Until The End Of Time

Chapter 16. Piece of Heaven

The land is dry and barren. Sunset covered everything in its deep rust color. This part has remained the same, now just completely void of life.

Not even a rattlesnake, a scorpion, or a lizard. Only tumbleweeds roll around and dry giant cacti as big as two-story houses cast their shadow over the sand.

The man crushes a small stone under his boot's metal tip. What happened to the garrison stationed here? They have been off the radar for almost a week now, all six hundred of them. The angels who were sent down to investigate also went MIA, so now Michael is here.

It's a sign. He can no longer be the ostrich burying its head in the sand. It doesn't suit him either.

Michael is a creature full of conflict. A part of him has been burned with questions and an unexplainable urge. To go out and search. The other part has tried its best to suppress everything.

It was not important. Now was not the time. He keeps telling himself that. Earth is perfectly fine while many things require his attention in Heaven. His siblings know the drill. Everything should work as intended.

But Michael is wrong.

The evidence is right in front of him. The whole garrison is gone. Evaporates in the wind as if they were never here, and Michael can detect absolutely nothing but a horrible feeling that his siblings exist nowhere on Earth, Heaven, or any other plane of reality.

Michael stands with a scowl on his face. His hands clench in the trench coat pockets while he closes his eyes and concentrates his energy from deep within.

He teleports to a sandy bank nearby and crouches down to dip his hand in the icy water. The reflection of his human form still startles him a bit. It is so familiar, yet so strange. He must have looked at it millions of times before in a mirror, but the pair of familiar blue eyes is speaking to him in a language he can't understand.

There are emotions Michael can't decipher. It is overwhelming, but then it's gone before he can get hold of it. Why does he feel this way? Is it normal? How can humans live with all of these emotions constantly playing in their heads? It is annoying and far too distracting for his liking. No wonder humans can't reach their intended potential.

There is a trace of grace in the water. Very little, but it's there. Michael reaches out, and the shiny thread of power flows into his hand. He holds it up to his face, observes it, then takes a sniff.

Eremiel... Show me what they did.

Horrifying images, the sounds of screaming, prayers in Enochian, the smell of smoke, flashes of extremely bright light, and the sense of panic washed into acceptance when the angel's grace burned out all pour into Michael at once. The excruciating pain is just a fraction of what his brother went through.

How could they do that? How could his own siblings commit such acts against each other? This is against everything they were taught and stand for. Never hurt family. How could they forget that?

Anger scorches through Michael's veins. He knows the people behind this will deserve his wrath to its full extent, and he is ready to deliver. They are not his kin anymore. They lost their right when they picked up the blades and pointed it at their own kind.

His brothers, what a disappointment. He put his trust and love in them, but first Lucifer, then Raphael. They all betrayed him in the worst way possible. And for what? Michael has an idea of the motive behind this barbaric act, and he regrets not being there in time to stop it.