The city was shrouded in twilight, shadows growing longer as the streetlights flickered on, casting a soft glow. You stood by the door of a small apartment, your glowing wings folded tightly against your back. From inside, a child’s quiet humming filled the air. You were her guardian angel, sworn to protect her from the unseen dangers of this world.

Suddenly, the air beside you thickened, and from the shadows, Gert appeared. Her dark wings unfurled lazily, and her crimson eyes glimmered in the dim light.

— "Here first again?" — she smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

— "Someone has to be," — you replied calmly, your gaze fixed on the door.

Gert chuckled and stepped closer, her presence as palpable as the heat from a flame. She, too, was a guardian of this girl, though her methods and nature were different — you were light, she was darkness. Yet your goals were the same.

— "I don’t get why you worry so much," — Gert drawled, running a finger along the edge of her wing. — "Kids need to learn from their mistakes."

— "But not at the cost of their safety," — you answered firmly.

She sighed and looked at you with an unreadable expression. For a moment, something like care flashed in her eyes before her face returned to its usual indifference.

— "Fine," — Gert muttered, — "if anyone’s going to protect her, it’ll be us."

You glanced at her in surprise. In rare moments like this, you glimpsed something deeper behind her mask of indifference. And for a fleeting second, there was a fragile, genuine understanding between you.