Akriel's POV

  On our way to the city of Eden, I decided to start a little bit of small talk to keep ourselves busy. "Hey remember that time when Elyon and I had to teach you how to use your wings Zophiel?" My brothers turn to me to join the conversation being careful to avoid any birds flying toward us.

  "Yeah! I remember we had to dangle him from a tree when his wings first appeared" said Elyon followed by a hearty ugh. "Yeah, you two left me there the entire day just so I could get over my fear of heights," Zophiel said while giving a soft smile. "But if it wasn't for that I couldn't have joined the army with you guys in the first pce," He said while looking down at the mass abundance of trees beneath us. "Besides I've learned everything looks better from above"

  After spending many hours talking about the past we finally arrived at the city around sunset. We decided to nd on what seemed to be an empty alleyway as far away from the street as we could, there's no telling how the people would react if they saw us.

  "Hey... You three are an-gelsh aren't you?" A man in his middle ages walked out from the deepest part of the alleyway. "Aw, crap...Just py it cool guys." I heard Elyon whisper from behind me as the man slowly approached us, stumbling over some garbage ying on the floor before letting out a loud burp, his breath and demeanor smelt like the effect of alcohol "Tell yoourssrh useless goddess that this pnet doesn't need her anymore" Immediately I could feel a very tense gre from behind me coming from my older brother but if I let him act everything will go to ruin "Sir...We have no idea what you are talking about. We are just three teenagers trying to get home, will you please let us through?"

  "Nono, Im defffinitely not craazhsy!!" The man slowly inched closer as we stepped back "Sir, no one has said anything about craziness so please-" I could hear Zophiel shout from behind me but the man wasn't listening, he smashed his bottle against a nearby dumpster and pointed it at us "Don't yousss fuck wish me!" Before he could even approach us Elyon took both Zophiel's and my arm before running out of the alley, making sure to lose him before ever stopping.

  As we finally stopped we looked around for any familiar pces we might remember but before we gathered our bearings a strange man approached us 'Oh no, not again...' I think to myself as Elyon walks up to him before....Shaking his hand?

  "If it isn't Ange's kid! How have you been boy? I hope the Goddess has been treating your family well". Elyon looks at my brother and I before nodding 'Ah right, the people of this town consider our family "blessed" by the Goddess' I wipe a sweat from my brow from relief 'Thought we somehow blew it again for a moment'.

  "Hello mister! The Goddess has been treating us very well surprisingly, I hope it stays that way for many years to come. Someday your family will also receive her blessing, I believe it" Elyon says, giving him a warm smile before speaking again "Hey mister...This might be a stupid question but, do you know where our parents used to live before we moved out? We kind of got lost..." My older brother says with a slightly embarrassed tone. The man quickly responds excitedly before starting to walk in the other direction while we all quickly followed him.

  "So, mister...How do you know our parents?" I start talking to not get bored that much, we are probably very far away from the house anyway might as well make some small talk right? Csping his hands together he begins talking with an excited tone "Oh! Well young d, your parents were very famous in this town, they were like prophets to us, always guiding us towards the right path and spreading faith in our Goddess of Light. They always brought positivity and blessings wherever they went." We all chuckled at his description of our parents "Yeah, that sounds like them alright, always smiling and happy." I say out loud while raising my stare up into the sky 'I wonder how they are doing now, I hope good enough.' I think to myself before looking back down, focusing on the path ahead.

  After what seemed like an eternity of walking, it appeared like we finally began seeing familiar streets. Passing through the Academy, we see many students leaving it's doors some of them gncing at us. Probably since we are the new guys in town, shrugging it off we continue walking past the gates of the school. I doubt someone from our childhood will recognized us, they all probably moved out of this town. We don't mind the strange stares anymore, had enough of those from The Heavenly Host just because we were the youngest there.

  Crossing one more street the old man suddenly stops in front of a kind of worn down house

  "Is...Is this it? Looks more...Decrepit than I remember." I state, stretching my arms to find some sort of comfort while looking intently at the house in front of me.

  "Yes, this should be the house your mom and dad used for their summer vacation all those years back." The old man said as he walked away but not before shaking our hands one more time and giving our parents a respectful blessing. Elyon was the first to walk towards the house passing by the many flowers pnted on its sides, walking up the flight of stairs leading towards the front door. Checking under the rug as his parents taught him, he found a spare key ying on the ground. "By the way, since I'm the older of the three I'm in charge." He says with a cheeky smile looking back at us as I give him an angry stare while Zophiel groans in pain from behind me.

