Sirens from firetrucks are blaring as they rush to prevent the spread of the fire from a nearby city. As the firetruck pass by a mansion, there stood a man behind one of the mansion's windows. The man calmly took a sip of wine from the glass he is holding, he casually walks to his piano, sat down and plays a music. The music is soft and full of emotions that it somehow calms the chaotic night brought by the fire. He stood and grabbed his coat from the rack, but surprisingly the music didn't stop, it kept going even after the man had left his mansion. The music echoed over the entire neighborhood which brought warmth into the hearts of those who could hear it.
Meanwhile on the city, the firefighters are busy putting off the fire. Additional firetrucks had just arrived and distress can be seen in the eyes of some firefighters.
"The fire is getting bigger! It will engulf the entire building soon! Have we evacuated everyone from this unit??" Says the firebrigade captain
"I cannot confirm yet sir! The fire had already spread throughout the 4th floor. We have zero vision on that floor." Replied another officer
"Sir! 1st and 2nd floors have been evacuated, we only have a view of the 3rd floor from the crane, there's a child trapped inside!" Reported another officer
"Goddamn it!! What are the other officers doing inside?!! Do we have a clear way on the upper floors?!" The firebrigade captain exalted
Everyone hurriedly scramble through the 1st floor to find a way up but then the gas tank exploded scattering debris of the building and eventually igniting the fire even worse. The fire officers panicked from the sudden explosion, civilians cry out in terror as they witness the entire building being swallowed by the fire. A desperate cry was heard from the 3rd floor aside from the crackling sound of wood and metal.
"Help me!! Help! Please somebody help me!!
Begged the child.
"Sir we are running out of water.. and the waterpoles are not working too." Says one officer
"At a time like this?! Fuck! This is not good at all!" The firebrigade captain exclaimed
The firefighters are running out of options and brought by the distress of the situation they would've called it over.
"Sir! Someone just walked into the building!"
"WHAAT?!! What are you doing?!! Get him out of there!!"
"Sir that's a negative!! He's already inside. We have no vision of him."
The man slowly walks into the blazing fire, making his way from the 1st floor to the next until he reached the 3rd floor where he found the child lying unconcious. The fire doesn't bother the man nor does it burn him, he extends his arm and there appeared a long scythe. He smiled and spoke.
"Ah! there you are little one. I've come for you. Leave your worries here and rest comfortably forever."
Suddenly large wings appeared from behind the child and covered her from the smoke and fire. These wings are from what appeared to be a man, a beautiful young man who had lush golden hair and dazzling blue eyes.
"Hmm.. a guardian angel you are. Leave the child to me, your task here is done." Says the man
"This is not yet her time! Spare her! I beg of you." Replied the guardian angel
"You know everyone has their dues, everyone must meet their end. It does not differ in age or gender." Says the man again
"I won't let you harm her!"
"You are not allowed to stand against me. You know that birdie."
"Yes i know that, but still i won't let you have your way!" Answered the guardian angel as he pulled out a sword from behind.
"I won't do that if I were you."
The guardian angel charged towards the man and swung his sword down on him but it was easily blocked by the man. He repeated striking over and over again but his attacks are easily dodged and blocked by the man.
"You are wasting my time here birdie. Why don't you just give her to me and you can fly home?" The man said
"You will never lay a finger on her as long as i'm alive." Replied the guardian angel
"If that's what you wish..so be it!"
The man suddenly lunged forward and swung his scythe, the angel tried to block his attack but he was too slow and it caught his right wing. The angel dropped down screaming in pain as he stare at his severed wing getting burned by the fire.
"I told you it was a bad idea, you never listened." Says the man
The angel could only agonize as the man calmly walks pass him towards the child. The man sat in front of the child and continued talking.
"Why would you even exchange your life for such vulnerable soul?" Asked the man
"That is something we differ from one another Midnight.. argh!..you do not have remorse over the lives you take!" The angel answered
"And by getting in my way you think you can change the fate of this child? Is that it?"
"No..i can never win against you, but i can somehow prolong that fate!!" The angel exclaimed as he quickly got up and charged the man stabbing his chest.
"Not close enough." Uttered the man as he choked and lifted the angel with a single hand
"Heh! That is not what i was aiming for.. i am merely a distraction.." The angel replied
The man's brows crossed in confusion when all of a sudden another angel arrived plunging from the heavens. With the impact of the angel's landing, the upper floors collapsed scattering the civilians and firefighters outside in fear of getting crushed by the falling debris or burnt by the fire. The angel stood in front of the child spreading its wings to protect her.
"Another angel? This is treason." Says the man
"Not by the laws that bind me reaper!" The angel replied
The man took a step to approach him, the angel flapped its huge wings to try and deter him. With such force the rubbles were thrown into the air, the fire thwarted with a single beat, the dust and smoke churned like tornadoes in their midst. The man was pushed back by the extreme wind and as soon as he flinched, the angel grabbed the opportunity and escaped with the child.
"Not so fast!"
The man's scythe extended as he tried to snatch the escaping angel with the curved blade, but the other angel grabbed its end and stopped him.
"You'll never see that child ever again.." uttered the wounded angel.
"Very clever birdie! I would've spared your wings if you simply did not resist. Nonetheless it does not matter anymore." Says the man
The child and the angel that took her had escaped him, they had quickly vanished from his eyes. The wounded angel kept pushing his sword in the man's chest while his other hand is holding the scythe.
"I told you i won't let you lay a finger on her. I defeated you Midnight! " Replied the angel
"Defeated me? You? No one has ever defeated me yet. And i'm afraid no one can." Says the man then pulled his scythe from the angel's hold
"You lost Midnight! You lost one soul."
"Bad move birdie.. I'll make yours the compensation instead." The man answered as he slowly pierced the angel's heart.
As soon as the angel's dead body dropped on the burning floor and evaporated, the man carefully placed the soul inside a tiny lantern. He then walked a few feet from where he stood, he crouched down and picked a feather from the rubble.
"Hmm.. pure white feather.. an Archangel? Interesting, very interesting!" The man said as he grinned
The man left the burning building without even getting burnt or getting caught by the firefighters. The fire was successfully put off and was prevented from spreading to the neighboring buildings but the firefighters cannot put up a happy face because they knew they lost two to the fire, the child and the heroic man's lives.
Meanwhile, the other angel that had managed to save the child flew as far as he possibly could. Using his powers he translocated themselves far beyond Midnight's reach. On his translocation, he came upon a town abundant with life centered by a huge church, it came into his mind to leave the girl to the care of the parish, so he landed behind the church and found a maze beside it, he rushed into that maze and hid there. He then placed the child on a bench in the center of the maze and checked the child's pulse but there was no vitality in her. He whispered something to her ear, he healed her scars and burns, the child gasped back to life, she coughed and coughed and shortly regained conciousness. Her vision was blurry and her head was way too hazy to fully analyze the series of happenings. Before she closed her eyes again to sleep, the angel uttered a promise then flew away. These words would forever be engraved in her mind and in her heart.
"I will always be with you, even if it's a lifetime or a thousand, for you i would risk it all."