Angel Monarch

The first rays of sunlight pierced the faraway horizon. The waves danced in the newfound bright light, creating a breathtaking romantic scene.

Sera and Bea sat at the edge of the cavern, atop a stone protrusion. Their feet dangled in empty air as they watched the sunrise. They sat close, so their shoulders brushed against each other and down on the ground, their fingers intertwined.

Their chests gently moved as they took calm breaths. The sea breeze played with their long hair, creating a golden shower mixed with oak-like brown.

Neither woman said anything as they stared at the bright horizon. They didn't want to break the perfect moment with unnecessary speech. Instead, they enjoyed the comfortable, peaceful moment of silence in an otherwise hectic and dangerous world.

The sun crawled higher on the edge of the horizon, bringing a flood of light along the sea's surface. Tiny rainbows danced amidst the crashing waves as the droplets of water fractured the light.

Gently, Sera placed her head on Bea's shoulder, and without a word, Bea pressed her left cheek against the top of Sera's head.

They continued in silence for a few more minutes, but when the sun fully rose into the sky, Sera spoke...

"I wish this moment could last forever," She whispered, afraid the tranquil atmosphere would break.

Bea chuckled, which shook her upper body. The shakes traveled along her shoulder and reached Sera's head. Strangely, it warmed Sera's heart as she felt all of Bea's slight movements... as if their bodies were connected not just emotionally but physically too...

"I wish that too, but this moment will end soon, sadly... You're important to the Angelic Order and to Earth's future, which means you've got lots of responsibilities!"

Bea chuckled again, while Sera spoke in a small, shy voice...

"We're..."

"What do you mean?" asked Bea, her greenish-gold eyes glinting with confusion.

Sera glanced up from Bea's shoulder and waited until their eyes met. A tiny smile stretched across her lips as she said, "We're both important. Not just me."

"Nah, you're much more important. You're the leader of more than a billion humans, and most treat you as their Goddess. Compared to you, I'm just one of your followers, nothing more!"

The Angel's pristine white wings unfurled and draped over Bea's back. She pulled the magnificent woman just a little closer while whispering into her ear...

"You're important... to me."

A shiver went down Bea's spine as her goosebumps danced along her skin. She used all her willpower and self-restraint to prevent jumping on Sera and kissing her to death.

Instead, she just smiled down at Sera, then leaned forward and gave a small, tender peck on her forehead. Her lips pressed against the Angel for but mere moments. However, for both women, it felt like an eternity that passed by too fast.

They giggled like schoolgirls, while joyous smiles played on their full lips. Both wanted to move forward and press their lips together while embracing each other, yet neither made a move.

To do everything right, they needed to show restraint and control the love and desire burning in their souls. This way, they can elevate their relationship because they can appreciate all these small, perfect moments!

However, just as Bea predicted, the moment ended soon after, when a person wearing plain white armor appeared, standing on the sandy beach. His glowing pure white eyes stared through the holes of his helmet, gazing upon the beautiful women seated high above on a cliff.

He lifted a plain white silk cloth, which shone under the morning sunlight. The wind tried snatching it from the man's hand, yet his hold stayed firm on the fabric.

The man watched the dancing cloth with a tilted head, seemingly confused by something. Its color remained mostly white, albeit it took on a golden-green hue.

"Interesting... Yesterday it became black... Did she cure her corruption?... Is that why she came here?"

The white-armored man continued mumbling to himself as his form turned transparent. A few seconds later, as if wind pulled him away, nothing remained of the mysterious man.

Neither woman realized anything strange, since their eyes weren't on the sandy shoreline. Instead, they both stared at each other as pure desire burned through their veins.

Amidst all their deep feelings, they failed to see the piece of white cloth appearing behind them. The white knight stepped out of the cloth, his glowing eyes glancing between the two women, unsure about his next steps.

He continued watching them in silence for a few minutes until he began feeling embarrassed.

"Damn, you two might be purer than Purity. And that means a lot coming from me, since I'm Purity!... How can you stare with such restraint? I can smell your eagerness to ravage each other from kilometers away!"

Purity's words echoed loudly inside the cavern. A second didn't even pass as both women jumped to her feet and pressed their weapons against the white knight's throat.

