"Gabe? Gabriel?" Philip called to Gabriel through telepathy while he was sleeping.
"Who are you?" Gabriel asked.
"I'm Philip, one of the guardian angels who saved your parents' lives sixteen years ago."
Seriously, the guy had the most beautiful pair of blue eyes Gabriel had ever seen. And the most handsome face—annoyingly handsome, more than he could admit to himself.
Philip smiled as Gabe looked at him intently. He could hear Gabe’s thoughts—and Gabe didn’t even know it. The newborn was now a young adult. His angelic traits were beginning to develop, and he could use telepathy.
"Gabe, listen very carefully. Your angelic traits are starting to develop. Soon, you will realize that you are different from your parents and your younger sibling."
Gabe stared at him, confusion in his eyes, but he didn’t say a word. He just listened.
"You are an angel—a high-ranking angel. Demons and dark angels are searching for you. You must learn to control your telepathy and be extremely cautious about whom you trust. Not everyone who shows kindness is good. Some pretend to be good to deceive you," Philip explained.
Seriously, this guy is crazy…
"What are you talking about, kuya?" Gabe asked.
"Ano'ng angel angel pinagsasabi mo?" Gabe said, then laughed.
"Kabaliwang panaginip ‘to? Hahaha," he added.
Gabe laughed at him, speaking in Tagalog, a Philippine language, but Philip understood him perfectly.
Gabe didn’t believe him and assumed it was just part of a crazy dream. He even called him kuya, which means older brother.
"Soon, you will realize, Gabe," Philip said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I’m always with you, and I will always protect you."
Gabe woke from his sleep and immediately got out of bed.
"Panaginip lang yata ‘yun," he muttered. He hadn’t had a dream like that in a long time.
"Gabe! Wake up! Breakfast is ready!" his mom called. He hurried to get ready for school.
Philip and Amado watched Gabriel from a distance. Amado tapped Philip on the shoulder and nodded.
"He's a grown man now, isn’t he? Time sure flew fast," Amado said.
"Yes, Chief. The newborns are now grown-ups."
"We need to send the message to their guardians before it’s too late," Amado said, his tone worried.
"Inca will not hesitate to kill them if they are found. Their traits are starting to develop, and they have no clue who they really are. If they don’t learn to control their powers, they can easily be identified," Amado added.
Meanwhile, Kang Eun Hye had just woken from a crazy dream. She got out of bed in a bad mood and looked at herself in the mirror.
"Waaaaaa," she exclaimed in disbelief. Recalling the dream had unsettled her mind.
"Angel? Me? Waaaaaa!" She stared at her reflection again, then smiled sarcastically. She grabbed her bag and went downstairs to join her family for breakfast.
"For you, a gift from us," her mom said, smiling.
"Eomma, wae?" she asked, curious about the gift.
"For doing great in school," her mom replied.
"Kamsahamnida," she said, smiling at her mom. She had always received gifts from her parents for her high grades. She had never failed a class. Her previous school had even called her a genius.
But she wasn’t the only high achiever in her current school. One classmate consistently competed with her grades. He was extremely intelligent, a bit of an oddball who kept to himself. Despite that, nobody dared mess with him—he excelled in martial arts and often spent time in the library reading.
"You didn’t like the food?" her mom asked.
"Oh?" she replied, smiling and taking a spoonful.
"Kang Eun Hye! Come out now, your dad is waiting," her mom called.
Her dad took her to school every day, as his office was within walking distance. She kissed her mom goodbye.
As she walked down the corridor, she heard voices in her head. Suddenly, a male voice spoke to her. She stopped and looked around. Students were chatting, but none were speaking to her. Confused, she ignored the voice and continued walking.
"Kang Eun Hye?" a voice called, sending chills down her spine. She began to run.
"She heard me," Kim Jun-so exclaimed.
"Are you sure?" a female voice asked him. He had been communicating with her for two days but didn’t know her face. They were the same age and grade.
"Yes, but I need to confirm it later," he replied.
"Confirm. Do not scare her. She may not be aware of her gift yet. Sometimes I wonder why we have this kind of ability… Did you know?" the voice asked.
"No, but I had a crazy dream last night about—"
"About?" the female voice prompted.
"Sorry, I have to go. Class is about to start," he said.
