Princess Aracelle slowly opened her eyes as she awoke from her slumber.
The sky was still dark, and the Greater Bird of Paradise was still flying in the air at a steady pace.
It might not sound comfortable, but with the giant bird's ability to protect its riders from air resistance, Siri and the Princess had a comfortable journey. The Princess even slept well, as the bird's feathers were soft enough to act as a bed.
However, she had a strange dream.
There, she looked very young, around three to five years old.
But the her in the dream and the her in reality had one difference. On the former, she had a golden halo on top of her head and four pairs of wings as white as snow.
Young as she was, she was very curious about many things.
When she visited the mortal realm, she would sing songs from the sky, encouraging the mortals on land to be brave and live their lives to the fullest.
The dream was quite strange, familiar yet unfamiliar. In it, she remembered being accompanied by a young man.
Similar to her, this young man had a halo, but instead of it being golden, it was red. The wings he possessed were also far different from hers, which were made up of feathers. His were like tendrils of golden light, fluttering as the wind blew past them.
He was a featherless angel, and he would only appear whenever she was alone or when she needed him the most.
"Thirteen…" Princess Aracelle muttered.
That was the name she called out in her dream.
The name of the being who was always by her side and gave her some good advice whenever she needed it.
Normally, the word thirteen only represented a number.
But in that dream, it was something more.
Thirteen was everything she ever needed.
More than a friend, but less than a lover.
Not only was he her steadfast supporter, but he was also the one who granted her the name Araceli.
"This name means the Altar of the Sky," Thirteen said. "But in reality, its meaning is closer to the Altar of Heaven."
"Such a beautiful name. Are you sure I can keep it?" the young Aracelle asked.
"Of course, you can," Thirteen replied. "Because you deserve all the best in the world."
The featherless angel didn't smile, but his gaze and gestures spoke louder than words.
She could tell when he was worried about her.
His gaze also carried a loneliness that Princess Aracelle wished to chase away but inexplicably could not.
Several years passed as the two traveled the world together.
They enjoyed the sights and sounds of the mortal realm and watched the lives of the people who couldn't see them because of what they were.
"Hey, would you like me to compose a song for you, Thirteen?" Araceli asked with a smile.
"A song for me?" Thirteen looked amused and troubled at the same time.
But when he saw the girl, now an exceptionally beautiful young lady, looking at him with eyes full of expectation, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
"… Do what you want."
And so, the young lady started to write a song for her featherless companion.
Using the time she had spent with him, she was able to compose a simple song for him.
When she sang it to him, the young man said it was the best song he had ever heard since his birth.
As she reminisced about the content of her dreams, she subconsciously started to sing. She didn't know what prompted her to do so, and she had never heard this song before, but for some reason, she knew the lyrics by heart.
"Even though I should have forgotten these feelings…"
"Your feathers shroud the world, and turn to snow."
"Whenever they warm someone up, I'll sing gently."
"Even if the future you wish for hurts someone, I'll believe in you, the featherless angel only I know."
Her voice was beautiful, as if she were born to sing. Even her parents only had praises for her voice, so Princess Aracelle was proud of it.
As the final note faded into silence, tears began to stream down her cheeks. Her heart ached, and her very soul seemed to be crying out.
Feelings she didn't know existed deep inside of her rose from her chest, giving birth to the beautiful tears that now flowed ceaselessly from her eyes.
"What's wrong?" asked Siri with concern.
She was woken up by Princess Aracelle's song. Awed by her cousin's voice, she was about to compliment the other party when the young lady started crying as if she had suffered some kind of heartbreak.
"I'm fine," Princess Aracelle replied as she closed her eyes, allowing the tender feelings that had risen to her chest to linger despite the tears that fell like rain.
She hadn't even noticed she was crying until she was asked. Only after she heard Siri's question did she lift a hand to her face, wiping the tears on her cheeks.
"You don't look fine to me," Siri commented.
Zed, who was trailing behind the Greater Bird of Paradise, looked at Princess Aracelle with a conflicted look on his face.
Just like Siri, he was surprised when he heard the Princess sing a song that felt like it was intended for someone very dear to her.
For a brief moment, he felt sorry for her because they were nearing the Cygni Continent.
That also meant that the Princess would soon return to Zion's side, whom Zed had labeled as a devil.
He didn't know what kind of diabolical plans the teenage boy had prepared for the beautiful princess, but he hoped that his new Master would not treat her too unkindly.
Even by his standards, Princess Aracelle was a peerless young lady.
Someone who could become Zion's prized consort and make all the men feel envious of him.
'Maybe I can put a word or two for her sake,' Zed thought. 'Since she didn't try to escape even once during this trip, maybe Thirteen will be a little bit merciful in his treatment of her.'
Just like his comrades who had been trapped in the Domain of the Apocalypse for some time, none of them could understand or predict what the teenage boy was thinking.
He wasn't moved by money, women, power, and influence.
His plans could be extremely simple or even extremely complicated.
They all agreed that anyone on the other side of Zion's schemes would suffer a very pitiful ending.
Their Master's lack of physical strength, he made up for it with wisdom.
Wisdom that had turned the tides in his favor during his previous battles against enemies far stronger than him.
"We're almost there," Siri said as she watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon. "I can already see land in the distance."
Princess Aracelle then gently wiped her tears before opening her eyes.
Now that she had arrived on the Cygni Continent, it wouldn't be long before she reunited with the featherless angel, who still lay in a deep, dreamless sleep.