Fallen Skies

Revelation

Having enough of the General, and before he could remark on Emmanuel's words, Emmanuel turned to leave the room from the doors he had entered through, though he stopped when he saw Ahani's frozen frame in the shadows of the open door. He moved toward her to try to explain himself, though she didn't give him the chance. It was as if a switch had been flipped, Emmanuel's movements sending Ahani into another fight or flight reaction. She bolted away from the door, causing the Fallen to move to try to follow her, though he tripped up on the stool that was still askew beside him. He shoved it aside, giving chase.

"Keep your pet on a leash! I can't guarantee her safety once the others find out you have brought a human into our ranks! I can guarantee, however, that it won't be pleasant for either of you!" The General hissed after him, his words like venom hanging in the air as Emmanuel left the room in a rush to try to catch up to Ahani, who by now, had a head start on him.

Emmanuel ignored his General, focusing more on trying to stop Ahani as she ran down the hallway away from him. In the short period that she had been there, she had healed well, and it seemed that the adrenaline and fear that coursed through her pushed her into overdrive. She stumbled as she ran, Emmanuel feeling a twinge of something inside him as she steadied herself against the wall and vanished around the corner ahead of him. This misstep didn't stop Ahani as she tried to find a way out, and Emmanuel found himself having to use his wings to balance as he slid around a corner after her, her speed picking up quite quickly in her frantic state.

"I can explain everything to you if you just..." Emmanuel stopped when he realized where Ahani was headed. She couldn't find an exit through a door, though a large open balcony that overlooked the river that ran past the keep came into view, and Ahani was headed right for it. "WAIT!" He shouted, using his wings to propel himself forward in an attempt to get to her before she got to the railing. As he reached out for her at the door, she ducked under his hand, evading his grasp. He watched, his wings prickling in fear as she hurried to the wall.

"Don't touch me!" Ahani screamed as she turned to face him as he tried to take another step toward her, backing up so the stone wall that ran around the curved edge met the small of her back. Tears streaked down the soft skin of her face, the once pale color now a faintly ashy shade of gray. She panted heavily as she rested her hands on top of the stone wall, meaning to pull herself up onto it. Emmanuel put his hands up, showing he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Just give me a moment to explain," Emmanuel said, taking a step toward Ahani. She shifted, lifting herself to sit on the edge of the wall, making him stop. The Fallen's wings rose with alarm as he watched her. He didn't want to force her to do anything that might hurt her, as she wasn't capable of surviving a fall from that height. Out of concern for her safety, he didn't move another step.

"I don't want to listen!" Ahani choked out a sob. Emmanuel found himself taken back by this, a pinch in his chest forming as she continued. "You took me away from my family! You took me away from a life that I was happy with!" Her shouting dissolved into sobs as she moved a little further toward the edge, small pieces of the loose stone of the wall crumbling under her as she moved. "If you won't take me back, I'm going to take it back... You heard your General. I'm just a creature that you took pity on..." She whimpered, her words barely making it through the heaviness of her tears.

"Please..." Emmanuel whispered, his words echoing in her head. She lowered her head to avoid looking at Emmanuel, her dark hair sweeping across her face as a breeze kicked up. Emmanuel took this chance to quickly move toward her, reaching out and wrapping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her off the wall as she began to lean back and lift her hands off the edge that was holding her in place. Taken by surprise, Ahani didn't get the chance to fight him back as he drew her into his bare chest, the heavy scent of which reminded her of incense filling her nose as his wings folded around her. Emmanuel could feel her trembling against his chest and wings, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest as adrenaline thundered through his veins. "Just let me explain myself..." his words were now in her ears, more than in her head, as they had been before. It had been like he was speaking into her mind, but now he spoke out loud. "I did what I had to... there is a law that states if we take the life of an innocent, we have to do what it takes to make sure they survive..."

"So you made... you made me a monster to follow some kind of law..." Ahani cried, trying to shove away from Emmanuel, though his grip was strong. His arm around her shoulder tightened, as did his wings. No matter how hard she pushed against his chest, she was stuck in place. It was clear he was trying to keep her from anything that she might do to harm herself, but Ahani didn't care. She wanted to get as far away from him as she could.

