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A long, long time ago, monsters almost wiped humanity out entirely. Humans with their makeshift weapons and frail bodies were no match for the monsters, warped creatures that could break a human in half with but a single strike, and all hope seemed to be lost.
That is, until the gods took pity on them. Disgusted at the idea of a world ruled by mindless beasts, the gods decided to create and send in divine servants to the humans' aid. These servants, these angels, defended the humans and drove away the monsters. With their lives no longer spent in a constant state of survival and fear, the humans found it easier to establish large, settled communities. In order to protect the humans, the gods decided to designate an angel to guard each one of these settlements.
But only one.
And so it comes to a surprise when Lucilia finds herself face to face with another angel at the town gate. The angel stands cross-armed, red hair a wild nest, a sword sheathed on her hip. This one stands a whole head taller than Lucilia, but despite her stature, despite the glare set on her face, she is a lanky thing, one that Lucilia feels like she can topple with a thrust of her lance.
My goddess? Lucilia, though she stands her ground and returns the stranger's glare with her own, calls for her creator in her mind. She flinches, a bell ringing in her ears.
Train her, Runera answers. The whine disappears, and that was that.
Lucilia sighs. An angel is born with all the combat knowledge (how to hold a weapon, a monster's known weak spots) of their creator- her only teacher is experience itself. The only time Lucilia has ever seen another angel are the rare times when she is authorized to aid them, and those are hardly occasions for pleasantries. She barely interacts with humans themselves, simply watching them from a distance, exchanging a hello or two every now and then. How in the world is she supposed to talk to an angel, let alone train one?
Still, Lucilia straightens her back, evening out her gaze. Whatever the reason, if Runera orders her to train her, then train her she shall.
"I'm Lucilia." She extends a hand. "Your name?"
"Minerva." Her voice carries the confidence that Lucilia hopes she can train her to deserve. Minerva gives Lucilia's hand a firm shake. "I'll be in your care."
Lucilia was right to think she could defeat Minerva with one hit. While the knowledge is there, Minerva's mind is disconnected with the rest of her body- her eyes follows Lucilia's movements, but her reaction speed is woefully pathetic, as if she is perpetually caught underwater. Even worse, Lucilia disarms her easily and swiftly at the start of battle each and every time. Minerva might as well be holding a stick of butter rather than a sword.
However, Minerva's one saving grace is her determination. No matter how often she falls, she always gets back up, the fire in her eyes no less diminished. It's astonishing, really- Lucilia has never seen a more incompetent angel, yet she's never seen one so driven either. It's a quality that soothes Lucilia's heart to see; she can believe that Minerva can fulfill her duties. All she needs is a little push to get her to a level where she can actually fulfill them.
"Get up." Lucilia leans down and offers her hand. Minerva stares at it, displeasure written all over the way she knits her eyebrows together. Lucilia rolls her eyes, deciding to use the nickname that she has chosen to call Minerva in order to shorten her far-too long name. "Come on Minnie, get up."
"Don't call me 'Minnie'." Though she scowls, Minerva takes Lucilia's hand. The older angel helps the younger one up to her feet, Minerva jutting her chin up. "If anything, I'm bigger than you."
"Only in height." Lucilia pats Minerva's arms. "You still have a lot of work to do here, although I can feel that they're getting better."
"Really?" Minerva's red eyes twinkle, all displeasure vanishing in an instant. Lucilia chuckles.
"Yes. Keep this up, and you might even be at a fraction of my level."
Minerva scoffs, cuffing Lucilia on the shoulder. "Just you wait- I'll beat you one of these days."
"Good!" Lucilia glances past Minerva, towards the direction of the town Runera had told her Minerva would eventually be in charge of. Though she can only see the rooftops of some of the houses past the hill, Lucilia can see the town in her mind's eye clearly. After all, she had been the one in charge of taking care of it in the interim, as taxing as it is to constantly travel between that town and hers. "You're going to need to be able to if you want any hope of lasting out there on your own. Just the other day, you almost let that wasp monster sting you."
"I know, but I won't let it happen again," Minerva promises. She pauses, and then clears her throat. "Thanks for that, also. For pulling it off of me... and for all the other times too."
Lucilia quirks a brow. "There's no need to thank me. I can hardly have you die now, can I?"
