1Eight year old Lloyd Irving sat outside his house cheerfully. It was one of those days that you felt that nothing cold go wrong. The sun shone brilliantly against a sapphire sky, not a cloud in sight. One could often believe they could fly off into the heavens. For Lloyd, that could one day be a reality. For, you see, Lloyd was no normal child. At first sight, one would assume him to be the normal kid on earth. Brown hair and eyes, healthy and energetic, Lloyd seemed to bring cheer to those around him. Sure, he was not being raise in the Marteliian faith, but no one could have guessed the secret he was hiding. A secret that would be revealed, If one caught him without his shirt off. And it just so happened, one he poor villager had. But Lloyd new nothing of that. Pity, because it would be his undoing. So here he was, in a place he felt safe and secure enough to take his shirt off and run around. The tiny silver wings on his back shimmered on his back, reflecting the sun's rays. He hummed happily as he flapped the tiny appendages, stretching them.

"So it was true." came a voice. Lloyd whipped around in the direction the voice had come form.

"Get him."

Lloyd was forcefully tackled to the ground and dragged off. He was taken to a shack out side the Martel Chapel and tied up.

"You do not deserve these." came the same voice as Lloyd had strong brandy forcefully shoved down his throat. For the next little while, Lloyd's world was overtaken by pain. He passed out.

When he woke up, some hours later, he found himself at Colette's house. His back hurt and his wings.. They were gone. Lloyd noticed that someone had bandaged hin up as he blinked back tears. He found he wasn't able too. He was soon crying.

Frank trooped down the stairs. And saw the distressed cherub. He scooped the small, crying child into his arms and tried to comfort him.

"Why?" Choked Lloyd.

"I don't know." whispered Frank, "But they'll grow back some day and when the time comes, you come back and show us all."

17 year old Lloyd Irving jerked awake.

"Just a dream." he told himself. "Why am I remembering that stuff now of all times?" Then he remembered where they were. In Triet, Collette had just released the Fire Seal and gained her own wings. Lloyd walks over to the mirror and took his shirt off. He traced the long ugly, pale scars that ran parallel on his back.

"It won't be the same for her." he promised as he remembered what he'd lost.

He pulled his shirt on and went back to bed.

"They'll never grow back he thought, depressed.

If Lloyd had been more awake. He would have noticed the tiny tufts of feathers that were growing exactly where his scars were.