Chapter Thirty-Two

Thousands of feet above a rocky coastline, a gigantic blue portal appeared hovering over a batch of dark storm clouds. Steam was falling off its sides in droves—and by the time Aeron and Zia finally stepped through it—it looked as if it was going to fall apart. The frigid air singed their skin and froze their bodies. However, compared to the extreme climate the group had faced when exploring Hell, the low temperatures were little more than a minor annoyance. "Damn," Aeron mumbled as he held his cloak tight. Since they were on an official investigation, all of them had been provided with standard survival and emergency gear. "It's gotten colder," he said. As he looked down over the edge, he saw that he was currently floating above a giant blue ocean.

"Wow, how pretty," he heard Zia say as she and her bodyguards took in the beautiful sight. "When I was still living on this rock, I never got the chance to see the ocean."

"I'm amazed that you aren't quaking in your boots," Aeron told them with a smug look on his face. He was an Angel—he could fly—but Zia and her entourage were mortal. One wrong step and they'd plummet to the roaring waves below.

"What do we possibly have to fear? According to you, if we die here—since we're technically souls—we'll wake up back in Heaven," Zia responded as she playfully dangled her foot over the edge. Aeron scowled. He'd like to avoid that outcome if at all possible. Not only would it be a significant pain in the ass if one of them died, but they'd also lose valuable time.

"Travelling to realms using the Bureau's gates isn't something you should take lightly," the Cherub said as he scratched the back of his neck. "If you died, the time it would take for you to fill out the paperwork to go through the gate again would erase all of our progress. So, please tread lightly and be careful." With that, he took a step forward over the edge. Right on schedule, a golden staircase came shooting out of the portal, descending to the surface of the water. "Jeremy, I'm going down," he announced as he started the long trek to the bottom.

"Is this the view you get to see on every assignment?" Elizabeth asked as she playfully skipped ahead. "I must admit, I'm a bit jealous." Aeron smirked. There was nothing special about this view. Granted—for him—it had only been a few days. But for this world, centuries had passed since his last visit.

"I'd like to say this place has changed for the better, but that would be a lie," he thought as he let out a tired yawn. It was only a hunch, but he had a feeling that humanity was still just as sinful as ever. "No matter how many times we wipe the slate clean, sin always reappears. It's practically a law of nature."

"Aeron, you might want to pay attention," Zia told him, snapping the Angel out of his thoughts. "Take a look at that," she continued while pointing to a strange patch of sea.

"Fish?" he exclaimed as he watched a vibrant pink critter jump out of the water. It twirled around in the air for a second or two before diving back beneath the waves. After that, another fish would jump up and do the same. They could see thousands of the creatures dancing in the air from their spot up in the clouds.

"That must be their mating call," Kashif chimed in as he perched himself on one of the golden steps.

"And how in the world would you know that?" Zia asked. Unless she was mistaken, Kashif had no memory of his time on Earth. "Did you finally have an epiphany or something?" she joked. The warrior chuckled and shook his head.

"No, nothing like that. It's just something I read when we were back in the lower sector." After a few more minutes of this idle chit-chat, they finally arrived at the surface. The portal had, of course, closed, causing the golden staircase they were standing upon to fade away.

"So, where should we start?" Zia asked Aeron as she stared at some of the seashells that'd washed ashore. Instead of answering her, the Angel just got out a small pair of binoculars and started surveying the area. The lonely beach was covered in seaweed and mud. It was a remote slice of the coast, but, at the same time, it also appeared quite lived-in. Various wooden signs were erected on the edges of the shore. Some looked old, but many were new. If he strained his nostrils, he could detect the scent of fresh paint over the sea salt.

"There you are," the Cherub whispered with a grin. Off in the distance, he could see multiple plumes of smoke hovering up into the sky.

"That looks like a town to me," Zia commented as she reached into her bag and pulled out a map. As she looked at it, the image upon the canvas slowly changed until it mirrored the surrounding area. "Heh, Jeremy's research team knows what they're doing," the ambassador mumbled as she pocketed the map. "I never knew that blessings could be used in this way."

"Yeah… Jeremy and his group are an inventive bunch. I'll give them that," Aeron responded as he started to head inland.

"You aren't going to fly?" Zia asked him. Aeron sighed and shook his head. He wished he could fly.

"We're not in Heaven anymore, Zia. I can't just spread my wings whenever I want here. I could cause a panic." If he had his way, he'd never touch the ground.

"I guess it's always something," she shrugged. "Damn… that sucks—now we can't work you like a mule." Aeron rolled his eyes as he stretched his arms.

