Manchego tensed; he did not want to scare his friend.
Teitú, what do I do! asked the demigod.
Be yourself. If you try to pretend, it’ll go wrong, his faithful Naevas Aedán warrior replied.
Manchego was reassured. The best thing to do was to present himself as a respectable man, straight to the point. He smiled to himself, like a mischievous child who has just devised a masterplan. He relaxed, and… slipped. A shower of feathers fell on Luchy, like dry leaves borne by the wind. The girl gave a start and tried to stand up, but she could only throw herself backward instead. She was about to scream when she saw something that left her speechless.
Meanwhile, the boy felt stupid. He was scolding himself for not having been more careful and making such a ridiculous mess of his return after three years of absence and silence. What an idiot! He got to his feet as fast as he could, with the clumsiness of someone who has bumped into the girl of his dreams. With his face twisted by a thousand emotions, he spread his arms wide, palms up, asking wordlessly for forgiveness. At his back, two large wings spread, blocking the sunlight. The girl’s mouth hung open, and despite her shock, she could neither weep nor cry out.
“Forgive me! I beg your pardon, I didn’t mean to—”
Luchy, too, scrambled to her feet, awed in the presence of an angel!
What with the dazzle and shadows which blinded her, she had not yet seen the face of the being who had appeared before her. She came closer, unaware of the surprise that awaited her.
“There’s no need to apologize, Mister Angel. Don’t worry, I just want to see your wings. Am I dreaming, or what? This is fantastic. Too fantastic.”
“No! I mean—yes! I mean—no!”
Luchy half-closed her eyes. “You speak like someone I know… Who are you? That voice…”
Manchego had no time to think before he blurted out, “Forgive me, Luchy! This wasn’t how I planned on presenting myself. You—pretend you haven’t seen me. So long! I’ll be back!”
He spread his wings, ready to flee. He felt so clumsy.
Luchy had moved on from admiration to suspicion. She put her hands on her hips and faced the apparition. “And how on earth do you know my name?” she asked in a steely voice. “Are you a stalker, then? Either you explain yourself right now, or else I’ll scream so loud that Lulita’ll come and tear your head off!”
The young man was looking over his shoulder as she advanced toward him, wagging an accusing finger. He tripped on a root, fell backward, and began to roll downhill. Luchy put her hands to her mouth. In front of her, a ragged youth with a pair of magnificent wings at his back was rolling helplessly down the untended fields. She laughed tenderly; this was a creature as special as he was childish.
The angel finally managed to stop. He lay there on the ground, sore, dirty, and his wings ruffled. Luchy was suddenly afraid for him. She ran to him, although she came to a stop at a prudent distance; she still did not trust this being completely. For the moment, she still thought he was a stalker who needed to give her a good explanation.
With great difficulty, Manchego stood up again. Of all the possible scenarios he had imagined, none bore any resemblance to what was happening. He brushed his clothes and wings, cursing himself for the wretched impression he was creating. When he looked up, he forgot all his concerns. Luchy was watching him with her hands to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. The girl started to move backward.
“Man—Manchego?” she muttered. “You’re a ghost. A ghost! Get away from me! Have you come to kill me? To take me with you to the kingdom of the dead?”
The girl was not thinking straight; fear and incredulity had overcome her. Her legs gave way under the emotional weight of the moment, and she fell to her knees. She wept openly on the grass, releasing the tension, worry, unease, and a mass of feelings she could hardly manage to define. She sobbed uncontrollably with the joy of rediscovering a love she had thought was lost.
Manchego meanwhile was paralyzed. I’m an idiot, Teitú! I’ve gone and ruined everything! the boy thought. Teitú shared his confusion. Luchy’s pain shook the boy. He held back his tears, together with his own need to collapse, but he had to get a grip on himself. Very slowly, he went over to Luchy. He folded his wings so that they looked like two muscular arms that reached his heels. She stared at him in disbelief. She needed an explanation.
