Chapter 1

just past midnight

There was a saying in the Land of Couronne that a person often met their destiny on the road they had taken to avoid it.

Kim Yongsun had left home at the age of 18 in order to avoid her destiny, now she was 26 and thought she had managed to escape fate, however, on a warm, sunny day in Kingston, the capital of Couronne, it seemed her destiny had finally caught up with her.

It was a peculiar day, to say the least. Angel Yongsun had accompanied Angel Wheein to Sector 8’s busy shopping district to buy a new suitcase when a sudden wisp of smoke, that smelled like brimstone, wafted down the street.

They stopped in their tracks and scrunched their noses. They watched as the thin wisp of smoke curled through the streets, causing a rather big stir among the people. It seemed every one else had stopped to inspect the mysterious smoke as well; constables had taken off their caps to scratch their heads in confusion, shopkeepers had left their shops unattended to watch the smoke before it disappeared around a corner. Some even chased after it.

«Do you think it was a monster?» A woman whispered quietly to a gentleman standing beside her.

Yongsun knew that the woman was completely wrong because, if Yongsun knew anything about anything, it was that monsters appeared just before midnight and disappeared before dawn, and when she looked up at the clocktower high above the many shops and office buildings in Sector 8, she saw that it was only three o’clock in the afternoon.

The busy district of Sector 8 quickly went back about its business, as if nothing had happened. Shopkeepers went back to their shops and constables went back to patrolling the streets. Yongsun tugged at Wheein’s sleeve, beckoning her to continue down the street before someone could bother them. Unfortunately, two young men and a young woman approached them, caps in hand. They wore the easily recognisable grey uniforms of the Regiment and had strikingly charming smiles.

They cornered the two Angels by the opening of an alleyway, and, inch by inch, managed to force them deeper down the secluded, dark alley. One of the men, who had a large black beard and thick eyebrows, laid his hand flat on the wall and leaned closer to the two Angels. He reeked of tobacco and oil, Yongsun turned her head away from the stench.

«Well, what’ve we got here?» He asked as he leered at them.

Yongsun knew very well what the soldiers were up to and she wanted none of it so she grabbed Wheein’s hand, puffed out her chest, and pushed past them. The three of them let Yongsun and Wheein through without much interference, which was a lucky thing for the two Angels, indeed. Yongsun could hear the three soldiers calling and whistling after them, and then bellowing with laughter, which made Yongsun’s stomach churn.

They continued down the street, determined to reach Heaven without any other disturbances or unwanted company. The two Angels kept their heads down, Angel Wheein even drew her white beret further down over her face. Wheein bore a stoic expression, she seemed very serious, deep in thought.

As they walked down the busy streets of Sector 8 with its broad avenues and multitude of retail shops and offices, they could feel plenty of heads turning to stare at them. Yongsun wished she could, for once, throw away her Angel uniform which only seemed to draw unwanted attention from young men and women.

When they passed a restaurant with outside seating, they received a few flirtatious comments and low whistles. Yongsun had to grab Wheein’s arm in order to prevent Wheein from tossing the suitcase they had just bought at the people sitting and eating.

Yongsun sighed and in a deep breath. She kept telling herself that with each step she took she would be closer to Heaven, and then she would be safe, far away from malicious comments and stares that dripped with lust and want.

Ever since the Great War ended five years ago, Angels wound up in ditches by the side of the road or were taken advantage of in dark and secluded alleyways like the one Yongsun and Wheein had been backed into.

Yongsun did not understand why or how people could treat Angels the way they did nowadays, especially when Angels’ one principal rule was to help the innocent and those in desperate need of medical treatment. In ancient times, Angels were respected for their skills in healing, protecting, potion-making and for conjuring spells (although, not ever-lasting spells, only witches, wizards and magicians could conjure such spells).

However, since Angels followed their principal rule with such devotion, it meant that they had helped treat the wounded enemy soldiers — Altairian soldiers — during the Great War, and unfortunately for them, the King of Couronne had not taken too kindly to this patching up of the enemy and viewed it as treason.

Despite the fact that Angels only had good intentions, many were executed by firing squads after they had been accused of treason. Angel Yongsun found herself returning to Heaven with less and less comrades for each day that passed during the war, and she kept dreading that one day she would also not return.

When the Great War finally ended after five long years of violence and conflict, the Angels’ names had been tarnished. They were seen as traitorous little creatures, and it had suddenly turned into a game of sport: To kill an Angel or simply own them in the form of forcing them into marriages where they were treated as slaves.

Angels were left exposed, the law could not protect them, it only protected their abusers and the culprits. The large numbers of Angels disappearing soon became a huge dilemma and the King of Couronne eventually passed a law which clearly stated that harming an Angel would be punishable by death, but people still continued their wicked little games of turning Angels into trophies.

Unfortunately, like most things, it was exactly what one could not have at all that one wanted the most — especially when it was something as divine and benevolent as an Angel.

Angel Yongsun and Angel Wheein kept walking for a while, passing through Sector 9, 10 and 11 until they reached Sector 12 and saw Heaven, the large building made of red bricks, where the Angels lived. It was two storeys high with newly installed windows (since some ruffians had thrown a few rocks through the windows on the first floor), and the entrance was a large, double wooden door with black round handles.

There was a small crowd of at least a dozen Angels standing outside. They were all wearing their uniforms; a light blue shirt with white sleeves and a red armband with a cross on it. Some of them wore the usual white leggings while others just wore a pair of whi