Hiro Kouen opened his eyes, shielding them from the rising sun  He tried to remember what he was doing before he opened his eyes.  Was he sleeping?  He wiped the sleep from his eyes.  There was a lot of it, as if he was sleeping for a long time.  He looked down at himself, he was wearing his usual armor.  There was a small red ribbon tied to his finger.  He was not in the inn room he was in before.  Where was he?  He heard the birds of the morning chirping as he wandered through the forest he found himself in.  His mind seemed frazzled, dazed.  Why was he here in a forest?  Was he dreaming, or was he wake?  There was a longing in his heart, a deep sadness.  He looked up, and saw a familiar temple at the end of a forest path.

He was in Angela's realm.

Might as well follow the path.

Soon he was at the temple, in the Gardens of Devotion.  He felt hungry, thirsty, as if he hadn't eaten or drank anything for awhile.  He walked through the gates into the building, the bright, warm, glowing alabaster home of the Goddess.

"A-Angela?  Are you there?"  It felt like he hadn't spoken in a long time, and his voice felt hoarse.  "I . . . don't know why I'm here, did you summon me?  Or . . . did I come here on my own will somehow?"  Maybe he wanted to come here, and hadn't realized it.  He hadn't seen Lady Angela since that time on the battlefield.  It wasn't the right time to talk to her, considering a war was going on.  Memories started coming back to him.  Pain suffered during the Deadly Sins curse, where his mother suffered from one of the curses.  She tried to strangle him.  His father, Sabishii Kouen, he had to restrain her.  He said he had to lock her in the basement, to keep her safe, to keep her from hurting herself or others.  Or visa versa.  They went to confront the creators of the chaos, Lady Dalanesca and Lord Xunatar.  They were assaulted as soon as they approached the tower they resided in.  They had to fight their way up through the traps and monsters guarding the way.

They made their way to the top of the spire, and confronted the duo.  His father asked them to stop the curses, to give humanity a chance to survive.  They refused, and attacked.  They were separated from each other.  Hiro was caught withing Xunatar's darkness, doing battle with him, while his father was fighting Dalanesca.  When the darkness surrounding Hiro dissipated, his father, he was grappling with Dalanesca, he was being immolated by hellfire.  He tried to take Dalanesca down with him.  The one last spell Sabishii cast on Hiro, he found himself flung out of the tower, and he found himself somewhere outside in the desert sands outside of Arri, their home.

Sabishii, his father, was dead.  He rushed back home to find their house in shambles.  The doors were broken down, including the basement door.  There were scorch marks and blood everywhere.  But no sign of any bodies.  The Hiro looked throughout the town, but there was no sign.  His Mother, Seraphia Kouen was gone.  Presumed dead.

He spent the next two years or so in isolation.  He had no one left.  Lady Sapphire was at Mage College, and he was caught in despair.  He spent his time training on his own.  When he left isolation he met a few people, Brwyln and Kythe, who knew his father.  He participated in the war against the insect tribes.  But the pain was always there.  He tried to bury it down within his heart, and lock it away.  But it wouldn't go away, no matter how hard he tried to push it away, bury it away, ignore it.

"My heart hurts," he was crying.  That's what he was doing before he found himself here in Angela's realm.  "Why my parents?  Why?  My beloved Father and Mother, they're gone, and it hurts so much."  He was on his hands and knees sobbing.

The goddess was aware of Hiro's presence the moment he entered. Although she no longer held Earth as her domain she could sense all life within Elysia. Putting down a basket of herbs she made the walk down the halls of her home to meet the young boy before the gates. She wasn't blind to what the other deities had done, after all she was the Red Queen and Sularia was the heart of Arri. Nevertheless she understood how Hiro felt and the pain he was going through. "I know it sounds harsh and even unfair, but that's how things are when it comes to life and death. " She spoke softly. "All things, even good people, come to an end. Nothing lasts forever. Even the world around us is always changing. But just because they pass on from life doesn't mean they are gone. Even if the people we hold dear are no longer with us, they can live on through us in our memories."

Taking a seat by the alstromerias and plumeria bushes, she plucked a creamy white blossom. "I know what it's like to lose one's parents. I lost both of mine, though not at your age. Either way it still hurts to know people you love are gone." She had lived a long live, longer than most. She remembered when she had lost her first child when she ascended to godhood, when her first son and avatar suffered at hands of her sister Cyprus, and countless other things to list. "The only way to get over the pain is through it. The pain will still be there and at times it will still hurt, but in the end you will become stronger for it." The silk ripples of her lavender gown brushed against her as she stood and walked over to bring Hiro to his feet."Wearing yourself out like this isn't going to help. Come with me." They went up the stone steps to the door and soon they were inside Dashuri Palace.

Warm sunlight filtered in through the stained glass windows leaving patches of color on the marble floors. The goddess continued walking until they reached the palace gardens of Elysia. The air was warm and flowers of all shapes and colors were growing together in full bloom. Lianas and lush trees created shady spots for songbirds to rest and the paths were made of the same rosy seaglass like those leading to the courtyard. There were tables and chairs for the goddess and her clergy to relax in the outdoors and Angela took a seat motioning for Hiro to do the same. "Healing takes time, even for ones on the heart. The process is different for everyone, but everything recovers on its own terms. Even before I took up the domain of Life I saw the suffering and pain of the world. It taught me to think about what it means to live and be alive."

