Sins of an Angel

The journey home from Halion was quiet and undisturbed. Still, Emira felt as though something had gone wrong. She kept her lips tightened as she flew home, guided by Elraine and Theran. Elraine had made sure Emira was settled, but watched around themselves to see if anyone was watching.

“Theran,” Elraine spoke, “It’s your choice to go back to the temple or not. I’m going to stay and keep an eye on things here.”

Theran crossed his arms as he sighed, “You’re so predictable.”

“Don’t test me. Choose to stay or leave.”

“…I’ll head back,” he turned and began to walk away from the neighborhood.

Emira was still quiet as she entered her home, sitting on the couch. Her family was still gone. She was silent as she fiddled with her fingers. Elraine sat next to her, frowning at how solemn Emira acted.

“I saw something earlier… something I shouldn’t have seen,” Elraine closed her eyes.

Emira did not gaze at her, but continued to listen.

“God has lost his watch on you and that is why Sereptus was able to curse you. He showed us the last thing he saw you do before he abandoned his guide of you… and you were kissing Asmarus.”

“Asmarus?” Emira narrowed her eyes.

“Luxuria, sorry. Cyril.”

Emira felt no words could leave her mouth, so she continued to look away.

“I support you two being together, whether the angels agree or not,” Elraine nodded.

“I’m sorry, what?” Emira looked up, confused.

“Sophia—I mean—Emira… you and Cyr were once lovers… Cyr was never meant to be a sin. Sereptus cursed you from his jealousy and Cyr was blamed for it.”

“H—how do you know?” Emira’s eyes widened.

“I know when my brother is lying…” she looked down, “I can tell… Cyr wants God’s trust along with your own again.”

“How was I cursed though? Is there more to what happened?”

“Sereptus cursed you to forget all memories that you had with Cyr. He made you forget of your child when you gave birth… so you had no memory of her, and she was cursed as well. She was consumed by darkness,” Elraine looked ashamed.

Emira couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She was nervous and felt sick, “And… what happened… was the baby killed?”

“When you gave birth, Sereptus stole her, but then Father told us she had gone missing…”

Emira bit her lip, “Would Cyr know if she’s still alive? I mean—if souls can die, that is…”

“God can banish souls by destroying them. It’s not of our business to know if he banished her, so we never asked. Cyr may or may not know of what happened… Sereptus could have kept it from him.”

“I see…” she stayed quiet for a moment, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now… for my powers…”

“Seek them by following. I suggest the Liezah… that is who Maira is currently following until he gains the third eye.”

Emira nodded, thinking about it for a moment, “I’ll consider it.”

“Alright… I’m going to go find a place to stay for the night. I’ll converse with you another time,” Elraine got herself up.

As Emira let her out of the house, she then sighed, leaning against the door. It would be nightfall soon, and she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. She slowly crept up her stairs and locked herself in her room, sitting on her bed, doing nothing.

---

Cyr sat on the edge of his bed, his hands holding onto his legs tightly. He felt nervous for some reason. As he stared at the mirror across the room, he could clearly see a bruise across his neck and arms. He was feeling sick… mostly because he hadn’t seen Emira. He had gone to her house the night before, but she wasn’t there, or she was sleeping. He couldn’t help, but wonder if something had happened to her. He had to know… so he decided to head over once again.

As he left his apartment and headed into the car, he was putting his jacket on quickly, to cover the marks all over his arms. He drove off quickly, heading toward her home. As he was driving, he came to a red light. Shaking his head in hesitation, he looked to the sidewalk, seeing two familiar girls walk in silence. One had bright, blond hair while the other had black hair with pink bangs. Cyr narrowed his eyes, activating his third eye as he noticed omens within their souls.

“No way… Skylar and Sepheria?” he murmured to himself. He knew very well that Skylar and Sepheria were the sins of envy and vanity. He tried to ignore them, hoping they wouldn’t see him as he began to drive off when the light turned green. He wondered why the two of them were in Farona… were the sins gathering there for a specific reason?

He continued driving as he then pulled into Emira’s driveway. He walked up to the door and knocked several times. He felt discouraged since the lights within her house were still off. Soon, in the corner of his eye, he saw a glare of light from the second floor. He knocked again, hoping she’d answer. As he waited impatiently, the door slowly opened as Emira’s gray eyes watched him.

“Emira…” he whispered as she gazed at him.

He could see that she had been distressed and her eyes were darker than usual.

“Cyr…” she replied.

“What happened? Are you okay?” he asked.

Emira looked down as she hugged herself, taking a step back so that he could come in. He entered slowly, closing the door afterward.

