Rose Garden: Chapter 22

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The next morning, Churin awoke to the sensation of someone gently stroking his cheek.

“Churin, Churin.”

He opened his eyes to find Gemma, his tutor, standing before him.

“Wh–what are you doing here!”

Since arriving on the earth, this was the first time Churin had seen another angel. Gemma peered down at him, her expression full of concern.

“Lady Agatha was worried about you. She sent me because she thought something might be wrong.”

Churin trembled where he sat on the branch.

“I’ve been sending my letters just like always. N–nothing’s changed at all…”

But Gemma shook her head.

“The feather you used for your last letter was Kyle’s. You haven’t decided to return it yet, so it should still be in its reduced form, not back to its original size. That’s why Lady Agatha thought it strange you’d send a letter with Kyle’s feather.”

And then Churin remembered. He always kept a few of his own feathers stored for sending letters, but yesterday there hadn’t been any left. He had plucked one from his back instead only, by mistake, he had pulled Kyle’s feather and used it to carry the letter.

“Why did you send a letter with Kyle’s feather?”

Gemma tilted her head slightly.

“Hmm? Churin… isn’t one of the feathers on your back a little odd? They don’t look the same size…”

There was no hiding it now, no matter what he tried. Churin collapsed forward against the branch and burst into tears.

“Crying won’t help me understand. What’s going on? Tell me the truth.”

Pressed by Gemma’s firm voice, Churin confessed everything, how he had been attacked by a demon the moment he came down to the earth, and how he had ended up wearing Kyle’s wing.

Gemma covered her forehead with one hand and let out a low groan.

“Churin… why didn’t you report this to Lady Agatha immediately?”

“Because… it’s such a disgrace…”

“Disgrace or not, spending nearly a year wearing someone else’s wing, deceiving Lady Agatha the whole time, that’s far more shameful!”

The justifiable rebuke made Churin shrink down and tremble even more.

“Lady Agatha also had doubts about what you wrote in your letters. Do the angel and demon truly indulge in every kind of pleasure and evil?”

There was no room left for excuses.

“The angel and demon… live quietly. They don’t… cause any harm to humans…”

“So that report was a lie too! Churin, what on earth were you thinking?”

Even as Gemma scolded him, Churin could do nothing but cry. He wanted to vanish then and there, turn to dust and simply disappear.

Gemma plucked a feather and sent a letter to Lady Agatha. Not long after, a reply came. Reading it, Gemma let out a sigh.

“Lady Agatha is kind. She says you are to meet with Kyle and tell him honestly what you’ve done. If you do that, she’ll overlook the matter of the false report.”

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Churin visited the demon’s house and told Kyle, “I want to talk to you, but not here,” then called him out to the woods beside the cliffside house. While walking the rose-lined path, Kyle kept his eyes on the ground, a nervous look clouding his face.

In the forest, Churin returned to his angelic form. Angels became invisible to humans in that state, but of course, a fallen angel like Kyle could still see their true form.

"…You’re…!"

The moment he realized Churin was an angel, Kyle’s face went pale, and he began to back away cautiously.

“What do you want?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Kyle turned on his heel and tried to run, but Gemma, who had been watching from above, landed in front of him and blocked his path. With an angel both in front and behind, Kyle had no choice but to stop.

"It’s been a while, Kyle. Don’t be afraid. We only want to talk."

Trapped with no escape, Kyle bit down hard on his lip.

"I’m an angel who abandoned Heaven. I have nothing to say to any of you."

To the stubborn Kyle, Churin spoke gently.

"…Lady Agatha wishes to return your wings to you."

At the mention of his wings, Kyle furrowed his beautiful brow.

"Why… the wings…? Ah Claudia. What happened to her?! Don’t tell me she was caught by the Gatekeepers?!"

Kyle grabbed Churin’s chest and shook him violently. Struggling to breathe, Churin gasped until Gemma pulled Kyle away by the shoulders.

"That soul was caught by the Gatekeepers. But Lady Agatha saw to it that she was sent to Heaven," Churin explained.

Hearing this, Kyle let out a deep sigh of relief and sank to his knees. Clasping his hands together, he prayed, "God, Lady Agatha… thank you."

