"I don't trust you," said Kimberly, her eyes watching the angel named Raphael who had told her that he had come here to take her to meet someone. The only people she knew here were the archangels who had greeted her when she had arrived in Heaven, and she trusted them. .
Raphael pursed his lips, he knew this would happen, but he had hoped the lady would oblige to his words and would follow him. He knew his action of hurting Uriel would cost him later, but he believed that things would only worsen if Kimberly was not taken to the front part of Heaven in time. The last thing he needed was people killing each other and dying in Heaven, which was considered a haven.
Raphael didn't take any offence to Kimberly's words. He nodded his head as if he agreed to her words.
"The reason why I am asking you to follow me is that it is important," Raphael let Kimberly know. "With the vibrations that I feel in the air, I can only assume that the fight between the angels and demons has begun. Right now, you are someone who will be able to stop that."
"I don't understand," replied Kimberly with a small frown on her face.
"Long ago, God sent an archangel from Heaven to bring peace in the living world, because the innocent souls were turning corrupt. The angel fell in love and bore a child that I believe is a good sign. You are like a bridge Kimberly, but you are only half of that bridge while the other half waits for you at the front place of Heaven," explained Raphael to her. "I understand that everything I am speaking is sounding strange to you, and it would have been easier with your memories still intact. But when you meet him, you will find your answers. I am Raphael, and am your father's friend ."
"Why did you hurt him then?" questioned Kimberly, her eyes looking at the archangel whose wings had disappeared from his back for the time being.
"Some of my brothers are too rigid in their thinking, looking at things only as black and white. They are unable to see what is in front of their eyes, and I am hoping they will. We need to leave from here rather than wasting our time talking. You are the daughter of an angel, Lady Kimberly," said Raphael before glancing at Uriel as the archangel could wake up any minute.
Kimberly pursed her lips, not knowing what to do. Though initially, she was suspicious, the man in front of her was an archangel and angels never hurt anyone. They never meant any harm, and she finally nodded her head.
They heard another loud collision, and Kimberly couldn't help but look far in the direction where they were now heading.
"What is happening out there?" she asked Raphael, her heart starting to feel anxious.
"A fight between the angel and the demon. Come this way, milady," he ushered her into a passage in the garden where the creepers crawled from one side to the top before they crawled down on the other side. There were little flowers that decorated the creepers, leaving a sweet fragrance in the air.
Kimberly noticed small creatures who had wings on their back. They hid behind the leaves and flowers, when they saw Kimberly and Raphael walk by them. She wondered if they were fairies.
Their feet were quick, and before they could reach the end of the long passageway of the garden, Paschar came into view as he stood there, blocking their way.
"What are you trying to do, Raphael? Did you want to get yourself punished?" questioned Paschar with a deep frown and his lips setting itself in a thin line.
Kimberly looked back and forth between the two archangels. Seeing Raphael not stop walking, she followed him.
"I am doing what I believe to be right, Paschar," answered Raphael, his feet finally coming to a halt, keeping five steps distance from Paschar.
Paschar asked, "Do you think what you believe to be right is right? The orders were clear, and you heard it too. Innocent souls are not supposed to leave Heaven, and until now we have done everything to save them. It is the will of God, and you are going against him. You are an angel and not someone who works for the Devil."
Kimberly couldn't help but wonder what was going on as from what she heard from the words between these two angels, it seemed that the angel who was leading her outside the garden of Owe was going against the rules.
"Kimberly, come with me. I will take you to a safer place," offered Paschar.
"Don't tell me you want her here because you can keep her closer and watch over her. Would your actions be the same if you were allowed to go and meet her in the living world?" questioned Raphael.
Unlike the humans and other creatures who belonged to the living world, Paschar's expression barely changed, and he continued to stare at Raphael, who was younger than him.
"Kimberly is my daughter, and she is under the protection of Heaven, which means we are here to protect her from evil that has stepped into Heaven," stated Paschar. "Maybe I wasn't able to protect her before, but I am going to make it up to her and her mother by looking after her here."
Raphael's eyes softened, "You don't mean it, do you? I heard She doesn't mind going to Hell if it means she gets to stay next to him-"
"Guiding the souls is our responsibility," interrupted Paschar.
Paschar was one of the mellowest angels, who often kept to himself. He had once defied Heaven, and it had cost his daughter to go through many difficulties. He didn't want to burden her more because of his mistakes.
Raphael placed his hand in front of Kimberly, standing in a protective stance. Kimberly looked worried as she felt the pleasant atmosphere had suddenly turned tense.
"Why are you trying to defy the orders, Raphael?" questioned Paschar calmly without taking a hasty decision of attacking a fellow angel.
