7

Maite 

I saw the angel who gave me a son leave in a beam of light, I am increasingly fond of him, I don't know why I was chosen, I know it was very random for me, I confess that I miss her here with me, I don't know if it will be easy for us to be together, he assured me that he will come to see me every Thursday, I keep thinking about the mysteries that angels hide, and especially what secrets Muriel hides. He told me it was dangerous for him to stay with me and our son like a cat, he asked me not to say anything, not even to my sister Ester, because he heard our fight the night before. Ester always wanted to protect me from the dangers she created in her head, I love my sister, but there are times when she suffocates me. 

When I got pregnant with Muriel, until then I didn't know her name, my sister invented a lie to protect me, otherwise I would be looked down upon among the people of the city of Lisbon, the majority are conservative people, she even considered me getting my baby at home with a midwife, I refused, I fought and had my baby in the maternity ward. I never supported this idea of a boyfriend who abandoned me, because, deep down, I knew that my son's mysterious father was going to come back, so much so that after months he returned, and guaranteed that he would protect me and little Ariel.

I always wanted to meet my son's father, so, contrary to Ester's requests, I went to the beach where we loved each other at night in the hope of finding him and after months he appeared, and we got involved again, and I cannot reveal this secret. Ester would take me away or try because I wouldn't go at all.

I feel like this relationship with Muriel will bring me a lot of problems, but I feel like being away from him will bring me greater dangers. 

I don't know exactly what I feel, I know what hate I don't feel for him, he gave me my greatest gift, Ariel if it's love I don't know, what I know is that when our eyes meet they have an overwhelming effect between me, it's him. What power is this that we exert on each other?

How I wish my mother was here, who knows she could explain it to me, when I think of Muriel I feel butterflies in my stomach and butterflies fly in my stomach, my heart races. Is it love? I can't say yes or no? If he loves me? He intends to find out how he feels about me, to decide whether he will fall to the earth or not, now the question that doesn't leave my head, why didn't I reach out when I saw the light, and why didn't I turn to dust? He thinks one of my parents was an angel or even both Nifelin what if I'm a Nifelin Could it be that my sister always knew and hid it from me? Could it be that our parents were a human and an angel or a couple of Nifelin Muriel said she would check some records to find out. Has he discovered anything yet?  I'll only find out about this on Thursday, until then I'll keep quiet about everyone, even my sister.

Muriel

I think about everything Archangel Cassiel told me, and in a way he is right, Azaquiel is exaggerating human judgment and worse, murdering Nifelin who are still angels, all in the name of a balance that he believes will be broken. After Cassiel tells me the real intentions of my brother Azaquiel, I start to believe that he can even kill his own brothers, Cassiel wants me to help him end this legacy that violates the mission of the six guardians. It scares me to know that 

He is interested in Maitê to make her his, I'm afraid not only for my son Ariel, but also for her, I won't let him get to her, much less my son.

Cassiel said he can ask Azaquiel to help him on his mission and I wonder if I will have enough courage to kill my brother, I'm just an angel, not an archangel. However, I can't leave Cassiel alone on this mission he took on to protect the Nifelin.

I think about Maitê and I feel as if there were butterflies in my stomach, and that's not common in an angel. Do angels feel desires? According to the records of previous angels, yes, they desired women and had children with her and these children were cruel.

Cassiel says that I like Maitê, I love my son, but I'm not sure about his mother, I know that she has a power over me that I can't resist, either in her eyes or her beauty. I'm starting to believe that Archangel Cassiel is right in everything he said, for me to protect my son and Maitê I have to tell her the truth and train her Medicine are great soldiers of war, but will Maitê agree ? Firstly, I need to be sure that their parents are indeed Clara and Haiaiel, two Nifelin not that I doubt the words of an archangel, it's just what I really need to know.

I have a vision, it came out of nowhere, in it, I see Azaquiel with my son in his arms, I try to get to them, but I can't. He turns my little Ariel into ashes just with his light, I despair. I rub my eyes and am at my guardian post.

"It was just a vision"

In a few seconds I have another vision, I see Maitê tied to a bed, then Azaquiel comes and with his light he exercises his dominance and enjoys the pleasures of the flesh with Maitê who screams my name. The vision disappears, I remain calm. Inside me my heart is bleeding, with pain, despair and hatred for Azaquiel, who dared to touch the two people I love most: Maitê and my son.

"I'm glad you recognized that you love young Muriel."

I hear Cassiel's voice and see that he was next to me.

"Cassiel, why did I have these despicable visions?"

"This is what will happen if we don't remove Azaquiel from his position as guardian."

By heaven, I can't let this monster get close to Maitê or my son. I think about running away and taking them with me, far away, away from Azaquiel's eyes.

"It's no use Muriel, you can run away and try to hide, Azaquiel will find you."

"Damn, I don't know what to do, so Cassiel, I don't want to lose Maitê, I'm going to fall to the ground."

I see a beam of light come out of Cassiel's hands, he throws it at me and I fly away, I only kept my balance because of my wings of light.

"Don't be an idiot Muriel, think, if you fall you will lose your grace and Azaquiel will be able to take it for himself and obtain more power. I already told you that to stay with Maitê you don't need to fall to the ground. Let's continue as we planned, I will talk to Azaquiel, I am an archangel, and he will have to obey me, you cannot disobey an angel of a higher order. The punishment is death, so he will give in to my orders."

"And when will that be? I need to protect the woman I like and my son who I love."

Cassiel smiles at me and says:

"Admit it, Muriel, you love the girl. If you didn't love her, you would never go after her on that beach."

Cassiel is right again, now I know why I came back to that beach, it wasn't on a whim, it was out of love.

"I admit it Cassiel, I love her, satisfied now?"

"Now I am! I'm going to inform Azaquiel of my decision, then I'll look for you again. And wait for me to come back, don't make any hasty decisions, Maitê's and her son's lives depend on it. Don't go see her before Thursday, protect her from afar."

"Don't worry, I'll do it."

Cassiel, the Archangel of loneliness, leaves me alone again.

I will follow his request and wait for him to come back to talk to me, although my desire to see Maitê and my son is great, I will protect them both from afar.

I think about my son and his smile calms me down, I think about Maitê and I feel serene, this is one of Maitê's powers to make people calm.