“He’s not an ally,” Zeke corrected, contorting his face.
“Right, right, I assumed so,” Yuri said, smiling tactfully. “I just needed to make sure.”
Zeke bared his teeth as the image of the bloated but well-kempt and personable Healer appeared in his mind. The last time he had seen the Demonologist was in the clock tower in Zurich months ago. He had shamelessly confessed to aiding in breaking the Seals, and his spell had killed Kian.
The bespeckled Healer had teased Zeke that he would be a formidable opponent to face in the future. The time had come much sooner than he had expected.
“So, you are not on good terms,” Yuri said.
“That’s an understatement,” Zeke said.
“I see…” Yuri responded and chuckled as he pointed at his eyes and shook his head. “Anyways… I need confirmation you’re willing to help me save Kimberly from Gill.”
“Of course,” Ugo said. “We’ve been looking for an excuse to kick that bastard’s ass anyway. Take us to him. Where is he hiding her?”
“I don’t know. He used something on Kimberly that keeps her cloaked. The Black Magic coming from her Container is unnoticeable even though a powerful demon is growing inside her.”
“Cloaking medicine,” Zeke said. “Kimberly is not skilled in using magic, so Gill probably fed her some to ensure the demon can’t be sensed.”
“How were you keeping track of her in the first place then?” AJ asked.
“I have… connections, and with it is how I am going to pinpoint her location again,” Yuri said. “I want you all to stay put for now but prepare for whatever is coming. I know it might be frustrating being told to do nothing after receiving this news, but given how you’re a part of the Tainted Generation, I can’t risk you looking into it and putting him on high alert, so leave that to me. I’ll notify you when I have a proper plan to save her, and then you guys can figure out a way to remove the Rebirth Seed without killing her.”
After the debriefing, Ugo reversed his spell and reattached Yuri’s foot. Then, the blind young man exchanged phone numbers with Zeke, using his phone’s voice-over feature to aid the whole process, and he went on his way.
The Infirmary team exited the American colonial, deciding to process the information over getting discounted food at Heath’s Sports Bar.
Winterberry had shed the biting remnants of winter in exchange for a much more vibrant season. The sun shone calmly in the brilliantly blue, almost cloudless sky. The sounds of insects buzzing, birds singing, and children playing nearby were melodic.
Zeke and the others were all walking on the sidewalk. He was in the front alongside Naomi. He continuously looked over his shoulder, taking note of Ugo and Aida, who were side-by-side while AJ was behind them, walking at a slower pace than everybody.
When Zeke’s and AJ’s eyes met, she smiled, but it looked forced, even with the golden glow of the warm weather.
But there was something closer to him that seemed more urgent at the time to deal with.
Zeke’s eyes flew back onto Naomi, who walked with a faraway look on her face. Her brain was keeping her body moving on auto-pilot as thoughts cluttered her mind—he should know. He was a total expert in it.
The Diagnostician started by asking, “Naomi, is there something on your mind? Something you want to share?”
Naomi looked at him, widening her big eyes, and then shook her head.
“You sure? Maybe it has something to do with… the demon trying to be reborn. Bergulsaab?”
“I’ve never heard of that name before,” Naomi said.
“I don’t know much about Bergulsaab either,” Aida said, “but I have heard of the name before. How much do you know about demonkind?”
“Almost nothing,” Naomi said, turning back to Aida. “When I was in the cage, angels barely talked about demons. Whenever Irin visited, all she would do was scold me about how terrible of a crime my existence was and how I should make up for it. Nananiel told me nice stories, and Maliel instructed me about how important angels were and taught me lessons about them. He put me through mental trials using illusionary magic, and sometimes, when he had a hard day, he would come into the cage and….” She grabbed her arm. “And…” she repeated with her voice breaking.
Zeke touched her shoulder, stopping her from torturing herself any further. “You don’t have to go into more detail….”
“Is this Maliel-guy a First Sphere angel?” Ugo asked while he kept his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt.
“He’s the current Overseer of the Universe.”
“So, like... the president of the universe? Was there, like, a vote? Are there angel elections? With campaigns and stuff? Wait, wait, does this mean he is, like, watching and hearing our every move?” Ugo started looking around.
