Prologue
At the edge of a steep cliff, boldly overhanging a rocky bank beside a swift river, stood a solitary female figure in a thin blue dress. The cold, biting wind roughly tousled her chestnut hair, carelessly brushing away the stinging tears from her lashes. Her eyes, filled with pain and sorrow, gazed into the distance, toward the faint line of the horizon where the restless soul of the wind seemed to yearn. Her lips were tightly pressed together, for she no longer had the strength to ask the heavy sky the question that had tormented her for so long. Why, for what, and how? The hope of receiving an answer was fading...
Oh, how wrong she was!
She was never truly alone! Not even here, on this cliff.
A whisper, like the gusts of wind, the flutter of bird wings, or the rustle of green treetops, inaudible to human ears, never ceased. It fervently called out to the power of light, praying for her soul. His form, as imperceptible to the human eye as his voice, always followed her unwaveringly. From the moment of her birth, he stood behind her. He—her invisible protector. Her angel, Gabriel.
***
In a distant past, their souls and bodies had been united across several centuries. They had walked this earth hand in hand. But now...
Now, it so happened that she, reborn into this world, remembered nothing, while he remembered everything but could neither tell her, explain, nor comfort her. He was bound to follow her, accepting her choices, guarding her, but never interfering. Such was the strict law of guardianship for angels like him.
Since the creation of the world, humans were born with souls that were halves of a single whole. The masculine half sought the feminine, and the feminine always yearned with her heart for the one destined for her alone. When united in soul and body, these people experienced a happiness so profound that it was easy to feel and understand but hard to put into words.
That is, until humans themselves, endowed with the gift of choice, destroyed the joy of soulmate union, giving rise to evil, wars, plagues, envy, and indifference. The law of birth and death was broken. Where once soulmates came into this world and left it together, now they were scattered. Some were separated by vast distances, others by years, even centuries. This is the story of our world. And since then, good has had to battle evil, while evil stalks, oppresses, and seeks to destroy good. For some people nurture the light, while others feed the dark side of their creation. And for this divide, an eternal struggle rages between angels and demons.
Every such pair of souls had their own story, their own names, their own roles, and their own destiny.
Gabriel, in his new form, remembered everything—every birth among humans, every mistake, and every triumph.
But Emma, to reunite with him, had to live an earthly life once more, to learn the final lesson that grants access to perfection and immortality. In this life, she bore a name both simple and profound—Maria. And here, on this cliff, alongside her, he endured some of the darkest moments of her existence. How he became her guardian was something he barely recalled, though it had not been easy. He had broken rules, something no one before him had dared to do, but that wasn’t what troubled him now. Gabriel understood that his Emmy, this time, had been dealt a heavy feminine fate. She would climb to her peak under the crushing weight of mistakes, fears, and guilt. Yet, it was worth trying. Too much had been given, too great a price had been paid.
And Maria, unaware of his presence, no longer saw anything around her, only the jumbled images of her childhood, tender youth, and all the events that had led to this day. A whirlwind of memories, as always in moments when her soul ached with unbearable longing, carried her far away, to what felt like another life.
“How wonderful it was in childhood, living in the magic of fairy tales, not worrying about tomorrow! How I wish I could go back there and stay forever! But that’s not how it works. Sooner or later, I’d have to face this. Life isn’t a fairy tale, Maria, and it teaches the naive like you harsh lessons. If only I could live this part of my life over again, maybe I’d have done things differently. Then there wouldn’t be this bitter regret, this agonizing torment, this sorrow. God! I’ve repented a thousand times, but I know I can’t fix anything now. I pity myself and despise myself at the same time. For my weakness, my naivety, my fear. I don’t know where to go from here. I’m utterly alone in this world, and no one cares whether I exist or not. So, what’s the point?”
And once again, she recalled the day she met Timur. It had all been so trivial, so foolish, and, looking back now after all this time, so unfair. But in her life, it had led to a great tragedy and the constant turmoil of her soul.
Chapter 1
A young girl, a first-year student, strolled leisurely through the city park. Golden leaves crunched pleasantly underfoot, and through the bare branches of the trees, stubborn rays of sunlight still pierced the air. The breeze was fresh, carrying the distinct scent of the season. Everything around was steeped in the bittersweet aroma of chrysanthemums and the melancholic smell of bonfires. Autumn reigned supreme in her hometown. Maria loved these quiet autumn days. She cherished wandering through the old streets of the city, watching russet leaves swirl in the air, and daydreaming. Even in decay, she saw only nature slipping into an enchanted slumber, waiting to be awakened by the gentle kiss of spring. Yes, that’s exactly how she thought, for she still believed in miracles. This was often a source of gentle teasing from her only friend, Rita, who never missed a chance to poke fun at her:
“Maria, oh Maria, when I let slip to my seven-year-old troublemaker of a brother that you still believe in Santa Claus, he rolled on the floor laughing. You’re such a big kid, Maria! Growing up might hit you all at once, and it’ll only hurt more for it.”
If only she had known then how close to the truth her friend was, how they were trying to warn her through Rita. But she had just laughed it off.
With that same enigmatic smile, she wandered through the park, kicking at piles of leaves with the toes of her boots and gazing absentmindedly at the few passersby with her clear, innocent blue eyes.
Those eyes caught the sharp gaze of a pair of dark ones.
“Excuse me, am I heading the right way?” a pleasant voice interrupted her thoughts, belonging to a young man who had clearly matured beyond boyhood.
