Fatum opened the door, her gaze fallen on the being in front of her. A mix of despair and curiosity swallowed her mind.
"Oh you're finnaly here? It took you quite a while you know?"
A melodious voice broke the silence.
"Well shall I summarize our story, since you're there?"
They chuckled and started rolling on the ground as if even talking talking about it was a great comedy.
It was not an human, neither an animal,
"What are you? What I am? What was all of that?"
A tired girl fell to her knees and started crying. Her adventure finnaly ended. Countless memories flashed before her eyes.
"Well aren't you a curious child? Let's summarize your story first, please. I waited for such a long time, so please give me a few days, okay?
The being stood up and poked the girl nose. They smiled, placed her on a bed, sat beside her small body and started telling her story.
***
It was morning of another beautiful day. Birds started singing, humans started waking up and preparing for another day of work.
Sun started rising and began it's journey through the sky.
"Akira stay with me! The help is coming. Don't leave me like that! I don't want to be alone..."
A girl cried her sister name with sadness and anger. She lost her composure and started sobbing and twitching.
"Sorry, Sora. I know my body well enough to say that I will die before anyone arrives."
Akira smiled in the pool of her own blood. The cold began spreading through her body. Her life started flashing before her eyes.
"After all you have done for us? I don't want to see you die before I repay you, idiot! Why do you sacrifice yourself for everyone? Can't you see that it pains us to watch you solve every problems by yourself?"
Sora cried. She was overhelmed by regret and sadness.
"I am happy Sora, I fulfilled my goals and I can finnaly rest. Thank you for everything and remember that there are no debts between us. You helped me with as much as you could and I am happy because of it."
Akira smirked and looked at the stab wound.
She saved her sister, but was stabbed in the process. How pitiful it was. She truly despised the idea of being a martyr and yet she helped so many people for no important reason.
"I know that you don't want to hear me apologize, so I will thank you instead, sister."
Sora wiped her eyes from tears and smiled.
"Thank you for helping us, even when you were tired."
"Thank you for sharing those days with me."
"Thank you for your effort and pain, even when we didn't deserve it."
The sun began to illuminate the area.
' If I had to name one regret, then it would be not spending enough time with you.'
Akira hugged Sora and her last breath escaped her body.
After a while ambulance came to save Akira, but she didn't live long enough to see it.
***
Akira died and yet her mind didn't disappear. She found herself in a weird state, she couldn't feel anything and yet she could think.
'Where I am? No, the better question is how I am able to think without a brain? Fantasy like things these days huh?'
Akira tried to say something but she wasn't able hear anything.
'Well I am dead huh?
That's quite interesting. I wonder what will happen now, after everything.'
A voice broke the silence..
"You're quite calm, aren't ya? Can't you be more scared or something though?"
Light appeared in endless darkness.
After a while Akira realized that it was an eye with wings. It watched Akira with interest.
Akira pondered for a while and almost sighed.
'Who are you and what will happen to me now?'
Akira tried to ask but she realized that she didn't have a mouth neither a body.
"Calm down, please. You died and as you can see, you lost your body. I am what you humans call an angel. Call me Kelara."
Akira felt a mix of sadness and joy at the same time.
'Why do I feel like this? Are those your feelings?'
She was puzzled because of this new experience.
"Correct. You are a bright child huh?"
Akira wanted to laugh but she didn't make any noise.
"Well let me explain okay? We just don't feel any need to conceal our feelings for others. It's one of many traits that we angels share."
"How is that possible for me to hear you, since you are just wings and an eye?
Akira interrupted Kelara and regretted it.
"I don't feel insulted. I feel your curiosity."
"You hear my voice in your mind, because you don't have ears to communicate, in ways you are accustomed to. My real body is in the other place and you hear it's voice."
"Well let's start with a new body for you first, okay?"
Akira blinked and she already had torso and hands. After a few seconds her body was completed.
"Well here it is, a copy of your previous body. Do you want to change something?"
"Change? I can change the shape of my body?"
Akira was bewildered and happy at the same time. She was able to communicate with her mouth again. It was interesting for her to have a conversation in such a way, but in the end it became tiring after a few minutes.
"Yes, that's quite an addition, isn't it? Hovewer please refrain from going too far. For example someone once tried transforming into a monster, tall as a mountain and that was... a bit annoying to deal with."
Akira thought for a moment. She never had any problems with her body, so she didn't feel any need to change it.
"I understand. The world that you will go into, is a place that you humans could call a purgatory."
Akira felt a sense of relief and concern from angel.
"Was I a bad child?"
Akira asked with a bit of sarcasm, chuckled and almost started rolling in darkness. Her childhood consisted of a big amount of problems that she had to face everyday. Only after her succes, was she able to spend more time with her family.
"An excellent one. You made progress in both body and mind."
Akira started feeling more emotions from the angel.
'Pride and sadness?'
"It's a place for people, that didn't get to know certain things, for those that had to go through too much pain and for those that didn't go through enough.
They were never able to feel certain emotions or understand precious moments. Call it whoever you want. though Yeah, something like a second chance to develop yourself in life. Well in that case beyond the life."
Akira thought while looking at the eye. It sounded more like a playground for her than a purgatory.
"Isn't that a paradise then? If not then what are the defects of such a place?"
Akira was even more suprised than before.
"There is endless space, you are able to let your imagination go wild and have fun, but there are also some limits.
Imposing your will upon the world is quite draining you see. You will have to face some trials to get more power for example, my friend will tell ya more about it.
"Trials?"
"Yes, Trials. Your goal is to become more aware of your body. Learn more about others and obtain what your mind lacks. Some will have to face hardships of others. Those may be even memories from thousands of years ago..."
Kelara body started glowing and Akira had to cover her eyes.
Akira waited for a minute, opened her eyes and was puzzled.
Before her stood a fragile girl, that looked truly innocent. She was crippled, scars and burns covered her entire body.
"I could be an devil, angel or neither one of them. It is important to doubt many things in this world so be prepared."
Kelara chuckled at Akira astonished face.
"Well that worked like this on earth too, right?" One could look nice and have a nasty personality, but I don't blame you humans for falling for such a trick.
After all it is hard to say what is the nature of humans, some may act based on this puny thing that you call kindness, some act based on exchange.
I still don't really know if humans are even able to act solely from their heart, without any calculative idea in mind.
Altruism and other things like that may be used by ya to gain, even without you knowing. To look good in front of others, to earn praise, to prolong the existence of your race."
Kelara gazed in the distance and chuckled, her voice in an instant transfered into Akira mind. "Forget it, I am asking myself those questions because I have the previlege to do so.
To have time to contemplate the secrets of life or world is already a blessing that most people either can't do or are too lazy to do so."
Akira examined her for a moment and sighed.
She wanted to belive that her sacrifice was the demonstration of her feelings for her, but it may have been the act of selfishness instead.
She was fond of truth, it was harrowing but at the same time it was the end. The answer that she could work with, the key to move forward.
She barely thought about emotions that she would lack in her short life.
"That was quite helpful, thank you. I will do my best to live with what I belive.."
"That's my responsability as a guiding light. My old acquaintance will tell you the rest. Sh-... he is brutal, so please be prepared."
"And there is one last thing. You can meet fallen people. Those can be humans, demons, even angels. They are pitiful wretches that pose danger to everyone in our incrementum. Be wary of them and if you can, capture anyone on their side.
Kelara smiled gently and transformed back into an eye.
"I hope that you will be able to ascend soon, Akira. It was nice to meet you."
"Same for me, Kelara. I hope that we will meet soon. Thank you for everything.
After those words Akira started falling and everything turned black.