Rose Garden: Chapter 13

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He had arrived in a small mountain village. Unlike the Heavenly Realm, where warmth reigned year-round, the mortal world had seasons. It was now the gentle interval between spring and summer, and the breeze that blew was soft and kind. Though he had come to retrieve a soul, Kyle’s mind was blank, stunned by the weight of Lady Agatha’s words to him. He wandered aimlessly through the garden of the house where the soul awaited, unable to think of anything at all. Someone was whispering to him. The roses in full bloom throughout the garden began to sing in unison, as if to comfort him. A single tear slipped from Kyle’s eye. Even though the garden was overflowing with roses, so many that they seemed to spill over with color, he hadn’t noticed their beauty until now.

Their song restored a bit of strength to him, and he passed through the garden, stepping into the house thick with mourning. In a corner of the kitchen, a little red-haired girl was crouched down, her face scrunched up as she sobbed. Kyle gently brushed his fingers down her damp cheek, then followed the guiding mark to a room deeper inside, where the soul was waiting. On a bed placed by the window lay an elderly man, quietly at rest. Perhaps they were family or neighbors, many people had gathered around, shedding tears for the departed. The man’s face in death was peaceful, telling of a life that had been lived in contentment.

He hadn’t been gone long. For an angel to be sent so quickly, it must have meant that the man had been devout during his lifetime.

“There must be things you still regret leaving behind in this world. But come now. Let us go together.”

Words he had repeated thousands of times before his customary greeting to the souls he guided. At his call, the soul gently drifted toward him. It was a bright, gentle color, like sunlight.

Kyle.

Startled, he heard his name.

We meet again, Kyle.

The voice of the old man shifted into that of a guileless child. Alarmed, Kyle looked down at the man lying on the bed, his white hair, the deep wrinkles etched around his eyes and cheeks.

You don’t recognize me? I guess that makes sense. I’ve become such an old man.

And then it all came back in vivid clarity. A red-haired child once clinging to his lap, seeking his affection.

“…Snair? Is it really you?”

The soul shimmered joyfully in Kyle’s palm, floating like a feather in delight.

I prayed and prayed. I told God, if the time came for me to go to His side, please send Kyle to get me. And look He listened!

Kyle touched the softly glowing soul with care. It was warm. It was tender. And without warning, tears welled in his eyes.

I planted all those rose bushes so the garden would be full of flowers when you came. You saw them, didn’t you? They were blooming everywhere.

“Yes. They were beautiful. Truly beautiful.”

Had Lady Agatha known that the soul to be retrieved was Snair’s? Kyle couldn’t say. He didn’t know. But even so, he couldn’t help but feel grateful that it was he who had been sent here today.

I wasn’t afraid of dying. I thought maybe I’d get to see you again. And in Heaven, my mom, dad, and grandma are all waiting. But… before I go, I have one last favor to ask of you, Kyle.

Kyle held the soul carefully in his hand and embraced it tenderly.

“My sweet Snair. If it’s your wish… I’ll make it come true, whatever it is.”

The soul shimmered again with joy. And then, leaving the grieving family behind, the two of them passed through the flower-filled garden like a breeze.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Realizing where the soul was headed, Kyle felt as though the air had been knocked from his lungs. It was Snair’s final wish, his dear, sweet Snair and Kyle wanted to grant it no matter what. And yet, of all places, he didn’t want to go there. But he couldn’t just leave the soul to wander alone. If a demon or monster found it, they would swallow it whole in an instant. Guiding souls safely from their bodies to Heaven that was an angel’s duty.

As the broken blue weathercock came into view, along with the shabby little house and the tall wall now completely crumbled away, Kyle could no longer hold it in and shouted, “I don’t want to go!”

He stopped flying and landed on the dust-colored path. Snair’s soul hovered beside him, its glow tinged with sorrow.

“I can’t. I just can’t go.”

