Kimberly parted her lips. Though she didn't have a memory of this person or what he was speaking, she felt a strange familiarity in the way he talked to her. His words were sweet on her ears.
Her eyes moved to look at the other people who had gathered around them. Most of the angels intently watched them, while the archangel's had a mixed response. Paschar and Gabriel looked at her with a calm expression, the angel Raphael had a faint smile on his lips, and Michael looked more than upset right now.
Michael was unhappy with the turn of events as his brothers were letting an angel mingle with a demon who was the definition of catastrophe.
"Have you all decided to side with the evil in the world?" questioned Michael.
Being one of the eldest out of all the angels, he had always tried to set an example of how angels were supposed to be. The demons had caused nothing but trouble until now. The demons whispered things to the people in the living world, tempting them to do evil things before the same people who were tempted ended up in Hell.
"This might bring in peace," said Raphael and received a glare from Michael.
"By joining hands with the Devil and djinn?!" Michael's temper shot up.
"I think what Raphael means is," Gabriel interrupted with a pleasant smile on his face, "That the evil in the world might reduce because of the demon and an angel's reunion."
"It didn't before. How do you expect it will happen now?" Michael's eyes narrowed while he tried to control his voice.
The other three archangel's frowned upon hearing this. Michael pursed his lips, wondering if he should tell it. But even though he didn't say anything more than that, it didn't take long for the other three angels to know that it was Paschar, regarding whom Michael was speaking about.
Gabriel's eyebrows raised, and without commenting on Michael's words
"But you know she belongs here. Her heart is pure and untainted even after what took place in the living world. If you didn't feel that way, you wouldn't have brought her here," stated Michael, and he had a point there.
Gabriel was quiet for some time before deciding to speak, "That was before I heard his confession. If you look at the records, he has truly loved and cherished her."
"I have no issue with them being in love," Michael rolled his eyes. "We cannot let souls leave from Heaven. Next thing you know, someone else will be at the gates of Heaven asking for their loved one's soul to be sent back, not to talk of going to hell.. She's an angel."
A chuckle escaped his lips. "I missed you brother, you can also choose to come to hell with me," the Devil said with a straight face, and Michael's eyes hardened.
Gabriel and the others were not too concerned about Mazdean being here, but with the Devil who had appeared, everyone looked at him in high alert. Everyone took their position so that if the Devil would strike, they would be ready to strike back at him.
"Go back to where you have come from. You are no more welcome in Heaven," Michael turned himself to face Lucifer.
A smile appeared on Lucifer's lips, "I have not come here to fight with anyone. All I have come here is to supervise the situation. I don't think anyone would like to see my wrath after hurting my friends." Lucifer's eyes moved to look at Mazdean , who seemed unscathed.
On one side there were the angels, and on another side was the Devil. On the third side, Mazdean had built his own space of bubble with Madeline so that he could capture her whole attention.
Without any hesitation, Mazdean leaned forward and kissed Kimberly right on her lips. He kept the kiss short without making it overbearing, leaving a breath of sweetness in her mouth. Kimberly eyes widened.
"I know you feel it in your very soul, Kimberly," said Mazdean, his red eyes piercing through her.
"That's enough!" said Michael, stepping forward. "As you can see, Kimberly now belongs to Heaven. I can understand that it's hard to believe that she isn't in the living world, but you need to accept the truth of what has happened."
Mazdean's eyes narrowed, looking at the archangel with the same intensity. "One way or the other, I am taking her," while saying this, a black fuming fire appeared in his hand.
"How will you take her when she doesn't even know you? Using the whisperings of the devil to sway her," Michael tched at the end.
"That won't be needed," came Kimberly's voice who stood beside Mazdean. She stepped closer to Mazdean, and she placed her arm on his. "I remember."
The angels who gathered around looked at Kimberly with a perplexed expression on their face. They wondered if Mazdean had done something to Kimberly to make her utter words that she didn't mean. Soon whisperings broke in there by the angels who stood there watching the scene,
"That's not possible!"
"It's the Devil's work. He must have done something!"
"No one has ever regained their lost memories…"
Clapping his hands together, Lucifer looked at Kimberly "It is good to have you back, Kimberly ."
"I won't let you-" Michael started only to have his other brother Gabriel, catch hold of his staff so that he wouldn't begin a fight that would cause the other angels any harm.
"Gabriel?" a look of shock appeared on Michael's face, and before he would misunderstand, Gabriel said,
"Let us try to resolve the matter without any fight. Bloodshed has brought no one happiness, and it would only make things worse. We all know it's not possible for a person's soul who has passed through the gates of Heaven to remember what has happened in the living world, and a demon's abilities doesn't work here. Why don't we clarify it?" suggested Gabriel with a smile on his lips.
Raphael agreed with a nod, "Yes, why don't we? Maybe a true love's kiss awakened her memories?" A round of murmur took place around the angels again, and they wondered what would happen.
Everyone waited on what Michael would say, and he nodded his head before asking Madeline, "Do you remember what killed you in the living world?"
