The wooden bench is situated on the hill under the shade of a giant magnolia. The tree had been there for God knew how long, thriving with multiple palm-sized white flowers and healthy branches. Around its root, blooming wildflowers attracted all kinds of creatures. Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds flew around, celebrating life.

It was spring, or it must be. The man watched the crystal clear curving river not too far down. It reflected the blue sky and fluffy white clouds. His mind was full of wonders.

Who was he? Why was he sitting here? Was he waiting for something or someone? Where was 'here'?

The man felt this deep longing and impatience in his heart. He wanted more, but of what or who? He didn't know. He just stayed there getting lost. Nothing to do and nowhere to go.

The weather was beautiful. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm breeze on his face. This must be how a mother's womb felt like. But how did he know what it feels like? He didn't.

His head hurt so he stopped wondering. This was better. No more thoughts.

But wasn't someone talking to him? Calling him? Who was this person? Did he know them? He felt that he did, but he wasn't certain. The voice was comforting and nostalgic, so he sat here day by day under this tree to wait for it.

Today, as usual, he waited. He sat on the bench for hours, but nothing happened.

Where was that person? Why were they not talking to him?

He became impatient and upset. The voice was not here. No one talked, no matter what he did or how long he waited.

Then, he realized.

This beautiful, calm world that he was in? It never had a sound.

***

Kye hung up the phone and watched the constructions in several parts of Ayham. It happened around the clock these days. The city center was still a crater filled with rubble, but life had crept back. Eastwick, her old neighborhood, as well as others, would completely transform. New houses would replace the container apartments where Kye had grown up, and the best part? People who used to live there such as her family wouldn't have to pay a dime.

Kye was still searching for her mom and Nick. She had been for the past six months with the help of Naomi and Ruby. Finding two people in a sea of hundreds of thousands of displaced souls turned out to be next to impossible. The identification system had become useless when Raphael destroyed it and stuffed everyone in camps like cattle. There were many missing pieces and discrepancies. Many people simply disappeared. Lost in transition.

The horrendous conditions of these camps were what worried Kye the most. Michael had cured her mom of asthma, but the poor woman's health had never been the same after Kye's dad died. A concentration camp filled with diseases, no clean water and food in the middle of the winter was as good as a death sentence. Nick would be no better. With his explosive temper and a not-taking-anyone's-shit attitude, the boy would get in so much trouble. Humans were one thing, Nick could easily fend for himself, but angels were a different story.

Kye had called the temporary processing center every day, sometimes twice or thrice a day. She had driven to multiple camps every day, but like needles in a haystack, her mom and Nick were nowhere to be found. Lately, the city had transferred all calls from families of missing people to an automatic answering system, so Kye hit a dead end there. She only knew that whoever was alive likely stayed in or near the camps due to the destruction of the city's infrastructure. Naomi had set up many shelters there. However, neither her mom nor Nick had called or come looking for her. Kye didn't want to think of the worst, so she pushed on. It was the only thing she could do to keep herself busy and distracted from Michael's condition anyway.

Kye combed her fingers through her hair. Each passing day tied a bigger knot in her heart. She had stood here the whole afternoon since she returned from the camps without realizing it. The angels who stood guard for the day had left after Naomi made sure Kye had everything that she needed. "I'm only a prayer away," Naomi always said. She had become a friend Kye could rely on. Besides the angel-healer Hannah, Kye couldn't think of anyone who acted as 'human' as Naomi. Sometimes, she even forgot that Naomi was one of them.

But there wasn't any 'Them' or 'Us' anymore. Not really. Thanks to Michael.

Kye replayed his horrendous attempts at making jokes years ago and laughed. Those memories kept her going. Michael had never stopped trying. The thought of him filled Kye with warmth.

It's seven pm. Time to check on Michael.

Kye walked upstairs to the master bedroom and opened the door. She tiptoed into it. It was a die-hard habit of hers. Sometimes, she wanted to forget that no matter how loud she was, Michael would not wake up.

Not much had changed with him at all. Kye never got tired of seeing his face every day but, sometimes, she wished to hear his voice and feel his arms wrapped tightly around her body. She missed those things. It got lonely in the loft with only the books and her phone to keep her company, but every night, when Kye put her head on Michael's chest and listened to his heartbeats, all her pains and troubles melted away.

At least he was still here.

Kye kissed the archangel on his forehead and swept a few strands of dark brown hair out away. She then walked to the bathroom to get a comb.