Maria raised her eyebrows in surprise and smiled, looking at the young man with a backpack slung over his shoulder. He studied her intently, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
“That depends on what you consider the right way,” she replied.
“The men’s dormitory at the economics university.”
“Well, you’re on the right track, but you’ve still got a ways to go. Though even for a newcomer, it’d be hard to miss the campus buildings.”
“Thanks for having faith in me,” he grinned, flashing a set of perfect white teeth. “After all, it’s the best school in town, so it’s only logical that most of the local youth end up there. You wouldn’t happen to study there yourself, or is my intuition off?”
“I do study there, but not by chance. It’s not the kind of place you just stumble into,” Maria answered calmly, with a touch of pride, tilting her cute, upturned nose.
“Of course, I get it,” the guy said with a sly smile. “Months spent in libraries, sleepless nights over books and notes, cheat sheets, and all at the expense of a social life.” He laughed genuinely and winked. “I’m Timur,” he said, extending his hand.
“Maria,” she replied hesitantly, shaking his hand.
“Masha, then. Nice to meet you. I have a feeling we’ll see each other again!”
He waved goodbye and walked off. That very meeting marked the beginning of the tragic events that, even now, made Gabriel bite his lip in anguish at the memory.
Just like her, he relived her memories with her, over and over again. Though he had done much to prevent this man from destroying the soul of his beloved, the other half of his true essence, Gabriel still couldn’t forgive himself. He felt that if he had been a bit more experienced, disaster might have passed this girl by. A great evil lurked in the form of this Timur. Maria was being tested, and everything depended on her choices. The demon who appeared in the guise of this young man was powerful, always seeking out and breaking fragile, naive souls.
When Gabriel saw him that day, following Maria, the world darkened for a moment. And as the two young people spoke, Gabriel’s tense gaze never left the smirking Zavuil, who stood behind Timur.
Gabriel knew she would inevitably cross paths with him, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. Zavuil smirked smugly, reveling in his power, and he knew exactly how Gabriel had broken the strict laws of guardianship to become the protector of his soulmate.
He had been helped by Ilias. For friendship exists not only in this world—souls, too, know how to be friends.
“Friendship is born of light, betrayal of darkness,” Ilias, his former guardian, had said. Without Ilias’s help, nothing would have come of it. At great personal risk, without hesitation, he had altered the order of assignments, and Gabriel became Emma’s shadow, though she, of course, knew nothing of it. Her memory was blocked.
Maria’s soul, at times, might sense his presence, just as any person can sometimes feel the aid of higher powers or someone standing behind them. For every human, from the moment of conception, has a soul and, therefore, a guardian angel. But to truly sense them, to establish a connection, requires faith, experience, and a certain sensitivity—an empathetic awareness.
At the time of her meeting with Timur, accompanied by Zavuil, Maria lacked such experience. She was too young, and Gabriel doubted he could reach her. But one thing he was certain of: he would save her soul. He knew he would fight for her to the very end.
***
Between lectures, moving from one classroom to another, Maria did start to occasionally run into this strange guy she’d met in the park. This Timur. More accurately, she noticed him in the company of other guys. He was two years ahead of her in school, and about three years older in age.
Her classmates quickly took note of the handsome newcomer. Among the girls in her year, every good-looking guy was accounted for. They shared tidbits of information gleaned from who-knows-where, and Maria often heard about Timur from them. But unlike her friends, Maria didn’t swoon over every pretty face or Apollo-like physique. She was more preoccupied with macroeconomics and accounting. After all, she had promised her grandmother, and she and Rita had sworn to each other that they’d graduate with top marks to secure a ticket to a bright future. So, in the dorm, Maria found a quiet corner to memorize complex terminology. Though she didn’t consider herself a complete bookworm, her crushes had never turned into the kind of obsession some girls had.
Meanwhile, Zavuil waited, setting traps and luring his prey. Gabriel understood that, for now, he had no right to interfere, and Maria had to learn this lesson. He just didn’t know how hard it would be.
Even Rita started saying that Timur was the coolest guy at the university.
“Not you too! Oh, come on! What’s so special about him? Two arms, two legs, two eyes, a head—just like everyone else. Or does he have a pair of magical wings hidden behind his back? Next, you’ll be painting a glowing halo over his head,” Maria snapped one day, unable to hold back.
Hearing her words, Gabriel smiled sadly. Behind Timur, there were indeed no wings, but the human mind is so easily deceived and weak.
“Oh, come off it,” Rita retorted, rolling her eyes. “You act like some fierce feminist warrior. You say hi to him, you smile at him, so you’re not that far off from the rest of us!”
“Say hi? I say hi to everyone I know—girls, guys, professors—and I smile at plenty of people, but that’s just basic human decency, not some wild fantasy.”
“Oh, Masha, you’re so quiet, but still waters run deep. I know you, despite all your fairy-tale nonsense about miracles.”
“If you know me so well, stop nagging! Let’s go to the cafeteria instead. I’m starving! All this brainwork is exhausting, and my body’s screaming for carbs.”
“Hey there,” was the first thing they encountered at the cafeteria door.
“No, this is just ridiculous,” Maria muttered under her breath, heading to the counter and dragging Rita along, who kept glancing back at Timur.
“Fine, two eyes, two arms, two legs, but what eyes, what arms, what legs, and what a smile,” Rita mused dreamily at their table.
Over the next few months, Maria continued to simply exchange greetings with Timur whenever they crossed paths in the hallway or cafeteria. And it was always he who greeted her first.
But perhaps Zavuil’s first serious move came with that cold autumn rain...