The cold night breeze hit his skin and made him feel a little cold. It was true, standing and staring at the sky from the balcony was not the right thing to do on this cold night. Plus, he himself was feeling a little under the weather. He decided to go into his room and close the balcony door. A dark, unlit room, with only a few things visible thanks to the moonlight. Well, it wasn't that there were no lights at all. He just preferred not to turn them on.
Laptop, handphone, tablet, and novels were neatly arranged on his study table. He smiled seeing the media that provided the things he liked. His hand moved to pick up a novel he had recently purchased. It seemed he had decided to read it tonight. Enjoying a great story written by a great author. Immersing himself in it. Ignoring the potential deterioration of his health from being up all night. Of course, because the stories in novels are always better than his boring life.
It turns out it doesn't take long time to finish one book. It only took him five hours. He read over 300 pages in five hours. That's incredibly short. But the feeling of reading and finishing a story is so... amazing. How can someone create a story that good? It's truly amazing. Despite how impressed he was by the story… he also felt a little… empty after finishing the story. It felt like he was on an adventure to a world, while he was reading. And when he was done reading, it felt like... the adventure he was on was over for some reason, sometimes because he achieved his goal and sometimes because he failed to achieve it. Well, both had one thing in common: there was nothing left to do. That's what makes it empty.
He closed the book and placed it back on the study table. His head ached terribly, and he held his forehead, massaging it occasionally to try and ease the pain. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It had been several minutes since he finished reading. It's now 17 minutes past two in the morning. Luckily today wasn't a day he had to be active in the morning, so he could sleep longer. Ah, his head really hurt and his body temperature was quite high. He immediately lay down on the bed and rested.
###
Everything felt boring. The only thing that never got boring was stories. Stories she could hear with her ears, stories she could see with her eyes, stories she could read in books, and anything that could become a source for a story. And now, she was running out of stories. No, no, no, I mean, she did have stories to see or hear, but... they were all very ordinary. Or rather, commonplace. She needed something that… really intrigued her. Something unique and eye-catching.
"A stupid angel who was expelled from heaven and is undergoing repentance. Why is it here?"
As soon as he came, a demon disguised as a human approached her and immediately mocked her. The devil sat next to her, on the front bench of the restaurant. He took some of her food and ate it, "You have good taste in food. Oh, thank you for the food."
She looked at the demon a little annoyed then snorted and shook her head. She didn't need to care about the devil. Because she was being punished and exiled on earth. Maybe somewhere in the world, she was called by 'Lucifer' but She's still an angel. precisely the broken angel and her name was Xeanee. The fallen angels were punished not only by themselves. There are still several others, but they are serious about repenting. Well, it couldn't be helped... once she fell into this world, she discovered many interesting things. These interesting things are what make her always fail in repentance. So, she is the only angel who still exists in the world where humans live. It's a bit of a shame but it's quite fun.
Suddenly, the devil beside her grabbed her hand, and without her having time to react, the devil kissed the back of her hand. He smiled sweetly, trying to charm her. Honestly, it almost took her by surprise. She immediately pushed away the devil's hand that was holding her.
"You crazy devil! Why did you do that?!"
The devil smiled.
"Well, you're ignoring me. I thought it was to get your attention." The demon moved his hand, stroking her cheeck, "Ah, you shouldn't called me devil here. I have a name. My name is Marlin if you didn't know."
The bastard's name was Marlin. Did Xeanee know that? Of course she did. But why would she call him that name when he called her a 'stupid angel'?
"Oh, come on. I was only joking when I called you a 'stupid angel.' You're actually very beautiful for a fallen angel. You're also attractive. "
Xeanee glared at Marlin, "You didn't even bother to say that I'm smart. It's like you saying that I'm beautiful and brainless without saying it." She was so annoyed with Marlin that she rolled her eyes and let out a shaky breath. To quell her irritation, she took a sip of the strawberry juice that had been on the table in front of her all along.
"Haha, you're really something. How about we date?"
At that moment, Xeanee spurted out her favorite juice that she had just drunk. That's annoying but also thrilling. But of course, she couldn't believe the devil's words or she wouldn't. They were full of tricks and liked to lead people astray. I mean, she felt that Marlin would just do that to make fun of her. And it's so annoying.
"I'm not joking, you know."
Whatever. She really shouldn't have paid attention to Marlin in the first place. Devils are no friends. They only seek entertainment from the misfortunes of others. Ha, she'd better clean up the spill and get out of here.
"Come on. Then, will you listen to me? I have some good information for you."
"..."
