The Above || Completed

54 Epilogue

Maddison's POV

We spent about a day on the cloud island where the angels had brought the Above's refugees. These people didn't have a home anymore. And I couldn't get the guilt to stop nagging me at the back of my mind. Evidently, we had failed to save the Above -well, the vast majority of it. Hell, our celestial city barely even existed anymore. Along with a lot of its citizens. I grieved strongly for those we simply couldn't manage to save. I still do. The Above was a pile of ashes, and we all wept over the dust. On the bright side, we left the council members to face the damage they had done. And I left my grandfather to rot there with the rest of them. Blood is not always thicker than water.

But as the civilians sat around me, confused and grieving, I thought of all the grieving we still had left to do. Zachariah could barely even speak when he reported back to us on this barren cloud island. But since he hadn't returned with Grace, we did the math. She was gone, taken by flames. A girl as tranquil as flowing water couldn't put out a fire as fierce as that. Oh, but how foolish. How could she? And I couldn't bear with another death so I let myself go numb. For how could I grieve when there was still so much left to be done? Even so, I had to wipe away a tear or two.

I stood with Aeron, looking at all the people around us. It was a dismal sight, almost as dismal as I felt. On top of everything else, things with Aeron didn't seem clear just yet. But I saw what was coming before he even really said anything.
"Maddison -well, is it okay for me to call you Devonne again?" he started, scratching the back of his brunette head.
I shrugged. "I guess, but you still owe me an explanation."
"I know," he said with a sigh. "Venus forced me to kiss her that first time. She saw you coming and saw an opportunity to turn you against me."
"Not a surprise." I rolled my eyes, but deep down I was relieved. "Continue."
"When she had me captured, she said she'd already killed you. I had nothing left to lose as far as I was concerned. I did as she wished, numb to the pain. And she said if I didn't play along, she'd have the Above blown up. Funny," he chuckled, "it wasn't a threat."
I blinked, looking at him with wide eyes. I didn't say a word. He took my hand for a brief moment before he realised I probably didn't want him to touch me. But I did. I wanted all of him, because he kept me sane. I mean, sure, he was an anchor to an already-wrecked ship. But he was still all I needed to keep in place.
"I'm sorry," I said softly.
"No need, Devonne." He gave a winning smile even though I could tell he was slightly taken aback by my response. "Besides, I would've done the same in your shoes -well, perhaps more violently."
I snickered. "Again, not a surprise.
Hesitantly, he said, "So, are we good?"
"Yeah, we are." I smiled.
Aeron shifted closer to me, a shy, eager look in his eyes. "Can I kiss you?"
I snorted. "No."
And of course, his adorable sad face made me feel bad. So I kissed him deeply and lovingly to make up for lost time. Aeron broke away with the goofiest grin in the world.

My dad appeared just then and Aeron went rigid. "Hello, sir."
"At ease, soldier." I'm sure Luziel was pleased with himself. "Zachariah should be back soon."
Zachariah had gone to Heaven to ask for guidance, and perhaps for a place for these refugees to stay. A lot of angels left with him, vowing never to return. I knew I wouldn't. But it surprised me that Zachariah could even muster the strength to move. If I would've let it, my grief would've crippled me. I couldn't bear the pain of Erica's sacrifice and Grace's death. We had our vengeance, and perhaps our justice, but we didn't have them. And they were what we most wanted now. But I supposed he wasn't going to let it cripple him yet either. Sometimes life demands so much that you don't have time to think about breaking down.

My father hadn't been wrong, for Zachariah descended upon the island a few minutes after he said he would. His eyes were empty, and his posture too correct to be neutral. He was numb. And I almost didn't recognise him.
"He said we could bring them," he told us. "Every last one."
"You're serious?" I asked.
He just looked at me.
"Come on, let's move," Aeron said firmly.

It was back and forth, Heaven and back, to take them all. It seemed we would live there for eternity, rebuilding the Above's people the way we couldn't to their home. Sometimes the place you call home will burn down, and you'll be forced to go somewhere new. Maybe your own monstrosities led you down this path. I'd never been to Heaven. The Above was my home. I burned it down, and the ashes dwelled within the stardust. The Above was gone.

^^^

END...