Outside the cathedral, the streets were bustling, with people heading to and fro from places Angel doubted that he even knew the name of.
Inside the Cathedral of Hope and the lands behind it, everything was cold, dark and void of life.
However, out in the city it was much warmer and everything was bright and shiny.
Angel stared up at the bright white screen that stretched far above his head, expanding for as far as his eye could see—or nearly, at least. Perhaps he was naive for his age, but the boy was no fool. Angel was well aware of the problems the city would face in the future—if it didn't collapse or die because of the City Lords' politics and affairs, then its man-made sun would burn out and all light would diminish.
Angel savoured the thought for a moment, imagining the bright white screen dying out and collapsing, tumbling down onto the city and leaving the enclosing wide open. Many would die, yes. Perhaps he himself would die, if he wasn't dead already in that distant future…but then at least he would get to see the Sky.
The Sky was covered by the first generation of the Stone-Dwellers, for a reason that Angel himself couldn't possibly comprehend. The Sky brought warmth, and warmth brought life. Life brought freedom, and a way out of this hellhole.
Only it wasn't truly Hell. Hell was much, much worse. At least the city had some light, no matter how small or insignificant in comparison to the Sky, it was still light.
Then again, Angel had no real way of knowing if there was a Sky out there anymore. Who knew if the creature had died? No-one did. And anyone who knew was long dead by now.
The boy contemplated this for a few more minutes, then looked away from the bright white screen and blinking away the brightness from his eyes, shoved his boney hands inside of his blue and grey robes and started to run, his feet clad in silver shoes clanking every time he took a step.
—————
Angel had not spent twelve years inside the cathedral simply eating the food the caretaker would hand out and try to get chosen for a better life somewhere else—outside of the Cathedral of Hope, perhaps even in the inner sections of the city.
After all, there never was a chance for Angel to have gotten chosen. No-one would choose a worshipper of Sky, nor someone as pale and frail as him. If he didn't die because of starvation, then he would have died of sickness that was rooted deep inside his bones.
Of course, Angel had no plans to die. He had waited twelve years in the cathedral, thinking about what he would do once twelve years were up and he would have to fend and feed for himself.
He would stay in the Temple of Sky. No-one lived there, and it was cold. So cold that he could die by not being careful enough. That, however, could be solved by a few blankets.
The concept of food was more problematic. He could not even live on a diet of grass and such shrubbery that although rare, could be found outside the city, as his already thin body would deteriorate beyond his capacity to live.
That was why, four years ago he had decided that he would beg for money. Angel was not a particularly egoistic person—he had one desire, and for that desire he would be willing to do anything.
He had even briefly considered selling his body, although not for very long, as his body was too frail to possibly be of any pleasure to the opposite party, and the chances of anyone picking a young skeleton-like child was slim.
Beggars were mostly ignored, but hardly ever kicked. The prideful Stone-Dwellers found it beneath themselves to kick a beggar, and the rest were sympathetic enough to avoid it or ignore it. However, there were always fools, and as long as Angel found any, he would be able to eat well.
And so Angel moved inside the Temple of Sky.
'Being of the Nights and Days, bring us freedom
'Forgive our forefathers and the evils of the Day
'Here in Stone, we beseech you to set us free from the horrors of the world
'We bless you and plead for you to set us free
'Forgive us
The blond-haired boy looked up, his eyes full of sorrow but a faint smile settling on his face. 'Forgive us.'
The tapestries depicting the winged creature silently stared back at him with its crudely carved black eyes.