It was cold, bitingly cold.
Snow trickled from the depths of the dark sky, falling upon a myriad of pale figures who all adorned a thin wisp of a halo.
Among the crowd, a pale young man with blonde hair and emerald eyes stood hopelessly, his eyes drifting from his shaky hands towards the elevated stage that stood in front of the myriads of frightened souls like a cruel reminder of the world they live in.
After all, twenty-eight of them would become Angels.
And Felix was not ready to become one of them, if ever.
'Curse this!'
Felix let out a deep sigh, inwardly praying for mercy by the expressionless representatives on the stage, their demeanour befitting beings who have lived for centuries.
'Please not me…a kid like me has no use fighting demons!'
Beside the shivering young man, an older man looked at him scornfully, his voice low and throaty.
"You're pathetic, just shut up and stand still."
Felix glanced up from his trembling hands and towards the scruffy man, a small frown on his face.
"H-how could I not be scared? I do not want to die!"
Getting selected did not inherently mean he was going to die, he knew that, but by rummaging through one of the few libraries that were in his region — he knew how dangerous being an Angel was. Also understanding the sheer brutality the demons had towards them.
As the older man scoffed and shook his head with disgust, he walks away from the pale young man — not wanting to stand beside such a loser.
Felix ignores the older man's disdain, fairly used to the cruel look, and shifts his attention towards the elevated stage.
Taking a deep breath, Felix slapped himself on the cheek in an attempt of reassurance, what were the chances of being chosen?
'If I get selected...I'll just run away!"
Felix nodded weakly to himself, not trusting his own reassurance at all.
Despite his weak reassurance, it all shattered once one of the representatives spoke — his pleasant voice thundered across the crowd like a tidal wave.
"Young souls! The selection shall begin momentarily!"
The representative glanced to the other six beside him, the gentle breeze brushing against their silk, ivory gowns — contrasting the young man's cheap and filthy clothes.
The representative stayed silent for a moment, before continuing.
"I! The representative of Patience! Will announce my four souls."
He calmly reaches into his gown, pulling out a slender scroll with a golden ribbon wrapped securely around it — tugging the ribbon off whilst pulling the scroll apart, reading the names.
One by one, young souls walked onto the stage and stood beside the representative, their reactions to getting selected spanning from expressions of glee to crying hysterically, needing the other candidates to drag them onto the stage.
As each of the representatives call their selected participants, only a single representative remained — three pale souls stood beside the beautiful woman as she glances at her scroll, the delightful voice turning into a cruel joke when she states the last name.
"Felix! Congratulations!"