The sun was being lowered from its throne in the sky. The sky fading from its happy blues to a serene orange that paints the white fluffy clouds to pinks, and lilacs. The sweet day songbird symphonies quieted so the lullaby of crickets and frogs could send the land to sleep. The four travelers rested their aching feet and fatigued bodies in an abandoned house in a ghosted suburban neighborhood.

Norah was fast asleep in one of the rooms on the upstairs level in a bed with a warm quilt resting on her small body. Mama Willow was resting on a couch in the living room of the house snoring like a congested pig, while Taurus was trotting off into the woods for some food. Quiver was on the roof cleaning and sharpening her hatchets. Going from a creepy misted forest, to a nightmare farmhouse, then a quiet ghost town left by the humans and barely running into any trouble is too good to be true. What did my nightmare mean..? Whatever it means I suppose that thing that’s following us is still around. I just don’t know where, she thought to herself. Almost on cue.

THUMP

Quiver turned around, seeing a thin man wearing clothes from the old world with pitch black wings and black scars all over his body with a shard of metal coming out of his forehand. A fallen angel, Quiver thought to herself as the being knocked Quiver out cold as the thin angel signaled the two others to enter the house. The thin fallen angel then followed the other two.

Mama Willow woke up at the sound of the other fallen angels breaking down the locked front door. She searched through her bag. She pulled out her rusty bow and arrow set. She ran upstairs to the room Norah was sleeping in and shut the door then locked it tight standing in front of it with her bow and arrow at the ready.

The two fallen angels that entered the house were both wearing old world clothing and looked as if they had just escaped from the inside of a hurricane. They fluttered up to where Mama Willow was with their war axes in each hand and their tar colored wings spread out widely to corner Mama Willow against the locked door.

“ By the will of the Black Beast and The High God of Death we have come for you Willow Bowman,” the three fallen angels said in unison and their tones sounded soulless. Mama Willow quickly shot arrows in their chests, but they took as if a pebble was thrown at them. Regardless, the aged elven woman still swung her bow and arrows and fought against them but the fallen angels showed no mercy. One of them kicked Mama Willow down, carving two wounds deeply into her abdomen, but she got back up ready to fight again. While the other one disarmed her, throwing Mama Willow and her bow to the first level. The fallen angels followed her down and before another blow from their axes fell upon her the fallen angels fell dead after a whoosh and a thawp sound.

Mama Willow dared to look up and saw a lance sticking out from two of their chests like a skewered pig roasted over a fire and the other’s neck snapped. She looked up to see who saved her, her hero had white wings that complimented his dark skin. His pure, short, white hair was slicked back with a smooth white goatee on his chin and jawline, and a small slit on his eyebrow. His piercing dark azure eyes gazed down at the wounded Mama Willow.

“ Sean. Call me Sean. Where is the Auroran Child?”

“ Pl-please don’t… don’t take her… she isn’t r-ready… not-not for this… she i-is not the chosen… leave her alone...” Her eyes welled with tears and a look of disappointment as her eyes closed and her breathing slowed until her chest was still. Suddenly, Quiver came into the house, shoving Sean aside to kneel at Mama Willow’s side. Taurus also entered the house whimpering softly and ears flattened against his head.

“ Mom….Mom wake up….” Quiver said as she nudged her mother’s limb body. Thick crimson blood oozed from her wounds leaking onto the wooden floor. Her old blue-gray eyes were glazed over with lifelessness. Her skin was slowly getting colder as blood continued to ooze out of her, and her organs were exposed to the chilled air. Sean watched as Quiver sobbed for the aged elven woman, not noticing Taurus entering.

The doorknob trembled and clicked as Norah opened the door with her eyes barely open and with a look on her face of annoyance she descended down the stairs. After she sleepily rubbed her eyes open her face quickly turned pale looking at Mama Willow’s body.

“ N-Norah...g-go-” Quiver was cut off as Sean walked over to Norah.

“ Child come with me,” Sean stated as he walked towards Norah.

Norah froze like a deer in the headlights while her body shivered in fear and confusion. Then she rapidly shook her head trying to deny what she’s seeing. Sean got on one knee to be at her eye level and grabbed her skinny light brown arm.