The god sat down beside her and put his arms around her. In this hug, there was warmth, there were unsaid words, there were a thousand emotions. Luchy went on weeping, even harder than before, within those arms which were holding her tightly. That pain spread to the god, who began to weep in his turn. After a while, Luchy returned Manchego’s embrace. It was the only thing she could do; the best thing she could do. By now, she no longer needed explanations or words. This was Manchego. Manchego! She gave herself up to the sweet sensation and enjoyed the moment. Manchego, too, let himself go. While the tears slid down his face and fell on the silky hair of the girl of his dreams, the love of his life, the happy little shepherd emerged from the God of Light and knew that he would never lose that innocent child he still was within, the boy who had fallen in love with the woman he now held in his arms.
***
Argbralius woke up that morning with a piercing headache hammering at his temples. What could have happened?
He sat on the bed with his legs dangling and his feet touching the cold stone. He rubbed his head. Something was not right. He could not work out what it was, but he could feel it.
He went to the bathroom. He took off his woolen pajamas and, with a couple of wet cloths, washed his crotch and under his arms. Once he was clean, he put on his brown cassock and went out to start his daily chores. Besides cleaning the sanctuary and helping the priest to prepare the Holy Mass, he also had to pick up the Emanating Rose. It was six in the morning; the sun had barely appeared. He thought of going out early and looking for the field where the Emanating Rose was cultivated. He walked carefully among the villagers who were sleeping in the Décamon.
To him, it seemed disrespectful that these beggars should live in the religious sanctuary. He would have to speak to the priest about it. It went against the order of things established by the Démanon, though he was aware that the people of the village were helpless and that to heal their wounds they had sought relief in the heart of faith itself. Still, they needed to find a better solution, like the return of the God of Light. The notion made him retch. Preferring not to dwell on this rejection, he went on toward the fields of the Emanating Rose.
He crossed the central park, scattered with skeletons and with a deep hole. Carrion birds hovered over the area in the hope of glimpsing a tasty breakfast. Argbralius knew he needed to pass it by and go on his way, but the temptation was stronger; he peered into the pit. Rubble and waste were piled up there in enormous quantities. He was surprised to see a boy with very pale skin sitting on a stone; he had one arm missing. Besides being a cripple, the boy seemed to have further problems because his gaze was vague and he barely moved. He looked like one of the living dead.
The sacristan decided to keep going, reminding himself that he must not attract the attention of those villagers who had nearly killed him on his arrival. Like a ghost, he went around to the back of the Décamon. There were no roses there, just as the protocol dictated. He clenched his teeth. He should have asked Crisondo. Now, all by himself so early in the morning, he had no idea where to look.
He remembered his time as a student at the Démanon with his friends. Délegas had always been a bastard, although, in the end, he had shown that behind his gangster mask, there lurked a sensitive and loyal soul. He missed Joermo, Ánomnos, and Kurlos. There was no doubt that it was going to be hard to forget those wonderful years.
With a sigh, Argbralius made the effort of coming back to that cursed village and his duty to pick the Emanating Rose. It occurred to him that his search would help him get better acquainted with the streets of this village he had been sent to.
When he saw the edge of the forest and the denseness of the foliage, he realized he had gone too far. He looked at the trees, which were still alive here although deeply affected by the fire. At that moment, he was overcome by intense pain in his temples, like hammer strokes. He crouched down, unable to stay on his feet. He felt that the black seed in his soul wanted to burst into growth urgently, as a reaction to something or someone. At that moment, his eyes met a vision that left him disgusted and with a single wish: to destroy.
On the side of a mountain crowned by a tall pine tree, a winged being, beautiful and magnificent, was talking to a girl with chestnut-brown hair. They were holding each other lovingly, but Argbralius had never felt such loathing in his life. He wanted to throw up a thousand times and purify his soul and body. He felt fragile, naked, and in danger. Like an animal being hunted by a predator, he hid behind a tree, spying on the scene.
