The library was as empty as the night before. Kye took a deep breath and walked to the double door leading into Michael's office. She leaned against it and recalled the voice had been in her head. Goosebumps spread all over her body.

It had been so close.

A small sound beyond the wooden surface made her heart stop. Slowly moving herself away from the door, Kye turned back to the wall she had just come out of before reaching for the closest object—an intricate copper globe, which was as heavy as it looked, topped with a sharp decorative needle—and held it to her chest. She knew it was most likely useless against whoever stood behind the door, but she could try her best.

Taking another deep breath, Kye jumped into the office, ready to stab or club anyone in her way with the copper globe before the sight in front of her eyes made her drop it to the ground.

The office was filled with people. Angels. They were in different positions but all wore the same gloomy expressions. Their heads and shoulders hung low. From head to toe, they were covered in dust and God-knows-what substance. A small group gathered around the desk with their backs to her.

None of them seemed to notice Kye who had just entered the room with a ridiculous posture. They whispered to each other in the language she didn't understand but was very familiar with. It gave her ears a good ringing. At least, they didn't bleed at this low volume.

"Excuse me." She cleared her throat to announce her appearance.

The angels uniformly turned around with a half-annoying, half-surprised look. That was when Kye saw him.

Sitting on his leather chair with his head leaning back, Michael was unconscious. He was battered and bloody—like nothing she had ever seen before. Even when his life was threatened with Alastair's bullet, he didn't look half this bad.

"What happened?"

Kye wanted to scream the question, but what came out was barely a whisper. All her strength was sucked out and replaced with fear. Terrible, paralyzing fear.

"It's none of your business."

An angel with a young, brown-haired vessel came forward and spoke to her in the most condescending tone Kye had ever heard. Before she could snap back, another angel, who had been kneeling next to Michael, stood up.

This angel looked as dirty and disheveled as the others, with her hands, face, and blond hair covered in ash, but her eyes were gentle. Kye recognized her. It was Naomi from the camp. Kye couldn't say that she was surprised. She had never gotten the chance to talk to Naomi, but the woman was always around helping or teaching others. She seemed fair and caring. Maybe Kye could get an answer out of her.

Naomi walked over and tapped on the young angel's shoulder. With one stern look, she made him drop his eyes and move to the back of the group.

"I'm sorry for Kalaziel's behavior," Naomi sighed. "We have all been frustrated. Worried...Hurt. We've tried everything, but Brother Michael hasn't woken up. All we can do now is wait for him to do so on his own. Archangels are resilient and powerful beings. He will pull through. We just don't know when. He has taken a big hit. We have lost many, but we would've lost much more if it wasn't for him." Naomi glanced back at Michael before turning to Kye. "He is still with us but stuck...."

"What do you mean by that? Are you sure there is nothing we can do? Nothing at all? Can I... Do something?"

Naomi gave Kye a sympathetic look. The girl was desperate. Of course, they have done everything. What could a human do for an archangel?

"I'm sure, Kye. He is hanging between Here and Nowhere. This plane of reality and the next. Please know that it is important to pray. For him and to him. And don’t lose hope.”

"What about Raphael?" Kye stared at Michael's dirty face. Despair rose in her chest. That treacherous archangel had started everything, but who else could save Michael? Healing angels had been Raphael's number one job. He was the only one with enough power to wake Michael up as far as she knew.

"I know what you think, Kye, but Raphael is dead. I'm sorry. If he is still alive, we would drag him here and make him perform his duty, but he is not."

Naomi turned to the angels with her hand raised, and Kye realized their conversation was over.

"Brothers and Sisters,” Naomi said, “we have fought bravely with everything we got and regained control of Ayham, but now is not the time to stop and relax. Grief can also wait. There is a lot of work to be done. Brother Zaaphiel..."

The angels all looked down and said in harmony, "May he rest in eternal peace and glory."

Naomi inhaled and straightened her back. "He entrusted us with the great responsibility of rebuilding, not only this city but the rest of the world, and guiding mankind, lifting them from their sufferings that we played a big part in creating a while ago. We were lost and made a huge mistake. They were Father's great creation. Who are we to take judgment into our own hands? It's time to correct that mistake, Brothers and Sisters. Time to redeem ourselves and make Father proud again. I ask you, are you with me?"

"We are with you, Sister," the angels solemnly said in unison.

At that moment, Kye knew she was witnessing something profound. Something that would change the fate of not only Earth but also Heaven forever. She should feel honored, but she didn't. Not a bit. Her eyes were fixed on the bloody man with matted brown hair and so much dust on his face. Her tears threatened to fall, but she forced them back. She didn't want to show her vulnerability in front of these angels, even when they were his kin.