“From what I understand,” Naomi said, letting go of her arm. “He isn’t fully omnipresent or omniscient.”
“Your mom was supposed to be his successor, right?”
Naomi stopped, causing everyone to follow suit. She stared blankly at Ugo. “Mom?” she said in a squeaky voice.
Ugo removed his hands from his pockets. His face scrunched up a bit as he said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“No, you did nothing wrong,” Naomi reassured as she raised a hand and released a glowing smile. “It’s just that I’ve never thought about it like that, but yes… Cathetel is… technically, my mother.” Naomi shook slightly as she finished her sentence and put her hands over her chest. “I wish I could’ve met her,” she said and then flinched. “Was that a bad thing to say?”
“Of course not,” Aida said. “I don’t know much about Cathetel, maybe because most info on her was erased, but if you came from her, then I am certain she was an amazing angel.”
“But she betrayed Angelkind and got involved with a demon….”
“Naomi, we don’t know the full story,” Zeke said. He eyed some residents who walked past them and gave them looks, but he gave it no mind. They probably assumed they were talking about a movie or were really thorough method actors. “It’s completely natural to want to connect more with her,” he said to Naomi.
“I am also curious about Terthran. My… father,” Naomi said. “The old King of the Netherworld. Is that bad?”
“Despite everything, they are your family, and it wasn’t right how the angels kept info about them from you. It’s your right to know.” Zeke turned back. “Right, guys?”
Everybody agreed while AJ stayed silent.
“AJ?” Zeke asked her.
She perked up and looked at everybody wide-eyed. “I have to go.”
“Go where?”
She broke into nervous laughter. “I haven’t even started working on my college application letters.”
“Can’t you do that later?” Ugo said. “Zeke and I haven’t even started yet.”
“I applied to medical schools the summer before senior year started.”
“What?” Ugo pulled back. “You traitor!”
“Did you get in?” Aida asked.
“I’m going to hear back during May, I think,” said Zeke.
Aida looked up at AJ, smiling. “Why don’t you try for a sports scholarship?”
Zeke suspected he was the only one to notice the twitch at the corner of AJ’s lip after Aida’s innocent question. She was holding back her urge to scream in Aida’s face.
“AJ doesn’t play sports, Aida,” Zeke said for his friend. “She’s going for a major in the nutrition field, like food science, dietetics, or biochemistry, right?”
AJ didn’t respond.
“Sorry, I’m still the new girl here,” Aida said, laughing as she scratched the back of her head.
“Is it just me, or did AJ get taller?” Naomi said.
Everybody looked at her, examining her from top to bottom like a science project model.
AJ looked away and began to slouch. “I did get a little taller. I grew two inches in the last three months…” she muttered.
“Now, you’re two inches taller than me, dang...” Ugo said.
“Oh, wow, good for you!” Aida exclaimed. “Your growth plates are still active. What great genes. It’s possible you can continue growing after 18.”
AJ looked back in horror and then spun on her heel. “You guys will let me know when that Blind Weirdo calls back, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Zeke said, and she was already long gone, walking super fast with her long legs.
The group stood in silence for a while, then continued walking, crossing the street and stationing themselves at a bus stop where nobody else was around.
Zeke leaned back onto the street post and began to think. Now that the world of the supernatural opened up to him, college seemed irrelevant. The sense of urgency of his original plan of becoming a world-renowned doctor to prove to everybody, not all Rosarios are bad was starting to fade and gain a new form.
Before he could visualize that new form, Naomi pulled him back to the real world by tugging on his sleeve.
Naomi looked down at the concrete and said, “There is something I’ve been meaning to share. I’ve been having… strange dreams.”
Zeke’s face fell, and he noticed a similar look on Ugo’s and Aida’s faces.
“But you don’t sleep….” Ugo said.
“Some nights when I am in the Infirmary, I actually fall asleep and have these strange dreams, they don’t last long, but they feel real.’”
“The problems keep on piling on, huh...” Zeke said.
