Throne

If Jake knew that going to the garden would be such a hassle. He would've packed some things, and a shirt as well. He thought they were going to fly over there, but it turned out that Gabriel had something else in mind and insisted they rent a car. And by rent, he meant to hot-wire the fanciest car nearby, which was a black sedan. And luckily for Jake, there was even a gray shirt that seemed just his size, and a crimson scarf tucked in the backseat.

His phone kept on ringing and was flooded with messages, from Stella, which he ignored, tucking the phone back to his pocket. But not before he sent a text message to Anna, to have the Harley picked up from where he left it.

To his surprise. Even former angelic beings do feel hunger. After zooming past the Third Avenue, Gabriel stubbornly insisted that they eat pizza at the nearest drive through. Which involved ransacking the entire car. The three of them got stuffed, with Jake witnessing Rachel's tremendous appetite. He even wondered how she'd fit all those slices of pan pizza inside her small stature. Not that he would mention nor ask of her about it, considering she might toss him out of the car, because she can and she will.

It was past midnight when they reached the forest far outside of town. Gabe stepped on the brakes, and the three of them got out of the car and went straight into the woods.

"So is it just me. Or there's something really special about this forest?" Jake asked, as they walked forward in darkness.

"It's just you." Rachel says quickening her pace to match Gabriel's stride who was getting far and far away from them. "Keep up." she added as she walked past Jake.

Jake chuckled and ran past Rachel, "So, is this garden something really like a garden, garden?"

"You'll see when we get there. And watch where you're goin." Rachel says, and there was amusement in her tone. "We had Iris set a bounded field in here to ward off intruders. Don't want you blowing up into kingdom come all of a sudden"

"Iris?" Jake thought. "Wait, how many of you are there anyways?"

"Irisfiel, one of ours." Rachel says, her eyes set forward on the path. "A former angel cherubim."

"Gabriel told me that you.." Jake hesitated, and swallowed. He thought he should be careful about asking these kind of things. It seemed very personal to them. "You know went down because of circumstances." He finished and almost tripped on his foot.

"You wanted to ask me if I sinned?" Rachel says, she wasn't angry, but she wasn't exactly happy about it either. "Yes. I wouldn't have went down, If I didn't do anything bad up there."

"What about him?" Jake says, indicating Gabriel who was silently gazing at the surroundings as he walked forward and took a sharp turn to the left.

"Do not compare him with me. He didn't do anything bad at all." Rachel says as she turned left, and Jake along with her. "Gabe went down for a reason, and it was voluntary."

"Are we on the same page? You sure were talking about the same guy here?"

"Well, It's not my story to tell. Both of us we've gone a long way from before." Rachel said, as Gabriel took a quick glance at them, flashing Jake an angry glare and continued forward.

Jake knew that it was a bad idea to get into someone else's head. But it seemed worth trying at the moment. He flicked the switch inside his mind and focused on Gabriel.

It was like getting past a solid wall of ice. He can't get through. But he managed to get some words like Cambion, and this one other word, that he is sure, isn't a word at all but a name rather, Seraphina. Before the thoughts went rigid, and it felt like someone mentally punched him in the gut. He jerked to a stop, earning a curious look from Rachel. "You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah." Jake said with a grunt, and looked forward to find Gabriel staring at him with an amused expression on his face.

Gabriel chuckled and spoke, "You mindreaders never learn a thing do you?"

Rachel's eyes went wide, and she shot Jake an accusing look. "Wait. Did you just?"

"No, not you." Jake says, "Him."

"Oh. You bet he did." answered Gabriel. "You gotta do a lot more than that before you can get into my head."

"Oh. I will, you just wait." Jake muttered to himself, while Gabriel just shrugged and went on.

The three of them walked silently until they reached an open space. While Rachel went on about how it is rude to go into someone's head without permission-not that anyone would just simply allow it. "So why can't I read your mind?" Jake suddenly blurted out, which had Rachel jerking to a full stop.

"I'm protected." She says, as she looked at him, and shrugged.

"So you have a condom, around your thoughts?" Jake says, flashing a smile at her.

"Can't you even speak, without sexually, verbally abusing someone?" Rachel looked horrified and snapped, before walking forward hastily, stomping her foot on the ground in the process.

"Verbal sex is my mother tongue, just so you know." Jake chuckled as he chased after Rachel, who rolled her eyes at him, muttering words under her breath. "Yes, sarcastic remarks and rude comments seemed to have also came into package." was what she said

If Jake was expecting anything, it is not this. It was a circular patch of land without anything in it but grass.

