Shadowess

At Will's questions, Kodi became flustered. "Last I saw, Reed was safe and besides, X and the other agents can handle themselves!" he argued, then caught himself. "Uh, sir," he finished. He moved forward a little in his seat while looking at Will imploringly. "We don't have enough Angel officers to help us, and I thought you could help, sir. Don't forget, Clementine has made some enemies among the Angels, so I'd rather keep this between us and any Angels that we know we can trust... but that's just the problem. I don't know many Angels. That's why I came to you. Sir, please. I don't know where else to turn." --- Viktor smirked at Bryce playfully. "So, it never worked on you because they weren't your type?" he asked and then lifted his wrist to his forehead dramatically. "Oh, Bryce! I suddenly feel lightheaded," he said theatrically and pretended to faint as he lay across Bryce's lap while barely containing a grin. --- Lilly broke into sobs as Death held her, and she nodded at his words while hugging him tightly. Azrael slowed to a stop beside them and watched them with a saddened expression. The family's only witness to their sorrow had paused briefly outside the doorway to the armoury. Their face was hidden by their hood, like many of the other reapers in the castle. Without a word or interference, they turned to leave the family to their privacy. As they disappeared around the corner, Azrael placed a hand on Raven's shoulder. "Raven, take your sister back to your father's library and lock yourselves in. Do not let anyone in, even if they sound like Death and me, do you understand?" he said as he looked at him with a serious expression. "I don't know how, but they were able to fool us with a Uriel of their own. We can't run the risk of them tricking you both with replicas of us. Only let them in if they give you this passphrase..." he leaned down to whisper into his ear. "The Lucky Angel finds sanctuary." he pulled back to nod at Raven and confirm that he understood the phrase. He then looked towards Death. Now that they knew roughly where the Council headquarters were located, they needed to gather the leaders of the other realms to come up with a plan. --- "Oh, sure," Tom chuckled bashfully. "I'm not too familiar with Ireland in general, though, so it might be a good idea to do some sightseeing first. Get the local vibes and styles down so that we can decorate accordingly." --- "I use it a lot, huh?" Oscar smiled with a bit of a blush. "Well, what's not to love? They're warm, fluffy, and if you rub your feet on carpet while wearing them, you can shock someone with static!" he winked at him playfully. In the other room, Atma began to doze off as she watched Abaddon playing the games. For just a little while, she had been able to pretend that nothing was wrong in the world and had grown comfortable enough to be able to get some rest. --- "Hell?" May half-laughed as she asked. For a moment she thought he'd been joking and that he'd used Hell as a metaphor for an office job. But then she saw his expression and realised he might've been referring to either a real Demon or Devil. "Oh! You're serious. Well, I'm sure I'd get along with him if he's one of your friends. I don't meet many people from Hell. Angels, I see plenty of in my line of work, though. The occasional Reaper, too." She cleared her throat uncomfortably as she added the last part. At his question, she chuckled. "I suppose he is, but I don't want to spoil the story too much for you. Here we are. Would you mind?" she asked as she passed the pizza box to him so that she could unlock the gate. Once they were in her apartment, she took the box back from him and set it down on the coffee table. "Make yourself comfy; I'll get things set up," she said as she gestured to the couch before hurrying off to the kitchen to bring in a couple of plates and glasses. --- Samael was a little surprised by Abel's reaction, but once he had vanished, he sighed while rolling his eyes. "Fine by me." he turned to look at the books again and let out another, heavier sigh at the task before him. He glanced back to the table with a frown. "Brother... Where did you go?" he muttered to himself before tearing his eyes away and walking back towards the bookshelves. While he would never forgive Lucifer for what he'd done, he at the very least hoped that his brother had found some form of peace in the end. --- (Amelia hadn't left the Library. It was just Charles & Hades at Damien's place. 😅) Damien waited until he was alone again before taking his phone from his pocket. He sent Samson a text asking if he could come over. He needed to get a quick fix because he might be unreachable for quite some time once he went back to Hell. As he texted, he almost feverishly scratched at the back of his neck. He'd been feeling withdrawal symptoms since his arrival in Death's domain but had hidden it well. "That's it, junkie. Call your dealer. He'll look after you, right?" The hallucination of Lucifer mocked him. His words heavy with sarcasm and judgement. "Shut up. You're not real." Damien muttered irritably. "What did I tell you about vices? They are the downfall of any good Devil." "They are the downfall of any good Devil," Damien said alongside him and nodded impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You taught me a lot before you abandoned me. Remember that? Huh? How you dubbed me your heir and then just fucking vanished!" he snapped, and then quickly shook his head. "No, no. What am I doing? This is crazy. You're not there. I'm talking to myself." "Yeah, you look pretty nuts." Lucifer agreed as he sat in an empty chair in the room. "Then fucking leave me alone! Why is this happening?! Why am I dreaming you up?!" "Beats me; it's your brain, psycho." "I said-!" Damien turned to yell at the hallucination once more but stopped when he realised the chair was empty. He was alone again. He took a moment to get a grip before checking his phone, hoping Samson would have gotten back to him by now. --- Amelia ran to hug Charles when he returned. She was still in quite a state from worrying about their son. "Is he coming?" she asked him, having no idea what had happened with Damien. --- By the time Carter would be done changing Rose, Sebastian would have finished discussing rates with Yvonne, and they'd all meet again in the living room. There, Sebastian would take Rose off Carter's hands so that he could finish discussing the case with his new client. "I'll just take her up to her new nursery," he said to Carter and kissed his cheek on his way past. "You're a family man," Yvonne observed and smiled at him. "Then you understand my worry. Please, detective, find my son. Bring him home to me." --- Amelia* smirked. "Maybe," she said playfully while running her foot up the outside of his thigh to tease him. Despite how their relationship appeared to her followers, she had never shared herself with anyone. Not even Nate*. But she occasionally liked to tease him or play hard to get. There was a thrill there that she enjoyed, knowing that it likely drove him wild, being one of the few that he couldn't so easily seduce. It gave her the appeal of wanting something that was, for all intents and purposes, forbidden. She gave him a tempting 'come hither' look. --- Shezmu didn't answer Dariel immediately. He closed the door behind them to let Lucretia rest, and then he walked towards the fireplace, looking into it contemplatively. He pondered over everything Lucretia had gone through until he vaguely became aware that he still hadn't answered the boy's question. He turned to look at him thoughtfully. "Lucretia saw much during her time as their captive. But one important detail stuck out among the rest. Their leader is fearful of me. They know what I am and wanted Lucretia to spy on me." He leaned against the wall by the fireplace. "I don't believe they know yet that Lucretia has already given us this information. We can use this to our advantage." he glanced towards the door to where Lucretia was currently sleeping. "It will be dangerous, but if she is willing, she can be our double agent. Pretending to spy on us, in order to spy on our enemy for us. If she can find a way for me to get close to their leader, I might stand a chance at taking them down." he looked back at Dariel and smiled at him knowingly. "You looked away while I fed on her. May I ask why?" --- Kasper shivered at his kisses. That being said, he'd already been shivering from fear beforehand. "Phineas!" he sighed as he tilted his head back a little, enjoying the feeling. He considered for a moment that it was a little odd to be so intimate after such troubling news, but he quickly disregarded that thought as he wanted to lose himself to his beloved and forget about his worries for just a little while. --- "Abusing her? Please!" John replied incredulously. He then pointed towards her. "I see what's happened. She's manipulating you! Adam, you can't trust what she says. She's a skilled liar!" "That's rich!" Clementine snapped tearfully. "Then what's this?!" She pulled down her cardigan to show them the finger-shaped bruises in her upper arm. "Adam, he's using you! He'll use your children to re-birth Eden and then claim it for himself!" "Lies! All of it! She obviously did that to herself to sell her story! Adam, you have to admit things were going great before we brought her here! She's nothing but trouble! She even blackmailed you into agreeing to make her one of your queens in exchange for her silence when she arrived, if you've forgotten!" "You kidnapped me and threatened to-!" Clementine stopped. She was shaking, but her fear wasn't what had stopped her. They were the only ones in the place making any noise. There were no other sounds of life in the building. Not even the newborn baby. "Where are the others?" she asked John while eyeing him suspiciously. "I suspected you might've been trying to poison Adam against me, so I took them somewhere out of harm's way. In case things got ugly." John shrugged. "You're holding them hostage," Clementine said slowly as she stared at him carefully. "I'm keeping them safe!" John shot back at her. "After all, you used to be a murderous Demon. You might be human now, but I don't know what you're capable of!" "You bastard!" Clementine gasped. She looked at Adam pleadingly. "I swear, I've never lied to you, and I would never harm anyone. I've changed." "Lies and manipulation, Adam. We can't trust her. Just say the word, and I'll get rid of her." John said resolutely while glaring darkly at Clementine.

