The Guardian Demon (The Guardians of Nine Heavens #3)

Chapter 16: Joan and Tsukishiro

Joan stared at the suddenly-appeared bizarre man in a stupor and trembled in a corner.

"W... Who are you?" she dared inquire.

The man stood motionless, watching her with his yellow eyes full of wisdom, strictness, and... softness, that she had never received from anyone's gaze before.

"You want to find perfect peace within, child?" A deep, quiet voice sounded throughout the room.

Joan stared at the man, too timid to reply. She still quivered in the corner, too confused and frightened to think of how to act. Her stomach gave a response in her place - it grumbled as loud as it could, unable to withstand the whole day's hunger (added that even when the orphans were fed the food was but scarce). Hearing such a loud grumble, she widened her eyes, flushed up, and shyly looked up at the man, just to see him raise both of his eyebrows. His clawed hand moved towards her. The frightened girl, used to getting beaten for asking for food when it was not due, covered herself with her scarred hands. 

The painful hits Joan anticipated, never came. Surprised, she took her hands off her face and glanced at the man again, just to get wonderstruck - the clawed hand was proffering a giant dark round candy to her. She gasped - it was not just any candy, but the famous expensive sweets from beyond the oceans - chocolate! She stared at the man in astonishment - was this delicious treasure for... her? Once she spotted the mysterious guest's faint, but kind smile, she began to believe that it was indeed so. She raised her trembling hand and grabbed the candy. Once she bit it, her eyes widened with delight. She munched the giant chocolate, enjoying every bite of it as if she were in the seventh heaven. The minute she finished eating, she felt the sense of hunger and starvation had completely gone, along with the sense of thirst. She grew shocked - was this candy perchance... magical? Who was this stranger?

As she wanted to ask this to the mysterious man, she felt unearthly warmth embrace her cold body, and a bizarre sense of heavenly happiness pour into her heart. She noticed the man's fluffy white fur shawl had embraced her. Truly, he was not an earthly creature.

"A... Are you an angel?" she dared murmur, watching him with her innocent light blue eyes full of grateful tears.

"Call me whatever your heart desires, but I am indeed an unearthly warrior." The mysterious spirit gave her a kind beam while his shawl had wrapped her up, sending her the heavenly warmth. "I've heard your lament and so I came. I aid those suffering souls who desire to attain perfect freedom... for the perfection is I."

The girl gasped - indeed, he was an angel! She had read in multiple books in the convent library that there existed many sorts of angels, governing over many types of matters, so this heavenly spirit should be the angel of perfection! Her eyes filled with happy tears:

"So, you came for me, even though I don't possess high spiritual power?"

A faint smile ran through the man's lips.

"Your spiritual power is not weak, Joan. In fact, it greatly exceeds many of the highly-regarded priests. Otherwise, your voice would not have reached my ears."

"Huh?" Joan grew dumbfounded, "How's that possible? I'm not a priest and not even a nun, but a simple child! An abandoned orphan..." Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Innocent children who suffer greatly in this world, and cry out for salvation to the skies, have far greater power to reach us..." The man caressed her on the golden hair, while the shawl wrapped her in itself even tighter, filling her with the complete delight.

Joan's head began to go dizzy from so much happiness she could not explain. She only smiled and snuggled into the spirit's shawl.

"Is this what eternal peace feels like?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then, I want it..." A tiny tear streamed down her cheek anew. "Will you take me with you? To your beautiful world full of peace..."

"Unfortunately, here my time is limited."

The man caressed her and then let her go. The shawl, too, let go of her and wrapped itself around its owner once more. Feeling that she had been forsaken by that absolute delight she had undergone just a minute ago, even more tears poured down the girl's cheeks. She grabbed the man's foot:

"Wait! Please, don't leave me!"

The man stopped and glanced back at her with a soft gaze.

"I'm not. I have already visited you in this world and have shown you what my world feels like. Now it is up to you, Joan, to decide which path to follow. If you choose wisely, you might even be able to reach me... I'll be longing for your visit to my world."

"B... But, how can I reach you?" Joan, frightened that the kind spirit was indeed going to leave, sobbed out, "Please, at least give me some hint! Please... I want to see you again..."

"Do not give in to this life's calamities. Strive to find your happiness, and you shall reach me." The spirit began fading.

"Wait!" Joan cried out in distress. She pressed her hands to her chest: "What is your name, kind angel? So I could remember it always, and keep it in my heart!"

The spirit vanished, his voice sounding like a soft echo in the stunned child's ears:

"Tsukishiro."