“A being posing as an angel,” Isaac said as he and Zeke dropped Gerardo from their arms onto his double bed. They turned him over onto his back. “What would the angels want with a being like that?”

“I don’t know,” Zeke replied, “but we can’t hand her over.”

“Because…?”

“Because Vee said—”

“I see; say no more.” Isaac cocked his head back to let his enlightened laugh. “You’re so intriguing, Hezekiah.” He scouted the contemporary master bedroom tinted with a grey and brown color palette.

As Isaac looked around, Zeke walked over to the door, closed it, fished out the black marker from his pocket, and drew the sigil on the door quickly. He opened the door, and the occult hospital spawned on the other side. The sconces were already lit. “After you,” Zeke said.

Isaac looked over at Zeke and then took notice of the beige stone-clad waiting room. “How magnificent,” he said. Isaac walked to the door and entered. Zeke followed.

Zeke closed the door behind him, and the clear air, heavenly warmth, and smoked chamomile fragrance welcomed him back.

The howling, demented laughter disrupted his calm.

Ugo sat on the timber sofa, slumped forward, and plugged his fingers into his ears. Two stuffed backpacks were on the floor beside him, alongside Zeke’s medical bag.

“Ugo,” Isaac exclaimed as he approached him with open arms.

Ugo stood up and uttered, “Um… hey—”

“Everything is going to be okay,” Isaac interrupted and assaulted him with a hug, pulling Ugo’s head down and cushioning it with his chest. He patted his head gently. “We’ll save her.”

“Yeah, thanks, really appreciate it,” Ugo said, muffled.

Zeke looked around. “So, AJ isn’t here yet, huh?”

Ugo pulled himself away from Isaac. “Nah.”

“Okay, then.” Zeke pulled out the pouch from his pocket.

“Oh,” Isaac said. “Good thinking, Hezekiah.”

Zeke moved to the arched door frame, and Isaac followed. The sconces ignited.

“What gives?” Ugo asked and caught up to the two.

The laughter grew louder and more disturbing as they walked down the stone hallway. They stopped at a patient room door, and Zeke opened it.

Like uncovering stereo speakers on the highest volume, the laughter blasted into Zeke’s face. As the trio trod into the room, the sick laughter scratched away at Zeke’s inner ears.

Eldora was on the floor on her side, with a quarter of her body encased in stone. Her arms were petrified upwards with the palms open and close together. From her knees to her feet, it was all stone. Two large stone wings protruded from torn spots on the back of her sweater.

“Oh, God,” Ugo said and gasped.

Zeke, Ugo, and Isaac rushed to her. The straps of the bed were ripped apart. Tears and saliva slid sideways from her bloated, laughing face. Her cheek was soaking in a puddle of drool and teardrops. They pulled her up and grunted along the way. She was as heavy as an actual marble stone statue, and when they placed her back on her mineralized feet, she stood erect and sturdy like a monolith.

Zeke avoided looking at her and focused on the pouch in his hand. “This won’t cause any unwanted side effects, right, Isaac?”

“No. Just throw some dust onto her face.”

Zeke opened the pouch and grabbed a handful of dust. “Lo siento, Mamá,” he muttered, stepped back, and tossed the dust in her face.

The laughter was silenced immediately. Eldora’s eyes closed, her chin dropped to her chest, but her feet remained fixed on the floor, and only light, peaceful breathing came from her. Zeke grinned as he stared at her; she looked at peace. Without taking his eyes off her, he cleared Ugo of any further confusion. “It’s some magic dust another member of the Tainted Generation provided. She’ll sleep until we wake her up and won’t require any maintenance of her physical needs. I used it on Dad, too.”

“Alright then, cool,” Ugo said. “Sandman’s dust, eh?” He gave Isaac a thumbs up.

“There are instances of people under the same magic-induced sleep to share dreams,” Isaac mentioned, “so Mrs. and Mr. Morata might be enjoying each other’s company in the ethereal realm as we speak.”

“That’s good,” Zeke said. He turned back to the door. “Now let’s go wait for AJ in the….”

Naomi was standing in the doorway with Ugo’s backup smartphone in her hand. The boys froze and held her blank stare. She was like a kid waiting at their parent’s bedroom door after having a nightmare.

“You must be Naomi.” Isaac squealed and rushed to her. “The angel…”

Naomi shuddered and cowered as she analyzed Isaac. “You’re an angel!” She accused.

