“Where am I?”

The young girl’s eyes fluttered open slowly. Something was strange…and she wasn’t sure what it was. Thoughts, fleeting through her mind, trying to remember some forgotten trinket of information. Her mind was blank. Her surroundings were dark, but she could tell, by the center of gravity that she was laying down. She brought a hand to her head and sighed. Closing her eyes…Then she remembered. She was sent, along with others to capture the fae queen…Jarti was her name. She was killed. A shiver ran down her spine. Is this what it was like to die?

“Sefinaaaaa…” A voice called to her, ethereal in quality and quiet as a summer’s breeze. She almost didn’t catch it as it called to her. “Sefina.” It whispered once more as she struggled to get up. A spell of dizziness washed over her, making her bend forward to put her head between her knees, then she felt a touch on her shoulder.

She started, whirling around to see what was behind her. It was then that the darkness subsided and she saw the fantastical scene before her. She was no longer in the abandoned church, she was in a lush forest, and right in front of her was a figure. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that said figure was translucent. The figure seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly color and outstretched her hand to Sefina.

“Wh..Where am I?”

The figure motioned to her, and cocked its head before motioning some more in silence. The figure began to move into the forest. Small lights flicked in and out of the trees and flowers. Then one of the lights appeared in front of her face, and it was no longer just a light. A tiny figure was encased in that globe of light, wings humming intently, then just as quick as it appeared it flicked away and Sefina continued to follow.

It was then that the forest opened into a wide, vast field. Wildflowers dotted a pathway to a throne, made of pure vines. The figure that resided on that throne was almost regal. Not a queen necessarily but definitely a natural leader. She smiled as Sefina came forward and the figure bowed its head and disappeared.

The path was not only bordered with the wildflowers but a banner flew from stakes in the ground, a deep crimson background with a noble white tiger. The tiger, though, was not a normal one, as Sefina noticed. It had wings, but not just any wings angel wings. Then it hit her like a brick. Visions of past lives flowed through her mind so quickly that she fell to her knees.

There were visions as far back as ancient times, where it seemed like she was watching over someone…wait it was a small girl whose village was being pillaged. The fear in her eyes, and then Sefina vanished, and she was in the middle of the barn. A light, a warmth flowed through her as she comforted and protected the small child. Then, a banging was heard at the door. In a flash, Sefina’s form changed. Her movements became that of a hunter stalking her prey. The door crashed open and Sefina leapt. She was no longer a human, her mind was that of the form she had taken, a winged white tiger.

Sefina flew back to the present, eyes snapping up to the figure on the throne. “This…was..I mean is, me?”

The regal figure nodded and opened her mouth to speak…but the words did not come from her lips, they came from her mind…her heart. “We’ve been searching long and hard for you, Sefina. You are the last of our kind on this world.”

“Our kind? But I’m human…at least I thought I was…”

The figure shook her head, “You never knew your real parents did you? They did not mean to leave you in the hands of the humans but they were being chased. You are one of us; you are Sefina of the House Angelus and one of our fiercest warriors. Few of our kind are blessed with the ability to shift to our own totem. Not only are you the last, you are our beacon of hope.”

“You mean that my trying to capture the queen, I was only trying to imprison one of my own kind.”

The figure nodded. “We of the House of Angelus are born with a gift. The gift of reincarnation, but there is a way to seal us from that world. They thought they got the last of us when they sealed your mother away. Your father, was mortal. They had no idea that you, Sefina, were already reborn on this world. They thought you were just an abandoned child, because you did not bear the family crest.”

Sefina nodded slowly, just trying to absorb the new memories. “So what are we? What is our kind…angels?”

The figure smiled as the revelation came to Sefina. Other figures began to creep out of the forest. They were humans…save for one difference..wings. The figure stood and held her arms to Sefina, “Come to me, my daughter. Let me feel your warmth in my embrace after all these years.”

Tears began flowing to her eyes, she couldn’t help herself. She had always wondered who her parents were and what had happened. Why would they have abandoned her the way they did? She was wrong, though, she was not abandoned. She held her mother tight not wanting to let go. So many questions filled her head…but her mother hushed her before she could even start asking. “You must go…”

“Go? Go where?”

Her mother pointed to a pool of water that glistened in the light. When Sefina looked into it, she saw the victorious Balthairans…the troops, battle weary and injured.

“You want me to go back to this world…”

“Yes, my child. You aren’t just an angel…you are the guardian angel. They need you even more than we do.”

“But…I must find a way to free you…”

“We can wait…for even in this realm, we shall be reincarnated. You on the other hand, you belong with them. You are a warrior, a guardian…you can’t do anything locked away in here with us. We have no outside threats here so in a way, they did us a favor…but at the same time, life is so boring without trouble. I don’t want you to lead this life, Sefina.”

“Is there anyway I can talk with you again?”

“Yes…we are connected always…our two minds are your link between our worlds.”

Sefina nodded and turned away, but her mother put her hand on her shoulder and said, “Wait…I do have one thing for you before you go.” And with this, attendants appeared with a suit of armor. Lying on top of the armor was a beautiful sword, a rapier. “These were yours in a past life. I think it is time you wore it again.”

Sefina nodded once more and reached out to touch the armor and sword, it disappeared in a flash of light, then when she looked down she saw that she was no longer clad in her this world clothes. She wore the deep black armor accented with blood red gems. She stretched and then saw, her wings were the deepest onyx black, feathers tipped in blood red. Her rapier lay sheathed at her side.

“You are the guardian angel, Midael…Now…it is time I must bid you farewell.”

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