Chapter X. Fate

"Bring me back my family!"

He laughed when he heard me. I am scared that he will do something to them. No. I must do something. I am an angel and I am sure I can fight him. I bit my lip. But how can I fight him when I don't even know how?

"The portrait," he said as he raised his hand and the portrait was already on his hand which I didn't even notice, "is a trashㅡI should have destroyed it back then." He throw the portrait of Galen on the floor and my eyes widened to see the black flames on his hand.

"W-What are you doing?"

"You are about to save your man's life but," he shrugged his shoulders, "you can't and you will see how his portrait will turn into ashes. Then, I will kill you."

Killing me won't change anything. What he said didn't scare me. What scares me the most is the idea of Galen's portrait turning into ashes. No, this can't be. I have to save him no matter what happens.

My knees are trembling but I still managed to move. I stepped forward. The demon in front of me raised his eyebrows and watched me walk.

"I never expected you would come to me and offer your life." He smirked.

I walked faster and when I almost reached Galen's portrait, the demon burns it and he suddenly grabbed my neck.

"No!" I exclaimed. He choked me. He is strong enough to lift me up with just one hand. I held his arm and forced it to let go of me but he is really strong. "Demon! Let go of me!" The portrait is burning.

"Do you know why I want to kill you?" He asked and choked me tighter. I can't breathe. I tried to take his hand away from me. I can't. "You are destined for him ever since you were born. Once he gets back his wings and he has you on his side, he will be stronger than yesterday. He will possess powers like the Archangels. I can't let that happen. The Archangels are very hard to deal with and I don't want anymore headache."

I want to fight back but I can't. I can't breathe. He is really serious about killing me.

My tears fell down my cheeks when I remembered my family and Galen. I couldn't save them. In the end, I am still Hina, the girl who's always weak.

Is this where I am going to die?

"Hina..." my heart skipped a beat when I heard his voice. It sent shivers down my spine. I know it's him. I am so sure!

I closed my eyes and started to think again about what I can do to save them. I focused. I was a weak girl. I closed the doors and never let anyone come into my life. I have hurt those people who loved me and treated me as a real family member. And I still haven't told Galen about what I truly feel about him.

I still have a lot of things to do and I just can't die here.

"What?" I opened my eyes when I heard the demon's voice before he threw me away.

But what's surprising is, my body didn't fall on the ground. My body is floating in the air, as if I have the power to fly. There is a strange feeling inside me, it's overwhelming. I closed my eyes again. I feel like there is something good growing inside me. I feel goodㅡit's like all the sadness and pain suddenly went away. I am free.

I stared at my clothes that are slowly changing into a simple off-shoulder while dress. And then, I felt my wings opened. It is big and white.

I looked at the demon who was staring at me. I raised my hand and whispered words I never try to say before a light appeared in my hand. The light attacked the demon and it made a big explosion.

Did I do that? I looked at my hand, and wondered how such powerful magic came from these hands.

"You'll die!" I heard a scream. And before I could move, the demon grabbed my neck for the second time. My power caused him damage, I know. There's blood dripping on his forehead and his lower lip popped.

I raised my hand and my magic attacked him again. It pushed him away.

"I didn't expect you to transfrom like that. I guess I was being too kind to you." He laughed. "But this time, you won't notice how your body will turn into dust." A sword appeared on his hand and the dark magic wrapped the sword. It is charging and I would literally die once it hit me. I am sure of thatㅡbut I don't know how to fight him.

He is going to attack me. My mind panicked and I couldn't think of a way to fight him. I don't even know how to release a magic.

I raised my hand and instead of casting a magic, I closed my eyes and covered myself with my arms. He is so close and I am going to die in a second. A big explosion happenedㅡmy eyes are closed. I don't know what happened because things happened so fast. Am I dead or am I still alive? I don't know.

"It's been 992 years, isn't it?" My body froze to the familiar voice I hear right now. I opened my eyes and words can't explain how happy I am to see someone in front of meㅡsomeone I literally missed. He got back his wings and it is really big. It is bigger than mine and more... beautiful.

"Impressive!" The demon laughed despite the fact that he is bleeding. But his wounds seemed nothing to him. The black magic wrapped his sword again as it wrapped his entire arm. It's like his upgrading.

"Timothy, the third prince of the demon clan, you must be desperate to take my woman's life to stop me from coming back." His woman...

"The archangels and you, the one who received the special grace from the supreme deity, are the reason why the demon clan couldn't dominate the world. You are like a dirt that must be erased. And it is my mission to do that." The demon whose name is Timothy said in a dark tone.

Timothy suddenly attacked usㅡwhich I didn't notice. Galen pulled me to him as he dodged the attack that Timothy made. No. He didn't just dodge it. I realized that he is going somewhere while having me in his arms. Being on his arms makes me feel safe. As always. I inhaled his scent for a second. My heart skipped a beat. How I missed his scent.

"Galen..."

"He used a spell to stop the timeㅡwhich only affects on humans. It will only go back to the original state once he cancels it. And I doubt that he will do that." He said while looking at our way. I hold onto him, afraid of falling.

"What do we do, then?"

"Defeat him," he says. "That's the only way."

"Then, why are we running away? How can we defeat him when we're doing this? He abducted my family!"

"We are not running away. We cannot run away from a powerful demon, Hina." He sped up and I only realize what he said when we stopped on a forest. No buildings, no humans. Now I realize that he wanted to protect other people.

"Let me fly," I say. "I have wings."

He looked into my eyes without letting me go. He held my waist with just one arm as if I am too light for him. My heart skipped a beat with the way he look at me. It is melting down my knees.

"Yes, you have." He touched my cheek. "But it is your first time and a dangerous demon is after us. I cannot put your life at risk."

"You are being protective because you need me, right?" Somehow it hurts me. He only needs me that's why he's being like that to me.

"I need you," he says as he rubbed his thumb on my lower lip. "And I love you."

My heart jumpedㅡI don't understand. I am feeling happy right now and... confused. Isn't it fast? He said he loves meㅡam I dreaming?

"You've got to be kidding me." I laugh.

"You know everything. You know why you were born and why you are here with me right now."

"It's only because I was meant to save you, isn't it?"

"The curse has left me a lot of bad memories. I fell in love with every woman I met and I always ended up getting my heart broken. But, I knew that the right one will come to lift the curse. When I met you, I felt different. You were different among the women that I met before you. I could read everyone's mind but not yours." He caressed my hair and touched my cheek again. His fingers were soft. "I could read your mind at first but it changed one day. And I realized that maybe it was youㅡthe one who will stay with me until the end."

When I started to think about what happened to him, my heart literally skipped a beat. The curse has absolutely caused him too much pain and he patiently waited for me for 500 years. He must be tired from it. He must be so lonely.

"Everyone's telling me that I was born to save the beautiful angel of all the angels. That it was my fate." I don't know how to say it. "But nobody knows that you saved me, too. You saved me from the dark and empty box that caged me. You healed me."

"Are you confessing your feelings to me?" My cheeks heated when he smiled at me.

"Uh, I meanㅡuh..."

"This is supposed to be my stage. I haven't finished telling you about what I feel for you."

My heart thumped. It's racing and I can't look at his eyes directly.

"Hina," he called me as he held my chin, guiding my face to look at him. "I am very lucky to have you. I never imagined that this day would come. My happiness is overwhelmingㅡI want to hold you forever."

"I am more lucky to have you, Galen." My hands cupped his face. He leaned close to me and I felt his soft lips against mine.