Naomi stepped back and shook her head. “It’s probably nothing. Maybe it wasn’t actually dreaming. Perhaps, I was just exhausted and just fantasizing. We have been dealing with a lot of stressful cases lately.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Don’t write it off like that. With your mixed physiology, there is a chance you are capable of dreaming,” Aida said. “If the dreams have been disturbing you, then Wade could look into that, but it’s been so hard getting a hold of him lately. Akachi, too. I bet those two morons went on some party vacation with Dionysis again.”
“I am wondering if this has to do with the Rebirth Seed,” Naomi said.
“Hm,” Zeke said, putting a finger on his chin. “That is definitely weird. How about we take one problem at a time? Let’s just wait for Yuri’s signal and go save that girl first, alright?”
Naomi nodded just as the bus arrived.
The group of four hopped on and were on their way.
----------------------------------------
Once again, Nananiel was in the leadership role, although the stakes were much lower. Instead of the human race’s safety, his new mission was to ensure the satiety of Winterberry City residents’ junk food cravings.
Nananiel paced through the kitchen, overseeing his subordinates as they hurriedly prepared orders. After grueling months of hard work, Nananiel was now Daniel Smith, the manager of BurgerQueen. He added a black tie to his uniform, which included a company-issued hat and shirt.
The sizzling rising from the commercial fryers and griddles was music to his ears, and he grew fond of the unmistakable aroma of oil, salt, and beefy fats in the air of his empire.
He exited the kitchen, went around the counter, and leaned against the wall to watch how his front-line soldiers dealt with hungry and indecisive customers.
Nananiel detected trouble from one of his soldiers having difficulties working the touch screen register. The fuming customer wasn’t making things much easier by barking incessantly about what was taking so long.
Just as he pushed himself off the wall to intervene, the restaurant’s new star beat him to it. She demonstrated what needed to be done to her co-worker and then sweet-talked the customer into calming down—it was effective.
Nananiel returned to his initial position and crossed his arms, focusing on the star as she returned to her station and attended to the customer. Even though they were left to wait, they still maintained a smile that grew wider once she returned.
If Nananiel didn’t know any better, he would’ve labeled her as an elf. She had been working at the place no longer than a month and was a clear candidate for employee of the month. Throughout the month, Nananiel tested his theory by listening to his senses whenever he was near her. All they told him was that she was a certified, normal human being.
Rachel was just an exceptional worker—helping out other staff members, being speedy with registering orders, and making customers feel on top of the world, despite most of them going to BurgerQueen to eat their sorrows away.
Parts of her curly ash-blonde hair dangled from under her uniform hat. Her eyes were hazel with gold flecks. She had a long, slender neck and a supermodel-like figure that belonged on a fashion runway instead of a fast-food restaurant.
Nananiel was already thinking about making her assistant manager someday.
A shock of Black Magic had Nananiel push himself off the wall again. His alert, angelic senses directed him to the kitchen. He moved into the area and looked around for the potential demon. The workers were too busy (or simply didn’t want whatever his problem was to become theirs) to pay attention to the distressed Nananiel.
As the energy source grew more powerful, Nananiel darted for the backdoor. Stepping out into the warm sun, Nananiel spotted a sneezing homeless man leaning beside a dumpster.
It’s coming from him. Is he being possessed? No, that wouldn’t make much sense. Demons usually go for people with ambitions and those heading toward success; he said in his head as he kneeled to the unkempt man. He reeked of sulfur. It’s a minor demon. Yeah, now that makes sense.
Most minor demons barely had minds of their own and didn’t put too much thought into who they latched on to.
Nananiel pulled back as a violent sneeze blasted out of the man.
The man sniffed, and then his mouth hung open as he groaned.
“Are you having trouble breathing through your nose?” Nananiel asked.
“Spring cold,” the man said in a hyponasal voice, “freakin’ Winterberry, man,”
Nananiel squinted, focusing on the bridge of the man’s nose. Its complexion was much grayer than the rest of his face. He grinned, knowing running to the Providence Infirmary for help wouldn’t be necessary. This ailment was purely caused by Black Magic: Xathrhinokarias Virus, a demon that was no match for angelic White Magic.
“Don’t worry, friend,” Nananiel said as he stood up and extended his hand. “I am going to solve your problems for you.”
“You’re going to give me money? A job? A house?”
