Why Did You Summon Me?

On her last day in Isythre, Noirciel paid little mind to religious conventions and proper decorum, but she was happy; happier than she had ever been. The angel found it strange that she enjoyed every second she spent at the Aegis Mansion.

Back when she was the Vassal of Time, she possessed more power than these mortals could comprehend, giving her a position even higher than other angels, but was she as happy back then as she is now? After Lulu’s spirit fused with Noirciel’s, the angel was exposed to emotions, something she did not have before. Afterward, Noirciel understood why the girl she possessed felt what she felt, and before the angel knew it, she relied on Lulu’s memories to process events happening around her.

“I failed in my bid to see Mia, yet, for some reason, I feel fulfilled. Why?” Noirciel muttered to herself, looking around the room that was prepared for her. “I suppose I can only delay my redemption until my next time here. By then, I pray that Lord Nehemiah’s Vassal will have already rescued Mia from the chaos that is time…”

“But, will reverting to my former self cause me to lose all I’ve gained?” The angel lamented. A few seconds later, she shook her head, dismissing the thought. “Desist at once! You cannot lust after worldly desires…”

There was a soft knock on the door. “Your Grace, the ceremony is ready.”

Noirciel opened the door quickly and saw Laeticia, who had worn formal clothing and was down on one knee by the door. The corridor had already been painted different colors often used by the Church, and soothing hymns could be heard outside; the knockoff choir that was Da Xue’s Theology Faculty students had returned.

“Please pardon the inelegance of our ceremony,” Laeticia said apologetically. Despite sacrificing sleep to prepare for the ceremony, it was below the standards stipulated in the Scripture and other religious canons. Da Xue’s attempt was pathetic, nothing like the grand event that the Church would have been able to put together. The academy just could not amass enough manpower.

Noirciel did not mind, though. She helped Laeticia to her feet and humbly said, “No, thank you. Our Most High Lord adores you, yet you are considered a sinner, just like me, someone undeserving of care. The honor is all mine.” It was with such humility that Noirciel viewed Baiyi and Attie; it was as though she considered them of equal standing with herself.

Laeticia was startled. Yesterday, Baiyi ordered her to prepare for the ceremony, and since then, she had been really busy; she did not even have the time to join the other ladies, who spent the evening with Noirciel. Hence, Laeticial was not aware of the angel’s humble attitude and gentle personality. Laeticia was stunned by how easygoing the angel was.

Noirciel took a few steps out of the room and stopped. “Oh, I almost forgot!” Before Laeticia could make say anything, Noirciel floated over and rubbed her cheek against Laeticia’s.

After this display of affection, Noirciel fixed Laeticia with a stare of expectation.

Laeticia was shocked.  ‘What in the heavens just happened?! Did Her Grace just… rub-rub me??! Is this a form of greeting in the divine realm, which we coincidentally practice here too?!’ 

Seeing the Saintess in a daze, the clueless angel began to panic. In a bid to clarify the reason for her action in a manner that she was taught the day before, Noirciel rushed forward and licked Laeticia’s cheek with her soft, pink tongue.

Every part of Laeticia’s body seemed to harden, except the blood that rushed throughout her chiseled features. She did not attend the gathering that held the night before, so she was unable to fathom Noirciel’s strange behavior, which was quite unbecoming for an angel.

Seeing her attempt fail again, Noirciel became more nervous and displeased. “Urgh, you’re a difficult one to please…”

Fortunately, Attie, the Kitty Cat Maid, came over at that moment, in time to save the situation. She was dressed quite nicely for the occasion, and in her hands were two small sacks of cookies, which were fresh from the oven.

“Chomp, chomp, chomp!” Attie called out jovially and stuffed a cookie into the angel’s mouth, causing the latter’s face to lit up with joy.

The angel’s reaction made Laeticia feel as though she had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Her expectations had crumbled like the cookie that Noirciel was eating, so she pulled Attie over by her collar.

“What — have — you — done — to Her Grace?!” Laeticia snarled.

“The usual. You know how we ladies welcome others, don’t you?” Attie replied nonchalantly, tossing another cookie into the air, which Noirciel caught with her teeth like a circus animal.

Laeticia was close to tears at that point. She pinched Attie’s cheeks hard and snarled, “I’ll make you pay for this! I will!”

“Ooh, ow, ouch! Owwww! Unhand me; this hurts!” Attie cried, wriggling away successfully, after which she stood straight. “And what exactly did we do wrong? Can you not see how happy she is right now? Is that a bad thing just because it doesn’t follow the ceremonial conventions you were taught?”

Laeticia looked at Noirciel and saw her smiling, and she had no words with which to refute Attie’s statement.