As her red curls swept over her shoulders as she leaned on her hand, she asked him. "How would your father and mother want you to live the rest of your life? Every parent who loves their children wants them to be happy, even if they can't always be with them."

Lady Angela knew Hiro was there.  She told him nothing lasted forever, not even good people.  Everything changes.  Life and death are linked together, can't have one without the other.  He knew that.  It wasn't going to make it any easier, he looked up at her through tear stained eyes.  This Goddess, this wonderful person, she understood what he had gone through, having gone through losing her own parents, though maybe not in the same way he lost his.  He followed her into the palace gardens.  Everything was beautiful in here, all these flowers.

He sat down next to Lady Angela.  He nodded when she said healing took time, especially wounds of the heart.  He thought about what she said what his parents how his parents would want him to live his life.  He finally spoke.

"Mother would want me to find happiness, and live my life how I wanted to.  So would my Father.  I always wanted to follow in my Father's footsteps, in that, to be protective of people and the world in which I live in.  If you have strength, you should use it to protect people.  To do good in the world.  Father paid the price, for doing good, though, Lady Dalanesca killed him.  It was his decision to stand against the wrong things she was doing.  I guess it was just his choice, his consequences, the good guys won't always win.  It just hurts.  I still want to help people, despite losing my family, I still want to do what is right, even if it may cost my life one day," Hiro sniffled and wiped tears from his eyes.

"I understand you care about her; Lady Dalanesca, a lot.  You seem . . . I know you care about everyone in this world.  I don't think I could have as big a heart as you do, Lady Angela.  You care about everyone, whether they are good or bad.  I don't fault you for that.  You're like . . . this big, wonderful, beautiful Mother, a Mother not just to your children, nor just the Rosenites, or the people you like.  You love this whole world, and everyone that inhabits it.  You're a Mother to the whole world.  You're all of Revaliir's Mother.  I've traveled all over this world, met many of your family and friends.  So many people, related and unrelated, love you, and care about you.  You even make me feel better, just knowing I can talk frank with you.  You didn't have to take time out of your busy day to help me, but here you are.  I'm not related to you, but I suppose in a way, I am; I am a child of Revaliir, despite coming from another world.  I care about you.  Thank you for listening to me prattle on about how my heart hurts, thank you for helping me, and being there for me.  Thank you for being alive for us, all of Revaliir, Lady Angela."  Hiro smiled to the Goddess, through the tears and the pain.

She let him speak his mind and let the words come. Healing was something you couldn't force for the heart, it had to come on its own. When he was finished, she looked at him from across the table. "It seems you've already begun your own path of recovery and know how you want to live. Protecting others who are less able and helping those in need are noble desires, it is one of the many ways that we can show love to the world." The goddess spoke slowly, taking a pause before continuing. "There is nothing wrong with doing good for the sake of others, but you shouldn't lose yourself in it. By acknowledging your own limitations and setting aside time for self-care, you cherish your own life."

The question of good and evil was something that existed since the beginning of the world, and there was no absolute or easy answer. Although she didn't always agree with what her brothers and sisters of the Conclave did, she understood why. She had seen many chosen by the Voice ascend and fall over centuries, the world change in many ways. Sometimes, not always for the better. "Long ago before I was given Life, I was Death. And despite being so powerful, the gods of the world like Dalanesca have had their own share of pain and hardships that they have been through. Love is not an easy thing, but I believe there is good in everyone. It just takes time and a little effort to see it. As a goddess, I've learned that people have more in common with each other than they think. We all have experiences we share. After all, being family isn't something bound by blood."

Then a thought came to her. Her green eyes were on Hiro as a little spark of mischief was in them. "Hiro, why don't you stay with us here for a while? Elysia is a place of life and natural beauty in all its forms; perhaps you might discover something new."

He listened to Lady Angela, she explained that while it's a noble goal to protect people, he shouldn't be obsessed with it, he had to take care of himself also.  "You're right about that, there's only so much I can do.  I need to take care of myself, not just the world.  It might have been something I forgot at times.  Father wouldn't want me to forget that."

Hiro's eyes widened in surprise when Lady Angela said she originally had the domain of Death before she had Life.  "No way!  You were Death before you were Life?  That must have been several life times ago.  I'm imaging a teenage Lady Angela wearing all black makeup and a gothic dress, going around saying things like: 'it's dark in here in this cave, but not as dark as my soul,' or something like that.  You must have changed so much from then.  I can't imagine what Lady Dalanesca went through to become Death, but I can't . . . forgive that she took from me, that she took my family from me, and hurt so many other people.  She burned Father alive, with flames he couldn't resist.  All he could do was embrace her, maybe try and take her down with him, or at least to allow me to buy time to get away.  I can't . . . exactly remember how I got away though.  I found myself some distance outside the tower, I don't . . . remember how I got there, maybe it's better I don't remember.  I just remember Father going up in flames, he gave me a smile, and told me to be strong.  I just . . . it was not a happy moment."  He had to shove the memories back to keep himself from crying again.

Lady Angela then asked him if he would like to stay at her shrine for awhile.  It might help him, and he could discover something new.  Hiro was surprised she would suggest a thing.  He noted the look on her face, and wondered what she had in mind when she suggested this.  "You would let me stay here for awhile?  I . . . would like that, very much.  I would be honored.  Thank you, Lady Angela, you're a Goddess and a Saint," he said with a laugh, wiping a few tears from his eyes.