by L. L Hunter
“Your punishment is this: you have to live with the knowledge of what you have done. You have to live without your soulmate and with every single memory you’ve ever had. And then some.” Eden gestured at Max and Gabe, and the boys stepped forward. Abraham’s eyes widened as Max brought forward a jar filled with a dull and ghostly looking soul. The soul didn’t glow, but blackness and evil swirled around it like ash and smoke. Max reached into the jar and pulled out Abraham’s soul. Gabe sedated the soul with his trait while Max purified it. Abraham screamed as the darkness was pulled from his soul and turned into light.
“Now, we can go home,” stated Gabe.
Aria had flown ahead of them with Chordelia’s body while Melody, Gabe, Max, Eden, and Asher called a car to take them back to the Academy. They had an extra body with them now. It would have been difficult for two-winged angels to carry all the extra weight.
Melody slipped her hand in Gabe’s, and Eden rested her head on Asher’s shoulder as they made their way back to Michael Academy.
It wasn’t over yet. They had fought and won this battle, but the next step was perhaps going to be their most challenging.
Chapter 15
Chordelia was raised a warrior. She had trained with the best guardians in all the realm, and she knew she was destined to do something amazing. However, when she received her trait of Foresight, she began to doubt herself in her one-thousandth year after creation.
Her premonitions at first were hard to bear, but as time moved on, she learned how to use them. She had saved many people by using her traits throughout history. And blamed herself harshly when she could not. She was unable to prevent the Titanic from hitting the iceberg and sinking. She had been unable to prevent the nuclear bomb from hitting Hiroshima, Japan, or only recently, she had been unable to stop a missile from being fired at a passenger jet over Ukraine, killing around three hundred innocent people. With all her doubts and perceived failings as a guardian angel, one who had the gift of Foresight, her best friends had reassured her that she couldn’t have prevented those tragedies from happening. All those people were fated to die. Chordelia still blamed herself regardless.
If it weren’t for her two best friends, Aria and Melody, she would have completely failed as a guardian angel.
As Chordelia’s soul drifted up into the heavens, to become a part of the heavens itself, to become light and pure goodness, she sent down wishes and prayers of thanks and gratitude to her friends for making her the angel she had become.
It was ironic, Melody thought, as she and Aria made their way back down to earth, that Chordelia would die in battle, having not seen her own death. Melody began to think that her friend had been given a useless trait, she remembered the words she and Aria had often spoken to their friend.
“You shouldn’t be angry over the things you cannot change. However, we must remember that humans have free wills and even fate herself can’t predict what they’ll do next.”
Gabe sat on the uncomfortable plastic chair in the great hall, nervous as hell. He shifted his weight, trying to push blood back into his numb bottom. He wished he wasn’t here. He wished he wasn’t about to witness what he was about to witness. He didn’t want to accept that his parents were evil, that his father had brainwashed his mother, and that they both cared more about power than their own son. But, here he was, sitting in the great hall of Michael Academy, alongside his cousins and fellow classmates, about to witness the sentencing of his parents.
Lakyn and Rachael were furious when they discovered Adam and Veronica had returned and kidnapped Gabe. They were livid when they found out Adam and Veronica had tried to kill their own son.
Adam and Veronica stood on the dais beside Beth, the president of Nephilim, and awaited their punishments.
“Adam and Veronica Daylesford, for crimes against angel kind and that against all of humanity, there is no other punishment fit than the removing of wings.”
Veronica sobbed harder than she already was, and Adam bowed his head.
“Please,” Veronica begged. “I’m sorry. We’re sorry.”
Gabe swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He had to remind himself over and over that his parents were dangerous and had done unspeakable things.
“Take them to the Realm of Light!” said Beth, and her personal guards came and took the pair away.
After the sentencing and after Adam and Veronica were taken away, Beth approached Gabe. He stood with the others in the centre aisle of the hall.
“Gabriel, I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
Gabe turned and was surprised to see Beth there.
“Madam President, I—”
“Gabriel, please. You are family now. Call me Beth.” He smiled, and Beth returned it before patting him on the shoulder and walking out of the hall accompanied by her guards.
Eden checked her phone and cheerfully turned to her friends.
“Guess what, guys? It’s snowing, and my parents have organised a party to celebrate. You’re all invited.”
Aria turned to Max and gave him a small smile. He smiled back.
“Do you wanna go to the party?” he asked. “I figured you might need cheering up after the funeral ceremony this morning.”
As soon as they arrived back at the Academy, Aria and Melody left and took Chordelia’s soul back to the Realm of Fire. They stood in the Hall of Song, the place where all guardian angels were created and returned their friend’s white pure soul to the place she was born. Chordelia’s soul had lingered but for a moment near her friends before floating off to join the millions of other angelic souls in the heavens.
“I do. Thank you.” Max smiled and held out his hand to her. She immediately took it. Aria was glad she had finally found her soulmate, and she planned to get to know him well.
A little while later, the teens joined their families and other students in the courtyard of Michael Academy. Eden poked out her tongue and caught a perfect snowflake on it. Asher laughed and threw a snowball at her.
Melody joined Gabe under the ancient elm and handed him some non-alcoholic apple cider.
