Chapter Thirty-One

The flood that had Kashif so worried had engulfed an entire swathe of homes and businesses. So much was swept beneath the torrential rain, leaving nothing but ruin in its wake. "I never knew that the lower level had such horrible weather," Aeron said as he freed his foot from a mound of mud.

"It happens from time to time, but this is especially bad," Zia commented as she rushed to grab some stray sandbags. Several townspeople were already working on stemming the tide, many of them women and children.

"Since when is this considered paradise?" Aeron thought. Lower level or not, this district was still a part of Heaven. Disasters like this simply shouldn't be possible. "And yet… here we are. What is the big man thinking?" he groaned, pressing his palm against his face. This was going to be a problem.

"Ma'am, where are the rest of the sandbags?" Kashif asked one of the citizens as he lifted an entire pallet of makeshift barriers over his head. "We've got to slow this flood down so the drains can do their job!" Residual floodwater from multiple buildings was now rushing out into the streets, the paint the waves had torn off their walls giving the water a disturbing reddish hue. A stray toy—an old wooden soldier that'd been thrown out of one of the unfortunate homes—bumped up against Aeron's leg as he watched from the shadows.

"Hmm… looks familiar," he thought as he bent over and scooped the plaything out of the water. He was confident he'd seen similar toys like this during his time on Earth. Of course, this one wasn't made by mortal hands, but the attention to detail was simply uncanny. The wooden body's slightly rough finish and nicks gave the toy a homely feel. However—thanks to the flood—that pleasant aura had been stripped away. Now it was little more than a pile of soggy twigs, with half of its limbs missing. "What a waste," Aeron sighed as he tossed it back into the water. For some reason, this time, it didn't float. It sank to the bottom like a heavy stone.

"Mister! Look out!" a child cried as the deluge brought a giant clump of debris barreling towards him. Thanks to the kid's warning, he could dodge the rocks with only a few scratches.

"Ouch," he grimaced as he rubbed his fresh wounds.

"Oh, great. Do you need medical attention now?" Zia asked as she tossed him a small roll of gauze. Aeron rolled his eyes before tossing it right back. There was no need for that.

"We Angels heal quickly, so don't waste your supplies on me," he told her as he inspected his injury. The bleeding had stopped, and the wound had already started to clot. Within a few minutes, it had completely healed. Of course, Zia and Kashif weren't there to witness his miraculous vitality. They had their hands full dealing with the flood, which was now nothing more than a quaint trickle of water. "Those two sure work fast," he thought as he dipped one of his fingers into the frigid water. It felt like ice.

"Good work, everyone!" Zia exclaimed as she patted Kashif's back. "We've stopped the water, but our work isn't over yet. We still have the issue of fixing your destroyed homes to deal with. I'll need everyone who lived near the overflowing reservoir to form a line over here!"

"She's unbelievably good at this," Aeron whispered to himself as he watched the people rush to the spot Zia had chosen. "She doesn't waste time with unnecessary congratulations and pleasantries, and she's simply a natural at handling large, chaotic groups. The Bureau could learn a thing or two from her." After everyone was adequately sorted and had received the help they required, Aeron grinned and walked out into the open. "Your townsfolk are good people," he told his overworked friend, who scoffed.

"Damn right they are. Now then," she started as she dusted off her hands, "why don't we head back to my office?" They had much to discuss, after all. Aeron chuckled and nodded. That would be nice.

"Let's hurry," he said. "Heaven's fate is resting on our shoulders!" Immediately, he turned around and hurried into one of the nearest alleyways. "You don't have to bother with giving me directions," he told her as he unfurled his wings, "I already know where you work." With that, he took off, leaving Zia and Kashif behind.

"That man certainly is one strange Angel," the bodyguard muttered as a few stray droplets of water landed on his forehead.

"Kashif… go and tell Elizabeth that we're about to embark on another trip," Zia mumbled as she rubbed her aching head. Her feet were drenched, her arms frozen solid, and her teeth couldn't stop shaking, but for some reason, at that moment, she couldn't feel more alive. "Aeron Weber," she thought, "there's something strange about you that I just can't put into words." Her Angelic partner was quite the abnormality, but that wasn't all. There was something else lurking behind that smartass facade—she just knew it. "What's your secret, Cherub?"

Aeron had to stop himself from frowning when he stepped into Zia's office. Calling it chaotic would be an understatement; it was more like an abomination. "Good Lord, and I thought Jeremy was bad." The head researcher's desk would get cluttered now and then, but this was something else.

"Impressed?" Zia joked as she swam through the piles upon piles of papers. "Huh, somehow it's gotten bigger. Elizabeth! Where did you put my mail?" she called out to her bodyguard, who was currently sitting in a small chair in the back of the room.

"I think I placed them in that pile over there," she said as she pointed to one of the hundreds of identical stacks.

"God, how can you tell them apart?" Aeron asked the bodyguard as he clawed his way to a small, paperless oasis near Zia's desk. By the time he finally reached the tiny bastion, his legs and arms had been completely covered in papercuts.

"The trick is… to hopefully get lucky," Elizabeth conceded as she closed her eyes and plunged one of her arms into the pile. After a few moments of digging, she yanked a few pages out of the mound. "Nope, that's not them," she sighed as she tossed the papers aside.

"Well, at least it's nice to know that you're working hard," Zia said as she collapsed into her chair. Even with the path, clambering through all those documents was exhausting! "Now that we're alone, why don't you tell me what we're looking for specifically. If you can't show me a picture, give me descriptions, names, anything that might be of use."

"Alright," Aeron said as he pointed at Elizabeth, "but I'm going to have to ask her to leave." Zia shook her head.

