Cursed Blood

That night, I was getting ready for dinner with the scholars and Dmitri. I was dressed in a fancier style, my dress green and white. A knife was strapped to my leg underneath the skirt, out of precaution, or maybe paranoia. My hair, which had been cut by a servant hours before, brushed my collarbone in loose curls. Silver bracelets rested on my wrists, and I wore flats instead of heels.

"Hey, angel."

I gasped, turning around to see the red eyed man in my room.

"You're getting closer, my dear."

With that, his words hit me and he vanished into thin air. I considered screaming, releasing all my anger, but held my tongue.

What was that? A hallucination? A tease?

I slowly calmed back down.

No. Maybe... Maybe it was a test.

Instead of bothering with it, with his attempt at communication, I left my room. My footsteps were strong and sure as I strode toward the dining room, ready to meet Dmitri and the scholars. A guard outside the room held the door open for me, and when I entered, the scholars were on their feet. Dmitri looked uncomfortable, unsure as to why they stood.

"The Gray One. Good to see you again."

Lori, with platnium blonde hair, and Athena, with red hair. Sisters that weren't actually sisters, but best friends and partners in their studies.

"Gosh, please sit," I waved for them to stop, "and remember, it's just Cloud. Nice to see you both.

"Thanks for coming," I added, "all three of you."

They nodded as I took my spot next to Dmitri. The scholars sat beside each other opposite of us, looking alert. Our chatter remained light and on basic topics as we began dinner, but as the food began to disappear, I gathered my courage.

"I called you here to ask for help," I blurted.

Athena and Lori raised their eyebrows. "Our help?"

"I know that who I am is tied to the gods. Some female god has all my answers. I need your help to figure out who she is," I explained, motioning to Dmitri. "He'll help us."

Lori's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Are you kidding me? That's amazing!"

"Are you a demi-god, maybe?" Athena proposed, holding her chin in one hand, completely forgetting about her dinner.

"I'm unsure," I shrugged, "but I have a few hints from beings I've met."

The scholars had matching mischievous expressions. "Please, do tell."

With that, I explained the situation. They listened respectfully, consistently whispering their own theories to each other. When I mentioned Spirit or the red eyed man, both of them looked appropriately awed. Dmitri, even though it was his second time hearing this, also looked impressed.

"So?"

Lori shared a shadowy smile with her almost-sister. In turn, Athena smiled. The blonde scholar looked between Dmitri and I before grinning.

"We're in."

"So this is it, eh?"

Dmitri, the scholars and I stood in a private study provided by the Queen, staring at the pile of books on one table. The rest of the room had desks, shelves and more chairs, though each piece of furniture had been cleaned and emptied for our use. Athena and Lori didn't hesitate before attacking the stack, reading out various titles as Dmitri and I wandered the room.

The others were already doing their best to help me, and the thought of it made my chest swell with pride. The hopeful part of me was starting to believe I could trust them again. It was healing my scarred heart, and everytime I closed my eyes, I didn't hear the sound of a foot connecting with my gut.

"Hey, Lori," Athena suddenly piped up, "do you remember this story?"

Dmitri and I looked over curiously, watching the two scholars scan the pages of a small book.

"What is it?" Dmitri finally asked, both of us losing interest as they read in silence.

"The story about how some mixed god almost disappeared forever after a botched reincarnation. It's what got us interested in being scholars about these types of things."

Something nagged at the back of my mind. "What's the story?"

Athena smiled, allowing Lori to read while she explained. "Basically the gods are separared into minor and major gods. Minors have more limits on their powers; their domains are very specific. Major gods, however, have vast amounts of power and are well known. No one can prove which is stronger, though major gods rule over everything. There was one particular goddess who actually existed like a god and a messenger -- she was classified as both a minor and a major. She worked to keep peace and all that between the two levels, but a war broke out. The only casualty in the entire godly war was her. This hurt everyone else because everyone loved her, she was a mix of everything. The goddess related to everyone and understood them as well -- to put it simply, they loved her."

Her sister scholar glanced up, taking over the story. "The entire population of godly beings decided to work together to gather enough force to reincarnate the mixed goddess. However, she was already partially being remade, so when they did their own ritual to save her, it messed with what she was already doing to save herself. Supposedly everything went haywire, so now she's like a wisp of a goddess. She can still work as a middle man, but she doesn't have access to any actual magic. Like being a negotiator -- you don't fight the battles, you talk your way to peace."

Incredible. The myths of this world, of the different bloods, are absolutely amazing.

"Sometimes people even say that she would protect the clans of the different bloods from misfortune. Supposedly, she advocated for peace between the two. There's been whispers that people once tried to create a hybrid like you in her name, but those are just theories."

"What was her name?"

The scholars shared grins. "They called her Angel, since she was pure in everyone's eyes and a messenger."

Angel.

My eyes widened, my head throbbing. Something like a memory was threatening to awaken.

The red eyed man, the one from the painting of the gods.

He would call me Angel.

My file, back when Lillian gave me a copy.

Written in the margin, was Angel.

The last time I visited Spirit, she told me the gods would rewind the clock for me. Reset my life if I wanted them to, because I was someone special to them.

Like how Angel was special to them. Their precious, all-powerful mixed breed. Their own godly hybrid.

That red eyed man.

He... He mentioned a botched reincarnation.

Am I... Am I really...

"Cloud?"

The other three were looking at me in worry. I'd been staring at the ground with wide eyes, the puzzle pieces falling into a shaky formation.

"Is something wrong?" Athena asked.

"No... I just..."

They hung onto my every word.

"I..."

I looked up, meeting their eyes but also avoiding them.

"I know who I am."