Ay, been fighting with writers block 😅

Baby Nate ❤️

It had been a difficult couple of weeks since Raguel had left Eden following his mistake with Lilith. Not wanting to tempt himself further, he had buried himself in work in Heaven's Library while other Angels continued to watch the humans. Every so often, he'd catch himself thinking of Lilith, and a wave of guilt would pass through him, followed quickly by a cold dread. What if she says something? What if she tells Adam? But she wouldn't, would she? After all, she would be in as much danger as himself if she did. He hoped he had stressed that enough to her before he'd departed. Shaking his head to rid himself of these thoughts for the thousandth time, Raguel filed away more papers as Raziel wrote feverishly on parchment at a nearby table. After a short while, Raziel paused and glanced at Raguel. "Something on your mind, Brother Raziel?" Raguel asked without looking up from his paperwork. 'Brother', unlike the situation with Lucifer and Samael, 'Brother' or 'Sister' was more of a unifying title that the original Angels used when referring to each other in conversation. Until those brothers were created and until Angels were given the ability to procreate, Angels would refer to each other as siblings frequently. So much so that for some Angels this was still very much a habit by the time Adam and Lilith were created. Raziel hesitated and lowered his gaze shyly before stammering, "I-I was just wondering, Brother Raguel, what made you want to assist me in the library? All the other Angels are so interested in the humans, and it wasn't that long ago that you were one of them." Raguel paused and glanced at Raziel for a moment before answering. "I got bored with the humans," he lied. Funny how doing so seemed to get easier the more he did it. "I may show interest again when they begin building their civilisations, but until then, there isn't really much to see." he shrugged and turned his eyes back to his paperwork. "What of you, Brother?" he asked without looking up again. "You seem to spend more and more time in the library lately, too." "Our Father has given me a gift, but it comes with great responsibility." Raziel sighed as he looked down at his parchment. The ink, while visible to himself, could only be seen by himself, God and a select chosen few. Raguel not being one of them. "Your sight..." Raguel nodded. "Does-...?" he started and then stopped, hesitant to finish his question. "Brother?" Raziel looked up at him interestedly. Faltering a little, Raguel tilted his head slightly before glancing at Raziel. A possibility he hadn't considered before had brought back that feeling of cold dread. What if Raziel had seen what he'd done? "Your gift. I know you are able to see events in Heaven before they happen. I was just wondering... does- does that extend to them? The humans on Eden?" As he finished his question, he held his breath while carefully watching his Angelic brethren. "Oh." Raziel blinked and slowly placed his quill back into the nib holder in the centre of the desk. "Um- sort of," he said a little quietly, to a point that Raguel had to strain his ears to hear him. Raziel's eyes darted from Raguel's face to the desk a couple of times before resting them on the parchment in front of him. Raguel's heart was hammering in his chest, but he forced himself to appear calm as he continued to watch Raziel carefully. "And? What have you seen?" "You know I can't tell you that, Brother..." Raziel shook his head and gave him an apologetic look. "But what I can say is, I haven't seen much of anything yet. Only things that have yet to happen." He glanced at Raguel and seemed a little nervous. "Please, can we change the subject? I-I shouldn't even have told you what I have. I don't want to get into trouble..." "Of course, of course." Raguel nodded, relieved as he turned back to his own work again. "I'm sorry, Brother. My curiosity got the better of me." "It's happening!" Samael's head poked into the room and echoed through the library. "Rags, come on! The humans are finally- you know!" "You shouldn't make such a racket in a library, Sam," Lucifer said as he pushed the door open and walked past his brother into the library. "You're not seriously going to sit in the library while it's happening?!" Samael asked as Lucifer approached the centre where both Raziel and Raguel hadn't moved. "If I wanted to see something like that, I'd visit the Procreation Angels," Lucifer responded as he ran his fingers over the spines of nearby books in a bored manner before picking one out to read. "But this is history in the making! Rags? Razzer?" Samael said, dumbstruck that his friends found no interest in what was happening. "I-I've um... already-..." Raziel stammered and shrugged awkwardly. "Rags??" Raguel winced and shook his head quickly. "You go and enjoy the show, Sam. I have too much to do here." "Bunch of prudes, the lot of you!" Samael huffed before turning and running back towards the main hall. As he ran off, he could be faintly heard asking the other Angels, "Hey, what've I missed?" Raguel was quiet after that. Unsure of how to feel. He supposed he was meant to feel relief that Lilith had finally let go of him and returned to Adam's side. So, why did he feel so sick? It was almost anger but not quite. Something much deeper that he'd never felt before. In time, he would come to recognise this emotion as jealousy. --- Only a month or so had passed since then, and Angels were celebrating the news that Lilith's belly was beginning to grow with new life. As usual, Raguel was busying himself in the Library, but every so often, his brethren would pass by, and he would catch snippets of news from Eden. Adam was excited to become a father and was doting affection on Lilith with every waking moment. Lilith had been going through nausea and bodily aches but otherwise seemed to reciprocate Adam's affections. Raguel knew he should be happy for her. She was loved and would make a fine mother. But occasionally, his jealousy and his longing would overwhelm him to a point that he would seek solitude in his home for days at a time. Rough knocking brought him out of his stupor some weeks later, and he was surprised to see Michael towering over him as he opened the door. Michael smiled at him warmly. "I know what troubles you, Brother." That cold dread again. Raguel suppressed a gulp as he stared back at the large Angel. "You do?" "Indeed. You are depressed because you lack purpose." Michael said confidently, and Raguel relaxed a little. "Ah... yes, well... I know our Father is still creating assignments for our Kin. I will remain patient until I am chosen to-" "Wait no longer, Brother." Michael held up a hand, then held both of his arms up by his sides. "We have been given roles of the utmost importance! Come, you must see." Intrigued, Raguel followed Michael to a new building in Heaven. It looked prestigious. Formal. There was an air of authority here. Michael led Raguel deep into the building until they reached a large office, at which point he gestured towards the desk while smiling brightly at Raguel. "This is yours," he told him. Raguel gaped at him in disbelief. "Th-this is-? I don't understand. What am I to do here?" "Raziel had a vision. As usual, our Brother was forbidden from discussing exact details, but he said there will one day be a great war and Heaven will need soldiers to protect it. Those soldiers will need a hardened, formidable leader to guide them." He gestured to Raguel, who stared back at him dumbfounded. "Formidable? Michael, look at me," he said as he gestured to himself. Unlike Michael, Raguel hadn't yet built up any muscles. "I'm no soldier!" "It's not me who chose you for this task, Raguel," Michael said in a serious tone. Raguel couldn't be certain, but Michael almost seemed agitated as he said it. "You don't mean-?" "In his all-knowing wisdom, our Father has chosen you to lead our Angels. Angelic soldiers will be Archangels. You will choose them. You will train them. You will lead them in keeping Heaven safe." "But who will we be at war against? Surely not the humans?" "I don't know," Michael admitted. "We are not permitted to know. Only to ensure we are ready." And so began Raguel's assignment. In the coming months, he dedicated all of his time and effort into carefully selecting Angels to become part of his army of Arch Angels. With Michael's guidance, he trained himself and his Arch Angels to gradually become strong, effective fighters. He would soon discover, though, that his new role would involve more than just building an army of strong soldiers. He would be responsible for political or diplomatic meetings between worlds and their selected leaders, such as Life and his realm of spirits. In time, when Cain would eventually murder Abel and trigger the first human death, Death and his realm would also come into being. But that's getting ahead of the story. --- "I still can't believe you're my superior now..." Samael chuckled. He and Lucifer were sitting in an armchair each, across from Raguel's desk as their oldest friend poured them each a glass of wine and handed them over to them. "I wonder what this war will be that everyone is so afraid of?" Lucifer pondered. "Do you think the humans would be responsible?" "What is it with you and thinking it'll be the humans?" Sam asked. "They're practically toddlers compared to us, and have you seen how they act? They're far too innocent to do something so horrid." "Given enough time, they might be capable of anything, and the prophecy didn't mention when it would happen." Lucifer pointed out. "You've been listening to Satan again, haven't you?" Samael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Saturn." Lucifer corrected him with an eye roll. "Ever since Adam called him Satan by mistake, it's all anyone ever calls him. He hates it." "Yeah." Samael chuckled. "But you have to admit, even without that, he's had it in for Humanity since day one. 'They'll bring chaos', 'They'll destroy order', nonsense! He's just jealous that he no longer gets as much attention from our Father as he did before their creation." "But this war-?" "It might not even be them! There are more realms in this universe than just ours and Eden! Life has a realm. Gaia. Fate. All capable of raising an army like us." "Can we change the subject, please?" Raguel interjected with an exasperated sigh. "I'm sick of speculating about a war that has yet to happen. It's all I hear about in my work; I don't need it when I'm trying to relax." "Sorry, Rags," Samael said sheepishly. "Yes, apologies." Lucifer nodded. "How are things with you, anyway?" "Oh, same as ever. Mountains of paperwork, drills, and almost constant requests from the other realms. A Cherub from Life's realm visited me no less than eight times this week to request a transfer to my army of Arch Angels..." "A Cherub?!" Samael laughed incredulously. "What, those little child Angels?" "I imagine for some of those Cherubs, life might be quite difficult," Lucifer said thoughtfully. "They mature mentally but never grow up." "But it's not like they have a hard life!" Samael shook his head, still chuckling. "I mean, they literally have it made! Wake up, look adorable, bless newborns with a soul, convince potential parents to have babies all while still looking adorable, then go to sleep!" "Well, apparently that's not enough for this Cherub..." Raguel sighed while rolling his eyes. "I've rejected their request every time and told them their 'build' isn't suitable for an army life, but she is persistent!" "My goodness!" Samael laughed. "Can you imagine coming across an armoured Cherub on a battlefield?" "What if you're being too quick to dismiss her?" Lucifer asked. "You're joking, right?" Raguel half-laughed. "Her form might offer advantages that an opponent might not expect. Besides, she may appear to be a child, but she is our Kin, too. Does she not have just as much right as any of us to be treated with respect?" "I think you've had enough wine, dear brother." Samael chuckled. "A Cherub soldier! That'll be the day!" --- "How many times must we go through this?" Raguel asked irritably from the chair behind his desk as he gave the cherub sitting across from him a cold stare. "You are not suitable to be an Arch Angel, Clementine! And regardless, I have raised your frequent requests to Life, who is not too pleased that one of his Cherubs has been neglecting their duties!" "I will not be spoken down to!" Clementine snapped. She stood up on the chair and stamped her little foot in a rage. "I didn't choose this life, and I have no interest in it! This is unfair!" "Do you think I chose this?" Raguel barked back, getting to his feet and leaning on the desk to tower over the little Angel. "We don't all get to choose our role! You and your Cherub brothers and sisters were given to Life as a gift in good faith! Do you mean to question our Father? Do you mean to turn your back on your duties with your ungratefulness?" Clementine's little cheeks turned red and her eyes filled with tears. She flustered, looking as if she wanted to say something but knowing better, she bit her lip and reluctantly shook her head. "But why must I be forever this?" She asked while gesturing to herself. "I don't understand why I cannot grow like the other Angels and Spirits. Why are we Cherubs eternally stuck so?" Raguel sighed. He opened his mouth to answer her more calmly but was interrupted as Samael burst through the door. "Raguel-!" "Sam, you can't just come barging in here! I'm currently in a meeti-" "It's happening!" Samael interrupted him with an urgent look. At first, Raguel was confused, but then it dawned on him. "You're sure?" "Certain! Her waters broke an hour ago. She's been in pain since and can barely stand. It's progressing faster than expected." Raguel faltered and looked at Clementine, who stared back at him wide-eyed. "I think I should return to Life's realm," she said almost numbly before sprouting her little white wings and flying off hurriedly. Samael moved to one side to let her past but kept his eyes on Raguel. "Come on! We're going to miss it!" Unable to process his emotions, Raguel moved before his mind could catch up to him, and before he knew it, he was standing among a crowd of Angels looking through the glass sphere just like they had done when God had been creating Eden. Only this time, its view was directly on the humans. Adam was watching and panicking helplessly. Clearly unsure of what to do or how to help. Lilith was pacing between two trees while holding the lower part of her large belly. Her face twisted in an almost constant grimace of pain as she occasionally let out a low groan. Her legs were half covered in her own blood. Raguel couldn't stop staring at her face. It had been months since he'd seen her, and now that she was in front of him, he couldn't look away. Emotions flooded him, and he longed to hold her to him. To comfort her and tell her everything would be alright. Then he saw the blood on her, and his emotions shifted into concern. "That's a lot of blood, isn't it? Is there something wrong?" he asked Samael, who shrugged at him. "I don't know. This might be normal for humans. I don't know." "Wh-what if it's not? She might be in danger. We should send some Angels to-" "No," Michael interjected from behind him. "No Angels. We were given strict instructions not to interfere unless absolutely necessary. Let's see how this plays out. She might pull through." Feeling as helpless as Adam was likely feeling, Raguel watched Lilith tensely. Minutes passed. Then hours. Lilith had been labouring all through the night, and it was early morning by the time she began showing signs of intense fatigue. By now she was lying against the trunk of a large tree. Her legs and all the grass around her were soaked in blood. Adam was weeping beside her, and she had lost almost all colour to her skin. Her breathing was beginning to become shallower, and her eyes were starting to roll. "We need to do something!" Raguel said in a panic. "She's going to die if we don't! The baby will die if we don't!" He looked pleadingly at Michael, who was staring at the glass sphere in thought for a moment before he relented and nodded to him. Immediately, Raguel shouted for a group of Arch Angels to head to Eden and intervene before all was lost. Two Angels would need to keep Adam back while also keeping him calm. Two more would see to Lilith. One to heal her and the other to help her deliver the baby. The rest of the Angels, including Raguel, turned back to the glass sphere to watch them work. Seeing the Angel healing Lilith and the colour returning to her face brought immense relief to him. He watched as her eyes flickered open again and she was given enough strength to continue the labour. The other Angel attended to her, and after a moment of probing, could be heard on the sphere saying, "The child is stuck!" A wave of gasps went through the hall, and the tension became unbearable for Raguel. Hushed prayers were whispered throughout the hall, begging God to help her deliver the child safely. Raguel's prayers were among them. The Angels on Eden worked tirelessly. Minutes felt like hours. There had been some quiet debate on whether it might be best to cut Lilith open to get the child out, but then the Angel assisting her said they'd be able to guide the child out with their hands, and they began to coach Lilith through. With each push, the Angels collectively held their breath. The Angel urged Lilith into one final, big push and with a great cry of pain, she bore down with all her might. But following her scream came a shocked silence until that silence was broken by the baby's cry. "Wings!" "It has wings!" "An Angel!?" "How can this happen?!" Confused murmurs filled the hall rapidly as Raguel stood with a stunned look, as he stared up at the image of the baby with bloodied white wings. Tears filled his eyes, and for a moment he couldn't hear anything at all. He numbly took in all the details of the child. His tight little fists as he took in his first gulps of air and cried. The little tuft of dark hair on the top of his head. The soft feathers that cradled the full length of his tiny frame. 'What have I done!?' he thought as the realisation dawned on him that this child couldn't possibly be Adam's. Unfortunately, the Angels around him as well as Adam himself had also quickly come to this realisation. They watched as Adam's face twisted from relief to confusion, then finally to a betrayed rage. Lilith quickly scooped up the boy and held him protectively to her chest while looking guiltily up at Adam, who had to be held back by the other two Angels as he screamed at her. Demanding to know which Angel had done this to her. Demanding that she tell him why she did this or whether she'd ever loved him at all. Raguel will never forget how terrified and apologetic she looked as she simply stared at him while crying. He'd been frightened that she would cave in to the pressure of his demands and reveal his role in all of this, but to his surprise, she didn't say a word. Merely sat there, babe in her arms and cried silently as she let Adam yell at her. When it seemed that Adam might get physical with her for not answering, Raguel found the strength at last to speak. He ordered more Angels to separate them and to ensure Lilith and the child were kept safe until they received further instruction. He knew there would be investigations into this. He knew he, among other Angels who had been observing the Humans, would be prime suspects. But in that moment he couldn't think about that. He could only focus on doing what he could to keep Lilith and her child safe... he owed them that much. Unfortunately, most of what happened with Lilith fell out of Raguel's hands. Not long after they were separated, Adam, in his rage, had pleaded to God to give him a fresh start. He never wanted to see Lilith again and wanted a wife that would genuinely love him. Someone who would never betray him. Of course, the moment of the child's birth, all the Angels had felt it. God's anger. So, when Adam had prayed the way he had, God had answered immediately. A rib was pulled from Adam, and a genetically altered clone of him was created. Only a few short hours later, Eve would open her eyes for the first time. In addition to the new wife, God had also granted Adam the 'fresh start' that he'd asked for. A copy of Eden was created. Adam and Eve were then moved to their new world, Earth, leaving Lilith and her child behind. As if to add insult to injury, not only was Eden essentially abandoned by God, meaning that Lilith was left completely alone and no longer protected, but He had also ordered that the 'abomination' be brought to Heaven to serve as a reminder to Angels of what happens when they try to meddle with His plans. Initially, the child was meant to be raised as an underling. A servant. To be viewed as less of an Angel than anyone else. But after much pleading for mercy and forgiveness for a child who had no control over how he came into existence by a surprising number of Angels, God eventually relented and allowed the child to grow, away from the rest of the populace in a secret location, as an Angel. To have their memory altered when they came of age so as to believe that they were created like the first Angels, rather than having been born. But, of course, that didn't mean that God would be kind to the boy as he grew. It was an odd time. After the baby had been snatched from Lilith's grip, he had been brought to Raguel's office. During this time, Raguel had been interviewed extensively by Michael regarding his time when he'd observed the Humans. But by then, Raguel had become surprisingly adept at lying. His lies were laced with enough truth that after just a couple of interviews he was essentially removed from the list of suspects. Of course, it had helped that Lucifer and Samael had provided character statements to further convince Michael that he'd had nothing to do with what had happened. Raguel had felt bad that his friends had stood up for him without having any idea of what he'd actually done, but at the end of the day, he was just relieved to no longer be under a microscope. He'd walked into his office to find Michael standing there, waiting for him. In a nearby bassinette, the baby was sleeping peacefully. "What's the meaning of this?" Raguel growled at Michael. "We have a problem." Michael sighed. "Angels have prayed for mercy for this child, and mercy has been granted. But no one is willing to step up to actually raise the boy. We may have to order an Angel to do so." "Order an Angel to raise a child that God is angry with for existing? And what kind of life would that be?" Raguel questioned and moved over to the fireplace to stare into the fire. He rubbed his chin, feeling awful that he'd put the child in this situation but unable to say so or to save him. Just being in the room with the child was torment, knowing what he'd done. "If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the child's father." Michael sighed. "How are the investigations going, by the way?" Raguel asked, unable to help himself. "Annoyingly the same," Michael replied as he sat in one of the armchairs. "Whoever this Angel was, they have covered their tracks well. There isn't an ounce of evidence that we can use." "And Lilith? Has she said anything?" "We tried before Earth's creation, but no, she still wouldn't speak. Of course, now we've been ordered to leave her to her fate, so we can't be chasing her for answers anymore." "Has anyone been keeping tabs on her?" "It's forbidden." Michael shook his head. "Her whole world is cut off from the other realms. She's completely alone. She'll likely go completely mad before she ever starts speaking again." Michael then tilted his head towards Raguel. "There's been chatter among the Angels. I think it'd be best for you to address the Archangels and urge them not to venture to Eden to seek her out." "What?" Raguel turned to look at him. "Why would Angels be seeking her out if it's forbidden to even go to Eden?" "Eden is a complete dead zone. There's no one monitoring it anymore. At all. So, whatever happens there... stays there. And this chatter... the Angels aren't talking about seeking her out for answers." Michael's eyes moved slowly over to the bassinet. "They know it's possible now. They want to put their mark on an unmonitored world." "That's monstrous!" Raguel gasped in horror. "We cannot allow this!" "We can talk to our Arch Angels. We can punish those that we catch. But we won't be able to catch everyone all the time. And they know it." Raguel stared at Michael for a long time before he moved over to his desk and sat down. "Is there nothing else we can do?" "I'm afraid not." Michael sounded apologetic, and his eyes landed on the sleeping child once more. "So, about this one?" "I can't force him into a family that does not want him..." Raguel sighed. "I'll take him in. I'll raise him and alter his memories." "Noble of you," Michael said with a nod. "Will you rename him?" For the first time since walking into the office, Raguel brought himself to look into the bassinette. His eyes softened immediately, and his expression became sad as he gazed at his son. "We've already taken so much from him. Let him keep the one thing that Lilith gave him." Thankfully, Lilith had named the child during the short time that she was no longer being watched, before the Angels had taken him from her. The only person to have heard her call the child by his name had been Michael when he had approached her to inform her of the boy's fate. This meant he could keep his name without fear of being recognised later in life. "Very well." Michael nodded as he stood. He placed his hand on the side of the bassinette and rocked it a little. "Best of luck, little Naoutha."

