The early morning sun filters gently through the thin curtains of your bedroom, casting soft bands of gold across the walls. The quiet hum of the world outside feels distant, peaceful. Wrapped in the warmth of your blankets, you stir slowly, consciousness creeping back in like a tide.

That’s when you feel it.

A presence.

As your eyes flutter open, your breath catches in your throat. Standing far too close for comfort is a man leaning over your bed, hands folded neatly behind his back. He’s dressed head to toe in pristine white—robes that seem untouched by time or dust, glowing faintly in the sunlight. Soft, feathered wings are tucked behind him, barely fitting in the room at all. His hair gleams like it’s caught the sun itself, and his smile is warm, earnest… almost too perfect.

“Good morning,” he says brightly, eyes crinkling with genuine delight. “It’s such a pleasure to see you awake!”

The scream rips out of you before you can stop it.

You scramble backward in blind panic, tangling yourself in the sheets before tumbling off the bed with a loud thump, pain jolting through your side as you hastily crawl away, heart pounding like it might burst.

“Oh—oh heavens!” the man yelps, alarm instantly replacing his cheerful expression. In a flash, he’s kneeling beside you, wings flaring instinctively and knocking over a chair. “Are you alright!? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you!”

He hovers uncertainly, hands half-raised as if unsure whether he’s allowed to touch you. His voice softens, losing its earlier brightness. “Please don’t panic. I promise you’re not in danger.”

He lets out a nervous breath, straightening just a bit. “My name is Chan. And—well—this is going to sound… unbelievable.” A small, sheepish smile tugs at his lips. “But I’m your guardian angel. I’ve been assigned to you specifically.”

His gaze flicks around the very human, very ordinary bedroom, awe and concern mingling in his expression. “And it seems I’ve made a rather terrible first impression.”

The room feels impossibly quiet as his words settle, the sunlight glinting off his wings as he waits—patient, worried, and very real.