"Still can turn some heads here, old man." Kye chuckled as she combed his hair the way Michael would like it before getting up and tiptoeing out of the bedroom again. She needed some books.

On the way to the library, Kye suddenly felt out of it. Maybe, it's the weather, she muses, Or maybe, it's the fact that you didn't eat or sleep. She quickly decided on something easy to read. Tonight's reading session with Michael would have to be short.

Kye stopped in the middle of the indoor balcony on her way back to catch some breath. She looked down at the empty living room before Ayham's gleaming skyline outside the glass walls. It would never stop making her emotional. Ayham had not been heaven, and Aax County was further from it despite its opulent appearance. It was somewhere she would never imagine stepping foot in, much less finding love and happiness, but now, Kye couldn't think of leaving. This was her home, where she was meant to be.

Something creaked in the shadow, making Kye jump. She cursed herself for getting startled so easily but regretted that she didn't turn on all the lights. It was another unfortunate habit. Kye didn't like being a lone creature in this big, bright castle of glass and steel for the world to gawk at.

"Good job on the jump scare," Kye half-heartedly joked, trying to keep her voice even.

The angels used to drop in unannounced all the time, but after one complaint to Naomi, they now had a schedule and even rang the bell to announce their arrivals. Kye's brain went in a million directions. She waited and listened in anticipation. After a long minute, the creaking continued. This time, they approached Kye. Slowly but surely.

Kye dashed downstairs at her top speed. She needed to get to her old room and find the duffle bag Ruby had left her "just in case." Kye had always thought weapons in a place crawling with angels were highly unnecessary, but turned out, her sister was right after all, and Kye had never been more thankful for Ruby's stubbornness in her life.

Pulling out the handgun from the duffle bag, Kye checked its magazine while praying to Naomi. As much as she disliked to bother the angel when Naomi had already been up to her neck with Ayham's business, Kye must think of Michael. He was helpless, and so was she. Kye couldn't fight or shoot as well as Ruby, and whoever or whatever making those noises could easily be beyond human ability to handle. Naomi had told her some angels on Raphael's side were still at large, so she wanted Kye to let her know as soon as something was out of the ordinary.

This qualified as "out of the ordinary".

Naomi, please get here now! There's someone in the loft.

Kye's whole body shook with tension, but she forced herself to focus. Pushing on her knees, she stood up. She needed to get back to Michael fast. Kye felt dizzy. Her head was a pot filled with liquid but she couldn't stop. Something hit Kye hard on the way out, making her fall backward on the bed.

She saw stars. Whatever that was felt like a brick wall. It was not there just a second ago. Kye pointed the gun up and pulled the trigger with her shaking fingers. The loud shot and its blinding glare threw out every last bit of her perception. Struggling to sit up, Kye fired the second time.

"Stop shooting."

A familiar calm voice echoed in the thick darkness of the room as the gun was snatched out of her hands. It must have flown across the room and crashed into the opposite wall according to the sound. Kye's mind couldn't seem to focus on a single thing besides an absurd beam of white light in front of her. Kye covered her eyes. Her head was throbbing.

"What is that?" she whispered.

The light dimmed, and Kye's body was pressed under something heavy.

Heavy and cool. Familiar.

The air smelled like rain and freshly cut grass. Soft fibers brushed Kye's cheek and, in that moment, goosebumps rose all over her body.

"Michael?" she asked without believing her own voice.

Soft lips crashed on hers as the answer, silencing all her broken thoughts.

"Always make a fuss..." he mumbled. Affection spilled from his sleepy voice. "I can't leave you alone for one day, Kye."

She touched his shoulders, lightly at first, as if to check if he was real. Then, she slapped them, harder and harder, until her palms burned. Kye buried her face in Michael's chest to muffle her cries.

She couldn't muster a word. Nothing made sense. Kye felt empty and stuffed full of emotions all at once. What was this? Pain? Happiness? Kye didn't know. She didn't need to know.

Michael was here. He woke up.

Kye felt his warm lips. First on her face, and then her neck, before they found their way down to where her little pendant was. A soft humming sound and a light blue glow emitted from it, brightening the room just a little.

"I have waited for you...For such a long time, but you didn't come." Michael caressed Kye's body. His tone was almost wistful.

"What are you talking about?"

"I heard a voice, every day, and it was the only thing that comforted me. Today, however, it didn't speak to me, so I went looking for it..."