"You know that place that connects you to another world? Well, literally, only souls can go there. That would be a great place for you. You're hungry for stories, aren't you?"
Xeanee still ignores Marlin. The demon still loves to tempt her to sin. It was tempting. But she couldn't go there without permission. It was a forbidden place. Even if she wanted to go, she wouldn't be able to.
"If you're afraid you can't go, you can go there freely. You're being punished and losing some of your purity, right? Well, your purity is a kind of good power, yet also a restriction that restrains you. But now you're being punished and sinning, and you're losing some of that purity, which means... some of your restrictions are also disappearing or just loosening."
"..."
"You kept ignoring me until the end. That's made me sad, you know."
"..."
"Huhft ... okay, then I'll be going. Bye~" Marlin left. Before he really left, he winked at Xeanee, who turned around.
Xeanee flinched after receiving a disgusting wink from the Devil. However... her disgust and annoyance quickly faded, replaced by curiosity about what Marlin had said earlier. The information rang in her head. Argh... she was so curious.
Is it true? Is what Marlin said true? But why did he tell her that? What plans does Marlin have?
But about stories... would if she went there... she would quench her hunger for stories? But... did she even go there? Should... she go there?
After much deliberation, she decided to try going there. This forbidden place that connects two worlds. It didn't take her long to get there. She covered thousands of kilometers in just five minutes by flapping her wings, reaching a place near the upper world and entering something that resembled a cloud. As soon as she entered the place, she felt a little amazed. It was true that she could go to this place now. However, she also knew that this action would increase her bad karma and further reduce her powers or sanctity as an angel but... never mind. Maybe if it was just once... Well, she could always repent later anyway.
Putting aside her dilemma, she looked around. The place she'd entered was quite strange. It was quite varied, but something dark seemed to predominate. It is said that this place can sometimes correspond to the owner of the soul from another world and sometimes it is indeed arranged in such a way. The place she was currently visiting... felt quite familiar. Or perhaps there was something about it that intrigued her. But what?
With just a few simple steps, such as closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she began to walk. She walked around the place she'd entered. It felt strange and unreal. No wonder this place was called a 'dream'.
The further she went in, the more she felt like she'd encountered something... something she couldn't put into words. It felt like... something friendly. Or so she put it.
Still unsatisfied with her curiosity about the place, she saw a teenage boy. By human standards, he was probably around 15 years old or older. Around him were piles of familiar-looking books. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that among them were several books she had already read. The teenager was seen reading a book. His face wasn't clearly visible, but somehow she could tell what feelings and expressions he was making while reading. Ah, so that's how it is. Maybe... it's just a possibility. Maybe the familiar feeling she felt upon entering this 'dream' – It came from the teenager. Yes. It feels like... we love the same things. Stories... and maybe books or other media that contain a story in them.
Thinking too much, she only just realized that the teenager had closed his book and was already walking off somewhere. It seemed quite far away, but his figure was still within sight. Spontaneously, she followed the teenager.
###
He suddenly found himself somewhere. It was… very dark. Despite this, he could still see everything around him. Around him were piles of books he had at home. He picked one up and began to read. As he continued reading, his focus on his surroundings faded, and his mind became lost in the story. While reading the story, he was a little disturbed by a feeling of dizziness and throbbing that attacked his head. However, he did not express it and continued reading the book in his hand until he finished. While reading a book, occasionally he feels amazed, annoyed, affectionate, excited, fluttering, and so on. The feeling seemed to be clearly visible on his face. Several people who saw him reading the book said so. He shrugged. Then he closed his book and took a step towards exploring the place.
Stepping and stepping, He saw only darkness around him. The air here felt cold and a bit ominous. It was like... it was making him realize that he was... alone.
The feeling of loneliness in this place and even in the real world, really made him suffocated. But, it's okay. He's used to it.
Amidst the emptiness and silence that haunted him, he felt something behind him. It had been following him since his thirtieth step, leaving him slightly confused. He stopped walking. Stretching his body for a moment, then turned around. What was it? It looked quite beautiful but also a bit terrifying. Human? But it had wings. Angel? But... it looked a bit terrifying for an angel. Demon? The faint halo above it, which he had just noticed... Didn't indicate that it was a demon. Most likely it was an angel. Fallen angel or broken angel but also maybe... Lucifer? Perhaps that was the best way to describe 'it', which was now staring at him with an innocent gaze. That gaze made his heart flutter a little. Also, why was 'it' following him all this way? Why?
Rather than dwell on these things and speculate on all sorts of things that could be wrong, he decided to find out the truth. He slowly approached this temporary creature, which he identified as a fallen angel.
