Back at Josh's home, Hannah and Garin were getting ready to leave. She was feeling a lot better now and her wounds were healed, not completely but good enough to get back out there.
The lovers stood in the middle of the living room, tightly holding on to each other as they prepared to go. Garin held Hannah in his hands and kissed her forehead while whispering a few things to her. They were about to venture out and face the might of the angels and even if they managed to win that battle, they knew another one would be waiting for them in the form of Gentel and Sader.
Realistically, they didn't stand a chance and they both knew it but, they weren't going to give up. They had made it through so much worse to surrender now and if they were to die, they would go down fighting.
"Are you both going to be okay?" Isabelle asked them.
Hannah moved away from Garin's arms and walked over to the human. She took Isabelle's hands in hers and smiled at her.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Isabelle. The chances that we make it of this alive are next to nothing but it's not going to stop us from trying. Whatever happens to us, I just want to say thank you, for all you and Josh have done for us," Hannah told her.
Isabelle knew exactly what this was. It was a final farewell and it pained her to think that this would be the last time she would ever see Hannah again. It wasn't fair, she thought. It just wasn't right.
"Goodbye, Hannah," Isabelle said and hugged her.
Garin walked over to Isabelle and hugged her as well. He used a finger to wipe off the tear on her face and smiled at her.
"Don't cry, Child. When one journey ends, another begins and the cycle continues. Take care of Josh and make sure to treasure the time you have with him," He stared at his angel, "That's the only thing worth fighting and dying for; LOVE."
Garin took Hannah's hands and the both of them walked out the door before disappearing to face their fates. Whatever was to happen, they would face it together.
******
The elevator bell dinged and the doors slid open. Jennifer stepped out of them and walked back to her desk. She was trembling uncontrollably and when she got to her desk, she drank some water to help calm her nerves.
Her conversation with Gentel was by far the most frightening five minutes of her life but at least, she was able to make a deal with the demon.
She could still hear the icy sound of her voice warning her of the consequences if she should fail to deliver her end of the deal.
"For the sake of your soul, I hope you'll be able to get me what I want," Gentel had said to her.
"I will. I'll keep an eye on Josh and Isabelle and when the ones you want come to them, I'll do as you've asked so you'll be able to catch them. I won't fail you," Jennifer told the demon.
"Good! If you make it possible for me to have Hannah and Garin, then I will make sure you get what you want. He'll be all yours and no one else's," Gentel assured her.
Now that the deal had been made, Jennifer needed to find a way to deliver on her end. How was she to do so? She wondered. She really didn't think this all the way through but she wasn't a quitter. She would find a way to do what she needed to in order to get what she wanted.
She looked over at Josh's office and the way her eyes focused on him would suggest that she was willing to do anything to have him as her own. Anything at all.
******
Hannah and Garin were back in the desert, waiting for Fawn and Norae to arrive so they could finish this fight once and for all. They weren't about to run away again only to be found later on. Now was the time to take a stand and face the angels whose mission was to end their lives.
Suddenly, there was a boom from the sky and the sound appeared a light that transported the two angels into the desert. They flew over the sand for a few seconds before landing on the ground.
Fawn and Norae retracted their wings and walked over to Hannah and Garin. Once they were close enough, they stopped to speak to them; in an attempt to avoid a fight and have them give up willingly.
"Hannah, have you come to surrender just as I advised you to?" Fawn asked.
"No, we haven't," Hannah said and manifested her light sword.
Fawn shook her head in frustration. This wasn't what she wanted and she didn't like that Hannah was going to make her fight her again.
"Put your sword away, Hannah, and surrender peacefully. You don't stand a chance against us. You're still injured, you're still not completely restored in terms of your powers and the demon is more of a liability than an asset," Norae said to her.
Garin held out his hand and his axe manifested in it as well. They didn't have to say anything from this point on because their intentions were clear enough. They were going to fight.
Fawn looked at her sister Norae and signalled at her to begin.
