Twilight of the Gods ✔️

Chapter 21: The Hidden Self

"I would never hurt someone like that," Uriel said. "I could never rip someone's wings off."

"I'm only telling you what I remember," Ezra said. "It is your choice whether or not you want to believe it."

After he went to Ezra's room fully armed with the intent of killing him, he left confused. Dealing with the revelation that Ezra had once been an angel didn't make things easier so Uriel had returned to seek more answers. Instead, he was running into more questions.

"Why did I rip your wings off? Somebody else could have done it," he said.

"Because you were the new favorite," Ezra answered. "Because you were the one that punished everyone. You are the Angel of Repentance and Sword of Vengeance, after all."

Uriel looked at his hands, trying to imagine them covered in angels' blood. Unable to conjure up the image, he turned back to Ezra.

"What did you do to deserve that kind of punishment?"

Rage flickered in Ezra's eyes, lighting them up in twin blue fires. The emotion was suppressed in an instant and his cool gaze returned.

"I started a rebellion," he said. "I gathered a few angels and demanded that the Gods let us live our own lives. Because of my insolence, all of those angels and I lost our wings at your hands."

Uriel was at a loss for words. He was tempted to apologize, but he didn't remember doing any of the things Ezra said. It didn't feel enough to say sorry for something like that. Besides, he didn't think Ezra wanted an apology.

Trying to change the subject, he asked, "You were the favorite?"

"Yes," Ezra said, smirking. "I was Anhel's favorite angel for many years. We were Blood Bound, just as you are connected to your God."

He attempted to picture Ezra serving someone other than himself. It was strange to imagine a selfless, loving version of the fallen angel. "Did you like being the favorite?"

"I was content for a while," he responded. "The Blood Bond can feel intimate and euphoric. And it was nice being placed above all the other angels. But I wanted something more. I wanted to be a God."

That sounded more like the Ezra he knew. "You can't ascend into Godhood," Uriel said. "Most Gods were born, not made."

"I know that," he replied. "Daeva and Haydn are exceptions. They can be Gods because of possession."

One crucial thing didn't make sense to Uriel about Ezra's story. "How could you want Godhood? You were an angel. You didn't have free will."

Ezra shrugged. "Maybe the Gods made me wrong."

Uriel doubted that. Anhel and Odi would never accidentally give their celestial servants free will. There was also one other thing that didn't add up. Ezra had blue eyes, unlike most angels. Even the fallen ones still kept their gold eyes as a reminder of their former holiness.

"You got what you wanted," Uriel said. "You're not exactly a God, but you're just as powerful if not more so."

Ezra only answered with a smile. "I'm Elysian. That is infinitely better than being a God. But there is one thing I miss from being an angel."

"And what's that?" For some reason, Uriel had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer.

"The taste of ichor. There is nothing more delicious than Gods' blood. The high is incredible. The bonded angels would get one cup a day of that stuff. You would know better than me, of course. But that truly is the only thing I miss about being a servant," he said.