Snair’s soul lingered near him for a moment, reluctant, but then, as if it could no longer wait, drifted off alone toward the small house. Kyle hurried after it in a panic. That place besides everything else was too close to the forest where monsters lived. If anything were to happen before he could guide Snair to God’s side, he would never forgive himself.

But he could only go as far as the broken iron gate, where the tall wall had collapsed. Pressing his body into the shadows of the gate, Kyle cautiously peered inside. The little house where he had spent a hundred years already old to begin with had in the last fifty years fallen into near-complete ruin. Its walls had crumbled, holes gaped in the roof, and the whole structure looked as though it might collapse at any moment.

And yet, in stark contrast, the garden surrounding that shabby house was blindingly beautiful. Roses in every color bloomed in great clusters. But the most vivid of all were the soft pink blossoms of the Little Mums tiny, delicate flowers that filled the garden with their gentle glow.

Snair’s gentle soul flitted joyfully among the flowers, gliding and rolling as though playing. Then a rustle came from the grass. Kyle clung to the gate, his whole body tensing. A shadow moved in the gap between flowers and greenery. Black hair, black eyes it was the same demon, unchanged from the moment Kyle had flown away from this place.

The demon froze in surprise at the sight of the fluttering soul. Snair circled him once, twice, then softly alighted on the outstretched palm the demon offered. With Snair still resting in his hand, the demon began walking toward Kyle.

Kyle crouched down in a panic, though there was no real hiding. Footsteps pressed through the grass, coming closer and closer. His wings gave an involuntary shiver. Terrified, he started to rise, to take off into the air, but at that exact moment, Snair dove into his chest.

“This garden is beautiful, isn’t it?”

The demon spoke from the other side of the broken wall.

“All of these roses are the ones you left behind.”

He knew that. The roses were smiling up at him, nostalgic for his presence. Clutching Snair’s soul tightly to his chest, Kyle broke into a run. He raised his right hand to the sky as if pleading for salvation, and a single shaft of light descended from Heaven.

“Goodbye, Snair.”

From far behind, the demon called out, “I’m glad I got to see you again, Kyle.”

Kyle leapt into the path of light. As the radiance lifted him skyward, he looked back once. Amid the beautiful rose garden, one black shadow stood alone, left behind.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

After delivering Snair’s soul to God, Kyle returned to the castle. He forgot entirely to report the transfer of the soul to Agatha and went straight into the rose garden. There, among the flowers he had so carefully tended, he collapsed and wept. The demon had not tried to catch him. Hadn’t torn off his wings. Hadn’t even come close enough to touch him.

Had he truly believed the demon would hurt him? After all, that demon had stayed by his side for a hundred years. Had whispered “I love you” again and again. Maybe he had hurt Kyle just to keep him nearby. And yet... even so... perhaps no, surely he had been loved.

The thought frightened him. He hugged his shoulders, trembling in place. What if it had all been a trap? A carefully laid snare, set during that brief reunion. By now, the demon might be somewhere smirking to himself, delighted to have brought down an angel. That’s what demons were. That was their nature.

And yet, here Kyle was in the heavens, protected by God and still he was afraid. Still, he couldn’t get the image of the demon out of his mind. Still, even from a place where the demon could no longer reach him, he couldn’t forget. Could it be that this emotion itself... was a sin? A betrayal of God?

He crouched low and scooped up a handful of brown soil. This place he had longed to return to. And now that he was back, what was he doing? Yes just growing flowers. That’s all. He’d done the same thing on earth. In the greenhouse, he’d raised countless roses. But whether on earth or in heaven, the flowers grew strong and beautiful, bursting with life. They didn’t need an angel’s power at all.

So why had he been given a power that wasn’t needed? And if it wasn’t needed, then why was he here? He was here because of Agatha. Because Agatha had been here. But Agatha had many others to love, others besides Kyle. If Kyle disappeared, a replacement would be found immediately. Someone capable. Someone like Pepin.

“War...ren...”

