Eleanor stood in front of the Angelic Order's temple, the opulent building reflecting nicely within her gray eyes.
She watched as the holy barrier that shimmered around it parted, allowing the passage of a beautiful woman bearing feathery wings.
"Lady Prudentia."
The girl bowed her head respectfully as the True Angel made her way over to her apprentice with great haste.
"You sent a letter mentioning a nightmare?"
Her voice was made up of dry concern, while her eyes scanned the priestess up and down as if checking for invisible dirt.
"Yes. Do you think it's grave enough to postpone my visit to Infinium…?"
After sending a detailed account to the Angel in the morning, she received a reply in less than ten minutes, ordering her to report to the Angelic Order immediately.
Eleanor squeezed her fist at her side, worried that what had happened would stifle a chance for her to enter the mystical place akin to Heaven.
"No. If what you wrote about truly occurred, then there should be no cause for concern as of yet. Your mental state is stable, and that man's corruption hasn't progressed."
The emerald-eyed Angel glanced towards the girl's chest that now bore a badge denoting her newly earned status.
"Furthermore, of anywhere within these lands, the inner gates of the palace and Infinium are by far the safest since they are the closest to the Great Lord. If you're lucky, it will be a rare Day of Rest, and he might grace the halls of Infinium with his presence too."
Eleanor nodded slowly before repeating one phrase that struck her as odd.
"Day of Rest?"
It was a term she was unfamiliar with—the Great Beyond was usually considered the Land of Eternal Rest; therefore, how could there be a single day of it?
Prudentia chuckled, shaking her head as she did so.
"Perhaps you need to check out the books in the Angelic Halls instead of the ones in the store run by Madame Th… Aurora. A Day of Rest is a rare occurrence that comes around once a year, in which the total amount of births that day surpasses the number of deaths, allowing the Great Lord a break from his duties."
The blonde-haired girl instantly perked up, beyond thrilled by the idea of meeting Death before her predetermined date, still three weeks away.
Noticing her student's excitement, the Angel of Justice stretched out her hand leisurely, a flick of her wrist summoning a bright emerald glow.
Clink!
A moment later, as if a miracle had occurred, a small cloth pouch of coins sat in her palm, a drawstring preventing the contents from spilling out.
Eleanor's gaze filled with awe as she witnessed the pinnacle of the Holy Arts, the might of miracles, a force she could still hardly understand.
To be able to make a wish come true… What a truly divine power.
Reaching her own hand out instinctively, she took the money.
Its weight… How much is in here?
As she looked up at the woman as if to question her with her eyes, the Angel gestured for her to check personally.
Following her command, she slowly unstrung the knot, pulling open the top and gazing inside.
"G-golden!?"
She immediately lifted the bag up to eye level, judging its size and the amount of coins inside.
I-It's at least 200 Golden Draughts!
Utter surprise gripped her; however, as she glanced upward at her mentor, she realized the real value of the True Angels within the Great Beyond.
Years of accumulation from millions of dead…
Taking a heavy breath, she resealed the pouch, quickly thanking the Angel of Justice before turning to leave.
"Eleanor."
The woman called to the girl's back.
"If you are in trouble, simply make a wish to a True Angel, or the Great Lord himself, and you will be protected."
And with that, she vanished into a flurry of light, leaving the blonde girl alone to continue towards the castle at the end of life all on her own.
…
"Clear."
The skeletal knight bearing pitch-black armor at the gateway scrutinized her badge carefully, testing it with device after device to verify its authenticity.
It had taken no more than five minutes, yet Eleanor felt it was excessive to undergo such a complex process every time if she started coming here regularly to build her friendships.
Satisfied, the knight finally signaled to the skeleton commander lurking in the darkness in the back, and Eleanor felt as if the shadows around her gathered to swallow her up, a rush of blood to her head blurring her vision.
Then, all the color had drained from the world, and she fell through the ground, the breath forced from her lungs as a vile headache shot through her temples.
Yet, as soon as it had come, the feeling eased, her body reappearing in a courtyard full of wandering spirits.
Still in a daze, she took a few steps forward before leaning against a lamppost, her mind fuzzy and her breath shallow.
Is this…?
She looked up at the castle that once appeared kilometers away, but now towered only about fifty meters ahead of her.
A tinge of excitement bubbled up in her chest as she regained some of her balance, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
The Land of Heroes!
The region she had been teleported into was a vast courtyard sparsely filled with plants from all reaches of the universe.
Whether it be chrysanthemums, roses, or lilies, there was a type of flower for anyone, some of them even twitching as if alive, waiting for the moment they could swallow a fatigued bug.
