Page 2 of Her Fallen Angel

His companions laugh, the sound echoing through the temple ruins. One grabs my hair, yanking my head back when I try to close my eyes.

"No, no. You'll want to see this."

The leader spreads his wings, casting the altar in shadow. With a single sweep of his arm, he sends the prayer candles scattering. Wax splatters across the floor like blood. The ceremonial chalice crashes against the wall and all the adornment breaks beneath him.

"Still nothing?" He kicks over the altar table. Wood splinters beneath his strength. "Where is your goddess now?"

"May she forgive your ignorance." My voice stays steady despite the tears streaming down my face. "May she guide you from darkness."

His boot comes down on the goddess's carved visage, grinding the wood to pulp. Each crack feels like a blow to my heart, but I force myself to watch. To bear witness. My hair falls forward as they systematically destroy everything I hold sacred, but I brush it back. I will not hide from this desecration.

"Your stubbornness grows tiresome." He crushes the last remnant of the altar beneath his heel. "You should be begging for mercy by now."

"I save my begging for the divine." Blood trickles from my split lip as I smile. "And you, sir, are far from that."

His face twists into a snarl and he turns to another of the creatures - because they certainly aren't angels after all. "Let's get back."

A shimmering tear opens in the air before me, reality splitting like fabric. Purple light spills forth, casting an otherworldly glow across my captors' faces. My prayers falter for a heartbeat as I stare into the swirling void.

"Behold, human. Your new destiny awaits." The leader's wings stretch wide, triumphant. "You'll be the first of your kind to walk upon Aerasak."

I steady my voice, refusing to let fear silence my devotion. "Though I walk through the valley of shadows?—"

They shove me forward. The portal's energy wraps around me like icy chains, stealing my breath. My world dissolves into purple light and crushing pressure. Still, I force the words past my lips:

"May the goddess protect all who follow. May she light their path through darkness."

The journey feels endless. My body stretches and compresses, reality bending around me. Through it all, I keep praying. Each word is a battle, but I won't let them break my spirit. Future generations must know that faith endures even in our darkest moments.

"Such determination." One of them laughs as we emerge on the other side. "It will make breaking you all the sweeter."

An alien landscape spreads before me – crystal spires reaching toward twin moons, strange birds with metallic feathers wheeling overhead. The air itself tastes different, heavy with something unfamiliar.

"Welcome to your new home." The leader's grip tightens on my arm. "We have such grand plans for you, little human."

The malice in his voice sends ice through my veins, but I lift my chin and meet his gaze. My hair whips across my face, stirred up by this strange world, but I do not cower as I speak.

"May the goddess bless this land. May she protect all who?—"

"They can't help you here." He jerks me forward. "Not that they were trying to before."

I stumble but keep my head high, continuing my prayers. Let them mock. Let them hurt me. My faith will show others the way, even in this alien world.

"The goddess's light shines in all places," I declare, my voice growing stronger. "Even here, beyond the stars themselves."

But I was so, so wrong.

1

KAI’RIN

Ilounge against a stone pillar in the training yard, my fingers absently tracing the intricate patterns etched into my blade's hilt. The familiar weight grounds me as I watch Vhex and Mykael circle each other in the combat ring.

Vhex's muscles bunch beneath his training leathers, a savage grin splitting his scarred face. "Getting slow in your old age, tactician?" He lunges forward, steel flashing.

Mykael sidesteps with calculated precision, his dove-gray wings shifting to maintain perfect balance. "Still falling for the same feints?" His green eyes narrow as he counters with a series of swift strikes.

Their blades clash in a deadly dance, neither willing to yield ground. Vhex fights like a beast unleashed, all raw power and brutal force. His steel-gray wings flare wide, casting jagged shadows across the packed dirt. Mykael responds with surgical precision, each movement purposeful and controlled.

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