“I am going to cure you,” Nananiel said and smiled.
The homeless man groaned and rolled his eyes. “So no money.”
Nananiel faltered for a moment to give the ungrateful vagrant a stale look. Then another sneeze ejected out of him—this time, thick, black liquid came out and landed between them. The homeless man looked at what came out of him and passed out.
“Hold on!” Nananiel raised his hand again.
“Brother Nananiel, wait.” A voice from above resonated.
Nananiel turned and looked up, noticing an intense surge of White Magic and a quiet string song. He saw the Virtue Chief in a white robe descending with his massive heavenly white wings spread out while playing the lyre.
“Elder Brother Dabriel?”
Dabriel landed and retracted his wings as he stopped playing the instrument. “Please don’t refer to me with such a title. It’s strange,” he said while grimacing.
“You’re my superior. I must show respect,” Nananiel said. It was also why he held himself back from chastising Dabriel for his conspicuous arrival in the middle of the day with so many humans around. Nananiel turned back to the sick, homeless man. “If you’ll excuse me, Elder Brother, this man is in need of my help—”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” Dabriel said with a smile and then pointed at the ailed man. “He has been sentenced as irredeemable.”
“What? Why?”
Dabriel shrugged. “I’ve been told why, but I forgot.”
Nananiel looked back at him with a glazed expression. “You’re the Virtue Chief. You’re the one in charge of miracles, so you would know why—”
“Saving humans directly isn’t within your directives as a Third Sphere angel anyway, Brother Nananiel,” Dabriel added.
Nananiel’s expression darkened, and he glanced back at the man. “I know, but he is right here, and I thought that—”
“Nananiel,” Dabriel said with all the laid-backness in his voice washed away. “Even if I told you, it wouldn’t make a difference. It’ll just make you feel worse. You know how this works, Nananiel. If they are irredeemable, then we don’t save them unless you want to take part in some Tainted-like behavior.”
“No,” Nananiel said. “Of course not…”
Dabriel clapped Nananiel on his shoulder. “Excellent. Let’s go for a walk.” He turned and started walking.
Nananiel looked back at the man.
“Leave him, Brother Nananiel.”
Nananiel abandoned his shift without much concern as he left his star to watch over the brigade. They walked down a sidewalk. It was a glorious day; the air was crisp, with the sky as blue as waters found in some heavenly Realms and flowers blooming on trees and bushes. Plenty of passersby stared at Dabriel’s garments. His lyre playing was really pushing it.
“Do you like my lyre?” Dabriel asked as he played. “It’s imbued with rocks from Mount Maliel.”
“Were you authorized to do that?” Nananiel asked.
“Of course not,” Dabriel said with a smile. “So, how are you?”
“Me? I, um, I’m good.”
“Really? You’ve been outcasted from Heaven, lost your rank, and are labeled as the failure who let the Tainted break the Great Seals and are considered the sole reason why the universe is in absolute chaos,” he said as he continued playing leisurely.
“Thanks for the recap,” Nananiel responded stonily.
“What I am trying to say is that if I were you, I wouldn’t be ‘good,’ so either you’re lying to yourself or to me.”
Looks like some angel’s observant today.
Nananiel persisted in convincing Dabriel. “I am the manager of the BurgerQueen, and I was able to pay this month’s rent in time for the first time ever!” And there was the fact his latest theory on Hospital General de Anita was confirmed last night, so his high spirits weren’t completely feigned.
“To be honest, I missed when you were the Dominion Chief. Irin is such a downer, I mean, you were too in a way, but with you, it was funny.”
“Thanks?”
“You’re welcome!”
Nananiel sighed and rubbed his forehead. “How is Master Virgil?”
“He still doesn’t understand what retirement means,” Dabriel responded. “He’s even started aiding my underlings with his wisdom, giving them helpful advice and guiding them in honing their angelic attributes. Can you believe him? Taking the job, I am too lazy to do myself.”
“Does he ever mention…?” Nananiel pursed his lips and shook his head, switching gears. “How does he feel about Irin?”
“I think he likes her leadership. They get along pretty well,” Dabriel said and stopped playing to shake the cramps from his hand.
