"So, how are you Mik?" I questioned, resting my arms on the ice-cold handrail as Mikkel stood in front of the elevator wall, pressing buttons. We hadn't seen each other in a good minute, due to him being occupied with training.
"Authorised personnel only, please place your book on the scanner."
Mikkel was a bit surprised, but lifted his book hesitantly towards the scanner before I stopped him. "I'll take care of that."
I placed my hand on the scanner. Although it clearly wasn't a book, the scanner was build to recognise other forms of identification. A red light travelled down my hand before the scanner retreated back to its home behind the walls.
"Oh? Morning to both of you. Luka, you're here to see Ezekiel, correct?" A female voice, from the intercom, said.
"Yeah, is he in his office?"
"Yes he is. I'll notify him that you're on your way."
"Thank you, Helena," I responded, and then spun back to Mikkel. "Back to my question, how are you?"
"I'm...fine." He moved away from the flashing buttons and leaned against the steel wall perpendicular to the one I was standing at, gazing at his reflection.
"What's wrong?"
"It's...just, I'm nervous for you. It's been ages since you first when on a trip."
I rubbed his arm in a comforting manner, "I'll be fine. Earth isn't that bad of a place, you know, compared to other planets."
"Still...I don't want anything to happen to you," Mikkel stammered, failing to look me in the eyes. I glanced down at the floor. I hated seeing the sorrow his eyes held—and the fact that it was because of me, amplified this heart-wrenching feeling even more.
"Nothing'll happen. Your brother's a strong one." I smiled. "And plus, we all have to get used to it. You're going to be Ezekiel's assistant soon...you have to let go of your fears, Mik."
"I...I guess so."
This was the time that Mikkel was written to be happy—after all he was going to be the assistant of the esteemed Ezekiel—but now, he was going to be worrying about me. I needed to find something that would raise his spirits, even temporarily.
"I'll tell you what, since I'm here, you can explore Ezekiel's floor." Mikkel was destined to explore it sooner or later, but I thought it would be a better memory if it was with me.
His eyes widened and his jaw fell open at my words. "Really?"
"Of course." I watched as his whole face lit up. Mik opened the dark brown journal that was almost glued to his chest, and began jotting something down—it was the one I gave him a long time ago. "You still have that?"
He nodded, not taking his eyes of the page. I let a grin slip. It was reassuring to see that Mik still had it, especially since I gifted it to him when he was quite young. Surprisingly, it was still in good condition—besides the bite marks at the top from his dog, Arlo. He brought the leather book closer to his chest, flashing the back of it. The two wings wrapped around each other that I engraved into it were still there.
"Why are you smiling?"
"It's nothing."
He raised an eyebrow at my answer but shrugged it off. Mikkel remained silent for a while, focusing on whatever he was writing and leaving me to contemplate about him, even though he was right in front of me. I grew quite protective of him over the centuries we shared. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him, not again so I went out of my way to make sure of it, but this time I couldn't. I wasn't sure how long the lie would remain solid, and that was what scared me.
"I forgot to ask...what do you think sir wants?"
I was taken aback by the sudden question, but it made me think about something other than my brother. To be truthful, I didn't know either. Perhaps, it was just a "good luck Luka, I believe in you!" type of meeting. I had to admit, I was slightly put off by it—Ezekiel hasn't spoken with me in ages, but now with my death looming, he decided that it was a good time to rekindle our friendship.
"Not really sure Mik. He didn't tell me why he wanted to talk to me," I responded. "How's training going?"
"It's going pretty good. Miss Helena is a great mentor...but she fights a lot with sir..."
I was waiting for him to say that, "Yeah that's how they are. You'll get along well with Ezekiel though. He knows better than to fight with you, he wants to look good in front of his...bestfriend's brother."
Mikkel and I both laughed before he set a serious look on his face.
"Have...you seen Silas today?"
"I have actually, he was with Adona. Why?"
"He's been ignoring me for awhile. Damien...thinks it's because I'm becoming...sir's assistant, but I don't know," Mikkel revealed quietly. I raised my eyebrows, a slight anger churning in my core. The virtue's hatred for his older brother was a picture anyone could view yet, I didn't think he would get mad at Mikkel for accepting such an opportunity.
I sighed, "Mik, he's just a bit angry. Sooner or later, he'll accept it but for now, you shouldn't worry about it. This is a really important time in your life and I don't want you to feel overwhelmed. I'll talk to him about it, alright?"
He nodded in agreement, and that was when I had noticed his ears. They were getting a lot pointier, "Your ears are getting a lot bigger, Mik."
"Yeah...I've noticed that too. It's a bit scary at times."