"You should know by now that Elizabeth and Kashif are my shadows. Where I go, they go, and what I know, they know." Aeron could only sigh and rub his head at the ambassador's words. He knew exactly where this was going. "If you want my help, then you're going to have to learn to trust the two of them."

"This isn't the kind of information that I can simply leave with two guard dogs," he responded as he scratched his temple. Maybe it was the unbelievable amount of clutter, but the stuffy atmosphere was beginning to get to him.

"You looked annoyed, Templar. Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked, almost as if she could read his mind. The way she stared at him was like a reptile leering at its prey. It was terrifying but, in a way, kind of cute—like a small puppy trying to intimidate a bear.

"Now, now, Elizabeth, can't you see that you're angering him? For the moment, we're on an official assignment together, so try to restrain yourself." Somehow, that just made the situation worse. He could almost feel the bodyguard's eyes digging into the back of his skull.

"Don't worry about it," Aeron sighed. Now wasn't the time for unnecessary arguing. They had a job to do. After taking a moment or two to collect his thoughts, he leaned back against the wall and turned to Zia.

"Its official name is the Holy Scale, and it's the Almighty's most powerful possession. Simply put, the device aids him in defining what constitutes a sin. The Minister said it was the barrier that separated us from Demons. A central piece in the web which ties our whole universe together." For a moment, Zia was utterly silent. This was serious.

"And now it's missing." It went without saying that if an artifact like that fell into the wrong hands, all creation would be at risk. "If someone with that wanted to, they could completely reverse Heaven and Hell's positions," the ambassador mumbled as she rolled her fingers against her desktop. That was how significant an ability like redefining sin was.

"You're making it sound as if any random person can use these tools," Elizabeth exclaimed as she got out a pen and started to take notes.

"Now that I don't know," Aeron shrugged as he snapped his fingers. In an instant, the record Elizabeth was writing went up in flames. "This information is highly classified. So, please refrain from writing anything down. If you want to participate, any details have to be devoted to memory."

"You could've just told me," Elizabeth mumbled as she dusted the ash off her clothes.

"Anyway, if only the Almighty could use the Scale, we wouldn't be having this conversation," Aeron said as he scratched his forehead. "And right now, the only lead we have as to its whereabouts is a speck of dirt."

"If you weren't always so serious, I'd swear you were joking," Zia exclaimed as Aeron handed her the vial containing the sediment. "So, you found out that whoever took the Scale came from Earth. I still can't believe that's even possible." For mortals to interfere in the affairs of the afterlife. It was simply unheard of.

"Mortals aren't Earth's only residents," Elizabeth chimed in. "A few stray devils are known to cause trouble there from time to time." She was right. It wasn't unheard of for a Demon or two to go and make mischief in the mortal realm. However, those fiends weren't anywhere near powerful enough to commit such a heinous crime. And even if they were, the numerous security blessings would have detected them.

"Hmm… well, it is a possibility," Aeron thought as he shook his head. "No, we should avoid making any conclusions until we start the investigation." Until that time, they would just have to wait and see. "How long has it been since you've last visited that planet?" he asked Zia, who shrugged.

"Let's just say it's been a while." It had been centuries since she last laid eyes on her place of birth. "But don't worry, I give you my word that I'll try my best."

"I sure hope you do," Aeron sneered. "Now then—while I'd love just to sit here and chat—we've got to get going," he said as he pressed a small button on his transmitter. After a few seconds of buzzing, Jeremy picked up.

"Ah, are you finally done?" he heard him say. The man sounded like he was in the middle of lunch.

"Am I interrupting you?" Aeron asked as the operator put away his food, which sounded like a hefty bag of chips. "I've got Zia on board—she's agreed to lend us her aid. I'll need you to summon a transport for them right away. We've got to be on Earth by tomorrow morning."

"Got it, I'll notify Beurt. The shuttle should be there in a few minutes," Jeremy said as Aeron heard him tear into another bag of chips.

"Roger that," he responded as he turned off his transmitter and turned to Zia and Elizabeth. "The Bureau is sending a ship here that will take you to our travel hub. Please be ready by the time it arrives. I'm going on ahead."

"You know, there's a door right there," Zia spoke as she watched him open one of the office's windows.

"A little shortcut like this won't hurt," he thought as he unfurled his wings and jumped into the air. There was no way that he'd trudge through that sea of papers a second time. "I'll meet you all in front of the gate!" he yelled as he dived straight into a murky cloud. After some lengthy tinkering, the once-polluted mist had become safe to fly through. However, something was wrong. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt uneasy. Almost as if the clouds were trying to suffocate him. "I'm probably just stressed," he thought. With everything that was going on, anybody in his position would be. It was due to this stress that, for a brief second, as he sat there hovering in the sky, he found himself longing for his bed for the first time in his life.

Nine months ago...

This rehabilitation took longer than I expected. Tomorrow, I'll begin my preparations for the flood, and that'll be it. After that, I'll give it a few months and see if the mortals pass. Although, I highly doubt it. This race was one of the most sinful I've seen in recent years, and while there are a few outliers, they are part of a tiny minority. Before the storm starts, I'll be sure to usher what few friendly mortals I've found to Heaven. They'll be welcomed to the upper levels with open arms, I'm sure. Beurt and my fellow Angels just love people like that. Their unique stories of living a sinless life in a sinful world make excellent propaganda. Of course—with me rapturing what few good souls this world has—it won't take long before things descend into chaos. In the days leading up to this calamity, there's no doubt in my mind that the amount of murder and pillaging will skyrocket. Though that isn't surprising, after all—when they're on the verge of death—sinners will do sinful things if it means living just a day longer.