It was cold, a lot colder than the days I use to have. Large flakes sprinkled from above. The weather wasn't too harsh, thankfully, which made trekking our terrain a little easier. As we walked up the withered cobblestone path, I looked around at my party members, wondering how I, an ordinary child, got caught up in all of this. As we marched past the ruins of what was once a lovely village, I couldn't help but remember my first encounter with this group.

            I was on my way home from school that day. It all started with a loud boom, as if lightning just struck, which was odd at the time considering the weather was peaceful. When we all looked up into the sky, the sight was both amazing and terrifying. Gazing overhead was a giant eye. It looked straight down towards my location. I then turned towards my house, which I was surprised I didn't realize I was close to. Through the window to my sister's room, I saw a dark red light. Not knowing what was going on, I decided to rush inside to see if she was alright.

            When I reached her door, it was locked. I tried calling out to my sister, but she didn't answer. I quickly picked up a fire extinguisher that was hanging on the wall nearby and started hitting the doorknob, hoping it would break. Eventually, after a couple of dents, it soon gave way and broke off. Not too soon after doing so though, the entire door broke free and flew into the room. After looking inside, I realized the room's ceiling and the roof were gone as well. A beam of red evil was shining down into the room, and in the center of it was my own sister.

            She did not move from her position, in fact, she was looking straight up, arms stretched upwards as if accepting what was happening. I didn't want to step in for I was afraid of what would happen if I did. Instead, I just called out her name, hoping she could hear me. She did slightly turn her head towards me and when she did, I swear I saw a tear in her eyes as if she was calling out for me to save her, but there was nothing I could do. Then, a dark mist quickly fell into the room making the place pitch black. It slowly lifted, but when it did, my sister was nowhere to be found.

            I cautiously stepped into the room and looked around, and, after looking up where the eye was, I saw it was now gone. However, there was something else in its place. It looked like a star at first, but then it slowly moved closer. As it did, I realized it was a person. They gently landed in the room in front of me and looked at me intently. As I too got a better look at them, I realized how angelic they looked. They wore bright white armor that was covered in white streams that made them seem as if they came from heaven itself. They even had pure white angel wings as well as a bow in their hands.

            "I know you might not know what just happened, and I know you probably don't want to be involved either, but I have to ask if you'll come with us," they asked in a very polite tone. I glanced up for a moment and saw three more angelic beings. They all looked like the one in front of me, but they had different colors and weapons. One had red armor, red-tinted wings, and a sword, one had blue armor, blue-tinted wings, and a spear, and the third had yellow armor, yellow-tinted wings, and an ax. I didn't know what else to do so I accepted to join them.

            They said we had to go to a place that had been long forgotten and hidden away, a place only a select few know about now. They didn't share the name of the location, but they said we had to get there as soon as possible. We flew for a distance before landing at the base of some snowy mountains. They said we should walk the rest of the way there because flying would be too risky, especially with what just happened. I didn't fully understand but I decided not to question too much.

            "Hey, are you alright," The Red Angel asked me. "You seem to be a bit out of it."

            "Of course they aren't alright," The Blue Angel commented. "Did you not see what happened back there at their own house?"

            "I know. I mean, I knew that, I was just wondering what was on their mind. I didn't know how else to word it."

            "What do you think is on their mind? They witnessed their own sister transform into The Dark Angel, and now they're traveling with a group of unknown individuals to a location that sounds like it came straight out of a storybook."

            "Well..."

            "It's okay," I said in a rather shy and silent tone while facing the ground. I didn't think they heard me but when I glanced up, they were both looking at me. "I mean, sure, I may not know who you lot are, but you all seem trustworthy, and that's why I'm following you."

            "That's all we can ask for from you," The Light Angel said. "Trust can go a long way, and, especially now, we could use a lot of it right now."

            Shortly after saying those words, they extended their arm out to their side, gesturing for everyone to stop. It was here when I realized that we reached the top of the mountain. From up here, I could see quite a bit. There were mountains that looped into a near-perfect circle with a cluster of bright green trees at the bottom of it all. There was also a small stream that flowed down one of the mountains into the trees.

            "Where the stream ends, that's where you'll find The Silver Connection," The Light Angel said.

            "And it looks like we've made it in time too thankfully," The Yellow Angel said.

            "Don't jinx us now," The Blue Angel said.

            "That's odd," The Light Angel commented.

            "What is," I asked.

            "Considering that The Dark Angel has arisen, I was expecting this place to be shrouded in darkness, but I'm not sensing any."