He spoke the name. Just saying it made him tremble, as though it might cast him straight into Hell.

“W...ar...”

To be needed that’s what gave his existence meaning. To be of value. To be wanted. Even among angels, who were meant to embody divine love, he had longed to be special. Even if it meant being special to a demon. That very desire made him different. A failure. A defect.

He stood and stumbled forward. Leaning against the castle gate, he closed his eyes. He was afraid, terrified of what he was about to do. If he left this place, he would never be able to return. And if he did return, it would be with the shame of a fallen angel, mocked forevermore.

But... so what?

The moment he accepted that, Kyle smiled. Laughter spread across his face, and something in his chest became light and airy. If it was a sin, so be it. If it was a trap, so be it. Let himself be devoured and destroyed, he didn’t care anymore.

With a creak, Kyle pushed open the gate. And then, stepping into the blinding light, he began to fall slowly toward the garden in full bloom.

The light carried a soft scent. The scent of birth, of spring. He fell toward the blazing green hills, toward the old weathered house bathed in gentle sunlight.

All around the house, roses bloomed in abundance. Bursting with color, the flowers grew wild and unrestrained, lifting their faces to the sky in joy. Kyle landed softly in the garden, his toes brushing down through the blossoms and grass.

The sun had already begun its slow descent into the west, it was past midday. The door of the familiar house looked more worn than ever, tilting off its frame, sagging pitifully. Its paint had peeled away in patches, making it seem all the more dilapidated. And yet the flowers in the garden bloomed with pride and vitality, as if to defy the crumbling house. Every part of the garden had been meticulously cared for. Not a single flower was diseased, not a single one had been eaten by insects.

Kyle cast a spell to hide his wings. Otherwise, every time he moved, he’d brush against the blooming roses overtaking the house, and they would scowl at him.

From the outside, the house didn’t look inhabited at all. But from within, he could unmistakably sense the presence of that familiar demon. That nostalgic presence. Kyle stood before the front door, pressing a hand to his chest. On the other side of this door was the demon. Just thinking about it made his heart flutter restlessly. He wanted to see his face, wanted to be held in his arms right away. And yet, he hesitated. He didn’t know what words should come first, and the hand he raised to knock quietly fell back down. “I’m home” didn’t feel quite right.

He knew the demon would welcome him. So why not just knock without hesitation?

Or better yet what if the demon came out first?

Kyle imagined it. The demon, noticing the angel he loved, running toward him with open arms. He’d probably say something like, “What are you doing here?” And Kyle would proudly answer: “I came back for you.”

Suddenly, a bright burst of laughter rang from inside the house.

Surprised to hear another voice, proof the demon wasn’t alone, Kyle instinctively strained to listen. The voices drew closer, and then, with a click, the doorknob turned. On reflex, Kyle dove into the roses, hiding himself between the blossoms. The already-slanted door groaned loudly as it opened even further.

“Seriously, you have to fix this door. Every time I touch it, I think it’s going to fall off.”

The one who appeared through the half-open doorway was a red-haired girl. Her long hair was neatly braided into two plaits. A human child perhaps fifteen or sixteen. Her nose was dusted with freckles, and her light brown eyes sparkled with cleverness. As she hopped down the stone steps at the entrance, the hem of her green skirt fluttered.

“Oh right, I almost forgot. I picked this up from the workshop.”

She pulled a small leather pouch from the wicker basket she carried.

“Thanks as always.”

That familiar voice, it was him. The demon. Kyle's heart stirred at the sound. But from where he stood, the door still blocked the demon from view.

“It’s nothing. Warren made the path so only we can use it, so I can get to the sewing school in the next town faster. Oh, and the master at the workshop said those rose brooches and reliefs are really popular right now.”

“Then I suppose I’ll make a few more of the rose brooches next time.”

The girl stretched her arms wide. “Hey, Warren. You’ve been holed up in this house since my grandfather’s time, haven’t you? Don’t you think it’s time you came out and showed your face to the world? No one remembers the old stories anymore. No one’s going to see you and think ‘demon.’”