“I see…” Nananiel said and looked away.
The last time he had seen Virgil was when the Great Seals were broken. After Nananiel lost his title, more angels who were sent to Limbo on that day began to show up one after another; regarding Virgil, he only learned of the news of his return second-hand.
Virgil never visited him, which wasn’t a surprise to Nananiel. He let his nominator down. Of course, he wouldn’t want anything to do with him anymore.
Dabriel diverted from the straight path they were moving in and went for the grass field to their side.
As Nananiel watched Dabriel twirl and revel in the sunshine, he was reminded how the spring season was the Virtues’ favorite (Winter was the season they disliked the most because it meant the most work). He noticed bystanders staring and felt the need to smile back at them with a look saying: “He’s a special one.”
Dabriel fell to the grass on his back, laughing uproariously. Nananiel moved up to the angel, who was clearly not meant to wander the Human Realm without getting any attention.
“Isn’t Father’s inheritance glorious?” Dabriel said while staring at the sun. “Sit next to me, Brother Nananiel.”
Nananiel heaved a sigh and plopped down next to him. He put his hands over his knees as he looked at the clear blue sky. A question popped into his mind, prompting him to glance at Dabriel and wonder if it was worth attempting. He cleared his throat and exhaled loudly before asking: “And how do you feel about the Archangel program?” He had learned more about the egregious experiments after his encounter with the one named Azaylea. He held back from sharing anything more about it with the Infirmary until he got all the proper information.
Dabriel shrugged and answered, “If the First Sphere approved, then there’s not much I can say about it.”
Nananiel frowned. He should’ve known that trying to get a reaction out of Dabriel was like trying to push a roll of salami through a keyhole.
“Although I don’t know why all the angels are so focused on preparing a counter for the Tainted Generation when we still have plenty of our demonic friends under us who want to destroy us.”
“No. The Netherworld would never try to attack Heaven. At least not for another millennium. They are aware of the difference in power.”
“So you’ve come to believe that less morale means less power, hm?” Dabriel let go of the lyre and put his hands behind his head. “You know Heaven hasn’t been keeping watch of the Archdemons.”
Nananiel curled his lip to the side as he looked down at Dabriel.
Archdemons. That was a title he hadn’t heard in a long time. The first time he was told about the entities was from Master Virgil during his teacher-student walk with him. Unlike Dabriel, they were a group he had never encountered himself, as they were at large before his time. He didn’t even run into the one Archdemon that participated in the War of the Thirteenth. The Archdemons were indeed powerful and allegedly said to be on the level of the Chief angels of the Second Sphere and even rivaled some of the First Sphere. Still, the demons have had a problem with morale for centuries. The Archdemons were now nothing more than an unmotivated collection of has-beens who were well aware that their time had come and gone.
“You think the Archdemons will try something?” Nananiel asked.
“I don’t know, but I do know that not a single soul would’ve seen it coming if they did.”
“It doesn’t matter. They’d lose immediately.”
“Sure,” Dabriel said absently and then closed his eyes. “Brother Nananiel, do you think the humans would be safer if they knew about the supernatural? For instance, have everybody be like the Tainted? With a strong Mana affinity and means to protect themselves?”
Nananiel’s eyes widened. “Where is this coming from?”
“Answering my question with a question,” Dabriel said. “How rude.”
“I… don’t even know how to answer a question like that.”
“Maybe we don’t want that because we fear becoming obsolete.”
Nananiel’s mouth fell open, and just when he was about to respond—
“You can go now, Brother,” Dabriel said, opening one eye. “Just continue keeping your head down, and hopefully, one day, those grumps of the First Sphere can forgive you.”
What did forgiveness mean in this context? Nananiel thought as he stood up. He wondered if he wanted his title back at all. It was a conflicting feeling working under authority that violated one of the angelic main creeds, which was to protect the integrity of a human soul, and here they were audaciously fusing human souls with angelic essence.
“See you around, Dabriel,” Nananiel said and walked away.
It seemed that all angels were fans of Irin’s extreme ideas, so he was convinced there was no way he’d be Dominion Chief again with her still alive. Working directly under her was a scary thought that made Nananiel shiver.