            "Does that not make our job easier," The Red Angel asked. "It basically gives us a free path to The Silver Connection."

            "It does, I'll admit. It just makes me feel uneasy, is all."

            "Well, as long as there isn't any here, our job is that much easier," The Yellow Angel said as they stepped to the front of the group, holding their ax firmly in their hands as they did. "So, what do you guys say we head down there ASAP, and when they do arrive, we'll show them their own taste of hell."

            Immediately after saying that, a loud boom echoed through the sky as a bright flash also appeared in front of us. We all ducked for a moment hoping that whatever was happening wouldn't affect us. I slowly opened my eyes. Looking up, I saw The Yellow Angel with the end of a scythe piercing straight through their head. When the other Angels came too and looked up themselves, the owner removed their weapon. The Yellow Angel kneeled to the ground as their body started disintegrating into ashes. When The Yellow Angel was gone, I could see who the owner of their death was. It was my own sister; now as The Dark Angel, with an unsettling grin smeared across her once beautiful face.

            As I knelt there with widened eyes in shock of what my own sister had just done, the other angels drew their weapons, aiming them at her. As they did, she moved the blade of her scythe towards her face and licked the blood off it. She then licked her lips and, once again, placed an unsettling grin across her face, all while looking directly at us.

            "Did somebody call for hell? Well don't worry," my sister said as they lifted a hand into the air. As they did, dark clouds started to spiral in the sky. "I will show you despair."

            After saying those words, the same eye that appeared over our house appeared, and from it, demons also started falling.

            "Enough," The Red Angel shouted as they charged towards my sister and began fighting them. The Blue Angel quickly joined the fray as well. As the three were in combat, The Light Angel quickly grabbed me and took flight as quickly as she could into the valley. I saw for a moment my sister attempting to chase us, but The Blue Angel quickly appeared in front of them, preventing them from advancing.

            The Light Angel and I soon landed at the edge of the valley. After placing me down, they drew their bow and aimed it into the valley's core. After a light arrow appeared, they fired it forward and a dome of transparent light formed creating a path forward for us.

            "It won't hold the demons back for long, but it should hopefully give us enough time to make it to The Silver Connection. Come on, let's go!"

            They quickly grabbed my hand and we both started running through the path they created. As we did, demons started approaching us. However, when they attempted attacking us, as soon as they touched the barrier, their bodies would start to burn and melt, as if they were attempting to go through a wall of molten lava. Regardless, we kept running. I looked ahead. Our path seemed as if it ventured into a cave. I looked at The Light Angel who was leading me. Their face was plastered forwards towards our goal. I could tell they wanted us to get there fast. I could sense their determination and motivation, and I couldn't blame them for housing so much.

            We eventually entered the cave and started going down a long stone stairway. There was little light to guide us except for a few shining crystals that reflected light from bugs that, unlike fireflies, emitted a purple light. The Light Angel seemed to know exactly where we were going through as if they had been here before. Soon enough, we reached the bottom of the stairway and were now at a wide-open cave. Water that looked silver in color leaked from the roof and gently poured into several puddles. There were several rocks hanging off other rocks as well that led down to an illuminated area of the cave that looked like a shrine.

            "There it is," The Light Angel said. "The Shrine of Endless Blessings." I just silently stood there as I looked at the path towards it. Most of the rocks were very thin so slipping would have meant a fall several feet to the shimmering water below, and there didn't seem to be any easy paths back up if you were to fall and survive. "Alright, what happens next is crucial if you want to stop The Dark Angel and save your sister. Once we get to the shri-"

            Before they could finish their sentence, a loud screech came from the top of the stairway. We both looked up and saw a few demons charging straight towards us. The Light Angel quickly retaliated by pulling out her bow and firing light arrows at the demons. Every arrow they released was true to aim. However, the more arrows they fired, the more demons I saw coming towards us.

            "Head for the shrine, now!"

            I wasted no time in responding. I quickly turned back around and, as cautiously yet quickly as I could, started along the path towards the shrine. The Light Angel followed behind me while also continuing to fend off the demons. The further I moved along the path, the further I felt I was getting from the shrine. I did my best to keep my composure though and, for a moment, attempted to remember an event from my past that calmed me down when I was in another stressful situation. So, as I continued along the path, I started singing a song to myself, a song my mother taught me.

            Surprisingly, before I knew it, I wasn't much further away from the shrine. For a moment, I felt relieved and happy, even though I still didn't fully understand what was going to happen once I reached it. However, before I could reach it, a few flying demons flew in front of me, blocking the rest of the path.

