“M...” Someone said, “...Mark... are you...”

My head felt like it was on ice. Everything was too bright. I didn't want to wake up. Let me sleep again.

“Get up, Mark.” That voice said again, “It's time to get up.”

I mumbled something.

“It is not time for you to rest.”

I felt a huge jolt of energy enter through my body, and I was forced out of my sweet oblivion. I opened my eyes – surprised that I could open them at all – and saw a familiar Seraphim before me. It appears that Uriel had saved me, but I'm not sure if I was thankful for that. I think that I would have preferred it if I was left to die.

I looked around me, and saw only a bright field of white. There was nothing around me, save for the radiant Angel and myself. Even the ground beneath had disappeared.

“I'm alive...” I said. “I suppose that I'm should thank you?”

“You still have a job to do.”

“Why should I continue?” I muttered, staring into the Golden Angel, “What's the point of any of it? Becca's dead, I've killed everyone in the Sprawl, and Sara is... What happened to Sara?”

Uriel's usual blank expression changed for a brief second, into one of... fear? Uncertainty? She turned her head away from me, and said, “My daughter has... she has reverted back to how she was before. The spell I used to suppress her memories have unsealed, and her emotions are running wild.”

I had wondered why Sara was behaving like a human up until this point, but I expected that Uriel had done something to prevent her daughter from fully awakening as a Nephilim. After all, there is a reason why every single being under Heaven had to go out of their way to eradicate those creatures, because Nephilims are fundamentally unstable, and incredibly powerful. They have the power to rip apart reality.

“Like I said, why should I bother continuing? And why would you even want me to? I've failed, you've seen that, and I'm the reason why your daughter is going crazy.”

Uriel frowned bitterly, and said, “Yet you are still the only one who can help her.”

“I'm more likely to fuck it all up again. You can just go ahead and save everyone the trouble and kill me. Isn't that what you would have done had I said no? Well, that's my answer now.”

“Are you perhaps sad about the death of Becca?”

I didn't answer. Just thinking about the girl hurt.

“I have talked with the other Angels about this, and they have agreed to my proposition. If you help us out on this, we are willing to return Sara's soul to the mortal realm once more.”

I frowned, “And why would the Angels do this for me? They couldn't care less about what happens to me. Why would they agree to do this?”

“To tell you the truth, Mark, it is to control you.”

“Control me?”

“Yes, that is correct.” The Seraphim continued, “The Angels believe that you wield too much power, and they fear that you will cause chaos on Earth should you choose to abuse your power. I am inclined to believe them. Thus, in order for us to be sure that you do not return to your old ways, we are willing to return Becca to you under the condition that you work under the forces of Heaven. The girl will be used as collateral, should you choose to disobey. If you go out of hand, then we will retrieve her soul, and she will die once more.”

“So I'm to become a slave to Heaven?”

“No.” She answered, “You will work for us, as a contractor of sorts.”

“That's basically the same thing...” I said bitterly.

“Regardless, you are in no position to negotiate. Do you accept, Mark Bastion?”

“I don't have a choice...” I said, “Yeah, I'll do it.”

“Good.”

“So do I get Becca back now?”

“No, Mark. That is only if you save Sara.”

I stared at that unmoving bitch, and screamed, “And how am I fucking supposed to do that? Didn't you see what happened the first time! I got my ass handed to me, and you still think I can do this? You might as well not have told me anything! I'm willing to go on your fucking suicide mission, but only if you bring Becca back!”

Uriel sighed, “That is not an option, Mark. You of all people should know what it would mean for Becca should her soul be forced to enter back into the mortal realm. After all, we are not giving her a new body, we are simply sending her soul back.”

“She'd become a Witch.”

“Yes.” Uriel nodded. “Her soul will be weakly tethered to a mortal body, and she will become more in tuned to the supernatural world. She will be what the humans call a Witch; a blasphemous being that defied the natural laws of life and death.”

“You'd bring another Witch into the world just to have me on a leash?”

I really was surprised, because the Witches of old represented everything that Heaven hated: people that defied their neat and ordered nature. Normally, Witches are only born through obscene rituals and sacrifices, all in order to evade Death. However, every single Witch is a fundamentally chaotic being, because nature itself will try to right the wrong caused by their existence. Unless the Witch herself is extremely powerful, or there is someone there to guide them, then it is almost certain that their new unlife will end in tragedy.

I understood why Uriel can only return Becca after I finished her request. She wanted me to take care of her, to guide her.

Uriel looked at me for a long time, and finally said, “Yes, Mark. We would go that far.”

“Why are you doing all of this?” I finally asked.

“Because you are still the only hope left. The situation right now is... not good.”

“What do you mean?”

“It appears that Sara has suffered a lot of emotional damage, and she is now in the process of unravelling the whole of reality.”

“What?!”

“The hosts of Heaven and Hell are doing their best to mitigate as much of the damage as possible, but we can only hold on for so long. However, because everyone is busy preventing the unmaking of existence, your journey henceforth should be smoother than before. I am sure there are still some Demons out there who want to prevent you from getting to your goal, but I doubt that there will be very many.”

“And what happens if I fail?”

“Then... the Heavenly Father will intervene”

“Meaning...?”

“That He will create reality anew, and start things over again. He will erase this current universe. I do not think I need to explain what that means for the Humans of this world.”

No. She didn't...

I sighed, and asked, “Right... so what do I do? What can I possibly do different this time around?”

“I guess there is no need to abide by the laws of Heaven now, Mark, so I will speak without restrain.” Uriel answered, “Mark, you are no longer the Demon Barbas, so why do you constrain yourself so?”

I looked at her quizzically, and furrowed my brows, “What do you mean?”

“Why do you only use the resources that you had under your command as a Demon? Although your time in Hell is a big part of you, your time in Heaven is just as important to your existence as your time below.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“You mean...”

