High above the city, Amora lay on a roof's edge, her legs swinging lazily in the air. She watched a young couple on the sidewalk below with a satisfied, cat-like grin.
"You bought this for me? Really?!" the girl gasped, opening a box.
"I-I don't know... it just... appeared? From thin air?" the boy stammered, looking utterly bewildered.
"Oh, don't lie to me, darling! Thank you so much!" She planted a kiss on his cheek, and the boy turned a shade of red that matched Amora’s signature roses.
Amora giggled, her eyes glowing. She had personally "delivered" that gift just to make them happy. But her peace was shattered by two high-pitched screams echoing through the sky.
"SISTERRRRR! BIG SISTERRRRR!"
Philo and Eros arrived at rocket speed, leaving a trail of glitter in their wake. Philo tried to brake, but Eros was moving too fast and slammed directly into his back with a dull thud.
"Ouch!" Philo yelped.
"Oh my god! Eros, Philo! Are you two okay? Did you hit a stray cloud?" Amora asked, covering her mouth in worry.
"No time for that! We need professional help!" Philo scrambled up and grabbed her sleeve. "We need to rescue the Panda-Girl!"
"Panda-Girl?" Amora blinked.
"Not a panda! A monster! A desk-breaking monster girl!" Eros said.
Seeing the genuine terror in their tiny faces, Amora tried to calm them. "Boys, breathe. Tell me exactly what happened."
"No! Explain later! Come now!" Philo tugged one of her hands.
"Yes! Move, move, move!" Eros pulled the other.
The two tiny Cupids flapped their wings with all their might, dragging a confused Amora through the air. Halfway to the apartment, Amora laughed as she was towed along. "Wait! Will you tell me what is going on? I am utterly confused, boys!"
"There is a girl... she resisted four high-regular arrows from Philo... then my Special Golden Arrow!" Eros shouted.
Amora’s jaw dropped. "What?! Five arrows? That’s impossible! Philo, is that true?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Philo sighed. "She’s too strong! She split her desk in two just to keep writing!"
They reached the window of Elowen’s apartment. Amora recognized the building instantly, and her expression shifted into a knowing, mischievous smirk.
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"Here?" She looked through the glass at Elowen, who was currently writing on a jagged piece of the broken desk. "Oh, my..." She laughed, patting Eros’s head. "Boys, she isn't a human."
"You mean... she is a panda?" Eros asked.
"No, my sweet Eros. Let me introduce you."
Amora slid the window open and walked inside, still holding the invisible Cupids by their hands. Elowen looked up, her eyes sunken and tired.
"Amora? You’re back?" Elowen paused, staring at Amora’s hands, which were held out as if she were grasping two invisible toddlers. "Um... Amora? What are you doing with your hands?"
"Oh, right! You can't see them yet." Amora snapped her fingers.
With a shimmer of pink light, the two Cupids became visible. Elowen’s eyes went wide as she stared at the blonde, winged toddlers hovering in her living room.
"Cupids?" Elowen asked, amused.
"Hello!" Eros chirped.
"She can see us?" Philo stared at Amora. "Is she our sister too? How does she know your name?!"
"Elowen, meet the brother-like Cupid partners, Eros and Philo," Amora said. "Boys, meet Elowen—my new favorite female lead. And, more importantly... she’s an Angel. Hey, Elowen? Why don't you show my brothers why your 'defense' is so high?"
"Oh, I see." Elowen stood up, and with a soft, majestic shwing, her massive, brilliant white wings unfurled, filling the entire room with light.
"WOOOOOOW! SO BIG WINGSSSS!" Philo and Eros screamed, their eyes turning into literal sparkling stars.
"No wonder our arrows didn't work..." Philo touched a feather tentatively. "We were trying to shoot a General of Heaven!"
Elowen stared at the two tiny, winged boys, her massive wings still shimmering. "So you used your powers to hide them, didn't you?"
"Bingo!" Amora grinned.
Eros zoomed up to Elowen’s face. "We were so worried! We saw a boy... he was so sad, staring at photos on a bench of the angel girl. He looked like his heart was turning into a raisin!"
"We tried to 'nudge' him, but he’s remarkably resilient," Philo added solemnly.
Elowen’s heart sank. "You mean... Ren? You saw Ren?"
"Is that his name? Ren? It sounds like 'Rain,'" Eros said. "Which is fitting, because he looked like a thunderstorm!"
"Actually... I don't think I am good enough for him," Elowen said in a low tone, looking down.
Amora, Eros, and Philo froze.
"What are you saying, Elowen?" Amora asked. "You are the perfect girl for him."
"No, Amora, I am not. I should probably return to Heaven instead of running away from my duty as a messenger. If I leave, his memories will be erased. He will be fine.”
"And what about you?" Philo asked.
"My memories won't be erased as a punishment for breaking laws," Elowen said, her voice trembling. "But I will forget him eventually. It won't be that hard."
Amora sighed softly. "Girl… calm down. Tell me exactly why you made that terrible decision and why your finger is band-aided."
Elowen smiled sadly despite her words. "Amora, I am glad that you let me enjoy a beautiful dream... but the dream is over now, and now I need to wake up."
"Before you speak anything more, let me just shoot you first!" Eros shouted, pointing a Comfort Bolt at her.
"No, Eros, wait!" Amora blocked his hand. She walked closer and held Elowen’s shoulders. Her expression shifted into a deep maternal warmth; without her even realizing it, her eye color changed to golden and her voice softened with a divine melody.
"Elowen… whatever made you feel that way... do you really want to see your Ren with some other girl in the future? Can someone else even make him feel the way you did? I am not talking about the mission. I mean after the mission, when he becomes a more confident version of himself. Time will pass, he won't remember you, he will marry someone else and have a family. Are you really okay with that, Elowen?"
Elowen got lost in the golden eyes and that gentle voice. She completely forgot everything else, starting to speak the truth while still caught in that gaze. "I… can't. That wouldn't be heartbreaking... that would be heart-stabbing. I would literally die from seeing him with someone who is not me. I want him to stay happy, so I might just say to myself that at least he is happy... until Lord Gabriel shows mercy on me and erases my memories, too..."
After a brief pause, Elowen's eyes widened. "No! I didn't mean—I meant—"
"Yes! I knew it!" Amora’s eyes turned back to normal as she beamed with excitement. "You can't lie now. So, tell me exactly what your problem is, or I will be hugging you for ten hours straight!"
"Actually… um, I don't know how to say it," Elowen muttered.
Philo whispered to Eros, "Eros, you heard that? She needs hugs."
Eros nodded. "Then let's give our new sister hug attacks!"
They both rushed toward Elowen. Eros hugged her legs while Philo flew over and latched onto her neck.
"New sister hug time!" Eros cheered.
"Do you feel any better now?" Philo asked.
Elowen felt a strange sense of relaxation from the sudden affection, feeling their warmth.
"Aww, look at them," Amora cooed. "They decided to adopt you as well."
Elowen smiled truly for the first time after the long mess and patted both their heads. "Yeah... much better now." She looked at Amora. "If I really have a family like you all, then there is nothing in my life but happiness. I now truly understand why you are called the Goddess of Love, Amora."
Amora paused for the briefest second, then melted completely. "Aww... thank you, sweetheart!”
Amora didn’t push further that evening, but the questions in her eyes made one thing clear—this conversation wasn’t over.