"Yeah, but that's a human thing, isn't it? Thanking people. I've heard them say it before." Minerva purses her lips in a bit of a pout. "I think it's nice, showing some gratitude. You've done a lot for me."
Lucilia blinks. Humans have thanked her before, but she had always shrugged them off. It's not like she was doing anything but her job, and even now it's the same thing. And yet... she can't help but feel a bit warm. Lucilia looks at the sun, which threatens to drop beneath the horizon. It isn't the time of day where it's particularly hot, so why...? Lucilia shakes her head.
"It's getting late," she says finally. "Let's head back." However, she offers Minerva a smile. "Get some rest. You're going to need the energy for our session tomorrow. I'm thinking it's time to take things up a notch."
"Seriously?" Despite the disbelief in her tone, there's anticipation there as well. "Then by all means, lead the way."
The day Minerva formally finishes her training comes sooner than Lucilia likes.
Lucilia grips her lance tightly, blood pricking against where she's practically chewing off her bottom lip. She stands above the hill, brown eyes trained on where Minerva is surrounded by monsters.
Minerva does an admirable job of pushing the back with her sword, but she cannot hold back the wolf monsters for long. The monsters' twin mouths nip at her heels, and while she is distracted pushing them away, she cannot defend against the bear monster that swipes at her, its thick claws the size of her head. Lucilia holds her breath, not even exhaling when Minerva senses the impending danger and rolls away, only for a bird monster try to swoop in on her with its many, many claws.
It's hard to watch.
My goddess, please. Please order me to help. Even as she asks, Lucilia already takes a step forward, only to feel as if the earth is sucking her in.
If she cannot do it on her own, then how can she ever hope to fare by herself? She must prove herself now.
Logically speaking, Lucilia knows that her goddess is right. She knows that Minerva needs to be able to fight on her own, that her whole purpose is to be a one-angel army. Lucilia has always listened to her goddess, and yet...
Despite the whine in her ears, the pressure that threatens to keep her feet glued to the ground, Lucilia's wings spread out behind her as she takes off.
"Do you have any idea what it is you've done?"
Lucilia cows under Runera's gaze, her wings drawing in towards herself. The goddess floats above the pile of monsters Lucilia has defeated, her glassy clear eyes boring a hole into Lucilia's skull. Lucilia has seen her goddess once, and back then was blinded by the white brilliance that surrounded Runera; now, she can feel the intensity of the light that shines down upon her.
"You disobeyed my orders." Lucilia flinches as Runera's voice booms across the clearing. Behind Runera, Minerva struggles, magical chains binding her to the ground.
"She did it for me!" Lucilia's eyes widen as she hears Minerva speaks up, her gaze snapping to her only to see Minerva wincing as the chains dig deeper into her skin. Despite the pain, Minerva only keeps going. "Please, she hasn't done anything wrong! She only stepped in because I couldn't-"
"And therein lies the problem." Runera does not look at Minerva, but a sneer forms on her lips all the same. "You couldn't. You couldn't do this one, simple thing."
Runera sighs. Runera's fingers are ice cold against Lucilia's chin as she lifts the angel's face up to hers. "You were among one of the first I've ever created," she says as she turns Lucilia's face to the side. "You angels are but fragments of my power. One should be enough to protect a single measly human settlement, and yet-"
She lets go of Lucilia's face in a single, sharp motion, her eyes narrowed. "And yet it seems that my existence is approaching its end, for me to have created such a pitiful being." Runera's voice is distant, and though she no longer address Lucilia or Minerva, Lucilia listens closely all the same. Runera clicks her tongue. "If a god does not appear among the humans soon..."
The ground underneath Lucilia rumbles, and though she almost loses her footing, Runera does not notice. Instead, the goddess glances back at Minerva.
"I'll be taking you with me. Clearly, more needs to be done." A beam of light envelops Minerva, who only thrashes futilely. Runera turns her gaze to Lucilia. "In the meanwhile, do as you have always done."
Lucilia reaches forward, but with a single blink of her eyes, the goddess and Minerva are already gone.
