Chapter 4: Red
A Devil That Looks Like an AngelMiyeon remembers it like it was yesterday.
The smell of burning flesh and a chorus of screams filled the air; the best way to describe it was it was as if a disorientating orchestra playing the wrong version of a song at an obscure public execution. Miyeon’s heart burned with sadness and her mind hummed with madness as she listened to the cacophony coming out of the village. Spreading her white wings, she sores over the village as she watches the events unfold. It was the same among the old or the young; the sick or the healthy; the weak and the strong; the beloved and the despised. They were all in pain.
Death has no favorites.
As an angel, she knows this very well; and as a devil, she knows it even better.
She wonders how the deities will handle this tragedy, neither of them had planned for this after all. Staring down at the town, searching for someone, her eyes turn as red as the flames wreaking havoc through homes. And when she finally finds the one she is looking for, she feels a piercing pain prickling her chest, like tiny needles are pressing against her skin. She feels a teardrop fall from her cheeks because she knows that there is nothing she can do now.
Miyeon had loved, was in love with, and will always love Minnie.
She watches her beloved from above and it shatters her heart into millions of pieces. Minnie was covered in mud with tears and blood dripping from services of her poor angelic face. She was crying out in agony, pain, and frustration and she was laughing at how much of a joke her life had become in the end. Miyeon finds herself floating down as she watches her lover's eyes start to lose focus. When she is finally by her side, Minnie takes a while to notice, closing and opening her eyes, trying to stay awake.
“You’re just like an angel,” her lover softly mutters to her.
Miyeon wants to burst into tears then because she knows her lover cannot recognize her. Turning away, she tries to gain a sense of control over her emotions but she breaks when she sees Minnie wince in pain. Miyeon moves behind her and lifts her head carefully and lays it on her in an attempt to give her even the slightest bit of comfort. Snapping her fingers, she feels the weight of her golden goblet in her left hand.
“Open your mouth,” Miyeon softly tells her.
And so Minnie does and Miyeon holds the goblet up right above her precious one’s face. She hesitates for a second but then she tilts the golden goblet and lets the red liquid from it drip. In moments, she watches Minnie eyes fly wide open and immediately realize what’s happening. Trying to look up at her the angel who she had fallen in love with and the devil she had grown to know, Minnie tried to close . But Miyeon, puts her fingers in and holds it open, pressing against her teeth and tongue.
“I know you don’t want to forget, but you have to,” Miyeon begs her, her cheek with the fingers she wasn’t using to hold open, “Please, it’s the only way.”
Minnie tries to say something but the liquid pouring down drowns the sound out and causes her to choke. Minnie’s eyes glaze over for a few seconds and Miyeon lifts the golden goblet to take a sip of the deep red concoction to complete the spell. It is then when the girl who connects the realm of the angel and devils, who has seen the deaths of many, can no longer hold the tears in her eyes. She silently lets it fall as she runs her fingers through her beloved’s hair for one last time before she completely forgets her.
“Ab imo pectore,” she whispers to her with trembles vibrating through her voice, “I will love you forever.”
[From the bottom of my heart; with the deepest affection.]
When Miyeon feels Minnie's body grow limp, she knows it is time to depart. She knows that she will have to face divine punishment for what she has done as Minnie should not be able to live as a mortal again. But what of it? For the angel who was also accursed with the responsibilities of a devil, it hurt her more to watch her beloved suffer.
As she ascends upwards, she watches brilliant red flames come closer to the unconscious girl. She sees the flames try to scorch against her skin and consume her but to no avail. Angels and devils, even the fallen ones, are invulnerable after all.
---
In her house on the hill, Miyeon sips a deep maroon liquid out of her golden goblets while she’s sitting across Soojin. The archangel’s eyes are pure white, though they are quite mesmerizing, the devil disguised as an herbal specialist thinks that they’re quite desolate. This is simply another way for her to say that they’re quite empty—that if eyes are the window to the soul, Miyeon seems to have lost hers. Having known the archangel for decades now, the devil observes that even though Miyeon has lost her humanity and divine love for many years, she has never seen her so distraught. Though it is important to note, that in the recent decade, there were several years in which the archangel was rarely seen by anyone in that time period.
“So how was it?” Soojin hesitantly starts the conversation, “Seeing her for the first time in a while?”
As she is sitting across from her, the devil can see the red seeping in and out of the other girl’s irises. It was like they were pulsing with pain.
“It was nice,” Miyeon comments.
“I see,” Soojin notes the unpleasant atmosphere and decides to change the subject, “I have been meaning to ask, but is Shuhua a new angel? How much time does she have?”
“Yes, the child is new,” Miyeon explains, “She has a few years and if she’s successful, her soul will be sent to live another life as a mortal again.”
