The Guardian Angel (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #1)

Chapter 10: The Dark Angel

The weekend passed in a glimpse of an eye. As always, no one called Lily out - she had no friends at all, due to her absence of light aura. She was silently studying in her room and daydreaming the whole weekend, while her sister enjoyed her friends' company, laughed, and had fun with them.

On Sunday morning she woke up with her usual tired expression, put her clothes on, did her toilette, and descended into the dining room to have her coffee.

"Hey dear!" mom greeted her. She was sitting with her female guardian angel, Haniel, and was enjoying her breakfast with coffee and croissants. 

"Hello..." Lily unwillingly answered and sat at the table, waiting for the servant to arrive.

"Come on, what's with that long face?" her mother kindly giggled, "You'll make Haniel sad here..." she glanced at her angel who happened to be the celestial angel of joy - a beautiful golden-haired, blue-eyed mistress of the light.

"Whatever..." Lily grumpily shrugged and looked up at the old servant that had come up to her.

"What would the young lady have for breakfast today?"

"Like usual, Vincent. Thank you".

"Alright," Vincent bowed and walked off.

"Lily, if there is anything please just tell me..." the mother got concerned now, "Maybe I can help..?"

"It's nothing..."

"Lily," they heard a tender, celestial voice of Haniel. They flinched and glanced at the angel who was sitting at the table with them. "Lily, your aura has changed..."

"Huh?" Lily raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I feel you've been up to something Lily. You'd better go to church today. Your aura is not neutral anymore. It has gotten darker, way too dark for a normal human".

"What?" Lily's mother covered her mouth with a hand, "Oh goodness! Lily, what does this mean?"

"I... I have no idea..." Lily frowned and looked away. She got nervous - what if they found out she had interacted with the devil? No humans perceived that guy as an angel so far. Not many knew he was an angel in the past, and those who knew called him 'fallen angel', 'betrayer', etc. They considered him evil, and she didn't really know him all that well to judge him herself.

Haniel sighed and shook her head. Servant Vincent brought milky coffee and chocolate cookies to Lily. She thanked him and began eating her breakfast.

"Lily, please go to church, dear..." her mother pleaded, worry expressed on her face. Maybe this is why she is so gloomy, because of the dark energy around her?

"Okay, I'll go..."

After finishing her breakfast, Lily indeed went out of her house and took the road opposite the church which her family often frequented. She never liked churches since her childhood. She felt kind of awkward in there as if she didn't belong... That feeling of being an outsider even in a church caused her even more pain in her youth, so she decided not to go to church anymore. She wouldn't step in there this time either.

Why would I ever go there?

Fallen into her thoughts, she suddenly heard a faint, but horrified cry come from a dark alley nearby. It led to the Den of Former Hosts. She widened eyes, and then clenched her fists in disgust:

Those scum criminals down there are up to something...

She boldly crossed the street and entered the dark alley without even looking back. She cautiously walked forward and soon arrived at the end of the alley, in pure dark streets of the Den of Former Hosts. She saw how there was a little boy of over thirteen years leaning against a stone wall, shivering in dread, with four older guys gathered around him viciously grinning. One of them did have an angel - a tall, long-blond-haired, brown-eyed warrior dressed in golden armour, and he was threatening the kid! But the most astonishing was still a little girl of over fourteen years covering the boy with her feeble hands, shaking in fear herself. She had long, tender golden hair part of which covered her right eye, and her left eye was blue like the clear sky. She wore a thin white dress and had feeble, soft white wings with which she covered the little boy. Tears had wetted her cheeks as she watched the vicious boys, quivering.