It didn't make any sense, but somehow, Kye understood.

With every mistake she had made in her life, refusing to leave when the angels pressured her to at one point, staying with Michael, reading and talking to him every day even when she didn't know if those things would help were what Kye had done right. They brought him back. To her.

Once again, Fate was on her side.

"Even if the voice didn't stop today, I would've gone looking for it. I would've gone looking for you, Kye. I wanted to see you," Michael said.

"So if it was not me but someone else, some angel or human who stayed and talked to you, you would have woken up anyway," Kye chuckled. "You must have missed Earth."

"There is no 'If'. You would be here. I know. You would fight to stay even if my siblings said 'No'. You did, didn't you?"

"Right, because the first person you see when you open your eyes must be me. It must be that way. Only death can stop me."

Michael's hand stroked her hair gently. "Death wouldn't stop you either."

"Nope."

Kye could feel his blue eyes drilling into her through the veil of darkness, and she smiled in their direction. Unlike her, Michael could see everything well. He could see all the emotions on her face. He might not fully understand some of them, but he surely never missed any. Kye breathed in his presence. He was here.

"How do you feel?" Kye cleared her throat.

"Like myself. Whatever damage my grace suffered is gone."

To demonstrate what he meant, Michael's eyes lit up like two small headlights.

"Ok... If you say so..." Kye shut her eyes.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, it's fine, really... I miss it." Kye chuckled. "I just wonder what holds Naomi back. She's usually here in a heartbeat when I pray to her."

"What do you think?"

Kye laughed. She felt Michael's face with the back of her hand, feeling the outline and rough stubble. Tiredness came like a freight train when the first thread of excitement settled down. She tried to fight it. If she could just stay awake a little longer...

Michael would be here in the morning. Most certainly.

But what if something happened again?

Nothing will happen. I promise. I'm right here. I will hold you all night and be here when you wake up. Sleep.

Michael touched her forehead before Kye could oppose. He knew she hated it, but he sensed weakness in her soul and body. Old wounds that were barely covered by layers of scars. Her armors. He could and would heal her, but she needed to rest, for now. They had so much time.

Michael couldn't wait to spend the rest of the night holding Kye in his arms, watching her dreams like the old days.

Laying his head on the pillow, Michael put his arm under Kye's neck and adjusted his body to cradle her. He pulled her to his chest and lightly squeezed her body as he would a favorite thing.

She was, indeed, his most favorite thing in this mortal world.

Michael had not fully realized how much he had missed the smell of Kye's hair and the way she snuggled up to him. He couldn't describe it with words.

Thank you, Father. For saving her. For saving me.

Michael prayed and fell into his own trance with a smile. He was home.

***

Two floors under the sparkling marble tiles of the Council lobby is an opposite world. Dark and damp endless hallways with old pipes constantly leaking make the air reek of death and indecipherable stenches. The floor is old and peeling everywhere. Some parts are stained with questionable dry liquids. In these maze-like corridors, blood-curdling screams often break out, adding to an overall hopeless atmosphere.

Michael walks past all the cells in the dim light of the yellow bulbs hanging on the ceiling. His face is a mask of absolutely no emotions. With his hands in his pants pockets, he walks all the way to the end of the hallway and stops in front of one single isolated cell.

The cell door is red like a warning to anyone who intends to come closer. The archangel stops and stares at it for a long time. No one knows what is going through his mind. A faint humming from inside the cell welcomes him.

It is a joyous melody that seems especially out of place, but Michael's face changes listening to it. A long time ago, two archangels were sitting on a cliff watching the happy tribal people dance and singing from one day to the next with a lot of questions in their minds. They wanted to understand, to know the new world their Father had created, but no one seemed able to help them with that.

It is such an ancient memory that has been stuffed down some dusty corner. Nonetheless, here he is, and here they are, once again facing each other. The person inside the cell seems to also know it. He coughs, then with confidence, speaks up.

"Hello, brother. Long time no see."

"Long time..."

Michael replies with his fists clenched in his pockets. It is still hard to see the other man behind the door after all the pain they have caused each other throughout the millennia. It is just too much that no heart can endure.

"So you finally decide to come... Why? What made you change your mind and grace me with this visit? You want to see how low I've fallen? Well, look to your heart's content, brother."

The guy chuckles lowly. His voice reeks of sarcasm. Michael misses his brother's wits sometimes, but can't understand or forgive his deeds.

