Moonbound and Undying

Chapter 2: The Eternal Watcher

In the celestial realm, time moved differently. There were no suns to rise and set, no seasons to change, no night to soften the edges of the day. Instead, there was only light—a pure, ethereal glow that seemed to radiate from the very air itself. Towers of shimmering crystal stretched toward the endless expanse of stars above, their surfaces catching and reflecting the light in a thousand dazzling directions. The heavens were a realm of order, perfection, and serenity. And yet, to Michael, it felt empty.

He stood on the edge of one of the celestial balconies, his wings folded neatly behind him, his gaze fixed on the world far below. Earth. A place of chaos and beauty, of passion and pain. A place where mortals lived out their brief, fragile lives, driven by emotions that Michael could only observe from afar. The pull of the mortal world was always there, a constant hum beneath the silence of the celestial realm, but Michael had learned to ignore it. For centuries, he had stood watch over humanity, protecting them from threats they could not comprehend. He was the Eternal Watcher, the Archangel who had never faltered in his duty.

But today, something felt different. The light of Heaven, once so comforting, now seemed to press down on him, heavy and oppressive. The perfection of the celestial realm, which had once been a source of pride, now felt suffocating. Michael's hands gripped the stone railing in front of him, his knuckles white from the pressure. His wings shifted restlessly at his back, a silent testament to the turmoil within him.

Far below, the Earth spun in its endless cycle of life and death, its surface dotted with the lights of human cities and villages. Michael could see them all, every flicker of firelight, every movement of the tides, every breath drawn by the humans who inhabited that world. He had watched them for so long, seen their civilizations rise and fall, their wars, their triumphs, their heartbreaks. And yet, despite all his power, he felt... disconnected. Removed.

The angels had withdrawn from the world long ago, leaving humanity to find its own way. It had been the will of God, a decision made with the belief that humanity needed to grow, to learn, without divine intervention. Michael had followed that command, as he always did, but he had never fully agreed with it. He had argued for more guidance, for a continued presence among the humans, but his pleas had fallen on deaf ears. And so, the angels had retreated, watching from afar, intervening only when absolutely necessary.

But Michael could never truly sever the connection. He watched them still, his gaze lingering on the small, fleeting lives of the mortals below. He admired their resilience, their creativity, their capacity for love. He saw their flaws, their struggles, their darkness, but he also saw their light. There was something beautiful in their imperfection, something that called to him in a way he could not explain.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. Michael didn't need to turn to know who it was. Raziel's presence was unmistakable—a quiet, steady force that had been at his side for as long as he could remember. The second-in-command of Heaven, Raziel had always been the voice of reason, the one who kept things in balance.

"Michael," Raziel said, his voice calm but tinged with an undercurrent of concern. "You've been standing here for some time."

Michael sighed, finally releasing his grip on the railing. "Just... watching," he replied, though the weight of the word felt heavier than usual.

Raziel stepped beside him, his sharp gaze following Michael's line of sight down to the Earth below. He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "You spend more time watching them than you used to."

Michael didn't respond immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the distant lights of the mortal world, the tiny flickers of life that dotted the landscape like stars scattered across the night sky. "They fascinate me," he admitted quietly. "Even after all this time, I can't stop watching them."