"I thought you said were going to the garden?" Jake shot Rachel with a look of dismay. "No one mentioned that we would after we start planting."

"Sshh. Just watch." Rachel made an irritated noise.

Gabriel walked slowly and extended his arms forward. Jake wasn't sure what exactly it was that he was trying to do, when the space in front of Gabriel rippled like a surface of a water.

Gabriel nodded at Rachel before he walked forward into the rippled surface, dissappearing into it. There was no other word to describe it. It was like he just walked into a pool of water, but only if the pool was directly in front of you like a door.

"Did he just?" Jake's jaw dropped, and Rachel chuckled before dragging him over where Gabriel stood earlier.

"Okay, whatever happens don't let go." Rachel says, as she gripped his hand tight and walked into the ripple dragging Jake with her.

Jake didn't know what to expect the Garden to look like, and when he opened his eyes, but It wasn't exactly what he had in mind. The previously empty circular grassland was now occupied by a huge mansion with a smooth wide facade. And by the looks of it, it was a manor that seemed to have been built during the 1860's. It was classically beautiful, with it's shining pillars surrounded by a circular vine of blooming blue roses and balconies like hollows of alabaster goblets. An antique carefully preserved that had a very victorian feel to it.

Jake noticed the marble circular fountain with a statue of Michael the Archangel on top of it, and past the fountain on top of the steps just before the door stood Gabriel.

"Beautiful isn't it." He heard Rachel say, and he nodded at her, who in turn dragged him with her as they ascended the steps and stopped just beside Gabriel, in front of the huge almost black wooden door. The door knocker was an image of a shining silver lion with a ring held in its mouth. Gabriel held the ring and let it go, where it made a huge thud sound against the wooden door.

The door opened, and someone jumped outside towards Rachel who clung to her in an embrace.

"You're back." She says to Rachel who struggled to remove the girl from her.

The girl had hazel brown hair, and a firm stature. If it weren't for the fact that she was wearing heels to make up for her lack of height, which may be around five' one or two. Jake only noticed that her eyes with her almost childlike features were a set of onyx, when she looked at him. "Excuse me. Who are you?" She says, as she glanced at the three of them then back at Jake.

"That's what were trying to find out." Gabriel raised a brow at her. "Now move, midget." He says as he walked past her with a scowl.

"I'm not a midget." She fired back at Gabriel, before walking towards Jake with a weird curious look on her face, like he was some interesting specimen in a science laboratory.

"Of course, you're not. You seemed fun-sized." Jake says as she approached him. She seemed to have taken that as a compliment, as she smiled a genuine child-like smile at him.

"I'm Iris, by the way." she says and offered he hand to Jake, who flashed her a smile and shook it. "Hello, Iris by-the-way. I'm Jake," he introduced himself, and nodded at her.

Rachel made an impatient, choked noise like she was saying something, inaudible to hear.

"Can't you stop flirting with any girl that you come across with?!" She mind-speaked to him.

"Oh, please. You know I've only got eyes for you, darling." He thought. Rachel must've heard it, judging by the irritated look on her face. "That's not what I meant!" She says out loud, to her own shock. She quickly composed herself as Iris glanced back-and-forth between the two of them. "And stop calling me darling." She mind-speaked to him, though this time she quickly closed the channel so he couldn't reply.

Jake chuckled.

Iris who didn't seemed to mind, giggled as she shot the other girl an all-knowing look, as she spoke. "I hope you didn't get lost inside the forest. I tweaked it up a bit. There had been disturbances in the areas outside the bounded field so I had to somehow reinforce it." Iris says to Rachel, who shrugged at her and spoke. "If it weren't for Gabriel, I would've been."

Iris muttered, "I guess, the gift of true sight does come in handy." twirling her wavy hair with her finger.

"Now if you could show us in." Rachel started.

"Oh. Of course, where are my manners. Come inside quick." Iris says, as she guided them, or more like pushed them inside the hall.

Iris guided both of them inside, revealing a large hall with large marble pillars at intervals before a huge set of stairs that split into two sides, the east and west wing with a great domed ceiling, with a huge crystalline chandelier hung at it's center. The entire floor as well as the steps were covered by a huge red carpet, lined with gold at the sides that is further emphasized by the velvet victorian wallpaper.

