Recap: "I assure you, my mother was flesh and blood, she existed until she did not". "Or until she couldn't", Ophelia said.

"Nymra was a very powerful angel, her powers manifested long before she was considered a fully grown angel", she began. "She was also very beautiful but her beauty wouldn't have drawn too much attention to her if she did not have so much power. As she grew, the senior angels started to grumble. 'No one should have that much power, they said when instead they were just insulted that a child had that power.

Nymra was so beautiful, even more than you, Lady Ambrose". Shock erupted all over Freyja's face, she had always thought there was nobody like her. Ophelia continued, "kings fought to have her and the children of the town fought each other over who she smiled at or carried, sang to or gave a gift. Nymra lured many a baby to sleep and out of danger. Mothers were grateful and fathers loved her, no one could find a fault in her except the jealous elders.

They contained their jealousy until one of them couldn't anymore. Kane sought ways to either kill her or take her powers for himself. It was the era of men, he thought a woman shouldn't have all that power and if a woman would, it shouldn't be a beautiful and beloved one like Nymra. He sought the help of other angels who he knew wanted her gone too and they raised a petition against her".

"They said she could either give up her powers or embrace it, become a fade and leave her life as an angel behind. Nymra asked them how they wanted her to give up something she was born with, how they expected her to give up something that helped their kind so much. Every time there was a problem in the past, their kind had looked to her for many things. Sometimes it was to heal a broken child whose healing abilities hadn't come in yet. Other times it was to save them from invasions.

Yet, they insisted on their conditions and Nymra begged for time to consider, they were merciful enough to grant till the new moon. Then Nymra vanished, when search parties led by concerned citizens came back without her there was grief in the heart of all those who had loved her. At first, they thought she was staying away to consider or weigh her options then they thought she left to be a fade; choosing her powers over them.

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Then they began to reason together in secret rooms their leaders weren't aware of and they discovered that; perhaps she had never left, perhaps she had been taken by someone.

That someone in truth was Kane, he had succeeded in holding her captive. He had held her captive for so long that her powers had started to take on a life of their own and fight back until she broke free. The people had lost hope of ever finding her after a while until one day; a broken angel whose wings were black and gold had been found at one of their doorsteps. They had taken her in, treated her till she could go back to her own home.

She had gone in, closed the door, and never opened them again. The citizens wouldn't see her wings sparkle in the dark or their children running after her on foot while she flew above keeping watch over them anymore. The angel that had come back to them was broken and powerless; a shadow of her true self, an empty shell. Even when they visited and asked her questions; she wouldn't make a sound, she would just sit there and paint until her guests left". "And that's why I collect unique and beautiful creatures, the world that stood by while the angels broke my mother doesn't deserve things of true beauty", Acacius said.

"Do not interrupt me, young one", Ophelia said before she continued "No one gave a thought to what she painted until Isidore came to town". "Isidore was a true gift to Nymra for after hearing about the broken angel who had secluded herself away from the rest of the world, he sought to help her and strangely enough, she let him visit her.

He would sit for hours in silence beside her while she painted until one day he realized that though she didn't speak to the villagers with her mouth, she did through her painting. He alone realized that Nymra painted her ordeal at the hands of Kane. He put the paintings together till he could see the face of the man who had assaulted her. He then asked her permission to take one of the paintings with him, and she answered with a shrug. He then took the painting and showed it to the townspeople.

Before Isidore knew what was happening, the townspeople were bearing torches and sticks and demanding justice. It had been easier on them to ignore Nymra's pain and ordeal when there was no face to her attacker but now that he had been identified, they could demand justice. Only if justice had been served, then perhaps all of us would have been spared the hurt". "All of us?", Freyja who had been quiet all this time asked.

"Yes, all of us", Ophelia said as a tear rolled down her cheek, "Isidore was my brother".

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