ki, it wasn't aura, or inner essence—
The black-haired girl narrowly dodged an attack and gained some distance before her opponent could react. A ball of pure white energy appeared right under her feet the next second. The ball of energy suddenly began spitting out three torrents of energy that transformed into dragon heads.
The dragon heads were so large that their shadows alone engulfed the entire city below.
Those humongous dragons—manifested from nothing—charged at their target with incredible speed. The air itself was being cut apart by their speed.
The red-haired woman punched the empty air in front of her. it was a simple punch but it was so powerful that the manifested dragons were destroyed in an instant. The powerful wind tore off the black-haired girl's dress after she tried shielding her face with her arms. The wind also cut into her skin, causing it to tear open.
'Why…'
The girl lowered her arms and could see her opponent raising her sword through her fading vision.
'Why does such a being exist…'
A golden light was sent down by the heavens, engulfing the woman's sword in its radiance.
'I was wrong…'
Her thoughts in those mere moments before everything went black were—
"…She is way worse than a monster…"
A beam of pure gold was fired right at her at that moment, exiting the planet's atmosphere after travelling for thousands of kilometers at 1% of the speed of light.
If someone like this was alive during the great war, was there even any need for a god's champion…?
…
…
◊◊
Present
A strange girl recently came under the service of one of the Sky God's disciples.
She had never said a word to anyone and radiated an aura that made even the most outgoing servants depressed. The servants always spot her sitting atop the balcony on the top floor of their master's castle. She was sitting on the edge of the balcony railing and not on a chair so many had expressed their worry that she might fall off.
She didn't have wings, after all. This begs the question: why did their master bring this person here but refuse to disclose who it is?
The girl wasn't on the fat or skinny side and wasn't exactly well-endowed so no one could recognize her by her body alone.
There's always a helmet on her head, which is why everyone just refers to her as "Helmet Girl". The helmet is quite large and menacing, which didn't fit her somewhat skinny body. It rested on her shoulders but still many were worried that her neck might get sore.
Despite this, the girl never took off the helmet. Instead of eating with the rest of the angels, the girl takes her lunch in the servant quarters when no one is around. Some of the servants tried to sneak in to get a glimpse of her face but never got the chance to actually see her face no matter how many times they sneak after her.
While she was very mysterious, she always does her chores and carries out any other order their master has for her. Speaking of the Master, the two of them had been very close lately. They're seen conversing alone away from prying eyes and curious ears. The Master had never been that close with anyone else besides her dolls, who she treats as children.
And yes, the dolls are living beings, well, some of them are. They rest are just shells of what they could be once filled. Of course, they aren't actually dolls made in a factory but are homunculi that their master created in her lab in the basement. According to what the girls heard last time, there should be over a hundred of them down there while the rest are up here.
While the dolls were very much alive, they aren't capable of doing anything other than simple tasks. They're like human toddlers who are still learning about the world around them.
It's unknown why their master would create these dolls. At first everyone thought that she wanted to replace her servants and do their chores and assign them to other important duties afterwards but she had already told everyone that was wasn't the case. Despite that, she didn't exactly say why she created them either so their existence is still a mystery.
…
There was a castle that stood on the edge of a great hill that overlooked the vast ocean. Decades of erosion had eaten away most of the rocky structures holding the castle up so one would've assumed that the hill would've already broken down and collapsed, taking the castle with it.
Unlike ordinary castles, this castle apparently had a type of magic that lowers its overall weight, a revelation that defied common sense, which had allowed the castle to remain standing for decades now.
The air in that castle's dining hall was still as lively as every other morning. There were about thirty angels under the service of the madam of this castle, all of whom were gathered in this room and happily eating their breakfast. All of them were young women, each of them wearing short dresses that showed off their legs with open collars that barely covered their cleavages.
It was said that the Sky God was a perverted old man who likes looking at the breasts and legs of young women which is why he ordered every disciple to wear this type of clothing. Of course, no one dared actually say this in front of their masters in fear of punishment.
Some weren't bothered by it while others were angry that they couldn't modify the outfit a bit to their liking.
The girls had light conversations as they ate their breakfast. After this it'll be the usual chores and errands.
Just like every other morning, there was a feast on the big table that reached from one side of the dining room to the other.
"Good morning, girls." A mature woman's voice made the whole room silent. Everyone hurriedly stood up.
"Good morning, Master!"
The person their respectful greeting was directed towards was a blue-skinned girl. Yes, she had the appearance of a young girl who barely turned 15. Despite her appearance, she had apparently been alive for hundreds of years but her origins remain a mystery. All the girls knew was that their master was once part of a powerful magic race that outshined every other species in magic abilities, even Elves and humans. Of course, there were exceptions but they were very rare.