            "Oh no," I shouted as I stopped myself in my tracks.

            "Close your eyes," The Light Angel said as they leaped over me and aimed an arrow towards them. I did as they said and ducked down while covering my eyes. After they released the arrow, there was a bright flash followed by the sounds of screaming demons. When the light went away, I opened my eyes. When I looked around, I saw that there were no more demons, just ashes remained where they all once were. The Light Angel was standing in front of me with a hand towards me.

            "Are you alright," they asked. I nodded as I accepted their hand and they helped me up. "Well," they said turning to the shrine, "We made it. Not all you have to do is pray and make a wish."

            "Me?"

            "Yes, you."

            "Why can't you pray and make a wish?"

            "I already made a wish, and I cannon make another unless my first wish is granted."

            "What was your wish?"

            "You're asking unneeded questions, and we have limited time." I froze for a moment, unsure of what exactly to do. "Look, you want to save your sister, correct?" I nodded. "Then pray for your sister's safety."

            Immediately after saying that, the cave started to shake. After a couple of seconds, something came crashing through the roof. We both looked up and saw a blue light shoot straight towards the bottom of the cave and crash. it was The Blue Angel, or what remained of them as their body was dissolving away. We then heard my sister's voice singing from above.

            "One wing, two wings, three wings clipped. How many wings are yet to be stripped? If these wings don't let you fly, maybe it's a sign that you should die."

            We both looked back up to where the singing came from to see my sister descending from the hole The Blue Angel created. They were holding The Red Angel by their wings in one hand. The Red Angel looked severely hurt with several bruises on their face and cracks in their armor. The Light Angel created an arrow and aimed their bow towards them. As they did, The Red Angel seemed to be attempting to tell them to stop. They could barely lift their hand though and their voice was very rough.

            "Don't... Please..." Regardless of their pleads, The White Angel remained on their guard.

            "We've come this far," The White Angel said. "Surrendering at this point would be like hitting the breaks on the finish line when you're about to win first place."

            "Who said you were the ones who are first in this race," The Dark Angel asked.

            "I always make sure we're one step ahead. If you wish to pass me, you'll have to give it your all."

            "You underestimate the power of The Dark Angel."

            "I wouldn't even recommend trying."

            With those words, The Dark Angel dropped The Red angel and charged towards us. The Light Angel quickly responded back by charging towards them while firing an arrow. The Dark Angel seemed to be unaffected as they raised their scythe to attack. The Light angel raised their bow to shield the attack. The two collided but neither seemed to budge one way or the other as if the two were evenly matched. They eventually broke apart and started fighting, The Dark Angel swinging their scythe erratically while The Light Angel fired several arrows attempting to keep them at bay. Every time their weapons clashed, flashes of light and dark illuminated the cave. I almost didn't want to look away, but I heard a voice.

            "One wish can change a person's life, and sometimes many more with it."

            I turned around to where I heard the voice come from but all I saw was the shrine. A single stone statue holding a small stone bowl rested in the center. Upon hearing the voice again, I realized the voice was coming from the statue.

            "Any wish may be asked, but whether your wish comes true or not depends on how much trust you have for that wish to come true yourself." I moved closer towards the statue. "If you have any wishes, do not hesitate to pray for them to come true."

            I stopped when a black feather fell in front of my face. I watched it as it fluttered to the ground in front of me, landing directly next to a white feather. I picked them both up and then looked at the statue, realizing I was now only a couple of feet away from it. Looking at the feathers, I placed them in the statue's bowl. I then placed my hands together and bowed my head as I said my prayer.

            "I wish to help the angels, all of them."

            "Your thoughts are pure, and your heart is filled with love. Your wish shall be granted."

            After those words were said, I opened my eyes to see the two feathers I had placed into the bowl were melting, and the silver water in the bowl was also starting to bubble. Suddenly, the cave filled with a bright silver light. As it incased me, I felt myself becoming lighter and warmer. I felt armor being placed on my body and wings coming out of my back. I slowly opened my eyes and the light started going away. I also saw the armor that now covered my body. It looked just like the armor the other angels were in but with silver colors. Turning my head, I saw my new wings. They looked like butterfly wings with shimmering silver color. And, in my hand, which I was surprised I didn't notice because it felt like it had no weight to it, was one of the largest swords I had ever seen.

