A sharp pain flared up through her body. Her eyes shot open as a silent scream erupted from her lips, and her body writhed and rolled, trying to erase this strange pain.

It seemed to last forever, and yet, in an instant, it was over. With great effort, she heaved herself up, and the moment she did, the world exploded into focus.

Light shone down from above, the soft feel of grass from beneath her feet tickled, the wind whistled, rustling her long hair that went down all the way to her lower back. 

Her eyes felt incredibly heavy as she looked around, and her mind was incredibly hazy. Who was she? Was he a she or a he? Why and how did she know the difference? And why did it matter? And where in the nine hells was she?

But the most important question, the one who could determine everything about her, was also the question who occupied most of her thoughts and still fuzzy emotions.

'Who am I?'

She looked down at her own hands. How strange. They looked incredibly soft, and yet, she could feel as though with these hands, she could bend metal as easily as one bends grass. 

She captured a strand of her own long, silky hair. A golden color that resembled light itself greeted her, and she stared at it in wonder.

Her hands roamed her own body, exploring every nook and cranny. Large, golden wings that could expand to a span of 4 meters rested on her back, and they felt as natural as any other limb. 

She duly noted he wasn't wearing clothes. Why did that matter? What were clothes? How did he know the answer to both questions?

She somehow knew things, and yet didn't know how. It was a paradox in and by itself. Like a blind man who knows from his childhood days what the sky looked like, and yet not remembering ever being that child that gazed at the sky in wonder.

She eventually finished exploring her body, and yet... It felt as though she needed to explore more. Learn more of who she was, is, and will be. She had a feeling, an instinct perhaps, that told her to search for that thing, and yet, she had no idea what the thing was.

Her focus turned inward, focusing on her very sense of self. It was a strange feeling to describe, like looking at one own's heart, and yet, said heart was not the heart that beat in one's chest and pumped blood, but the heart of the self.

The soul.

A large, towering figure sitting cross-legged slowly revealed itself to the angel. Looking at it, the angel could only stare in wonder.

The figure opened its eyes, and suddenly, the world changed.

No longer was she seeing colors and shapes, but instead, she was seeing the very laws of the world. Looking at herself once more, she found herself as both the towering figure and the material body.

Body and soul resonated, creating a strange, yet wonderful feeling.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It was only several hours later that the angel closed both of her eyes and when she reopened them, both viewpoints had been fused together, allowing her to see so much more. 

Questions that she had before were easily answered now. It was actually pretty laughable, in hindsight.

She had been an angel in another world once upon a time, but she had been banished because of his ideology and actions. In that world, she had been a fool on a quest for power. 

But that was the past. She felt... different.

For the next year, from one spring to the next, she studied the world, trying to understand things. It was a slow process, and an incredibly difficult one, but she had both talent, determination, and time on his side. 

She hid, somewhat afraid of being caught by... something. Someone. She didn't know who or what, but it felt... right for her to hide. 

She still had so, so many questions. In fact, for every question she answered, a hundred more pop up. It gave rise to a strange feeling within her, a hunger for knowledge that she never had before. Well, maybe she did in her previous life, but that life was incredibly fuzzy and the more time passed, the fuzzier it got.

But at least, she now knew the basics. She learned of where she was and what the world around her was. Sure, questions like 'who am I', 'what is my purpose', and 'how does the big ball of fire in the sky work' remained unanswered, but she was confident that she would find out eventually.

With newfound purpose, even if shallow, she took to the skies as her body flew at impossible speeds, racing around the world. From the skies above, she watched and observed the large cities, filled to the brim with humanoids. 

She watched from high above, using her mysterious powers that she was constantly learning about and improving to hide and observe in silence.

She watched as great armies clashed, as giant dragons slept, as peaceful villagers went about their daily lives.

The language was an easy thing to learn. Their 'magic', which was just a really shallow usage of the energy of the world, was also pathetically easy to learn. Still, it gave her ideas. Many, many ideas.

With her powers, which were basically an application of the Laws of the World, she carved a cave for herself within a mountain before sealing herself inside. For the next fifty years, she would remain inside, never once even peeking out.

For a being like her, sustenance, sleep, and excretions were unnecessary. All she required was the Energy of the World, and that was plentiful for where she resided, as she had specifically selected a place with a high density of Energy.

She studied and practiced during the entire time. She learned to create material things from Energy, and Energy from material things.

The Laws of the World amazed her. The profoundness and mystery within them made her ecstatic, for the more she learned, the more she knew that she knew nothing. This did nothing to dampen her spirit, instead, it only drove her forward.

However, as the years passed, she gradually found her learning speed slowing down. By the fifty-fourth year, she had to wrack her brain to find the answer to even a single question.

She was reluctant. She didn't want to leave the cave, for the world outside held nothing that attracted him. However, she knew logically that she had no choice. She didn't want to be a cave-dweller forever, but neither did she want to go out. Furthermore, the answers to her questions all laid open just outside his cave.

Still, it was a difficult decision to make.

But one she had to make nonetheless. With great reluctance, she flew out from the cave, easily turning immaterial and phasing through the walls. 

As she stood in the skies, her mighty wings beating slowly, more for effect than anything else, she gave one last look at her old home. She had no attachments to it, but it had still represented a sense of safety and tranquility. 

It was like a newborn exiting from its mother's womb. She had been brought here with no memories or understanding, and only after entering the cave had she felt some semblance of normality and rhythm. Safety and peace. Now, she was leaving it once more.

She heaved a regretful sigh, before slowly vanishing. She had an inkling of a plan on what to do, but it wasn't very detailed. She first needed information.

After all, everyone who dreamed of world domination had to start from somewhere, right?