***

- SITAEL - The Angel of Protection.

***

I am in my room, listening to the sound of Hayden's footsteps fading away after he accompanied me.

- What a day...

Hailey still hasn't returned, and worry is eating away at me. Maybe I should go look for her, but the uncertainty of her location paralyzes me. With her wings, which she controls at will, she could be in the most unexpected corners of the starry sky. Besides, the girls haven't come back yet—probably still at the ball.

I choose to stay here. There's a greater chance she'll return to the room than me finding her outside.

I lie down and wait for her, letting my thoughts wander to those apple pastries I couldn't enjoy tonight. The taste of that tart haunts me.

GRRR

I'm hungry...

- How sad.

I yawn and close my eyes for a moment to rest. This evening has drained me, leaving me completely exhausted.

***

I open my eyes. Everything is black.

- Again!

I don't feel asleep, yet it's obvious that I'm in one of those visions. In the distance, a spark of light appears. I move toward it and notice that beneath my bare feet, the ground is cold and rocky.

I swing my right arm in the air and touch the ceiling. Then, I reach out to the left and feel a cold wall. To the right, the same. I am in a confined space where the walls are cold and almost damp.

Another bizarre vision.

- Where am I?

I take a few steps forward, letting my hand slide along the right wall, made of stone. The more I move forward, the wider the light becomes until it blinds me. Sun rays pull me toward the exit. I turn around to see where I was, realizing that this dark, confined space was merely a passage.

- Is this... a cave? Seriously?

At the exit, a vast void stretches before me. All I can see is the tops of white clouds. This cotton-like sea extends as far as the eye can see; the air is fresh and light.

- Marie.

That raspy voice again, but this time, it resonates clearly, though a faint echo makes my name vibrate.

- Who's there?

There's no one around me.

- I'm here, inside the cave.

I stare at the entrance. One thing is certain—this stranger will remain a mystery. There's no way I'm going back in there, especially now that I know someone is hiding inside.

- Come out!

- I can't.

- Why?

I have nothing to defend myself with and no way to escape. It's either the dark, ominous cave or the vast void behind me, an abyss of uncertainty.

Then suddenly, a question comes to mind: Now that I can control my wings, does the same apply in my visions?

- Don't fly away! he commands, his voice firm.

His deep, broken voice echoes in the cave, stopping me in my tracks. My back stiffens as I stare at the entrance of that hole in the rock. A dull fear creeps over me, twisting my stomach. His words settle on my skin as if my body naturally obeys them. It's strange. What I feel seems unnatural. I am neither frustrated nor angry, but the initial fear fades, replaced by an anxiety born from confusion. It's unsettling to realize that my body responds to an external will as if I'm losing control of myself.

- I am chained.

Chained?

- You're chained in a cave, in the middle of nowhere? Why?

Birdsong... Birds? I remember that selphies make that kind of sound.

- Aéphyra ? I call out, looking around for any signs.

Tiny lights appear around me, then head toward the cave entrance.

- Aéphyra, is that you ?

Why isn't she answering? This isn't normal.

- The queen of the selphies is dead, he says coldly.

Dead.

That word reverberates within me like a thunderclap. It echoes through my entire being.

- I don't believe you. Stop your illusions with fireflies.

I refuse to believe she's gone. I watch my hands grow clammy and begin to tremble.

- It's not a trick, but the queen's children are waiting for you.

- They are waiting for you to join me inside.

- Why should I listen to you?

- Because I can help you.

Help me? Since I arrived in this world, no one has ever offered to help me.

- Help, for what? I don't need your help. If anything, you're the one who needs it. Aren't the chains a little inconvenient? I say with sharp sarcasm, crossing my arms.

He chuckles.

- Marie, don't you want to know who you really are?

That catches my full attention. It's the mystery of my life ever since I learned I'm an angel and that my family is nothing but a lie.

- You know who I really am?

At this moment, I want to believe him, but I quickly remember that this world is dangerous.

- Why do you want to do this? I regain my senses.

- In exchange, I will ask you for one thing.

I knew it. Nothing is ever free.

What is it? To set him free, I suppose?

- To free me.

If he is chained, it's probably for a good reason.

I knew it—another trap. Tell me first why you were imprisoned.

- They locked me up to use me.

The fireflies become frantic. Their once-harmonious chirping turns loud, and their glowing lights flicker wildly.

Is he telling the truth? The selphies would never have shown themselves to a stranger, let alone to a threat.

- Is Aéphyra really dead?

- I had a vision. Three demons attacked her in the forest and killed her. Her body disintegrated into billions of luminous particles that scattered with the wind.

- A vision? Then you're a...

"Angels don't dream, but they have visions," Hayden once told me.

- I am an angel, indeed.

That must be why she no longer answers me. Aéphyra... I think of her, my gaze lost in sadness.

Three? Were they the winged creatures who posed as my family?

"I thought we had killed her decades ago," I remember Jonn's words.

- So... it's my fault, I murmur, lowering my head. Tears blur my vision before they start to fall.

I didn't want to believe it, but I feel he's telling the truth. My arm isn't burning to warn me of danger, and deep inside, his words flow over me like water down a river.

To be sure, I must ask him how the queen died.

- How did she die? I ask softly.

- Malicious creatures discovered that the selphie race was not entirely extinct, and they hunted them down.

I can't believe it. I caused her death. My so-called family—or rather, the demons who pretended to be them—murdered her.

I look at the tiny creatures, and a wave of sorrow tightens my throat, stinging my nose.

- What will happen to the selphies now?

He sighs sadly. Hearing this reassures me that he might not be a bad person.

- Unfortunately, they will slowly disappear.

