When Elowen reached her apartment, she didn't find a sanctuary. She found a fortress of ink. The room was so densely packed with glowing scrolls that she felt a wave of vertigo. Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed just by looking at the sheer, impossible volume of the task.
She worked through the entire night. As she wrote, she watched the sun slowly bleed over the horizon, its light mocking her exhaustion.
"One hundred reports done..." Elowen whispered in a broken, hollow voice. "I want to sleep."
Her head started to loll, but she snapped upright, slamming her palms against her cheeks. SLAP! "NO! A hundred more! Then you can have three hangouts this week, Elowen. Just do it!"
She wrote with a frantic, desperate energy. She pushed so hard that her fingers began to bleed beneath the skin; tiny crimson drops smeared across the divine parchment, but she didn't flinch. Finally, her strength snapped. Her head fell forward—THUD—landing hard on the desk.
In the darkness of her exhaustion, she began to hallucinate. She felt a warm presence behind her, a hand gently patting her head.
"Why do I need to work so hard?" she sobbed into the wood of the desk. "Why can't I love freely? Why was I born as an angel? What kind of test is this? Why... just why?"
In her mind, Ren was there, smiling that soft, rare smile. It's okay, the Imaginary Ren whispered. Everything will be alright.
"Really?" she asked, her tears soaking into the reports.
Yes, my love, the voice replied.
Elowen let out a long, ragged breath and drifted into a shallow, pained sleep.
The High Heavens
Arian sat on a soft cloud, finally pulling off his neon-pink cat ears and tail. "Master Elowen is the best!" he cheered, flopping backward. "I could never have made my targets laugh this much without her tips."
He heard hushed voices nearby and crept behind a massive marble pillar. He saw Azmeal and Aven deep in conversation.
"So, what do you think?" Aven asked. "Is she going to return soon? I heard Lord Gabriel is making her write five thousand reports weekly as a punishment."
Arian froze. Punishment?
"That's too much even for an angel," Azmeal sighed. "If it were me, I would have quit already."
"How can she even do this for so long?" Aven countered. "She's the most stupid and stubborn angel I've ever seen."
"Hey, don't be so harsh," Azmeal said. "She is in love with Ren."
Arian's heart hammered against his ribs. MASTER ELOWEN LOVES HER TARGET?!
"Azmeal, get back to reality," Aven snapped. "She can do it for a month, maybe four. But just because she cannot get sick doesn't mean she cannot get tired. At some point, she'll have to quit the mission and all these efforts will be wasted anyway."
"I just feel bad," Azmeal muttered. "It was us who reported her behavior to the Council."
"It was our duty to report what Arian told us as a senior. She'll be fine."
Arian felt like the sky was falling. M-me? It means I was the one... Master Elowen is suffering because of me. It's all my fault. No, no, no—I need to fix this quick!
He bolted toward the Council Hall, running so fast he slammed into a figure as solid as a mountain. Arian tumbled backward, looking up to see Lord Michael gazing down at him with a tilted head.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Michael asked.
"I am sorry, Lord Michael!" Arian bowed instantly. "But... Can I go to the mission near Master Elowen's area?"
Michael looked confused. "What? But you completed your mission just yesterday. This whole month is your holiday."
"I don't want holidays! I want to become a professional!" Arian blurted out.
"Really? That is so good," Michael mused. "But... why Elowen?"
Arian's mind raced. He shouldn't know that I know about her failure! "Uh... um... that's because... ah! Remember the time we went to the mortal world for a masterclass from her? I just want to learn new things from her. Her advice really helps!"
Michael paused. I feel bad to disappoint such a determined trainee. He checked his notepad. "Let me check... so, there is a target who is under your level, roughly within a one-kilometer radius of her."
Arian snatched the sheet, bowing frantically. "Thank you, My Lord!"
"But Elowen is a bit busy," Michael warned. "Don't disturb her or try to talk to her. You can just observe your target. Is that clear?"
"Yes, My Lord! I will surely disobey—I mean, obey you!"
"At least... read the data first," Michael called out, but Arian was already a streak of light heading for the Mortal Gate.
Earth
Ren arrived at Elowen's door, his arms full of supplies. He was convinced she was killing herself to rank first in class to make her parents proud.
Ting-Tong.
The door creaked open. Elowen stood there, her eyes hollow. She immediately hid her Band-Aided, ink-stained fingers behind her back.
"Ren," she whispered. Her phone began to vibrate violently in her pocket.
"What are you doing here?"
"Elowen, I know we're in different schools, but I can still help you," Ren said firmly. "I brought notes, energy drinks, and previous year's question papers. Don't ask how I got them—I'm a pro."
"But Ren, you really didn't have to..." Elowen could feel the tension. New scrolls were spawning in her room as the system detected the conversation. Her blood pressure spiked. "I-I'm fine. You can just leave."
"But Elowen, you don't look in a very good condition—"
The vibration was constant now. Tens of scrolls were appearing at once.
"Ren, I don't need all this!"
"But Elowen—"
"JUST LEAVE!" she screamed.
The silence that followed was deafening. Ren froze, his expression crumbling. "I get it," he said quietly, looking at the floor. "I'm sorry." He turned and left without another word.
Elowen sank to the floor, clutching her head. What did I do? I ruined everything. I work for ten hours just to talk for ten minutes... is this what I want? I'm going back to the Heavens. Let them send someone else. Goodbye, Ren. We will never meet again.
Ren walked the streets, his mind a dark spiral. Why are you so stupid, Ren? You don't deserve love. You tried to kiss her, and now she hates you.
Back at the apartment, Arian burst through the open door. "MASTER ELOWEN!"
He saw her standing there, saw the bandages on her hands, and dropped into a deep bow. "I deeply apologize with all my heart! Please forgive me!"
Elowen blinked. "Apologize? For what?"
"I told the seniors about the sweater!" Arian wailed. "I thought it was normal! I didn't know you did it out of love! The Council is punishing you because of me! Punch me! I deserve it!"
Elowen stared at him, then slowly began to shake him by the shoulders to make him stand. "Hey... Arian, it isn't your fault. I won't punish you. They would have found out eventually."
"But Master—"
"Don't call me Master. I'm stubborn and I break rules. I just... I wanted to feel love. I felt it. And now I'm returning to my duty."
"But Master Elowen, you love Ren!"
Elowen shook her head slowly. "Just because I love him doesn't mean I deserve him. If you really want to help... do something."
"Yes! Anything!"
"Then just help me complete the rest of the work. I have a few hundred reports left, but with your help, I can finish quickly... so that I can finally return... home."
Arian's eyes filled with tears. "I will write the reports for you!"
"No, Arian," Elowen said firmly. "That's my punishment. If you write them for me and anyone finds out, you'll be punished too. I don't want you to suffer for me. You can just do the rechecking part."
Arian bowed his head. "I am sorry, Master."
"It's okay, Ren—" Elowen stopped, flushing as she realized she'd used the wrong name. She smiled a bittersweet smile. "Thank you for helping me, Arian." She looked up at the ceiling. "Thank you, Amora."
This time, she wasn't running away from her duty.
She was abandoning her heart.