The seed in his soul germinated, and from it was born a black flower that resembled a scorpion ready to sting. It was as if the flower were whispering words of hatred and destruction to him. The sacristan had to make a tremendous effort to avoid allowing himself to be driven by that powerful energy that was propelling him toward the winged being with evil intentions. In that internal struggle, his reason gained the upper hand, and the boy became aware of what was happening inside him. He ran away from there, overwhelmed by panic, still with that irrepressible wish to destroy.
Chapter V – The Heart’s Crystal
“It’s impossible,” Luchy was muttering between her tears, still overcome with emotion.
Manchego was waiting for his friend to calm down, unable to hit on the right words; only time, silence, and staying by her side would help her get over the moment.
Don’t worry, Teitú said, reading his concerns. Let it be, let it flow. Only allow the moment to flourish as it should.
What does that mean? replied Manchego with some irritation. His grumpiness infected the luminous being. Forgive me, partner. It wasn’t my intention to be harsh with you. It’s just that I feel guilty for causing Luchy this pain. I’m so clumsy. Not even the fact that I’m the God of Light makes me behave like a decent man. I always have to ruin everything.
“What are you doing?” Luchy asked, surprised and curious at the same time. “It’s as if you were arguing with someone. Are you insane?”
Her surprise was turning into discomfort, and Manchego recovered at once. How could he tell her about Teitú? She would not believe him.
“I’m sorry, Luchy. I’m—I’m speaking to a friend.”
“To a friend? Inside that big head of yours? That sounds ridiculous.” She folded her arms.
Tell her the truth, Alac, Teitú suggested.
Don’t be naïve, she’d never believe us. No, I have to think first… I’d have to…
While Alac racked his brains, Teitú decided to act of his own accord. A small sphere began to form in the air until it reached the size of a pink apple. Luchy stopped breathing.
“A little angel? Have you brought a little angel with you?”
Teitú flew over to Luchy, beating his translucent wings at a supernatural speed. The girl rose and took a step back but then stopped still, awed and amazed. Teitú’s rosy light calmed her.
Manchego was speechless. On the one hand, he wanted to scold Teitú. On the other, he enjoyed seeing Luchy so entranced.
“You radiate such a beautiful light,” Luchy said, eyes wide. “I feel as if you wanted to speak to me. And I can feel Manchego in you.”
She put her hand to her mouth and turned to Manchego.
“It’s you!”
Luchy threw herself on him so eagerly that the God of Light could not stop the girl from pushing him off his feet. On the ground, Luchy showered him with kisses and loving words. Teitú flew around the lovers like a true cupid, shining red, the color of passion.
After a good while, Luchy let go of Manchego, who was almost suffocated. Those kisses had left him feeling drugged. A few tears escaped, not of sadness or pain, but intense emotion. Luchy buried her face in his chest, listening to the beating of his heart. She needed proof that he was alive. So many years longing for this moment, and at last here they were, the two of them.
Time went by. The sun was shining full on the horizon, driving the shadows from the fields, when the couple separated a few inches to look into one another’s eyes. Luchy plunged into those dark eyes, deep as the sea; Manchego vibrated with the twin emeralds that had stolen his heart.
It was inevitable.
The kiss represented the sum of two souls in love who have come together again after being estranged for so long. The contact was brief, but for them, it was eternal. It was the first kiss of love they had exchanged.
Manchego’s heart exploded in a shower of glowing lights. Some were blue and lilac, others dark and melancholy purple. The balance of happiness and sadness, tinged with an overabundance of compassion, drenched his soul with a haze of thoughts and feelings that overran his mind.
The simple act of a kiss, those rosy lips on his own, was as if a sudden exchange of existential vibrations were being managed at the same moment. How long had he yearned for that kiss! How long had he dreamed of feeling that softness on his lips! He shuddered.
Both souls’ vibrations managed to share frequency and were engulfed in a trance. Luchy was drenched with Manchego’s suffocating emotions, while Manchego absorbed all of Luchy’s pain.
Teitú swirled in excitement, changing from the red of passion to rose.
To an observer, the moment might have lasted no longer than ten seconds. But to the youth under the spell of love, it lasted an eternity.