Kodi bit his lip before quickly moving to sit in the seat across from his desk. He then told Will everything that had happened. He had considered for a moment that what had happened during his time in the CIA building might be classified, but he was too desperate to omit any details, so he even told Will about that. Namely, what had happened with the Angel that he'd met. "I don't trust that Angel, sir. I have a bad feeling about what might happen if he finds them first. After all, Clementine made a lot of enemies when she was a Demon, and I don't think all of them are willing to let go of their grudge." --- "Wait, that was actually a thing?" Viktor asked in amusement. "Did it ever work?" --- Lilly had opened her mouth, about to argue, when the hand gripped her, trapping her arms by her sides and preventing her from moving. She felt the power behind it and knew who had cast it before she'd even turned her head to confirm. "Father!" She gasped tearfully. "Release me! Please! I need to do this! He was always there for me! I-" Her voice cracked, and she broke down into sobs as her powers faded. By now both Death and Azrael would have managed to catch up to them. "I wasn't there for him! He didn't deserve it! He just wanted to dance! He didn't get to dance!" She sobbed as she sank to her knees and covered her face. --- "Oh, Nate!" Tom beamed tearfully. The joy he felt was overwhelming. "That sounds perfect! Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" he kissed him passionately. --- "Leo..." Oscar gave him a warm smile while shaking his head a little. "You're a lot stronger than you think you are! And besides, people react differently to traumatic events. You can't ever compare yourself to anyone else." He walked over to him and rubbed his arms to try to comfort him. "You wana know how I know you're strong? Because you're here. Because no matter what life throws at you, you never once consider throwing in the towel! You get up every morning prepared to knock the socks off of each day as it comes, even if you feel like crap doing it. You're a fighter. And I'll always be in your corner, right there with you. No matter what." --- "Damien. You'll have to introduce me sometime." May commented. "But first, pizza!" she beamed as they arrived at the little restaurant. Within a few minutes, they were heading back out the door with a large pizza full of every kind of meat they could get. "Hmm, now what to watch..." she mused as they began walking towards her home. "Maybe an action movie? Kill Bill is a classic." --- "Trust me, Abel. There is no winning in this situation." Samael said dejectedly. "I tried to reason with my brother after his fall... and we all know how that turned out," he said with a sigh. "Some people just can't be saved. So just cut your losses and start focusing on your own life, or you'll always be living in their shadow." --- Not that he'd show it, but Damien was a little surprised at Charles's horns making an appearance. He watched him warily until he seemed to calm down. Then Damien's eyes darted into an empty corner of the room, and he seemed a little agitated before regaining his composure and returning his gaze to the pair. What the others wouldn't know is that Damien's hallucination of Lucifer had rejoined them and had made a remark about Charles being 'like father, like son.' "Ok, cool. Now that that's settled, if you wouldn't mind..." He gestured vaguely, wanting them both to leave him alone while he conducted his 'private business'. --- Rose fussed and whinged for a few minutes more. She then pulled a face, her eyes shut tightly, and she gave a toothless grimace until Carter would feel a rumble against the part of his hand or arm that was supporting her backside. Then she seemed to give a relieved smile before wriggling in his arms out of discomfort. Apparently, it hadn't just been Carter's voice that had awoken her. --- "Did you not just hear me? Being covert would be more preferable. The less chance that she will recognise our spy, the better." Amelia* said with a slightly irritated tone. But then she seemed thoughtful once more. "Although... Yes, perhaps you're on to something, my friend," she conceded. "If we have a Sandalphon* in our ranks, send him to her. He can scout out the place she is residing in while feigning concern for her safety. He shouldn't linger longer than necessary, though. Just long enough to come back to us with information on where she lives, who lives with her, what her neighbours are like, etcetera... so that we can send in one of our spies to live among them undetected. Can you arrange this for me?" --- Shezmu gently brushed her hair over her shoulder, away from her neck as he inched so close to her that they indeed looked like a couple who were becoming intimate. "I thank you for placing your trust in me. Close your eyes and clear your mind. Try to relax. I will do the rest," he said to her softly while wrapping his arms around her. One hand cradling the back of her head and the other against the centre of her back. He leaned closer to her and swiftly sank his fangs into her throat. Her divine blood hit his tongue in a pleasurably intoxicating torrent, and it took all his willpower to control the speed with which he drank it. Skillfully, he slowed the pace of her blood as it flowed into his mouth so that he could focus on the memories it carried. While he did this, he granted Lucretia the mercy of occupying her mind with a pleasant dreamscape based on her happiest memories. While she was distracted by the dream, he looked into her recent memories, the faintest sound of her beating heart accompanying all that he saw and heard. When he'd witnessed enough, he reluctantly pulled away from her. He bit the tip of his thumb and quickly rubbed it against the wounds in her throat to heal the fresh holes that he'd left. Then he lifted his thumb to her mouth and pressed his finger just under his cut to drip his blood just behind her lower lip. Then he gently laid her down on the bed to recover, allowing her to continue the pleasant dreams he had gifted to her. As he laid her down, he turned her onto her side to look curiously at the branding on her shoulder. He frowned and lightly grazed his bloodied thumb against the side of it to test whether his blood could heal it. But alas, it remained burned into her flesh. "These brands will become a dangerous nuisance, I fear," he muttered aloud as he stood. He briefly licked the blood from his thumb and watched as his flesh stitched itself closed once more. Then, he turned his attention to Dariel and couldn't help smiling at the boy's apparent shyness. "Come, let us go into the other room while she rests. I wish to speak to you," he said gently while gesturing towards the door. --- "I hope you're right," Kasper whispered fearfully as he clung to Phineas. "Promise me you won't leave me? Promise you won't go chasing the danger. I don't know what I'd do if-..." He trailed off, afraid to finish the sentence. As if saying the words might tempt fate. --- Watching Adam storming off to confront John sent another wave of emotions through Clementine that she scarcely understood. She was concerned, not just for her safety but for his as well. And this other feeling... almost excitement but not quite the same? Intertwined with a budding respect that she had for him. Is this what it means to be attracted to someone? She felt her cheeks grow hot at the thought and thought it odd. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in a nearby mirror, she couldn't help staring at her pinkened cheeks with intrigue. 'Blushing... I'm blushing... oh no, no, no. Get a hold of yourself, Clementine!' she thought to herself. 'But then, what is this emotion? Love? Lust? Infatuation? A passing crush?' she puzzled as her mind raced. Before she could even begin to try to find logic in her emotions, John had appeared in front of Adam, and Clementine felt a cold dread as he'd given her an accusatory glance before looking at Adam. "What's wrong?" John asked him innocently. Calmly. Too calmly.