The ceremony continued, and Laeticia and Attie — both of whom Noirciel considered her equal — walked beside the angel as she strolled down the corridor, whose floor was littered with fresh flower petals. There were flowers everywhere, and the choir — students who did not have classes at the time — which was led by the Cleric Walker, made graceful serenades.

The Paladin Walker stood close to the pews filled with the marionettes, all of which had been dyed in silver-white at the last minute. They were just there because only a few people came to the ceremony.

It was as underwhelming as Laeticia had said, but this made the planners’ sincerity and meticulousness shone out more.

Noirciel smiled. Everywhere she looked, respectful Voidwalkers and her new friends beamed and waved at her.

The angel felt a surge of warmth and composed herself to deliver a parting speech. “You all are virtuous and pure-hearted. I’m sure you have touched the gods above; I know they will bless you all bountifully.”

“I… I thank you,” She said, smiling. “I thank you all for being here with me in my final moment, as my journey of redemption ends, and for bestowing me such beautiful emotions.”

The old Noirciel would have been too proud to care if her departure ceremony was huge or small, and she would not have given a speech this mushy. When the angel had said her piece, she gracefully floated down from the podium towards Attie and Laeticia, both of whom she proceeded to give one last cheek-rub.

She no longer did this to receive more cookies. With a smile, Noirciel said to them, “I will always remember you all. I pray we meet again.”

Attie, whose heart was sinking, sighed and gave Noirciel a small pack of cookies to Noirciel. “Something for the journey.”.

The angel grinned and nodded.

She spread her wing and, with a mighty beat that took considerable effort, began to ascend. “Farewell, dear friends!” She called out, smiling broadly. This smile could only be made by beautiful creatures like angels, but it was reminiscent of the smile a little girl would make when she was happy.

Noirciel’s body emitted a golden glow, and the clouds above parted, releasing a beam of light that encased the angel. The watching crowd knew that the angel’s spirit and power were returning to the divine realm.

Laeticia, who was also looking up, unconsciously rubbed the cheek that the angel had affectionately nudged. She was suddenly angry with Baiyi. ‘Why did he not bring Her Grace to her sooner? She was lovely, pure, and kind; furthermore, not many people would get to see an angel in their lifetimes.’ And, out of everyone present, she spent the least time with Noirciel.

‘ God, please hear my prayer. Please, let me see her again in my life. Next time, I’ll fulfill my role and stay by her side faithfully and protect her till my dying breath,’ Laeticia quietly prayed as she watched the angel vanish.

She had no idea how quickly her prayer would be granted.

High in the air, Noirciel’s wing shattered.

It broke into pieces like delicate porcelain being brutally smashed. Shards of different sizes and shapes burst behind her back, and the beam of light leading her home dimmed and faded.

The mood had changed. The world suddenly darkened as heavy clouds swarmed into the sky, blocking the rays of the morning sun from reaching the realm below. It was as though the world had been placed under a large, looming shadow.

Like an injured bird, Noirciel fell from the air, as gravity pulled her right back down to the bed of flowers below.

No one had expected this. Laeticia leaped into action immediately. The Cleric Walker was just a millisecond later, panting as he got up from his chair and bellowed, “She has been denied by the gods! She had been banished !”

Noirciel crashed into a pile of broken twigs and torn petals like an abandoned rag doll. Stripped of the barrier that had protected her from any contact with the ground, her body was subjected to wounds and cuts, like the body of a mortal. Blood dripped down her forehead, and her feeble arms and legs had been brutally bruised. Her white dress was covered with dead flowers, as though she had just been given a flower burial.

“Your Grace!” A cry of pain escaped from Laeticia’s lips. She could see Noirciel cry out, but only a whisper escaped the weakened angel’s lips. “Why? Why do I feel pain? Why is this happening to me? Why can’t I see anything?”

Laeticia’s heart sank. At that moment, the propriety that a mortal should observe was forgotten; she rushed over and carried the wounded girl up.

A wave of Divine Energy surged out of Noirciel, blowing Laeticia away.

“It’s her body; it can’t contain that much Divine Energy!” The Cleric Walker, who was rushing over, shouted, but like Laeticia, who was also blown away by a hurricane that had just formed.

Noirciel was like an erupting volcano. Even though Divine Energy was not lethal upon contact like lava, the force of its continuous explosion was destructive enough to blow everything around her away. Flowers and twigs shattered under the pressure. The old Aegis mansion trembled as though it was going to fall.

Fortunately, only a few people had come for the ceremony, and the Sage-Emperor of the Magi was one of them. The instant Noirciel began to fall, he began to prepare a spell to counter any chaos that would ensue. The Archmage raised a regular training staff and erected a powerful barrier around the mansion and everyone just outside it.

With a remarkably calm voice, he said, “We better come up with something quick. If this goes on any longer, Arfin City will be destroyed.”