By the way, they were speaking in another language and not the Diacreerian tongue, since none of them come from that continent.
Their master wore a snow-white dress that left her delicate nape and clavicles exposed. Her dark blue hair reached all the way until her bare feet that "tapped-tapped" as she walked over to the chair at the very top of the dining table. The castle's floors are always cleaned so their master's feet are never dirtied by filth.
She calmly waved her hand which meant that they could sit down.
Upon sitting down, their master made an announcement:
"Another person will be joining us for breakfast this morning." She looked toward the door, which drew everyone's attention. "Come in, love."
Someone timidly walked out of the shadows of the hall and into the frame of the doorway.
Helmet girl, one of them whispered.
She walked over to their master and stood right next to her chair.
"I'm sure the girls are very curious of who you are. Why not enlighten them?"
"…" she nodded (?) slowly and put her hands on the large helmet. The first thing they saw was pale green blonde hair that gently fell down on her shoulders. The next were droopy long ears and then a familiar face that nearly everyone here knew.
""""Rafaela!?""" all of them said in unison.
"Rafi was the helmet girl… But where are her wings…?" one of the girls, sitting nearest to their master, asked.
All of them had their wings out. Of course, there was a concern that it would get in the way of their everyday life but they were capable of shrinking their wings at will and not just making them vanish. It's mandatory for all the girls to show their wings. They are only allowed make them disappear when going to bed since sleeping with them is very uncomfortable.
In comparison to them, Rafaela didn't have her wings out at all. In fact, her robes were covering up her entire upper body so there wasn't an opening for her wings. Normally this would be insulting towards the god they served and they would be reprimanded by their masters.
So why was Rafaela allowed to not display her wings?
"Show them." Their master said with a gentle smile.
Rafaela nodded and slowly disrobed. Her robes fell, revealing her bare upper body and modest chest. A few of the girls blushed seeing Rafaela naked for the first time. They usually bathe together and see each other naked on a daily basis but Rafaela had never really joined them during bathtime and chose to bathe in the early mornings when everyone else was asleep. She was the errand girl of the castle who liked running missions for their master and liked getting up early in the morning to carry out her duties.
Her bare body naturally drew their eyes, some with lingering fascination, others with unrestrained curiosity.
Rafaela slowly turned around on the spot; her movements hesitant as she faced them.
"W-What is that…?"
A collective gasp filled the room as they took in the sight. Her back was marred by two large, jagged scars that stretched across her back. The scars were flaky and discolored, hinting at a deep, almost unnatural wound. From within the gaping fissures, tattered feathers protruded, stark white against the darkened flesh.
"Show them your halo."
Rafaela nodded as her shoulders trembled.
A black mist appeared above her head, taking shape of a halo but swirling like a dark cloud that signaled a rainy day ahead.
The girls' reactions were varied, some held their hands in front of their mouths, others stared silently at their sister as she trembled slightly, while the rest looked away, not having the courage to look at the wounds.
"All of you already know this but you need two sources to supply yourself with divine power as an angel, one being your wings." Their master's expression showed bitterness but she still wore a somewhat small smile, "Rafaela removed off her wings, which were one of the sources of her divine power. However, by doing so, she effectively lost her halo as well. Your wings and halo need each other and they are the symbol of your angelic roots. This is the scar that she will have to bear for all eternity or her passing until fate decides if she will become an angel again or inherit the soul of Mother of Nature."
Her last sentence caused a lot of confused expressions.
"Master, does that mean…"
"Yes. Rafaela is suitable to inherit a god's soul, a rare case of mortals that allows gods to possess their bodies." She said it as if she were discussing the weather.
The girls naturally all wore shocked expressions since none of them were told about this.
"…" Rafaela remained silent, her back growing smaller almost.
"Master, does this mean that Rafaela won't be able to use her divine power…? You said that we need both our halos and wings to have access to divine power."
"That is not the case for her. She merely lost control of her power since she is a special case in 'Angelic Ascendant Invocation'." Their master noticed their deep frowns hearing the name, "How do I explain this… No, I suppose it is time I tell you all the truth about how all of you came to serve me—"
…
After a lengthy explanation, the room grew silent.
Rafaela was sitting next to her master after putting on her robes. The helmet was in her lap which she was now gently rubbing.
Their master waited patiently for their reaction.
-You were not born as angels, you were made.
Their master explained that natural angels—ones created out of intercourse between two angels—were once on the brink of extinction, so the gods had devised a method to increase their declining population. This transformation was essential, as angels played a crucial role in preserving the divine realm. They were soldiers in the human sense—although not exactly as disposable—and served as vital protectors and servants of the gods. Their presence ensured the divine order was maintained, and they intervened in critical moments to guide and safeguard both mortal and celestial realms.
