Chapter Two

Azarel's breathing slowed down as he gazed at the vortex opening up into Paradise. It was spinning slowly and specks of light were floating up towards his end, and flying past him to the pearly gates. They looked like orbs of light, and he knew that every light represented one human soul. There were countless souls making their way to Heaven, lighting up the entrance to it. However, if as many who made it to Hell made it to Heaven instead, it would be a thousand times brighter.

"Azarel."

He turned around. His mentor was staring at him with one hand outstretched, beckoning him. Azarel walked over to him. "Has it been decided?"

"Come to the room, we will tell you what decision we have made."

Azarel nodded and followed his mentor silently. Passing through the gates of Heaven, a foreign emotion suddenly overcame him. He watched fellow angels playing ball with some children who were aborted as well as several saints playing harps. It was a picture of peace, but for some reason, he felt as if he did not belong. When he reached the office, three angels sat around a circle table overlooking a portal that led to Earth.

"Well?" Azarel asked his mentor and the three angels.

"Seraphina has been promoted," one of the angels told him. "Much too late, I'm afraid."

"What does her promotion have to do with what will be done with me?"

"You shouldn't have saved that boy from the mountain lion, Azarel," another angel said. "You nearly broke the balance."

"What was I supposed to do? Let him be torn to shreds?"

"His fate was written in the books long before he ever was," the angel said. "That's how his life should've ended. When you interfered, you shattered his soul."

"I didn't know that would happen," Azarel said, dropping his eyes to the ground in shame.

"We have been discussing the matter," the angel continued. "We don't think your crime is unforgivable. We want to offer you a chance to redeem yourself."

"And this has something to do with Seraphina being promoted?" Azarel asked him.

"Yes," he said. "Seraphina was formerly a guardian angel, and now her human has been left without one. We want you to replace her position."

"Who is this human?"

"Come and see," he waved him over.

Azarel stepped forward and stopped just shy of the portal. Tilting his head over the shimmering water, he focused his eyes on the ripples across the surface. Slowly, the ripples faded and a face started to appear on the reflection.

It was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on.

❃❃❃

Azarel's wings flapped in the night sky which was lit up in scores of shining stars. He soared through the air, hovering over skyscrapers and matching speeds with eagles. Directing his body to the ground, he swooped down one building and stopped before a tall glass, suspended in midair as he studied his own reflection.

He used to have three sets of wings, but ever since the incident, he was stripped of his position and ridded of two sets. Now, he was equivalent to a foot soldier - a guardian angel.

Approaching the glass, he reached out one hand to touch it and the glass hummed softly. He went through the glass and flew down to the room inside. Folding his wings behind him, his eyes fell instantly on the disaster before him.

She was hooked to numerous wires, her neck in a huge brace, one arm completely bandaged and both feet covered in lacerations. Her face was spotted with light scratches and her hair matted to her forehead with traces of blood. The monitor beside her bed beeped softly, but looking at her made him wonder if it was broken.

Hovering a hand over her head, his hand shone with light as healing poured from it to cover her entire body. He shot a glance at the name on top of her bed.

Dawn.

She was his human now. And that meant a lot more to him than he ever imagined it would. He was spoken into existence with few words but those few words decided from the beginning that he would rule legions of angels with might. He had never had personal brushes with humans because of a high rank, though they always fascinated him.

It started out as only something for fun. He descended to Earth to satisfy his curiosity and see for himself what humans were like. They seemed so breakable and weak, that he wanted to understand why God was so enraptured by such useless creatures.

What he found shocked him to the core. He never thought he would fall in love with mankind, but fall hard he did. He spent decades wandering the Earth, delegating much of his duties to his subordinates.

Humans! Something about them sang to him. They were mortal and so fragile. They were nothing compared to angels who knew no end to their days but it was this very thing that drew him to them. These mortals were living a constant epic - every moment could be their last! Every moment never held as much importance as the infinite days of every angel, because in the very next moment, they could meet death. It was all so romantic.

Before he knew it, he had given himself over to them and that led to the fateful moment where he saved a boy from a mountain lion. Shattering his soul was never his intention and it would be a crime he would shoulder for the rest of his life.

Just then, a doctor entered the room, picked up a clipboard to scribble some words on it. Some nurses entered after him and they surrounded him. Azarel neared them and a nurse passed through his being to push a chair away.

"Both her parents did not make it," the nurse said. "She has no other family."

"What is she going to do?" another nurse said tearfully. "She's only 19."

"She still has someone left," the doctor said. "Her father has a brother who was adopted. The court will most likely appoint him as her guardian."

"Really?"

"We just called him but he did not want to come. He said he'd be here later after meeting some friends for beer," the doctor said and the nurses frowned.

"His niece is in the hospital!"

"They probably don't know each other well," another nurse said.

"At least she's stable now," the doctor said. "You should've seen the corpses of her parents. They died protecting her."

"I did and - Oh, look!" a nurse said, gasping and pointing at the bed. Azarel turned his head around to look at Dawn again.

"Wha-What did you say?"

Dawn's eyes were open, alive with fear.