Kye found herself pushing through the group. Her whole body felt numb. It had taken everything to move from the spot she had rooted in and leave Michael behind. Kye opened the door that led into the hallway and closed it behind herself. She leaned against it and stared up at the light fixture. No one was watching now.

She slid down to the floor, biting her sleeve so no sounds would slip out. She doubted that it helped.

Kye sat there for a long time. Hours must have passed. Silence brought some comfort. The hallway was dark, but on the lower level, sunlight had poured in through the glass wall, painting every nook and corner of the loft in its warm marigold glory. No one had come out from the office, either through the door or by teleporting, but she could hear them.

Kye pushed herself up and headed to the bathroom. Grabbing a small towel, she opened the faucet and soaked it with warm water while looking at her reflection in the mirror. A pair of bloodshot eyes on a ghostly face stared back. Kye didn't have enough energy to even get startled. She slapped an excessive amount of water on her face and decided it was time to go back.

In Michael's office, the angels still largely stayed where they had been before she left. They turned aroundto  and stared at her, but no one made a sound. ,No one stopped her from getting closer to Michael either.

Kye knelt on the floor and gently wiped the archangel’s face and hands. He looked paler than usual, but besides that, it seemed that he was just having a peaceful sleep. He also didn't breathe, but his heart beat steadily. She missed the sounds of it, missed putting her head on his chest. His dark eyebrows evened out while his long eyelashes fluttered every once in a while. Kye could stay watching Michael like this forever if it was not for the fact that he was unwell, and she could feel a hundred pairs of drilling eyes on her back.

"Can I move him?" she turned around and looked directly at Naomi.

The angel had taken over the leadership of the Host, and Kye couldn't help but think about poor Zaaphie,l in that momen,t. She prayed for his eternal peace, too, wherever he ended up.

"Of course." Naomi waved the young, grumpy-looking angel with whom Kye had the less-than-pleasant encounter over. "Kalaziel, would you be so kind as to assist Kye?"

Naomi did it on purpose, Kye was sure. She wanted to make a point, not only to Kalaziel but the rest of the angels presented in that room about Kye's position, and for that, Kye was grateful. She was not in the mood to fight with them just to be next to Michael—something was as natural as breathing to her. She would lose her mind if they decided to push her aside now.

Kalaziel scowled, "Yes, Sister," before straightening his back when he looked at Kye. "Where do you want to take him?"

His tone was not friendly at all, but Kye couldn't care less about that right now. She stood up while holding Michael's right hand.

"Our bedroom," she said with her eyes on the archangel.

Quite a few angels raised their eyebrows at her words, but they kept quiet under Naomi's cold glare. It also took Kye by surprise with her own brazenness, but the feeling quickly passed. At the end of the day, the angels as well as she knew that this was her place. She was not going anywhere.

"Very well." Kalaziel came closer and put one hand on Michael's shoulder. The other hand extended toward Kye. "Shall we?"

Kye nodded and took it. Within seconds, they stood in the master bedroom. The space looked exactly as it had been two nights ago when she and Michael were here together. For two weeks after they had returned to the loft, Kye could count on her fingers how many times Michael was actually with her. Most of the time, he would either be in his office or out with his siblings. The loft was packed, and it had been weird, to say the least. She recognized some faces from the camp, but the only person, or angel, she had any kind of personal relationship with besides Michael was Gadreel, and the guy wasn't the most talkative. The angels also could teleport anywhere, at any time, so Michael had warned them to stay clear of the two bedrooms. These places had been Kye's haven.

Kye felt sad just by looking at the two pillows on their unmade bed. She moved the blanket out of the way and turned to Kalaziel. "Let's put him down."

Kalaziel supported Michael's body and lowered him to the bed. He fixed the archangel's position before disappearing without a word. Not even three seconds later, Kalaziel reappeared.

"If you need anything, I am outside."

Then, he disappeared again, this time for good. Kye exhaled and slumped down next to Michael. She grabbed his hand and put it on her face. It was warm and tingling, making her smile a little.

"Wake up, won't you? What are you waiting for?" She pled to the unconscious archangel and started removing his dirty clothes.

After that, she filled a wash basin with water and carried it to the bed. She used several different towels to wipe Michael carefully from the top of his head—stopping every now and then at some knots in his hair—down to the tips of his toes. It took a while, but she felt good doing these little things. She felt useful.

When she finished, Kye put a clean set of pajamas on Michael and then lay down next to him. She hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Every time they were together like this, Kye could tell herself that Michael was just a mortal man. Hers. He would never give up fighting his way back to her, so she would stay and help him, whatever it took.