Angel Monarch

The air smelled sterile, but blood and feces soon mixed with it, creating a disgusting aroma. Pained groans and the supportive voices of nurses filled the delivery room. As for visual stimulation, the memory didn't show much.

Sera saw nothing but bright lights, a pair of bent, feminine legs covered in sweat, and a bloody bed between them. Her own mother, the nurses, and doctors all appeared as blurred blobs.

"Huh?... Didn't expect to see my own birth. I was pretty certain we couldn't remember anything before a few weeks or even a year after birth."

As she spoke, her mother's pained groans became louder and soon little Seraphine's dirty head pushed through the widened opening. The real Sera flinched and turned away, realizing whose opening she was staring at.

Qinrir continued staring at the brith without concern or shame.

"Well, that's not exactly true," Said Qinrir. "You can't recall those memories, since they aren't full-fledged. However, you were collecting experiences even before birth. We Arachnids could hear sounds even while still in our eggs, and I'm pretty sure humans work in similar ways."

"Now that you mention it. Parents often sing and talk to their unborn children. Supposedly, it stimulates the fetus."

Another groan echoed inside the delivery room, and moments later, little Seraphine began crying. The nurses cut the umbilical cord and cleaned off the birthing fluids from the newborn. The crying soon hushed as they handed the clean baby girl to her mother.

"Memories like this, where we can barely recall our surroundings, can't be accessed normally. However, upon entering someone's mind, many fragmented experiences become available, like this memory!"

Sera nodded in understanding, then they continued watching the memory play out. The blobs moved around as Sera's mom and dad whispered sweetly to each other. Baby Sera's hearing wasn't great, so the words of her parents were lost in the loud background noise of the shuffling nurses.

Qinrir had a few more questions about human biology, which Sera answered with a joyful expression.

"So, the cord they cut sends food to the baby while it's still in its mother's belly? Fascinating!"

His child-like curiosity always made Sera smile. Even when his questions were a bit disturbing and too enthusiastic.

"Hey, Sera. Why didn't they cut open your mother, like they did with your child? It would've made the birth much more straightforward and simple. I can't believe you're supposed to push such a large-headed baby through that tiny opening! An awful design choice in your biology!"

Sera chuckled and prepared to answer when a new, familiar voice echoed inside the delivery room. Unlike her mother and father's voices, this one sounded crystal clear, even for the baby's ears.

"What a beautiful baby girl! Someone fit for a great future, I presume.

Can you tell? I'm curious. What name will you give to this tiny bloom?"

The Angel tilted her head in confusion, then moments later her eyes went wide.

"No... That can't be..." She whispered, causing Qinrir to raise his head in curiosity.

"Uh... We weren't sure yet, but our choice is between Isabel and Amelia. Why do you have a better suggestion?" Asked Sera's mother.

The older feminine voice came from another blob, which didn't matter since Sera easily recognized its owner. There's only one person who spoke in rhymes!

"That old hag! What's she doing in my memories? Especially on the day of my birth!"

Qinrir's concern grew as Sera ground her teeth in anxiety. He felt something was wrong, and that feeling originated from the rhyming female voice.

"Oh marvelous! Both are fitting names indeed!

Albeit, I might know a better name if agreed!"

Sera's mother and father shrugged while glancing at each other, prompting the elder voice to continue.

"I know the perfect name for such an Angelic child.

I'm sure you'll see that my chosen name isn't wild.

I think the name Seraphine will fit her perfectly.

It'll bring her great fortune; I know that certainly!"

A moment of silence followed the old hag's words. The blob representing her suddenly disappeared, causing both Sera's mother and father to gasp as a nurse walked up to them.

"Congratulations on your healthy girl! Have you decided on her name yet? We would like to make her official documents, but we can't begin without a name."

Sera's parents made confused sounds, as if they had forgotten something important. A few seconds later, her father sighed and said, "Honey, do you remember the name we chose for our daughter. I can't remember."

"Sorry, my love," Said Sera's mother. "I also forgot, but I just thought of a pretty good name. How does Seraphine sound?"

"Hmm... Bit unusual, but I like it!... Our little Seraphine." Said Sera's father while gently patting his newborn daughter's fuzzy head.

The sound of writing echoed from the nurse's blob as she wrote down the baby's name.

"Seraphine. Such a beautiful name. Perfectly fitting for this little angel!"

