“Please, continue.” She nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her head. “I first walked back to her room, and then the shower. When I noticed she wasn’t there, I walked back out to the kitchen toward the backyard.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “When I found her, she was standing next to the pool.” Her eyes rose up to his, they were dark, intense. “She wasn’t alone.” Daniel kept his eyes locked on hers, “who was with her?” “not who, Detective, what.” He remained silent. “Shinigami.” “Forgive me, what is that?” he asked. She blinked rapidly a few times, looking away at him. “You have something similar. Think of it like, a grim reaper.” She whispered. “But this one, this one took the form of a child.” He tapped away on his keyboard, letting her continue. “I say child, but it changed into something─ very different.” She shuttered, her hands instinctively covering her forearms. “I don’t even begin to know how to describe it. It wore a black mofuku kimono.” Daniel looked up at her. “Mofuku kimono is traditional kimono worn by women at a funeral” she explained. He inclined his head and took note. “It’s wings were some sort of black fluid that spilled over the ground. It had long claws.” she paused, her breathing picking up. “As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t move. I wanted to, I screamed at myself mentally to just move. But I was kept there.” He stared at her for a moment, “You mean you were afraid?” She shook her head, “No, it wouldn’t let me.” He pursed his lips, nodded and then typed it in. “That wasn’t the worst part.” She clasped her hands together, her knuckles going white. “When it─ shifted. All of her facial features disappeared, they just changed into blackness.” Daniel leaned in, his own anxiety rising. Where had he heard of this before? Jesus, it was killing him. This all sounded like something that he should remember. His dream from this morning popped back into his mind, then he remembered something from the dream that he had seen when Celeste was a child. There was something in the way the child had held herself. It was the second time his mind had brought up the rising flames along the girl’s body and later on his empress as they charged into battle. Yet, what he saw had been flames.
What was his mind trying to tell him and why was he remembering their former life? He needed to go home and read more over the statements and think back to what he had dreamt. These past few months he had approached this as a detective would. Perhaps it was time to give in to his mind. Matilda had told him that once he found himself, there was no going back. But he had allowed so little time to tap back into that feeling that he was going in circles and getting nowhere fast. If these murders were tied to Celeste, he needed to tap into every source he could. He knew that they were, there was honestly no doubt. Whether she had been committing them or not was the real question. If she was, why, and how could they stop it? He needed to go back to where they shared the vision together. It would be hard, but he needed to start from somewhere. First things first, he reminded himself. Carroll had been watching him lost in his thoughts. “Sorry,” he offered, “I was just thinking of something.” She shook her head, “No, it’s OK. I definitely understand.” “You said that you saw blackness. Did a face exist at all, or was it just totally black?” Air released from her lungs. She smiled at him, she looked as if she had been holding her breath the whole time. “Thank you,” she said. He cocked an eyebrow, “for what?” “Not asking me what really happened.”
16 return to innocence
John stared across at them. His anger quickly mounting the more they said. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he exploded. Michael gave him a stern glare for interrupting. “You have not exactly helped the situation.” John stood up, turning his back to them both. “Excuse the hell out of me for not being excited over being left out of some key fucking facts.”
Azrael was next to him in an instant, his voice booming, “you will mind your tongue here, or you will leave with nothing.” John wisely kept his mouth shut. Even though he was seething, he inclined his head. Michael gently pulled him back to his seat, “sit,Uriel.Let us talk.” “Could you please not use that name.” Michael looked down at him, shaking his head. “It is a good name, it is your given name. You must learn to embrace that part of yourself, or you will never live in peace.” John sighed, but said nothing. He seated himself across from Azrael. Michael shifted, his wings making a soft feathery sound. John stared at him as he waved his hand, making the wings disappear so that he could sit. He was still in shock at Michael’s lie. He wasn’t even aware that angels could do that in their true form. Apparently, they could. Michael leaned forward, glancing at John and then up at Azrael. “We had to make sure that you are ready.” John’s mouth opened, but Michael put up his hand silencing him. “I understand that you have questions. I would too,Broddah. But you must understand, you were far too emotional over this girl.” John sighed, “She isn’t a girl,Mikail . She is so much more than that.” Michael nodded, “more than even you realize.” John blinked. He couldn’t look directly at Azrael like Michael, but he could sense his feelings. He had been angry at being left out of their plan to test him, but more so betrayed that Michael had not trusted him in his human form. He didn’t want to accept it, but he knew they were right to have done it. This was far more than just his love, this was something that affected all of the realms. It meant the difference between all of them existing and not for every creature in the known universe. So? Fuck them, just run with Mitsuko and to hell with them all. Your own brother in battle has lied to you, his human side screamed. He tried his best to ignore it. No, Michael redeemed himself and they were right to have done this. They had to make sure that he was strong enough to never give up and to fight for the cause.
