When we went in, we spotted a female angel with long, wavy, blue hair waiting in the room, sitting behind the fairly large reception table. Her attire strongly gave off the impression of a professional due to her wearing a white suit with a black shirt and dark blue tie, complete with half-rimmed glasses and one earring on her visible right ear. She was busy reading the huge open book on the desk, her golden-yellow eyes scanning the pages intensely. ...she's too absorbed by it to really notice us, huh...? I held back the urge to chuckle a little and instead looked around the room.

The room itself was kept pretty simple with its furniture and decorations. Other than the few couches and tables, there were pots of varying flowers, a bookshelf full of many different kinds of books, and a TV on a desk accompanied by a video game console. Seeing that there was a drawer, I assumed that's where the video games were in if anyone wanted to play and wait. The flooring itself consisted of white smooth ceramic tiles and the wall, on the other hand, was white wallpaper with pictures of golden ivy painted onto it. Besides the woman and the desk, there were two black wooden ornamental doors, one on the left and one on the right. For some strange reason though, the right door was covered with a magical barrier and a metal gate, making me worried about what that door led to.

I glanced at Leo and he shrugged his shoulders, which made me even more worried. Even he doesn't know?! Just what the heck is inside of it... I nervously bit my lip and returned my attention back to the door, trying to see if there was any hint on the door itself or anything near it. However, before I could do anything, the blonde beside me suddenly spoke up loudly, trying to get the secretary's attention.

"Oi, May! We're here to be registered!" he exclaimed as he walked towards her, causing the woman to jump in surprise and then glare at him in annoyance.

"...honestly, why do you always choose to be so childish?" she lamented with a sigh, then closed her book. "Seriously, I've seen that you're definitely capable of being professional so why...?"

Leo laughed while I hurriedly caught up to him, not wanting to be caught staring at the door. "It's usually a lot more calming for people that have just arrived in Heaven to be with a lax, caring person than being stuck with a distant, calm professional, you know," he replied, grinning. "Being professional is nice and all but that has its time and place. Honestly, I did try it during my guiding duties but the people were less inclined to open up and be at ease with me..."

The angel frowned at that but soon let out a sigh. "Fine, fine. I'll admit that it does have its time and place but..." she paused, then glared at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What about now then? Isn't that an appropriate time to be professional?"

"But it's more amusing to mess with you though?" the blonde admitted, and I quietly muttered "wow" to myself and giggled a little while the secretary groaned in frustration.

May turned her gaze on me and smiled, deciding to ignore him. "So, you're the newcomer, right? I sure hope this bumbling idiot wasn't too much of a hassle for you."

"It's fine! ...e-even though it was awkward at first but..." I replied as I nervously smiled back while Leo glared at her at the mention of a bumbling idiot. "A-anyways, so about the registration..." I glanced at my companion, hoping he'll take over.

Leo looked slightly annoyed but he shook his head as if deciding to not hurl a sassy remark at her in retaliation. "Yeah, what's the protocol if it's a living human that managed to travel to Heaven by using some kind of special ability or magic? For example, if it was through some ability regarding the eyes?" he asked, causing the angel to look at him in surprise.

"Wait, she's a living human?!" she repeated in shock, then glanced at me as I sweatdrop a little. "Is he actually telling the truth? He's not messing with me right?!"

I nod my head. The lady frowns at that, then starts murmuring to herself as she looks for something in the reception table. I could hear her say, "no way, that's possible...?" and "magic is really amazing, I kinda wish I pursued learning it when I was alive". I honestly understood how she felt and from the kind of impression I got from her, I'm getting the feeling that she would actually pass as a pretty good mage. ...but I'm a Devourer and they're a natural enemy to mages so that meant there's no way she'll act this friendly to me as she is now.

I let out a sigh and look away from them. ...sometimes I wish I wasn't a Devourer but my body's and soul's inherent element is Void so I can only be that. If it was anything but that, then I could learn other magic but... Someone nudging me on the side stops me from thinking any further. Curious, I glance to my left and see Leo standing there, giving me a sad smile.

"You alright? You looked pretty sad just now..." the young man questioned. "It looked like you reacted from May mumbling to herself about magic. Did you have bad experiences in the Academy or something?"

With a shake of my head, I sent a small smile to the blonde. "No, it's not those bad experiences that's bothering me. It's just..." I paused, remembering the strict laws surrounding magic that the academy made. "...sorry, I'm not allowed to talk about it with a non-mage..."