"Scary?" Mikkel, like Adona was a dominion and their patent quirk was their ears—some were freakishly pointy and long, others were round. Although it sounded a bit strange; having ears as your quirk, but it was seen as a blessing because God would give them commands by whispering it in their ear. "That just means you're getting bigger and! More powerful. I mean have you seen how powerful Adona is?"
Mikkel laughed as he rubbed the tip of his ear—somehow not touching his black glasses in the process. But, I frowned. What if I wasn't here to see how powerful he became?
"Frater," he said.
"Hm?"
"When are you going to marry miss Kallista?"
I immediately turned red, "What?"
"It's been- ages since you two met and you're both old enough. So why not get married?" Mikkel suggested, "then we'll have banana bread for life!"
I laughed to wash away my discomfort, "I'll marry her...when you ask Emilia out."
All the red pigment from his blood rushed to his face as the elevator bell went off, the polished steel doors opening. I chuckled at the convenience as he pushed his thick-framed glasses into place before scurrying out.
"Careful!"
I couldn't tell if Mikkel was doing that out of embarrassment or excitement. I stuffed my hands into my pocket and trotted over to Mik, who was too awestruck to notice me.
"It's pretty cool, huh?" I glimpsed at him before studying the high-ceilinged hall myself, nostalgia pouring down on me. Round marble columns were aligned on both sides of the hall, giving support to the balconies above it. Each column was covered in intricate designs. (Most of which, were chosen by me since Ezekiel was terrible at deciding things; one second, he wanted to do arabascato columns and the next, corinthian columns.)
I looked to the other side of the hall. There were various statues arranged in-between the marble columns, all of them carrying some sort of weapon, whether it be a bow, a sword or an axe. I had never really understood why he decided to put those statues there.
"It really is! Sir has great taste," Mik chirped.
We began to stroll through the colonnaded hall, our footsteps were harsh and echoed through out it. I was positive Ezekiel must have heard us by now.
"Did Helena tell you about the perks of being his assistant?"
He shook his head.
"Well, one is that you have an entire floor to yourself."
I could hear him gasp. "Is that why there's no one ever on the thousandth floor?"
"Yeah! I'd tell you more but that'd just ruin the surprise."
Mikkel abruptly pointed to the paintings on the ceiling, all depicting Bible scenes. I spent ages painting them, whilst Ezekiel would just lay on the floor and watch, occasionally starting a paint fight whenever I got down. I remembered crying for days because of the paint that stained my wings but now, I would kill to have another moment like that—so carefree, so happy.
"You know, I actually painted them," I admitted proudly as Mikkel circled around the statues, examining all the small details.
He stuck his head out from behind the hoary statues. "Really? I never knew you were a painter."
"Eh, I don't paint that much anymore."
Mikkel was too immersed in examining the statues to hear what I said, though I didn't mind. He always wanted to explore this floor but was forbade from doing so—it was home to documents of paramount importance. It was nice to see him this happy.
But if only he could remain that happy.
We came to a halt in front of Ezekiel's office. Mikkel was about to turn back, but I swiftly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into my arms. He was a bit surprised but let himself melt into my embrace. I could feel all the emotions I wanted to suppress, rise to the surface. Now that I had him in my arms, I didn't want to let go, ever. I wanted to hold him and cry the pain out of my core.
What if I never saw him again?
What if this was the last memory he would ever have of me?
"I'm...gonna' miss you a lot Mik," I muttered, resting my chin on his head.
"When are you coming back?" he asked softly.
The last bits of composure I had was flaking off. How could I tell him that his own brother might never come back?
"I don't know," I said. "But I want you to promise me something Mik."
Mikkel peered up at me, his azure blue eyes becoming more bloodshot by the second.
"Take care of yourself. Learn to trust others and understand your own boundaries. I want you to stay strong...even when I'm not here." I exhaled. Tears began trailing down his cheeks, his bottom lip jutting out. "Can you...do that?"
He nodded, blinking back more tears. "I...promise."
"And another thing," I added. "Confess to Emilia."
Mik's face flushed a scarlet red.
"I...love you so much frater, don't you forget that!" he wailed.
"I love you too Mik." I ruffled his jet black hair as he sobbed into my shoulder. If these were my last few words to him, then I suppose I would be a bit happier.
"Ah Luk-" Ezekiel stopped as soon as he saw us, both in tears, squeezing the life out of each other. I glared at him. The dominion slackened his grip around my waist, staring at Ezekiel, who was visibly embarrassed. Lord, he was acting like he had never seen two people hug before. "Er- do you two need another minute?"
"N-no no...it's fine," Mikkel answered as a tissue appeared in Ezekiel's hand with a four-pointed star in the middle of it, the same one he had on both eyes. He handed it to the boy before ushering him away.