“No, silly! I’m human,” Isaac corrected with a warm smile. Naomi didn’t seem convinced, but it didn’t unnerve Isaac. He pointed back at Zeke and Ugo. “I’m just like them. A Healer of the Tainted Generation.”

Naomi studied Isaac harder and then gave in. “I see… so you’re a part of Zeke’s team, too!”

“Naomi, what are you doing out of bed?” Zeke asked.

“Dude, she’s allowed to stretch her legs, y’know,” Ugo said.

“I want to help,” Naomi said, determined.

“With what…?” Zeke asked.

Naomi walked up to Zeke and pushed the smartphone to her side, slamming it into Ugo’s chest.

Ugo put his hand over Naomi’s and squealed. “She’s touching me….”

Naomi gazed sternly at Zeke from up close. “I want to help with your mother’s case. Please, there must be something I can do to help!”

“Oh, so now you’re interested in doing something useful,” Zeke said.

“Zeke,” Ugo snapped.

Naomi withdrew her hand from under Ugo’s, and the smartphone slipped. Ugo caught it in the nick of time.

“I can’t give you info, but there must be something outside of that I can do to speed up the curing process,” Naomi said. She stole a glance at Eldora. “Her laughter. It was painful and terrifying to hear. She must be in so much pain. I was in pain, too, and I’d like to get rid of any pain someone else is going through. Pain is horrible.”

“That’s the point of pain,” Zeke said.

“Right now, our next course of action is finding a Puritas Flor from a Sub-Realm,” Isaac explained.

“Isaac,” Zeke said, scowling at the zealot.

“‘Puritas Flor’... ‘Sub-Realm’? I know what those are! Okay, only the first thing.” Naomi said. “I’ll come with you!”

“I vote for ‘yes,’” Ugo said. “We need to have a proper party for this to succeed.”

Naomi moved closer to Ugo and stared up at him with her bright, wide, guileless eyes. “A ‘party’? I have heard of the grandiose celebrations, but I have never been to one. I could only hear from within the cage whenever they celebrated.”

“No, that’s not the kind I was talking about… wait, that’s awful.” Ugo slipped the smartphone into his pocket. “Parties are super fun, and we need to throw one after all this crazy mess is over.”

“And I am allowed to come, right?” Naomi asked with her smile extending.

“Of course. We have to, and we’ll take tons of photos!” Ugo turned to a disapproving Zeke. “Can you imagine how everybody in school is going to react? Those freaking nerds are going to be so jealous! And Michelle is going to be green all over with envy when she sees me and Naomi together. She’ll be begging for me to take her out on a date.”

“Who’s Michelle?” Zeke asked.

“The girl whom I’m currently after,” Ugo said arrogantly as if Zeke should’ve already known.

“I thought that was ‘Skylar’!”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Skylar is old news, Mano. Don’t you read my social media posts?”

“No.”

Naomi raised her hand. “What’s ‘social media’?”

“It’s a wonderful place you can go to for a reminder of why you hate yourself,” Zeke said.

“Don’t listen to him, Naomi,” Ugo said. “He’s too cynical.”

“I guess the stress comes from always thinking too much,” Naomi said.

“Hah! She already realized it on her own!” Ugo backed up and slapped his hand on his forehead as he had a laughing fit.

Isaac approached them. “Someone like Naomi could be a big help just in case anything unforeseen happens.”

“The only reason the angels haven’t ransacked this place is because it’s warded,” Zeke reminded everybody. “The moment we step out of here, Nananiel will show up, kill us all, and take Naomi back.”

“No…” Naomi whimpered.

“Yeah, very bad, remember?”

Isaac held out two fingers and hit Naomi on her head.

“Ow!” Naomi yelped. She put her hands on her head and pouted.

“There, she’s cloaked,” Isaac said.

“That easy, man?” Ugo asked.

“There’s no need to doubt my abilities, Ugo. I am the Vicar, after all. Anything about angels, I have mastery of. Now, they can’t locate her at all no matter where she is, like us Healers.” Isaac gave Zeke a look. “We’re on our way to a Sub-Realm that is hard to detect for some angels, and Naomi’s presence is completely invisible. We’re more than safe now.”

Naomi grabbed Zeke’s arm and pouted at him. “Can I go now, please?”

Ugo hunched down and pouted at Zeke alongside Naomi. “Yeah, please?”

Isaac followed suit. “Please, Hezekiah?”

Zeke stared down at the trio of pouting faces and groaned. “Okay, fine…”

They threw their hands into the air and cheered.