Kodi entered the room and closed the door behind him before approaching Will's desk. "Sir? I need your help. You know some Angels, right?" --- Kris gasped a little at the sharp pain in his arm, then watched her lick his blood from her fingers. "Good." He smirked. He snapped his fingers, disintegrating their clothes instantly. He then turned with her still in his arms, teleporting with her from the bed to stand with her pinned against the wall. From there, he'd kiss her neck again, a little more roughly this time as his hands gripped her thighs tightly. *Private time* --- "Maybe something romantic?" He asked with a smile as his eyes softened as he looked at him. "You can pick." --- Seeing Raven appear, Lilly ground to a halt. When she saw his power, her eyes lit up green defensively. She was prepared to fight back, if needed. "Stand aside, Raven! I need to do this!" she told him. She was vaguely aware that their fathers were catching up to them, but with Raven poised and ready to use his powers, she didn't want to take her eyes off him. --- Tom's heart fluttered in his chest. "You mean it?" he asked softly, barely containing his excitement. "Me and you? Actually get married?" --- "Um..." Oscar mumbled as he stared after Leo, uncertainly. "I'm not sure..." he turned back to the game and quickly showed Abaddon how he could play rounds against the computer instead. He then hurried up the stairs after Leo. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he'd catch up to him. "I know that look. Something is on your mind." --- "I drool a bit when I smell the pizza, too," May told him with a playful nudge. "But sure, let's take it home and maybe we can watch a movie while we eat?" --- God's favourite and cursed with damned souls who lay blame for their own sins rather than accept their own faults... Cain's outburst was yet another parallel of the hardships Samael and Lucifer had once faced. The resentment that had tainted and festered a once strong brotherly bond. Samael watched Abel plead with his brother, and it was like he was watching a re-enactment of his past. He watched this unfold numbly until Cain's fire struck Abel. He quickly turned to Abel and flapped his wings strongly in his direction to snuff out the flames. By the time he looked back, Cain had vanished. He stared at where he had been standing, and his eyes landed on a far-off desk. He watched in muted agony as the memory surfaced of himself, Lucifer and Raguel huddled around that desk, filing away old observations of the first humans while talking excitedly about what the future might hold. If only they'd known. Maybe they wouldn't have been so excited... so full of hope. Tearing his eyes away from the desk, he held out a hand to help Abel to his feet without a word. All while looking away from him. His expression was brooding, and his stare was distant. --- "It's none of your business!" Damien had jumped when Charles had appeared and snapped at him a little too quickly. He had reacted defensively after being caught off-guard. He then paused and looked somewhere between embarrassed and annoyed. Immediately, Damien's mind became an impenetrable fortress. Not that he hadn't been guarded to begin with, but with Charles in the room, he was making more of a conscious effort to conceal his thoughts. "Look, it's not that I don't appreciate the offer. It's something personal. Private," he told them. "I know this is serious, and I'll meet you at the library as soon as I can to help you. I won't take long." --- "Uh, yeah," Sebastian said as he reached the bottom of the stairs and he awkwardly stuck the screwdriver into his back pocket as he held out a hand for the woman to shake. "If you wouldn't mind coming with me to the office just at the top of the stairs, we can discuss the rates and fees," he said to her. He then smiled at Carter and Rose, who was still fussing in his arms. "While we do that, you could settle her." --- "Excellent question." Amelia* conceded with a thoughtful frown. "As similar as our worlds are, there is such a vast difference between events, it would seem. If I were to hazard a guess, she would have been answering to this world's Raguel, but according to the council's logs, he vanished recently." She tilted her head to one side. The thoughtful expression not leaving her face. "That Angel that burst in on us just after we got here. What's her name... Metatron? Perhaps if we have a Metatron* in our legion, and she wasn't one of the annoying Angels that preferred oblivion over serving me, she could take her place?" Amelia* shook her head a little. "But that'd be too messy. Too obvious. The Blood God would see right through it in an instant, and it might set him on our scent. No, we'll need to be more subtle. Find out where she lives and send someone who can blend in with the populace that surrounds her. Someone she doesn't know that can monitor and track her unnoticed." --- Shezmu studied Lucretia for a moment. Noting the fear in her eyes and the colour draining from her face. For such a formidable warrior to be this frightened... He moved to sit closer to her, much closer, while looking at her with hardened eyes. Despite his stony stare, his voice was delicate and comforting. "I will not destroy you, Lucretia. But I must drink from you." He told her simply. "My telepathy is strong, but it has its limits, and if there is a chance that you may be being watched, then I don't doubt that our enemies may also be listening to any telepathic activity. I will be gentle, and I will be as swift as I can be. It is only fair that I warn you that my venom can be quite... potent. You will need time to recover your senses afterwards, but if you will permit me, I can lend you a drop of my blood to speed up your recovery." Shezmu wouldn't bother telling Dariel to look away from this. In his mind, if he was to turn the boy one day, then he would need to learn how to do something like this properly. --- "If we're not safe in Heaven, then nowhere is safe!" Kasper said in a trembling voice as he let Phineas lead him upstairs. "What do you suppose has happened? Who would want to infiltrate Heaven?!" --- Clementine was a little taken aback by the hug, and not being used to such outward affection, she had instinctively stiffened as his arms wrapped around her. Then she felt how gently he held her and how warm his embrace was. She heard the softness in his tone, and she felt herself relaxing against him as all of her tension melted away. A rush of confusing emotions washed over her, and as she tried to process them, she brought her arms up unsurely before hugging him back, finding that she liked how it felt. She rested her head on his shoulder and savoured the moment, unable to recall a time in her old life, back when she'd been a demon, ever feeling a warmth such as this. It was enough to bring her to tears, and she sighed into a soft laugh. She didn't want to let him go, but reluctantly she pulled back a bit to look at him with a tearful smile "How do you disarm me so? But it worked! They're alright, they're really alright."

