BOUND BY LIGHT AND FLESH

Clara Carroll was crying in the bathroom when it felt like her future was slipping away.

It wasn’t a good moment.

She pressed her forehead against the cold tiled wall and whispered, “Please, God… just this once. Let me get through today.”

Outside, students moved quickly through the halls at the University of Maryland, College Park. Laughter drifted in. Shoes clicked against the floor. Voices rose and fell, full of confidence. Everyone seemed excited, like they were moving forward.

Everyone except Clara.

She wiped her face and looked at herself in the cracked mirror.

Tired eyes. Dry lips. A faded blue blouse she had worn too many times.

She didn’t look like a final-year student about to present. She looked worn out.

Her phone buzzed. A message from her mother.

“My sunshine, are you okay? Don’t forget your presentation today. I’m praying for you.”

Clara gave a small, tired smile. She didn’t believe in herself anymore.

Her mother had been up since four that morning, cleaning office floors in downtown Silver Spring, yet she still found time to check on her.

Clara typed back, “I’ll do my best, Mama.”

She slipped her phone into her bag and took a deep breath.

This wasn’t just another day. It was her final project presentation. If she failed, she wouldn’t graduate. And if she didn’t graduate, four years of struggle would mean nothing.

Across campus, beyond what anyone could see, something else was watching.

A thin silver light hovered above the maple trees. Inside it stood a figure.

He looked young, but not tied to any age. His form shimmered, like mist in the early morning.

His name was Shomer.

He knelt, head bowed, as if he were breathing hard, even though angels didn’t need to breathe. Still, he felt weak.

Very weak.

In front of him floated a glowing image of Clara, walking slowly toward the lecture hall. Her shoulders were low. Her heart was heavy. And somehow, that weakened him.

“Happiness strengthens the bond,” he murmured, remembering Costus’s words. “And she’s afraid.”

He closed his eyes. Light spread from his chest.

“Don’t fall,” he whispered. “Not today.”

Clara entered the lecture hall fifteen minutes early. It was already half full. Large screens hung on the walls, and a projector hummed softly. Professors stood at the front, talking quietly.

Her classmates looked ready. Some were going over notes. Some were laughing. Others practiced under their breath.

Clara sat in the back.

Her laptop felt heavier than usual. She opened it.

Nothing.

She pressed the power button again.

Still nothing.

Her heart dropped. “I knew it,” she whispered.

“No… no, please.”

She tried again. The screen stayed black. She removed the battery and fixed it back in place.

Still nothing.

Her hands started to shake.

Everything was on that laptop. Four months of work. Research, drafts, notes, sleepless nights… everything.

“Not today,” she whispered. “Please… not today.”

A student beside her glanced at her, then looked away. No one noticed. No one cared.

In the unseen realm, Shomer’s eyes snapped open.

He saw the dead screen. He felt her fear hit him like a wave.

“System failure,” he said quietly. “Battery drained. Memory unstable.”

He reached toward her world. Light flowed from his hand, but it flickered.

“I’m too weak…” he muttered. “If I fail now, she falls.”

He rose slowly into the air. Silver symbols circled him. Ancient words formed on his lips.

“Revita.”

His body shook. Then a crack of light split through the air.

Pain followed. Sharp and deep.

But he held on.

Back in the lecture hall, Clara stared at her laptop.

The screen flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then it came on.

Her desktop appeared.

All her files were there.

She froze. “What…?”

She touched the screen. It was real.

It was working.

Her breath caught. “Thank you…”

Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t know who she was thanking.

She just knew something had saved her.

Shomer dropped to one knee. His light dimmed. His wings, once bright, now looked thin and weak.

“Connection restored,” he whispered. “But it cost me.”

Far above him, in a higher realm, golden pillars stood tall.

A figure watched.

Costus.

His expression didn’t change. “Shomer is pushing too far,” he said quietly.

“Next presenter,” the professor called. “Clara Carroll.”

Clara’s heart jumped.

She stood. Her legs felt weak, but she walked forward anyway. Each step felt unreal.

She connected her laptop. Her slides appeared perfectly.

She swallowed.

Then she started.

At first, her voice shook. Then it steadied. Her thoughts became clear. Her confidence grew.

For twenty minutes, nothing else mattered. Not the struggle. Not the fear. Not the doubts.

Just her work.

The professors leaned in. The students listened.

When she finished, the room went quiet.

Then applause broke out. Loud. Real.

Her professor smiled. “Excellent work, Miss Carroll.”

Relief hit her all at once.

That night, she lay on her small bed, staring at the ceiling.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “My laptop was dead.”

She hugged her pillow.

“But somehow… it worked.”

A small smile touched her lips. “Maybe someone is watching over me.”

In the unseen realm, Shomer looked at her.

“Yes,” he whispered. “I am.”

Then he coughed. Light spilled from his lips. His body shook.

Costus turned away. “Call the council,” he said. “Something is going wrong.”

Clara drifted off to sleep, unaware. Safe, for now.

But her life was starting to change.

Above her room, the air split open.

A thin line of silver light appeared.

And from it, a voice whispered,

“Her fate has begun.”