Kimberly's hand raised, and she touched the cold glass of Halo that was above her head. It took her a while to let the thoughts about her death sink in her head. She tried to remember, but her mind was not letting her recollect any memories, and in return, it gave her nothing but blankness.
"Everything alright?" asked Gabriel, who was assisting her as she was new.
Kimberly smiled, "Yes," she answered.
Gabriel then said, "Here as you can see, you will find your fellow angels who have come to live in Heaven. The peace and calmness that you have been looking for, you will find it here."
"Thank you for bringing me here, Gabriel," she thanked him, and he offered her a nod. "I wonder if people are sad that I died. I wouldn't want them to be sad."
Gabriel's hand that was holding the golden staff tightened at her words. The reason why he had stuck with her right now was not just because he wanted to guide her.
"Do not be saddened. The people who spilt tears are the ones who cared for you dearly. It isn't because you have caused them pain, but because you would be missed dearly for the person you are," he responded to her. "Why don't you explore the garden and I will be back soon."
Kimberly nodded her head, and she saw Gabriel walk away from where she was. Alone now, she looked around the place and started to walk with her bare feet pressing against the grassy ground that was soft and not prickly. Her mind was clear, and the air around her was pleasant. Her hand reached to touch the bushes and the flowers one after another.
She looked at the people who were either seated under the trees, some reading books in their hands while others either admiring nature while most of them spoke to each other. Heaven was truly peaceful, thought Kimberly to herself as she continued to walk.
Not too far away from where she was in the garden, Gabriel had not disappeared. He had the company of another archangel Michael who had arrived near the garden of Owe, the moment Kimberly had stepped into Heaven.
"Does she remember anything?" questioned Michael, his eyes calmly staring at Kimberly who had leaned forward towards one of the bushes to take in the scent of the flowers and smile.
"Nothing," replied Gabriel, his eyes not leaving the new soul who was considered to be a valuable person.
"Keep a closer eye on her. At least for a few more hours or days if necessary," instructed Michael. "Here, I thought I wouldn't be seeing her for a while, but it seems like fate had something else in store for her. How did she die?" he asked, slightly curious.
"from terrible sickness ," answered Gabriel, a smile formed on his lips when he noticed Kimberly sneeze after taking in a deep breath from the flowers. It seemed like the pollen from the flowers had been inhaled.
" The Salvette Mortem was there too," he added the last line, and Michael's lips set itself in a thin line. Michael looked like he wanted to say something, but he instead said,
"Looks like it wanted to take her to Hell. It is good that you brought her here," stated Michael, his eyes left the girl and looked at Gabriel. "Souls that belong to Heaven should have the opportunity to live here rather than in the vile environment like Hell which is no place for innocent people."
"I wonder how Lucifer lives there," came the questioning tone from Gabriel, "I heard you met him. How is he?"
Michael closed his eyes before shaking his head, "I feel sorry for him. The angel he once was, he isn't that person anymore. Maybe that is what it means to fall."
Their once fellow angel had fallen from his position and had turned to the dark side that was now considered to be the darkest and sinful, living in a place no one had imagined years ago. They had hoped he would fix his ways and ask for forgiveness, but no one knew Lucifer had no plans to return. He had a kingdom and people of his own that he relished in people's misery and pain.
Kimberly was walking in the garden and she sat down on an empty bench, looking up at the branches that provided shade. She took a deep breath before exhaling out, and looked at the people until her eyes fell on a person who stood behind a standing canvas.
Looking at the canvas, Kimberly saw blurry images flash in front of her eyes, and she stopped walking. Somewhere in the distant part of her mind, she heard voices speak.
'Are all these done by you?'
'Hmm.'
'All?' She asked doubt in her voice.
'No, I stole them from an artist,' replied the male's voice. For some reason her cheeks turned warm. Not knowing what caused it, she placed both her hands on her cheeks.
She wondered what that was about. Making her way towards the canvas and the person, who stood behind the canvas, Kimberly caught sight of a slender looking woman, who held black charcoal in her hand.
