Acorsis

Leggende di Quelle Alate

- I -

"Fire is a universal thing and a symbol of spirit and many things; it dances at any opportunity to and fro and raises its arms to the heavens in rejoicing. It will spread if brought upon anything that it can consume, growing stronger and more deadly in a matter of minutes… at the same time it may be gentle and warm and light the dark path everyone walks. It is smothered out by sand, but more importantly water, which is the essence to all being. All begins and ends with water… which is a powerful force capable of destruction or soft, gentle healing of the body and mind. Let both remind one that restraint is a must of our powers, which, while used for good, can be…"

The soft-brown haired boy paused from his reading and looked up at a hanging lantern, watching the tiny flame flit about in its enclosed space. Soul watched with great interest and lost himself in a comforting daze, until the edge of his table was rapped upon. "Oh!"

"What are you doing now, you silly goose?" A young lady with pretty wings and a slanted halo looked at him with a silly face, "Aren't you suppose to be studying?"

"Epy!" He looked at her with a start. "Um… yeah… I was just…"

"You need a break; you've been in here for hours. Go outside for awhile!"

"Alright…" He closed the book and returned it to its shelf, walking out of the library and into the grand halls of the school building. The floors were of a white, pretty marble and the walls of a strong, dark wood with many decorations strewn about, mostly consisting of artwork done by other students. The wingless angel bowed his head as he walked in the hallway, avoiding looking at others that passed. He shyly dipped around corners until he spotted a familiar pair of boots, immediately looking up.

"Oh! Why if it isn't my favorite late bloomer," The woman smiled, ruffling through his hair under his halo.

"Stop that, miss Sang!" He giggled and blushed rather cutely.

"How are you today? Don't tell me you've been in the library since choir this morning! You know that's not good for you. I'm heading to the gardens, do you want to come with me?" Soul gave her a nod, and she put a hand on his shoulder, curling one large wing around him slightly, and walked outside with him. "Again, another bright and sunny day!"

"We need some rain…"

"That we do, but it'll come in time." Sang nodded to several groups of children in passing, which all smiled and greeted her as she passed. She wound up bringing Soul to a great garden with several ponds and trails, coming to sit at a bench overlooking a patch of flowers. "Here we are… It's really come along, hasn't it?"

"Epy likes working here… but it's not my thing."

"You need to take up some sort of hobby." Sang brushed her black hair out a bit. "You were good at painting and you're in choir… don't you like either?"

"It's alright, but it's just…" He glanced away, before sighing, "Don't hate me."

"Oh for… I keep telling you I could never hate you. Such a harsh word! You need to be nicer to yourself, Soul. It's as if you forget who named you, as well." She ran a few fingers through his hair idly.

"I'm sorry… do you think my wings will come this week?" He shifted in his cloak and looked at her expectantly.

"They just might…!"

"You said that last week!"

"Well there was a chance of it!"

"You talk about it like you talk about the rain." He giggled.

"That's right!"

"Oh man…"

"How is Luke doing?" The woman pulled out a small book and began to finger through it. "Has he been alright with the schedule?"

"Yeah… he's tired when he comes home, but that's expected. I wanted to bring him some flowers too… It's hard to see him that weary though. He'll be fine… won't he?" Soul reached down and plucked a nearby tulip, "He says he likes the hard work, but I still wish I knew how to make it easier."

"Small things like that will help. And you could try to learn how to clean your room!"

"But he always said that he'd do that!"

"But if he's busy, you nut…!"

"I guess so." Soul got up and grabbed a few more flowers. "I'll go try and tidy up, and get these in some water. Tomorrow are you going to tell me more about the outside like you promised you would, huh?"

"We'll see…! Curiosity killed the cat, though, you know!"

"I guess. See you later, Miss Sang." Soul hurried off to the dormitory building, straight down a hallway and stopping at room 116. He unlocked it and walked in, immediately finding a vase and putting the flowers in with a little water. Setting the vase aside, he looked around for things to tidy… but the entire apartment was tidy to begin with. "… drat. I can't make a mess and clean it either… I guess I could make some dinner."

Eventually the door opened and Luke, a slightly older angel with mid-sized wings and an even halo came in with a stack of textbooks under one arm. He closed the door and put the books on the table, before looking at the stove, grinning to find Soul making dinner. Luke walked over and wrapped his arms around the younger boy's waist, "Hey! What are you up to? I thought you were afraid of the stove."