“Sereptus found me… I didn’t see his face, but he…”

“What?” Cyr sounded outraged suddenly, “That bastard…”

“He cursed me temporarily… I had to go to Halion to get an exorcism—“

“I promise that he won’t touch you again,” Cyr moved in to kiss her. Emira turned her cheek, evading his lips.

“He cursed me because I broke my bond with God by kissing you.”

Cyr wasn’t sure what to say. He felt both offended and ashamed. He knew he couldn’t allow himself to get her into danger. He looked down and moved away as he shook his head.

“Why does it have to be this way… I’m tired of being outcasted…” he sighed.

“Is there a way for you to become an angel once more?” she asked.

“No… once damned, you cannot go back.”

Emira looked unsettled as she sat down on the couch.

“If you want me to leave for now, I’ll understand,” Cyr felt nervous saying that. He didn’t want to hear her agree.

“Cyr… there are so many boundaries between you and me…” Emira bit her lip, “What was the name of our daughter?”

“Our daughter? You remember…?” he asked, his eyes widening.

“The Angel of Generosity… Elraine told me.”

Cyr pursed his lips, “Sereptus’s sister?”

“She’s the one who brought me back here.”

“I see…” he felt apprehensive to the thought of their child, “Her name was Emerson.”

“What angel would she have been?”

“The Angel of Salvation.”

The room went quiet for as long moment. Emira couldn’t think straight.

“How…? Aren’t the angels supposed to be linked by their purposes?” she asked.

“God said that the most important commandment of all was to have relationships. Without them, we are lost. I was the Angel of Bonds. You’re the Angel of Love. Together we make a bonded love. That kind of affection is what completes and save people. It brings salvation.”

“One more question…” she pursed her lips.

“Yes, my love?”

“Where is she?”

“Emerson…” he mumbled for a moment, “She is being held by God until the right moment.”

“What?”

“God cleansed her of the curse and is saving her until she is needed most. She’s being isolated from the other angels,” Cyr explained.

“I see…” Emira nodded.

“Are there more questions?” she asked, “You look confused still…”

“Elraine explained to me that Sereptus cursed me through jealousy… what does that mean?”

“You were the front angel that was female while he was the front angel that was male. Many assumed you two would be paired, but in the end… you chose me. He longed to be with you for your beauty and importance,” Cyr felt angered for speaking this, “When he was banished, he didn’t want to go without vengeance, so he cursed you to blame me, taking me down with him. Avery was… I mean—“

“I know about Avery,” Emira interrupted, “Keep going.”

“Avery thought it was me who cursed you… so he damned himself for revenge. All the other angels who fell from heaven simply left with Sereptus because of their jealousy of the Archangels being more divine than them.”

Emira took it all in slowly, understanding what had happened.

“Many of the angels became demons… but a select few, he chose as his representations.”

“Why?”

“Because the demons he chose were the lovers of the Archangels.”

Emira’s eyes widened, “Did… did Sereptus have a lover as an angel?”

“He was going to… but he cursed her upon banishment.”

“What angel was he?”

“He was the Angel of Life.”

“And what angel was meant to be his lover?”

“…The Angel of Salvation.”

Emira’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing… “Did he steal her after, and God retrieved her?”

“No. I hid her myself and then pleaded God to cleanse and hide her,” Cyr explained.

“I understand now,” Emira felt numb from these thoughts.

“God has a plan separate from the original prophecy,” Cyr assured her, “Something will change.”

Emira laughed lightly, “Was I always this clueless in past generations?”

No,” Cyr smiled, “You knew what the other angels knew… but you only knew the false information that God, the priests, and the other Angels gave you. The information that blamed toe sin of lust for your memories of Emerson and himself being your lover disappearing… which gave you your reason to kill me.”

“Ah… why am I not aware yet…?” she frowned.

“To give me a chance to tell you the truth. God is giving me that chance…”

“So God is fond of you?”

“He will not speak or acknowledge me, so I’m not sure. I can only hope.”

Emira nodded, “When I become aware… I will make it clear to the other Archangels that you are on our side.”

“Avery may side with you as well. He shows more care and worry for you far more than I’ve seen in a long time.”

“I hope so…. He’s important to me and most likely important to Elraine as well…”

“Exactly… so he may show to be protective of you.”

“…I want you to come with me to the Halion Temple sometime before the war starts.”

“That’s probably not a good idea, Emira…”

“When I can talk to God, I’ll bring you so he’ll listen to you.”

“If I enter, I might go insane… like a possessed child. Evil spirits are restricted from holy grounds.”

“Ah…” she bit her lip for a long moment, “We’ll figure something out then. God will listen.”