Bea grew her usual wooden longsword, while Sera summoned a curved blade made of Angelic Metal. Golden flames danced along her weapon, and unlike her previous creations, this one looked extremely deadly.

However, just as the weapons moved, Purity chuckled and raised his plain white cloth. Its length seemed to double as the white knight moved his arms faster than both women combined.

The white fabric enveloped the blades of both weapons, but he didn't stop. Moments later, the cloth was already around Sera's wrist and Bea's shoulders, and with a single pull, Purity immobilized both adversaries... At least he thought so...

Neither woman could move, but Sera didn't attempt to. Instead, she summoned a wave of golden flames, which burned away all obstacles, including the white cloth. It also scorched Bea's back, but the magnificent woman barely felt it.

Sera snapped her wings, propelling herself at the white knight. However, the enemy had wings too, and Purity had much more experience using them.

He dodged her charge with ease, while summoning more white cloth. Purity tossed one cloth at Sera, while stepping towards Bea's form.

The flying cloth grew in size until it could cover Sera's entire body. She summoned two curved blades this time, and with their burning blades she easily turned the fabric into tiny ribbons.

However, the second she lost to deal with the approaching threat was crucial. When she laid eyes upon Bea, she was dangling in the air as a white cloth tightened around her throat.

Purity held her midair, his wings keeping them perfectly afloat. A light chuckle echoed from his lips as the glowing white eyes gazed upon the ribbons below.

They began moving once again, quickly enveloping Sera's entire body, other than her feet and head.

"Don't make any hasty movements, Last Angel! You've no idea—..."

Before Purity could've said anything else, a liquid silvery metal spread from Sera's feet. It covered the entire floor, the walls, the ceiling and even the wide opening. Golden flames moved inside the metal as it solidified.

"I think you shouldn't make any hasty movements, Mr. Purity! I destabilized the Angelic Metal, and a single touch could set off an explosion even you won't survive!"

Purity snorted in contempt.

"Why would I touch the Divine Metal?"

"I wasn't talking to you," said Sera, cutting into Purity's words once again.

Bea's greenish-gold eyes went wide. In the next second, sharp vines grew from her shoulders, and with quick movements they cut through most of Bea's skin and muscle, until only her spine connected her body and neck.

Purity stared down at her insane action in shock. If she cut the spine, her body would hit the Angelic Metal, setting off the explosion.

"Just some advice, Purity! While all of us will perish in the explosions, me and Bea will come back to life, unlike you!"

Sera wasn't certain whether Bea would actually survive the explosion, not that she planned to find out. This entire explosion was nothing but a well-designed bluff.

If she would've sat off an actual explosion with all this Angelic Metal, then all the Arachnids would perish from the cave-ins. She would rather avoid killing innocents, especially from a race that's friendly towards humans and Angels.

She gambled on the fact that Purity knew nothing of her. He might had a basic idea, from Peace's accounts, but he didn't understand Sera's core values and her personality.

The white glow dimmed in Purity's gaze, as if he narrowed his eyes. His wings twitched with each wingbeat. He looked quite unsure about the next step in his plan.

Eventually, she began chuckling and let the white cloth around Sera's body dissolve into specks of light.

"Fine, you win this time, Last Angel. I'd rather not be blown to smithereens, that would dirty my perfect, pure white armor with my own blood and gore... Such an unsightly scene. Disgusting!"

He sighed while shaking his head, then began dissolving the cloth around Bea's neck.

The ground below Bea became free of Angelic Metal, but the rest of the room stayed untouched, trapping everybody inside.

Bea fell toward the ground, and the moment her body touched the stone, she turned into a root, and disappeared. A second later, a small vine grew from Sera's shoulder and gently wrapped itself around her neck.

Sera hid her surprise, even though she didn't expect such a ridiculous move from Bea. It seemed Sera wasn't the only person who learned more about her abilities in those memories.

Her golden-green eyes focused on the white knight as he landed on the ground. His pure white wings folded close behind his back, and soon his glowing eyes met Sera's own.

"Let's have a chat, shall we?" asked Purity, with a light chuckle.