Later, Kim Jun-so went to the canteen and found Kang Eun Hye eating with friends. He found her attractive, especially when she laughed, and extremely intelligent—he wondered if she was like him.
"Kang Eun Hye?" he called through telepathy.
She paused mid-conversation. Jun-so smiled and sat at their table.
"You heard me, didn’t you?" he asked. Kang Eun Hye looked around nervously.
"Ya? Gwaenchana?" So-in asked her.
"Oh? Oh!" she responded. What was happening? She was hearing voices—and wondered if she could respond.
"You have no idea why you can hear me, do you?" Jun-so asked.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"Near you," he answered.
"You look like an angel. You’re smart and have telepathy. Don’t you think you might really be an angel trapped in a human body?" he added.
She stared at her food, listening, but his words caught her attention and reminded her of her dream the night before.
"Ya? You alright?" he asked.
"It’s boring talking alone, but I’m glad I’m not the only one with this ability," he admitted.
"I wonder if we had the same dream last night," he added.
Kang Eun Hye’s expression turned serious.
"What dream?" she asked.
He smiled. He was right—they might really have had the same dream.
"A man visited me in my dream. Blue eyes, charismatic, claiming he is a celestial being and that we are the same," he explained.
"And you believed him?" she asked.
"Yeah. I guess it’s true. I can feel it in my bones. You having telepathic abilities is far from normal. You’re extremely intelligent, more so than even the brightest humans," he said.
"I practice martial arts. It’s physical, but I don’t feel much pain. I cut myself yesterday, and it healed quicker than expected," he added.
"Kim Jun-so," she called.
"Yes?"
Kang Eun Hye stared at him blankly. He smiled and turned away.
"See you around. As expected, you figured it out—but it looks like you don’t have all the answers either," he said, waving goodbye.
"Ya, gwaenchana?" So-in asked her.
"Yes, let’s go," she replied.
"Kate?!" Gabby called.
"Here come the twins," Kate muttered.
"Hey, did you bring the portfolio for us to finish?" Gabby asked.
"Oh shoot! I forgot, Gabby," Kate said.
"What?! I even reminded you last night!" Gabby said.
"I'm sorry. Come drive me home—we’ll get it," Kate replied.
"Guys, did you hear that?" Abby asked.
"What?" Gabby said.
"Shhhh… Someone is coming." Kate dragged the twins to an empty room.
"Are you sure?" Mikaela asked, puzzled.
"Yes, but I need to confirm it later," the male voice responded.
Kate and the twins exchanged glances. Gabby peeked and saw only one person speaking.
"Mikaela?" he muttered.
"Who?" the girls asked.
"Confirm. Do not scare her. She may not be aware of her gift yet. Sometimes I wonder why we have this kind of ability… Did you know?" Mikaela asked.
Gabby’s eyes widened—Mikaela’s mouth hadn’t moved.
Just then, Gabriel appeared.
"Mikaela…" he called, his eyes strange.
"Are you talking to someone?" he asked.
Mikaela stared, unsure of what to say.
"I heard you guys," Gabriel added.
"You… you can use telepathy?" Mikaela asked.
"Yes. I just discovered it this morning, and I can hear others’ thoughts—the same as those hiding in that empty room," Gabriel explained.
"How did you know?" Kate asked.
As soon as they heard Gabriel’s confession, they left the room. They had been classmates since grade seven but were never close—they often competed with each other.
Mikaela was about to ask a question when a cold breeze touched their skin. They turned to see a group of students staring at them. Something about them felt wrong—an ominous aura.
"Hold your horses for now. We’ll be late," Gabriel said, and they all walked away.
Ezekiel and Philip watched from a distance.
"Those are pure-blood angels trapped in human bodies, just like the newborns," Ezekiel exclaimed.
"This is the first time I’ve seen them here," Philip added.
"Pure-blood dark angels," Philip continued.
"This is bad," Ezekiel said.
"The Chief should know about this," he added.
Both disappeared into thin air to find Amado and report their discovery. The young ones needed to know their true identities to protect themselves.
Judging by the situation, danger was definitely near. It would take time for them to fully develop their powers—but even their current traits were enough for Inca and his army to locate them. Their abilities could serve as either defense or offense.