Chapter Text
The angel falling out of the sky was the last thing you expected to encounter during your camping trip.
You’d started a tradition of camping on your three-day weekends ever since you landed a job that actually gave paid federal holidays. Your campsite of choice sat at the end of a winding dirt road, deep enough into the woods to feel alone, but close enough to civilization that a bear box wasn’t required for food or scented items.
The most dangerous things out here were the odd coyote and the rare black bear. Easy enough to scare off.
The night sky glittered above you, cloudless and inky black. Perfect for stargazing. Dinner was already cleaned up. You sat by the campfire and let yourself relax, staring up at the stars as the Milky Way spilled across the sky in a way you never saw in the city, where harsh lights drowned everything out.
A gentle summer breeze twisted your hair into elf knots. The crackle of wood burning down into softly glowing embers lulled you deeper into peace.
Then the sound hit.
A blast—loud, concussive, wrong—ripped through the woods.
You startled hard, heart slamming as you lurched upright, half-convinced you’d nodded off and fallen over. But no. You were still seated. Still awake.
Movement caught in your periphery.
Far above, something tore through the atmosphere, a meteor streaking across the sky, its fiery plasma sheath lighting up the darkness.
What in the—?
You lunged to your feet, trying to get a better look.
Whatever it was, it was coming in fast.
And then you saw the wings.
The thing falling wasn’t just a meteor. It was winged. Humanoid, unmistakably so.
Two thoughts collided in your mind:
Aliens are real.
And—holy fuck, I’ve got to help them.
Before you could think it through, you were running.
Branches tore at your clothes. Bushes snagged your skin. You barely registered it. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug, and you were fully charged, sprinting toward the blazing figure falling from the sky.
The trees broke open into a meadow just as your legs pushed you faster, eyes locked on the free-faller. They were close now. Too close.
Some feral instinct screamed at you to catch them. In your adrenaline-soaked brain, that felt reasonable.
“I’m coming!” you shouted, nearly tripping over a half-buried stone.
By sheer luck, you stayed on your feet.
Your arms stretched out—but you were still at least fifty feet away.
They hit the ground.
The impact detonated.
A wave of energy slammed into you, hurling you backward. You gasped as you skidded across the earth, rolling hard before coming to rest in a heap. Dirt, grass, and stone rained down. You threw your arms over your head, lungs burning as you fought to breathe after the sprint.
When the debris finally stopped, you pushed yourself up on shaking arms and looked toward the impact site.
Your chest heaved.
A small crater smoked in the center of the meadow.
And in the middle of it…
Oh god.
Was that a person?
Adrenaline surged again as you scrambled to your feet. “Hold on!” you yelled, already moving, sliding down into the crater.
The figure lay crumpled on their side. Beautiful golden wings—streaked with white along the feathered edges—had fallen to cover most of their body. They looked like a fallen bird, all gleam and ruin.
They weren’t moving.
“Shit.” You hurried to their side, carefully placing a hand on their shoulder. Training from long-ago first aid classes kicked in as your thoughts raced. “My name’s Silviana. I’m trained in first aid. I can help you.”
You eased them into a recovery position. Their limbs were solid, strong, but strangely light for their size. You had the distinct impression they’d tower over you if they stood.
Wounds covered their body. Golden blood shimmered where it spilled, glowing faintly like molten metal. Their hair was white, thick, and long. White robes showed beneath shimmering steel armor.
You couldn’t tell if they were male or female. If they were alien, did that even apply?
They stirred.
Four eyes opened.
Two were set normally, framed by white lashes, brilliant gold and sharp with awareness. Another pair opened along their cheekbones.
You bit back a yelp.
All of their pupils constricted as they focused on you.
“Hey,” you said quickly, already tearing your flannel into strips, pocketknife flashing in your hands. “I’m Silviana… Sil. I’m trained in first aid. Try to stay still. You’re really hurt.”
Your mouth was running. You knew it. You didn’t know how to stop.
The being regarded you for a long moment.
Then their lips curved into a soft, closed-mouth smile.
“Thank you, Sil.”
Their mouth didn’t move. The sound echoed directly in your mind.