“Now, little lady,” Isaac said. “What will you bring?”

Naomi looked down at her splotched and tattered clothes. “All I have is what’s on me currently.”

“Poor thing, she’s been stuck in those clothes for a week or so,” Ugo said. “I just realized, oh man, I’m sorry, Naomi.”

Zeke sniffed and grimaced. The stench Naomi was putting out was foul and overwhelming.

“I don’t mind, but if it bothers you, I can just journey without wearing them.” Naomi started loosening her tie.

“Sure!” Ugo said.

Zeke smacked Ugo on the back of his head. “Would you calm down?” he sighed and said to Naomi, “You’re not going to walk around naked. Humans don’t usually do that.”

Naomi halted. “Oh.”

Hurrying footsteps arose.

AJ appeared by the door, panting, equipped with a travel backpack. “Hey, guys!” She froze in horror when she noticed Eldora. “Oh, my God…”

“Avery,” Isaac said as he spread his arms apart. “Just in time. You brought extra clothing, right?”

“Uh… uh… y-y-yeah,” AJ said, staring at Eldora.

“Good, you’re going to let Naomi borrow some. You help her get changed in her room.”

“Huh?”

----------------------------------------

Zeke, Ugo, and Isaac settled in the waiting room. They were doing what they could to remain calm. Isaac stood before the altar singing a silent prayer, Ugo played on his handheld gaming console, and Zeke rummaged through his backpack and medical bag, ensuring everything was there.

“Let’s go,” AJ announced as she walked into the room alongside Naomi.

Zeke and Ugo got up, put on their backpacks, and scanned Naomi. She was wearing a black striped tracksuit, which was hilariously big on her, but it made her look even more lovably petite than she already was.

“Hopefully, you can run around in that without tripping,” Zeke said.

“I’ll be fine, Zeke. Thank you for being so concerned,” Naomi said.

AJ held up a large empty spray can. “I used a shower-in-a-can to get rid of the stench.”

“Those things actually work?” Ugo said incredulously. “Okay, that is more shocking than discovering magic is real.”

“Amen,” Isaac said aloud and walked away from the altar. “Good, good, everybody is ready, right?”

“Yes,” Naomi said excitedly.

“Fantastic.” Isaac pulled out a jagged knife from his back pocket, alarming everybody.

“Isaac…?” Zeke muttered with fear.

“It’s okay, remain calm,” Isaac said, swiping the serrated blade’s teeth across his palm in a swift motion and then squeezing his hand shut. As the others stared wide-eyed, Isaac strolled to the door, leaving a trail of blood. He opened his palm and dabbed his finger on the fresh wound. He plastered his wet finger on the door and drew a sigil.

It was a ridiculously complicated symbol, and Isaac painted with effortless speed, dabbing his finger in blood a couple of times to continue. It had multiple vertical and horizontal lines and swirls, looped lines, and dots at specific places.

It took him nearly a minute to finish. Isaac heaved a sigh of exhaustion.

“Dude… we have markers,” Ugo said.

Isaac stared back with a blank face. “Oh! Silly me.” He rubbed his bloody hand on his nape and wiped the rest off his backpack as he laughed. “Let’s go.”

Isaac grabbed the door’s handle with his unwounded hand and turned it.

A screen of blinding white light shone from the door. Zeke, Ugo, and AJ shielded their eyes.

“Who wants to go first?” Isaac asked.

“We’re supposed to just walk into the light? Usually, they tell you not to, but whatever,” Ugo said.

Isaac took out a vial of white liquid from his backpack and handed it to Ugo. “Purity supplements. Drink it all.”

“Alright,” Ugo said, taking the vial, removing the cork, and knocking it back like a tequila shot. “Heavenly angel babes, here I come!” he cried as he marched into the light.

“Wait, does Mora think there’ll be female angels there?” Zeke asked. “Who told him that?”

“You know that nobody did. He’s crazy,” AJ said.

“Who’s next?” Isaac asked.

Naomi shot her hand into the hair. “Oooh! Me!” She bounced up to the door and held both her hands out.

“You don’t need supplements, silly. You’re an angel,” Isaac said.

“Oh, yes,” Naomi responded as her eyes wandered to the side. She drew in a breath and walked through the light.

“I’m next,” AJ said, tugging the shoulder straps of her backpack, and walked up to the door.

Isaac gave her a vial, and she gulped it down just as quickly as she passed through the light.

“Hezekiah…” Isaac teased.

