Chapter 1

Finally, the day Elaria had waited for her entire existence had arrived. Her assigned human, Chloe Bennett, was eighteen and preparing to start her senior year at St Catherine boarding Academy; a new school in a new town after her mom moved away from the previous town.

Elaria was a tangle of nerves and anticipation. She adjusted her pure white gown, her massive wings fanning out gracefully behind her. Her silver hair cascaded like polished silk, and her grey eyes, flecked with silver, sparkled with life.

She had successfully completed the first stage of guardianship, which involved overseeing her human from birth until the age of eighteen. Upon reaching this milestone, angels were permitted to descend to Earth to provide close-proximity guidance. However, it was up to the Almighty, Lord Aurevion, the Eternal King of Heaven, to determine whether an angel had earned that privilege.

Before that, the angels used a system that automatically connects them to their human's mind. This system helps them to guide their humans in the right part. The human's purity was calculated the moment they step into puberty age. It was at that age they really knew the difference between good and evil.

A multitude of young angels, new to their assignments, would have filled the grand hall, awaiting the results of their years of labor. Elaria hoped her efforts had been sufficient. She was confident that the Almighty would allow her to proceed to the next stage and watch over Chloe in person.

After a final inspection in her mirror, Elaria left her quarters, immediately joined by her friend Caelina.

"Are you excited?" Caelina asked as they walked toward the hall with a slow, elegant gait, their long white gowns trailing behind them.

Elaria nodded, barely able to contain her enthusiasm. "So excited I can hardly stand still. And you?"

Caelina grinned broadly. "The same, my friend. I still can't believe I'll finally be on Earth to look after Tristan Morrison properly," she chirped, nearly shrieking in delight. "Oh, I can't wait!"

Elaria knew how devoted Caelina was to Tristan—her affection bordering on obsession—but Elaria could not judge her. She felt equally smitten with Chloe.

Nevertheless, Elaria offered a word of caution. "Perhaps we should focus on actually being selected to proceed first. You know it won't be easy."

"Of course I will," Caelina replied confidently, a proud smile playing on her lips. "Tristan is still as pure as the driven snow."

Elaria chuckled, though in her heart, she disagreed. No one could be purer than her Chloe. Last year, Chloe had achieved a purity rating of 80 percent, while Caelina's human came in a close second at 78 percent. That year, they had come close to the unprecedented 90 percent mark.

Elaria was certain Chloe would climb even higher this time, perhaps shocking the entire celestial realm. She had watched over her charge well.

Soon, they arrived at the hall, where a host of angels was already seated, awaiting the ceremony's commencement. They took their seats among millions of peers, the air buzzing with excited chatter.

Many angels shared similar features. Some, like Elaria, possessed pure white hair and silver eyes; others had blue eyes. Some sported golden hair and golden eyes, while others had a mixture of golden eyes and pure white hair or blue eyes and golden hair.

Caelina was among those with golden hair and golden eyes. She was easily the most beautiful angel in the realm, second only to Cassielia, the Holy Angel. No one could ever truly compare to Cassielia.

The Almighty, Lord Aurevion, radiated from his throne in the far distance. His light was so blinding that none could look upon his face or approach him. His purity level exceeded one thousand percent.

He was flanked by the nine most powerful angels—Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Humility, and Self-Control—four on his right and four on his left, while his beloved, Raziel, sat at his feet. All radiated immense light.

Calm and graceful, the Holy Angel Cassielia stood before the assembly. Unlike the others, her eyes blazed like flames, her white robes were whiter than the highest clouds, and her golden hair and halo glowed with intense brightness. At times, it was difficult to look upon her; she was almost too pure.

Cassielia was one of the rare angels who had successfully completed her mission. Her human had lived a life of 90 percent purity until his last breath.

She was deeply respected throughout the heavenly realms and held the title of Holy Angel, as achieving mission success was exceptionally rare.

"Today, the purity of your human shall be measured, and that shall determine your fate." Her beautiful, melodious voice filled the silent hall.

A viewing screen materialized above her head. Excitement and apprehension rippled through the seated angels; some even flapped their wings nervously.

The first angel called was young, and his human was an eighteen-year-old boy about to graduate high school. His purity score was 50 out of 100 percent.

