10 Damianos appears - 2

"How do you know about it Damianos? And if you were there, then why didn't you come to see me?" Asked a surprised Morpheous.

With a tinge of smile on his crinkled old face, Damianos replied,

"Becasue there is a time for everything Morpheous. There is time for everything !!! You do not hit on the iron when it's cold. You wait till it becomes scalding hot and then you hit on it."

'The way he spoke was exactly like Damianos.'

'The way he smiled just now was exactly like Damianos.'

'Then how come he was perched up in the sky?'

Morpheous thought to himself. And then he remembered an incident that Jerome had narrated to him. Apparently a couple of years back a snake charmer from Eresos village has wandered into the forest of the forbidden un-knowingly and when he realized his folly, he prayed to the Gods and the angels to save him. And he swore upon his life that a few moments later, he had seen an angel with broken wings, sitting under a tree for the split of a second. Some believed in him and some didn't, but his story had added to their fears about the forest of the forbidden.

Recollecting that incident, Morpheous realized that the same thing was probably happening to him. Probably his mind was so focussed on finding where Damianos was, that he was seeing all these things. So he decided not to listen to any more words from this strange man who was probably an outcome of his thoughts, just like a dream.

Covering his ears so that he didn't have to listen to any of his words, he continued walking away, ignoring his presence. He could no more hear the sound of breaking twigs with his steps, nor he could hear the crickets.

Damianos smiled as he saw him walking away and muttered,

"You were never the easy one to persuade."

Morpheous had closed his ears, but Damianos wasn't dependent on sound to talk to and convince his Godson. So closing his eyes, he tried to communicate with Morpheous with his mind.

"Stop running Morpheous. You know it's me."

An astounded Morpheous, who was still holding his ears shut, turned back. But no one was there. He just saw a faint halo of light at quite a far distance, probably from the place where he had left after having the last conversation with the new Damianos.

"Yes, it's me Morpheous. Come back !!!"

"How can I hear you? What have you done to me? What have you done with Damianos?" Asked Morpheous flaring in anger.

"This is all real Morpheous, I haven't done anything to you or myself."

"You liar !!!", screamed Morpheous and then said,

"Come out. Stop your magic and fight me like a real man."

Hearing his words, Damianos apparated again and appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. But this time he looked different. The halo around him had disappeared. He wasn't wearing the same clothes that Damianos used to wear. Instead, he was wearing white robes just like the angels did. He then slowly perched his divine wings in front of Morpheous.

His jaws opened wide in surprise because he looked exactly like the angel which the snake charmer had seen. An angel with broken wings.

So he went a bit closer to touch and see if all this was real and not just a dream and when he did, he could see that a couple of his wings had been burnt and it looked like it was burnt recently because he could smell the putrid charring smell similar to burning flesh coming from them.

Somehow seeing him in this condition etched a worried look on his face.

"Yes, It's me Morpheous. Your Godfather Damianos, the fallen angel of Dihedral." Damianos said and then reached for the ground. He jerked his hands to flap his wings back but when he did, Morpheous could see that it was painful for him. He could see that there was a slight deformity as if one of the bones supporting the wings had been broken.

"You... You are an angel?" Stuttered Morpheous.

"Yes, your guardian angel Morpheous," said Damianos and took a step to inch closer towards Morpheous. And just like a stimulus to his action, Morpheous took a step back and asked,

"So is that tale true? Did the snake charmer see you for real in this forest?"

"Yes, he did. That happened by mistake. He wasn't supposed to see me. No mortal is supposed to see me in my true form," said Damianos and sighed.

"But I am a mortal," said Morpheous furrowing his brows.

Damianos took a deep breath and asked,

"Tell me what happened near the lake?"

"How do you know that I was near a lake?" Morpheous asked getting a bit cautious.

"Raising your guards against your Godfather again huh !!! Didn't I tell you that I am an angel Morpheous? Do you know what angels can do?"

"Angels are a myth. They are not real. You yourself had taught us so. You told us- 'Manners maketh man'. You told us that we ourselves write and rule our lives. You told us that no God or angel is there to protect us and asked us to learn to protect ourselves. And now you are telling me that angels are real?" Asked Morpheous.

"And... and your wings are broken and burnt. Aren't angels supposed to have the power to do everything? Why can't you heal yourself?"

Damianos stayed silent for a while and then took another step towards Morpheous and said,

"I am a fallen angel Damianos. Once an angel falls, it has only limited powers. I cannot heal on my own. I am here to protect you, to help you rise and one day I believe when you do, you can heal me as well."

"Help me rise?"

"Rise where?"

"How can I heal you? I am just a mere mortal," said Morpheous shrugged his shoulders. He then looked around again, in the hope to find a living soul who could help him ascertain the fact that he was looking at an angel.

"Think again Morpheous, think what happened weird today. Perhaps that will help to change your perception," asked Damianos and looked up at Morpheous patiently.

Morpheous hesitated at first but then decided to spill everything in front of him because his thoughts had been troubling him enough and this angel looked like a benevolent one who would do him no harm. But then he just stopped for a second to look at Damianos in disbelief.

"I was in the fire, yet my skin is healed now, but your wings are burnt."

"The roof broke and fell on me, the pieces of wood pierced through my skin and shattered my back, but it's your wing that is broken."

He then paused and looked at his right arm and muttered,

"My hand was burning when I woke up," and looked at Damianos right hand which was covered in his pure white cloak.

Damianos smiled and pulled the sleeves of his cloak up.