Azrael had packed the bag that Raden had brought with them from Asra. Two dresses, the dagger, and some food supplies she had bought from the market. Raden led the horse while Azrael rode. It was late afternoon now as they left the small town. Azrael hoped to never return given the events that occurred the night before left a stain of sadness.

As they left out, a figure appeared near the town entrance. She was tall and elegant. Raden didn't seem to notice her but Azrael on the other hand did. As they approached her, Azrael could make out more of the woman's features. Her skin was the color caramel that seemingly glistened under the warm sun. She had long raven black hair that fell perfectly down her back but the most curious thing about her was her eyes. Her eyes were a mix of a soft pink with gold that when caught just right by the sunlight gave her this twinkle in her eyes.

The raven hair woman tilted her head slightly and smiled at Azrael. "You must be Azrael." Azrael could hear her perfectly, but the woman never spoke a word.

Azrael was taken aback. Was this another witch? Azrael blinked several times and tried to answer back in her mind. "Yes..." She looked towards Azrael to see if he had heard anything, but he was blissfully unaware. So she turned her attention back to the woman.

"I've much about you and I wanted to see for myself," The woman explained. Her hair had a slightly blue hue to it every time she slightly moved and the sunlight caught the hair at the right angle.

A chill ran down Azrael's spine. She thought of alerting Raden but stop herself. Maybe she could figure out who this was before she did anything that would potentially start a fight in the town. She tried keeping the fear hidden by curiosity and hoped the woman couldn't see through her mask. "I hope it's good things."

The woman laughed but it didn't sound like anything Azrael had heard before. It was like wind chimes gently blowing through a breeze. "Arjan said you were a bit of a spitfire." Azrael's body instantly relaxed and she let out a deep breath. The woman continued, "I came because she thought I would be interested in you and the angel."

"Why would you want to stalk us?"

Surprise erupted on the woman's face. "Oh, I haven't introduced myself. Libena, Ancient Goddess Love."

Azrael's eyes went as wide as a full moon. Then she felt like she had been slapped in the face. "Oh no no no..."

"No?"

"Um... no." Azrael slightly hung her head and felt like a weight had been dropped on her chest. "Raden made it very clear that I was a mission and not an interest to him."

"Is that why I heard your cries?" Libena's smile fell and a small frown formed.

Azrael just gazed over without answering. She nodded lightly and felt the lump forming in the back of her throat.

Libena took a deep breath and shook her head. "My dear," Azrael felt a warmth surround her. "I was told by Arjan about what she witnessed between you two. What I sense are two hurting souls at the moment and I for one am not a fan of broken hearts." Her eyes became a golden fire and her skin started glowing gold. "I can feel that there is something here. It is indeed very small at the moment but I can see that there is potential."

"What are you saying?"

"What I am saying is I want to help you... a bit more than what I would normally do." Libena waited patiently for a response. She leaned against the pillar as she mindlessly played with her hair.

"I thought that it was frowned upon for a celestial to fall for a human?" Azrael tilted her head in confusion.

Libena rolled her eyes. "That's a fucking Merikh rule for his little creations. Sure others aren't so keen on mingling with mortals, but many are quite involved with mortals."

"So you want to help me?"

Azrael saw a mischievous glint in Libena's eyes. She felt nervous making a deal with one of the most powerful goddesses but what other choices did she have? "That's why I'm here darling. So what do you say?"

"What's in it for you," Azrael questioned. She had heard the stories of those who make deals with gods and goddesses. They rarely ended well.

"Nothing from you, my love. All I need is your approval of my helping."

"No strings attached?" Azrael narrowed her eyes.

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Libena smiled a radiant smile. "No strings attached."

Azrael gave a slight nod and turned forward as Raden and her exited the town. "I have nothing to lose at this point really."