"You will go to Earth and help him become a better man. You did well to maintain him at 50 percent, but at this number, he is susceptible to temptation. Strive to guide him after he leaves high school," Cassielia instructed.

"Yes, Holy One." The young angel nodded, accepting his badge before returning to his seat.

Any guardian whose human scored above 50 percent was permitted to descend to Earth to continue their work. Those whose humans scored between 30 and 50 percent were granted three opportunities to correct the course. If, by the third year, the human's percentage remained stagnant or decreased, their life force would be severed, and the angel would be cursed with the Mark of Shame. Angels bearing this mark were considered lower than the lowest ranks.

The Mark of Shame was a symbol of utter failure.

Another name was called—a female angel this time. Her human's purity rate was 30 percent, stemming from bullying behavior. Because the human was still a child, the angel was given her first chance to effect change. She had two chances remaining.

After several more names, a male angel was summoned. His human, a thirty-year-old man, scored 5 percent. This was an unacceptable figure, especially for a man of his age. Consequently, the human's life force was to be severed, and the angel was to be sent away to suffer the consequences of failure: the Mark of Shame.

When a human's purity rate fell to 20 percent or lower, there was no recourse for the angel. The human's life force was immediately cut off, and the angel was cursed with the Mark of Shame.

Following this harsh verdict, a pall of fear descended upon the hall. Everyone wondered who would be next to bear the mark.

Soon, Caelina's name was called. Her human, Tristan Morrison, scored 85 percent, impressing the entire assembly. Caelina held the highest score so far, and Elaria was genuinely happy for her. It gave her hope that Chloe would score even higher.

"Told you I was moving to the next stage," Caelina beamed proudly at Elaria before moving forward to receive her badge.

Elaria was not surprised. Caelina had done an excellent job of guarding her human, keeping him safe and ensuring he avoided negative influences.

Finally, Elaria's name was called. Her human, Chloe—a red-haired girl with nerd glasses and braces—appeared on the screen, smiling brightly.

"Purity rate..." Cassielia sounded genuinely impressed, perhaps even shocked. She looked at the host of angels in stunned silence before announcing, "...98 percent."

The hall gasped in amazement. Even Caelina's eyes widened beside Elaria.

"Oh my Lord, Elaria, you weren't bluffing!" she exclaimed in astonishment.

Elaria smiled proudly as she walked forward. Caelina whispered good luck to her. Elaria had expected Chloe to do well, but Chloe had exceeded all expectations.

The Holy Angel smiled warmly at her. "This is truly surprising and impressive. Keep up the good work, my dear. You might even end up surpassing me."

She handed Elaria her badge—a small, round golden stone designed to allow her to return to Heaven at any time.

"Thank you, Holy One," Elaria said respectfully, collecting her badge before returning to her seat.

Chloe's rating was the highest level of purity ever recorded. She had surpassed Cassielia's 90 percent, though it was not yet finalized until the mission was complete. Still, the achievement was staggering. Elaria was beyond proud.

"98 percent, huh?" Caelina teased as Elaria sat down beside her. "They say a human is as pure as her angel. Are you really that pure, Elaria?"

"Shut up, Caelina. Are you as pure as your human?" Elaria retorted absentmindedly, staring at the badge in her hands. Her smile widened. She could not wait to watch over Chloe in person.

Caelina huffed. "Well, at least we're both going to Earth. That's enough for me. It doesn't matter if we are pure or not. As long as our humans are, we're safe."

Elaria smiled as Caelina side-hugged her.

After that, Cassielia delivered brief words of warning and encouragement. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the angels recited the rules in unison:

"Never show yourself to your human. Never harm another human for the sake of your own. Never use your powers physically for your human or against other humans. Never fall for your human or any other human. Never fall for a demon."

Falling for a demon was the gravest crime an angel could commit. By doing so, one automatically became an enemy of Heaven and the Almighty. Therefore, angels had to remain vigilant, for demons were cunning creatures. Elaria had witnessed how demons had ruined the lives of many angels by causing them to fall, and the punishment was severe.

Nevertheless, she hoped her mission would proceed smoothly and that she would not have to face a demon.

After all, this was all about Chloe.

Why would a demon become involved?