The woman's dark black hair had been tied and was left to rest on one side of her shoulder. The breeze that went around them was soft and gentle, and Kimberly caught sight of some of front hair coming to hover in front of the woman' face, which she pushed behind her ear. Her hair is red like hers. Her features were serene, and Madeline wondered why she felt as if she had seen this person before, but she couldn't point her finger where she had seen. Not that she remembered anything that had happened back in the past.
As if sensing Kimberly's eyes, the woman's gaze shifted to look at Kimberly . A small blush appeared on Kimberly's face, and she quickly bowed her head for intruding the person's space. A smile broke through the woman's lips that was warm, and she greeted Kimberly .
"Hello."
Kimberly bowed her head again, greeting the first person who wasn't an archangel. "Hello." She wondered if she had disturbed the woman.
"I don't think I have seen you here before," said the woman.
"I arrived here today," answered Kimberly. She didn't know if it was minutes or hours since she had arrived here, "I am Kimberly."
The woman offered her a warm smile, "Laura."
"What were you drawing?" asked Kimberly curious, walking to the front and taking a look at the art that Laura had been working on. It was the landscape of the mountains that was located away from the garden but still viewable from here. The person had captured it beautifully without the need for colours to be filled in. "It's lovely," she complimented Laura .
Though the people here were kind and polite, Kimberly could feel a part of her missing and something told her to go looking for it. But every time she tried to remember, she felt the sudden block, and it hurt her head before making her feel dizzy.
Peace was right here, yet why was it that her heart was yearning for something she couldn't explain?
"How are you finding Heaven, Kimberly ?" she heard Laura question her, and Kimberly's train of thoughts broke away to return to the present.
"Just as I imagined it to be," replied Kimberly and she caught sight of a little sparrow that flew right in front of her.
"Indeed it is," answered Laura . She placed the charcoal in front of the canvas stand, and Kimberly noticed the woman's hand held not a speck of the charcoal's dust and was clean.
Kimberly's eyes kept moving to look at the people while trying to find familiar eyes, and she asked, "Do you remember about your past?"
"None of us do. When a person enters Heaven, their mind is cleared from the pain and everything related to it. Helping the person leave the burden, agony, the torture that a soul once felt, everything is left at the gates when you are welcomed to Heaven. I can tell you are finding it hard to adjust here as you are new." Laura placed her hand on Kimberly's shoulder. "If something is troubling you, the archangels will help you out with it. All you need to do is ask, and help will be provided."
"I will keep that in mind. Thank you," thanked Kimberly, and Laura smiled.
"I will be going back to my place. It was nice meeting you, Kimberly ," said the woman before departing from there, and Kimberly stood there. She spent the next two hours aimlessly walking while admiring the things Heaven offered.
As the woman said, Kimberly didn't feel the pain that she went through when she was dying, nor did she remember what had transpired the entire time she was in the living world. Heaven was her home now.
While she was still walking, she heard a man call her name, "Kimberly ."
Kimberly turned around to find another man who had white wings, holding a staff in his hand. She stared at the man whose eyes looked wise, and the wind pushed his long silver hair that had been let down to the right. She stared into his grey eyes, a very unusual colour.
Paschar saw Kimberly look back at him, her expression looking peaceful than the last time he had met her. When she was just a child. Though he had been unable to help Kimberly because of the rules imposed on him for his past actions, Paschar cared about Kimberly , and the other Heavenly beings were aware about it. They had restricted him from stepping out of this place.
He knew she didn't have a trace of memory of who he was to her. The only reason he had not involved himself in his daughter's life was because he knew how much light would be thrown to her already troubled existence if he involved himself. She was the last symbol his lover had left him even though his lover is here, but he must not dare go anywhere near her.. Paschar had protected her soul, bringing her to the living world only when he believed it was safe.
"Are you an archangel like Gabriel?" asked Kimberly
Paschar nodded his head, "I am. My name is Paschar. How are you doing, Kimberly?" he asked her.
"I am doing good. How about you?" Kimberly returned the question.
"Good," with Kimberly in Heaven that was safe for her, Paschar didn't have to worry about her well being. But he doubted things were well in the living world.