Raguel had visited Eden a few more times since his first visit, and gradually he learned how to recognise the feeling of being watched to know when it would be safe to meet with Lilith. A few Angels in Heaven had taken notice of his eagerness to volunteer to monitor the humans frequently, but only a couple dared to ask him about it. "What's so fascinating about them? They haven't even figured sex out yet." Samael asked as he assisted Raguel in filing away the Eden report in Heaven's library. "Not everything is about sex, Sam." Raguel shook his head. "They're fascinating because they're new and unpredictable. That's all." "Ignore my brother; his head has always been in the underdress of others." Lucifer chimed in as he carried over more parchments for them to file away. "I think I understand what you see in them, though. They have opportunities that Angels were never given." "How so?" Samael cocked an eyebrow at his brother. "Think about it. We were created instantly. God snapped his fingers, and here we are, ready to serve. The humans? They got a whole universe to themselves. An entire ecosystem of animals that they themselves adapted from. They were given more of a choice on how they adapted and grew than we were ever given. Simply put, they are and will be more free than we will ever be." "You almost sound jealous." Raguel teased. "Perhaps I am, a little," Lucifer admitted with a chuckle. "But, if there's one thing in Heaven that I'm glad of, it's our cleanliness and intellect. I wonder how long it will take those primates to grow to our level." "Perhaps eventually they will grow to a point that we could live alongside them? In Heaven and Eden. Wherever we choose." Raguel suggested, and the twins looked thoughtful at the idea. "Now that's a novel idea," Lucifer said as he filed away a stack of parchments into a folder. "I wonder what the sex would be like..." Samael added and received a swift clip around the ear from his brother. "Careful, brother, you'll earn our Father's ire by talking like that!" "But that's the next logical step, no? Combine our biology to make something else! Something new!" "Lucifer is right; we shouldn't be entertaining the idea. At least not until our Father says otherwise," Raguel said, looking slightly uncomfortable. He glanced up at the clock and smiled. "I must go." "Ah yes, to watch the humans. Have fun, Rags. Try not to fall asleep!" Lucifer called after him as Raguel eagerly ran out of the room. - Above Eden, Raguel watched them tensely. Something had changed recently about the humans. Adam seemed eager to try initiating sex, or at least what he thought sex was, but Lilith still wasn't ready yet. He followed her around and pleaded with her to just try with him. That perhaps she'd like it once things got going. She wasn't having it, though, and she eventually snapped at him to leave her alone for the night. Raguel feared Adam would go after her and attempt to force her. With their procreation being a high priority at the moment, he would have been forbidden to intervene if such a thing were to happen. But thankfully, Adam seemed more dejected than angry. He stormed off in another direction to 'take care of himself'. Raguel noted this quickly, but not wanting to hang around and watch him, he silently descended into the forested area where Lilith had gone. Cautiously, he approached her from behind. She was leaning against a tree and crying quietly. "Lilith?" he whispered to her, and she jumped a little before turning her head to look at him. "What's wrong?" he asked gently. She looked like she was going to talk, but her lower lip trembled, and she shook her head before hurrying over to him. She pressed herself against him, surprising him, and Raguel wrapped his arms around her. Despite her sadness, Raguel couldn't help feeling elated at her seeking comfort in his arms, and he cherished the sweet moment for as long as he could until she finally found the strength to speak. "I'm afraid," she whispered. "Of what?" "He's... he's just so..." She seemed embarrassed but pushed through. "Big... What if it hurts? What if it doesn't fit? What if I fail and don't have his babies?" "Ah..." Raguel thought about how to respond. Her concerns about Adam's size were understandable. The Angels had already noted that for the first of his species, he was well endowed. But thankfully, sexual education existed in Heaven. After all, God didn't want to be repeatedly snapping his fingers to make more Angels, so he equipped them with the means to procreate as well. "It's natural to be afraid of your first time." He told her gently. "Angels must do this too, and we know what it's like." "You do?" Lilith sniffled. She looked up at him hopefully, and Raguel couldn't resist gently tucking her hair behind her ear to move it away from her face. "Of course. The first time is always scary, but that's natural. You're only afraid because you've never done it before. It's new and unknown to you." "Yes!" Lilith gasped, thankful that Raguel understood her concerns completely. She felt truly heard. "But it will work." He reassured her. "And yes, he might be... big, but it will still fit, and you will still be able to have his children." "Will it hurt?" "The first time, maybe. But only a little, and then it will feel good." Lilith nodded in understanding and glanced away from him thoughtfully. Raguel frowned a little. After being upset by the conversation she'd had with Adam, he didn't want to send her back to him just yet. Besides, he might still be taking care of himself. "Come, sit with me a while?" He asked her, and she smiled at him. Her eyes still glistening from her tears. He brought her to a clearing, and they sat in the grass next to each other. He looked upwards at the stars and gently nudged her arm to make her look up as well. "Those spots in the sky are stars," he told her. "Stars..." she repeated while looking up at them in wonder. Raguel glanced at her and couldn't help staring. Captivated by her innocence. "Yes," he smiled. "They're very, very far away, but they give light to your world during the night." "And that?" Lilith pointed to the sickle-shaped moon. "The moon. It also provides light by reflecting it off the sun." "I know the sun... Not to look at it." "Yes." "Reflect?" She looked at him interestedly. Raguel smiled brightly at her and tried his best to explain as simply as he could the concept of reflections and how light travels. They then went on to talk about the stars, how they don't move and can be followed to navigate Eden. Eventually, Lilith was resting her head on Raguel's shoulder as they talked. "What is Heaven like?" She asked him. "It's like Eden," Raguel answered. "It's a world with its own sun and moon. There are many Angels there." "They all know everything, as you do?" "I don't know everything." Raguel chuckled and looked at her. "I know lots of things, though. Heaven has good teachers." "Can you take me to Heaven, one day?" Raguel hesitated before answering. "Maybe. One day." He wasn't sure how true that would be and didn't want to promise anything. He stared into her eyes, and the idea of them in Heaven together seemed a blasphemy, yet he found himself wanting it with all of his being. Her in the fields of Heaven, standing with him. Holding his hand as he taught her everything he knew. Holding her in his arms, like he was now. He should have stopped there. He should have pulled away, sworn never to return and urged her to go back to Adam. He should have gone back to Heaven and reported all of his secret meetings and taken the punishment for breaking the rules while remaining thankful that things hadn't gone too far. But that's not what he did. What he did, while lost in his desires and her eyes, was far, far worse. It started when he gently pressed his lips against hers. She tensed but didn't pull away. She clumsily copied his lip movements, and the feeling of her soft lips on his drove his desires further, pushing all thought of consequences from his mind until he could only think of her. He pulled her close to him and laid her down under him. - He awoke some time later and was a little confused by the stars overhead, and then the realisation dawned on him. Reluctantly, he looked down to see Lilith's head on his chest. She was sleeping peacefully, and they were both naked. "No!" He jumped, waking her up. When she lifted herself to look at him in confusion, he jumped to his feet and away from her. "No, no, no! What have I done?! I shouldn't have-! We shouldn't have-!" he stared at her for a moment and then quickly threw his clothing back on. He stepped towards her and gently gripped her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, I should not have done this to you! I need to leave, and we can never see each other again." "But why?!" Lilith asked, pained by his words. "Please don't leave!" "I must, and you cannot tell anyone what we did! It was wrong, and we would both be punished. Please, please promise me that you won't tell anyone!" "I don't understand!" Lilith began to cry. "What did we do wrong?" "You're supposed to be with Adam. Not me. I shouldn't have- I'm so sorry!" He gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "Please promise me that you won't tell anyone what happened here. We will both be punished and hurt if you do." "I-I promise, but please don't leave. I don't want to go back. I don't want him, I want you! Our secret!" "No!" Raguel cringed at her words and felt guilty that he had taught her such deceptions. "No more. We can't, Lilith. You must go back to him. Have his babies. Live a good life with him." "I don't want him, Raguel!" Lilith cried. Raguel wrapped his arms around her and held the back of her head as she wept into his shoulder. "I know... I know... and this is my fault. I'm sorry." Reluctantly, he let her go and stepped away from her. "You need to forget about me," he told her. "No, Raguel, wait!" Lilith pleaded, but knowing this was for the best, Raguel had already taken flight and sped towards Heaven, leaving Lilith to grieve their love and their biggest mistake.

Yeah, it's been pretty exhausting. But at least it's over and done with now. Hope you've been doing alright as well. I duno if you've seen but I've also posted a blog about Raguel & Lilith. I'm going to try and get more of their backstory up as we go along.