"Hi?" He waved his hand awkwardly at 'it'.
'It' widened its eyes as it greeted them. It wasn't in anger or rage, but in surprise. It's lips moved slightly. As if 'it' wanted to speak but couldn't. 'It' moved its lips again, opening its mouth slightly and then closing it again without uttering a word. Seeing this, he patiently waited for 'it' to speak. Perhaps it wanted to speak, but something was keeping it quiet.
"Ah, hi ...? You can see me? And... why did you greet me?" It pointed at itself, looks confused and doubtful.
"Uhm. I can see you and ... because you follow me, so ..."He shrugged his shoulders. Then he cleared his throat and continued, " Also-" He chose to stop there. It didn't feel right if he asked about what kind of creature is it.
"Also?" It repeated his words by asking.
"Nothing."
It nodded then spoke, "It... seems you can see me. I thought you couldn't. And... Uhm... Sorry I followed you. I followed you because you seemed to like the book or rather the story in it. So... as you can see. I followed you. "
He smiled at the answer 'that' gave to his previous question.
"I'm Hillyne Gillian. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"I'm... Xeanee. Just Xeanee. Nice to meet you too. But..." Xeanee looked Hillyne up and down. Then hesitantly asked, "Are... you really human?"
Hillyne nodded, "Yes, I'm human. Why?"
Xeanee smile. Her expression was very awkward. But she still tried to answer, "It's just... it's just... it feels unreal. I mean... it feels so unreal to be able to meet a human in this place."
Nodding his head. Understanding why Xeanee looked so awkward, he actually wanted to ask what... Xeanee was? So, instead of asking, he just looked at Xeanee. He saw a pair of white wings with a bit of black at the tips. It looked like a lot of bird feathers but looked softer. A halo circle floated above Xeanee's head. It was dull but still quite bright. Xeanee's face... looked like someone who had lost the light of life. Still had its own brightness but also looked... Well, that's it. A beautiful but also a bit scary. Throughout her wings and her white clothes, there were a bit of black that was like a pattern that made her look quite... beautiful. Wait. What was he just thinking?
Xeanee, who noticed Hillyne's gaze, winced slightly and then opened her mouth.
"Ah, I'm an angel. It's strange for me to say that. But it's true. The blackness that covers me is a sign that I'm being punished, or perhaps you could say that I'm... sinning. I may be close to being Lucifer, but I'm still an angel. A broken angel. It's a shame. ." Xeanee suddenly covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes widened and she made an expression that looked like she was regretting it, "Sorry, I talked too much, didn't I? I... I'm glad you talked to me. B-but I didn't mean to. No! I'm talking too much again. The point is! I... I'm sorry!" Xeanee looked really panicked now.
"It's okay Xeanee. You don't need to panic. I'm glad to hear you talk. Calm down." Hillyne held Xeanee's shoulders, trying to calm her down. And it worked. Xeanee was seen taking slow, even breaths. The angel was now much calmer.
After he looked closely, he realized he was taller than Xeanee. Were angels really this short? I mean... it was so strange to see an angel with his own eyes and... the angel had the form of a woman with short hair and was only as tall as his chin.
As he was thinking about this, Xeanee suddenly placed the back of her hand on his forehead. This startled him a little, and he began to stare at her with a look that couldn't be described in words.
"You... you have a high fever." Xeanee lowered her hand and took Hillyne's.
She held Hillyne's hand with both hands. Then close her eyes. Golden light appeared around them.
The golden light felt warm yet cool. The feeling spread from Xeanee's hand to Hillyne's, permeating his body and slowly relieving the headache he'd been feeling. It felt so cool and soothing. It seemed like... his fever had gone, too. Completely cured. At that moment, Xeanee opened her eyes and looked at him with a smile on her face.
"You are healed now."
"Thanks."
Xeanee just smiled in response to his thanks. Then... suddenly, he felt like he was fading. The smile on Xeanee's face faded. The angel didn't seem panicked.It even looks like this has happened before. Or indeed it was a normal case. Could something like this be a common occurrence?
Hillyne exhaled. Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked. It was a familiar room. Of course, it was familiar because it was his room. He chuckled a little and then he remembered everything he had experienced in his dream. On purpose, he tilted his head slightly and looked at his right palm. It still felt warm, as if he had actually held it. Then his hand lifted. Still watching his hands. He was still lying on the bed. His body was still a little weak, but he felt much better. He lowered his hand and covered his eyes with it. Something tingled in his heart. Was that dream really just a dream? Even his fever had gone after that dream.
He chuckled again and closed his eyes.
"What the hell." Then he deciding to go back to sleep.