The young man sobbed as he fell to his knees, pressing his face into his hands. There was nothing left for him now... his parents were killed, his sister taken away from him... He had no one to fall back on now. Loneliness had taken over him; his soul was ripped in two, and now there was only one way to free himself.

Wiping the tears from his flushed face, his gaze lowered to the dagger that lay in front of him. With a shaky hand, he reached over and wrapped his fingers around the hilt. He closed his eyes and said a short prayer, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a cool hand placed around his own. His eyes flew open, and he came face-to-face with the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on.

Electric green eyes blinked at him, half-hidden by jet-black bangs. She smiled, which lit up her entire face, and she rested her hand on his cheek, making him shiver at its coolness.

"Who are you...?" he managed to whisper.

"I am what keeps you alive," she replied in a soft voice. She removed her hand from his own, and the dagger slowly faded away. Then she stood, revealing her white silk dress. The material was so fine it seemed to be made of spider webs. The sleeves extended to her wrists, and wrapped around her hands like fingerless gloves. The silver cross necklace dangling from her forehead shimmered as she spoke.

"I am what keeps you safe." She smiled again, and from her back sprang eight pairs of wings, each one extending ten feet from her body. The top pairs were a dark purple, and each pair going down became lighter and lighter until the very bottom set was a pure white.

"I am called Azuriel, and I am the angel that's going to tell you to snap out of it." She kneeled in front of the young man once again, and her wings slowly wrapped around them, forming a protective wall around the two.

The young man blinked in astonishment. He couldn't believe what was happening... yet here she was, right in front of him, his beautiful angel of light.

"I-I know who you are," he whispered, his face pale. "I've seen you before..."

Azuriel smiled again and stroked the young man's cheek. "Of course you have, Lucian," she said as she wrapped her arms around him, tightening the barrier of wings. "I have been here your entire life, even though you may not have known it. You are very lonely; I don't have to be your angel to sense that. But you are never alone, you know." She gently pulled away to look into Lucian's eyes. "Even if you are the only person in a room, you are not alone, for I am always here." Her green eyes glistened with tears, and the entire outline of her body grew dull as she began to fade into bright sparkles. "I love you," she whispered as she finally disappeared.

Lucian hugged his arms to himself as he sat in the middle of his large empty room. He no longer cried, nor felt the aching longing in his chest. His once pale face was now a bright pink, and he smiled for the first time in weeks as he stared up at the ceiling.

"I love you too... Azuriel."