Far away from Kimberly and Paschar, another angel stood looking at them. The angel's black hair reached until his shoulder, and his black eyes slightly narrowed, wondering how she had ended up here.
Kimberly didn't know the angel with whom she was walking, but it seemed like he knew her as he spoke to her in a familiar tone. She didn't know what hour of the day it was and how much time had passed since she had arrived at this place.
"How many angels are in here?" asked Kimberly to the archangel named Paschar.
"Many, in order to protect Heaven and the people who reside in here," answered Paschar, "Heaven is as vast as the living world, maybe even bigger that no one can measure it. With the number of souls that arrive, we have had a decent number of angels since the very beginning so that, they can not only provide help here but also in the living world."
"What do they do in the living world?" Kimberly believed the angels belonged in Heaven, and each creature had their own realm.
"For work of course," responded Paschar, "Sometimes we go down to the living world to see if everything is going as expected without any disruptions. Sometimes there are disruptions from other kinds, and we try to resolve it." Years ago it was one of the reasons why he had visited the living world, not expecting his and other people's lives to change because of the love he shared with a woman.
"I see," replied Kimberly with a smile on her lips. "It looks like the angels work very hard. I am glad to be here. I heard from the other angel that not everybody gets in here, and I feel very fortunate."
Paschar wasn't sure how to respond to this. He was aware that the other angels were keeping a close eye on Kimberly, making sure to see that she was completely part of the Heavenly realm. Even now, he could sense pairs of eyes looking at them, as if making sure he wouldn't say something he was not supposed to say and not let any doubt be placed in Kimberly clear mind. Because sometimes it took just one black drop in the water to turn everything impure and dark.
He left Kimberly to herself, and as he returned, he came across the angel who stood there staring at him with his arms crossed.
"Does she remember anything?" asked the other angel, his black eyes staring at Paschar.
"Does anyone ever remember anything who comes from the living world?" Paschar questioned back. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Michael."
The other angel hummed, "I was with him a while ago before he left saying he has something important to attend to." They heard a slight commotion, and he turned his head along with Paschar to look in the direction, catching sight of many angels making their way to the tower of justice. "Seems like all of us are taking precautionary measures with the interest of our elder brother making his appearance here."
Paschar's eyebrows furrowed, and his lips set itself in a thin line.
"Did the angels hear any echo at the gates?" asked Paschar.
"Nothing so far. I believe even if he does appear, you will be the first one to know about it," replied the other angel, his black eyes turning back to look at Paschar. "How did she die?"
"It was a sickness. It would be better for you to stay away from Kimberly , Raphael," warned Paschar, and Raphael offered a gentle and polite smile.
. "It is a pity that you are trying to bond with her. Nothing good comes when you do things half-heartedly, Paschar. You know that."
"I don't know what you are speaking about," Paschar's grey eyes were set on Raphael who turned his head in the other direction, staring at the angels who had disappeared from their sight and had made their way into the tower of justice where they were called to take orders.
The smile on Raphael's lips didn't leave, "It is alright if you don't, but if you think you can mend your relationship with her for not being there for her earlier, you won't receive the same feelings. You and I have both been part of Heaven, and not at the same time. We know what it is like, and how things here are programmed in a way where the souls are expected to live in a certain way, unlike the tolerant world of the living."
"It is so because Heaven wants to keep peace in here. We do what we need to do. Don't forget what happened when you tried to form a bridge," Raphael said.
"Just keep yourself away from trouble. I don't want to feel burdened with your support."
"I will keep that in my mind," Raphael offered Paschar a smile, who stared at him for a few seconds before he walked away from there.
The smile that was on Raphael's lips lowered down, and he looked around him before hearing a loud collision from somewhere in the distance. It was like an earthquake had taken place in Heaven. Raphael had a brief idea of who was near Heaven right now. When the next collision was heard, one of the angel's said,
"Get everyone inside!"
The souls from the living world started to move while being guided by some of the angels to get back inside.
"What is that sound?"
"Did something burst?" came the muttered and confused voices from people.
Away from the centre and heart of Heaven, near the closed golden gates where ten angels guarded it, while two demons with black wings stood in front of them.