"Only if it blows up." He giggled and snuggled back a bit, "It's almost ready! Just a stew, but…"

"Anything is good. I'm tired, too." Luke let go and sat at the table, waiting patiently until everything was served. Like he hadn't seen food in weeks, the young man inhaled his. "This is really good! I'm glad the stove didn't blow up!"

"I know it!" Soul giggled and took to his more carefully. "But you're home early."

"They let out early for studying. I probably will be spending most of the night reading."

"Oh, I see…"

"Don't sound so down. You've been upset for a few days, what's going on, huh?"

"Well." Soul leaned back a little in thought, "I still don't know if I want to take the easy route or be a Guardian like you're trying to be. And my wings STILL aren't in and I feel stupid without them… like everyone's staring."

"They're not, and there's plenty of others without theirs still." Luke finished up his dinner fast, "And you still have time to decide on those other things. Tell you what, I'll take a break here and we can sit around and do some good old-fashioned nothing, okay?"

"Oh, yeah!" Soul brought the dishes back to the sink then walked over, letting himself be picked up and hauled to the bedroom. He went ragdoll when placed on the bed, soon being snuggled from behind in a sitting position. With a happy sigh he leaned his head back. "Now we need to do this more often like we used to!"

"You talk like it's been years," Luke laughed, "It makes me feel guilty. You're only two months old and you're already giving me a trip!"

"I don't have a frame of reference for time yet! I can't even figure out how an hour works."

"Now you're just making excuses. We'll have to punish you severely."

"No!" The young angel burst into childish giggles, "I didn't do anything!"

"Well then, to get the idea of TIME into your skull, you should think about the day you were born and how many details you can remember and stuff you can't. You'll start to get the idea. I had to do the same thing."

"Alright. I can try…" Soul settled back and closed his eyes, trying to remember every bit of detail he could.

Several people were crowded around a bed, shouting fervently at a child laying unconscious within to stay with them as his heart began to race. A tearful, shaking mother held her child's hand tightly and begged with all her heart her little boy be spared. But, despite all of the work and praying, the heart monitor dead-lined. Attempts were made, but the child would move no longer, and was soon transferred away…

However, the child felt as if caught in a free-fall, loose hospital gown rolling about his figure as he dropped headfirst, slowly opening his eyes to see a blur of blue sky and clouds rush past. In a loud gasp of panic, he threw his arms out and at the same time, marvelous, massive wings spread out from his back! Turning halfway in the air, he found himself too late and hit the ground with a bit of a crunch, slowly slumping into a relaxed position. Though unable to move, he was surprised to feel no pain, but instead began to hear a voice calling to him.

"Mother…? Father…?" He tried to call back but only spoke weakly. He felt lifted from the hard ground into a pair of arms, squinting harshly as he looked up with new eyes. A woman with black, silky hair and a kind face smiled down at him happily. The young boy gasped, "Mother?"

"No, no, my apologies… my name is Sang. Happy birthday to you!"

"Happy…?" He raced to remember, surprised to know the language perfectly, "Where am I?"

"You are in the Mayfield," Sang explained with a smile, "You are a newborn Angel, and I've come to get you and bring you to your new home. You must be a little dazed and sort of cold, lying in a flower in your birthday suit like that."

"What?" He looked down in surprise, finding himself completely nude and immediately covering up and flushing. This merely caused his new 'friend' to burst out laughing, "It's not funny!"

"You definitely are reincarnated. You're remembering how to be embarrassed just fine! Take a look around when you can."

Slowly the newborn angel gazed around the Mayfield; a place filled with endless rows of flowers, some much larger than others and many completely open. He could see, in a few preparing to bloom, the faces of other children in slumber. The entire area was enclosed by natural rock wall, like a cradle for the blossoms. He gasped a bit, but felt as if he had always been part of the area…

"Now, what is your name?"

"My name? Uh…" He thought hard. "I… Can't…"

"You don't know? That's uncommon. Usually when you wake up you have a name in mind."

"No… nothing…"

"Then I believe you shall be Soul, because that's the first thing on mine!" Sang smiled, then started out through an archway. "It's not very long until we get home, and we'll get you cleaned up and dressed."

"Where is home? Are my parents there?"

"No, no, you really don't have parents here. You're reincarnated. But if it makes you feel better you can call me Mother for the time being, okay? I work as a teacher over at Gaul… I am about six-thousand years old and you'll be staying in the same area as me."

"Six thousand…!"

"It seems like so long, doesn't it?" The archway lead through a tunnel that opened into a walled city, filled with halo-bearing children and teenagers. There was wide open green space, several fantastic but old looking buildings, and interesting sculptures dotted about all over. But the walls were so high one couldn't see over them, which struck the child as curious. A bunch of excited teenagers, however, came running over to Sang. "Hey there, everyone! This is our new arrival!"

