Zuriel doesn’t know what to think when he finds the secret compartment in the wall. He’s even more confused when he finds the jar, and even more baffled when he sees the runes engraved on the side. What is this?
Uncertainly, he removes the jar, running his fingers over the runes as he tries to decipher them. He’s never seen something like this before. When the door to the compartment slams closed, he yelps and jumps as the jar slips from his fingers. All he can do is watch in horror as the jar crashes to the ground and shatters, spilling a wispy blue smoke across the tile.
Oh, no.
He freezes, watching the smoke spread around him, then gasps as it starts to climb up his leg. He beats his wings frantically as the smoke travels higher, but it doesn’t do much of anything to send it away from him. The smoke envelopes his face in a matter of seconds, and he crumples to the floor.
~
“Mr Emerson, watch this!”
Noah leans against the door, watching his students slide down the hill outside the schoolhouse. Isabella pulls a wooden sled up the snowy hill, steering clear of the well-worn tracks on one side of the hill, where the rest of his students are shouting with glee.
It was Henry who had called to him, sweet little Henry.
“I’m gonna go all the way down from the very top!”
“All the way from the top?” Noah widens his eyes, watching the adorable first year student march up to the apex of the hill.
“Are you watching?”
“I’m watching!”
Henry grins and launches himself down the hill on the sled, whooping with glee. As promised, Noah watches him practically fly, laughing with him. When the sled slides to a stop, Henry adjusts his hat, wiping snow out of his face, and beams at Noah, bright eyed and rosy cheeked. “Did you watch? Did you? Wasn’t that amazing?”
Noah smiles at him. “I was watching, Henry. You were going so fast!”
The smile on Henry’s face reminds Noah why he loves to teach.
~
Zuriel gasps on the floor, trying to sit up. Was- was that him? As a human? Are these- these must be his human memories. Oh, he shouldn’t be seeing these, this isn’t, he shouldn’t. His memories hold the potential to hinder his performance as a guardian, at least that’s what Charmeine tells him. But he- he doesn’t know how to stop himself from seeing these memories, flashing by his face almost too fast for him to consciously comprehend, yet they feel right as they settle into place. Before he can try to pull himself away from the things he shouldn’t be seeing, he gets sucked in again, his vision graying out into nothingness.
~
"Focus, Zuriel.” Charmeine’s sword clashes against his own, and he throws Zuriel back. “I expected more from you.”
Zuriel’s chest heaves as he stumbles back. “Sorry!” He pants nervously, managing to keep his grip on his sword. “I- I’m trying.”
“Are you?” Charmeine goes on the offensive, and Zuriel just barely manages to block the blows, one after another after another. He trips over his own feet as one particular blow knocks him off-balance, sending him to the ground.
Charmeine’s sword clatters as he tosses it aside, and heavy fists start to rain down on him, over and over, until finally Zuriel cries out as he feels something give in his nose, as blood runs down his face.
Immediately, Charmeine stops and stands. “What have I told you, Zuriel? Never let your opponent know they’ve hurt you. Silence. Even if you’re hurt.”
Zuriel stammers out an apology, trying to stem the blood flow with his tunic, but gets only a scoff in reply.
Charmeine wipes the silver, opalescent blood off of his hands, then picks up his sword. “Again.”
~
Zuriel doesn’t know how long he lays on the floor in a fetal position, watching endless memories flash by in a tenth of a second. But finally, finally, it’s over.
He takes a deep breath, trying to sort through what just happened. What he can conclude. Focus, Zuriel.
Charmeine stole his memories. All of his memories, not just his human ones. That- Charmeine said that his human memories were dangerous. But- he had wings and a halo in some of them. Charmeine was there.
These were memories of his training. His training, over and over and over. Being told try again, do better, not yet. Waking up to Charmeine’s face, welcome to the heavens, training, training, do more, it’s not enough, be better, waking up, welcome to the heavens, sparring and teaching and-
His memories. All of them. These- there have to be years of memories that have been downloaded into his brain. The same thing, slightly different, over and over and over.
But Charmeine said-
How many times had Charmeine said that?
What had Charmeine done?
“What’s happened, Zuriel?” Charmeine appears in a rustle of feathers, looking at him on the floor. His eyes land on the shattered jar, and he heaves a heavy sigh. “Ah. What a shame. You were almost perfect, this time. Of course you had to find them.”
Zuriel scrambles to his feet. “I don’t- I- I found- this time?”
“Yes, this time. You can’t honestly think that I-” His mentor laughs. “Silly boy.”
Zuriel shakes his head, backing away from the archangel. “You can’t- I won’t- I won’t let you do it again.”
Charmeine looks faintly amused, strolling forward with his lip curling in a smile. “That’s what you said last time.” Then he snaps his fingers, and Zuriel knows no more.
Is there a town library? Could you look up information on the founding of the town or something?
We have a library, but even the librarians do that weird blank laugh when I ask the name of the town. All the books on local history seem to be loaned out when I go to ask for them, but maybe there are some old newspaper archives...
