나의 수호 천사

"My Guardian Angel"

 

 

 

The story of the last Grigori

 

 

 

veritatem

“truth”

 

 

 

 

 

He watched her as she quietly tidied up the kitchen. He knew that she knows what he was doing but he did it otherwise and Dara continued to ignore him. As soon as she was done, she turns and smiles at him before she goes to Hanbin’s room and began folding the sheets and taking the laundry. She did it in every room until finally started the washing machine to clean their dirty clothes. Jiyong never left the kitchen counter. He just quietly observed Dara.

 

 

 

“Don’t you have a book to write?”, she asked once she was finished cleaning the living room and tucked the vacuum cleaner inside the cupboard close to the kitchen.

 

 

 

“Come with me.”, Jiyong commanded. He takes the coffee cup to the sink then walks by her, taking Dara’s wrist and leading her towards the door.

 

 

 

“Where are we going?”, she asked once seated on the passengers seat of Kwon Jiyong’s car and they were driving out of the parking lot.

 

 

 

“Library.”

 

 

 

“You have loads of books in your study.”

 

 

 

“I don’t have what I want to read.”

 

 

 

Dara didn’t ask more and sat quietly, watching the buildings they passed by. It seems that Jiyong was determined and so she let him be. When the car stopped, she bent over to peer through the windshield and look at the tall white bell tower of what appeared to be a church. Jiyong opens her door and she alights, her eyes looking at him questioningly.

 

 

 

“What are we doing here?”

 

 

 

“I want answers.” Jiyong says, looking at the old stone church before them. “I want to know about the Grigori.”

 

 

 

“The Grigori was destroyed even before humans had the chance to immortalize them in paper, Jiyong. There isn’t concrete evidence and what you will read about, are probably just speculations and fiction.”

 

 

 

“I’d take my chances.”.

 

 

 

“Stop.”, Dara pulls on his arm. “Jiyong, I can get us answers but not this way.”

 

 

 

“Then tell me.”, Jiyong turned to her, the grip of his hand on hers tightening. “I just want to know. How much time do I have with you before you have to disappear again? What will happen to Hanbin if he truly is what they say he is. I just want to know what you have to fight against because if it would be possible, even if I’m merely human, I want to know how I can protect you!”

 

 

 

Dara took a step forward and with her free hand, she touches Jiyong’s face and he leans onto her palm. Kwon Jiyong’s heart is untainted by greed and his selflessness, is his greatest strength. Perhaps it was these qualities that gave her a change of heart and made her fall for this human instead. His words left a deep impression in her and she cherished the feeling that she never had experienced before. She was happy and at the same time, she felt scared because Jiyong made her feel so much, almost as if her heart was about to burst. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flashback

 

 

 

She has just finished wiping Jiyong’s body with a terri cloth and lukewarm water. She knew the human had taken care of her when she was wounded, that he even failed to see that he was as wounded as she was. When Dara woke up, the human was unconscious on the floor, his sides bleeding and his body burning. She realized her powers were still weak from her injury and so she did what humans do and pulled him onto the bed, before putting pressure on the gash just by his hip. The wound was red, probably infected and she could feel the human’s spirit weakening. He was delirious, even trying to fight her off of him. Left with no other choice, she used the limited power that she had to heal the human at the expense of her own return to their realm.

 

 

 

He drifted in and out of consciousness for three days. Dara had to force him to eat, to gain his strength back. She hasn’t slept a wink nor did she leave his side unless necessary. She waited until he woke up.

 

 

 

“You’re still here.”, Dara heard him say on the third night that she was watching by his bed. “Is your back okay?”

 

 

 

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”, Dara says.

 

 

 

“What time is it?”

 

 

 

“A little over 12 midnight. Are you hungry?”, she asked and he shook his head.

 

 

 

“Am I dead?”, he asked all too suddenly.

 

 

 

“Why would you think that?”

 

 

 

“Because I’ve never seen someone like you. From the moment I found your body on the rocks and treated your wounds, everything seemed like a dream. One moment, I saw the scrapes on your back and then they disappeared while I was wiping the blood off of it. It was as if your body was healing on its own. You were unconscious the whole time. I had to change your clothes into something warmer when I saw what appeared on your back and it covered your whole body.” Jiyong moved his hands and got something from his pocket and showed it to her. It was a white feather. “I got this on the bed when your wings disappeared.”

 

 

 

Dara didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to respond, scared of how much the human knows about her. 

 

 

 

“So I’m asking if I’m dead. Because I know you’re an angel. You look exactly like how I pictured angels would.”