A fallen angel praying to God, Churin watched, filled with a strange emotion. Kyle had not abandoned his faith in God. Then why had he fallen to Earth?

"Only your wings remained in Heaven."

Kyle gazed at him. Churin found it hard to say what came next.

"I was entrusted with the task of returning your wings. But as soon as I descended to Earth, I was attacked by a demon, and one of my wings was eaten. I nearly died. In desperation, I attached your wing to myself, the one I was supposed to return to you… I’m sorry. I’ll return both wings to you now."

Churin lowered his gaze, bracing himself for Kyle’s anger.

"You can keep them."

Churin couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

"Those wings are yours now. I live among humans, but you’re an angel who dwells in Heaven. Without wings, you can’t return to Heaven, nor can you go to retrieve souls. My wings will grow back in about a hundred years. Once yours grow back too, you can throw mine away."

At those words, so full of mercy, Churin’s chest trembled. To an angel, wings were akin to life itself. And yet, this fallen angel was giving them away.

“But Kyle, without your wings, those monsters and demons might…”

Gemma cut in hastily.

“Warren is with me. As long as Warren’s there, I’ll be fine.”

“But still…”

“It’s all right, Gemma. It might sound strange coming from someone who abandoned Heaven, but… if even just my wings can serve in Heaven as a messenger of God, there’s nothing that would make me happier.”

Kyle smiled.

It was a face as dazzling and beautiful as a rose in full bloom.

“Tell Lady Agatha… I’m grateful for what she did for Claudia.”

As if everything had come to a close, Kyle turned to leave. Churin hurried after him in a panic.

“Wait!”

As Kyle turned back, Churin held out the single wing that remained.

“Only one of my wings was eaten. This one… I want to return it to you.”

“One wing on its own won’t do much.”

“But still…”

Kyle stared intently at the wing. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he grinned and said to Churin, “Before you go back to Heaven, would you do me one little favor?”

◇:-:◆:-:◇

That night, Churin was invited to supper at the demon’s house. Kyle sipped his tea, the demon ate human food, and Churin mimicked a human and pretended to drink soup.

Perhaps it was due to the sleeping drug Kyle had mixed into the food once dinner was over, the demon moved to the sofa and, looking apologetic, said, “Just for a little while, forgive me,” before closing his eyes.

Even when called by name or shaken, he didn’t wake. After confirming the demon had truly fallen asleep, Kyle turned his body over and pulled off the coat he was wearing.

“Attach my wing here.”

He pointed to the demon’s back. Churin, looking startled, asked, “Are you really sure?”

“Warren is the child of a demon and a human. Perhaps because of that, one of his wings simply wouldn’t grow. It doesn’t hinder his daily life, but I’ve always wanted to see what he’d look like with a full set of wings.”

To attach an angel’s wing to a demon, it felt like a grave sin, and Churin’s heart stirred uneasily. But neither Gemma had stopped them, and if Kyle desired it, there was no other choice.

“If you’d just told him you were giving him a wing, wouldn’t he have gladly accepted it?”

Kyle shook his head.

“If he knew it was mine, he’d never accept it. That’s the kind of man he is.”

Churin whispered “Open,” to the small wing, and it returned to its original size. He gently placed it on the demon’s back. The base of the wing melted and merged into the demon’s body. The moment it did, the newly attached wing gave a great shiver and as if in response, a gray wing burst forth from the opposite side.

The demon remained asleep, but the two wings trembled with joy, brushing their tips together before folding neatly.

Kyle crouched down on the floor and buried his face between the wings. The wings then spread wide, enveloping Kyle’s head and softly stroking his cheek.

“Thank you, Churin.”

Cradled by the wings, Kyle narrowed his eyes with deep satisfaction.

“It’s my fault Warren lost one wing… and one eye. I was the one who betrayed his sincerity. His eye may never return, but his wing has. That makes me truly happy.”

The wing was slowly absorbed into the demon’s back and vanished. Kyle placed a quiet kiss on the now bare skin where the wing had been.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Churin and Gemma soared through the night sky, flying back toward the heavens. Even knowing that Lady Agatha was surely waiting to scold him, Churin’s heart felt light and clear.