Kodi appeared back in the police station. He walked over to Will's office and knocked on the door. --- "Just you wait," Kris said playfully into her ear as he nibbled at the lobe. "I'll show you just how much of a man I am." He sat up and took off his shirt, flinging it to the floor. Now that he was shirtless, various scars of different shapes and sizes could be seen covering his torso and his back. Some of them partially covered by tattoos of circular runes. One on the upper left side of his chest. One on his shoulder blade on the same side. Another on his left upper arm. Aside from that, his muscles were small but well defined. Her wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her to sit on his hips. "I want to make your legs shake, and I want to make you cry out my name," he told her while looking up at her with a playful grin. He kissed her neck while gently sucking and nibbling to leave his mark. "Just promise me you won't make it easy," he chuckled. "You'll have to make me work for it." --- "I'm not sure," Viktor admitted. "A movie sounds good. It'd be nice to cuddle up, I think." --- Azrael took Death's and Raven's hands. Watching them, Lilly was frustrated and agitated. She understood what Azrael had said, but she wasn't thinking straight. Her grief and need for vengeance were clouding her judgement. As Raven began to share the images with their fathers, Lilly could no longer resist the temptation, and she thrust herself towards them, her hands gripping Raven and Azrael's arm. Feeling this, Azrael's eyes snapped open, and he looked at Lilly with a mixture of anger and fear. "Lilly!" he scolded her. But it was too late; she saw everything she needed to. But she wasn't stupid. She wasn't about to go and just teleport there when there could be who knows how many enemies waiting to greet her. Instead, narrowly avoiding Azrael's attempt to grab her arm, she flung herself away from them and darted out of the room. "Lilly, stop!" She heard Azrael calling after her as she ran towards the armoury, intending to take one of the scythes and vanish with it to come up with a plan of her own away from both her father's protective hold. --- "Married? Were you planning on proposing to me?" Tom asked playfully. He blushed at his own joke and glanced away bashfully before clearing his throat. Lilith looked from her son to Tom with a knowing smile. "My son makes you happy," she observed. "He does, ma'am." Tom nodded. "He's the best thing that ever happened to me." he smiled and looked at Nate. Lilith, in turn, smiled warmly at Tom. She moved off of her seat to embrace him in a hug once more. "Be at home here," she told him as she let him go. She then moved to walk passed Nate, patting his shoulder lovingly as she went. She walked towards the kitchen at the back of the building. Tom had watched her go and then looked at Nate in surprise. "Did- did she just give us her blessing?" --- "You laughed." Atma chuckled at him fondly. "It's nice to see you smiling," she said as she rested her head against him sleepily. She was finally relaxed enough to feel as if she could doze off. "You're doing good, man. You're a natural at this." Oscar complimented him. "We can take it in turns, if you want to join back in?" he then offered as he turned to Leo. --- "You've never had pizza?!" May gasped with a mixture of surprise and excitement. "Oh boy, are you in for a treat! C'mon, I know a place, and I could really go for a meat feast pizza!" She led him further down the road until they came to a little pizza place. The smell of the food inside leaked out into the street as they drew closer to it. --- Samael had already been trying to process what he'd said when Cain's words wounded him further. He couldn't hide it either as he stared ashamedly at him. But Cain wasn't wrong. He did miss his brother. That and he was painfully aware of the parallel between himself and Lucifer, when compared to Abel and Cain. The only difference, of course, is Abel hadn't yet given up hope or become as bitter as Samael. "You should leave," Samael told Cain coldly while trying to mask the pain in his voice. "Cursed one," he then spat at him sourly. Trying to hurt him the way he had just been hurt by hurling old, scornful titles that God had given to Cain upon his fall. "Immortal one. Bloodthirsty one." His lips twisted into a cruel smirk as he tilted his head forward and growled, "Unforgiven one!" --- For once, Damien didn't have anything to say. He opened his mouth in surprise, and his eyes hardened at the seriousness of the situation. "They got the kid?" he asked after a moment, and he rose to his feet. He thought back to how hard Uriel* had fought and that he'd been destroyed by some unknown being that, as far as he could tell, hadn't even been in the same room at the time. And now this being had Oliver? Things were more dire than he'd thought, and this was clearly a direct attack. "Shit... fine," he huffed. He scratched his arm and glanced away from her for a second. "Tell them I'll be there. There's just... something I need to do first." --- As soon as Carter called out, Rose squirmed in his arms and complained at being woken up. She began to cry. Sebastian moved to the top of the stairs, a screwdriver in one hand and a part of the crib in the other. He looked down at them. "Is everything alright?" he asked. Seeing Rose crying and that Carter had company, he hurried down the stairs to help him. --- "That I will leave in your very capable hands. After all, you know you best." Amelia* said as she crossed her arms. Her eyes lit up, and she grinned at him mischievously. "Imagine if you captured him and we convinced him to join us. I'd have two of you running around! How chaotic would that be?" she chuckled. "Of course, any chance of that happening will likely go out the window the moment you fuck his precious Tom. But before you go, that Angel, Lucretia, she seemed... fickle to me. Have someone follow her. They can keep an eye on that pesky Blood God while they're at it and if she blabs, I want her destroyed." --- Shezmu listened to Lucretia, but at the mention of Uriel* he regarded her story sceptically. He already had his suspicions, but her outburst further confirmed that something else had happened. He narrowed his eyes at her and then looked at Dariel. "Lock the door," he told him gravely whilst nodding to the door to their home. Not to prevent anyone from leaving, but to prevent anyone else from coming in. Once that was done, he turned to Lucretia with a steady yet serious gaze. "The truth, Lucretia. Now," he ordered. --- The moment Phineas asked, Kasper shook his head and began to shiver. "N-no, I'm not a fighter, Phineas! You know that. I can't." Memories of his old family house flooded into Kasper's mind. Along with the beatings he received from his father when he refused to hunt vampires with them. Finally, the heartbreaking memory of Florian ripping his throat out when Kasper had finally found the courage to release him from his cage. Kasper wept into his hands. "I can't..." --- Clementine looked from Adam to the doorway warily. She didn't want to risk John hearing her if she were to tell Adam the truth. With no way of knowing if he was on the other side of the door, Clementine bit her lip nervously as she brought her eyes back to Adam's and she shrugged. "I-I guess I was just worried that my potion might not have worked or that it might be my fault if anything went wrong," she told him. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. She tried to smile at him reassuringly. "I've just never seen a birth before. I didn't know what to do and panicked. I'm sorry if I scared you. It was supposed to be a happy moment, and I probably ruined it."

Missed you too 😄 Just finished moving house (again) so hopefully should be online a bit more often. I've been getting ideas constantly lol

Lilith and a much, much, much, much, much younger Raguel in Eden lol

In Heaven, the first Angels gathered to behold the creation of Eden. Among them, Raguel watched tensely whilst looking into the large glass sphere as God worked tirelessly in building this second world. They observed the spectacle of the big bang in awe. What followed was a rush of fire, rock and electricity. Raguel wondered if this was how Heaven was created. If they were to witness the same process that lead to his people coming into being. Such a thing was a deep honour to witness. Before long, a solar system had been created. In its centre, a mass of rock spun. Its shape shifted and grew as the gravity around it pressured its form into a sphere. Then the next miracle came. Water. And with it, an abundance of new flora which covered its surface. Microscopic organisms came next, breeding a diverse ecosystem that ran purely on survival instinct. No thoughts, no emotions, no souls yet. Just live, eat, breathe, breed and sleep. These organisms multiplied rapidly, and over time they adapted to survive in their world. Witnessing this, Raguel realised that this wasn't just a recreation of Heaven and Angels. Not merely just an adaptation of it, either. This was something wholly new and special. The life that grew and changed before his eyes wasn't being moulded so strictly by God's hand as Angels had been. Rather, the new life and even the new world itself was being allowed to flourish and evolve mostly on its own, with only its surrounding environments and God's occasional help to guide it along. To the other Angels, this seemed utterly chaotic, and they feared that creatures created on this world would abide by its own order rather than the laws that they regarded so highly. But Raguel was excited by this. This new life would be unpredictable and would have more freedom of will than they had ever known before. Evolution came next. Aquatic life. Insects. Birds. Reptiles. Then, gradually, primates. This was where God stepped in. Content with the evolutionary progress, he plucked some of the basic biological makeup from one of these creatures and mixed it with that of an Angel's biological structure. There was trial and error. Several different species of primates were created until finally, there was a breakthrough. The first human. A male born from one of those primates that had all of the Angelic characteristics, minus the wings. Adam. God called him perfect and separated him from the other primates. He created a garden to be a safe environment for his newest creation to grow in. He chose several Angels to assist in raising the boy. These Angels were ordered to teach Adam to speak and to study his growth. Later, these Angels would be adapted and take on the role of Life Spirits who not only oversaw the lives of Humans, but of everything else that lived in the universe. Death's realm had not yet been created, but in the creation of life and the discovery of souls, Death would soon follow. As Adam grew, it became clear what would be needed next for this species to begin to build. Using the same methods, God set to work, and by the time Adam had learned to walk, the first Human female was born. Heaven celebrated, and the Angels chattered excitedly as they tried to guess what these humans could grow to achieve. The Human pair grew together, and they grew to be close to each other. God ordered that the Angels leave the humans to live their own lives, and reluctantly, the Angels left the world. However, they continued to take it in turns to study and observe the pair from afar. Ensuring their safety at all times. Eagerly awaiting the day that they begin to procreate. But, frustratingly, as the Humans reached maturity, they both remained innocently oblivious to the process of reproduction. They were confused yet curious about the change in their bodies, but they hadn't figured out what it all meant just yet. Raguel's turn to monitor the pair came at last. He'd been keeping up to date on the new world and had been eagerly awaiting the day that he would be given the honour of travelling there and watching them up close. The instructions were clear. Remain unseen at all times, unless the Humans are in imminent danger. Study and note any changes. That was it. It was that simple. So, Raguel couldn't help feeling embarrassed later in the day when he would find himself accidentally standing face to face with the female. He'd been staying at a distance, hovering in the air and noting their every move. Parchment in one hand and a quill in the other as he jotted down a conversation the pair had been having. Lilith, the female, was expressing her frustrations that Adam was almost always near her and for once she just wanted to be on her own. At least for a little while. It would seem that Adam had some separation anxiety as he told her he didn't understand why she could ever want to be alone. At last, Lilith had had enough of the conversation and had marched off through a thicket, leaving Adam to ponder whether he had done something to upset her. Just as Raguel was scribbling away, he lost his grip on his quill and watched as it fell through the leaves of the trees below. "Oh no!" he gasped softly. He glanced at Adam, who looked like he was settling down for a nap. Lilith was somewhere in the forested area, but Raguel felt confident that he knew which direction she'd gone in. He tucked his parchment away. Silently, and being careful not to rustle the branches, he descended into the forest to look for his quill. "Oh, where did it drop?" he huffed under his breath as he moved a small pile of leaves to look underneath. Sighing in frustration, he turned to check a different direction, and then he froze on the spot. Ahead of him, Lilith had done the same, and they stared at each other for a long, tense moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but she had beaten him to it as she jogged over excitedly with a wide grin. "Hello Angel!" She said sweetly in the ancient tongue of the time. "I haven't seen an Angel in a long time!" "Um, yes..." he responded nervously. He glanced upward, but if God or any other Angel knew he'd messed up, they were being awfully quiet about it. Perhaps he'd gotten lucky, and no one was watching? "I'm sorry, I must not linger. You must return to Adam," he said hurriedly and began to back away. "But why must I?" she asked, in the same innocent and curious manner as she jogged after him. "I am always with him. Can't I talk to you? For just a little while?" "Um-..." Raguel hesitated. He'd been about to say no. To apologise again and to emphasise that she needed to go back to Adam. But her bright, inquisitive eyes captivated him. He'd never dreamed he'd have the chance to see these humans this close! And now that he was, and had apparently not been caught yet, he wondered if he could use this opportunity to really get to know these beings. Or at least, Lilith. He didn't want to risk getting caught by talking to them both, after all. This was what he told himself at the time, but later he would realise that he had been infatuated with Lilith from the start and had wanted her to himself. "Yes, alright," he answered her, and then he quickly held a finger to his lips as she looked as if she would squeal from excitement. "But you cannot tell Adam or anyone else. This is our secret." "Secret?" "Something that just you and me know," Raguel explained. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" Lilith looked unsure for a moment and looked in the general direction of Adam. For a moment, he feared that she would refuse to keep a secret from him, but then she turned to him with that same innocent smile and nodded. "Alright, I promise. Our secret," she beamed. "What is your name, Angel?" "Raguel." He told her as his shoulders relaxed in relief. "I'm Lilith." She told him, and he grinned. "I know your name, Lilith," he told her. "You do? Is it because you are an Angel?" "I-uh- Y-yes. That's right. Because I'm an Angel." He lied. It had been his first lie, and it had felt odd. He hadn't realised that he could do that before. Lilith bounced on her feet happily as she moved around him to look at his wings. "We don't have these." "Because you are Human," Raguel said and then jumped a little at feeling her hand on his feathers. He watched her as she ran her hand along his wing. The fascination and awe in her face was so endearing to him. "Human..." Lilith repeated the word. "Why?" She turned her head to look at him. Her hand still on his wing. "That's... just how you were born." He tried to explain. "Like I was born an Angel." Born. A simplification of how he came into being, but he supposed in a way it was correct. "And when you have children, they will be human, too." "Children," she repeated and glanced off to one side. "With Adam?" "Of course." "I don't know." She shook her head. "I don't know how." "You will." He reassured her gently. "When the time is right, you will both just... know." She looked thoughtful as she stared at the ground. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, hiding her breasts. Raguel had to force himself to look at her face. At her beautiful, dark eyes. He felt strange. Then, immediately, he felt guilty and ashamed. "I've lingered too long," he said hurriedly. "I must go." "Wait." Lilith grabbed his hand quickly before he could fly away. "Will you come back? I like to talk to you." "I-I-..." he looked at her uncertainly. But the pleading look she gave him had him totally disarmed. "Alright. I will come back," he conceded. "But remember, you mustn't tell anyone." "I won't tell," she said, smiling as she let go of his hand. Even as she did, he found himself reluctant to let hers go. Tearing himself away from her, he took off to fly back to Heaven. He would need to report his Quill lost.