"He's so cute!" A girl with brown hair tied back giggled merrily, "Oh, but he looks sort of sick to me."

"Well he did just wake up…" A young man in a cloak with silver hair commented, "So what's his name?"

"This is Soul." Sang introduced him, lifting him up a bit. "Soul, these are some friends of mine and hopefully yours, soon, too! This is Epitome, and Luke… September and Leon… and Atone."

"Happy birthday, sweetie," September smiled prettily, framed by gold hair and a pair of pretty wings, "You still look pretty tired. You let Sang get things worked out, okay? You'll be feeling better in a few days!"

"Alright…" Soul closed his eyes with a tired sigh.

"We'll have time for more introductions later, won't we? See you all later! And don't you dare come and overload the poor thing!" To many laughs, she strolled off into a dormitory-like building and lead him into a room marked 'Quiet' and 'Private', laying him out on a soft bed before heading to a closet and digging out some clothes. "How are you feeling?"

"Weak… like I can't move…"

"Do you hurt?"

"No, not really."

"That's a good sign." She walked over and set clothes aside for him, "Hmm… you're so thin that the normal size doesn't fit. I'm out of smaller things too… do you think slightly larger clothes will be alright for now?"

"Yeah." He shifted a little, then tried to mentally feel his back… he found a few muscles he didn't remember using before and flexed them a bit, to no avail. As Sang walked to a sink, he glanced at her halo, and then attempted to look up and see if he had his own. He was caught off guard when she suddenly took a wet rag to his face, and he sputtered, "Hey!"

"Hold still, you little wiggleworm. You need to be scrubbed down!" She worked as careful and as quickly as possible, "I can't just dump you in a bath this early, the shock would be awful on your system. Now you need to worry about waking up. But it can take a few days so don't rush yourself!"

"But I am awake… aren't I?"

"No, not really," She remembered to get behind his ears, explaining as helpful as possible, "It's a more broad term when applied to newborns. Your soul is still very connected to your past life, hence why you're asking for your parents. As soon as it realizes the change, you wake up completely into this new life, and you're no longer an infant. Right now you're pretty much helpless until you 'wake up'. You see?"

"I'm a baby?"

"Yeah, sort of! One in a twelve-year-old body, but a baby nonetheless."

"Oh man… This stinks… But… where are my wings? Do I have a halo?"

"You'll get both when you wake up. Halo immediately, wings take some time to grow in occasionally. Took mine three weeks!" Finally Sang finished and got him dressed, moving him to a more comfortable room with soft lighting, an open window, and a better, adjustable bed. She set him up so he could look outside. "Here we go! Now if you need absolutely anything you give me a call. I'll be working in the same room. Is it too bright in here?"

"A little." He squinted until she drew the curtains a little more closed. "Why do my eyes hurt…?"

"They're new, and they're getting adjusted and making a type of chemical that transfers energy. They say eyes are the mirrors of the soul, and it's especially so in an Angel's case. Your eyes both tell other angels about you and act as a line of defense when you are in danger." Sang knelt down and looked into his eyes; hers were deep brown and as he looked closely, he could almost see the flickering of a soul behind them. "That'll be fixed very shortly, within a few hours."

"Okay. Wow, there's so much to learn."

"This isn't even the beginning, but I'll let you rest for awhile, huh?"

"Yeah." He shifted a little bit, closing his eyes and relaxing as the breeze rolled in through the window. Sang smiled and brushed his hair before walking to a desk, pulling out a small book and several other papers, starting to research. Soul listened to the birds outside singing, trying to focus on clearing out the clutter of thoughts in his mind. He felt a horrible twinge of loneliness for his parents, biting his lip a bit and swallowing a faint sob. Sang glanced up and watched him a moment, but the boy settled down.

He woke up sometime later, drowsily, to the sound of talking, looking around with a faint groan. His eyes felt better, but now his head ached something violent. Weakly, he called out, "Sang…!"

"Oh, coming!" She came in with another angel, the silver-haired individual from before. "What's the matter?"

"Headache…"

"Ah! Be a dear, Luke?" She looked back at the other boy, who nodded and left, coming back shortly with water. Sang helped Soul get a drink, supporting his head and the glass before setting it down to the side. "There we go. I know you met him briefly, but this is Luke! I think I'm going to have you two be partners."

