Chapter 2: "Heaven? Heavens no!"

Light once again enters my eyes. My eyes widen. Wait, my hands. I can't seem to move my hands. I was bound, a mysterious rope-like object pinning my hands tightly. I was moving, was it a car? No, it felt more like a plane. Was this what they call human trafficking? 

"Hey, you. You're finally awake." It was that girl again, the same one who gracefully lopped my head off. My, you are awfully quiet." 

"Where... Where are we going?"

"Oh, you do talk. Anyhow we're going to the cloud district." She said flatly

"The what?"

"My god, do I have to repeat it... We are going to"

The cloud district was a bizarre location. Buildings sat loftily above the cream-colored virgin clouds. The architecture was tall, imposing, and industrial with miniature primitive hut housing accompanying the towers. The people were even stranger, with shimmering silver hair, and a lofty halo levitating just mere millimeters from the apex of their heads. They spoke often, yet I was unable to understand their language as if they spoke in nothing more than pure unlistenable gibberish. I look down, it seems as if my hands are bound by pure air, or some clear material.

"Hey so about last night... Did you kill me?" She stopped dead in her tracks. She turns.

"Yeah... I had to."

"Really? But if that's so... Am I... dead?" She stares deeply into my eyes, that spiral pattern making itself apparent once more. 

"As of now, that's a complete mystery. Listen something weird happened to you. So it's best If you stop asking questions."

"How come?"

"Because I don't have answered alright!"

"uhhh okay... So why are we here?" Even with the magical restraints I manage to rub my neck, feeling the sunken rubbery scar tissue, as If I ran my finger through a multi-layered book cover, from smooth, silky, soft skin to fatty rubber. That rubber wrapped around my neck, a permanent reminder. A permanent reminder that I had died.

"We're here to meet Madam (Unable to be translated)."

"Uhh.. who is this madam person?" I chimed in, hoping to learn more about this ever-more confusing scenario.

"Oh right. So basically there's this council up here, The council of halo-mortal affairs. And also basically they run everything." She said. "Oh and more, the Madam we're about to talk to runs the department of virtues, and is head of the angel department. So she's a bit of a workaholic she is."

"So does she have the answers to this?"

"Yes, I was asked by her specifically." She breathes in deep. "She asked for me to bring the boy to a strange death. And that's it."

Suddenly she stops, looking casually amongst the halo-folk. "Hey, you! Geezer. Know where Madam (Unable to be translated) is currently residing?" An elder, his skin wrinkled. The top of his head reflected the very light brought down upon it. 

"Ah, a grim reaper... What might your business be today? And to what extent does it concern our Madam?"

"Listen, I just need to meet with Madam (Unable to be translated). So Sorry old man, but everything is under lock and key."

"Ah that's alright young lady, our Madam should be over there in"

The council office was a strange imposing environment. With architecture that calls back to ancient Romans, yet with luxurious materials that can only be found within modern-day periods. A bizarre mix of what was, and what is. The marble flooring cast my reflection as If I was staring at a puddle of stagnant water. It confirmed my suspicion, a lining of that rubbery scar tissue wraps itself around my neck. The cut was clean, too clean. The scar was naught more than a perfect line from back to front. I had to give her credit, this cut can only be made by a master of her work. 

"Madam (Unable to be translated)! The boy, like you asked!" She yells bursting through the door. There I saw seven distinct figures. While couldn't understand what they were saying, I knew they were arguing. A fierce heated spat. Searing hatred in all their eyes. They were all dressed nobly, with long flowing pearl gowns or straightened luminance attire, their halos shone, as their words pierced each other. A battlefield of naught but words, and accusation. They sat in elevated chairs, a circle with a pit in the middle. Those who enter are forced to look up towards them, a symbol of their pure authority. "Is this a bad time?" Silence floods the building. They regain their composure as both the girl and I become apparent to them. 

The events that proceeded were illegible, these shady figures spoke in their common tounges. Yet it was clear they knew how to speak in mortal tongues. The girl nearly spoke, only giving her recounting of the events. Or I assumed so. The shading was harsh, and the figures appeared like bats. The light was overbearing, my shadow so clear, it might as well have been a clone of me. Suddenly the figures dispersed, running into the shadowy fog. One remained, however. She followed as I was ushered into an office-adjacent location. The grim reaper girl hung around, leaning close to the door clearly bored. So this was the Madam. She was elegant in human form, with her soft olive skin and flowing waterfalling marble hair, with highlights of yellows, reds, and blues. Her dress was gorgeous, a complex dress, like layers of white translucent clouds. Her eyes were beautiful, and the emerald shined, an emerald one could stare at.

"So... You're the boy huh?" She spoke smoothly, with a pep of slyness being mixed in. "I've been hearing all about you. So! What do you, yes you, wanna know?" 

"I just wanna know... Is this heaven?"

"Heaven?" Her laugh was sweet but sharp. And filled the room "Heavens no! You're in the cloud district sweetheart, you do know the name, right? Alright, let's stop the riffraff, to the matter at heart." She eyes the grim reaper girl. "She already filled me in. And well it's a doozy."

"Uh, how so?"

"Listen, last night you had encountered a fallen angel. Where is it now, you might ask? Well..." She vigorously points her finger toward my forehead, slowly moving down until she reaches my heart. "Right there."

"In... Inside me? " 

"That's right and seems like it likes being in there. So sorry sweetie but there no way getting it out."

"Really? There's nothing you can do?" She smiled smugly

"Well, maybe I do maybe I don't. Listen, that depends on you, sweetie." I should have known, all my life I've been taken advantage of. I should've seen it coming. "I have a proposition, you work for me. And I'll find a way to fix you. Understood." I sighed, I knew something like this was coming.

"Fine. I-"

"Wait! Boy, are you sure about this? fighting fallen angels isn't some walk in the park." Grim reaper girl chimed in, seems like all this talk had caught her attention.

"Well now, if you're so scared Ms, what's your name? Ms shinigami, then why don't you go with him?" Madam responded. She laughed again, feeling pure joy from an idea. 

"I'll take the job! With her or not I don't mind." I said I was worried this would divulge into an argument. I hate arguments, they were never the best thing to witness firsthand. 

"Heh, looks like sweetie over here has guts. Well since you are so willing, there's a fallen angel at this moment. Bring its head. Bu-bye now cuties!"

And just like that she was gone disappearing like clouds dispersing on a clear sky. I had taken my first job, and it was to kill fallen angels. Can I even do it? I love over at the grim reaper lady, she's silently fuming. 

"Let's go." She says, trying hard not to let her anger get the best of her.

"Where to?"

"To that damn fallen angel!"