“What if she’s not,” Soojin playfully asks.
The accursed archangel stares into her eyes and responds, “You know very well what would happen Miss Devil. You’ve been through it yourself; angels that fail must live as devils forever.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Soojin cautiously replies, “I apologize.”
“Don’t ever let Shuhua know that you’re a devil,” Miyeon warns her, “Angels must never know that devils are former angels, or they will lose their chance then and have failed.”
“Right, but don’t forget,” Soojin reminds her, “that Shuhua can never know who you are too or she will have fallen.”
“Of course,” Miyeon assures her and sets her goblet down, “How could I ever forget?”
At the last comment, Miyeon’s tone turns sharp and feels as if it is riddled with bitter memories. The devil doesn’t dare answer her now, she is too frightened by the wrath she senses from the accursed angel. She instead quickly dismisses herself, saying that she should attend to her shop now or the mortals would be alarmed. Miyeon doesn’t bother trying to keep her in her company and lets her scurry off as she wishes. Besides, she had other plans for the day, like finding out where her beloved was and ‘coincidentally’ bumping into her. Contemplating on how she should go about this, Miyeon leans back on her chair and stares into blank space for a while. She wonders what she should do, she wonders what she should say to her.
For a half second, a small smile appears on Miyeon’s lips and all the red in her eyes fades away. She thinks of how nice it would be to see her smile again after so long. Even if Minnie doesn’t remember her anymore, even if they could never as they were before, she’s sure that her smiling face is still as sweet as can be. Minnie will forever be Miyeon’s apple of her eye.
But the sour taste left in with a tinge of burnt bitterness shook her out her fantasy. Miyeon had to remember that things would not all be well even if Minnie did not know who she was anymore. She knows that the heart of all divine had other plans for the two of them and that she must carry out this divine punishment even if she wishes for something else. The accursed angel lets out a deep breath, she remains at rest on her chair.
She watches the wind blow through the air and listens to the sound of rustling grass, she imagines how nice it would be if the two of them could live here forever in peace. Side by side, hand in hand, they would be together in serenity as they watched the days pass. What may seem like forever to others would pass by in what seemed like seconds to them because it was always fun when she was with her.
It was a dream that she knew would never happen because she was living in the midst of a nightmare.
The blue cube, the heart of all divine, that lies in the midst of the high skies of heaven that also appeared buried in the depths of hell had already decided their fate and there was nothing she could do. As much as Miyeon was glad that she was sent to see her beloved again, she knows that nothing good could come out of it for them. She always has a shadow of doubt following behind her, almost like it is waiting to engulf her at any second.
Miyeon knows that their time is limited.
As much as she wishes to see the girl, she is hesitant because of the lingering fear always trailing behind her. But, what has to be done will be done whether she approves of it or not. So, while she has the chance, she should cherish every last second of it. All good things come to an end, but what about the bad? Well, Miyeon doesn’t want to think of that quite yet so she decides to shake off her thoughts.
On today’s agenda she was supposed to meet Minnie regardless of the consequences or benefits that might come along with it. It was part of her mission, the absolute word of the root of all deities. Like Shuhua must obey her commands, Miyeon must obey theirs. Speaking of which, she snaps her fingers and calls for Shuhua who doesn’t take too long before apprating into her humble cottage house.
“You called,” the innocent angel pops her head in.
“Yes,” Miyeon responds, “So the bell still works right?”
“Of course,” Shuhua tells her, “Minnie’s still ringing it occasionally when she feels ill, but she seems to be getting better these days.”
“That’s nice to hear,” Miyeon smiles, “And it’s also nice to see that you’re finally taking your job seriously.”
“I’ve always been taking my job seriously!” the young angel shouts.
Lightly laughing, the older girl ruffles the younger girl’s hair and neither denies nor affirms her claim.
Shuhua pouts and moves away from her grasp, and declares, “Head-patting is reserved for my JinJin only.”
“Your JinJin?” Miyeon quirks an eyebrow and repeats with curiosity.
“Yeah, only Soojin can pat my head,” the younger girl reiterates.
The archangel puts her hands up, admitting defeat, and decides to change the subject, “Okay, I won’t bother you anymore but can you tell me where Minnie is right now?”
Shuhua seems to rejoice as a foolish grin is plastered on her face, she shakes the golden bell as if she is celebrating her little victory. The angel who is also a devil merely chuckles at the child’s petty antics and remains unfazed.
“Well,” the older girl points out, staring at her intensely with an unfaltering gaze and wicked smile, “Are you going to tell me or not?”
The delight on Shuhua’s face seems to fade and she quickly tells Miyeon what she knows, “According to the bell, Minnie should be back at work at the magical musician’s store right by her humble abode. Her shift should be ending in not too long as well if you’re planning to do anything.”
