prologue || two colonies

❈

Thousands of years ago, a war between colonies broke out. No one knows exactly how it started, but it's a known fact that the angels and the Shades are fierce enemies. The Shades are looking for a deadly weapon thought to be in the possession of the angels, and the angels resent the Shades for a massacre they'd inflicted upon the heavenly folk, a long, long time ago – it was bloody and tragic.

Point is, the two colonies are extremely powerful, and a war between them is forceful enough to completely shatter the human world beneath.

Angels and Shades have many things in common. The first is that they have high expectations: angels are expected to have powerful wings, a beautiful, 'angelic' face and a skill in either battle, strategy, or music. Shades are expected to be ruthless murderers and to not blink twice after ripping out an angel's heart. They're meant to be cold, heartless, and most importantly, they need to be quick killers.

Second, the angels and the Shades all have their own set of rules. For the angels, it's pretty simple. If you're a guardian angel, never betray your team and don't do anything without approval of the Superiors. If you're a commoner, don't exit the kingdom without permission, don't let the enemy in (obviously) and don't start fights unreasonably. Most importantly... never fall in love with the enemy.

If you're a Shade, it's important not to let anyone take your guard down. Protect your heart with stone walls, and don't think twice before murdering someone in cold blood. Never back down from a mission, and don't communicate with the angels unless permission is given. The Shades have a pretty loose set of laws, but the one that stands out most is to never, ever, fall in love – whether it be with the enemy or with a Shade.

For them, there is no difference between weakness and love.

As for the angels, love is considered something only the lucky get – it's like a gift from God.

Speaking of God, no one ever knows who or where he is. The angels run their own society beneath God's supervision, but only the high-ranked Seraphs can communicate with him (if it even is a 'he').

Lastly, the Shades and the angels are both utterly stubborn. They're never known to be quitters, and they never back down from a fight – even if the fight leads to spilled guts and broken families.

My name's Riley, and I'm the daughter of the Queen and King of the Lunaris kingdom. Yes, I'm a princess. Yes, I'm royalty.

Big fucking deal, right?

If only I looked the part. There's no bigger embarrassment to the royal family than having a wingless daughter. It's an occasion that rarely ever happens to angels, but when it does, it's downright humiliating. The only reason I was saved from such humiliation is because of my family.

Gotta love the family, huh?

I'm weird. I get that. I mean, who in their right mind – sorry, I mean heart – would ever dare to fall in love with their enemy? Not to mention messing up on their first ever mission. Yep, that's me – Riley, the screw-up.

Well, if you want to read my fan-fucking-tastic tale of embarrassment, here it is! Mind you, it's not an easy read – I'm warning you now, the word 'cringe' is derived from my Seraph name.

Okay, it's not. Whatever.

Enjoy!

— the screw-up