"Because I believe people's misdeeds can be forgiven. Isn't that what Heaven is all about? We give people a chance to mend their ways. Our father is forgiving, and he wants people to live in harmony. Kimberly's happiness lies on the other side of Heaven, and I understand it is not something that you approve of, but don't you think she deserves true happiness?" Raphael's eyebrows knitted itself.
"And you are ready to take the punishment for her.?" Paschar narrowed his eyebrows.
"You have closely worked with him in the past, enough to know he makes your daughter happy. You know my reasoning is right," Raphael hoped Paschar would listen to him. If Paschar decided not to let them pass, there was no way he would be able to take Kimberly to where Mazdean was and save the other angel's if they had involved themselves in the fight.
Kimberly was taken aback, when Raphael mentioned this angel who was in front of them to be her father. Paschar's eyes shifted from Raphael to look at Kimberly , who was staring back at him.
"Are you sure about this?" Paschar directed his question to Raphael.
"Yes," answered Raphael, and Paschar took a step backwards before moving aside from the passageway. "Where are they?" inquired Raphael.
"Not too far away from the gates," answered Paschar, and he then said, "I will come with both of you. If there are other archangels at the place, I doubt they will let you pass through." Having him would only put more weight on Raphael's explanation as he was one of the eldest archangels.
Away from the garden of Owe, Mazdean and Michael continued to fight with each other without taking a break. Most of the clouds beneath them had scattered away, leaving nothing but space like sky below them.
With sparks flying in the air because of their weapons clash against each other, Mazdean and Michael glared at each other.
"Did you even. Know that Kimberly did not want to stay here... I've mark her, she had a demon blood inside her."
"I don't care if Madeline had a demon blood in her," replied Michael, his eyes steadily looking at Mazdean . "You must have already heard that we don't care about it anymore as the matter was already dropped. It is ironic, though, that fate played in a way to have Kimberly end up in Heaven. Doesn't it mean that this is her destiny? We had nothing to do with her death."
"That I have gathered. It was just a sickness, and I don't care about it either. My only concern has been, where Kimberly is." Seeing Michael not obliging to his words, Mazdean swung his hand to release a beam that didn't just go at Michael, but it spread out like waves from where Mazdean stood. The angel's who weren't as powerful as Michael fell on the clouds.
"Don't make me angry, Mazdean . Return to where you have come from, unless you want to die here," said Michael, raising his hand up and to the side as if he was harnessing all the energy around him.
"I have the same words to offer to you," replied Mazdean, and as he said that a dark shadow started to appear around him.
Before both of them could clash against each other, their attention was diverted by the presence of two more angel's and the girl who was today's highlight. Michael's eyes narrowed, and he glared at his two brothers,
"What are you doing by bringing her here?!"
Paschar and Raphael had arrived at the fighting scene. Mazdean's gaze moved from Paschar to look who looked just like Kimberly male version.. 'definitely her father.'
Mazdean'eyes then looked at the person who stood behind the archangels, and on seeing Kimberly, his eyes returned to their red ones, and his gaze softened.
The other angel Gabriel had already been there, and he had let Michael fight the demon. His brother seemed to be enthusiastic to fight. Gabriel had decided to stand on the sidelines and observe.
Looking at Raphael, Gabriel asked, "Came to tour the lady around Heaven?" in subtle sarcasm. He could feel Michael's anger that was radiating from where he stood.
"This is perfect," Mazdean stated loudly. "Hand me Kimberly over, and all of us can continue our lives like this never happened."
Michael's anger was directed at Paschar and Raphael, who had defied the orders for the second time. "Have you forgotten whose side are you on?"
Mazdean didn't wait, and he quickly apparated at a speed that within the next second he stood behind Kimberly. Feeling the sudden breeze, Kimberly turned behind to look at the stranger, who had red eyes.
"W-who are you?" blurted Kimberly.
Kimberly stared at the stranger who was looking back at her. She didn't remember anything that had happened in the living world before she came to Heaven. That was why she didn't know a person like this existed, at least not one that had antlers on his head.
Mazdean already knew this was going to happen, and no matter how much he would tried to prepare himself for this moment since Kimberly's death, the blow of her words didn't reduce the crack in his heart. Kimberly wore white robe that was similar to the other angels robes, and her wings were out for one's view. He noticed her gulp down, her throat moving up and down.
The nerves that had appeared on Mazdean's skin slowly started to disappear, and the antlers slowly turned smaller and smaller until they finally disappeared.
When a gust of wind blew across them, Kimberly raised her hand to push her hair away from her face while she continued to stare at Mazdean .