Jake took the sight and glanced around, whistling an impression.

Rachel raised a brow and shot him a smile, and turned her attention on Iris who urged them to go. They ascended the steps and took a turn at the east wing, where gasoliers hung by intervals on the other side and open wooden-carved windowframes on the other, with rich crimson curtains that was being blown by the cold wind.

Jake took a glimpse outside the window, showing a maze-like garden at the back of the manor.

They continued walking until they reached the end of the wing, which was a huge set of wooden double door. The knob turned, and the door opened revealing a very angry Gabriel, who walked past them hastily.

"What's his problem?" Iris said, nodding at both of them, before bolting towards the direction of Gabriel's retreating figure.

The room was large, and rectangular and far at the back was a large wooden study table, with a pair of chair in front of it, made dim by the huge opened window at the end of the room, with what seemed like a statue on it's side, behind it. Jake flicked his eyes to the left and observed the row of shelves on the other side of the room, and statues which Jake believed to be of Greek Gods, on the other side. There were also tapestries and banners that hung in intervals on the walls.

"What in the freakin' hell?" Jake started.

"No, not in hell." A voice echoed throughout the room, causing the entire atmosphere to shake, then suddenly there was a burst of light from the center of the room, and a pillar of light shot out through the ceiling, that dissipated slowly through the room.

Jake took a step back, as it rumbled and he saw a silhouette, form inside the light that slowly thinned out, coalescing slowly in into the figure of a man- a tall man with tousled golden hair, neither young nor old with a timeless face, both inhuman and otherworldly. He was broad-shouldered and dressed in a golden plate mail. Like what the crusaders and knights of the old wore, and his eyes were that of the blazing sun.

"Michael." Jake heard Rachel say and he nearly didn't have time to react when she pulled him down with her into a kneeling position. Like knights being ordained by a king, but this was no king. It- He was something far greater than that. An angel radiating with the full force of it's glory.

Even being in the same room as him, charged the air with electricity that pricked Jake's skin.

--

"Speak." Michael said. It was more of a command than a demand. His voice was as soothing as the beginnings of summer, yet it was very alien. There's also a little bit of coldness to it as that of a winter frost.

The urge to run quickly passed Jake's thoughts. But Michael's stare made him almost rooted to the ground.

Rachel told everything that occured.

Starting from where and how she and Jake met, and everything that happened after that, up to the point of their encounter with Anael, and Ifrit. Not missing every little detail, like a well said report.

Michael, in Jake's observation was a patient and a good listener. He would have been amused watching him, if it weren't for the fact that every single cell inside his body were screaming danger,danger,danger.

"His is an old soul. Too old even for an angel even. That much I can tell you." He went on, and his sights focused on Jake., "You seemed to have retained the ability to read minds. Inherent only to angels of the higher hieharchies. Though it bothers me that you do not remember much. Those who fell, naturally remembers their past selves in due time. And it appears that you do not."

Rachel was deep in thought, and after a moment spoke. "Then that means something might've occured when he fell that made him lose his memories." There was doubt on her voice.

"Possibly, but very unusual. Which makes it odd, considering your memories were supposed to be restored to remind you of your banishment from heaven." Michael looked unsettled but he nodded in clarification.

Rachel smirked. "A cruel punishment indeed." she says.

"There are ways that I can provide you with some assistance, but I am not allowed to directly interfere, therefore I cannot tell you who you are. Not just because I am bound not to, but because I can't. It also bothers me that even I, cannot discern your identity. But it doesn't mean that you can't discover that for yourself."

"Wait." Jake says, "What do you mean?"

Michael glanced at Rachel, then back to Jake. It's as if he was contemplating weither to tell them or not. "There is a stone tablet in the dunes that may produce some fruitful results." he says.

"Of course." Rachel looked astonished, like she just recalled something very important. "That's it." she says, as she paced back and forth.

"Hold up," Jake says impatiently, "what stone?"

Rachel cast a glare at him, before she spoke. "After the fall, the angels who fell- well, some of them anyways, had a brief contact with the earlier civilization. They caused miracles, averted disasters and some of these events, were recorded. Carved into the surface of the stones, that is. I mean, where'd you think all those myths came from?"

It was Michael who spoke, "Now, If you were to try to find that stone tablet, then perhaps you may be able to remember who you are. I cannot tell you where it is, but a certain someone does. And for that matter, no matter how fond I am of her and my brother, I am sworn to not betray the secrets of heaven, therefore I cannot tell you where it is."