"You know very well why I'm here, Luc. Why did you try to kill her?"

"Her? Who?"

Luc acts innocent and then drags out his word, laughing at the obvious that Michael refuses to see.

"Ohhhh...She is nothing. No one. A human. A piece of dust in the flow of time. I do it because I can."

"Not because you want to get back at me? Take away something I love the way yours is taken from you...Lucifer?"

"DON'T. TALK. ABOUT. ME. BROTHER! We're not here to talk about me."

Luc screams each word maniacally, then cackles at the end as if he has just found something hilarious.

"I don't care about you or your whore, brother, so stop rubbing ancient history in my face. It means nothing. Yes,... Maybe I want you to taste just a little bit of your own medicine, but no deeper reason behind it."

"You expect me to believe you siphon the last drops of Raphael's grace, break through all the barriers to get to Kye "just for fun", just because you "like it"?"

"Believe what you want, brother. I do what I like and I am done. I don't have to talk to you anymore."

"Oh, you will talk to me, alright?"

With that last sentence, Michael's voice changes. It morphs into something else deeper, more powerful. The voice holds the power of millions of worlds, crushing Luc's soul under it.

"No...No...No. It's impossible..."

Luc whispers in utter disbelief, feeling the transformation outside his cell. The glowing light melts the door and part of the front wall away. Standing before him is a 5-foot-something humanoid figure with light brown hair, nothing out of the ordinary. Luc is sure that face can blend easily in any crowd, but what, or who behind it is not.

He doesn't dare to look directly at the person, feeling incredible pressure. No matter how mad he was before, it all deflates. All he feels now is wronged, hurt, and abandoned. Why does He appear now after all that time? Just to lecture him? Punish him some more? How much more does he have to be punished?

That is where you're wrong, my son. You are not punished. Not for a long time now, but you didn't realize it because you couldn't let go. You are the one who has punished yourself.

Reading his mind is nothing new, but in this situation, it drives Luc mad. He knows, so why did He even ask all of those questions? To humiliate him more? He knows why this son had to do it. One more human death is nothing. Father has done it a gazillion times over.

Son, I cannot say how disappointed and angered I am by your actions. The way you treated your siblings is unacceptable. You can try to justify it, but you know, deep in your heart because I believe you still have one, you did an unforgivable act. Now, with the human girl,...

God leans backward and a chair appears out of thin air for Him to sit on. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and points it to Luc.

"No, thanks," His son grumbles.

"...I can see why you want to eliminate her, but I assure you, son, there is no need."

He speaks in his human voice, looking up at the broken bulb on the ceiling as if he suddenly finds it extremely fascinating.

"What do you mean? You know what I've got, right? The premonition!"

"Premonitions are just that," God breaths out a long trail of smoke, his eyes floating around the cell, half-closed. "Premonitions. They don't mean much unless you give them the meanings. You can interpret them any way you want."

"No way! I've been having them for centuries. I should know how to interpret them right."

Luc spits out venomously. His pride is hurt. He has just been told that the only power that was left is also useless. A total sham. How could he not feel hurt?

"Lucifer, my son, you really need to let it go! I'm serious. Learn to live a little. Enjoy life. That's what I have given you. Life. A chance to restart, to make something for yourself. Learn from your past mistakes to be better, but look what you've done."

God stands up abruptly and the chair disappears. He fixes the lapel of his pristine white suit and looks down at Luc with the sternest expression.

"There is not one road, one solution, son. Your existence could be fun, sweet, meaningful... Your pick, but you always have to ruin it yourself. The girl is never a threat. I would have not sent her to Michael if she was, and if Fate decides that it is time for me, who am I to say no?"

"Father, you know what a new God can do to the old one. To the world. Your creations! You should understand why I need to stop it!"

"...But you didn't and you can't."

God sighs and turns His back to Luc. His son jumps up, trying to grab a corner of His suit jacket but He is already outside of the cell. The wall and door close up behind him.

Luc screams and throws himself at the door, again and again, until he is exhausted and his shoulder is almost broken. God's voice still echoes throughout the hallway.

"You can't..."

"No, no...I can! I can do it! I can save you! Why don't you listen to me?"

Luc screams like a rabid animal, punching and kicking the door, but no one replies to him. Only the tortured creatures in other cells join in his cries and every sound blends into a chaotic, broken song.