I imagine them like withering flowers, deprived of sunlight, their light fading away. It's too sad.

- There's no successor, is there?

- The reign of the selphies will end with Queen Aéphyra.

The little selphies, upon hearing this, see their light flickering like bulbs about to burn out. They flutter lower, falling like detached petals, seeking to caress the ground forever.

The memory of our encounter slowly seeps into my mind, allowing me to glimpse her one last time. She had stung my arm, and I had nearly crushed her without realizing it. A faint smile forms on my lips, while my eyes moisten, carried away by the nostalgia of that fleeting yet precious moment.

- And to think that I still have this mark on my shoulder, right where she stung me.

- A mark? he repeats, curious.

I don't even realize I spoke out loud and feel compelled to explain.

- Oh, during our first meeting, Aéphyra stung my arm, saying that we were now linked. That's how she saved me from one of my visions.

- Selphies do not bond with angels or other creatures.

- I don't understand. But she did, with me.

-The sting you feel is her soul-sharing.

A soul-sharing? What now?

The sound of baby birds returns, and their swirling flight seems to envelop me, a light breath rising around me, like an enchanting melody.

- What are they doing?

- They are trying to reach out to their mother, the queen.

Thousands of sparkling flakes fall around me, a shower of dazzling stars, magical and mesmerizing. I look up, dazzled by this beauty, but the heavy melancholy washing over me sends chills down my spine.

After a moment, they stop and gather at the entrance of the cave.

- Well?

Their whistles resume, louder, harmonious, creating an orchestra of enchanted sounds. It's hypnotic, almost unreal.

- A part of her is inside you.

Listening to him, I realize this warmth I've felt since our meeting—could it be her... soul?

- You can understand their whistling?

- Yes.

- She must have sensed that you were different. The selphies were attacked and killed by demons. Only angels have ever been their friends and allies. She must have thought that a part of her would remain safe if anything happened to her.

I let his words sink in, and an odd sensation washes over me. As if a painful truth were carving its way into my thoughts.

So, when she told me we were linked, it was because we shared the same soul. That must be how she was able to communicate with me through the mind, to be present in my visions. Because she, too, was, in a way, there.

I cross my arms as a cold breeze sends shivers down my spine. Reality hits me like a thunderbolt.

- She was right to take that precaution. Except she didn't foresee that I would be the one to bring danger to her doorstep.

- Marie! he calls, his voice deep.

- Yes.

- You have a long journey ahead before becoming who you are meant to be. Unfortunately, I could not reach out to you earlier because you weren't strong enough. Your destiny is calling. Answer it without hesitation, trust your instincts, and follow them.

- My destiny? I don't even know who I really am, and you're talking to me about destiny.

- At the end of your path, you will find the key that holds all the answers to your questions.

- How do I free Aéphyra?

- You cannot do it yet. You are still too weak.

- Then you do it.

He seems to choke, his voice breaking. The tension is palpable, but I don't feel ready to trust him.

- I cannot either.

- Why? I exclaim, my voice breaking with tears clogging my throat.

- I am not in my best form. I have been imprisoned for far too long.

I want to ask him why he is locked up, but an inexplicable fear tightens my throat. Maybe some questions shouldn't have answers just yet.

An irresistible urge to return to the cave washes over me. The pull is too strong. What if I went to see for myself?

I take a few steps away from the cliff's edge and, guided by the selphies, find the entrance to the cave again. I walk cautiously, steadying myself against the cool rock, the glow of the tiny creatures lighting my path. The tunnel is long, dark, and the outcome uncertain.

The further I go, the more the cave seems to expand, until I find myself in a vast, almost surreal hall—an immense underground chamber. The walls are lined with blue crystals that glimmer like embedded gemstones. At the center, a flat stone rests, surrounded by long, rusted chains planted into the ground. The light reflected by the crystals barely illuminates the place. Thankfully, the selphies still guide me, lighting my way with their glow.

- Where are you?

- On the stone in the center.

- But I'm standing right in front of it, and you're not here.

The voice shifts, echoing around me, but I still don't see him.

- I am here.

The chains move slightly, a metallic clink making me jump.

- I nearly died of fright, I say through clenched teeth. Are you... invisible?

- I am concealed by a spell. I can see you, but you can only hear my voice and see my actions.

- Why are you imprisoned, and who is hiding you?

- I don't have much time left to answer. You must remember this before your vision fades, or before I am interrupted by unwelcome visitors.

I focus, trying to grasp the meaning behind his words. A few meters away, a book on the ground catches my attention. It looks vaguely familiar. The closer I get, the more memories resurface, like a flash of light in the darkness.

I pick it up and open it.

- The Forbidden Book... This is the one that was stolen from me.

Thousands of questions flood my mind, but only one keeps echoing:

- Who are you really?

He takes his time before answering. He seems on the verge of revealing something important, but his voice falters.

Suddenly, my arm burns intensely.

 - A danger is approaching, he says, panicked, as if sensing the threat nearing.

- Marie, find me! His voice turns almost desperate.

Those are his last words before everything turns black again, the void swallowing everything around me.

***

I wake up suddenly in my bed, drenched in sweat. My wrist still aches, the pain persistent.

A minute passes, then I get up, heading to the bathroom in the darkness of the night.

I close the door behind me and run my arm under icy water. The coolness soothes me for a moment.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Someone knocks gently at the door. Maybe Hailey, finally back?

- It's occupied!

No response. The water flows over my arm, easing the pain, but the sense of unease grows within me.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Another knock.

- Marie, is that you in the bathroom?

Will I ever get a moment of peace?

I hurriedly dry my still-wet arms and finally open the door.