"I'll take that as a yes then." Azrael felt a soft wind come through and she was wrapped in warmth and the smell of roses. She knew the Libena had left and they were alone again.

~~~*~~~

The two had traveled east for some time until they hit a small village. No name or even marked on maps. This was a little farmers' village that many ignore which made it one of many that stood as perfect hideaways. Raden walked through the severally empty streets almost aimlessly as if his mind wandered elsewhere. Azrael looked around and grew nervous at the ghost town.

She peered down at Raden from around the horse's head. "Um, Raden? Where are we?"

"It's better you didn't know."

"Oh." Azrael shrunk into her seat. She didn't have a good feeling about this place and she rarely ignored her gut feeling.

Raden had led them to a small beaten-down house. Most of the porch had collapsed in and it looked like the rest of the house wasn't far behind. Raden stopped right in front of the rotten porch. "Stay here alright." He then disappeared into the house. Azrael bent forward and laid on the horse's neck gently patting her. Minutes go by and no Raden. The longer he was in the house the more the silence in the village seemed to enclose Azrael. She closed her eyes trying to calm her nerves when she heard footsteps coming from the house. Azrael sits up and sees Raden but an older lady is following behind him.

"She's going to watch the horse and supplies while we're gone," Raden explained.

Azrael hops down and walks over to Raden. "Who is she? Can we trust her not to turn us over? Will she try and hurt the horse..."

"Azrael, breathe." Raden held Azrael by the shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes. His eyes were a dark blue which was a stark contrast from the normal grayish blue. "Don't ask questions."

"But..." Raden hardened his stare and Azrael dropped her head in defeat. He let go of her and she watched him turn over the horse to the mysterious lady. No words were exchanged but silent nods.

Raden turned his attention back to Azrael with a harsh glare. Something Azrael hadn't seen before. "You ready to go?"

"Where exactly are we going without our supplies?"

"The library." Raden walked over and snaked his arm around Azrael's waist. She felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks heat up. If Raden had noticed then he chose to ignore it. "We can't exactly get there by walking. Just hold on tight and don't let go."

Azrael wrapped her arms firmly around Raden's neck and he tightened his grip on her waist. He let his wings stretch out fully as he looked to the skies and with one swift motion, they were airborne. Azrael squeezed her eyes shut and held on as tight as she humanly could, pressing her face into Raden's chest. Raden slightly cocked his chin down to glance at Azrael. He wrapped his other arm around her and he felt her grip slightly loosen. Raden looked ahead and smiled mostly to himself.

"Hey Azrael," He spoke calmly, "Open your eyes."

Slowly she opened her eyes and turned her head. A cold wind hit her face as she turned but suddenly her gaze was full of colors. Giant clouds had seemingly appeared from nowhere hiding the two from any curious eyes from below. Raden flew through the sea of warm colors. Oranges and yellows mixed and danced together as the sun sunk lower and lower. It cast its dying light to say goodnight to another day. Azrael couldn't help but grin at the beauty of the sunset. Raden on the other hand was more focused on Azrael. The sun had sent an explosion of colors streaking down her hair. Something that Raden had come to admire greatly. He smiled to himself watching Azrael as she closed her eyes feeling the warmth of the sun.

Are you really going to let her go so easily? That voice pestered Raden in the back of his mind. He had to, right? It was the only way of protecting her.

As Raden began to fight his internal battle, Azrael's attention was caught by a cloud. The vibrant orange had turned to a soft pink and the face of a woman had appeared in the cloud. Azrael tilted her head to get a better view and the face smiled.

"Hi, my love. Just ignore me." It was Libena.

Azrael smiled and nodded. She turned back to peer up at Raden. He was deep in thought and hadn't noticed Azrael. She squeezed her arms slightly pulling Raden from thought. He looked down at her and smiled.

"This is beautiful," Azrael gushed. Her hazel eyes were full of wonder again and curiosity. Something that had been absent.

Raden soaked in her smile. It was like nothing else on earth. It was contagious and warm. Her smile could wrap you in warmth and absolutely melt your heart. Somehow it was slowly breaking through to Raden's. Not as beautiful as your smile. He thought.

Tell her you, idiot! Raden never did.

After what felt like an eternity of flying, Raden stopped and just hovered above the clouds. They watched the sun sink lower and lower until it disappeared and the warm hues were now being replaced with the deep purples of the oncoming night.

Raden took in a deep breath and let the fresh air feel his lungs. Oh, how he missed this. He looked down at Azrael who was resting her head on his chest. "Are you ready to head on?"

She nodded.

"Hold on tight then." Azrael squeezed tightly and Raden tightened his grip as he shot straight up. He was powerful and precise. Azrael could feel his muscles tense and twitch with each beat of his wings. She could feel them increasing in speed and she shut her eyes again. They were miles above the ground and the only thing between her and death was the tight hold of an angel. A strange sound of wind started to whistle around them but Azrael didn't dare open her eyes. The sound became almost deafening as if they had been sucked into a tornado than silence.

Raden landed softly. "You can let go now." Azrael opened her eyes and saw the ground beneath her. She hesitantly stepped down and felt the anxiety ease away. Raden watched her closely as she inspected herself for any injury. "You feeling, okay?"

"I think so." Azrael looked up with wide eyes.

Raden nodded then smile. "Well," he ground Azrael by the shoulders and turned her around gently. "Welcome to the Library of Gods."