 

 

 

Dara shook her head at him and she stood up to leave. Jiyong could just stare at her back. The next day, Jiyong was on his feet and inside the kitchen, trying to make breakfast. He walked with a limp since his injured hip still hurt but he managed to fry some eggs and sausages. He wondered where the lady was that after eating and washing the dishes, he went out to look for her. She was nowhere to be found and he almost thought that she was just a figment of his imagination. Perhaps he was delirious enough to make her up in is mind.

 

 

 

Three days and still, there was no sign of her. It has been routine for him to wake up, shower, cook himself breakfast then walk around the house to look for her. He was still a bit weak so he couldn’t take a longer walk out to town and the market. He promised to do that the next day but then she was already waiting for him in the living room. He rubbed at his eyes, feeling unsure if she was indeed the one standing by the door to their backyard. Her back was turned to him and she was in a white dress that perfectly made her look ethereal. He coughed so that she would notice and she turned to look at him.

 

 

 

“You were gone.”, was all the he could say. “Did I scare you?”

 

 

 

“I couldn’t go back.”, she answered. “Can I stay for a while?”

 

 

 

Jiyong smiled and nodded. “That will be perfect.”

 

 

 

 

A week after living together but avoiding each other, Jiyong found her in the backyard with a pleased smile on her face. He remained quiet and let her have a moment of peace however, it seems that she knew all along that he has joined her.

 

 

 

“I made a flower garden.”, she spoke. “I’ll make myself busy out here while you do your business inside the house.”

 

 

 

“What do you mean?”, he asked and she turned to Jiyong.

 

 

 

“You have been avoiding me.”, she answered honestly.

 

 

 

“I wasn’t.”, he smiled and walked closer, to stand beside her. “I just didn’t know what to say to you. The first time we talked, I think I said too much and i scared you about my assumptions.”

 

 

 

Dara remained quiet, but she turned to Jiyong who was looking at the flower beds she made. She neither wanted to confirm nor deny his assumptions. She hadn’t planned to. When she’s strong enough to leave, erasing his memory would be easy. 

 

 

 

“So I decided not to speak unless I was spoken to.”, Jiyong said then turned to her with a smile. “So I wasn’t really avoiding you. I was just waiting for you to talk to me. And I won’t be asking questions either.”

 

 

 

“Why?”

 

 

 

“Because I don’t want to scare you with my questions. And I hope you won’t ever leave me. Nothing else matters, as long as you stay.”

 

 

 

End of Flashback

 

 

 

 

“So this is how it feels.”, Dara says, smiling at Jiyong before she wrapped her arms around his waist. “This is how it feels to be loved.”, she repeats against his ear and Jiyong circles his arms around Dara, burying his face in the crook of her neck, relishing in her warmth. “If you want to do anything in order to protect me, then this is all you need to do, Jiyong. Stay alive for me and your son.”

 

 

 

 

Kwon Jiyong pushed her gently to look at Dara’s face then he grinned and pulled her into the church.

 

 

 

“Wait! What are you doing?”, Dara asked, but Jiyong was stronger than her so she had to keep up with his steps. He only stopped when they were by the altar of the old stone church. “Jiyong we shouldn’t be here.”, she adds while Jiyong took a gold lace the flowers on the marble altar. He stood in front of Dara, took her left hand then hooked it between her middle and ring finger, carefully tying a ribbon around it, while saying these words.

 

 

 

“With God as my witness, and all the angels looking down on us, I, Kwon Jiyong, will promise to love and honor and protect and stay by Dara’s side for as long as I shall live.” He finishes with one last loop and rips the remaining lace dangling on Dara’s hands. He looked at her and smiled then Dara got the lace on his hand before pulling him to stand up.

 

 

 

Dara repeats the same words Jiyong spoke, while tying a ribbon on his left ring finger and Kwon Jiyong could only look at her in awe. When she finished, Jiyong kissed her.

 

 

 

“We just got married.”, Jiyong whispered against her lips and Dara nodded. “You said you love me.”

 

 

 

“I do.”, Dara touches his face and her eyes look into his. “I remember, Jiyong. Everything’s just coming back to me, although they are still all muddled up and I can’t quite make sense of it, but there’s one thing I am sure of now. I love you, Kwon Jiyong. I love the way you looked at me. I love the way you held me close. I love the way you say my name. You never questioned anything, you were never scared and you always put me above everything else. I remember how scared I was when I realized how much you made me feel. It was beyond anything I could fathom and I thought it would never be possible. But all my fears disappear when I remember how I felt so loved despite of who I am, despite of what I am.”