You flinched.
Gentle laughter chimed through your thoughts, amused—and then cut off sharply as pain crossed their face.
“Just hold on,” you murmured, shifting closer as you wrapped a strip of flannel around a deep gash in their forearm.
They looked like they’d been through a battle. The wounds weren’t random—they mapped violence, intent, precision.
Angel.
The word hit fully formed, panic and confusion colliding in your chest. Angel was the only thing that made sense. So that was what they were.
“We haven’t much time,” the voice echoed again as they cradled their side.
You reached for their armor, and they caught your hand.
“No, Silviana. It’s too late for me. I failed.”
Their grip tightened. Shimmering tears traced paths over metallic eyes as they met your gaze. They were unbearably beautiful.
“I can help,” you said, forcing a smile even as fear burned behind your eyes. “I can try.”
“There’s no time.”
Their gaze lifted to the sky. Yours followed.
Your heart stopped.
High above, something massive tore downward. Angular, vast, wrong. Not a ship. More like a broken piece of something impossibly large.
Big enough to erase cities.
A hysterical bark of laughter tore out of your throat as you looked back down at the angel. You squeezed their hand. Hard.
“Even if this is a nightmare,” you said, voice shaking, “I’m not leaving you.”
Their grip tightened.
“You’re kind.”
This time their mouth moved. The sound filled both your ears and your mind. Beautiful. Devastating.
“If the world ends,” you muttered, numbly pulling back armor from their worst wound, “I’ll at least try to make it hurt less.”
“No. Silviana.” They cupped your cheek, guiding your face to theirs. Their skin was impossibly warm. “This wound is fatal. I failed Earth. I failed humanity. But I can still save you.”
“What?” You shook your head. “You didn’t fail. You were injured.”
“We are at war.”
They nodded skyward. “That impact will destroy half the continent.”
Your mind went blank.
“Silviana. My name is—”
The sound fractured into static, then resolved into something you felt rather than heard.
Nathanial.
“Thank you,” they whispered. “For your kindness.”
Their skin began to glow.
Golden markings, brushstroke-like, almost alive, spread across their body, curling from their hands up beneath their jaw. Light bled from their eyes, their mouth. Their teeth—sharp, predatory—caught the glow.
Every instinct screamed run.
You stayed.
They expelled a sphere of pure light into their hand. As it formed, the gold drained from their wings, their markings paling as if leached away.
All of their eyes fixed on you.
Approach.
You didn’t choose to move.
Suddenly the light hovered inches from your face, blazing like a million fireflies compressed into a single burning star.
“What… is that?” you whispered.
“The essence of my power.”
Their body trembled violently now.
“You will live on,” Nathanial said softly. “If I can save one good soul… it is enough.”
“I’m sorry I can’t guide you.”
“What—”
Open.
Your mouth opened before you could stop it.
The light rushed in.
You couldn’t breathe.
Heat detonated in your chest, blooming outward, roaring through your veins. Fire consumed you from the inside out.
You clawed at your throat, eyes wild, reaching for Nathanial—but they were already fading, their form turning smooth and white.
Peace, Sil.
Peace?
Your back arched as agony tore through your spine. Something burned between your shoulder blades.
The world narrowed.
A vortex spiraled open beneath you as Nathanial’s body burned away like ash.
You fell.
Chiming echoed through your mind.
You jolted awake.
Everything shimmered, patterns woven into the world itself, as if reality were made of glowing script. You lay on golden sand beneath a ceiling that opened to blinding light.
You were breathing.
Air flooded your lungs. You gasped, clutching your throat, tears spilling freely.
When you shifted, sand rippled beneath you.
And your shadow had wings.
You laughed weakly, dragging your hands down your face. “Okay. Okay. I get it. I’m dreaming.”
Laughter rippled through the space in response.
When you touched the ground, fire surged through your veins. Pain lanced up your arm. You recoiled.
The room shuddered. The walls, if they were walls, began to dissolve.
“Wait!” you shouted as everything collapsed. “I don’t understand!”
Anger flared.
Heat answered.
Fire burst outward…
And you were falling again.
Darkness swallowed you whole.