“Maybe...” the demon replied half-heartedly.

“I mean it. I’m being serious here. Isn’t it lonely, living all by yourself in a house that only our family can even get to?”

“Eugene, you come see me every day. I’m not lonely.”

The girl Eugene placed her hands on her hips and gave a mock-stern glare.

“I’m not the only one, you know. Grandma Nanya passed away, and Papa’s too much of a coward to come this far out...”

“Garth’s afraid of me. It’s normal for humans to fear demons.”

“Well I don’t think you’re a demon. It’s just that God, in one of His whims, happened to make you look that way.”

As she said this with conviction, the girl suddenly turned and her gaze met Kyle’s.

Her light brown eyes widened in shock. She clapped both hands over her mouth. Kyle realized with a jolt that she could see him and that it was because he had concealed his wings to avoid brushing against the roses.

Ordinarily, human eyes couldn’t perceive an angel. Even hiding the wings wouldn’t change that. But those with weaker divine powers like Kyle often found that when they concealed their wings, the magic that kept them invisible weakened too. And their forms became visible.

“…You’re beautiful…”

The girl’s eyes sparkled, dazed in a dreamy trance.

“Who are you?”

It was a question Kyle wanted to ask her instead. Who was she? Why was she in this house? Why had she been laughing so easily, chatting so warmly? Did she even know that man was a demon?

“Is someone there, Eugene?”

The door opened fully, and the dark-haired man appeared.

His gray jacket was threadbare and torn in places, and his trousers were frayed, he looked like nothing more than a beggar. But the moment the demon spotted the angel he loved with his single eye, his breath caught. He froze.

“…Kyle…”

The name slipped from the demon’s mouth like something too fragile to hold. The girl, still spellbound just moments before, turned sharply at the sound of it.

“Kyle, you said?!”

Anger surged in her light brown eyes.

Kyle was taken aback. He didn’t understand why she was suddenly bristling with hostility. The tension in his chest bled into the garden, and even the flowers around them seemed to tremble in worry, rustling and shivering as if to warn him.

“What are you doing here?!”

Her voice cracked through the air like a whip.

“Go back. Right now. Just go. You left Warren all alone, abandoned him all this time and now you show up like it’s nothing?!”

But even if she told him to go back… there was nowhere left to return to. He had thrown everything away and fallen to Earth. At first, he could only flounder in confusion at her fury, but before long, irritation welled up inside him. Why did he have to be screamed at by a stranger, some human girl he didn’t even know?

“Eugene.”

The demon stepped forward, resting a hand gently on her shoulder from behind.

“Eugene, let me speak with Kyle.”

“But…”

“Please, Eugene.”

At the demon’s plea, the girl reluctantly stepped back, displeasure etched across her face. In her place, the ragged-looking demon took a single step closer.

His eyes, black as the deepest night, met Kyle’s in silence. His lips parted as though he were about to speak then closed again. A beat later, a stilted, awkward smile crossed his face.

“It’s been a long time… Are you here to visit someone?”

No I’m not here to visit anyone. I’ve come back. I left everything behind, and I’m here now. Why can’t you see that?

Frustration prickled at Kyle’s chest. This man was so dense. It irritated him, and that irritation stopped him from saying the truth. He turned his back instead.

“The roses were beautiful. I just stopped by to admire them.”

The roses bloomed with a beauty that almost seemed to press in on him. From behind, he heard the demon murmur softly:

“They’re at their most beautiful right now… Take your time, admire them as much as you’d like.”

Leaving only those words behind, the demon and the girl vanished back inside the house.

Damn it.

By the time he regretted it, it was already too late. He couldn’t bring himself to knock on the door now and say, “Actually… I came back.”

Kyle lingered, wandering the garden aimlessly. He hoped the demon might come out again, but no sound came from the door or windows. He couldn’t pace around forever. As the sky turned orange with the setting sun, he reluctantly lifted into the air.