"You may want to reconsider the relationship you have with that Angel," Kodi answered him. He was sweating a little but relieved as he bent down to help Sterling to his feet. For a moment, he'd been genuinely afraid for his own life as well as Sterling's. "I need to get some Angel friends of my own to locate Clementine... I have a pretty strong feeling that I should try to find her before he does." He said as he looked at him. "he said he wouldn't hurt her, but I don't trust him one bit. Thanks for your help. At least now I know what I need to do to find her." he vanished. Although he was only an acquaintance, he intended to go to Gabriel for help. After all, it wasn't like he knew many more Angels. --- Kris kissed her back, and for once, the thought that she might try to take his soul didn't even occur to him as he lost himself in her. He playfully threw her onto the bed and crawled on after her while kissing from her belly to her neck. --- Feeling her push him into the room and hearing the door slam, he whirled around and dropped the blood bag onto the floor. "No, wait-! Salem! I'm sorry!" He cried after her and flung himself against the door. "Salem, please! I didn't mean to! I-" he cried, then stopped to look at the reflection of himself in the glass window. The small amount of blood that had sprayed onto his chin when he'd dropped the bag. 'why the fuck did I do that?!' he thought to himself angrily as he wiped the blood from his chin with his hand. 'I ruined everything! I have nothing now!' From there, his emotions spiralled. Confusion, guilt, self-hatred, shame... it all surfaced, all at once and became difficult for him to control. Roaring, he began trashing the little room. Throwing small objects at the wall or onto the floor, and flinging the table across the room. When there was nothing left to destroy, he broke down into wailing sobs as he collapsed to his knees. Eventually, he calmed down enough to curl up in the corner, weeping quietly to himself. --- "Nah, wait until you meet her," Viktor said with a smile. --- Catching the excitement in Lilly's eyes, Azrael held out a hand. "No," he said firmly. "Just to your father and me. Don't forget, you two have your own destiny to fulfil. Closing the rift. Considering how keen the intruders were to try to get their hands on one of you, I have a feeling that the rift is somehow connected to their presence. We can't risk you. Either of you. We'll take the location from you for now..." he looked at Death. "I think we'll need to come up with a plan before we attempt to confront them." --- Lilith gave a sad smile but shook her head. "I have no need for it. All I could even want has already come back to me," she told him lovingly. Tom's own heart melted a little at how she spoke to him. He couldn't help smiling at her, and for just a moment, he had forgotten the horrors that had happened not long ago. Lilith took Tom's arm and brought him over to one of the tables to sit with her. Only showing Tom this amount of affection because not only was he Nate's beloved, but he was also not an Angel. She also got the impression, disregarding his attraction to her son for a moment, that this man had absolutely no interest in women. Which in itself made her feel safer near him than any other man she'd come into contact with, other than her son. "Come talk to me," she said to him. "Tell me of yourself." "Well, uh..." Tom stammered, unsure of where to begin. "Well, I was born in the US, but my parents came from Egypt," he started, but her lost expression had him at a bit of a loss as well. She wasn't familiar with Earth and its various countries or continents yet. "We've been living in France for a few years. I learned how to speak French pretty well during that time." "French...?" "Oui, je parle très bien français!" Tom beamed, but then looked a little lost again as Lilith looked even more confused. "It's another language." Lilith gave a small smile and nod in understanding, then asked him something in an alien tongue. Now it was Tom's turn to look baffled. "I speak Infernal," Lilith said with a smile. "It's another language," she added playfully to mirror him. "Oh!" Tom chuckled. "That's so cool! What did you say?" "I asked if you speak it." "Ohhh…" Tom laughed, "I guess you know the answer." "I guess I do. Perhaps we can trade. I can teach you Infernal. You can teach me this French?" "Sounds like a good deal." Tom nodded happily. "I know other languages too, if you want me to teach you those?" - "So, you see the orange character? That's who you're controlling. Mine is the purple guy. We it's like a kind of wrestling game. You gotta either throw your opponent off the ledge or find another way to defeat them. Here, let me talk you through the controls..." After a minute of showing Abaddon which buttons to press and allowing him some time to practice, they started their first round. - "You're welcome." Shezmu smiled at him, and he then turned his head away as he heard Lucretia's pleas for help. "I must go. Return to your studies for now," he told him as he stood quickly before vanishing. --- Tilting her head back, Layla let out little sighs with each of his kisses as they sent excited shivers down her spine. She let her hand wander over his chest and around to his back, eventually working her way down. [Private Time] --- "Oh, is that why he was moodier than normal?" She mumbled then chortled while covering her mouth with her hand, not intending to find the situation amusing but unable to help it. "Don't worry about it," she chuckled. "He tends to get a bit snippy with everyone, especially towards the end of his shift. I'm willing to bet that if anything, you just showed him you're not the type to be pushed around when he's in a bad mood." She hooked her arm around his and started walking with him again. "Now, how about that pizza? I'm starving." --- Samael didn't stop after knocking Cain back. He flew over to him and kicked him back down when he tried to get up before pinning him to the ground with his foot. "Knock it off, Lucifer!" He snapped, then froze with wide eyes as he realised what he'd said. --- "What, for real?" Damien asked in surprise. He narrowed his eyes. "I thought they could handle themselves. That my methods were too brutal," he folded his arms and stared at Hades. "What even happened back there, anyway? I only saw some of the action." --- "Um, here," Yvonne said as she reached into her purse and pulled out a photo. It was of her and her son smiling for the camera. She had her arm around his shoulders. The boy looked strikingly like his mother. His hair hung in loose brown curls, just past his ears. His eyes were the same shade of brown as hers, and his skin tone was just slightly paler than hers. Yvonne passed this photo to Carter. "Keep that as a reference, if you need it. I have a copy at home..." She fidgeted anxiously with her sleeve again while looking at the photograph in his hand. "So, um, what kind of rate do you charge for this sort of thing?" she asked and then held up her hands whilst adding, "Money is no issue, just so you know. I'd pay anything to see him returned home safely." --- Amelia* grinned at him, then faced the crowd of her adoring and loyal followers as she stood. "Today we are victorious!" She announced to them. The partying members of the crowd cheered and raised their mugs in reply. "Drink! Enjoy yourselves! But be ready tomorrow! We have much more work to do before we conquer this new world!" She declared before turning to face Nate* and walking past him whilst indicating for him to follow her. She walked into a separate room, which was much quieter than the previous one. She glanced at the sleeping Oliver in his makeshift crib, then nodded to Lilith* in thanks for watching over the child whilst she conducted her business. She kept walking into another room and waited until Nate* joined her before closing the door behind them. "Your mother has settled in with us nicely." She commented pleasantly. "I am grateful for her presence. And yours." She looked at him fondly as she leaned against a desk. "The vampire that I tried to take control of. This Tim? No, Tom. That was it. I saw a few of his memories as I pressed into his thoughts. It seems the Nate of this world has fallen in love with this daywalking vampire. The fact that their Nate looks identical to you grants us an opportunity. If you're able to take his place and convince this Tom that you're his Nate, you would be in a unique position to infiltrate them from within. The bad news here is, you're going to have to pretend to be monogamous to him if you really want to sell it." --- Shezmu appeared next to Lucretia and was shocked by her injuries. "Lucretia!" He bent down to scoop her into his arms. "I'm here. I have you," he said to try to comfort her as he teleported back to the castle and set her down on his bed. He looked her over and quietly cursed to himself as he realised he would once again need to share his blood today in order to save someone. He bit into the side of his hand and held it over her mouth. "Take a little. It will help," he told her quickly. "Where did you go? How did you get away?" he asked her urgently when he pulled his hand away from her. --- Kasper held on to Phineas tightly. The dogs were all whining now. One was walking in circles and occasionally growling. They could sense something bad and that it was close, but they didn't know how to track or smell it out. So, they all walked over to their masters to sit next to them and growl at anything that tried to get close. --- John was a little concerned by Adam running to Clementine, but before he could go after him to eavesdrop, Daisy had approached him with the baby to ask for help swaddling him. John glanced at the door that Adam had gone through and then back to Daisy before reluctantly smiling at her and agreeing to help. By the time Adam caught up with Clementine, she'd pulled on a cardigan and begun pruning a herb for her next batch of the elixir. She looked up at him as he approached her. She had already wiped her tears away, but her eyes were still a little misty. "Is everything ok?" she asked him as she quickly put the herbs down to face him. "The baby-?" she began, worried that something had gone wrong and that it would be her fault.