Above these angels were the Archangels, the equivalents of imperial knights in human society. Archangels commanded thousands of demigods in times of war and acted as direct subordinates to the leaders of the war council. They were not only formidable warriors but also strategic leaders, orchestrating divine interventions and ensuring the will of the gods was executed with precision.
Unlike demigods who could replenish their numbers through intercourse with humans, angels—Archangels included—could not do the same since their powers are not genetically transferred to their offspring anymore due to the lack of pureblood angels.
After a long while of silence, their master spoke again, "The risk that comes with creating angels is that they will never have children. None of you are fertile anymore to have offspring of your own. This is something that the gods are hoping to fix soon by altering how they use the divine rituals."
"N-No way…! You said that we would be able to leave this castle one day when the time is right and have families! That's been a dream of mine for years!" one of the girls stood up so violently that her chair was knocked back. There was pure rage in her eyes, which anyone would understand.
"I've kept myself pure with this hopeless dream that I'll give myself to a husband who I would start a family with!"
"I've told you this many times but none of you are prohibited from having relationships with the people from the town or anywhere else. So long as it does not interfere with your duties." their master said with a gentle smile that seemed almost fake. She was very good at hiding her emotions so many of them had always wondered why she would wear a stone mask whenever she leaves the castle. She wasn't particularly ugly either. Maybe it was to hide the golden rune drawn on her cheek? It's unknown what the rune actually is since none of them are experienced in runic arts.
In any case, what she said was basically "You would've found this out yourself if only you actually had sex with males from other races".
"I know that doesn't satisfy you. Nothing in the nine realms is given to us without a price. None of you are gullible enough to believe otherwise so I'm sure you've thought of the price as well, no?"
Most of them looked even more bitter at hearing that.
"But to take something that all living beings desire away from us…"
"I know this is too much for all of you to process and I'll understand if you want to leave or even abandon your roles as angels. I don't blame any of you for wanting that."
All of them looked at Rafaela.
The thought of "why is she still here if she already gave up her powers" slipped through their minds but then all of them recalled that Rafaela is supposed to inherit a god's soul and it all made sense in just mere moments.
Noticing their stares, their master continued, "I'm sure all of you are interested in what's going to happen to Rafaela…. I've made a deal with the archangels that concerns her future." Rafaela raised her head, "But the deal will only come into effect once the Elven Mother of Nature herself approves of it."
All of them sat on the edge of their seats.
"Before I tell you what the deal is about, do all of you know the special bond the Elven Mother of Nature shares with the World Tree?" she continued before anyone could answer, "That bond is what keeps both the World Tree and its creator alive. It is essentially all her internal organs. I've seen how faint its once glorious light is now, a sign that it is on the verge of dying. And if it does then the Elven race will lose their first ancestor in the process and the dimensional gates—that the World Tree had kept closed for millions of years—will open."
The girls looked at each other in confusion and asked if any of them knew what those dimensional gates were.
Their master quickly explained.
"The Dark Forces can't be kept at bay by Goddess Aedri alone. The gods have known that there are cracks for thousands of years and have actively sought to fix these cracks. The World Tree itself is keeping the biggest cracks closed using its roots alone. The same roots buried deep under the surface, connecting to the nine realms through use of ancient runes, is actively fighting to keep the Dark Forces out of the mortal realms."
"B-But how is the World Tree losing to the dark forces…? Shouldn't it be the source of all mana and the pillar of the nine realms?"
[Pillar of the Nine Realms]
With a title like that, it would be impossible for anything to pose a threat to it… right?
"The World Tree is still in its infant phase." This revelation made each of them frown, "Yes, the last translated text of the Dark Scroll depicted the World Tree in its final phase. It's said to be able to eliminate famines and prevent disasters like tornadoes and earthquakes on entire planets if its powers are harnessed correctly by the druids and Hiisis born from its roots. It can also fortify the barriers separating our realms and the Between Realms that reside within the Dark Forces itself. If we could find the artifact, magic item or spell that could accelerate the World Tree's growth then we can save the Elven Mother of Nature and defeat the Dark Forces once and for all."
"Do the gods not know what will help them do that?"
"No…" their master leaned back with a wry smile, "I mentioned the Dark Scroll earlier, that it depicts the World Tree in its mature state, however, it also contains what is necessary to save the nine realms by helping the World Tree grow to its final phase."
"Then why aren't we out there looking for the scroll!"
More voices of agreements were raised after her shout.
"No one can read the Dark Scroll even if we find it." A heavy silence filled the room, "Once upon a time, it could be translated but only by certain individuals who were the offspring of the creators of the Dark Scroll. They are the descendants of the Timeline Gods."