“How many men have assembled?” Michael smiled, “There he is. The man that is eager to charge into battle.” Azrael’s voice rasped and bubbled, “We are legion,Uriel Broddah.You would not be able to comprehend our numbers, as your mind has long become poisoned by the many sons of Adam. Just know that you are on the right side” A long, sinewy appendage emerged from the billowing folds, resting itself on John’s shoulder, “the winning side.” John nodded, looking out across the vast expanse. From their view in the sister towers, there was only the blinding light, met with a clear line of impenetrable darkness. They both were so dense that you couldn’t see what existed below or above. How long had it been since they had seen what existed on the other side?“Azrael Broddah, what exists from within the darkness?” he asked. Azrael emitted warmth and color, conveying happiness to John. “That will all be explained to you in time. For now, please focus on what we have told you.” Azrael stood, then walked behind him. “First, allow me to do something for you. Stand,Uriel.”” John shook, but did as he was told. They had been speaking to him for what felt like hours. So many, that he was sure almost a year had passed in the human realm. Time worked different here. He hoped this meant that all would be righted for him and Mitsuko. Mostly, that she would be treated as he had with mercy and forgiveness. John secretly hoped that above all else, she was safe with the Jade Emperor. Tentei was not well known for his temper, but what had come to pass between him and his daughter were many years ago. Perhaps she had found her own forgiveness, much like he had with the divine beings that stood before him.
He knew that meant that the two of them would spend many years apart, but that was a drop in the bucket to beings such as themselves. Her soft locks and vibrant green eyes comforted him. Whatever he faced, he would never have to face it alone again. They would cure her, once and for all and she would remain at his side─ She his goddess, him her protector. He ached for that moment. The moment that the two of them may be alone to find their own personal paradise among the stars. He knew that he must become what he once was, but he allowed his mind to wander just a bit longer─ savoring the past memory of finding her again. She was lost, broken, and alone. Wandering the streets, rejected by her own mortal guardians. Anger rose in the pit of his belly. How could humans be so vile? Why were they all so eager to save such wretched creatures? Surely, they must have value at some point to
the cause or Messiah would not have done so much for them. A gentle breeze caressed his body, tugging at his anger. It was a double-edged sword, allowing as much humanity as he had and yet hating them all the same. It was a dangerous path for the Fallen to go down.
He felt a strange sensation wash over him. It was as if a part of his mind were surfacing like a submarine, making its slow ascent. His body responded, a dull glow snaking around his limbs. The sigils burned one-by-one into his flesh. He stumbledback from the table, his eyes growing wide as he felt Michael’s hand holding his own.“Shaâs, Uriel Broddah. Oesh’ braė hâ. He said soothingly.
Uriel roared in anguish, his wings ripping from his flesh. His body bent and contorted as his angelic features returned in an instant. Michael smiled, his eyes filling with tears. Uriel’s memories flashed, his mind grasping at each that flew by. As quickly as they came, they dimmed and then faded. “I─ I can’t.” he cried softly. “You will learn, in time.” Michael held on, leaning into him. “This is only the beginning.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C.A. Greyson is a writer and director based out of Dallas, TX. Her mixed-media approach includes: Audiobooks, Novels, and Film. Her influences growing up were fantasy and thriller books, comics, and manga. She has a huge affinity for culture, folklore, and the dark side. C.A. has visited Japan twice for research on her Hell’s Gate book series. Her works tend to reflect her Eastern and Western philosophies, as she was raised by a father from China and mother from the U.S.
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Hell's Gate: Resurgence Page 10