Instead of using force that he was used to in the past, Mazdean knelt to everyone's surprise as they didn't expect the Djinn to showcase such politeness. Mazdean was in a delicate situation where Michael had made it clear that Kimberly wouldn't be able to leave Heaven without her will. Maybe if it was someone else, he would have agreed to leave the person here. After all, Mazdean never had an issue with people going to Heaven, but the person who had entered Heaven was Kimberly, his lover and wife, and he wasn't willing to part away from her.
With Mazdean's body back to normal and the antlers that had vanished, Kimberly noticed the stranger was handsome and somewhere, she felt her heart skip a beat when he knelt in front of her.
Without hesitation, Mazdean picked up Kimberly's hand as if it was the most natural thing, and he heard her heart race. He pressed his lips on the back of her hand, a kiss that was gentle and enough to sway Kimberly's heart.
"My name is Mazdean Reghar, the Lord of Wales in the living world, the lord of Valor in hell, but most importantly, I am your husband and your soulmate," Mazdean's words were confident as he looked up at Kimberly.
The little gesture Mazdean showed was a big surprise to everyone who was there because until now no demon had appeared in Heaven and had knelt down on their knees in front of an angel.
Kimberly's eyes widened hearing these words. Was it true? With everyone's eyes that were on her and on this man who introduced himself to be Mazdean, it made her conscious, and she fell short of words.
When the angel named Raphael had mentioned that he was going to make her meet someone, someone who was waiting for her, the last thing she had expected was a handsome stranger declaring her to be his wife.
Mazdean didn't move from his position, and he didn't let go of her hand. He saw the way an innocent blush appeared on Kimberly's face as if she was not immune to his charms. His lips twisted, ready to smile over her reaction, but he still needed her to agree to leave the place with him.
"Are you ready to come to hell with me?" came the polite yet patient words from Mazdean .
"She's not going anywhere!" Michael glared at because the demon had dared to come and take away a soul from Heaven. For eons, the angels had been trying to keep the souls safely in Heaven. Providing them with a life that they deserved after the hardships they went through in the living world, which was nothing less to Hell.
Gabriel flew from where he stood, making his way to where Michael stood, "The memory spell is too strong, brother. No one has ever been able to break it. You and I, with everyone else who is part of Heaven, are aware of it."
Like other angels, Gabriel had worked in saving and protecting the people from the living world. At the same time, it was quite interesting to see a demon having a connection with an angel in here. Not to forget, the demon had entered Heaven knowing he could be killed. As much as evil prevailed in the world, the angels had always succeeded in guarding the children of God while trying to show them the right path.
"Lucifer is here," informed Michael, and Gabriel raised his eyebrows. It had been years since he had last heard about their brother, who had turned to the dark side.
"I don't think we should be surprised, considering how this one is djinn," came the calm voice from Gabriel. He turned back, looking at the sky and caught sight of the bat-like wings that swiftly headed towards them. "I wonder if we have more trouble," murmured Gabriel under his breath without a hint of panic in his voice.
A deep frown appeared on Michael's forehead when he sensed Lucifer's presence not far behind them, and his grip on his golden staff tightened.
While the angel's concentration was deviated with the Devil's arrival, Mazdean tried to woo Kimberly like he should have rightfully done since the beginning that they have meet in the slave market.
"So what is it going to be, sweet puppy?" Mazdean nudged Kimberly by his words.
Kimberly's cheeks turned warmer as heat appeared to settle on her face. Both Raphael and Paschar had left the place to join where the other two archangels stood.
"Were you the one who created the collision earlier?" questioned Kimberly, and Mazdean nodded his head. "Why? Were you fighting with the angels?" With the knowledge that Kimberly had, angels were the ones who brought light and protected the souls, while the demons were the ones to create an uproar and spread bad influence on people. "Are you a demon?"
With her memory wiped clean, Kimberly had only found Mazdean's appearance unusual, but she didn't judge him.
"I am, a Djinn, more powerful than demon." answered Mazdean truthfully. "But me being a Djinn has nothing to do with loving you, Kimberly . You are the most beautiful and kind woman I have ever come across in my life, and I treasure you above anything and above my very own life. I know it is hard to believe with your memories erased, but I mean every word when I say I will be lost without you next to me."
Mazdean could feel Kimberly's heart skip a beat, but he didn't stop speaking.
"You might not remember the time we have shared, but I assure you that each and every one of them is worth remembering, and I cherish them all. The one's where you smiled and laughed, the ones where you were angry and sad, the time when you cried, and all I wanted to do was to wipe them away while wanting to take the burdens that you have felt," said Mazdean.
He got up from the place where he had knelt on one of his knees to stand tall and in front of Madeline. "I will build them all again because all I need is you with me. So...will you come?"
To be continued...