“Merry Christmas,” he said, accepting the drink.
“Merry Christmas, Gabe. And congratulations.”
He cocked his head to the side. “For what?”
“For defeating Samson and restoring peace in the world. We finally finished what we started.”
Gabe bowed his head and stared into his cup. The golden liquid bubbled up the sides of the plastic.
“Gabe? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just thinking about my parents.”
“Oh. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“It’s okay. You know, I didn’t want to admit that they were evil. I wanted my life to be a fairy tale. I wanted the happy ending I’d always dreamed about, you know?”
Melody set her hand on his arm, and he looked up and met her gaze.
“Hey, you may not have found the happy ending you always wished for, but you got a happy ending.”
He searched her face, then bridged the gap between them and kissed her.
“You’re right,” he whispered. “You’re my happy ending.”
Chapter 16
After the Christmas break, all students returned to classes at Michael Academy as usual. Since the death of Samson and Jazmine and the purification of Abraham’s soul, Max had been enrolled at Michael Academy, as well.
He stood outside his Traits 101 classroom one day, waiting for Aria. She walked up to him with a shy smile. Max beamed as the petite blonde approached. He had been thrilled when he learned the beautiful Aria was his soulmate. He had wanted a love like Eden and Asher’s, like his parents. Even though he barely knew Aria, he planned to get to know her over the coming school year.
In most cases, when two souls found one another, it was instant love, but it didn’t feel that way for Max and Aria. Aria felt like more of an acquaintance to Max at the moment. He was attracted to her, sure. What guy wasn’t? Aria w
as absolutely gorgeous. But he wasn’t in love with her. Not yet, anyway. He didn’t feel anything. He wanted to ask Eden or his parents what love felt like. It had been a few weeks since he met Aria, and he still felt no tummy flips or loss of breath, none of the usual symptoms Eden had talked about. He was starting to doubt she was even his soulmate, that maybe Melody was wrong.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey, Max,” said Aria, stopping outside the classroom. “Ready for your first class?”
“I guess so. Are you?”
“Yes. I’m excited.” There was an awkward silence that filled the space between them. Aria broke it. “Shall we go take our seats?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Max met Eden and Asher under the elm tree in the courtyard during recess when his first two classes were over. Gabe and Melody were also there, sitting on the bench under the ancient tree. Aria joined them soon after and sat down beside Melody. The guardians began whispering to each other. Max turned to his cousin.
“Eden?” he asked, nervously sliding his sweaty palms up and down his trousers.
“Hmm?” Eden turned to him and cocked an eyebrow. She had a potato crisp in her hand, and salt lined her lips. Her favourite thing to eat was potato crisps, and before she ate them, she licked all the seasoning off. “What’s up, Cuz.”
He didn’t know how to begin. He quickly peeked at Aria once more. She was busy chatting with Melody. Then, he turned his attention back to Eden.
“How… how do you know… you know?”
Eden had placed a chip in her mouth, and Max’s question made her choke on it. She chewed quickly and took a sip of her diet coke to wash it down before she could speak.
“You’re not asking what I think you’re asking, are you?”
“I… yeah, kind of. When did you know with Asher?”
“That I wanted to have sex with him? Oh, it just kinda happened. After all, we had been through, it just felt right.”
Max’s face went bright red and his eyes wide. “Oh! No, no. That’s not what I meant. I meant, how did you know… when did you realise you loved Asher? What did it feel like?”
Eden burst out laughing, causing the rest of their group to look at her.
“Eden, are you okay, babe?” asked Asher, concerned.
“Yeah. I’m okay. Don’t worry.” She placed a kiss on her soulmate’s cheek and turned back to her cousin. She put a soft hand on his forearm. “Has my baby cousin got a crush?”
Max bowed his head in embarrassment. “It’s not a crush. I don’t think so anyway. I don’t know. That’s why I came to ask you. I… I’m worried, Eden.”
“Oh? Why are you worried?”
He peered over at Aria once more. This time, Aria, as if sensing Max’s gaze, caught him. He quickly looked away. He leaned in closer to Eden and lowered his voice.
“I’m worried because I don’t feel anything for her. If she’s supposed to be my soulmate…”
“Oh! Oh, no need to worry about that. It’s like any relationship. Give it time. You’ll grow to like each other.”
“But my father said that when you meet your soulmate, you know. So I didn’t know Aria was mine until Melody told me.”
“That’s how it happens for most Nephilim and those with angel blood. But, Max, you’re not most Nephilim.”
He let out a breath. He felt a little bit relieved but was still concerned about his lack of feelings. Was there something wrong with him? He ate his snack, and when the bell rang, went back to class with his fellow students.
Chapter 17
Abraham thought he would hate living without his love, Jazmine. But since getting his soul purified by those two boys, Gabriel and Max, he had a new lease on life. He had a new job now. Since Max was now enrolled at Michael Academy early because of who he was, Abraham had been given his old job back. This time, he had a new mission, though. He was still the caretaker of the souls of those who had died, but he no longer had evil intent. That part of his soul had been washed away during the purification process. He didn’t know how to describe being good, being pure. Abraham likened the feeling to having a weight lifted off his shoulders. Yes. That was the closest thing to how he felt. He couldn’t think of another description that fit better.