"We are not monsters... you are not a monster..." Emmanuel whispered. This time, his tone sounded hurt, but there was also a comforting note to it, as if he were trying to reassure both her and himself. "We are not to blame for what happened to your world. Our arrival was meant to help you... Fallen as we are, God and his Angels were too comfortable in their clouded thrones to lend a hand, so we were sent in their place..." He slowly began to let her go, discomfort growing as he could still feel her struggling against him to get away. He didn't completely release her, not wanting to risk her making another attempt to jump the wall. "I didn't want to see you fall like the others had. It was my fault that you had to go through what you did, it's my responsibility to see to it that you survive. I suppose that monster is an accurate term for those that let the innocent die... but I'm not like them. I refuse to allow someone to die just to keep my own self-righteous path,"

Ahani struggled for a moment longer before the adrenaline began to wear off, her stomach aching each time she pushed against Emmanuel's chest and shoulders. She resorted to simply standing still, her tears spilling forward again, though she refused his comfort. She was angry, scared. Despite Emmanuel's being there, Ahani felt as though she were alone in the world. And it wasn't even a world of her own. She wasn't among those that would accept her for who she was. "I want to go back..." She whispered when she finally regained her composure enough to speak.

"I can't take you back... there is no way to reverse what has been done," Emmanuel said, sighing. Ahani shook her head once. Emmanuel looked down at her, confused.

"I want to go back to bed," Ahani mumbled. Emmanuel's words had cut through her like a knife. There was no going back, no going home. No seeing her mother, father, or brother again. Not in this life, nor the next. Everything she had ever heard told her that Fallen go to a different place when they die, and now she was stuck with that same fate.

Emmanuel took a step to the side without a word, lowering his wings from around her and tucking them to his back before he started to walk her toward her room. As they passed the organ room, he glanced inside, taking note that the General was gone. However, not knowing where he was and the way he had spoken about Ahani had him on edge. As much as he hated himself for what he had done, it was his responsibility to ensure Ahani's safety. She was right. He had taken her from her family, from the life she had had, and all because of the war between the Fallen and Humans. It wasn't Ahani's place on the field, and if he had been paying attention like he had been trained to, she would still be with her family. Not stuck in a world that was so foreign to her that she had to learn how to live all over again.

Noting the way Emmanuel had stared into the room, Ahani looked up at the Fallen's masked face. He turned his head some, his glowing eyes resting on her face. Ahani looked away, waiting for a moment before Emmanuel started walking again, guiding her down the hall with a hand between her shoulders. It took all of Ahani's will not to pull away from his touch.

Beneath the tunic that she wore, Emmanuel could feel the faintest beginnings of wings forming, though they hadn't yet begun to grow outward. It was more of a sensation that he could feel, though he knew the process would take some time. Emmanuel made a mental note to explain this to Ahani when she was a little more relaxed and willing to accept the information that he had for her.

Emmanuel opened the door for Ahani once they reached her room, offering to help her, though she ducked away from his touch. She hadn't been able to keep her composure any longer, the need to be away from him filling her to bursting. Emmanuel's wings lowered a little, though he didn't move to follow her. He watched as she walked to her bed, crawled into it, and buried herself under the blankets. It was as if she was trying to hide herself from the world she now had to call her own. Swallowing against a lump that began to form in his throat, Emmanuel shifted a little where he stood. "If you need anything at all, I'll be down in the organ room," he said softly. Getting nothing in response, Emmanuel took this as his sign to leave. It would take time, but eventually he would be able to talk to Ahani, and hopefully make things make some sense to her.

Taking his leave, Emmanuel made his way toward the organ room, his wings loose at his back. Thoughts ran through his mind, thoughts he had never had to deal with before. How was he going to keep her safe if she wouldn't even let him close? This new obstacle was one he was going to have to learn to work around. As the one that brought her into the world she now occupied, it was his duty to make sure Ahani was safe until she could defend herself, and even after, he would still have to be there for her. Defending herself was just the first step. Ahani would need to learn the ways of the Fallen, and he was the one that would have to teach her.

Emmanuel slid the stool back to where it belonged in front of the organ and sat down, though he didn't really feel much like playing. He didn't really feel like doing much at all, wanting desperately to explain things to Ahani, though her refusal to even look at him would make that difficult. He ran his fingers over the ivory keys, his ghostly white eyes studying them for a moment before he closed the lid over the keys and rested his elbows on it. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his hooded head and lowering his wings to the floor. Frustrated with himself, angry with the General, and worried about Ahani, Emmanuel felt himself slip into a depressive state, tears welling behind his mask as he began to weep. He was glad for his moment of solitude, as he wasn't sure if he could handle being around anyone else at the time. Letting go of his emotions, Emmanuel's shoulders shook in the candlelight, his head buried in his hands.