 

 

 

“Those are supposed to be my lines you know.”, Jiyong says. “I am happy you’re not human.”

 

 

 

“Why? It will be easier for us if I was human. Won’t you love me if I was?”

 

 

 

“I would.”, Jiyong declares. “But you will break my heart. You wouldn’t love me if you saw me through a simple human’s eyes.”

 

 

 

“Like I said before, your son has more faith in you than you have for yourself.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I don’t remember inviting you here.”, Seungyoon says as soon as Jinwoo came into his abyss. “Haven’t we seen enough of each other, mind reader?”

 

 

 

“I’m surprised you can still talk.”

 

 

 

“I find it rather easier to be in this form while dealing with you.”, Seungyoon smirked. “Why have you come?”

 

 

 

“I want answers.”

 

 

 

“We both don’t have the answers. You are at a dead end.”

 

 

 

“I am.”, Jinwoo says then sits in front of Seungyoon. “But you will help me.”

 

 

 

“How?”

 

 

 

“We know that Sandara came to you to hide a box. Looking back, I have deduced, that it was around the time that she gave birth to her son.”

 

 

 

“That was the memory that she wanted to hide. She didn’t want anyone to know that she gave birth to a child.”

 

 

 

“Sandara was on the shore that night, fighting the Fallen’s leader. After I have returned the boy to his father and made sure he wouldn’t remember a thing, I went back to the others and saw Soohyuk disappear while Sandara was left on the shore. We all assumed that he was destroyed. Sandara was back in her human form. She was weak and she asked us to lock the Grigori inside of her and make her memories disappear. I know I succeeded in doing that. But if what she hid here in your abyss, are memories, then what was it that I erased from her mind?”

 

 

 

Seungyoon was quiet as he analyzed the mind reader’s words and Jinwoo was thinking out loud. “What do you think was in the box, Seungyoon?”

 

 

 

“It wasn’t a memory.”, Seungyoon answered and Jinwoo nodded. 

 

 

 

“At that time, Mino had carried her back to our palace. Taehyun and Mino were able to hold her down while I penetrate her mind. I’ve seen what she did with the human and erased it. I’ve succeeded to lock up her Grigori form although she fought with me. She was different. She was definitely stronger and I sensed no good in her. Now that I think about it, it seems that Soohyuk has done something to her.”

 

 

 

“What do you mean? Soohyuk is just a wraith. He has no power anymore.”

 

 

 

“But I guess, since he is still a Grigori, he has triggered something inside of Sandara and that power was what she wanted to hide.”

 

 

 

“What do you want me to do?”

 

 

 

“I’ve entered Taehyun’s mind right after he died.”, Jinwoo confessed. “He felt the boy’s psyche and he tried to save Taehyun when they were found out but Taehyun managed to let the boy’s power remain in him. But it was too late for the demon knew of it. The boy has a power that he didn’t know he possessed but Taehyun could tell he wasn’t dangerous.”

 

 

 

“Why would he think that?”

 

 

 

“It seems that the boy and Sandara are the same.”

 

 

 

“Naturally, since Sandara is his mother.”

 

 

 

“But nephelims were rumored to have more power than the Grigori who made them. That is the reason why they cannot be controlled. That is the reason why they had to be annihilated.”

 

 

 

Both celestials stared hard at each other, as if sizing each other up, challenging each other as to who can come up with the most plausible possibility. Jinwoo’s eyes never left the Keeper’s and he let the latter in on a fragment of is mind. Seungyoon was dumbfounded as he understood Jinwoo’s thoughts.

 

 

 

“It is impossible...”, Seungyoon gave the High Guard a puzzled look. “She can't be, Jinwoo.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A loud thud resounds inside the stone walls of the Dux’s private quarters. Jinwoo walked to the center until he saw Mino sitting on his bed, staring into space.

 

 

 

“The Council wants us to appear before them. They wanted to know about Taehyun’s death.”

 

 

 

“What is there to know?”

 

 

 

“The demons roaming the earth seem to be getting stronger. You and I both know that the creature who held Taehyun captive was able to escape our senses. She had been in the shop and we didn’t even know. I talked with Seungyoon and he agrees with me. We aren’t going to speak of the boy or Sandara.”

 

 

 

“She is responsible.”

 

 

 

“You heard it from Taehyun. The boy is harmless. We know nothing about him.”

 

 

 

“Exactly.”, Mino argues. “We know nothing about him. The nephelims we fought before were giants. They were strong, they were larger than most humans and they held a power that no one knew they possessed.”

 

 

 

“And you’ve seen the boy, Mino. He isn’t one of them.”

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