Darkness.
That was the first thing Aurelion felt.
Not the peaceful darkness of rest… but the heavy, suffocating kind that pressed against his consciousness like deep water.
His body felt strangely weak.
His limbs were heavy.
Even breathing felt unfamiliar.
For a moment, the proud Archangel could not remember where he was.
Fragments of memory slowly returned.
A battlefield.
Light and darkness colliding.
Crimson eyes staring directly into his.
Then—
The strange symbol.
The seal.
The moment everything exploded.
A faint pain pulsed from the center of his chest.
Aurelion frowned slightly.
Something is wrong.
He tried to summon his wings.
Nothing happened.
That alone was enough to alarm him.
Angels were born with their wings as naturally as breathing.
Yet now…
There was only silence.
Before he could react further, a soft voice drifted into the room.
"You're finally waking up."
The voice was calm… yet carried a hint of amusement.
Aurelion slowly opened his eyes.
At first, the light was too bright.
His vision blurred.
Then gradually, the world around him became clear.
He was lying on a massive bed made from dark crimson silk.
The ceiling above him was carved from polished black stone, decorated with intricate glowing runes that faintly pulsed with abyssal energy.
This was not Heaven.
Nor was it any battlefield.
The air itself carried a strange, unfamiliar warmth.
But none of that was what caught his attention.
Standing beside the bed was a woman.
For a brief moment…
Aurelion forgot how to breathe.
Long midnight hair flowed down her back like a river of shadow. Her crimson eyes shimmered softly in the dim light of the room.
She wore a simple black dress now, far different from the armor she wore on the battlefield.
Without the chaos of war surrounding her…
She looked unbelievably beautiful.
The proud Archangel stared at her silently.
A strange feeling stirred deep within his chest.
It was unfamiliar.
Unexplainable.
Almost… warm.
Nytheria tilted her head slightly when she noticed his gaze.
"Oh?"
A playful smile appeared on her lips.
"You're staring quite a lot for someone who just woke up."
Aurelion immediately looked away.
His expression returned to its usual calm.
But inside…
Something felt strange.
He slowly sat up, though his body protested weakly.
Nytheria gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Careful."
Her touch was surprisingly warm.
"You've been unconscious for five days."
Aurelion froze.
"Five… days?"
Nytheria nodded casually.
"Yes."
She crossed her arms lightly.
"You collapsed quite dramatically during our fight."
Aurelion's golden eyes sharpened.
"Where am I?"
Nytheria smiled again.
"My palace."
Silence filled the room.
The Archangel slowly turned his head toward her.
"…The Abyss."
"Correct."
She leaned against a nearby pillar as if the situation was completely normal.
Aurelion clenched his fists.
"You should have killed me."
Nytheria raised an eyebrow.
"Should I have?"
She walked closer to the bed.
Each step felt strangely graceful.
When she stopped beside him again, their distance was barely an arm's length.
Her crimson eyes examined his face carefully.
"You were already dying when I caught you."
She spoke calmly.
"If I left you on that battlefield, you would be nothing more than angel dust by now."
Aurelion said nothing.
His gaze drifted downward.
That was when he noticed something shocking.
His armor was gone.
Instead, he was wearing simple human clothing.
Aurelion's eyes widened slightly.
"What did you do?"
Nytheria pointed toward the center of his chest.
"Look."
Aurelion slowly touched the place she indicated.
The glowing symbol was still there.
The strange mark from the battlefield.
"The seal," Nytheria said softly.
"The moment our powers collided, we triggered something ancient."
She tapped the glowing mark lightly.
"This thing is now connecting our lives."
Aurelion's expression darkened.
"That is impossible."
Nytheria shrugged.
"Yet here we are."
She moved closer again.
Aurelion suddenly felt something strange.
The closer she came…
The stronger that unfamiliar warmth in his chest became.
It was subtle.
But undeniable.
Nytheria noticed his reaction.
Her smile slowly grew mischievous.
"How interesting."
She leaned closer.
Very close.
"So even mighty Archangels feel embarrassed."
Aurelion instantly turned his head away.
"I am not embarrassed."
Nytheria laughed softly.
"You know…"
She reached out and gently brushed a strand of silver hair away from his face.
"I expected the great Archangel Aurelion to be cold and terrifying."
Her crimson eyes softened slightly.
"But up close…"
Her voice became quieter.
"You're surprisingly gentle."
Aurelion froze.
Her words struck him strangely.
For reasons he couldn't explain…
His heart began beating faster.
He had fought countless demons before.
He had faced terrifying monsters without fear.
Yet now—
Simply sitting beside this demon princess made his chest feel strangely warm.
Nytheria noticed the faint change in his expression.
Her smile softened.
"Relax."
She stepped back slightly.
"I'm not planning to kill you."
Aurelion frowned.
"Why?"
Nytheria walked toward a large window overlooking the dark landscape of the Abyss.
Outside, floating islands drifted through a crimson sky.
"This seal changed things."
She glanced back at him.
"If you die, I might die too."
She shrugged casually.
"And I quite enjoy being alive."
Aurelion slowly processed her words.
Then another realization hit him.
"My wings."
Nytheria raised a small crystal between her fingers.
A faint glow pulsed inside it.
"Sealed."
She tossed it lightly before catching it again.
"Your divine aura would expose you immediately in the Abyss."
Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"So I sealed your wings and power."
Aurelion stared at her.
"You turned me into a prisoner."
Nytheria shook her head.
"No."
She smiled again.
"I turned you into a human."
The Archangel's expression stiffened.
Nytheria crossed her arms.
"To everyone else in this palace…"
Her crimson eyes glimmered mischievously.
"You're just a human I brought from the surface world."
Aurelion looked stunned.
"A human…?"
Nytheria nodded.
"Congratulations."
Her voice carried a teasing warmth.
"You're now my personal attendant."
Silence filled the room again.
Then—
For the first time in centuries—
The proud Archangel Aurelion looked completely speechless.
Nytheria watched his reaction with clear enjoyment.
For some reason…
Watching this powerful angel struggle to understand the situation made her feel strangely happy.
But what she didn't realize was this:
The moment their eyes met when he woke up…
The ancient seal connecting their souls had already begun quietly affecting both of their hearts.