“Yes, Mark. You can still wield some of the power that the Angel Barbiel once did. Why did you think I gave you the necklace for? It will act as a medium to channel Divine power, just like the ring of Lucifer does for Hell's might.”

I was speechless. After all those years out of Hell, I had never thought about what it truly meant to be free. I had always assumed that I was still the Demon that I was, and I had tried to do everything I could to forget that old life that I thought that I would never have again. But if I think about it... there really is nothing preventing me harnessing Heaven's Divine grace. There never was.

I recalled what it was like to be Barbiel. I remembered how it was like to soar through the skies with my fellow Angels, and how great the wind felt fluttering through my Wings of Heavenly fire. I remembered it all.

And as I recalled the past, I felt my body change. Not into the battered and ashen body of the fallen Angel, but of the beauty that had once been. My wings were no longer grey and lifeless, but they burned with crimson beauty, and my flaming red hair was alive once more with a vigour that I could scare recall. My cracked, dull skin was a beautiful and filled with energy. Even after everything that I've gone through, I couldn't suppress my smile.

“It seems that you still do remember.” Uriel said. Her eyes were fixed on me, and I could see a hint of sadness within those beautiful eyes. “But you still have much to do.”

“Are you finally going to just tell me what it is I'm supposed to do? Because I am sick of you Angels and your riddles.”

She sighed, “I supposed I have to. Mark, in many ways, you are more like Sara than you can imagine. Like her, who is born from Heaven and Hell, you can embrace these two polar opposites. However, unlike my daughter, you are done under the Decree of God. You are not an... abomination like she is.”

“She is not an abomination!”

“Thank you for saying that, Mark.” Uriel said with a sad smile, “But that does not change what she is viewed as by the rest of creation.”

“But either way,” She continued, “you alone can summon both the Fires of Destruction, and the Fires of Creation. You can do what my daughter is doing right now. You can break through the fabric of this reality, and open a gateway into another.”

“So you want me to what? Open some gateway and take her to anther reality?”

“Yes.”

“And suppose that I do manage to open this portal, how do you know I won't send her to some place where she can't even breathe?”

“That is for you to figure out, unfortunately.”

“Lovely...”

“There are some out there who are researching into this field of magic. Perhaps they can help you.”

“And where exactly can I find them?”

“Your friend Alexei will know.”

“Ok, let's assume that everything that you say goes as planned. Lets say I somehow manage to learn how to summon wormholes into space, and pick the right place to send her. Where do I even find Sara?”

“That... I also cannot say.”

“What do you mean?” I shouted, “You're a fucking Seraphim! You should be able to locate a simple girl, let alone a fucking Nephilim!”

“The disruption in space has crippled our ability to correctly survey the mortal realm. You have to find help in another place if you wish to locate Sara. I am sorry.”

At that moment, I felt another presence enter the world of white. Both Uriel and I turned to see the new figure. Uriel was about to strike out on the being that was able to pierce her barrier, but I stopped her. I recognized the figure.

“Ah, I can help with that.” The Lady Hel said as she slowly made her way towards my side.

“Hel.” Uriel said with a frown. It was clear that she was not a fan of the Lady of the Underworld.

“Ah, if it isn't the little Christian Angel.” Hel replied, curtly, “Go run back to your Master now, I will be taking over from here.”

Uriel gave the Goddess a deathly stare, and muttered something that I couldn't hear. She did, however, leave, and when she did, the white world that we were in shattered, and I was thrust back into the hotel room. Once I was back, I realized that I had returned into my human guise, but I knew that I could return to my Angelic form at any time.

“Lady Hel.” I greeted.

“Ah, Mr. Mark Bastion.” She said seductively, “Did you miss me?”

I ignored her advances, and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Observing you, of course.” She answered grinning. The right side of her face was slightly drooping, and there was a huge maggot swimming between her gums as she flashed me that smile. “I was going to help if things got too horrible back there, but it seems that Sara girl saved you before I could.”

I stared at her for a while, “You mean you were there when Sathanus was having his way with me?”

“I was.”

“And you chose to do nothing but watch?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I am a goddess of suffering.” She answered, moving ever closer to me. I could smell the rot coming off of her. “Are you angry?”

I thought about getting angry at her, but I knew that she was right. The fact that she was willing to consider saving me at all already spoke volumes about what she thought about me. After all, the lady of Death is not a very compassionate person. I guess I was more flattered with her than anything else.

I finally said, “No. I guess I'm not mad.”

“Oh, you charmer you.” She said as she put a gentle hand on my cheeks, “You'll have me fall for you in no time like that.”

I again ignored her advance, “You said that you can help me with finding Sara, right?”

“I did.” She answered, and as she turned towards the entrance of the door, I saw her take her guise once more,

covering the half of her that most people would find grotesque, “And I am not the only one.”

Behind me, I heard a booming voice say, “I told you that you should ask for help if things get too rough! But this time I will not allow you to idiotically take on the world yourself, my friend! After all, I am doing this for Becca as well!”

“Indeed.” Another voice said, female this time, “I had promised Becca that I would teach her many things after this is all done. I would never go against a promise like that.”

“Alexei... Irina...” I muttered, “What are you guys doing here? And how do you know about Becca?”

“The kind Helen told us about the situation, so we came as fast as we could after the whole mess started. As for Becca's condition, we were informed by that Arch-Angel earlier.”

“So she told you guys before she told me... guess she knew I wasn't going to say no.” I muttered to myself.

“Anyway, Mark! Let's get out of here for now, it is not safe.” Alexei said, “Let's go back to the mansion for now, and we'll figure out how to fix this whole mess, and save that girl Becca! You are not doing it alone this time!”

“Thanks.” I said, and I meant it.