Gone Angels Beach

Aoi takes a few moments to process Damián’s words

She decides that her first course of action is to gauge this man’s intentions, but the need to know where she is prevails above that line of thought

‘Where am I?’

‘You are in Asterace, Campeche. México’ His voice is clear as he speaks, it comes across as if he’s reading from a script rather coming up with words himself

Neither of those names ring a bell, but Aoi is glad to know that she wasn’t brought to some strange, desolate place

‘Did you…come here to get me?’ She asks, thinking about what other questions she has

The man in front of her- the ‘Apostle’ seems unsure of how to respond

‘I have come to help you get back to the Caeruleum’ he says flatly, not satisfied with his own vague answer, he adds that ‘Caeruleum’ is name of the place she comes from

‘And offer you a place to stay in the meantime. This area is dangerous at night’

‘The…beach?’ She asks, looking around. It looks like a normal beach, ignoring the statue in the distance

‘It is considered to be cursed. Staying here for more than three hours is ill advised’ He says, telling her to make as many questions as she needs to consider him trustworthy so they can get out of this ‘cursed beach’

Aoi, however, can’t help but feel skeptical about his overall demeanor. What if this was the being that brought her here? Lying right now would be the easiest thing in the world; She has no clue she is, she feels dazed and she has no way of asking for help. This is a nightmare scenario. Everything Mothers warn their daughters about

‘I understand that these circumstances are less than favorable for you, so I will explain what I am’ Damián says, standing up straight

‘An apostle is a being created in Heaven for the sole purpose of holding information about the universe. This is used to predict the future, which is why I knew you’d be here’ He pauses, giving Aoi a few seconds to process what he just said

‘Because of this, we are forbidden to lie by default. If an Apostle is to speak untruth, it causes Penitence- a wound proportional to the crime. Our duty is to help humans walk down the most advantageous path according to God’s will’ He takes a few steps towards the peach-haired young woman

‘I will demonstrate what would happen if I was lying to you, so that you know that you can trust me’ He says, taking off his left glove- revealing a tan-skinned hand with white nails. His palm faces the sky, in full view

‘I have blue eyes’ He declares, wincing shortly after; a couple droplets of crimson begin to sprout along his palm- as if pricked by three needles. they pool in the hollow part of his hand

‘This as benign as penitence can get. If you ever wish to be certain that I am not lying, all you must do is look at me’ He explains

Aoi cringes at the sight of his blood

‘I see…’ She says with sigh, glancing around until something catches her attention. She points towards Damián’s neck- Which is being gripped by a red ring of metal, decorated with a symbol that resembles a split in half cross

‘Is that…a collar?’ She asks, dumbfounded. The gold-eyed man blinks once before replying, his uninjured hand instinctually moves up to touch it

‘This is something that all Sanctum-made wear’ his eyes glance to the side, something in sudden change of demeanor makes it seems as if the mention of this ‘collar’ has reminded him of something ‘…I shouldn’t pry about this’ Aoi thinks

‘Sanctum-made are the beings created in heaven’ He adds, slightly frustrated by his own accidentally vague answers. Being an Apostle still always him to be socially inept, to his own dismay

Damián takes a white tissue out of his pocket and cleans the blood of his hand, his gaze drifting towards the still waters as he does

‘We should leave now. It will start raining in five minutes and six seconds’

He offers her a hand- the one that’s still clad in a gray glove. He looks worried

Their hands meet once again as Damián helps a lightheaded Aoi stand up. His brows furrow as she does. His face sparks with a clear flash of recognition

‘Aoi…Do you feel nauseous, by any chance?’ he asks, his voice softer than before

‘I saw a bright light just before I got here. It’s been like that ever since’ She says, it occurs to her that he might know about that whole ordeal, but as much as she wants to ask him about it, thinking about those last few moments in ‘The Caeruleum’ makes her head hurt. As if the lights don’t want to be thought about

The ride to Damián’s house was rather quiet, only accompanied by the rumble of distant thunder. Aoi realizes that the further they are from the beach, a ringing in her ears slowly dissipates into silence. She wonders if that’s what Damián meant by ‘curse’, and if so, Were the lights that dragged her here part of it?

Not wanting to think about it anymore, Aoi zones out until the car comes to a stop.

Damián’s house. She stares at it for a couple of seconds, trying to pinpoint what it reminds her of.

‘It almost of looks like a Chapel’ She thinks, stepping out of the car

The house is surrounded by white and pink and bougainvilleas, accentuating its exterior’s warm yellow. The place looked frozen in time; And as she approached it even felt like the house grew its own pair of eyes and stared back at her- Taking in the appearance of the stranger about to enter its doors. Looking back, Aoi notices a second car next to Damián’s- Who responds before the questions even leaves her lips

‘I live with a friend. His name is Verchiel’ The Apostle explains as he opens the door

‘I would’ve liked it if you told me earlier’ Says Aoi, stepping into the house

The first thing she notices is the fragrant smell of roasted vegetables, and her eyes land on what looks like the kitchen, where a tall figure stands next to the stove- Who greets Damián after he closes the door

‘Hola Damián! Como te fue? La chica sí estaba ahí?’ Asks the figure- Aoi figures that this is Verchiel, and she is proved correct when Damián addresses him as such

‘Todo bien. Estaba en los Ángeles idos’ Says Damián as he takes off is dark gray capelet. He hangs it on his left arm, turning towards you

‘Sheesh! A esta hora?! Están bien?’ replies Verchiel, his voice raises slightly in surprise

‘Nada grave’ clarifies Damián

‘So, the beach is super cursed. Okay.’ She says- Mostly to herself but the man next to her overhears. He turns towards her

‘That whole area is infamous for getting people sick’ says the Apostle, going up the stairs.

Verchiel turns around- He notices the unfamiliar face right away, and waves at the peach-haired young woman with a friendly smile plastered on his face. She notices that the blond is holding a pan as she approaches the kitchen

Pausing his cooking, Verchiel puts down the pan to introduce himself properly

‘My name's Verchiel Cordero, it's good to meet you’ he says joyfully with a noticeable accent. This isn’t his first language- But he’s doing his best. He sticks his hand out for a handshake

‘Aoi Sohara. It’s nice to meet you’ She replies, shaking his hand; Their eyes meet as she does. Aoi notices that Verchiel’s blue eyes surround a white pupil- Much like Damián’s.

The blond notices that he’s being examined, and when he speaks it’s as if he’s used to people asking the same question

‘My Dad was an Archangel, I got them from him’ says Verchiel before continuing

‘I’m training to become an Archangel too’