Rachel hesitated a second too long before she spoke, but the look on her eyes told Jake that she knew what the angel meant. "Gabriel." she muttered "You mean, Gabriel." she said firmly.

"How'd Gabriel get involved in this?" Jake asked.

"Well, I guess he forgot to mention that the carving and all that recording history stuff? There was a certain angel that taught the humans all that stuff." Rachel shrugged. "Gabriel himself."

"Well, that could be a problem." Jake sighed heavily, "It seemed that the guy hates everything related to his former life."

Michael's eyes blazed like leaping white hot fires for a moment, before it returned to it's normal golden color. Jake thought he saw anger in his features for a moment. But the wasn't any hint of it when he spoke. "Out of the three of us. A soldier, a healer, and him the messenger. Gabriel was the one who loved humans the most. He was rather fascinated by them, because he was always sent below to give guidance from the throne. He might've changed, but deep inside.." Michael stopped speaking and set his sights on the door behind Jake and Rachel.

Jake whirled to find Gabriel wild-eyed, who wore a navy blue long sleeve, and black jeans leaning against the doorframe. There was a glint of recognition playing in his blue set of eyes that were set on Michael who seemed to have acknowledged his sudden presence with a nod.

"Hello, brother." Gabriel interrupted, he slowly walked and moved just at the wall near the door, where he was somehow shadowed by the statues. "It seemed you three were busy talkin behind my back?" Jake noticed by Gabriel's tone, that something had happened between these two in the past. He wondered if it regarded Gabriel's downfall.

"Finally, graced us with your presence, Gabe?" Rachel interrupted, noticing the tense atmosphere in the room.

"Gabriel." Michael finally says. There wasn't anger in his voice. He spoke his name as if he was longing, and sorry for him.

Gabriel seemed to have noticed this, and his mouth was set in a thin line. "True enough, but what Michael seemed to have forgotten to tell you, is that I am a murderer. Mine were the hands that burned, razed an entire city to the ground, the left hand of God." he spat.

Jake was familiar with the bible enough to know that God had sent an angel to punish a city because of their sins. But he wasn't expecting to meet the guy in flesh. "I thought you were a messenger?" He says instead.

Gabriel gritted his teeth, and turned his sights on him. "I was a messenger, but that doesn't mean that if the circumstances demanded it, that I cannot fight fire with fire." He went on. " And sorry to shatter your hopes, but there's no way that I am going back to that, that God forsaken place."

"Not even at a chance at redemption?" Michael asked, and Jake saw Gabriel stiffened, it was just for an instant but he looked vulnerable enough. Looking at both of them. Jake saw the resemblance between the two of them. Both had tousled golden hair, and the shape of their faces were one and the same. Though Michael was somewhat larger in stature than Gabriel, who quickly schooled his features back to indifference.

"You must first forgive yourself before you ask for grace, my dear brother. I of all of us, knows of your great capacity for compassion. We might not have been given freedom, but we were given the ability for compassion and forgiveness." Michael said this like he really believed every word that came out of his mouth.

Gabriel turned away, and his eyes were hid by the shadow casted by the statues near him. "And look where that took me." He muttered too low to be heard.

But Jake knew that it was what he said, and judging from both Rachel's reaction who was clearly shaken, and Michael who expelled a sigh. Gabriel straightened and raised his head, as Michael spoke. "You may mock every word that I say to you, but I know that your heart is not in it."

There was a flicker of light, causing the three of them to set there sights on Michael, who seemed to glow from within. His form slowly flickered, and Jake took a step back as he noticed that the angel's body was slowly fading in and out into transparency.

There was panic in Gabriel's eyes, and his hands were cleanched into fists. Like he wanted to tell Michael something, but he was hesitating.

"I don't have much time. I am being recalled." Michael said this as if it was normal. "I trust that you know what to do Gabriel." he says as his form flickered faster. He was glowing quite literally now, like a flashlight that was being hastily turned on and off.

Michael glanced at Rachel then quickly back to Gabriel. "Not just for your sake, but for hers as well."

"W-wait." Gabriel stuttered as he tried to reach Michael. "Don't leave yet."

"And remember brother," Michael says as a pillar of light shot out from where he stood that consumed his entirety. "Have faith." Jake heard him say before the pillar that grew brighter and brighter by the moment thinned out and in an instant dissipated into nothing along with Michael.

--