"Remember how serious this mission is. We don't have time for jokes," he said as he took off his tie and rustled his hair. "I recommend that you do the same," he told Zia as they exited the clearing. "We're coming from a derelict, sandy beach. It would be weird if we came out of it looking tidy and clean." After padding his pants with sediment and dirt, he tossed a bag to Zia and Elizabeth. "Take them. You never know when they'll come in handy."

"Ah, you shouldn't have," Zia squealed as she lifted the first of his many gifts. The bag was filled with weapons of all shapes and sizes. Elizabeth armed herself with a tiny baton and pistol while she—a sucker for powerful armaments—took a pair of revolvers.

"How in the world did you convince the minister to let you take these?" Kashif asked as he grabbed a small shotgun.

"When you consider the fact that his entire career is running on this mission, persuading him to let me do this was trivial." Now that his comrades were adequately armed, Aeron took the bag and clenched his fist. Suddenly, the gigantic sack shrunk down to the size of a peanut. "Blessings are amazing," he thought.

"Now then," Zia announced as she pulled some branches out of the way. "Shall we be off?" Without a word, Aeron nodded and walked past her. "Wow," she mumbled as her eyes practically fell out of her head. "So much is different." Even though this wasn't her hometown, it was evident that the world had undergone significant changes since Aeron had rehabilitated it. Various wires and unbelievably tall buildings towered into the sky. Of course, these buildings were still relatively small by Heaven's standards, but for Zia—who was born in a time where humanity still primarily used swords for war—it was a jarring development. The various roads and streets seemed to go on forever, and every corner had a lamp post or vendor. The smog that filled the air tinged the sky grey, and the entire city was packed to the brim with people. Children carrying various goods and papers ran in and out of the crowds, giving the place the feeling of an ever-moving machine.

"The buildings have gotten much bigger," Aeron thought as he strolled around the town. A few of them must've reached seven stories—an impressive feat by mortal standards. Not only that, but they seemed to have finally moved beyond using fire and water as their primary source of power. The numerous electrical lines and streetlights were more than enough proof of that. "I should probably report this to Jeremy," he whispered to himself, reaching for his transmitter. "Hey, Jeremy, can you hear me?" he asked. However, his question was met with nothing but static. "The hell? Hey, Jeremy! Are you there?" Again, all he heard was static. In his state of confusion, the judge didn't even notice as a young boy crashed straight into him.

"Ow! Hey, watch where you're going!" the child complained as the papers he was carrying scattered all over the ground. "You better help me pick these up, mister!" The amount of pure rage the boy had in his gaze was simply astonishing.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I apologize." As much as Aeron wanted to reprimand the kid for running into him, he didn't want to cause a scene. "Hmm…" he mumbled as he stared at some of the excerpts. "Newspapers?" he spoke out loud. On instinct, Aeron stopped what he was doing and immediately started to scan over the text. "So—in this world's time—the date is June 28, 1914." He had to admit, the chasm of time between now and his last visit was simply staggering.

"Hey, mister! Where do you think you're going?! You still need to help me with this!" the boy yelled as a breeze wafted through the streets, scattering the stray documents even more. "Ah dammit!" the child cursed as he ran off after the newspapers.

"So, Aeron, mind telling me what's wrong?" Zia asked as she sauntered up to him. "You were helping that child, but then you suddenly stopped." Even for him, such strange actions were out of the ordinary. "You know, since you abandoned that kid, he's going to spread rumors about you." Aeron rolled his eyes. One child's opinion wasn't going to affect anything. With that headache out of the way, he reached for his transmitter and tried to contact Jeremy again.

"Shit… it's just white noise," he mumbled as he frustratingly clicked his teeth. "Could the smog be causing interference?" he thought before shaking his head. The transmitter he was wearing was one of Heaven's best—some simple clouds couldn't block its signal. After fiddling with it for a few more seconds, he cursed and returned the device to his pocket.

"Well, aren't you angry?" Elizabeth said as she handed the frustrated Angel a small bag of candy that she'd purchased from a nearby stall. "Here, eat some of these—they'll make you feel better." Aeron sighed as he pushed the bodyguard's hand away, now wasn't the time for sweets.

"We've got a problem," he spoke as a group of pedestrians ran past them, the soles of their shoes clinking against the cobblestone road. Once they were out of earshot, Aeron turned to Zia and her two guard dogs. "My transmitter isn't working," he told them, his expression grim and worried. "Since we stepped off the staircase, I haven't been able to contact Jeremy or any other operator." Even though they were in the middle of a bustling city, at that moment, Aeron swore that everyone became as silent as the grave.