"Bye...frater! Have a nice trip!" Mik shouted, his voice quavering. We both watched as he bolted down the hall, almost slipping a few times but using his wings to save himself from the fall.
"Well, ladies first," the albino remarked with a lopsided grin. I screwed up my face at him. Was he really going to pretend that I wasn't tearing up just a second ago?
Nonetheless, the two of us walked into the illuminated room. His office was rather plain yet, still elegant. I smiled as the wave of nostalgia hit me—as well as the smell of dusty old books. God, I didn't even know the last time I was in here. But all that mattered was that I was here now, right? And with the idiot I called my best friend—well, he would have to re-earn that title. I walked around the room, taking in all my grand surroundings.
The large mahogany bookshelves. The L-shaped desk. The large window behind it, with dusty raunch brown curtains. The crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The painting.
Wait...the painting?
A medium-sized painting was hung on the cream-coloured wall, in-between the shelves; a brunet with a blindfold hanging loosely around his eyes and slender fingers splaying across his jaw. The fingers were covered in blood, leaving red splotches on his jaw. Some eyes would just move past it, but how could I do that when I was the one who had painted it. Though, I had to admit, it was a bit creepy how similar the painting and I looked.
"You still have it...," I mumbled, staring at the vibrant yet eerie painting.
"It was the last painting you ever did, how could I have not kept it? Besides, it reminded me of the good old days."
"Like what?"
"When you actually used to visit me. Nowadays, it feels like you forgot I exist," Ezekiel exaggerated, clutching his chest dramatically.
I scoffed. "You haven't visited me either, you cannot be talking."
Ezekiel chuckled and gestured for me to sit down, his long silver hair swaying. I could see the faint images of an ox, a lion and an eagle behind him—pets, as he called them. "Coffee or tea?"
"Ezekiel, you always do this.."
"Come on! Do it for old times' sake."
I sighed joyously, "Trick question, you only serve coffee."
His mouth curved into a smile as he poured the almond coloured liquid into the china cup. The smell of Arabian coffee filled my nostrils as he pushed it towards me—just like the good old days.
"Thought you would have changed your office around by now."
"I thought so as well, but I like it like this. Not too opulent or plain." I took a sip of the hot liquid. "So, how have things been?"
"Alright, I suppose. I was pretty...relaxed when I had no duties to fulfil but now..."
He nodded, "I think the King did that on purpose, to make you feel less...distressed before you were chosen."
"But all that time was pointless...because now I'm more stressed than I've ever been."
"I can understand," the cherub said.
"You know, I thought you chose me to do this...to get back at me for not talking to you...for a while."
Ezekiel chuckled, but I could tell he felt insulted, "I'm not that petty. My mother might have done that, but not me."
He poured more coffee into his cup.
"Your coffee addiction is still strong, huh?"
"Blame it on my mother, she probably drank nothing but coffee when she was with me."
We laughed in unison.
"I find it strange how we're just...able to talk normally after not seeing each other in years."
"We just have a low maintenance friendship," he replied.
"Low maintenance to the point where it goes on for years?"
"Exactly."
I drunk the remainder of my coffee and sat up straight, looking Ezekiel directly in the eyes. "So...what exactly is this meeting about?"
"I wanted to talk to you about the whole situation...I know you're the type to act strong around others, so I figured...you needed someone to talk to."
He couldn't be more right.
"I really...wish he told you earlier so you could take time off to process it."
"When did he tell you?"
He looked down at his cup, strands of silver hair falling over his eyes. "Two days ago. He told me to arrange it, I tried asking him to let me guide him instead but he...refused."
"Did you ask why?"
"I did, but he didn't answer my question. At some point, I even refused to allow it but he...threatened to replace me with my halfwit of a brother."
"What?" I uttered, staring at him in arrant shock. How could the King threaten his own nephew for simply wanting the best for his friend?
"And, I wish I could change it but, you only have a year to convert him."
Acute pain at the sides of my head, almost underscored that statement. A year? Ezekiel had to have been joking! "He can't just do that! Uriel is the one who controls what happens in the Bellatores, isn't he?"
"He is, but Michael surpasses my father in rank. We couldn't possibly do anything about it."
"But I don't understand...why was I chosen to do it? I'm no guardian angel like you."
"I know..."
"He assigned me to second sphere for no particular reason and now he's choosing me to convert him? Does he think of me as some pawn?"
"Don't say that..." The albino shut his eyes and pulled in a breath. "You don't think that...you were chosen to do it for a reason?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you think it's strange that he chose you out of everyone else? How he's so...adamant on you doing it?" Ezekiel got up from his seat, and stepped towards the window. "I didn't want to bring this up...but I noticed that he seemed agitated when I kept questioning his decision ."