  "Great, can't wait!" Zophiel says with obvious sarcasm in his voice before entering the house alongside Elyon and I. As soon as we enter a wave of nostalgia gets thrown at our faces, memories of the three of us running around and pulling any type of prank imaginable flooded our heads making all three of us while remembering the good times.

  The old couch still sat there, a little more worn than I remembered. Zophiel brushed his hand over it, and for a second, it was like we were kids again — plotting pranks, sneaking whipped cream and feathers past a snoring Dad, ughing so hard we nearly woke Mom too.

  We chuckle before making our way into the living room, having three teenagers take care of a house all on their own just smelled like a disaster waiting to happen, but it was definitely the fun type of chaos.

  The house was smaller than I remembered, but still cozy enough to call home. As we stepped inside, the first thing that greeted us was a worn white sofa, sitting in front of a low wooden table. Behind it stood a TV that had probably seen better days, fnked by two narrow windows that let in the soft, fading light.

  In the corner, an old bookshelf leaned slightly to one side, crammed with dusty volumes and knick-knacks from who knows when. Across the room, a tiny kitchen was tucked neatly into the opposite corner, complete with all the basics — stove, fridge, and a tiny dining table squeezed next to it.

  A narrow hallway stretched past the kitchen, leading to the bedrooms we used to fight over as kids.

  It wasn't much.

  We decided to settle in our old shared room, finally removing the packs we've been carrying since we started our journey and, not before long, beginning to unpack at our leisure.

  "This should be fun! We have the house all to ourselves without having to go to—" Zophiel gets cut off as he opens his drawer, seeing a note and what appears to be some type of weird clothing. Zophiel quickly reads the note before getting to his knees and pretending to cry while Elyon and I look at him with a curious expression.

  "WHY HAS THE GODDESS FORSAKEN US?! WHYY?!?!"

  Soon, I step up behind him and peek over his shoulder.

  "May I ask just what you are screaming about?" I quickly take notice of the note before snatching it from my younger brother's hands. Soon after reading the note, I find myself in the same position as Zophiel, with my soul leaving through my mouth in a cartoonish way before curling into a ball and passing the note to Elyon so that he could read it.

  Elyon, unlike the two of us, decides to read it aloud:

  'Hello, my lovely children. If you got this note then that means you made it safely to Gaia. I've written this note because I forgot about a little important detail. Your mother, asked for you to continue your studies in Gaia, this is why I took it upon myself to assign you to the Royal Academy just around the corner! I have gathered the uniforms you will be using during this semester. And no you can't come back until a year passes! Have fun!'

  Elyon rolls his eyes at our dramatic reaction before disposing of the note and clearing his throat, making us focus oue attention on him. "Guys, come on it can't be that bad!".

  ~~TIME SKIP~~

  Elyon's POV

  The bell rang, snapping me out of my daze like a thundercp. Thank the Goddess. I stuffed my notebook into my bag and rushed out of my seat, hoping the fresh air outside would clear the fog in my head.

  As I made my way to the door, a flicker of gold caught my eye. A girl with bright blonde hair was still packing her things, her movements neat and deliberate. For some reason, my chest tightened. When I gnced her way, our eyes locked for a fleeting second — hers were a deep, stormy gray, a color I hadn't seen in a long time.

  A jolt of panic shot through me. I immediately looked away, pretending to be fascinated by a crack in the wall.

  What the hell was that? My cheeks burned, and when I pressed a hand to them, they felt hotter than the summer sun outside. Maybe I'm getting sick... yeah, that must be it.

  I was still trying to pull myself together when Akriel's voice broke through the haze.

  "Yo, Elyon!" he called, jogging up with Zophiel right behind him, both looking way too cheerful for people who just survived a full day of school.

  "Hey guys," I said, clearing my throat. "How'd the first day go?"

  "Not too shabby," Akriel said, giving me a casual thumbs-up. Then he narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. "Uh... bro, you look like you're about to pass out. You okay?"

  "I'm fine!" I blurted out, waving my hands defensively. "Just... fever or something."

  But when the girl walked past us, chatting with her friends, I felt that traitorous heat flood my face again. I couldn't help but steal a gnce — and to my horror, Akriel and Zophiel caught it.

  They shared a look. That evil, knowing, sibling look.

  "No reason at all, dear brother," Zophiel said with a mock bow, grinning like the little devil he was.

  "Yeah, totally no reason," Akriel added, nudging him in the ribs.

  "Huh? Hey! Get back here!" I shouted, chasing after them as they took off down the street, ughing.

  And just like that, the first day of our so-called "vacation" ended — with my brothers teasing me to death.