“Yeah, okay.” He looked down at his medical bag and hardened his grip on the handle. He grunted with a nod and approached the door. It was like staring into the glowing white eye of an industrial flashlight, burning his corneas and causing a massive headache.

Isaac produced another vial, removed the cork, and extended it to Zeke. “Drink up.”

While eyeing Isaac, Zeke took the vial and then examined it, giving it a few sniffs. It smelled sweet and vanilla-like. “What is this made from?” Zeke asked.

“A solution of angel feathers, sylph essence, and an ice dragon tooth dissolved in a liquified unicorn horn.”

He cautiously neared his lips to the vial and then drank half of it.

“Come on, Hezekiah.”

Zeke put on his big boy pants and finished it all. It tasted just as sweet as it smelled, if not a little sweeter. It reminded him of condensed milk.

As Zeke contemplated it and checked if he felt any different, a hand touched his back, thrusting him forward.

Zeke stumbled into the white blaze and squinted as a world of milk-white glow surrounded him. He blinked continually until the white luminosity dimmed; a brand-new world came into focus.

Pure white cumulus clouds floated in the pale blue sky, and off in the distance, a massive cathedral towered over a sea of opaque clouds. It was a complex gothic masterpiece that would put any architect in tears. A supernumerary collection of wondrous spires and flying buttresses capped with pinnacles topped the ghost marble structure with a hint of steel gray.

The longer Zeke stared at the magnificent building, the more its beautiful features were unveiled. The towers were geometric perfection, with many arched windows; some had long bridges connected to them that stretched beyond, and there was a giant glazed rose window near the top.

A door slammed shut. Zeke spun back and saw Isaac standing before a white door attached to nothing. It dissipated into nothingness not long after.

Isaac walked past Zeke and approached the others a couple feet ahead, observing their seraphic surroundings.

They were standing on a bridge that was a beauty to behold; the surface was decorated with rose and holy cross relief carvings, and on either side were railings with decorative foliage.

“What do you think?” Isaac asked them as he outstretched his arms and twirled like an overenthusiastic real-estate agent.

“I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” AJ said.

“Yeah, dying and ending up here wouldn’t be so bad,” Ugo said.

“I’m happy to hear that,” Isaac said excitedly.

Ugo moved up to Isaac and put his arm around him. “So, Isaac,” he put on a sleazy look. “Where’re the angel girls at?”

“There’re currently no residents, I’m afraid.”

“What?”

“Sorry.”

“Not even like, I dunno, hostile angelic monster babes?”

“Why would that be better?” AJ asked.

Before Ugo could have a chance to give an utterly bonkers explanation why, Zeke said, “This is amazing.”

“How do you feel?” Isaac asked as he slipped away from Ugo.

It was a relaxing atmosphere. Zeke’s ears were blessed with a calming quiet. The temperature was neither too hot nor cold. Just right.

“I really do feel like I am in Heaven.”

“Alright,” Isaac pointed at the cathedral. “Our goal is to get to the bottom of that cathedral to access the garden. The Puritas Flor is there.”

Zeke peered down the bridge they were on. He couldn’t see the end; a smoky haze blurred the rest of the path.

“Walking down this bridge will lead us to an entrance, right?”

“I sure hope so,” Isaac said and then turned away. “Friends! Let us start walking.”

As Isaac walked, Zeke noticed Ugo looking down at his feet, completely dejected.

AJ tapped Naomi on the shoulder and started catching up to Isaac. “Come on, Naomi.”

“What about Ugo? Will he be okay?” Naomi asked.

“Ugo will never be okay. Just leave him.”

Naomi glanced at Ugo and caught up to the two.

Zeke picked up the pace and slapped Ugo across the face on the way. “Mora.”

Ugo groaned back to life and caught up to Zeke. “It’s like the universe is doing whatever it can to ruin my dreams, man….” Ugo said.

“Dude, you’re literally in Heaven and dare to have perverted thoughts? Wait, a minute...” Zeke stole a glance at Ugo’s backpack. “Did you bring anything… gross…?”

“Ezequias!” Ugo shouted. “How dare you—no! How dare thee accuse me of something so depraved? I am not a total degenerate, okay?”

Zeke gave Ugo a stern look. “What kind of games did you bring?”

Ugo’s expression turned vacant. He remained silent for a few seconds, looked the other way, and sped up to the rest of the group.

“Mora, what is wrong with you?” Zeke shouted.

Ugo turned back. “I’m a human with needs, man!”