God's Gone AWOL

[Bonus Features] 10 Years Later

Shanghai, 1951

"Should we send someone to talk to him?"

"Just leave him alone, A-Xiang. He's probably waiting for someone,"

"But it's been nearly an hour!"

"If he falls asleep in our doorway, you can shoo him away. But for now, let's just do our jobs and ignore it,"

Despite her father's words, A-Xiang leaned against the counter, staring out the front window of the restaurant. The young man standing on the street outside looked only a few years older than herself, so she couldn't suppress her child-like curiosity. He hadn't made a single movement for quite a long time —not even the smallest motion such as shifting his weight. The man was frozen like a statue in the early-spring air, just a few steps from the door of the restaurant.

"A-Xiang!" her father called from across the room. "I said to forget about it!"

Hearing the shout, A-Xiang had no choice but to blink away her curiosity and return to her work.

Atticus was looking out at the street in front of him, gripping his necklace in silence. There were many things floating around in his head at that moment, and he hadn't been paying attention to the time. Although the air was still chilly with the touch of winter, the faint sunshine through the morning fog was enough to keep him warm while he waited. Amidst the rumble of cars, the jingle of bicycles, and the general sounds of the city, he felt as though he was the only still object in the universe.

It had been ten years...

Ten years since the peace treaty between Heaven and Hell was officially signed. From the little whisps of information Atticus had collected since then, he had come to learn everything was still a complete mess within the realms. He wasn't sure what Heaven was currently doing, since he had made a point to avoid news from his home realm, but he knew that Hell had hosted another election for its High Council. Xander Hellbourne was reelected, which meant that more interesting events were no doubt on the horizon. However, Atticus was still determined not to get involved.

It had also been ten years since he had taken his fate into his own hands. Since then, most of his time was spent wandering around Earth helping out mortals and solving problems as he had done with Damaris an eternity ago. He wasn't sure what to do with his life, since he had never known freedom before now. A small part of him wondered whether he should return to Heaven and resume his service, but his instincts told him that he would be better off staying on Earth for the time being.

He had met up with Ophaniel once. They went for a walk together, and for the first time since he was brought into the world, Atticus didn't feel emotionally dry afterwards. The interaction wasn't pleasant by any regard. Although Ophaniel hadn't said anything about Atticus' recent decisions, which made him feel quite a bit better. They merely spoke about the current affairs of Earth: the end of the world war, the use of nuclear weapons, and other subjects they were both impartial to. Although they still weren't perfect, Atticus could tell that he hadn't disappointed Ophaniel by asking for a break. That, in itself, was an improvement in their relationship.

Atticus felt as though nothing had happened in the last ten years. But at the same time, he felt as though too much had happened. There was enough to keep himself busy, but not enough to distract him completely. After all, he still was not in the slightest bit happy with himself.

—It had also been ten years since her death.

Every time Bentley's name popped up, he either did his best to avoid any further mention of it, or he would shut down completely. Sometimes he tried to bury away any thoughts relating to her. But sometimes he found himself escaping away into memories and allowing himself a moment of blissful delusion —only to wake up in his cold reality afterwards. It was not a healthy pattern, and he knew he would have to break it eventually. But until he figured out how to do so, he was stuck in a constant state of misery.