He kept wondering what love really was. That half-demon man, Kyle who had abandoned the heavens, both possessed love. And neither had cast aside their reverence for God. He had heard that angels were born from love. But did he himself truly understand what love was?

“Why was I given the task of returning the wings, I wonder,” Churin murmured.

Gemma turned to look back.

“Was it really just because I can hide my angelic presence?”

“…That’s something you’ll have to think about for yourself,” Gemma said gently, wearing the stern expression of a proper mentor.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Churin descended into the town of Pasper accompanied by the record-keeper and a young angel assigned to training. The one summoned by God was a middle-aged woman suffering from a chest illness. Her name was Aleida, with black hair and dusky skin. A familiar face, one that stirred a faint ache in Churin’s chest.

After returning to the heavens with the fallen angel Kyle’s wing, Churin became a laughingstock. Word had spread that he had been violated by a demon, and the elders refused to even share the same table with him. But no matter how much he was hated or scorned, Churin never let it break him.

He honed his angelic powers relentlessly. In less than ten years, he climbed fourteen ranks within the celestial hierarchy, and at the youngest age ever, was entrusted with the role of the principal angel who comes to receive souls. The name given to him was “The Three-Winged Angel.” From beneath the wing Kyle had given him, a new wing of his own had sprouted, making him a rare being even among the heavens, an angel with three wings.

Aleida’s soul pleaded to remain in town a while longer before ascending. The record-keeper wore a sour expression, but Churin assigned the young angel as her escort and allowed her to do as she wished. As for himself, he flew off to the nostalgic Rose House.

He transformed into human form amidst the forest and passed under the rose archway that hadn’t changed one bit in the past ten years. When he knocked on the door, it was a red-haired young man who came out.

“Who might you be?”

Churin hesitated for a moment before asking, “I was wondering if Kyle and Warren used to live here.”

The young man gave a firm nod. “Ah, yes. The two of them moved out three years ago. Said they were heading further south. I’ve been living here since they left.”

Apparently, the two whose appearances never changed had gone off in search of a new place to settle.

“Wait… are you Churin?”

To hear his name spoken aloud made him jump in surprise.

“You’re the traveler, Churin, right? I remember the silver hair. Just like Kyle and Warren, you haven’t aged a bit.”

The lid to Churin’s box of memories opened. This young man was Broff, the blacksmith’s red-haired son.

“How nostalgic… You’re still traveling, aren’t you? Would you like to stay and chat for a bit?”

It was a kind invitation, but Churin couldn’t linger. He politely declined, and Broff cast his eyes down in disappointment.

“I make a living now doing woodcarving. My younger brother took over the family forge. Warren and Kyle were so kind to me. Kyle, for all his beauty, was hilariously clumsy. Warren used to tell me that he once had a very dear red-haired friend, and every time he looked at me, it reminded him of that person.”

The record keeper’s voice called from a distance. Churin wished he could hear more about the two of them, but it was time to go.

“Broff… You loved Warren and Kyle, didn’t you?”

To that question, Broff smiled and answered, “Yes, I looked up to them like older brothers, even though we were far apart in age.”

◇:-:◆:-:◇

The young angel held Aleida’s soul carefully against his chest as they ascended toward the heavens. Nestled in the arms of such a sincere angel, the soul stayed perfectly still.

“Lord Churin, were you speaking to a human while the soul went for a walk?” The young angel turned to ask him.

“There was someone I knew living in that town,” Churin replied.

“You have acquaintances among humans?” The young angel looked genuinely surprised.

“I have acquaintances among humans, among fallen angels, and even among demons.”

“…D-demons? Aren’t you afraid of them?” The young angel began to tremble.

“I was at first,” Churin admitted. “But… the demon I knew had love in his heart”

The stern record keeper frowned. “Lord Churin, please refrain from frightening the young.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Churin said lightly. “When you’re young, it’s good to see many things with an open mind, to encounter many kinds of love. The earth is full of different kinds of love. I want you to love humans, and to love everything that exists in this world.”

The rising currents of air surged upward, powerfully lifting the three of them.

“How is this happening? We’re going up without even flying!” the young angel exclaimed.

Churin let himself drift along the current, his whole body basking in the warmth of being loved, surrendering himself to the flow of air that granted love in return.

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