"You're joking… we only just got here, and things are already going wrong?" Zia cursed as she fumbled through her purse. "Here, yours is probably broken. Let me try," she suggested as she flipped her transmitter on and held it up to her ear. "Hello, can you connect me to Jeremy Knight, please?" she spoke calmly into the microphone. However, she, too, was met with nothing but static. "Huh, that's weird," Zia mumbled as she tried once again to no avail.

"Let me guess," Aeron started as he rubbed the back of his neck, "you can't connect either?" When Zia nodded, he sighed and started to make his way back to the beach.

"Why are you going back there?" she asked as he forced his way through the trees.

"If we can't contact the Bureau, that means we can't get back home. Which, I'm sure I don't have to tell you, would put us in a horrendous situation," he said as he crushed a pile of twigs under his feet. "At the moment, that means we're cut off from all of Heaven's resources—including backup." They were stranded.

"Well then, what's your plan?" Elizabeth spoke up as she munched on some of her candy. Aeron shrugged as he tapped his transmitter.

"When in doubt, retrace your steps," the Templar told her as he started to jog through the forest. "If we return to where we started, there's a chance that the Bureau might be able to pick up our signal." In all honesty, this plan was nothing but blind faith, but it was all he had.

"Alright, but I hope you're sure about this." Aeron scoffed. He wasn't sure of anything. Without saying a word, the group continued their hike. All of them were holding their bated breath. Eventually, they finally arrived at the familiar shoreline.

"Okay, let's see if this works," he continued as he took out his transmitter and laid down in the sand. The cool breeze and sunlight had warmed the white dust to the perfect temperature.

"Any luck?" Zia asked as she sat beside the worried Cherub. Even now, she could still put on a happy face. But sadly, no amount of positivity could help their situation.

"Damn," Aeron cursed again as he tossed his transmitter aside. "No dice, I'm still getting nothing but silence." As the Angel sighed and splayed himself over the ground, he looked up and stared at the ocean. There was a beautiful stillness in it that he hadn't noticed before… an unnaturally beautiful stillness. "What in God's name?" he thought. Not only was the water stagnant, but the air was as well. Everything was utterly motionless. And he wasn't the only one who noticed this. The animals also seemed to recognize this peculiar abnormality. Off in the distance, he could see schools of jumping fish rapidly swimming away from the area. While, on his side, flocks of birds and various other rodents were rushing to escape the beach.

"What in the world is happening?" Elizabeth mumbled as she raised her hand to the air. Even the breeze that wafted through her fingers was cold as death. "God," she muttered as she covered her nose. The draft also carried something with it: a horrible stench of the sea. Suddenly, the ocean before them rapidly started to change color from a healthy blue to a red as dark as blood. On instinct, they all reached for their weapons—preparing for whatever was to come.

"This stench," Aeron thought as he took in a deep breath. "It doesn't belong to Demons. Honestly, it reminds me of fish." And that was when he noticed the monstrosities swimming just beneath the water's surface.

"Heads up, something's coming," Elizabeth murmured as she readied herself. Before the first creature stepped out of the ocean, she put a bullet in its head. As if throwing chum to a swarm of piranhas, the fiends instantly reacted and poured out of the sea by the hundreds. They were terrifying beings that looked like a mixture of man and fish. Their rigid jawlines were filled to the brim with sharp, pointed teeth, and their scales—which covered their rotted bodies—shone like silver. Every time Zia shot one down, three more would rise to take its place.

"So," the ambassador started as she ducked under one of the creature's swiping claws, "Mr. Angel, do you have any idea what these things are?" Aeron shook his head as he pointed his gavel towards the ocean.

"If they're coming from the water, I'll just have to force them out!" he thought as he pulled the trigger, causing the sea to boil instantly. With every rising bubble, a corpse of one of the strange creatures floated to the surface. The intense heat caused the monsters to shriek in pain, creating a veritable chorus of agony. What few managed to escape this bubbling kettle were then torn to pieces by Zia's guns. Bullets filled the air, almost like a swarm of locusts, as Aeron unfurled his wings and flew over the horde—desperate times called for desperate measures. "This may be a bit overkill," he mumbled as he aimed his gavel at the nearest creature, "but I need to finish this quickly." With that, the Angel released a haze of dark green mist into the boiling ocean. "You might want to stand back!" he called out to Zia, Elizabeth, and Kashif—who were fighting on the beachfront. "If you breathe in any of this gas, it won't be pretty."