Declared the nurse with a light chuckle. She asked a few more questions about Sera's parents, but the real Sera wasn't paying any attention.

She fell to her knees, her entire body trembling as images ripped through her mind violently. Small coincidences Sera never noticed, not until she discovered this memory about Fate 'Herself' naming her!

A memory of her baby years appeared in Sera's mind. She lay in her crib at night, and above her, a few plush angels hung from strings and rotated, stimulating little Seraphine until she fell asleep.

In another memory, Sera remembered walking through a toy shop with her mom. Of all the toys, Sera's mother picked a large angel plushy, which little Seraphine instantly hugged and cherished throughout her childhood.

Her first schoolbag had a small angel print... Her favorite colors were gold and white... Her dresses often had feather-like woven patterns... Her chosen clothing for a dress-up party was an angel outfit!

But even smaller, near-imperceptible memories, popped into her head...

As a child, Sera fell while running with other kids at the playground, and her father placed a band-aid with angel patterns on her scraped knee.

Sera's favorite cup was always a white one with a golden angel drawn on it.

"Angels... They're everywhere... How did I never notice..."

Her entire body trembled as she stared at the young baby girl carelessly sleeping in her mother's arms. Sera remembered all the suffering and heartache that baby will go through, which caused a hateful laugh to escape her lips.

"That fucking bastard, old hag! You did this! It was never my choice! Nothing was ever decided by my own free fucking will! You arranged everything, Fate! You stupid fucking whore!"

The silence in the delivery room became palpable. Qinrir just stared at Sera in shock, while the Angel took heavy breaths, trying to control her rage.

There isn't much that could truly anger Sera, but the feeling of losing control, the feeling of all her suffering being predestined, the feeling of her life becoming someone's puppet show... It brought nothing but deep, unending hatred into her burning heart.

Most people would feel similar after finding out their lives, their decisions, the changes happening with them, were all orchestrated by a single entity.

Sera gazed at the white floor with an empty expression. Her white glowing body shook with rage, and she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. Instead, she climbed back to her feet, glanced at Qinrir and soon she began laughing.

Her laugh had no humor or anything remotely close to joy in its depths, yet Sera didn't care. Anger and rage wouldn't solve any of her issues, so instead of weeping over her past, she laughed hysterically, since she planned on changing her future.

"You know, Sera... You're a really odd person, even amongst humans!"

"I'm not weird! I'm just a really special individual!" She said with a wink, which the Arachnid didn't understand.

After seeing the confused look in his eyes, Sera chuckled and glanced at her baby form once more. Seconds later, she sighed and turned away from the delivery room.

"Anyway, where's that last Se–... Watch out!"

Sera jumped and pushed Qinrir away just went a bunch of dark tendrils pierced the spot where he stood. Unfortunately, since she stepped to where Qinrir stood, a few tendrils slashed through her body.

She groaned in pain as the tendrils began tainting her body. Her glowing golden body slowly turned black at the limbs and hip, where the tendrils pierced her.

They stopped her body from moving, and the pain made it much harder to think. The darkness continued growing until most of Sera's body turned black. The light in her heart began to wane, and her vision turned blurry. Her breathing weakened, and she felt death's grip around her throat.

However, just when Sera believed the end finally arrived, she felt a sudden jolt shake her body. The glow in Sera's heart took on a greenish hue, as a light laughter echoed from right behind the Angel.

"You think I'll just leave you to die? You still owe me a date! Don't you dare perish before that!"

A wide smile spread across Sera's lips as she glanced back at the ethereal woman floating above Sera's wings. Her seductive body glowed with green energy, while her brown hair floated unobstructed by gravity. The magnificent woman's hands looked like roots growing into Sera's shoulders.

The dark tendrils dissolved upon meeting the life energy swarming inside Sera's body. Loud, painful screeches echoed inside the memory, yet Sera's eyes stayed focused on Bea's form.

"How did you get here? I thought only Qinrir could get us here!"

Bea simply shrugged and grinned, her eyes glinting with love.

"I'm not sure. Blood began pouring from your nose, eyes and mouth. It made me worried, and as I concentrated on the feeling, I found myself floating behind you!... Wait, is that you as a baby? You're so cute, and as a baby too!"

Sera rolled her eyes with a lighthearted chuckle, then glanced up at the Seed.

"Okay, we can ask Qinrir later! Let's take care of the last Seed first!"