Until The End Of Time

Chapter 22. Until we meet again

A few rays of sunlight escape through the thick curtain to spray on the bed. The couple, wrapped in each other's embrace, opened their eyes at the same time. However, only one has been asleep.

Michael stares at the gap between the curtain and the wall, thinking about how different his life has become. His hand kneads the long, soft brown hair that covers half of the pillow and his left shoulder. This moment right here is what he risks his life for, and it's worth it.

"Good morning."

The sleepy voice pulls him out of his subconscious. Kye is looking up at him with her misty brown eyes.

"Good morning," Michael replies, savoring the moment.

The way Kye looks at him—with so much love and awe like he is the single most important thing in the world—still makes Michael speechless at times. None of his siblings looks at him that way, naturally.

To them, he is an authoritative figure. A leader with a fist of steel. They respect and fear him too much to freely love him.

To humans, Michael is many things. They used to pray to him, asking him for protection and guidance up to the moment he descended on Earth. Then, he became a monster who destroyed their world.

Michael knew affection in the most technical sense of the word, but he didn't understand it. He never gave or received it. Not like this. Not this purely, unconditionally, and overwhelmingly. His meat suit tingled with its mysterious force.

For the first time, Michael truly understands what humans mean by "looking forward to the future." His life isn't a constant, rigid line anymore. It has a clear goal. Selfish one? Perhaps. But who can dictate otherwise? Michael can and will give Kye more than just a piece of his grace.

A soft knock on the door catches his attention.

"One second." Michael barely conceals his annoyance. He is not ready to get up and let go of the human in his arms, but his siblings are waiting.

Today is a special day.

Years have passed since that fateful, brutal night. A lot has changed, but it isn't enough to make Michael forget or put down his guard. Never again will he let those who are close to him abuse the power they possess.

The new laws that Michael worked so hard for are now firmly in effect. Eternal contracts have become obsolete, but in some dark corners, behind closed doors, abuses can still happen despite severe punishments. That's why Michael has pushed for a more hands-off era that allows Earthlings to take back control of their planet.

The angels will stay for security and orders only until reconstruction and repopulation reach the quota. After Raphael's camps were all demolished, Naomi came up with a big project to give the rescued free housing and essential social services. It was a great idea from someone who had lived among humans and knew them intimately. Still, it was hard to erase the stain Raphael's reign of terror had left behind.

Michael knows that these gestures are perceived as too little too late. After decades of bad blood between the two kinds, humans' fear and angels' hatred run deep.

A changed Ayham, however, is quite visible. The city has seen the greatest return in its history. At first, a few individuals dared to come back. Then, wave after wave, people flooded the city gate as it was dismantled and rebuilt. Ayham doubled its size within a month or two and looked more and more like it had been before the War.

Population growth usually comes with new problems. So does population shrinkage. Thousands of people who had taken refuge in the Resistance camps and outposts left for the city during this time. The organization faced a unique situation. They had fought the battle for freedom and equality for so long that when these things became reality, they could feel like punches to the guts.