"Got it!" Zia yelled as she and her bodyguards quickly ran away from the approaching fog. The green mist seemed to search for sources of life like a snake stalking a mouse. In one breath, throngs collapsed and started to disintegrate. The smog greedily ate away at their corpses, devouring their bodies until nothing was left. However, the beasts kept coming.

"Hey, Templar!" Elizabeth called out as she downed another monster. "Where's all of that godlike power you judges' like to brag about?! I'd appreciate some of that right now!" Aeron sighed. It wasn't that simple. There were thousands of them, and since there was a city nearby, he couldn't afford to make any largescale attacks.

"I can't just blow up the bay!" he yelled as he floated back down next to Elizabeth. Even though he loved things like this, he wasn't completely irresponsible. One wrong move, and he could end up killing thousands.

"Well, that's just great," Elizabeth groaned as she scampered up a nearby tree. A few of the bastards had gotten a bit too close for comfort. "Shit, I'm running out of options here." As the bodyguard fired randomly into the group at her feet, she turned around and surveyed the battlefield. Even with the sea boiling like water in a pot, the creatures just kept coming. It didn't take a genius to realize that they were stuck. Besides Aeron, who could fly, the rest of them had no way to escape the horde. "Unless that Cherub does something big, we have no way out," she thought as she tapped her index finger against the bark. "Even with his powers, since he isn't on a typical mission, he can't just blow them all up. Otherwise, that could cause some irreversible collateral damage. Plus, something that huge would draw the attention of any nearby mortals." Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Wait a minute… now that I think about it… why hasn't anyone shown up? We've been shooting our guns for quite a few minutes now, and those monsters aren't exactly quiet. Somebody would've noticed at this point." It was simply bizarre for no one to have come and checked by now, what with all the noise they were making. "There must be something that's blocking the sound from getting through to the outside!" Immediately, she started to search for anything suspicious. "I wonder," the bodyguard thought as she picked up a small stone and tossed it towards the edge of a clearing. After flying for a few seconds, it suddenly stopped. The cause of this strange anomaly was, what looked like, a wall of water. It flowed around the stone like a river, preventing it from flying further. The liquid was also unbelievably transparent, so much so that it was practically invisible.

"Hey, Elizabeth!" Zia called out as another wave of monsters slinked out of the ocean. "We could use your gun right about now!" Instead of answering her call, the bodyguard started running towards the bizarre boundary. Her dash attracted the attention of several adversaries, and soon half the horde was hot on her heels. As she got closer, the ground she stood on became muddy and fragile. She slipped a few times, but so did her pursuers. "What in God's name are you doing?!" she heard Zia yell as another group lurched out from beneath the waves. These were much larger and far more menacing than those they'd faced earlier. "Now that's just perfect!" While her boss cursed up a storm, Elizabeth finally managed to drag herself to the shimmering barrier.

"If this is what I think it is…" she thought as she brought her hand up to the liquid. Right before her fingertips made contact, a strange blue light pushed her back.

"Hey, did you hit your head or something?! Elizabeth! We need you here!" Kashif yelled at his dived behind a stray trunk.

"Just give me a minute!" the girl screamed as she took a small notepad out from one of her pockets. "Now, where is it?" she thought as she rapidly flipped through pages and pages of notes. There were scribbles of various species and worlds, each drawn with incredible attention to detail. Eventually, she came upon a page that had to do with unique blessings. "Hmm… light miracles, fire miracles, plague blessings, healing blessings," she mumbled as she listed the various branches of God's power. "Ah! Here it is! Water blessings!" With a focus that would impress even the most stoic scholars, she got to work and quickly sought out the information that would lead to their salvation. Thanks to her comrades' efforts, none of the creatures managed to get close to her.

"Are you okay?" she heard Aeron ask as he landed behind her. "Zia wanted me to check on you," he continued. "She thought you might be onto something."

"I may… just give me a second," Elizabeth spoke as she quickly scribbled something on a torn piece of paper. "Here, take this." Aeron raised an eyebrow as he scanned over the strange list of instructions.

"What insanity is this?" he wondered as he jumped over an attacking giant. Instantly, he pulled out his gavel and blew the horror away.

"Can you just shut up and do what I've asked you to?" Elizabeth sighed as she gave Aeron her pistol. "Take this back. It'll only slow me down." Without waiting for the Angel's response, she got up and started sprinting towards the other end of the clearing.