'To do as she has always done' is something that the goddess Runera fails to clarify any further; no matter how many times Lucilia tries to call her, Runera never answers. A heavy pit weighs in her stomach, but Lucilia tries to her damnedest to ignore it as she does what she can only assume is Runera's will. With two towns relying on her for protection, she cannot afford to slack off, not even when exhaustion settles in her bones. But while she rises to her duties, the days she spent fighting bleed on to each other, and it becomes harder for Lucilia to face the rising sun.
Is this how she used to live? Lucilia chalks up her weariness to spreading herself too thin, and yet... Something feels different. She can still remember the days where she set Minerva's training schedule, the days where she fought side by side at Minerva's side. Lucilia still remembers the gratitude given to her, how she had dared to talk back to their creator of all people.
Lucilia remembers it all, down to how Minerva had been taken away from her.
Angels are solitary beings. They're supposed to not ask for anything, only serve and protect. Yet when Lucilia returns to the gate of her town, when she sees a tall figure standing there, her form so painfully familiar against the moonlight, she flies at breakneck speed.
"Minnie!" Lucilia crashes into her as she wraps her arms around Minerva's neck.
Surprisingly, Minerva manages to stay upright. Even more surprising is when Minerva presses her lips against Lucilia's, but it feels more right than anything. She melts into the kiss, unsure of what to do other than enjoy herself, but Minerva seems more than happy to take charge.
And take charge she does indeed, for Lucilia stiffens when she feels palm her skin under her tunic, only to relax under the angel's touch as the other grabs hold of her breasts. A strange warmth fills Lucilia as Minerva pushes her up to full, her thumbs running over her nipples, but it's not uncomfortable- rather, when a sound leaves her lips, she can only feel giddy when Minerva slips in her tongue in her mouth.
Those endless battles, those long moons without her, they all seem to vanish in this moment. When Minerva breaks away from Lucilia, hands settling on her hips, Lucilia presses her forehead against the other's, their breaths in sync despite the time they've spent apart.
"How are you here?" Lucilia asks, once she's caught her breath. Minerva doesn't immediately answer, first moving to rest her head on Lucilia's shoulder.
"I ran." While Minerva speaks in a hushed tone, there's a stubbornness in them. "I had to."
Lucilia bites the bottom of her lip. Hesitantly, she reaches under Minerva's tunic, but Minerva doesn't seem to mind- instead, she leans further into Lucilia as her fingers roam her heated skin. She frowns when she feels scars, the remainder of wounds that by all means should have healed but was prevented from doing so. Lucilia's eyes flit to what little of Minerva's face she can see, noting the way the angel knits her brows together. As much as she wants to ask what Runera could have possibly done to her, something in her senses not to ask. Instead, she settles to do as Minerva had done, her hands rising up to grab her chest.
The effect is immediate. Minerva yelps, and Lucilia giggles as she tries to mimic what Minerva had done to her. Her movements are admittedly clumsier, but it seems to do the trick- Minerva sighs pleasantly, the tension leaving her body.
"You know..." Lucilia's hands trail down to Minerva's abs. "You've at least grown here."
Minerva barks a laugh. "I had to make my time there count, at least. Though..."
She pushes herself off, red eyes gleaming in the night as she meets Lucilia's gaze. "Lucilia," she starts, her voice strong. "Let's change things up around here."
Lucilia stares at her. "What do you mean?"
"Runera doesn't care about us. She doesn't care about anyone." Minerva's voice grows more confident as she speaks. "And her power is growing weaker. She hasn't even contacted you, hasn't she?" Lucilia nods, prompting Minerva to continue. "That's 'cause she tried to pour some power more into me. It... it didn't go too well, but the point is that she can't control us as well as she used to before."
Minerva spreads her arms around. "We have to do something about this cycle. We can't let gods do as they will with us angels, not when they can go off-the-walls when one of them doesn't go their way."
"But what about the humans?" Lucilia gestures to the town. "Someone still needs to protect them."
"That's the thing, Lucilia. We have to teach the humans how to fight." Minerva puts her hand on Lucilia's shoulder. "Just like you taught me. It won't be easy, but... When humans can fight off monsters on their own, they won't need gods any more. And then us angels can just... be."
Lucilia blinks. The thought of being able to exist, to do as she wills...
Minerva extends her free hand. "What do you say, Lu?" she asks, the new nickname bringing a smile to Lucilia's face. "Will you do this with me?"
Lucilia scoffs. "Of course," she says, taking her hand.