Kimberly's hand that slipped from Mazdean's arm moved down for Mazdean to hold it in his hand in support. She didn't know how it happened, but right after Mazdean pulled himself away after the kiss, it was as if every single memory that she had from the living world had made its way back to her.
"It's a sickness, a terrible and horrible one, it's feels so painful," answered Madeline.
Mazdean had no interest in Michael's question, "This sorts everything. You cannot keep someone against their will. At least when you know where their heart belongs."
Michael was not happy with the unexpected development because in all these years, not once did a soul regain their memories. He wondered if it was because Kimberly was Paschar's child. He stared at Kimberly before his eyes fell on her hand that Mazdean hand that had interlinked with each other.
After some deep thought, Michael said, "It seems like the demon's love has already tainted her heart. I don't see it to be of any point in keeping her here. With her regained memories and the love that she seeks not being here, she will only wilt away…"
Michael continued, "And when it comes to love...It is hard to stand against it. But keep it in mind that this is the only exception and the last one." Hearing this, a smile spread on Kimberly's lips. "I will let it go with the hope that demons can learn to love and be compassionate. Leave Heaven soon before I change my mind," and saying that, Michael didn't stay any longer there and left the place. After Michael left, so did Lucifer.
Gabriel and Raphael smiled at Michael's decision, knowing even though Michael was strict with rules, he still had a soft heart. He was after all an angel.
"Thank you for your help, Raphael," said Mazdean . They didn't need big words and long sentences to convey how they felt. Raphael smiled.
"I was glad to be of your help, Lord Mazdean," replied Raphael, and before they knew it, both Gabriel and Raphael flew away to follow their brother Michael. Kimberly looked at Paschar, who still stood there, looking at her without going back to the heart of Heaven. Mazdean let go of her hand, and Kimberly walked to where Paschar stood.
With most of the angels who left the scene and the issue about Kimberly staying in Heaven resolved along with the memory that had returned to her, she didn't know what to say to her father. Not because she didn't want to speak to him, but there was a certain heaviness in her heart. She knew he cared. Even though she had only meet her when she was just child, before he disappeared before her mother's death.
His grey eyes watched her, walk and come to stand in front of him.
"You are free now, Kimberly . You don't have to worry anymore," said Paschar.
"Will you get into trouble? For not listening to Michael earlier?" Kimberly didn't spend much time in Heaven to know how he would be punished for his actions.
"Don't worry about that. That would mean Michael's decision was wrong too. And he did the right thing by letting you go," Paschar offered her a smile, "At the end of the day, we just want the others to be happy without causing any harm. He knew that the love you both share is special and not something that will hurt anyone. It just took him some time to understand."
Paschar was speaking about Michael. Kimberly nodded her head.
Then Kimberly said, "I wanted to tell you something." Paschar tilted his head with a questioning gaze.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"Mother loved you a lot. You meant the world to her, but your disappearances affected her a lot.
Paschar had not expected Kimberly to say something like this. "I know. She's right here in heaven, but you can't meet her as you are leaving already " A smile broke through his lips, "You should go before the gates that Michael opened closes again," he advised, and Kimberly nodded her head. Before Kimberly was ready to go, she stepped forward and put her hands around Paschar.
Her actions caught Paschar off guard, and after a second, he put his arms around her, "I will miss you," he said to her.
"Me too," whispered Kimberly to him. It was the first time, after so many years. "Maybe we can see in future."
"Let's hope for it," replied Paschar, and he then dropped his hand as it was time for Mazdean and Kimberly to return to the living world. Stepping away from Paschar, Kimberly went to where Mazdean was waiting for her.
While Kimberly made her way to where Mazdean was, she heard the wings flap that told her that Paschar had left them alone now. Kimberly took one last look at Heaven, the place she had stayed for the briefest time and a home to her father.
"Ready to leave?" asked Mazdean, and Kimberly nodded her head.
Back in the heart of Heaven, Gabriel had taken a seat on one of the benches as if he was enjoying the warmth of the sun. The atmosphere had turned back calm and the angels had returned back to their usual duties. Raphael had gone with Michael.
Seeing Paschar making his way, Gabriel asked, "Did they leave?"
"They did. What are you smiling at?" questioned Paschar.
"I can sense the heaviness in your heart, Paschar. If you didn't want her to go, you shouldn't have done it. She is your daughter," stated Gabriel. Paschar stared at the other archangel for long seconds before saying,
"I don't know what you are speaking about," and Paschar left the place.
Maybe Michael, Raphael and the other angels didn't notice it, but Gabriel was aware that Paschar had something to do with fixing Kimberly's lost memories. Setting it to the time when Mazdean had kissed Kimberly.
Gabriel placed his hands back on the bench, leaning backward to face the bright sun before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Peace had settled back in the realm of Heaven as the fight that had started had stopped, and the people who had come to retrieve a person from Heaven had left, at least that is what people of the Heavenly realm presumed it to be.
But Mazdean was severely punished for taking a Heavenly soul to hell.. And Kimberly was cursed, because she's an angel whose heart wanted to be in hell.