Poor things don't know about the lack of—
She paused, noticing a black dot floating through the air, its body landing atop the very same flower she had just admired.
Within a second, the predatory flower opened its maw and devoured the black dot in one gulp.
T-they even provide the plants with whatever they wish…?
Not quite knowing what to think of the unusual sight, she turned her attention back to the other parts of the courtyard.
Black brick walls surrounded the rectangular area, skeletal knights patrolling atop as if something would dare invade the castle of Death himself.
They'd need to be insane, suicidal, or both to attempt such a thing…
Shaking her head, she decided to walk around to see if she could locate any of her targets.
Assuming that she would find Marcus Twynam wherever there was a bar—and the other two likely not far off either—she planned to first search for such a location.
Making her way down the stone path, she walked past a luxurious fountain filled with coins, a tree holding charms crafted by famous craftsmen of history, and even graves devoted to those who had decided to fade away of their own will.
Only as she approached a group of what appeared to be ancient mages, gathered around a strange plant, did she encounter an issue.
"Intruder!"
Her shoulder was grabbed by a strong hand, a heavy burst of Holy Magic blasting through her flesh, forcing her to spasm.
To a normal person devoid of high doses of mana—and apparently doses of divinity as well—it would've been enough to paralyze them where they stood; however, to Eleanor, such an attack felt like no more than a slight static kick.
"What the?!"
She jumped back, turning her head to face whoever had just assaulted her from behind and called her an intruder.
Huh!?
Standing ahead of her were two Angels with bright white wings and silver hair, looking at her with uncertain eyes, as if wondering why their victim was still standing and able to move.
The only difference between the two was their clothing, with one wearing a white toga while the other wore a black one.
"How dare you trespass in Infinium! You'll be banished for this! Mark my words!"
The Angel in the black toga spoke firmly, his hand oozing with Holy Magic as if he was prepared to exile her at that very moment.
Don't they know who I am? Are they false Angels?
She reached to her neck to grab her badge in an attempt to explain her position to the men threatening her life; however, in a brief moment of sheer horror, she felt nothing but air.
Where did!?
The lanyard was still wrapped around her neck; however, the actual pass itself that served as proof she was allowed entry was gone!
I-I had it only a minute ago! Where in the Lord's name did it go!?
Beginning to panic internally as the black-togaed man took a step forward, she shot her hands out in front of her, trying to come up with something she could say to make the Angels believe that she was not trespassing there.
"I-I'm an Intern Angel! Uh. The Angel of Undying! Yes! My mentor is Lady Prudentia!"
The white-togaed man shook his head, actually laughing at her words.
"You're not the first to sneak in this far claiming to be an Angel. Why do you think we implemented the badge verification system?"
He snickered, mocking the girl for her stupidity.
Heh, how could someone actually believe they could infiltrate the most heavily guarded place in the Great Beyond so easily!
The black-togaed man laughed as well, shaking off all remaining hesitation, and his hands once again moved to banish the girl.
Eleanor prepared to leap backwards, a desperate prayer swirling through her head before she could even think.
Anyone! Help!
"Randolph, Alzor, what are you doing?"
Both men froze, their faces tensing up with displeasure.
Slowly, they, alongside Eleanor, turned towards where the voice had come from, their eyes locking on a tall figure.
Another Angel, one far older with a salt-and-pepper colored beard, stood with his head tilted to the side, his eyes seemingly endless cosmos that streamed into infinity.
He was bony, far skinnier than any other person the blonde girl had seen within the Great Beyond, especially for an Angel, his bright white wings missing a considerable amount of feathers.
Standing at an impressive 1.9 meters, the elder spoke again, his long black hair swaying lightly as he shook his head.
"Haven't you heard? The Day of Rest has begun, and there are matters that must be attended to. Why are you here, harassing this young lady instead of seeing to your duties?"
Turning his attention to the girl teetering on the edge of being erased from existence, he waved his hand, her body instantly covered in a flickering, weak barrier of mana.
The white-togaed Angel, now known to be Randolph, laughed hard enough for him to kneel over, his face turning bright red.
"Did you hear that, Alzor! The old bag wants us to allow an intruder into Infinium!"
Unable to contain his snickering, the other man with the black robe erupted as well, the Holy Magic in his hand vanishing in a flash.
"I heard that too, brother! The Forgotten Angel is ordering us around!"
Both men patted each other on the back as strongly as they could, as if someone had told the funniest joke in the world.