"God, what's with her?" Aeron thought as he begrudgingly got to work. "Wow…" he mumbled as he skimmed over Elizabeth's plan. That was the only word that came to mind. It was dangerous, unbelievably reckless, and honestly, a little bit stupid. However, that wasn't the craziest bit. What made him scratch his head was the fact that he thought it could work. "That girl would be better-suited researching in Jeremy's lab than stuck as some two-bit ambassador's escort," he pondered as he aimed his gavel towards the sky. "Let's hope this works." With a single pull of the trigger, he sent a large torrent of fire hurtling up into the heavens. Eventually, after a few seconds, the flames hit a huge barrier—the one Elizabeth had uncovered just moments ago. At the same time, Aeron heard an explosion coming from the beach. Of course, the cause of it was Elizabeth, who was standing knee-deep in the water carrying a bag full of grenades.

"Alright, Aeron, just keep up those flames!" the girl yelled as she tossed a few more explosives into the boiling water.

"Doesn't that hurt?" he asked as he flew over to the bodyguard, his gavel still trained on the skies. Elizabeth shrugged, she didn't know why, but this heat didn't affect her that much. If Aeron had to guess, it was probably thanks to her visit to Hell. After experiencing the brutal climate there, anything else would seem trivial by comparison. Eventually, the explosives finally triggered, catapulting a wave straight up into the air and right into Aeron's flames. The hellfire instantly evaporated the water, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of flying sea salt. The burning salt rocketed even higher into the sky, not stopping until it finally connected with the barrier. The effect was instantaneous, and in a handful of moments, the remaining monstrosities immediately started to melt away into nothing. "What the hell?" he mumbled as he watched the creatures collapse and die. As they turned to ash, the ocean—previously blood-red—slowly returned to its usual color. "So, what did you do?" the Cherub asked Elizabeth as she shuffled back onto the shore.

"The ocean can't just change dramatically like that for no reason. A blessing would have to be present for such a thing to be possible. After watching those creatures for a little while, I realized that something was amiss," the girl explained as she walked over to one of the few corpses that remained and pulled back its gills. "These things are freshwater beasts. They can't live in saltwater. The barrier I discovered was a blessing made up of freshwater. All we needed to do was add some salt, and their fate was sealed." Aeron sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, that was all well and good, but they still had no answer to their most important question.

"Judging by the awkward silence, I'm assuming that none of you know what these things are, right?" Zia said as she holstered her weapons.

"They remind me of Demons, but there's no way that's possible. Demons aren't stupid—they wouldn't just charge in mindlessly like that," he said as he pressed his foot against one of the corpses' scaly skin. "Plus, these things don't appear to be foreigners to this realm. They smell like dirt. Or, in other words, they appear to be residents of this planet."

"This is the first time I've seen organisms like this. And remember, I once called this realm home," Zia responded as she leaned against a nearby cliff. "Are you certain that these fiends aren't Demons?" she asked Aeron, who nodded and scratched the back of his neck.

"When you've been alive as long as I have, you learn a few things," the Cherub started as he straightened his hair. "One such nugget of experience is how to recognize a devil," he finished as he reached back into his pocket and pulled out his transmitter.

"Do you think it was that barrier's fault that we couldn't contact the Bureau?" Zia asked him as he turned on the device.

"I sure hope so," he mumbled as he held the transmitter up to his ear. "Shit…" he cursed as he tossed it back into his breast pocket. "Of course," he hissed, "it's still not going through." As he spoke, the Angel looked up and stared at the horizon. "What in the world are we going to do?"

Twelve years ago...

Suicide is always a touchy subject, no matter what realm you're in. Nobody likes death, but for someone to willingly take their own life… it's a horrible thought. I've seen more than my fair share of suicides during this assignment. The most recent one was an older man who was plagued by sickness. Honestly, after watching him suffer for a while, I can't blame him for doing what he did. Still, that doesn't change the fact that suicide is a sin. Or, at least, that's what my brethren think. Many believe that the act is akin to spitting in Yahweh's face, an unforgivable form of betrayal. And we Angels are no exception to that.

While I've never heard of a successful Angel suicide, rumors can't help but spread. My operator ensures that I'm always caught up on the latest gossip. How one of my winged neighbors tried to slit his own throat, or when one of my older relatives—who was depressed for some unknown reason—tossed himself off The Courthouse's walls. These sad tales are just that, tales. Stories meant to spook children. But it does make me wonder—if I ever turned my gavel on myself—where would I go? What happens to Angels when we die? That's a question that I think all of God's creations ponder. In the case of suicide, we'd be damned immediately. We are, after all, the Almighty's Cherubs. Beings who were lucky enough to be born in his garden. By killing ourselves, we risk it all, and therefore—if any of us dare to attempt it—our creator will show no mercy.