"It's fine, it's fine," he assured me with a chuckle. "Maybe you'll be able to talk to me about it someday. It's not fun having to keep quiet about your own despair, that much I understand. But for now, let's focus on the registration, alright?"

...that would be nice but unless if he plans on being a mage, who knows how long that'll take. Regardless, I nod my head and turn my attention to the secretary, who was skimming another huge book. ...i-is that the guidebook for them? I thought with a sweatdrop as I note how thick it is. I-it's a little intimidating if I were to be honest...

"Found it!" May exclaimed, earning both Leo's and my attention. "It was a pain to find because it's a really small section compared to everything else and this book is pretty huge. Let's see, it mentions those with certain special eyes that have traveled to Heaven are to be redirected to the restricted sector. The guide that came with them will follow the newcomer and they are required to be seen by the Archangel stationed there."

"Wait, hold up, the restricted sector?! The Archangel too?!" Leo exclaimed and the lady sighed as she closed the book.

"I know, it sounds absurd because practically almost no one is allowed to enter the restricted sector. No one knows what's it for either," she answered with a frown. "The fact one of the Archangels is there means it's incredibly important because angels almost never see them unless if deemed necessary, which is usually...never. So the fact that she needs to go there is..."

They both turn their attention to me, causing me to fidget under their stares. It was clear that these eyes were a big thing but I had no idea why. As far as I knew, I was merely given them by Rex since he stated I needed them to investigate and learn more about the world. ...so what does that imply about the brunet since he originally had it...? After all, a person can only give a power or magic if they have it to begin with. He also had the star emblem that was normally given by the royal family too.

"Well, no point in worrying any further. All we can do is push forward and see for ourselves, right?"

Pulled away from my thoughts, I blink my eyes in surprise a little and look around for the one who said that. My eyes stopped at Leo, who was standing near the sealed door. He grinned at me and beckoned me to come with him. Well, he's not wrong, I guess. I thought as I let out a sigh.

Pushing away my hesitation to the best of my abilities, I walk up to him and saw the barriers disappear the instant I get near them. ...did it respond to the presence of the eyes? With a gulp, I nervously reach out to the door handle and grabbed onto it. Trying my best to ignore my rapidly beating heart, I turned it and opened the door.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Both Leo and I walk inside, then the door behind us immediately closes with a slam. I turn back in shock and quickly notice that the barriers blocking the entrance reappeared. Suddenly apprehensive at this situation, I was about to check with Leo and ask him something until I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder.

"It's alright, no need to worry. I'm assuming it's to make sure no one else enters. Best not to underestimate what dangerous stunts people will pull off to learn about secrets," he explained as I glanced back at him, noting that he was still smiling as if the angel was unperturbed by it. "Well, if it ends up being something dangerous, then I'll take responsibility and do what I can. After all, I didn't agree to sacrifice or kill the person I'm guiding."

"If that's the case, then I'll have your back," I added in with a small smile. "I had some training in combat and tactics so I'll fare reasonably well. Besides, I'm not allowed to explain anything but fighting alongside a non-mage is another thing entirely. As long as you don't know the mechanics behind anything I'm doing, it'll be fine."

"Really? That's a relief!" He admitted with a laugh, then glances around as if surveying the room. "...though, is there anything to fight? There's practically nothing here in this room other than...well, that open entrance."

Now that I wasn't so nervous, I surveyed my surroundings and realized it was as he said. The floor and the wall were the same as before but other than that, there was a complete lack of furniture and decorations. It was just a medium-sized room with a huge gaping entrance leading somewhere outside. From what I can see, there were ruins covered in lush greenery over there, which seemed weirdly out of place compared to everything else I saw in Heaven.

I redirect magical energy to my legs, feet, arms, and hands, readying myself for a possible fight if need be. I quietly walk towards the place, and Leo follows behind me with a frown, who noticed that I seemed a lot more serious now. ...I hope I don't scare him if it does come down to a fight. After all, I've never had a non-mage watch me fight before. To be honest, the latter was the norm. Whenever mages had to fight, everyone else was sent away before they arrived for safety reasons. If they were unable to, they'll seal away the bystanders into protected territory, just in case if someone rebels and goes out when they're not supposed to. With a sigh, I stopped near the entrance and bit my lip nervously. Well, guess I can only hope for the best. Worrying won't do me any good.

"Stella?"