“Now that wasn’t so hard was it? You may go now,” Miyeon dismisses her and the young angel backs away with some semblance of uncertainty in her eyes.
And then, after a few seconds of hesitation, the young angel apparates out of the cottage and Miyeon sighs. She wonders if she had been too harsh on her fellow deities today, but she thinks that they should be fine. It wouldn’t be a wild guess that Shuhua was running to Soojin right now, and the latter of the two would definitely enjoy her company as much as she doesn’t want to admit, so Miyeon doesn’t feel too sorry.
She, on the other hand, is alone again, sitting in the empty cottage and watching over what seems to be an endless grassy field. Miyeon stands up and ponders whether it would seem less lonely if she had an apple tree next to her home. She takes a few steps forward from the entrance to her cottage and crouches down to the floor, she brushes away the earthy soil on the floor and whispers a few words. With dirt on her hands, she rises. In seconds, a small twig sprouts out of the group; in a minute, the twig seems to grow into the tree.
Miyeon takes a step back when the tree begins to grow buds and pink flowers start to blossom. Apple blossoms, like forget-me-nots, are said to symbolize love in some way. But unlike forget-me-nots, they are not attached to memories of what is gone, but to hope for a better future. As the tree starts to bear fruit from its flowers, Miyeon snaps her fingers and the rate of the plant’s growth seems to gradually come to a stop. Going up to the tree, she plucks a bright red apple, surely to be sweet and crisp when eaten. She slips into the pocket of her robe as she starts to walk through the grassy fields and towards the village.
Brushing against the tall stalks of grass, Miyeon calmly made her way towards the river and on to the dirt road. She appreciates how clear the water is and how it glimmers in the sunlight, she wonders if the pixies like to spend their free time swimming there during the hot summer nights. As time passes, Miyeon finally finds herself crossing the stone bridge and onto the path of the familiar cobblestoned streets. She listens to the voices of villagers blend into a pleasant background sound as she walks further into the town. Everyone seemed happy and well here, with only mundane worries that mortals have the luxury of having.
As she approaches the magician’s music shop, she hears the melodies of magical music boxes playing and the captivating sounds of string instruments playing together. As she arrives in front of the shop, she stands just outside and peers into the shop to observe what might be happening before she enters. She finds herself staring at her beloved sitting in front of the piano with her eyes closed.
Miyeon presses her hand against the glass as she watches Minnie play the piano while singing bittersweet melodies with her dreamy voice. Staying still for minutes, she watches her, entranced in her performance before she knocks on the door and the musician snaps out of it. Minnie is a bit flustered by her sudden appearance and hurries to the door to welcome her in.
“Hi, I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Minnie nearly stammers as she greets her, “How did you know I’d be here?”
“I was walking along town and I was intrigued by all the instruments playing around here,” Miyeon explains, “And then I saw you so I decided to say hello.”
Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly Minnie responds, “Oh, I should’ve known and thanks for saying hi. My shift is about to end actually, would you like to go on a stroll?”
“Yeah, I would love to,” Miyeon accepts her proposal, “By the way, why do you seem so sad when you play the piano?”
As Minnie is walking behind the counter to make sure that everything is ready for closing at the magic store, she pauses. It takes her a few moments before she replies because she really has to think about it.
“I don’t really know,” Minnie professes, turning around to face her with sad evident in her eyes, “I just feel really sad sometimes, like I’ve forgotten something important but still remember the feeling of it.”
“I see,” Miyeon says, looking down at her feet.
“It just feels like I’m missing someone or a part of me at times,” Minnie admits, “I’m kind of envious how Soyeon and Yuqi have always had each other.”
“Yeah, I get that,” the accursed angel utters, “That sounds like it would be painful.”
Minnie, seeing that the traveler seems to be a bit saddened, flashes her a small grin and tells her, “But it’s alright, I have so many people that love and support me now. I imagine it’s harder to always wander through lands all alone.”
“It can be at times, but there’s a beauty to seeing so many people and learning their stories even for a short time,” Miyeon remarks, “But it is rather lonely.”
As Minnie seems to quickly settle things behind the counter, she rushes to Miyeon’s side and puts an arm around her and pulls her into a hug. She squeezes her shoulder and comforts her with pats down her back. Miyeon didn’t realize how much she missed this until she felt tears b on the edge of her eyes. She takes a step back, pulling away from her beloved because if she stays, she knows that those tears would fall.
“How about we go on that walk now and forget about those feelings,” Minnie soothingly suggests and offers her a hand.
The accursed angel nods before taking her hand, so soft and warm, and they walk out of the store as Minnie whispers enchantments to lock it down. The sun starts to set as they begin their evening stroll, leaving the sky in a gradient of red and blood orange.
A/N: thank you for all the comments + :3
Comments