Beyond the Oliva Forest, in a grove farther still, stood a large elm tree. Its many sprawling branches were home to birds and squirrels, and their nests were tucked all throughout its thick boughs. Kyle nestled himself gently along one of the wide, outstretched limbs.

The green leaves rustled softly in the evening breeze.

Why did everything go so wrong, when I finally made it back?

The thought wouldn’t leave him.

He had returned because he’d been wanted because he’d been loved. He’d believed that simply coming back would restore everything. That the days of being loved just as he was would begin again without question.

And then there was that girl. That red-haired girl who showed not the slightest fear of demons or angels. She had turned her hostility on him without hesitation, a human daring to challenge him.

Irritated by her very existence, Kyle hugged the broad trunk of the tree.

Night fell. Darkness crept in. The birds and squirrels had all returned to their nests. In the distance, an owl hooted.

He felt utterly alone.

He had thought that returning to the mortal world would spare him from loneliness like this. But now, the ache in his chest was unbearable, and his eyes grew hot. A tear, clear and shining like a jewel, slid down his cheek and vanished into the darkness.

Resentment swelled in him for the demon who made him feel this way as Kyle quietly closed his eyes.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

When he awoke the next morning, the sun had already climbed high in the sky. He spread his wings wide, basking in the warm and gentle light. After a few strong flaps to stretch them out, Kyle took off toward the crumbling house. That girl probably wouldn’t be there today. If he and the demon could talk again, just the two of them, everything would go back to how it should be.

He had no reason to believe that… yet somehow, he did.

The roses in the demon’s garden sparkled in the morning sun. Well-watered and gleefully swaying with the breeze, they seemed to dance with joy.

Kyle greeted each of the roses as he passed, keeping an eye on the shadows moving behind the window. Slowly, taking his time, he made a full round of the garden. He could sense the demon’s presence, yet he didn’t emerge from the house.

With nothing else to do, Kyle gently lay down beneath the roses on a bed of soft grass. The flowers, worried by the angel’s gloomy expression, rustled around him, whispering:

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

To those sweet and gentle blooms, he let himself complain just a little.

“The demon is hopelessly dense. I came all this way back and he still won’t take me in. He’s so cold.”

“That demon is very kind,” a large white rose said, its voice like a song carried on the breeze.

“He gives us water first thing every morning, and if he finds bugs on our leaves, he gently picks them off.”

A red rose began to hum along.

“If one of us falls ill, he takes us into the greenhouse and nurses us. One of our sisters didn’t make it… but until her very last breath, she was grateful to him.”

“I see…” Kyle replied nonchalantly, pretending not to care.

“But Rose Angel,” whispered the white bloom, “you already know better than anyone how kind that demon truly is.”

Kyle looked away, sulking, his face turned down.

“Don’t be stubborn. Go knock on that door. Say plainly: ‘I’ve come back. Please let me stay by your side.’ If you do, he’ll welcome you.”

Remembering the ache of last night, Kyle’s heart trembled again.

“Hurry back to that demon,” the white rose urged. “Let him love you. And when he does, share a little of that happiness with us.”

With a reluctant sigh, Kyle sat up.

“…If you’re all going to say that much…”

He brushed the grass from his clothes and ran his fingers through his tousled golden hair, which had become a mess from napping. He fretted over whether any grass blades were still stuck in it or if it looked tangled in some strange way, but there was no mirror here to check.

“You don’t need to worry,” teased the red rose. “You look beautiful, Rose Angel.”

Kyle’s cheeks flushed pink as he floated gently into the sky and touched down by the edge of a stream. Reflected in the glassy water was a face one of the most beautiful in all the heavens. Satisfied that his looks remained unspoiled, he returned to the crumbling house.

There, just outside the garden, the demon had finally emerged.

He was tending to the flowers removing insects from the rose leaves, pruning away dried branches, moving with careful patience through the garden.