"Hi." Luke came over and shook Soul's hand lightly, "Luke, of course. I'm about three hundred years old, and I'm going to be studying Guardian Angelship soon. My old partner recently got married and left, so I've been looking for someone new to come stay with me."

"Old partner… like roommates?"

"Yeah, like that! I keep my place pretty quiet and clean… It's on the first floor and has a good view of the new garden. I like to read and write poetry, make card houses, and keep impossibly busy," he laughed, "Plus I'm not too old to forget what it's like just starting out but also can help you since I have some experience."

"Okay… that sounds fine by me." Soul smiled, but was surprised by a sudden hug. He felt a rush of emotion, a strong and sudden attachment with a deep sense of warmth. He uncontrollably started shaking and crying faintly, slowly hugging back, as if seeing a lost friend after decades. "I… I'm sorry… I don't know why…"

"I cried when my old friend hugged me the first time too."

"Yes," Sang nodded, "Me too. Very natural. Remember you're still an infant so your emotions are all over the place before they settle back into order. The only people that don't go through this are those born to actual parents."

"So there are parents!" Soul blinked, surprised, "I thought you… the Mayfield…"

"Well now!" Luke laughed, "She hasn't been keeping up on telling you important things! Yeah, some of the angels are born to parents that stay here in Gaul. Though there's only a very few. Epitome is like that, she's Corea's girl, isn't she?"

"Yes, that's right." Sang laughed, "And excuse me, I was trying to let the other stuff sink into his head first!"

"No, no, you have to fill his tender thinking meat to the brim right away. You're slipping in your duties as a caretaker!"

"Hey," Soul giggled, "Don't be mean to her… she gave me my name and she's really nice."

"Aw! Well, if you say so, I'll go easy on her." Luke chuckled. "So has he met Big Sis?"

"Nope, not yet. Just you!" Sang nodded. "You can probably go get her if you'd like. I've got more work to do for class. I don't know if Soul can walk yet…"

"No need!" Luke picked the boy up and put him on his back, "Neigh!"

"Hurray!" Soul cheered, "Hi-ho, Silver, away!"

Luke galloped off out of the room much to the newborn's delight. The laughter was loud enough that everyone standing in the main hall of the dorms looked over and laughed with them. As they passed by the others, the other angels cried 'Happy birthday!' to Soul, who felt absolutely wonderful about it all. Finally they marched right into another room noisily, coming to a halt before another young woman in a patchwork sort of dress. Luke bucked a little, "Neeeigh!"

"Easy, horsey!" Soul squealed delightfully.

"Now what do we have here." The woman looked Soul over critically, "Why, if it isn't a brand new angel. Happy birthday to you! So, what is your name?"

"Soul."

"That's a pretty name for a handsome young man! So, tell me, what was your dream like?"

"What's that…?" He let himself be sat down in a chair, helplessly sinking back into it. "You mean… before I woke up?"

"Yes! I'm very curious about how you got that name."

"Oh, um, Sang named me. I didn't think of any names… I remember falling… and turning around… and I just hit the ground. That's pretty much it… I can't think of anything else I remember. But my head's all tangled to begin with."

"Hm. That's alright then." The woman nodded, "I'm Mariah, but everyone calls me Big Sis and I'd prefer it to be that way too. I'm the go-to gal for this section of the dorms, and I'm available any time of day, no emergency too small. I'm sure Sang says the same thing about herself, though she's more of the global figure. I stay exclusively here to help take care of people if they're sick or sad or just about anything. You come knock and I'll always make time for you!"

"Okay. Everyone here is so nice…!"

"We're all one big family, you know? So you got Luke? He's a sweetheart if not a little hard driven. You'll love him!"

"I hope so, he makes a good horse!"

"Neigh, I say," Luke snickered.

"Well at least now you know what your destiny is." Big Sis grinned.

"Oh that's not funny."

"Don't keep Soul out too long though. He's going to need another nap pretty soon and he really should stay in the White Room until he's woken up." Big Sis stroked the boy's hair a little, "Poor thing. Brand new and hauled all over the place like a trophy!"

"It's okay… everyone said happy birthday… and it makes me happy." Soul nodded his head forward sleepily. "But… I'm still so tired…"

"Get him back already, you terrible, cruel individual!"

"Fine! Sheesh! Ruin my dreams of torture, why don't you?" Luke picked him back up, "We'll come by later so he can see your paintings. They're something you simply can't miss."

"That sounds delightful. Sleep good, Soul!"

"Yeah." Before they even left the room, he drifted off again, resting comfortably in Luke's arms.