Realizing Leo is waiting behind me, I hurriedly mumble out an apology and focus my attention back on what's in front of me. Moving a bit closer to the point that I'm barely out of the room we were in, I inspect the place and realize that it really was outside. One, I can clearly see the edge of the floating island we're on far away from here. Two, there was a lot more ruins than I originally thought, almost to the point I couldn't help but wonder if this was an abandoned city. Three, amongst all the ruins, there was one intact shrine and when I looked at it, my left eye started getting this strange burning sensation. Four, I felt no trace of spells, magical energy, or monsters when I tried using some detection spells.

"There's no monsters or spells as far as I can see so it seems safe. Best to keep our guard up, just in case," I announced, which caused the blonde to whistle.

"Impressive, you're suddenly a lot more reliable," he commented with a grin when I glanced back at him in surprise. "Is this the usual for mages?"

"For those who took combat classes, yeah," I replied, returning the grin with my own. "The scholarly ones might struggle a lot more though since they're used to a different kind of environment. The ones that work best at the background kind."

The two of us walk outside and out of curiosity, I turn around to see if anything happened. I blink my eyes in surprise when I see that the room we were in has completely disappeared, leaving only the ruins and that one intact shrine left here. When I checked on Leo, I notice that he was investigating the shrine instead, clearly too curious to not look into it. Seriously, he really couldn't help it, huh? I thought with a chuckle as I walk over to him, trying my best to ignore the strange feeling in my eye. Like, aren't you supposed to keep your guard up? Though he always did want to go on an adventure and he's finally getting the chance so I can't really blame him. Upon getting closer to him though, his serious expression and the paper in his hand caught my attention. ...what is he reading that's causing him to be like that...?

Curious, I go beside him and lean in a little to see what's on it. Unfortunately, the instant I tried to read it, the paper disappears into nothingness, catching me off-guard. Upon hearing laughter, I pout and glance at Leo, who was clearly amused by my reaction.

"Someone couldn't help themselves, huh~? Sorry but these confidential documents tend to disappear whenever someone else tries to read something they're not supposed to read. It's just how it is here in Heaven. It will reappear when they're alone again though, at least," Leo explained, so I begrudgingly move away from him so he can read in peace. "Don't worry, I'll try to not take too long!"

"That's not really the issue there but I guess..."

I can only hope he tells me once he's done. ...but I shouldn't get my hopes too high. With a sigh, I decided to walk around and check out our surroundings once more as he reads the paper. I wonder why there are ruins here. It's even weirder that no one even bothered to fix up this place, either. I come to a stop near the broken marble, then crouch down to examine it. It looks really worn out and there are a lot of cuts too. There's even dried up blood here. Did a fight happen here before...? It was hard to imagine why would a fight happen here in Heaven of all places. However, May did call this place the restricted area, which is ominous in all honesty. Wonder if that paper Leo is reading explains anything about this...?

Before I could ponder about it any more, I hear something roar, then quickly dash in my direction. Without thinking, I use the magical energy on my feet to create a wide magic circle underneath me. In a few seconds, whatever was coming toward me stepped on it, triggering the spell. Instantly, both I and it were blasted up high in the air, along with some parts of the ruins. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see what it was as it panicked. A chimera, huh? Without hesitating, I reinforced my arms and hands with magic, then got a nearby marble pillar that was thrown sky-high along with us. I slammed it down directly at the chimera's heads as hard as I can before it could finish the fireball it was trying to make. The monster screamed in pain as we both plummeted down.

It crashed onto the ground with an audible crunch as it got squished by the debris that I smashed it with. Holding onto the pillar that kept me hanging in the air, I strengthened my body as much as I can, then let myself fall. Once I land on my two feet, I very slowly let the magic disappear so my body will recover faster if it somehow got hurt upon landing. I glance at the chimera and blink my eyes in surprise. There was no corpse and no blood to be seen. Rather, I only saw several small glowing magical energy float up from where it was. Wait, hold up, it was a summon?!

"Stella, you alright?!" Leo loudly exclaimed as he ran towards me.

I turned to look at him and opened my mouth to say something, but the sound of clapping catches us off-guard. Surprised, both of us look towards where the sound came from. An angel with blueish hair, a ponytail, and six white wings stood on top of the tallest ruin, his purple eyes gazing down at us.

"As expected from a Devourer, you ruthlessly killed it. Nice to know that the new person that Rex sent isn't someone useless," the stranger commented with a smirk. "Otherwise, you'd just be a burden to our mission. Now then, Miss Stella, you better not wimp out now. We have a world to save, after all."