From the rooftop, Kyle watched him closely.

The demon's face, as he smiled and whispered softly to the flowers, was full of tenderness and quiet devotion. That same loving warmth Kyle longed for, yearned to receive for himself was being lavished on the roses without a word, without question. Just by existing in his garden, they were cherished.

Jealousy burned hot in Kyle’s chest.

Kyle floated softly down from the roof and landed in front of the demon. Warren, who hadn’t sensed his presence at all, let out a startled “Oh!” and stumbled back. Flapping his large white wings deliberately under the gaze of those dark, unblinking eyes, Kyle declared:

“I want to take all the roses from this garden.”

The demon’s dark-colored right eye widened to an almost ridiculous degree.

“Why? Why are you suddenly trying to take the roses away?”

Kyle stepped forward and placed a gentle kiss on the bud of a nearby white rose. The moment his lips touched it, the tightly wound petals swelled and bloomed into a magnificent full flower.

“These roses were mine to begin with,” Kyle said. “No matter how well you’ve cared for them, it’s pitiful that they can only bloom in a demon’s garden. I want to take them somewhere broader… somewhere free.”

The demon’s lips twisted into a helpless shape.

“…I looked after them because I thought they could take your place.”

Hugging his own arms, Kyle gave an exaggerated shiver.

“How horrifying to think you tried to make them my replacement. Not understanding that is its own kind of sin. The roses trembled and wept every time you touched them, you know.”

The demon looked around the garden in astonishment. The roses rustled in confusion, murmuring to each other We’re not afraid. The demon has always treated us with care. Kyle knew that. Of course he knew.

“It’s a mistake for a demon to think he can nurture anything in the first place,” Kyle spat. “What you're good at is deceiving, destroying… bringing misery to others.”

The demon bowed his head. His clenched hands trembled. For a moment, Kyle felt a flicker of fear that the demon’s anger might erupt and turn on him. But when Warren finally lifted his face, all Kyle saw there was sorrow. Not even a trace of rage.

“Do as you wish,” the demon said softly, his hand covering the empty socket where his left eye had once been.

“I thought I was doing right by them… I didn’t know they were in such pain. I’m sorry.”

He bowed deeply. Something inside Kyle bristled at the sight of it.

“Do you really think you can fix this with a bow of your head?” Kyle snapped. “Think of the decades those roses spent beside a demon, suffering. It reminds me of the way I used to be, and it tears my heart apart. Bowing isn’t enough, press your forehead to the earth and beg forgiveness from the flowers!”

The demon didn’t hesitate. At once, he dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead into the ground.

A sharp pain pricked Kyle’s chest.

Driven by jealousy, he’d said things he hadn’t meant, accusations that weren’t true. And now, clearly, he’d gone too far. He wanted to tell the demon to stop, to raise his head, but the words wouldn’t come. He’d backed himself into a corner with his own lies.

Unable to take them back, Kyle turned away and used magic to uproot the roses, every last one and transplant them to the base of the elm tree where he’d slept the night before. It all happened in the blink of an eye. When the demon lifted his face again, the once-vibrant garden had been reduced to bare, brown soil, a cold and empty ruin.

The demon’s remaining eye gazed at the barren earth. Tears welled in it, glinting as they fell, silent and clear, and disappeared into the green grass below.

Kyle’s chest throbbed, prickling with the sting of guilt like needles beneath his skin.

The demon slowly stood. He wiped his right eye with the tattered sleeve of his coat, roughly, and let out a thin sigh.

“…Now that the flowers are gone,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “you won’t come back here again, will you?”

The wind played through the strands of his long hair. His black eye, still fixed on Kyle, held no anger, only quiet resignation. He gave a small, defeated smile, then turned and disappeared into the crumbling house.

Kyle stood alone in the middle of the now-silent garden, surrounded by the absence of laughter and bloom. He couldn’t see past the closed door, couldn’t truly say he’d ever understood the demon’s feelings. But now… now he couldn’t shake the sense that Warren was crying.