            I then looked up to the two remaining angels. They were both looking at me with opposite expressions. The Light Angel looked both shocked and excited while The Dark Angel looked filled with rage. The Dark Angel instantly started charging towards me. Before they could reach me though, The Light Angel fired an arrow towards them. The Dark Angel quickly stopped and turned around, swinging their scythe at the arrow which caused it to vanish. They then charged towards The Light Angel who, in response, fired another arrow at them. The Dark Angel sliced through that one as well and, before another move could be done, forced their scythe into The Light Angel's chest. I gasped as I watched in terror of what my sister had just done.

            "Who's in first now," my sister said as they swung their scythe making The Light Angel fly off it and crash into the cave's wall.

            Without even thinking, I gripped my sword tightly and moved my wings, charging towards my sister with a feeling of resentment. Just before I could reach them, they moved out of the way and then swung their scythe at me, clashing with my sword and almost causing me to lose balance. They then grabbed my stomach and started flying upwards, using me as a shield as she pushed me through the cave's roof back towards the surface.

            When we reached the surface, they tossed me high into the air. I quickly straightened out my wings and stabilized myself. I then swung my sword back as I saw my sister quickly approaching from below. When she got close enough, I swung my sword towards them, causing our weapons to clash again, but this time, making my sister almost lose balance. With this opening, I quickly spun around and thrust the hilt of my weapon into their stomach, causing them to fly a few feet away. I then moved towards them again and swung my sword at them again. They tried blocking with their scythe but, when our weapons clashed, she was sent flying farther.

            I then started flying around them at a speed that amazed even me. As I did, I kept taking occasional swings at them, my sister seeming unable to do anything in response. I kept swinging at them, starting to chip away parts of their armor and clipping their wings. After I felt enough damage was dealt, I moved above them and lifted my sword. Then, with one powerful swing, I thrust my sword onto my sister as I started diving both of us back towards the ground. As we dove closer to the ground, seeing the pain in my sister's face, I couldn't help but shed a tear. When we collided with the ground, we were surrounded by the same silver light that surrounded me at the shrine.

            The light then went away, leaving me in a void. Looking forward, I saw five lights in front of me: A red-colored light, blue-colored light, yellow-colored light, white-colored light, and a faintly visible black-colored light. I moved closer to them and, while maintaining their colored glow, they changed into different animals. The red light became a giant lizard, the blue light became a dolphin, the yellow light became a rhino, the white light became a wolf, and the black light became a female lion. I could sense the presence of the angels there as well, my sister included. I assumed each one was the appropriate colored animal.

            "Who are you," the yellow rhino asked with the same calm voice The Yellow Angel had, confirming my theory.

            "I'm The Angel with Butterfly Wings," I responded.

            "Are you here to save us," the blue dolphin asked.

            "Yes, I am."

            "Are you sure it's safe," the red lizard asked. "Is the danger gone?"

            "For now, yes."

            "You know what you need to do next," the white wolf asked.

            "Revive you, or at least your souls." I was a little surprised I was answering these questions with the answers I had, but I decided not to question it.

            A light appeared behind me. Turning around, I saw a door leading back into The Silver Connection. I smiled softly as I looked to the spirits who were all standing and waiting for me to say something.

            "Alright," I told them, "let's go." I started walking towards the door but stopped when I heard my sister's voice.

            "I don't deserve to go." I turned around and saw the black lion with its head towards the ground. "I killed you guys. There's no justification for what I have done. I deserve to remain in here, alone."

            I walked over to my sister and knelt in front of them. "No one deserves to stay in here, at least not alone." I placed my hand on their chin and gently lifted their head. "If you choose to stay, then I will choose to stay in here with you."

            "But you still have a long life to live. I wasted mine by doing what I did."

            "Maybe you did, but that doesn't mean you should be alone. No one in this world deserves to be alone, even if they have done something unspeakable." I then wrapped my hands around them, giving them a hug. "I'm here for you, sis. I promise I always will be." I felt a tear fall onto my shoulder as I hugged them. "I love you."

            "I love you too," they responded back. We then broke free from our hug. "Alright, I'll join you, and help begin a new life." I smiled at their words.

            I stood and looked at all the spirits. They all had smiles on their faces. "Are we ready," I asked, "to create a better future." They all nodded. "Then let's move forth." We all turned and started walking through the door. As I stepped back into the real world, I couldn't help but smile. The weather was perfect as if nothing ever happened. My new friends and sister might have left, but I could feel all of them within me. I aimed my sword towards the sun as I made one more wish.

            "As The Angel with Butterfly Wings, I wish to bring joy to this world and show everyone the light, and I will do whatever it takes to do so."