Legacy

It began as only the smallest of twinkles in the fading distance. But even from afar it took no time for the demons to set their sights upon it.

What had started off as nearly invisible to the naked eye soon began to grow to a far more visible size. And as the twinkle grew, several smaller balls of golden light began to swirl around it. The spectacle was nothing short of miraculous.

But the demons had no fondness for such things. Instinct told them that whatever it was that had invaded their new kingdom, it had to be dealt with in a most severe way. Their advance was cautious, but in little time they would be upon their prey.

To such a radiance did the golden light grow that the demons were forced to halt their advance as their eyes couldn’t handle such brightness.

From the now blinding glow burst an angel composed entirely of golden light. Her appearance would have been enough to send a person to their knees. But the demons would do no such thing for her. To them, the newly arrived angel was nothing more than something that deserved only to be torn to pieces.

With her head lowered and her eyes closed, the angel was oblivious to the fact that the demons had begun a mad charge. There were thousands of the hideous creatures and there was nothing that was going to stop them.

Raising her head and opening her tired eyes, the angel looked as if she had just woken from a thousand year slumber. The first thing she saw upon waking was the horde of demons quickly narrowing the dwindling gap.

Rising to such a level that the demons couldn’t reach her, the angel spread her golden wings. A blinding light then burst from her body, obliterating every demon in which it came into contact. Trailing demons attempted to flee but the speed with which the light was traveling could not be matched by mere feet.

Not only did the light cleanse the world of the demons, but it spread around the world, returning the Earth back to its once pristine condition. The barren land became green again with grass and trees. And once empty oceans again filled with water. The sky, which had been a most grim shade of red, was reborn a sparkling shade of blue.

What had taken mere moments to destroy was brought back just as quickly.

With the world restored, the angel fell. The price she had paid was a heavy one and there was little time left for her. When she turned her gaze to the sky, the Angel of Golden Light burst into hundreds of sparkling, golden butterflies of light.

Looking now as if she had woken only from a momentary slumber, the Angel of Golden Light again opened her eyes. She had curled herself into a fetal position and was now surrounded by the planets and the stars. With her hands cupped before her face, the angel began to blow ever so gently into them. And when enough life had been expelled from her lungs, she opened her hands, allowing the Earth its freedom. It rose to a height just before the angel’s eye, which dwarfed the most favored of celestial bodies by a hundred fold.

There had been no power hungry madman imposing his will upon a world incapable of defending itself, nor had there been any mass slaughter of the innocents. Hell had never been unleashed upon the Earth and demons never roamed the land. The world was just as it had always been. And one could find no great fault in that.

With no worldwide cataclysm to deal with, Archer could continue to take time out each day to perfect his craft. The small target set up on a tree would have been near impossible for most to hit, but Archer was far better than most, and hitting his mark was no great task. So deep was his concentration that little could break it.

But one thing could always distract the bowman, no matter how deep he had buried himself in training. When his wife and daughter appeared, Archer would give them the undivided attention they so rightfully deserved. And this day would be no different.

The life of a wanderer left Aiko with little responsibility. So on pleasant days, she would spend her time honing her fighting technique. Aiko would find a flat rock in a river or stream and upon it perfect the moves that few could match.

After unleashing wave after wave of furious strikes, Aiko would grant herself a well deserved break. But on this day, like too many others before it, Aiko slipped on a wet rock and fell face first into the river.

With nary a care in the world, Jaycee had ample time to devote each day to lying atop her favorite hill and watch the world slowly pass her by. With such beauty set before her, it was difficult for Jaycee to be pulled from her daydreams. Her hopes and wants always came to the forefront of her thoughts during such moments, and few things in her life were more important than what she hoped the future would bring.

Having just as few worries as Jaycee, James was afforded the opportunity to lie beside her and gaze at the same beauty the untouched world had to offer. His thoughts, too, centered on the hopes and dreams for the future.

The splendor of such moments far exceeded the beauty of the scenery that seemed to have been set out especially for them.

Neither had to tell the other their hopes for the future as their dreams were always one in the same. And their dreams all involved each other.

As she had become accustomed to after humiliation, Aiko made her way back home dripping wet and shaking visibly from her unexpected dip.

Her progress as well as her whimpering would come to an unexpected halt on this day when Aiko encountered a young man on her way home. He seemed to be almost mesmerized by the blossoms on the trees. For some reason, it felt to Aiko as if the stranger was seeing such a thing for the very first time.

When Sage met eyes with Aiko, he quickly became fixated. There was something that wouldn’t allow him to take his eyes off her. Never had he come across the girl, so it bewildered Sage as to why she felt so familiar to him.

The feeling that had ensnared Sage had done the same to Aiko. She felt an instant connection to the young man with whom she had never cross paths.

Having to know why they felt such familiarity with a complete stranger, Aiko and Sage began their anxious approaches.

A golden twinkle thousands of miles away was beckoning the Angel of Golden Light back home. She had done her job well and had earned another long slumber.

The planets and the stars became only a passing blur as the angel made her ascent. At such a speed did she travel that she eventually became only a streak of golden light. And before long, the Angel of Golden Light had faded away.

For now the world was out of harm’s way. And once again it rested pristinely as the crown jewel of the Universe, nestled safely in the mind of the Master.