Chapter VI – Truths Revealed
Manchego and Luchy managed to separate themselves enough to breathe. Even though their lips parted, a strange buzz remained between them as if they were surrounded by static. They were still staring at one another all this time, drunk with love and bewitchment. By now, Luchy had convinced herself that those wings Manchego had sprouted were not so strange after all. She was in love. She would accept him for whatever he was. Wings or not, this was the man of her life. He could have a lizard’s tail and she would still love him.
“I hope Lulita won’t tear me to pieces,” Manchego said, thinking about the moment when he would have to present himself to his grandmother. “It’s been too long. She suffered a lot over Eromes; I don’t even want to guess what she’s feeling now.”
“I know, Mancheguito. She might find it harder to accept that you’re back and—those wings. But they’re beautiful and delightful,” Luchy said, touching the feathers. She buried her face in them and knew she would do the same many times more. “What are you? Or who are you? Your wings are so real…” She marveled at her friend’s body, which was now strongly built. His muscles were visible through the woolen vest and the ragged cotton shirt. That llama vest! She was amazed at how sturdy it had turned out to be.
“Well, I’m a demigod, Luchy. But I’m still Manchego, nothing’s changed, except my body, my soul, and—oh, I don’t know.”
“It was you the demon threw into the abyss,” the girl said, and her face shadowed. “I saw you…”
She was immediately transported back to that moment three years ago. She gasped as she vividly re-lived seeing that demon strangle and defeat the divine angel. Of course! It all made sense now! It had been Manchego.
“Yes. Everything that’s happened to me since then has changed me, but I’m still the same shepherd boy I was. Very deep down I still am, I swear.”
“I know, you idiot, I don’t doubt it for a second. You have so much to tell me. Oh, how I’ve missed you,” the girl said, putting her arms around the boy’s neck. “So, a demigod? I’m not even going to try to understand. It’s absolutely crazy.” Her gaze was distant. “After the village was destroyed, everything went to hell. And I, and Lulita, and Tomasa… we all changed after you disappeared.”
Luchy cast her eyes down. She was no longer seeing the world, but t
he inside of her soul, visualizing the pain she had endured these long three years. Even though Manchego was back, the abyss of despair that had consumed her was not gone.
She let go of Manchego’s hand and stood up. The boy rose and put his arms around her. Luchy’s gaze shifted, and she came back to reality.
“They stole away my innocence. I was exposed to such violence that I’ll never be the same again. And now I have a pair of wings.”
He spread his feathered limbs to their full span. Luchy could not hold back her curiosity. She looked at his back, felt his shoulder-blades at the point where each wing sprouted. Under the skin, she felt powerful muscles and new bones, strong and thick. The wings were hot. She pinched him.
“Ouch!” Manchego complained.
Luchy was laughing. “Sorry. I just had to check they were really yours.”
“Of course they’re mine! Who else would they belong to?” the boy replied, upset.
“I meant if they were real, you dodo.”
“Luchy…” Manchego came up to her and embraced her. He was now taller than her, by at least three fingers. He rested his forehead on hers. “One thing hasn’t changed, and that’s my love for you. Thanks to the strength of my love for you, I was able to get out of the abyss I found myself in, a place called the Interim. I’ll tell you all about it.”
“There’ll be time for that, but now I think it’s time you went to see your grandmother. She has to know you’re here, Mancheguito—Breakfast!”
She had just realized she had not heard the bell, nor her grandmother calling for breakfast.
***
Lulita was clearing the table, feeling troubled. She knew Luchy had gone out during the night to the observatory, where she sometimes slept and remembered Manchego. She sighed and went on picking up the wooden utensils when she was alerted by frantic barking. Rufus? It was impossible; the dog had not come near ever since Manchego had vanished. Then she heard a scratching at the door. The old woman hurried, her heart galloping, and no sooner had she opened it than the animal darted to the back door where a being with wings was waiting for it.
Archangel’s Ascension Page 5