The flood of memories pulled me into another time.
Morninglight Abbey.
Sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows onto the stone floor.

A boy of sixteen or seventeen was practicing with a sword in the courtyard.
He had soft brown hair, his gray-blue eyes focused and serious.
Every move was perfect, every breath precisely timed.
This was a young Cassian.
"Hey!"
A small pebble hit him squarely on the shoulder.

Cassian stopped and looked up.
On top of the high monastery wall, a green-eyed girl was waving at him.
She looked about fifteen or sixteen, her long black hair flying in the wind, a sly smile on her face.
"You again." Cassian put down his sword. "Elena. How did you get over the wall this time?"

"The main gate is boring," the girl said, leaping lightly from the wall. She landed without a sound. "Besides, I have something cool to show you."
She pulled a heavy, ancient book from her robes.
"What is this?" Cassian asked, curious.
"Myths and Legends of Old," Elena said with a wink. "It's got stories about vampires, werewolves, angels, and demons."
Cassian's face changed. "Elena, these are forbidden books! The Abbey doesn't allow..."
"Oh, come on. Don't you want to know what other magical creatures are in this world?" Elena tugged on his sleeve. "Let's go. We'll read it in the hills behind the abbey. No one will find us."
Cassian hesitated, but he let her drag him away.
They went to a small grove of trees on the hill behind the abbey. Elena expertly climbed a large tree and then pulled Cassian up after her.
"Look," she opened the book, pointing to a beautiful illustration. "This is the legendary Vampire Queen. She has eternal life and immense power."
Cassian looked at the beautiful and mysterious woman in the picture. "Do they really exist?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Of course they do," Elena said matter-of-factly. "This world is much more exciting than you think."
"Then you..." Cassian suddenly looked at her. "Elena, I've known you for three years, but you haven't changed at all."
The girl froze for a second.
"Everyone else grows up, they get older, but you..." Cassian's voice was filled with confusion. "You look exactly the same as you did three years ago."
Elena was silent for a moment, then she smiled.
"Maybe it's because I'm young at heart."
"No." Cassian shook his head. "Elena, what are you?"
His hand slowly moved to the cross at his belt.
"Human? An angel? Or..."
"A demon?" Elena finished for him, a complex emotion in her eyes.
Silence fell between them. The wind rustled the leaves.
"If I really wasn't human," Elena asked softly, "what would you do?"
Cassian's grip tightened on his cross.
"According to the rules, I should..." He bit his lip. "I should purify all evil heretics."
"Is that so?" Elena's voice was tinged with sadness.
"But..." Cassian suddenly looked up, meeting her eyes directly. "If it was you..."
He took a deep breath, as if making the most important decision of his life.
"If it was you... I would put down my holy sword. Give up my place as a priest. And become an ordinary man."
Elena's eyes went wide.
"Cassian, do you know what you're saying?"
"I do." He nodded seriously. "God tells us to love all of creation, including lost souls. If you really are a heretic, then I believe you are a good one."
"Even if you were cast out by the Church?"
"Even if I were cast out."
"Even if you lost God's protection?"
"Even if I lost His protection."
Elena looked at his determined face and suddenly smiled. The smile was like a blooming spring flower, breathtakingly beautiful.
"You fool." She reached out and gently flicked his forehead. "Who said I was a demon?"
"Then you're...?"
"I'm your guardian angel." Elena pointed to the sign above the abbey's main gate. "See? What's the name of this abbey?"
Cassian followed her finger. "Morninglight Abbey... wait, no. When did it become 'Saint Elena's Abbey'?"
"Because I am Elena," the girl winked. "Your guardian angel, Elena."
Cassian shook his head, confused. "But I've known the name of this abbey since I was a child. It's always been called Saint Elena's Abbey..."
"That's right," Elena said with a mysterious smile. "Because I have always been here, watching over this place. Watching over you."
"The bond between us is eternal."
She leaned closer to Cassian, whispering in his ear. "No matter how many lifetimes we live, no matter what world we're in, we will always find each other again."
"Sometimes, I am the vampire, and you are the priest."
"Sometimes, I am the Daywalker, and you are the Holy Knight."
"And sometimes..." she paused, her eyes shining with a gentle light, "I am the guardian angel, and you are the lost lamb."
Cassian was completely lost, but deep down, he felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had heard these words a thousand times in his dreams.
"Elena," he grabbed her hand. "I feel like... we've met before. Not just in the last three years. But long, long before that."
"Of course we have." Elena's fingers intertwined with his. "Life after life, we have always been meeting."
The sun began to set, casting a golden glow on the two of them.
In that moment, time seemed to stand still.
"Cassian," Elena said softly. "Guard your heart. Don't give it away so easily."
"Why?"
Elena smiled and stood up, ready to leave.
The setting sun stretched her shadow long, as if it reached toward eternity.
She looked back at him one last time, her eyes full of love and promise.
"Because you and I... we are fated to meet. Again and again. Life after life."