Eleanor watched the scene from afar, rage bubbling beneath her skin.
How dare they insult an Angel regardless of whether they might belong to them as well! Especially if they're elderly!
Preparing to intervene on behalf of the kind man, she glanced at his expression and stopped with her mouth half open.
H-he's…
The tall man bore a blank gaze, his cosmic eyes just silently observing, not an ounce of malice, dismay, or even sadness exuding from his figure.
Watching the indifferent man, the blonde girl realized what he had done—by directing the false Angels' hatred onto himself, he gave the priestess the room to escape.
Yet, she held her ground, not daring to run away by herself.
He seemed to understand her thoughts soon after, as he spoke up again.
"Forgotten… Indeed… Maybe I truly am forgotten…"
Pausing, he looked towards the ground, his expression still as lethargic as before.
"But. You cannot harm this girl. She is here under the orders of Lady Ariel herself. Can't you see? Her badge fell off when she entered and is lying right over there."
He pointed towards the lamppost the girl had appeared at, a tiny slip of paper resting gently on the ground.
The two false Angel brothers also took notice of this, a frown coming over Azlor's face.
"Eh? She wasn't lyin'?"
He looked at his brother before barely stifling another burst of laughter, the two men clearly the most shameless Angels that Eleanor had ever seen.
"Well then, old man. If you ain't lying about a Day of Rest, then we'll tend to the Great Lord personally. Don't fret, I'm certain he wouldn't want someone who had forgotten their own title in his presence!"
The two of them chuckled again before turning their backs to the old Angel and the girl, without as much as a word of apology for almost banishing their guest.
Then, the moment before they dissolved into liquid light, Alzor turned around towards Eleanor and sneered.
"How about you bring your pretty face to my—"
He was cut off by a wave of the mysterious Angel's hand, a sigh escaping his lips as he forced both false Angels away.
"How undignified…"
The elder wiped his forehead before coughing hard, a pitch-black clump of phlegm shooting out into the grass.
It was absorbed by a nearby plant, only for it to wither and die a short moment after.
"My apologies. I can't seem to get that under control today…"
Shaking his head, he turned around, preparing to leave.
"Wait!"
Eleanor ran up to him, looking him straight in the eye without a hint of fear.
"Sir, is there anything I can do to repay you for saving me? I don't have much, but I still owe you something!"
Thinking about any way she could pay back an Angel, she waited for his response, a rare smile creeping onto his face.
"What a noble child."
An unidentifiable emotion passed over his expression before he looked down at the priestess before him.
"You can repay me by allowing me to tag along with you for your mission. All the True Angels were informed of your presence today, and I can't ignore such a kind soul who was left alone to wander the castle without a guide."
The blonde girl gave him a troubled look.
"You want me to repay you by letting you help me even more?"
Even the very prospect baffled her, and she struggled to make sense of the man's reasoning.
"Is there something wrong with that?"
The salt-and-pepper-bearded man looked at her with a puzzled gaze, his glistening eyes seemingly piercing her very soul.
"N-no. It's just unexpected. You're fine to come along."
She didn't know how to respond other than to just accept his request, feeling a spurt of happiness about finding such an honorable guide.
It's probably a maze inside the castle… Having a guide would be unimaginably useful!
Watching as his expression returned to its neutral state, the girl decided to inquire a bit more.
"If you don't mind me asking, why were those two false Angels harassing you? You are a True Angel, are you not? They should respect someone of a higher authority than them!"
For a moment, her rage threatened to overflow again; however, a sigh from the man silenced her completely.
"I'm shown limited acceptance within these lands. Only the kindhearted, such as Lady Ariel, the Angel of Grace, or Lady Strixen, the Angel of Providence, show me any warmth in my elder years. You need not worry, though, young one, as I haven't helped prevent this either."
He paused, taking a deep breath.
"While a majority of the Angels in these lands might think me a relic of the ancient times and that I've forgotten who I am, they'd be incorrect. I've allowed such a rumor to spread to every place in this realm so I can fade into the background."
A sad smile came to life across his face.
"They don't need the old Angel of Humility anymore. I just wait and watch as the years go by, the lives of trillions passing in an instant and the eras flying past like yesterday's news."
His eyes glazed over as if remembering the days of his youth, the Great Beyond in its earliest of years, and the millennia he had lived.
Eleanor listened silently, swearing to herself that she wouldn't let the man's story go untold, her eyes glistening as she watched him reminisce.
"I'll wait as long as it takes for the universe to not need me anymore, for my purpose to become obsolete. But until then, what else can I do but let the world run its course?"