Chapter 38

**Merianna**


Yes I did say that he would be safe.

I gave him my word...

But, there was only so much that itty bitty little me could do in certain situations. Situations such as being stuck between two colossal masses of energy that clearly have some issues between each other.

All was fine as we made our way through the gateway back to the Order after Nelia had run out of steam. Hezerial even looked like he was excited to accompany us. But, the moment we all emerged on the other side back in the Atrium of the Order, all hell broke loose when a sudden war cry ripped through the space.

I was unexpectedly jerked to the side and found myself standing behind Hezerial, next to a stunned Nelia and exasperated Noch. I was clearly missing something somewhere down the line...

The sudden war cry had come from Ela, Noch's guardian, and she was a proper fallen angel. Wings as black as ink and an aura almost just as black to match. Once when I had asked Noch about it in the past he explained that she was a fallen angel because she had been exiled centuries ago by her ethereal brethren.

Hence my utter surprise at seeing Hezerial with white wings when I finally emerged from that poisoned stupor. I had assumed that all fallen angels' wings turned black when they reached this realm.

Glancing at Hezerial who had somehow gotten a hold of Noch's staff and used it to block Ela's blow, I figured that I was wrong on that assumption.

"What are YOU doing here?!" Ela roared while bearing her broadsword down on him with a menacing grimace.

Hezerial had planted himself firmly in front of me as he took the pressure of her anger. "My matter of being here, is of no concern to you Elondara." He gritted out as he pushed her back with a shove.

Ela bristled as she re-positioned herself for another attack. "You waltz in here like you have no care in the world. Well, I will ensure that you are reduced to a bloody pile of feathers for what you did."

"I have apologised for my past actions Elondara, but it seems that you have no intention of even considering the possibility of forgiveness." Zerial said with a frown of pity lining his brows.

"The concept of forgiveness had been stripped from me eons ago, along with my glory that you had helped the others rip from me." She growled out furiously as she lunged for him again.

Zerial parried her blow yet again and they stood toe to toe, glaring daggers at each other.

I shuffled closer to Noch as I kept my eyes pinned on the two battling Angelics. I tapped his upper arm without looking at him and he grunted.

"Some explanation if you please?" I asked calmly while I made sure that their battle stayed somewhat contained.

Noch gave a heavy sigh. "When I stumbled across Ela, she was newly fallen from the Heavens. She had been accused of a crime and the Angelics held a council to determine her fate. The worst that can happen to one of their kind, is exile. She had told me that there was one Archangel that held the deciding vote that would tip the scales of her sentence, and by the looks of things," he shot his eyes to the two in question "we now know exactly who that was."

"So, when an Angelic is exiled from heaven, they get their glory stripped from them?" I asked while also looking at the two dancing around the Atrium, causing the other people who were milling about to run screaming out of the room.

"Exactly." He confirmed. "Hence the black wings."

"So, why would Hezerial be here in this realm... with fully white wings?" I questioned while trying to sort the puzzle out in my head.

"He must have chosen to Fall. Those who choose to fall can sometimes slip past the other Angelic's noses and avoid having their Glory stripped from them. Unless he was sent to this realm on some sort of Holy mission." Noch shrugs.

I felt like slamming my head into a wall a few times...

Maybe if I did that I would be able to make sense of everything in this world. Maybe things would then look simpler than they really are. Maybe I would be able to de-clutter my mind that way. My head felt like it was spinning with the amount of thoughts that were flying through.

If that was the case, why in the name of all things cursed would a "chosen-to-Fall" Angelic want to be my Guardian? I am just a normal little witch! Well, mostly normal considering my element...

Plus I couldn't even remember any past lives...if I had any. If I did have past lives though, did I really want to know about them? Some members that do have past lives, sometimes have pasts that are too traumatic to delve back into. Some have even gone insane due to remembering their past lives. Maybe not knowing was for the better...

My attention turned back to the two Angelics that had migrated their battle to the middle of the Atrium. "Shouldn't we stop them?" I asked half-heartedly.

"We probably should." Noch replied nonchalantly, but didn't move an inch.

"Fog will have a fit." Nelia piped in from the other side of Noch.

"He probably will." Noch replied again.

All three of us just stood there and kept watching the spectacle. It was fascinating to see two Angelics go at each other like that. It was most certainly not something you got to see every day.

I really liked Ela's fighting style. She was strong and her strikes were quick as a snake's. Zerial was parrying Ela's strikes as soon as she moved to make one. It was like they were moving about in a seamless dance.

"What is going on in here?!" Came a furious shout from the entrance of the Atrium.

"And there he is." Said Noch.

"He came." Said Nelia.

"Here we go." Was my reaction.

A blast of energy suddenly hit Ela and Zerial so hard that they were thrown into the stone wall on the opposite side. The chandelier in the middle of the big windowed space shook with the impact.

Ela and Zerial shifted around on the floor, shook their heads and looked around in bewilderment.

"They did it." Nelia said.

"He's angry." Noch said.

"Angry indeed." I agreed.

"What manner of reason gives the two of you permission to start a brawl in the middle of my Atrium?! I have enough trouble with the hooligans that live here already, I don't need two Angelics ripping up what is left!" Fog looked absolutely livid. The cords in his neck were standing out and he radiated so much energy that it was practically warping the air around him.

I watched Fog in fascination. I have seen him angry before, especially with Nana Ara and a few times he was angry at me directly. But I have never seen him rant before, or look that furious.