My eyes widened. I wasn't expecting that. It had made me question so many things. I had only met with the King a few times, and I could tell he cared a lot about us angels. He would never do anything to put us in harm's way yet, Ezekiel's suspicion made me question that greatly.
"That...it's possible but why? I'm not anything special like you..."
I knew he could probably hear the pain in my voice. I lowered my head onto my forearms, hiding my face in the white fabric of my blazer. I didn't want to seem weak in front of him, especially since we hadn't spoken to each other for a few orbits around the sun.
I could hear Ezekiel coming towards me and sit on the table, beside me.
"Luka...," the albino whispered before bringing my head into his lap.
I guess that was what set my emotions off. I began sobbing silently into his lap as he caressed my head, tears staining my under-eyes as well as his trousers.
"Why, Ezekiel?"
I ached for him to tell me that I was going to be fine, that this, was just one big mistake and that he would sort it all out—I wanted him to save me from this mess.
"Why?"
He didn't respond and continued stroking my hair.
There was so many things I was yet to tick off: to see Mikkel get married to the angel he loved the most. To be his best man alongside Ezekiel. To marry Kallista. To hug Silas, and tell him that he would do great things one day. To help Xavier become a stronger throne. To tell Adona that I admired her.
To do things better.
"How do you do it?" I placed my chin on his lap and stared up into his golden eyes. "Converting all those demons? Aren't you scared?"
"I was always scared. I didn't know if the next demon I had to convert would kill me." Ezekiel wiped away the incoming tears with his thumb as I sniffled. "There was so much things I wanted to do. If I said that I didn't hate them at first, I would be lying...but you grow used to them."
He smiled, "What you must do is, embrace the possibility that you will die. Embrace the problems that might come with it and then maybe, it'll be easier for you."
"But I don't...want to die Ezekiel..."
"You won't Luka. I know you can do it." His brows drew together. "Although I hate that the King chose you, I'm sure it's because he sees something bigger in you. I'm sure he believes you can do it too."
His words managed to conjure up relief within me. It was comforting that he used to feel the same as I did, but it also made me like I was being dramatic. Ezekiel has converted over hundreds of demons—I couldn't imagine the stress that came with it, and not knowing if your next demon would be your last.
His lion, Luan suddenly jumped out from behind his right shoulder and practically pounced on me, chafing its face against mine—almost like it was in agreement with what Ezekiel said. I grinned, even though the golden hairs of his mane was prickling my mouth.
"Alright alright! Down boy," I instructed. Not even a second had passed and he was already on the ground. "Good boy."
I stroked Luan's head before looking back to Ezekiel, who was sort of red in the cheeks but grinning.
"What's with the grin?"
"Nothing," he answered. "Helena and I will make sure you get through this. You needn't worry."
"Thank you Ezekiel. I...appreciate you so much." My arms scarfed his waist. I was close to laying my head on his lap, until the big feline creature jumped on me once again, his paws residing on my shoulders, "I appreciate you too Luan!"
"Luan...compose yourself," he said, frowning, making the lion lie back onto the ground. "Anyway, Luka...we're leaving tomorrow-"
"Tomorrow!? Why must we leaving so quickly?"
"Well, you were supposed to leave today but, I changed it." I sighed. "You should say your goodbyes, and then get some rest."
I nodded as I stood up, "Alright then, I'll let you be for now. 'Seems like you have a lot of work to do."
I nudged my head towards the stack of pages on his desk, my face lighting up with glee as I saw his frown.
"Way to ruin my mood," Ezekiel mumbled before getting up from the table. "Come on, hug me."
The albino slid his arms betwixt my shawl and around my waist as I propped my head on his shoulder. Despite us not seeing each other for years, I was glad I could call someone like him my best friend.
We remained in that position for a tad too long, our hands still in the same place and not moving—as though we were now one of his statues. "Uh...Ezekiel? You're hugging me a bit long."
"Hush. This makes up for all the years we haven't hugged."
I laughed wholeheartedly before we finally let go of one another. "Thank you...for everything, Ezekiel. I reall-"
"You're acting like you won't see me again tonight. Save your appreciation speech for later."
"Alright, alright. Bye," I responded as I waved at Luan—who simply waved his tail back.
"Take care of yourself!" Ezekiel hurried back to his seat and began wading through pages as I headed for the double doors. This was the last time I would be in his office—for now. I had to admit, having that conversation with Ezekiel made me feel a bit more light-hearted. It was comforting to know that he had my back but perhaps, this wouldn't be so bad. At least, I hoped.