Shocked at the ease with which the Angel had grabbed his tail and didn't seem to be bothered by the razor-sharp edge, Kodi stared at him with wide eyes. He tried to pull his tail free and eyed the Angel's spear warily as the Angel spoke. "Who are you?" he demanded. He glanced down at Sterling, then shifted his face back into its human shape as he looked at the Angel pleadingly. "Heal him. He didn't deserve that." --- Kris grinned as he moved closer to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and teleported them both into his bedroom. "As you are," he said to her as he removed his glasses with his free hand and dropped them onto the bedside table. His eyes looked into hers as he cupped her chin. "No forms. No pretences. Just you and me and this bed." He kissed her deeply. --- Benny watched tensely as Salem opened the door and held out the bag for him. The room seemed to fill up with her scent. For a moment, he wondered if it was her perfume, but he quickly realised that the sweet scent he was smelling was her blood. His mouth watered, and he gulped nervously as he slowly moved towards her. His intention was to take the bag from her slowly and gently so as not to startle her. As he moved closer, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He reached out towards the bag, but his hand moved passed it, and his fingers caressed the back of her hand. He realised what he was doing and knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help himself. His body seemed to move of its own accord as he drew closer to her and stared into her eyes, willing her to be still without really meaning to. His fingers glided from her hand, to her wrist and down her arm as he stood close enough to kiss her. He even contemplated it as his lips parted ever so slightly while he stared at hers. Then he caught himself. Realised what he was doing and gasped as he quickly pulled away. No longer willing her to be still, he gently yet quickly took the bag from her before turning to walk away from her. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean-!" He breathed. Shaking a little. "I won't do it again. I'm sorry," he brought the bag up to his mouth and bit into it, drinking quickly as if quenching his thirst could also somehow quell his hormones that were now eternally magnified by vampirism. --- "I'd like to hear about those!" Viktor chuckled. He cuddled up to his side and rested his head on his shoulder as a contented sigh escaped him. --- "My love, I think you misunderstand," Azrael said to Death thoughtfully as he carefully took the book from Lilly and kept a hand on the page so as to stop the pages turning. "'their essence will be redistributed and processed into their successors, who will inherit their role and take their place. However, the process involves reincarnation and may take a lifetime or more before the new Council can reclaim its rightful place. During which time a power vacuum and chaos may reign in all realms.'" He re-read the section. "It's saying the new council members have yet to even be born or maybe even chosen at a young age, and that they must live a full lifetime before they can ascend to the position. While we wait for that to happen, there will effectively be no Council..." he explained. "And here, 'It is due to this dire possibility that the Council must remain at all times within the safety of the Council Headquarters, for leaving may inspire darkness to follow them home.'... this is a warning to council members not to leave the safety of the Council Headquarters, in case they'd be followed back by someone looking to overthrow them... Of course, Raziel wrote this. He had to have seen this coming to put that warning there. He was trying to prevent it." "If he could see this coming, then why didn't he warn us at the party?!" Lilly asked angrily. In her grief, she wanted someone to blame for what had happened. "He's a prophet. He's forbidden from directly interfering with Fate." Azrael said gently. "That's ridiculous!" Lilly said, outraged. She then looked at Raven when he spoke, and her desire for revenge rekindled in her eyes. "Where? Where did you see it?" she demanded. --- The Irish pub was looking a little more clean and homely by the time Nate arrived with Tom. Having been restless while waiting for her son to return, Lilith had been busy cleaning and exploring the little Inn. "My son!" She beamed when she saw them arrive and hurried over to throw her arms around his shoulders. When she stepped back, she looked at Tom curiously. "Your friend?" she asked, misunderstanding the term. "Boyfriend," Tom said nervously. "We're in love," he explained and then realised how he might appear, so he quickly tried to wipe his tears away. "Um, it's nice to meet you-!" Lilith surprised Tom with a hug that almost knocked the wind out of him. "Oh! um-!" he glanced at Nate with a small smile as he gingerly wrapped his arms around her. "I guess you're not a handshake person, then. Good to know." Lilith let him go and took a moment to take in how Tom looked before she looked at Nate. "You found love, my son?" - "Allies", Oscar nodded to him with a smile. "It's a way of bonding," he explained, hoping that putting it this way would help one as old as Abaddon to understand. "Here- why don't we start a new game?" He held his hand out to Leo to take his controller so that he could play the game with Abaddon. "We'll start on easy mode to get you used to the controls." - Shezmu reached out and touched Dariel's arm to stop him leaving. He looked at the boy carefully. Like a proud father taking a moment to admire his prodigy. "If this is something that you truly want, then I promise to turn you when the time is right. But you are still young. You're still growing and learning. If I changed you now, you would forever be... as you are now," he gestured to him in general, meaning he would forever be a teenager. "It is dangerous to turn someone who has not yet matured. Your emotions, appetites and lusts are not yet mastered, and my power would only magnify them tenfold. You would find even the smallest emotion difficult to bear. Do you understand?" --- Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Layla let herself get lost in his kisses. --- "What, Niles?" May raised an eyebrow. "I know he can be a bit snarky, but he's not a bad guy. He's just new and getting used to the long hours, that's all." She explained. "Is everything ok?" she then asked him, worriedly. --- Due to Abel's light, Samael had been momentarily blinded and ended up flying past Cain, into a desk. He blinked his eyes rapidly when the light subsided to try to see what was happening. He just about made out the figure of Abel on the ground, bleeding. Then he noticed Cain's attack heading towards him and dove out of the way. "Enough!" Samael snapped and flew at Cain again to slam him against the wall. --- "What?!" Carol snapped. Without waiting for Hades, she'd already teleported to Hell's Library. Meanwhile, in his apartment, Damien was doing what he could to ignore his craving as he thought about what had happened in Death's castle before his confrontation with Samael. He was still pissed off with Samael, but he couldn't help worrying about those possessions. He knew something awful had happened, but hadn't been around long enough to get the full story. He wondered if he should swallow his pride and see if his sister needed any help. --- "What happened? Who took Oliver? Did you see them?" Carol asked as she appeared in the Library. "No, just a note," Amelia said, and she took the note from Charles to pass to her. Carol read and re-read the note while she trembled with rage. "We have to get him back!" "One thing at a time," David said and held up his hands when Carol glared at him. "You know as well as I do what kind of power it'd take to not only find but also destroy the Council. What chance do you honestly think any of us would stand if we went after him now?" Carol crumpled the note between her fingers in agitation, but David made sense. "Then what do you suggest?" she asked, seething. "They need training... and an army. Carol, I think it's time." He said to her seriously. All at once, Carol understood. She glanced at Amelia and Charles. She looked almost sad. "Shit..." she sighed. "I mean... shit..." --- "It's my fault." Yvonne sighed as she sat down and rubbed her forehead. "I should have told him sooner. You see, his father was a Trickster. A good one. We were different, but we didn't care. We fell in love. One thing led to another, and I had his child, my son. Glenn," she smiled sadly. "When Glenn was just a few months old, his father died. It was... gang related." Yvonne paused and fidgeted with her sleeve again. "Glenn turned seventeen last month. He has his father's talents and my heritage. It makes him quite special. To some, he might even be seen as- as... valuable." Her lower lip quivered. The thought that her son could be kidnapped and sold for a profit turned her stomach. "We got into a fight a few days ago. He found out how his father died. I told him I didn't want him growing up around that kind of lifestyle. That I took him away from all of that and didn't tell him because I wanted him to have a normal life. But he wouldn't listen. Said I'd lied to him and he wanted to find his father's killers. I tried to talk him out of it. Forbid him from seeking revenge and sent him to his room..." The woman covered her mouth to stop a sob from escaping. "I went to check on him a while later, but his room was empty. I tried going to the normal police, but they haven't found him, and I'm worried they won't take his case seriously because they don't know how rare someone like him is." --- "Do you delight in trying to make me jealous?" Amelia* asked Nate* playfully. She then turned back to Lucretia and smirked. "Well, this works perfectly. You're already under orders to serve this Blood God, so why not use this to our advantage? We will send you back to him. Bloodied and beaten, of course. After all, we don't want him thinking that your escape was too easy now, do we? You're going to continue working for him, but you will be our spy. Tell him that you managed to escape, but it was difficult, and you were outnumbered. You're so sorry, but you couldn't save dear Raziel, here. Serve the Blood God without arousing suspicion. My soldiers will be in touch, replacing this world's counterparts, to give you orders. Oh, and Lucretia? Don't even think about double-crossing me. I'll be watching," she winked, then waved a hand for a couple of Demon soldiers to drag her away. From there, Lucretia would receive a fairly severe beating to sell the story of her 'fight for freedom'. They would then cover her head so that she couldn't know where to locate Amelia* and her army before dropping her off at a random location on Earth, to leave her there so that she could call Shezmu for help. Meanwhile, as this was going on, Amelia* smiled evilly at Raziel. "Take him to one of the rooms and keep guard. We will question him soon." She said while waving a dismissive hand. She then turned to Nate* with a cunning smile. "How would you feel about a little espionage? The Nate that I saw in Death's Castle is a spitting image of you." --- Tears slid down Kasper's cheeks, and he began struggling to catch his breath from panic. He had thought being in Heaven meant he'd be away from violence for good, but now he didn't feel so safe anymore. He shuffled into a corner and hugged his knees. "Phin-Phineas!" One of the dogs began whining, growling and pacing. They could sense something was wrong, but they couldn't figure out what. --- "I-I-..." Clementine stammered as she looked at Adam apologetically. She was adept at science, not midwifing! She felt utterly helpless as she looked at him and hated that she had no idea what to suggest. "I can heal her, just focus on the baby!" John snapped at them. "This was a mistake..." Clementine said tearfully. "I shouldn't have- this is wrong." "Clementine, if you're not going to help, then leave the room!" John shouted at her angrily. A loud, final shriek came from Daisy, followed by a ripping noise before she fell back and passed out. From under her skirt, covered in blood and other fluids, John pulled out a crying baby boy. Clementine held her breath, staring at the baby. Praying that her calculations had been correct and that the child would revert to ageing normally after the birth. So far so good, as the seconds passed while John cleaned the baby up and urged Adam to cut the cord, the baby remained in the size and shape of a newborn. She watched tearfully once the cord was cut as John urged Adam to go outside and place the baby on the grass while he tried to heal Daisy. As soon as the baby's skin touched the ground, the flora around it sprang to life. This new life then spread out around them, bringing all manner of vegetation in the surrounding location to life. It wouldn't cover all of Hell, but it at least covered the area they were staying in. "What happened-?" Daisy groaned, bringing Clementine's gaze back to her and John. "A miracle. Your child is here." John said to her gently as he helped her to her feet and pointed her in the direction of the garden. "Go, be with them," he encouraged her with a smile, and she beamed at them both before running out into the Garden to see Adam and their son. Clementine watched her go and wondered if maybe she'd overreacted during the stressful moment, but seeing it now, maybe she'd been mistaken? Maybe there was some truth to Eden being brought back to life after all. She looked at John, and immediately her heart sank to see the furious glare he was giving her. He stood and gripped her arm tightly while whispering into her ear in an acidic tone. "What are you playing at?" "I-I-" she stammered and quickly glanced at the doors to the Garden, but both Adam and Daisy were out of sight and earshot right now. "Are you trying to sabotage this?" "N-No! I just panicked! I-" "Get it together and stop frightening them, or you're going to ruin this whole thing!" he shoved her away from him roughly. "Now, get another batch. We need more babies if we're to restore all of Eden." Shaking, Clementine rubbed her bruised arm as she hurried out of the room.

The Dryad 🙂