He opened the door to the cottage in the Realm of Death, and clutching the soul sphere at his throat, he peered around at the untouched interior.
“Well, it looks like a bomb exploded in here, but we’ll make do,” he said, speaking to Jazmine’s soul, which hung from his neck. Her body was destroyed in the battle to purify the seven deadly sins and kill Samson, but her soul wasn’t destroyed. She now resided with him forever. Unbeknownst to anyone, Abraham had harvested her soul right before her body was destroyed, when the dagger was still protruding from her chest. He couldn’t lose his soulmate. Jazmine’s little white and gold luminescent soul leapt up and down in the little crystal sphere, agreeing with him.
Abraham then set to work on tidying up the mess Samson had made. After making himself dinner, he walked into his library and cursed at the sight of his precious book collection scattered all over the dusty mat near the fireplace. He lit the fireplace first and then gently slid all the ancient texts and paperback fiction novels back in their respective nooks.
“There. What do you think, Jaz?” Jazmine’s soul leapt again. “Excellent. Next, the secret underground library and the soul storage room.” He sighed and wiped a hand over his face. He felt dog tired and bone-weary. He suddenly felt his age. He was thousands of years old, and all of a sudden, Abraham felt all those years had caught up with him.
“I feel like I’m cleaning up after a million-year war. That’s what being tainted with evil will do to you.” Jazmine jumped up and down as Abraham finished his dinner and coffee, and he then settled down in front of the fireplace with a good book.
“Tomorrow, my love. Tomorrow.”
The following day, Max woke up, and the first thing he did was check his timetable for the day. He remembered seeing a class about souls. He was excited that it was today. The news put a pep in his step, and he quickly dressed and bounded down the stairs to breakfast. He grabbed an apple and yoghurt and some tea before heading to the table he usually shared with Gabe, Eden, and the others. He desperately wanted to learn more about the bond between souls. He had to know that what he felt was not unique to him. He couldn’t be that different, could he? He didn’t want to be different. He just wanted to be a typical teen, go to school, and have a crush on a cute girl like other ordinary teen guys. The fact that he had been born out of prophecy to an Archangel and was destined to be the leader of the underworld and the fact that he could turn demon souls into good souls changed things. He didn’t want to be different, but he knew he had to get used to the fact that he was.
“Good morning, Max,” said a pretty voice. He snapped out of his daze and looked up into the face of an angel. Aria wasn’t only an angel—she was one of the most- fierce guardian angels in existence. She was a warrior.
“Good morning,” he replied with a smile and bit into his apple.
“Did you sleep well, Max?” she asked, peeling a banana. She bit into it and chewed, not taking her eyes from his. Max swallowed nervously but held her gaze.
“Yeah. I did. You?”
“Not really,” she said. She shook her head and stopped chewing. She looked down at her breakfast and began fiddling with the skin.
“Oh? Why not?”
“I haven’t been able to sleep since Chordelia died. I keep having nightmares about that day. I can’t get the image of Samson throwing that ice missile and impaling Chord—” she covered her mouth, attempting to hold in a sob. Max reached over the table—Aria had sat opposite him—and covered her hand with his.
“It’s okay. I have nightmares too. About all sorts of things. About that night and not being able to catch the souls. It’s kind of a part of who I am. I’ve grown used to them.”
Aria looked up in surprise. “That shouldn’t be somet
hing you should have to get used to.”
“I know. But it is. Don’t worry. They rarely scare me anymore.” An idea suddenly came to him. He wanted to cheer her up, and he knew the perfect way to do it. “Hey, would you like to come see a movie with me today after classes?”
A tear rolled down Aria’s face, and she wiped it away. “A movie?”
“You know, moving images that tell a story. With actors and stuff. I thought it might help take our mind off… you know.”
She smiled sweetly. “I know what a movie is, silly. I’d love to, but I can’t go today. Perhaps tomorrow?”
“Sure.” He returned her smile, and they got up once they’d finished their breakfast, and he walked her to her first class.
Chapter 18
Throughout his Soul Bonds class, Max couldn’t help but think about the prospect of his date with Aria. Eden had told him that relationships might not be instant and that they required effort. So, he had to try. If something happened between them—then great. If not, then he would know to try harder. He had never wanted something so much in his life. Except for his job as caretaker of the souls, but right now, Abraham was taking care of that while he finished his schooling. There would be an eternity to care for souls.
Speaking of souls, in the Soul Bonds class, Max learned that when one soul met their other half, they felt a kind of magnetic pull toward them. It was described as having an invisible rope joined between both of you. That feeling was not familiar to Max, and the more he listened to what his professor told the students, the more he began to doubt himself. Perhaps Melody’s trait was wrong, and Aria wasn’t his soulmate but his guardian angel. That reminded him of something. What if guardian angel soul bonds were different? There had never been a bond between a guardian angel and their assignment before, not one of the soulmate variety. He knew he had to ask Gabe about his bond with Melody to see if what was described in the textbook and what his professor had spoken about was true. Max had a hunch that he was onto something, though.