“ I won’t ask again.”

“ N-no!!” Norah yelped as purple-turquoise flames erupted from her body, sending Sean, Taurus, and Quiver flying in all directions crashing outside of the house. Taurus swiftly regained himself and went over to Norah quickly. Quiver stood in front of Norah protectively.

Sean groaned sitting back up but Quiver was already in Sean’s face holding her hatchet to his throat with a snarl on her face.

“ Who are you? What did you do to my mother and why are you trying to take Norah?” Quiver tensed her face into a growling wolf-like expression. Sean kept a calm demeanor and gently pushed the hatchet off his throat.

“ I’m Sean an archangel, and the Child is to come with me. By order of the High Goddess Vita, and your mother died bravely fighting against fallen angels.”

“ Tch. It's pitiful that the almighty Gods that the elves praised for eons need a 13 year old girl to solve their problems. Just leave her be and fix things yourselves.”

“ You can’t comprehend the power stored within that little girl. She can change the tide of this battle once and for all. Don’t forget her powers are incomplete as well. What will you do then? I have experience with training magical abilities. I can be useful.”

“ You can train Norah to control her abilities?”

“ That’s what he just said elfling,” Taurus barked sarcastically. Sean gazed at Taurus then fury seemed to be consuming Sean’s calm demeanor. Before he could get up and gut the foul hellhound, Quiver held her hatchet closer to his neck, so in response he calmed himself and looked back up at Quiver.

“ You can train Norah so long as you play nice with the mutt since he knows many useful things.”

Sean scowled but grudinling accepted the offer. Quiver put her hatchet away and looked back toward where Norah was but the only thing there was Taurus sitting and looked dazed from the attack. Quiver ran toward the hellhound and grabbed him by the scruff.

“ Where did she go?!” Quiver demanded, but Taurus only whimpered claiming he didn’t know. Quiver then told him to search and Taurus began sniffing around.

Norah was sitting in a nearby tree staring down at her knees that were curled to her chest. Her eyes flooded down her face and down to her ragged but beautiful commoner clothes.

“ Why did Mama look like that? S-s-s-so much blood… h-her eyes were so-so…”

“ Lifeless,” said a mysterious voice that sounded so gentle. Norah froze and looked up at another branch across from the branch she was sitting on. There was a woman sitting there on the branch that wore a long beautiful white dress with not even a single wrinkle in it’s luxurious fabric. On her shoulders she wore a furred shoulder scarf that was whiter than pearls and snow. Her long soft blonde hair was like the streams of sand that would waterfall through the gaps of one’s fingers when they scooped up sand. Her skin had a perfect tan, not too dark and too pale, and her golden eyes were like the golden coins people use to buy things within market squares. She gave Norah a look of pity and empathy which only made Norah cry even more. The woman moved closer so she sat next to Norah and hugged her gently. Norah shoved her face in the woman’s furred shoulder scarf.

“ What happened to your mother, dear child, is called death. It can take people peacefully or it can take them away painfully. Azrail is the High God of Death and is the one who cursed everything with mortality, and brings souls to Tartarus out of spite.”

“ Are you saying that my mother is in Tartarus?! What even is Tartarus?!”

“ No, no, child. Thanks to my angels your mother is perfectly safe in the Kingdom of Heaven. Taratus is like the capital city of Hell also known as the Underworld. Tartarus is where Azrail and his best demons live and that’s where they torture any souls they can get their claws on. Heaven however is a kingdom in which angels live peacefully and perfectly. So your mother is perfectly fine.”

Norah sniffled and had calmed down as she listened to the woman’s soft elegant voice. Norah nodded in understanding with a small smile on her face.

“ Thank you for explaining this to me. I’m glad someone is finally telling me the truth.”

“ Of course, little one. I always tell the truth, but Norah, don't forget the power you have. You can do so much good, you can take vengeance for your mother. Just think about it child, and don’t trust that hellhound that associates with you. Now I think you should get back to your sister, she must be worried sick.”

Norah nodded then wiped her face with her sleeves then fluttered down the tree then gilded her way toward the desolated house where her sister and Taurus waited for her.