The day was already upon them before they knew it, and Old Jack departed for his service.
Morgaine was quickly caught up by her mother about their departure and the reason for it.
It was something she was already a bit aware of, and their fears of wanting to leave weren’t unreasonable.
As the Chosen, she was well aware of the Dominare family’s acts and knew the way they could retaliate.
Truly, leaving for an Angelic Royal House like the Nobita was really the best move.
After she had been caught up on things, she tried to move a little, but pain racked her entire body, eventually forcing her to succumb to her bed once more.
She wasn’t injured anymore, as that had already been taken care of by the high-grade healing serum Ryuk had given her.
But there remained a crippling soreness that hadn’t completely healed yet.
Eventually, Mrs. Lynia had to head out to get some of the things they needed.
They had moved in quickly the night before, and now she could finally complete all the other important errands.
It left Morgaine alone in her room, silently gazing out the window, the streaks of sunlight partly illuminating her face.
’I wonder how he feels now...’ the thought echoed in her mind as her eyes grew distant.
Suddenly, the rays of sunlight illuminating her face seemed to dim, and strands of air tussled around her.
Her brows creased faintly when she noticed the window had been opened more than she remembered.
’The breeze here must be quite strong,’ she thought silently.
But then, she caught a smell in the room.
A smell that filled her with familiarity and nostalgia.
She sat up, resting against the headboard, while her gaze drifted from the window to the room itself.
She didn’t have to search long.
Immediately, she noticed the figure sitting on the chair at her left side, both hands on his cheeks as he blinked twice at her.
"You’re up."
His voice carried relief, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Unconsciously, a line of tears slid down her cheeks as her fingers clenched the sheets covering her.
"I...I...I’m sorr—"
She had yet to complete the words when a hand gently caught her jaw, lifting her face.
All she saw in her line of sight were those rosy red lips.
Before she knew it, her apology was halted, replaced by a soul-deep kiss that sent her into a trance.
It seemed like nothing more than a kiss to the outside world, but to both, it was communication.
From their lips touching, she could feel his yearnings, a mix of sadness from her absence and love from the value he placed on her.
From her, he could feel guilt and pain, mixed with fear.
She was sad for making him suffer through all those troubles, and the thought of it set her heart aching.
With it came the fear: fear of him hating her.
Fear of him... leaving.
Their lips parted after they both understood. She held his hands closer to her face.
"I’m sorry," she whispered, golden-crystal tears falling, though they reached no further than the finger that gently wiped them away.
"I understand," he replied.
Suddenly, she jumped into his chest, hugging him tightly.
His warmth.
His scent.
The overwhelming feeling of nostalgia.
All of it was something she would gladly drown in for eternity.
How?
How foolish of her to leave all of this in the pursuit of power.
His hug felt a hundred times better than breaking through a cultivation stage.
His soft words reached the deepest part of her, a place Fallen Energy could never touch, no matter how much it thrummed in her blood.
Power was ephemeral, with just one unfortunate incident being capable of stripping her of it, and even her life, but...
What existed in this world that could strip away his love for her, or erase her from his memories?
Would she only ever realize this when she finally loses him?
"I am so foolish..." she whispered to herself, but being so close, it went straight into his ears.
"That...that might actually be true," he whispered back.
A giggle escaped her lips, the swirling cloud of negativity fading away.
"You dickhead..." she cursed, but even that only gave him the familiarity.
How much he had missed, even her curses.
"Well, that was fast," he said seriously this time.
Her face showed shock before dropping into dejection once more.
"I’m sorry..." she murmured.
"No, idiot. I’m just messing with you, hahaha."
"You! YOU DICKHEAD!" she screamed, pouncing on him like a wild beast.
But her body winced in pain when his hand faintly brushed her back.
Even though it lasted less than a second, he noticed and asked,
"Does it hurt?"
"No," she lied, and he knew.
"Don’t worry about it, I’ll grow another pair of wings in no time."
As a halo is to an Angel, so are wings to a Fallen.
They held the runes of their power, their control over Fallen Energy.
Having them ripped off and discarded equated to being half-crippled, and it naturally brought with it pain.
New wings eventually grew back, given enough time, but that can never stop the lingering agony, the body’s constant reminder of having lost the last ones.
He sat up in the bed, with her seated on him, and asked,
"Can I see it?"
"I don’t want you to feel guilty about it," she replied softly, shaking her head.
"Do you want me to take your clothes off, then?" he teased with a mischievous grin, watching her face turn red like a tomato.
But then, she raised both hands, waiting for him.
Now it was Ryuk’s turn to blush, covering his face with both hands.
The sight made her burst into laughter, taunting him.
"And I thought you’d grown a bit bolder."
But she spared him further embarrassment, turning her back to him instead and slipping off her clothes.
Now, Ryuk could see the gaping wounds.