Chapter 22. I Love You Son

The exasperated look on his son's face drew a chuckle from Zack. His eyes, which had taken on bright silvery hues, grew tender as he beckoned the teenager to come closer. Jules hesitated, casting a nervous glance at his broken wings. It took a few seconds before he finally walked to his side and asked, "Are you alright…?"

"Well, I've seen better days," Zack winked. But despite his bravado, he knew he didn't have much time left. A dozen minutes at most, maybe a bit more if he was lucky. "Is your mother asleep?"

Jules nodded. "Annabelle too. Do you want me to wake them up?"

"No, it's fine," Zack shook his head and glanced at the window of his bedroom, where his wife and daughter were sleeping soundly. A moment later, he brought back his attention to his son and stretched a hand to stroke his cheek with his thumb. Warm blood soiled the white skin, but neither pointed it out. Instead, Jules nudged his head against the palm of his hand, and tears welled in his eyes. They soon trailed down his cheeks, mingling with the blood.

"You lied, right?" the teenager sobbed. "You're not ok at all."

"Sorry." A sad smile stretched Zack's lips as he pressed his forehead against his son's. "I'm so sorry."

The hunters who had hunted him down had used a toxin that impeded his healing abilities. Though rare, such substance existed, and a few drops were all it took to render his regenerative abilities useless. The poison had entered his bloodstream earlier, when the dagger pierced his back—the blade was coated in said toxin. As a result, his wounds weren't closing off, and the bleeding was only growing fiercer. If he had been human, he'd have already been dead, considering the amount of blood he had lost.

"I know it's selfish of me, but I wanted to spend my last moments with my family. I hope you can forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive," Jules sniffled, trying to keep his calm and smile for his dying father. It wasn't very successful. "But what's with the wings? And your eyes. They look eerie."

"Ah, that," Zack laughed softly. "I'd have preferred to talk to you about it after you had grown up a bit more, but I guess I don't have much of a choice now. Goodness, you're still so young."

The words seemed to stab at Jules, and he bit his lips to stifle a sob. To comfort him, Zack cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead. The gesture was tender as if to tell his son that everything would be alright. He was young, but he wouldn't always be.

"As you can tell, I'm not human. I'm what you'd call an angel, an habitant of the upper realm."

"A-angel? Like, from the bible?"

"Not exactly. My kind's history is complicated, and humanity has always loved to distort facts. Anyway, we don't have much time, so just remember that half of my blood flows in you. You're half-human and half-angel. That's what matters right now."

Zack let out a self-mocking laugh as he propped his chin atop his son's head, wrapping his arms around his shoulders to drag him into a hug. However, Jules didn't know where to put his hands, so he could only grip his father's shirt. It was drenched in blood and soiled with mud.

"Being born a half-blood entails many things, but I don't have the time to explain them to you. Your mom knows, so you will have to ask her. Ah, I'd have liked to tell you myself."

Zack's voice broke. He'd wanted to watch his children grow, to stay by their side until they reached the end of their lives. He had lived for thousands of years, yet, at that moment, it felt like he hadn't lived long enough. Holding his son in his arms, he couldn't help but wish he had more time, even if only a few minutes.

"Could you promise me one thing?"

"What?"

"There's an array I have engraved onto your soul. It contains most of your angel essence as human bodies aren't meant to bear it, and you're too young to wield it. I want you to swear to me that you'll never break it no matter what. Can you do that?"

"Hm," Jules nodded. "I swear I'll never break it. So, you can rest assured."

"Thank you." Zack heaved a sigh of relief, stroking his son's back. "Goodness, there are still so many things I want to tell you about yourself and your sister, but I'm running out of time."

Zack lowered his eyes to look at his hands; pieces of skin were peeling off, turning into white particles that floated in the air, gradually blown away by the nighttime breeze. His body couldn't hold on much longer.

"It's ok," Jules whispered weakly. "I don't want to know about myself right now. I want to know more about you."

"Hm? And what would you like to know?"

"Is Zack even your real name?"

The question took him aback, and the man froze an instant before laughing softly. "No, it isn't, but my real name is close enough: Zadkiel."

"Zadkiel…?"

"The archangel of forgiveness and mercy," Zadkiel snickered. "Or so the clergy say."

"How old are you?"

"A few thousand years old, I'd say? Sorry, I lost count."

"Do demons exist too?"

"Oh, yeah, they do!" Zadkiel paused, thinking back on his promise to one particular incubus. 'Looks like I won't be able to keep it,' he thought, feeling a pang of heartache.

Bastien had looked like the happiest man on earth when he told him he'd help, but now…. Now, Zadkiel couldn't break the curse, and probably none of his kind would accept to do it after him, selfish as they were. The demon's offspring were thus doomed to a tragic fate, cursed to die as they gave birth. It was too cruel.

"Are they bad guys?" Jules asked, interrupting his father's train of thoughts. "Are they evil things like the bible says?"

"Dear, a species will always have its rotten apples. There is not a species that is fundamentally bad or fundamentally good. So, don't let yourself be swept by what humanity made up."

Jules was silent an instant before sniffling, "But if demons didn't do this to you, who did?"

"Ah, so that's the real question. I'm sorry, love, I won't tell you. I don't want you to seek vengeance and put your life in danger."

"But dad," Jules sobbed. "I can't be merciful, and I can't forgive them! I'm not like you!"

"That's fine too," Zadkiel smiled, kissing the top of his son's head. "I'm sorry, son. It's time for me to go."

"No! Don't go, please don't go!"

Zadkiel hugged his son tighter, but his arms had already started to turn to dust. Oh, Lord, he didn't want to go just yet. "Please, take care of your mother and sister for me."

Jules cried harder but still nodded. He gripped his father's shirt until his knuckles turned white, not wanting to let go. But no matter how much he held onto his father, he couldn't stop him from disintegrating.

"I love you, son." Zadkiel choked on a sob. "I love you so much."

He buried his face in Jules's hair, kissing the top of his head as his body split open into white light. Under the moonlight, it looked like thousands of fireflies. They fluttered around the teenager, lingering near him as long as they could. But they were soon blown away by the cold wind, disappearing into the night.

But even in this state, Zadkiel's consciousness wasn't entirely gone, and he was still aware of his surroundings for a dozen seconds longer. He "saw" Jules kneeling on the ground, holding the few feathers that hadn't turned to dust in his arms. He clutched them to his chest as if afraid they would vanish the moment he let go. His shoulders were trembling as he bent over, curling himself into a ball.

Zadkiel's consciousness started to fade, and everything became a blur. The last thing he then heard was the heartbreaking wailing of his son.

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Edited by Clozed! ♥

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