Angel Monarch

Kim watched as Lilith jumped off from Castor's back with ease and ran towards Bran and Melinda.

She giggled like a little girl meeting her friends after a long time away. Seeing her like this finally made Kim realize how much younger Lilith was.

Lilith gave both of them two big hugs and began talking with them. Kim's full concentration was on her mount, so she couldn't hear what they were saying.

Agnes helped her jump and land on the asphalt. Looking to the side, she saw people walking along the road, watching the enormous beasts with awe.

After everyone got off, the hippogryphs took to the sky once more. Kim watched them fly southward, and she wondered how many of these creatures existed.

She stood there, in the middle of the road, staring until their forms were only specks in the cloudy blue sky.

"Beautiful creatures, aren't they?" Asked a male voice next to her.

She looked to the side, then up and stared into Bran's brown eyes. He tried to make a comforting smile, but it was a clear failure.

From one look it wasn't obvious, but Kim saw through the facade without a problem. It was hidden there, in those hollow eyes... He was in pain. Not physical, of course, but it was there.

Kim turned away, back towards the sky, where the hippogryphs weren't visible anymore.

"What are they?"

She had seen nothing like them. Throughout her years, she had only heard rumors of creatures that weren't trying to kill everyone in sight. Even in the past two years, she never met any.

"They are a race called hippogryph, created by the angelic beings in a Realm called Aerin. They made them to be fast war mounts, and after the Realm's destruction, they sought refuge on Earth."

He recounted the creatures summed up history with ease, having read through them loads of times in the past two years.

It was lucky that they had a giant archive of this information. It made searching for specific entries much easier.

Also, Sera tasked a group of researchers to find and manage any information connected to Aerin. Bran did not know why she tasked them with this, and in his curiosity, he spent a lot of time reading up on that specific Realm.

"Why are they here helping you?" She asked, turning back towards Bran.

His eyes still stared towards the sky. He seemed to reminisce about some past happy memory. Whatever it was, it made him sad.

"Why else... It's because of her, of course!" He answered in a whisper, his voice melancholic.

Kim knew who he was talking about. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure what to say or ask. After a few tries, she just sighed and asked the question that interested her the most. The question she never cared to ask before...

"Who is the Phoenix?"

Hearing the question, Bran looked surprised, then chuckled with a small genuine smile on his face. The smile was weird and unnatural on his usually depressed face.

Without saying a word, he began walking inside the building. Kim followed a step behind him. Only now did she notice that everyone else had already left the area.

The military headquarters was colorful, red and gold, the dominant colors, with a few splashes of pure white here and there. The designs on the walls were lavish for Kim's taste.

There were also a few statues depicting a female wearing dress and holding a glaive.

It didn't take long for the 3D pictures of Sera to get leaked, and now a lot of places had similar statues being made. A few people tweaked their designs, so some statues she had an angry expression and were wearing armor. On others, she had no weapon and her face had a tender smile.

There were also ones which depicted her in not child friendly positions and clothing, but the people who made those disappeared overnight.

They were a new symbol of the Order. On each statue or photo or carving, there was always the seven-pointed star somewhere.

To this day, Bran did not know where the star came from. He even asked Lilith about it, but she didn't know either. It was strange, like at some point it just appeared and became a symbol.

Walking through the hallways, Kim watched all the statues, carvings and other embellishments in both awe of their beauty and confusion for their purpose.

By her research, people worshipped the Phoenix, or at least the ideals she stood for, but they weren't this far gone in their mystic belief.

After reaching a random door, Bran opened the room and let Kim inside.

She looked around the small room. It had two couches facing each other, with a small table in the middle. On the side, a large window let the sunshine through, and in one corner there seemed to be a small kitchen area, with a fridge, microwave, sink and a coffee machine.

When Kim looked around the room, she wasn't impressed... "Is this the best accommodation you could provide for me? Really?"

Behind them, Bran closed the door and stared at her with confusion. He then began looking around the room as well, trying to understand what she was referring to.

"Do you think this is your living quarter?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, and judging by Kim's ashamed blush, he guessed right.

With a small chuckle, he moved to the kitchen area and brewed coffee. Kim, without saying a word, walked to one of the couches and sat down.

After a few minutes of brewing, Bran sat on the opposite couch and put two cups of coffee on the table.

"I didn't know how you liked it, so I took the liberty and put both milk and sugar inside."

