Mavobella: The Angel Of Death

Chapter 28

Isaac’s territory always had a strange effect on me ever since the poisoning. Maybe it was the air, thick with mystery, or the sheer weight of what we were about to hand him—the gem, glowing faintly in my palm. From afar, I could see Isaac's eyes light up, excitement barely contained in his stoic form. The creature was by his side, eerily still, as if it could sense the significance of the moment.

When we landed, Isaac’s grin caught me off guard. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile. An actual smile. His usual composed self seemed to fade, replaced by someone who, for a fleeting moment, allowed himself to feel triumph.

"I never doubted you," he said, his voice smoother than usual, as if victory had softened his edges. He held the gem up to the light, inspecting it like a jeweler would inspect a diamond. "This might take some time."

Nicole, ever the pragmatist, stepped forward. “I’ll help,” she offered. It made sense—her mind for inventions was unmatched, and she had tinkered with mechanisms I couldn’t even begin to understand. Her neon green venom liquid gun was proof of her genius. Isaac nodded, wordlessly accepting her help, and the two of them disappeared down a narrow hallway, leaving Wade and me alone.

We moved to the lobby, its cavernous space echoing faint sounds from elsewhere in the building. Wade took a seat across from me, stretching out his legs. He was always trying to act nonchalant, though there was a restlessness in his eyes that suggested otherwise, as if he wanted to say more but didn’t know how.

“What do you think the outside world is like?” Wade asked, his tone casual but with a flicker of genuine curiosity behind it. I could tell he wasn’t expecting an answer—more likely just trying to fill the void of silence.

I glanced at him, wondering if he really wanted to know. Wade had been one of the first prisoners here, a relic from a time long forgotten. The world he remembered was a distant memory. I doubted he had seen a smartphone, let alone a tablet or anything more modern than a typewriter. But me? I had been in Anubistopia for less than a month. My recollections were still vivid—though mostly mundane. The internet was still full of cat memes and influencers battling for likes, and yet, that was a world Wade would never understand.

“Tall buildings, blue skies, golden sunsets, the smell of caramel wafting through the streets,” I said, my voice soft as the memories surfaced. I pictured my last glimpse of the world outside this cursed place. It was filled with those little details—things I hadn’t appreciated then. Simple pleasures that seemed so far away now.

Wade chuckled softly. “A farm,” he began, almost like he was reminiscing, but there was an edge to his voice. I hadn’t expected him to share much. Wade was usually guarded, but something about today made him open up. “My family had a farm.”

I leaned forward, drawn into his words despite myself. His voice carried a weight I hadn’t heard before. "My mom... was a demon," he said, the word falling from his lips like it had been locked away for years.

“Demon?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. I wasn’t the best at being tactful.

He nodded, unbothered by my interruption. “A she-demon. Fast, sharp, cold-hearted. All the things demons are supposed to be. But then she met him.” He hesitated, as if his next words would unravel a secret he had guarded fiercely. “My dad. An angel.”

I blinked, not sure if I had heard him right. An angel and a demon? Forbidden love straight out of an ancient tragedy. Wade glanced at me and shrugged, like it wasn’t that big of a deal. “Love’s not for us to decide. They fell for each other, despite everything. But, of course, the Imperium didn’t see it that way.”

The way he laughed next sent a shiver down my spine—hysterical, sharp, like he was reliving something painful. I didn’t know how to react, so I stayed quiet, letting the silence between us grow heavier.