He’d made him wear that expression, that sad, broken face.

And all because he had loved the flowers too dearly.

Kyle could dress it up however he liked, but the truth remained: he’d hurt the demon.

And in return, a tiny wound had opened in his own chest, and no matter what he did, it refused to close.

Still carrying the bitter weight of that guilt, Kyle returned to the woods and the elm tree.

The roses, transported ahead by his magic, whispered restlessly, uneasy in their unfamiliar surroundings.

“It’s a sunny place,” Kyle reassured them softly. “The wind’s not as harsh as it was in the demon’s garden.”

He soothed them gently, and there, beneath the elm, he began to build a small new rose garden.

In the middle of the little garden filled with sweet fragrance, Kyle’s heart was completely lost. He had made the demon cry, made him grieve, had brought the roses here even though there had been no real need to. The truth was, he had simply wanted to stay by that demon’s side.

“You should’ve just said it plainly ‘Please let me stay with you’ instead of lying,” whispered a white rose.

“You should’ve held him close, instead of making him sad,” chided a red one.

Covering both ears, Kyle flew up into the elm tree’s branches. Leaning against its wide trunk, a wave of sadness overtook him, and tears spilled down his cheeks. At some point, he fell asleep, and when he awoke, the sun had already dipped far into the western sky.

Lying or crying wouldn’t change anything. He knew that. But even so, he still couldn’t bring himself to confess the truth. Caught in indecision, Kyle flew back toward that old house.

The demon’s home, stripped of its flowers, now held a bleak and desolate air. Someone was in the bare garden of exposed brown soil. Crouched low to the ground, red-haired Eugene was crying, her shoulders trembling. Kyle touched down silently on the roof and sat with his knees hugged to his chest, waiting quietly, silently wishing the girl would leave.

But as he watched her cry so hard her eyes might melt it puzzled him. Why was she so devastated? Just then, the demon stepped outside.

“I thought you’d gone home,” he said to her.

“I wanted to,” she replied, her voice trembling, “but I was so upset I couldn’t stop crying. I can’t believe it. It’s too cruel.”

The demon crouched beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“You don’t have to worry about me. He said the flowers had always been afraid. It’s probably for the best they were taken away.”

“But…” The girl shook her head fiercely. “You cared about them so much. You said you couldn’t sleep during storms because you were worried about the garden. You said they were like your children!”

Pain shot through Kyle’s chest. The demon smiled, a fragile expression wavering somewhere between sorrow and relief.

“Angels are fickle and cruel,” the girl muttered bitterly.

“Eugene!” the demon snapped, sharply rebuking her.

“I don’t care if you scold me,” she flared back. “I’m not afraid of angels or demons. God won’t mind if a little girl complains once in a while.”

The demon stared at her, then let out a small sigh.

“The sun’s about to set. Go on home now, Eugene. …Here, I’ll walk you partway ”

“No need. I can go by myself.”

She shook him off and bolted down the path. Watching her retreating figure, the demon hesitated, then hurried after her. A sense of unease stirred in Kyle’s chest, and he followed them from the sky.

The sun had already dipped halfway behind the mountains. Along the edge of the road at the top of a hill, faint silhouettes of weak little monsters flickered in and out of view. The girl darted between them like a deer, but one caught her ankle and pulled her down.

“No!”

She screamed. The demon caught up in an instant. His shadow stretched wide and transformed.

Kyle had seen that form many times before, but something felt wrong.

The demon had only one wing.

The monsters scattered at once, fleeing in fear before the demon’s menacing figure. Holding the girl in his arms, he scanned the surroundings cautiously, then looked up at the sky. When he spotted Kyle, he immediately shifted back into his human form. Still holding Eugene close, he descended the hill and disappeared from view beyond the road.

Once he had seen the girl safely home, Warren would return alone. Then they could talk without interruption.

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