He said, while taking a small sip. Kim looked at the coffee with distrust, then using the spoon she began the stir it and after a while taste it. She had never been a coffee fan, but refusing it felt rude.

Bran watched the display with a small, comforting smile. It was clear he was struggling to keep this fake persona going, but for her sake, he tried his best.

"So you want to know more about Sera. Why, if you don't mind me asking?"

Kim looked thoughtful after hearing the question. She did not know why she wanted to learn more about the Phoenix. There was a deep hole inside her, one that demanded to be filled with missing knowledge.

The reason she wanted to know was to get a different perspective. Having realized the bias in her prior research, she pursued an alternative approach.

"I want to know more... I want to learn more... Because I might have been harsh on my first judgement..." The words hurt as they left her mouth, and she felt a small sense of betrayal.

It was the feeling of her family dying without getting their much needed closure... Or maybe it was her need for revenge.

"Why do you lie? Not to me, but to yourself... Unlike all those other people you met, I know what Sera had done in your past. I understand if you would want to kill her, and get your vengeance sated, but you shouldn't lie about it."

After hearing that, Kim's eyes widened, and she felt a bit trapped in this small room. It felt like this was a setup, and she would get slaughtered soon.

She watched Bran with suspicion, but he made no sudden move. His eyes bore into her green ones, and without breaking eye-contact he took a long sip of his coffee.

It took Kim over a minute to calm down and think about what Bran said. He was right and wrong at the same time. She wanted both to fill content and solve this issue without murder.

This was the real reason she wanted to know more. In her mind, maybe if the Phoenix was a great person, and that was just a single accident, then she could let go of her revenge and try to cope with her emotions in another way.

"I'm not lying. I wanted to kill the Phoenix, since she deserved it, but now I'm not so sure..." She looked away towards the large window and watched the soldiers move on the street.

On the other couch, Bran chuckled to himself, which brought Kim's eyes back to him.

"Lies yet again... Wait, let me finish... Before you try to explain yourself again, try answering this question first... What caused this change in you? Why do you want to know more about the person you hate the most? Why do you want to find a reason to forgive her for killing you entire family?"

With each question, he drove the nail further into the point he wanted to make. It took no thought this time for Kim to answer.

"Because when I looked into a mirror, I couldn't recognize myself, and I hated myself more than I ever hated the Phoenix..." she said with sadness, finally understanding why Bran called her a liar.

She was, in fact, lying. This quest for answers had nothing to do with Sera... She just wanted to find a reason to forgive her, and then maybe she could find a reason to forgive herself, too.

"Say her name."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Bran's voice echoed in the small room, demanding Kim's attention. She looked at him with confusion, then with a small tremble in her voice she said... "Seraphine."

Saying it out loud felt like pulling teeth. In her life, she never referred to Sera by her name. It was always 'the Phoenix' for her. She didn't want to name the person of her nightmares, but now things were different.

As the name left her mouth, something tiny changed inside her. With this, she gave a name for the monster, which then gave her a face, a personality, a life...

It was easy to be angry towards a faceless monster who killed her family without remorse, but hating an actual person was way harder.

Hearing her answer, Bran nodded with satisfaction...

"You have a choice to make, Kim. You can follow this path of revenge, and maybe you will succeed, but it will be hollow and it will leave you hating yourself. Killing from hate is never fulfilling, and it won't stop the nightmares... There is only one remedy for that."

Kim already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from his mouth... "What is it?"

"To let go... The past has already happened, we can't change it. Sera to this day hates herself for that one mistake and I give you the same advice as I gave her... Forgive her and yourself, let go of the past..."

Bran spread his arms, encompassing not just this room, but the entire city.

"This here is a new start. That's what Sera wanted to give you... She can't make the past right, can't bring you family back to life, but she can give you a chance..."

He stood up, and while walking towards the door, he spoke...

"I will leave this room and return in about half an hour. You have until then to figure everything out... This is a fresh start. You can either go back to your revenge, or maybe join us and help the world... You can also just leave, and be a regular person... It is your choice."

With that, he left the room, leaving Kim with her thoughts as the only company.

She walked towards the large glass pane window and stared at it until she saw her own reflection. The tiny young girl stared back with green eyes.

The words continued to echo inside her head... 'Fresh start'. Maybe that's what she needed... Or maybe not. She did not know.

"Revenge or Forgiveness." she said the words in a whisper, trying to find the answer to this question. Discover exclusive tales at empire

On her reflection, a small confident smile appeared... She made her choice...