Maybe it was because he didn't know Hezerial... A stranger barging into your home and starting a fight with a long time and well known resident? I can see why he would be mad.

"What should we do?" Asked Nelia.

"Should anything be done?" Asked Noch.

"Probably yes." I answered with a sigh.

I started making my way over to Fog, who was zeroing his way over to the two heaps of feathers. "Fog!" I called out.

"What is it Merianna? I am slightly busy." He said without losing speed.

"Please don't kill Hezerial?"

Fog stopped in his tracks and pivoted to me. "Who, do pray tell, is Hezerial?" He asked with a raised brow.

When I finally reached his side I pointed to the blonde, fair feathered being that had finally managed to gain his footing. "Him."

"And why, should I not flatten him?" Fog asked next with even more skepticism.

"Because he is my Guardian."

There was a moment of stunned silence where Fog just kept looking down at me. "And when did this happen?" He finally asked.

"A few hours ago."

He looked up to Noch and Nelia. "Is this true?"

Noch shrugged. "It seems so. I have no idea how or why, but it does seem to be genuine. He has been calling himself her Guardian since the moment we saw him."

"It's true." Nelia chimed in. "He does seem to genuinely think of himself as her Guardian. Also he helped her when she got injured."

"Come to think of it, I might have actually been dead by now if it hadn't been for Zerial's help. I was poisoned by Rippers, and surrounded." I slanted a glare over to Noch. "Someone failed to mention that they were going to send me into the middle of a Ripper nesting mountain."

Noch just shrugged. "All a part of the job. The Order accepts bounties that risk life and limb and sometimes seem impossible. You'll have to just get used to it demon child." He finished with an evil grin.

"There are other areas in this blasted Realm that are perfect conditions for this herb to thrive in!!! You sent me to the most dangerous one on purpose!" I yelled while pointing to him accusingly.

"It was a good learning curve!" He defended. "And I also gave you the Rune Reaper to use!"

"Without actually explaining what area you were throwing me into! I nearly got killed!"

A feminine shriek cut through our argument. "He's your GUARDIAN?!"

My head whipped around to see a furious Ela standing with clenched fists and rage burning in her eyes. Even though she was directing her glare my way, I wasn't scared of her. Ela might be furious at the situation, but I knew for a fact she would never intentionally hurt anyone in the Order. Especially not Nelia or me.

"From the moment he suddenly popped in between me and the Rippers he had been saying he is my Guardian. Although it doesn't make any sense to me personally. I also don't get the sense that he's lying. He said he felt it when I needed help. Isn't that something that only real Guardians can feel?"

Fog folded his arms and gave me a pointed look that obviously meant that he was waiting for me to elaborate even more on the situation, and explain myself.

I threw my hands up in defense. "I don't know how! He just poofed into existence in front of me when I was seconds away from being mauled alive. He really did save my life."

Fog then gave a heavy sigh and looked back up to Zerial. His face switched to sudden bewilderment though. Confused at his reaction I turned my head to look at Hezerial as well. Only to be bewildered myself.

Hezerial was sitting on the floor with a pitifully happy look plastered on his face. His eyes were also brimming with tears.

"What's wrong?!" I asked while jumping back a step.

"I'm so touched. My Lady, you do not seem to remember me still, yet you defend my being here." Hezerial made a pitiful face and I caught sight of Ela taking a step away from him in utter disgust.

"Uhm, your welcome...?" I said uncertainly.

"Well then, I suppose it's alright for him to be here. If he causes any trouble though, it'll be on your head, and I'll give Ela free reign to the Armory and him." Fog muttered while eyeballing Zerial a little longer.

Hezerial suddenly straightened up and became dead serious. "I shall never become a burden for My Lady. I would rather end myself than let it come to that."

The room was silent for a second. I turned back to Fog. "You see what I mean?"

Fog looked wearily down at me. "I can see your point."

"Alright! Now that the Demon child has been found and came back with a tag-along, I'm hungry. Isn't it almost dinner time already?" Noch announced nonchalantly and started walking off to the kitchen.

Ela looked extremely displeased, but she followed him out the door none the less. No doubt to ream him for information.

I gave a heavy sigh. "Hezerial, do you need a room to rest in? I know Ela doesn't but do you?"

"No My Lady, I have a place in the Ether where I go to, just like Elondara. I shall appear whenever you call for me, or have need of me." Zerial gave a dazzling smile as he stood up. "You shall see me around My Lady. I quite enjoy the atmosphere of this castle, certain other occupants notwithstanding." He muttered the last bit under his breath, but I still heard it.

I scoffed as Nelia came over to my side. "Things are going to become extremely lively around here I see."

"Things have become overly lively already since the day you two came along." I heard Fog mutter from behind me as he turned to walk away.

"I heard that!" I yelled at his back only to receive a chuckle in response.

"Well then My Lady, I shall take my leave for the time being. Have a good evening." Zerial said with a smile, and with a bow he suddenly disappeared.

"Nelia?"

"Yes?"

"Are there any cures for believing that you're in a dream yet you are actually in true reality but nothing makes sense to you anymore?"

"Hmmm, not that I know of. But, there is this very potent mushroom in the forest that could give your dreams extreme illusions and make them ubsurdly vivid. Maybe I should get some for you, that way, reality should look much more reasonable don't you think?"

I turned slowly to Nelia's sweetly smiling face. I had to admit, sometimes she scares me.

"I think I'll pass."

"I thought as much."

And with that, we left the Atrium and went on the hunt for supper as well.