1 Prologue

The water is rising.

What a way to end the world this time around. Lightning illuminates the dark sea spotted with floating bodies and thunder claps above my head making my chest vibrate. It's a nightmarish scenario.

The large wooden boat tumbles disastrously away, swerving dangerously against the waves but unsinking, true to its sole purpose.

Two of each.

Well, fuck me for being only one.

I can get through this. I know I can. I've lived several of these 'cleansings' before, and all the times came out unscathed.

True, my kind doesn't get along very well with water, but I would have to manage.

Uriel passes over my head, leading two other soldiers, probably to escort the chosen family to safe land. I couldn't soar like them anymore. And he couldn't help me. He had done enough already by warning me of the flood, earning me enough time to reach highland before the water spilled thought the valleys smothered the earth.

A giant wave smashed into me and sunk me into the darkness for what felt like an eternity. I remained motionless, the feeling of floating in the midst of nothing suffocating me, but I knew better that to fight the tides. I held on to the piece of wood that would be my only hope of getting out alive and waited for it to float along with me to the surface.

I gasped for air as soon as my face broke out of the water and let out a low growl. I might as well give up. I had already lived a lot, too much, if you ask me. I've had my way more than once, ruining His plans. My brothers were enough to keep things interesting amongst the humans for the next round of civilization. I'd had my fair share of havoc, even that one time I had tried to do the right thing. A man can only mess up to a certain extent. So why not call it quits? Why not call it even?

'Cause I'm a stubborn idiot, that's why. I spat as the salty water kept dripping down my face and stung my eyes. This was going to be a long night. And if I made it through the storm, it was going to be a long life 'till the next extermination.