Rafaela

With the end of the Golden Age, a monstrous abyssal fissure has once again opened within the Land of Dawn, and from its depths dark energies rise once again.

The darkness of the night was about to fall again. The Abyss loomed menacingly.

To protect this world, the Lord of Light has selected a number of pure maidens who will become pregnant with angels. Legends said that only women could be angels – for example, those chosen by the Lord of Light could only give birth to daughters.

Argus and Rafaela are twin siblings born in the Moniyan Empire. The Sacrists of the Monastery of Light forced their mother to imbibe holy water, in the name of the Lord of Light. Therefore, she would give birth to an angel in her temple. Their mother was certainly an ordinary woman, she and her lover faithfully devoted to each other. Yet, under the supervision and persuasion of the sacrists, she had no choice but to accept the "honor" bestowed upon her by the Lord of Light.

The pregnancy of the one carrying an angel is an incredibly long and slow process. During these three years, his heart grew heavy, tortured by the solitude of such a long ordeal. She longed for her lover, longed to be with him again. After two years, she couldn't take it anymore and escaped the temple to find him; together they lived happily once again. But it will only be a short-lived happiness.

The sacrists did not take long to find her. Her lover was killed before her eyes for threatening to desecrate the divine lineage of the Lord of Light, and she was sent back to the monastery.

Another year passed, at the end of which she died in childbirth. To everyone's surprise, she gave birth to a pair of twins: one of whom was a baby boy.

The child's eyes strangely resembled those of his late mother's lover. The Cleric of Light soon realized this, realizing that the boy was born of humanity – and yet, incredibly, he possessed the power of angels. The sacrists attempted to kill him but their efforts were thwarted, for every time they tried, a dazzling light burst from Rafaela, protecting her brother from all harm.

This was considered a miracle. So they gave up any idea of ​​killing the boy. Instead, in silent unanimity, it was decided that the circumstances of his birth should remain a secret from everyone.

The Monastery of Light hid the truth so masterfully that even the twins themselves knew nothing about it.

Argus and Rafaela therefore grew up together, following the same education and training. What set them apart, however, was the fact that she was seen as a magnificent ray of light: a holy and immaculate being. In people's eyes, Rafaela was their only true angel. Argus, on the other hand, was kept in the shadows and forever deprived of the glory that was rightfully his.

However, Rafaela loved her brother very much, as she loved him. The two underwent entirely different treatments, and Argus was constantly warned that his only choice was to live in his shadow, but the two were nonetheless an inseparable couple who cared deeply for each other. Both were extremely good-hearted and, as soon as they came of age, swore to uphold their common mission: to use their power to protect peace and spread Light.

The praise and admiration came in waves, but alas, it only fell on Rafaela. Even though Argus was just as exceptional as his sister and, like her, had gone to great lengths to maintain the path of Light, everyone's praise was instead directed only at the gentle Rafaela. While he fought for the Light, it was in darkness that Argus remained.

Rafaela witnessed this and repeatedly wanted to speak on behalf of her brother: to change people's attitudes towards him. However, she didn't succeed even once. She didn't understand: why was he treated like an outcast? No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he sacrificed, they knew everything and yet they treated him the same...

Rafaela was an always attentive soul, and so she quickly noticed that Argus' attitude towards humanity was beginning to change. In his eyes, human nature was malicious and selfish. That being the case, why should he even bother trying to curry favor with them? The twins had several arguments about this, as Rafaela conversely believed that the Abyss was the root of all darkness in life. She believed that humanity was good and kind, but that these qualities disappeared once tainted by the Abyss. Neither was willing to change their point of view, no matter how hard they tried to persuade the other.

The two diverge in terms of individual philosophies. Over time, however, their battlefield tactics also began to differ.

Amidst the battle, Argus persevered tirelessly, eager for a quick victory, but ultimately fell into the demons' trap. Rafaela ordered the troops to retreat, but Argus ignored her as he headed towards the demons' nest.

Argus returns from the enemy camp with a demonic blade in his hand, a weapon emitting a malevolent aura. A dark, menacing mist swirled around him. Although Rafaela worked hard to purge him of this darkness, he broke away and killed the troops all around her before escaping.

From that moment on, Rafaela tirelessly searched for every tidbit about her brother's whereabouts. His behavior did not surprise the Monastery of the Sacrists of Light; on the contrary, they claimed that they had long considered him a corrupt soul and that this day was inevitable. Their words shook Rafaela to her core, and for the first time, her faith was shaken as well. She punished them severely and left the Monastery of Light to find her lost brother.

Several months have passed. Finally, it was in the Arid Lands that she found Argus. What she didn't realize, however, was that the Argus she knew was now long gone. The golden aura in which he once bathed, his radiant wings, were nowhere to be seen; and in their place was an oppressive aura of cruelty and pitch-black wings.

There was no going back now... Rafaela wanted to increase her staff and put an end to this, as was her duty. Yet memories of the past floated through her mind, one after the other, and she couldn't bring herself to do it. Argus looked at her from afar and silently turned to leave.

From then on, he will only sink further into the darkness of the Abyss. Constantly wracked with pain and confusion, constantly sinking deeper and deeper. Over time, Rafaela became the woman she is today: an angel admired by all, savior of the apocalypse and incarnation of Light. Despite this, she could never bear to face the one who was closest to her.

Time passes, never to return. No matter human or angel, no one can go back.