Norae manifested her spear, released her wings and dashed at Garin in the blink of an eye without a moment's notice. She bodied him across the sand but he got a hold of himself pretty quickly.
He released his wings and took to the sky, trading blows with the angel. A death duel to determine who would live for yet another day.
While Garin and Norae battled up high, Fawn and Hannah prepared to battle down below.
"When did you become so stubborn, Hannah?" Fawn asked angrily and made her sword appear in her hands.
"The same day God took my child from me and I realized that he had truly forsaken me," Hannah replied and held her blade up.
They both ran at each other and while Hannah fought for her life, Fawn fought for her honour and redemption.
Hannah swiped at Fawn's head but she ducked underneath the blade and swiftly kicked Hannah in the ribs. She grunted in pain after feeling the kick because she was still sore. This didn't stop her from attacking and she went in for a few more swings that Fawn was equal to and it was a lot easier for her to fight against Hannah this time than it was the last.
"Stop this, Hannah. I don't want to end it like this. Just give up," Fawn said to her.
"If you're going to kill me, Fawn, then try to kill me but if you think I'm going to sit still and let you do it, then you're very mistaken," Hannah said before swinging again.
Fawn sidestepped her thrust and struck Hannah on the cheek with her free hand, a powerful hit that blasted her across the sand.
Hannah was hurt but she wasn't down for long. Just as soon as she got up, Fawn punched her back down. She stepped on Hannah's neck with one foot and pinned her down.
Garin was still battling Norae up in the sky and he glanced down at what was happening below. He saw Fawn standing over Hannah with her sword in hand, about to strike the final blow.
"Hannah, no," he screamed and his lack of focus enabled Norae to fly from behind him and stab him directly in his shoulder.
Garin grunted in pain and crashed into the sand as his wound made him unable to fly anymore. Norae hovered over him and was ready to finish him off as well.
"Goodbye, Sister," Fawn said to Hannah and was about to end it when Sader suddenly landed in between her and Hannah.
Sader punched Fawn directly in the face and blasted her away from Hannah. He wasn't about to let the angels win the bet and he arrived just in time. They had already beaten Hannah and Garin for them and now, they just had to finish it.
"Filthy Demon," Norae screamed when she saw Sader and just as she was about to attack him, a flaming sword burst out of her stomach from her back and she felt her life force drain out of her.
"You didn't think we were going to make it so easy for you, did you, Norae?" Gentel whispered in the angel's ear before letting her fall to the sand.
Gentel landed heavily on Garin's back and her feet cracked a few of his ribs. She bent down to him and held him by the hair, "Did you miss me, brother?" She asked and laughed at him.
With Fawn out of commission and Norae stabbed in the stomach, nothing was stopping the demons from finally winning the bet for Lucifer.
.
.
.
Gentel dragged Garin by his wing and threw him alongside his wife so they could be together when they die. Norae was gasping for air on the ground, bleeding from her stomach and unable to fight anymore while Fawn was still down in the sand, trying to get back up.
"All of this fighting, all of the pain and bloodshed, and for what? In the end, it all doesn't matter because the inevitable is finally about to happen," Gentel said aloud.
Garin crawled over to Hannah and reached out for her hand. She held him and they looked at each other with love. This was the end of the road for them, the end of their journey and they were ready to die together.
"You angels should watch as the world becomes Lucifer's," Gentel said to Fawn and Norae.
She stood over Hannah and Garin and made her demon blade appear in her hand. She made the blade catch on fire and was ready to kill them.
"I love you, Hannah," Garin whispered to her.
"I love you too," she said back.
The lovers closed their eyes and waited for death to claim them as its own.
"Sader, would you like to do the honours?" Gentel asked her brother.
He remained silent and turned away from her.
"I'll take that as a no," Gentel said.
The demoness raised her blade and was ready to cut Garin's head off. Just as she brought the sword down, she heard the sound of her own flesh tearing and it made her seize her swing. She slowly let go of her demon blade and her eyes widened when she realized what had just happened.
Blood began to drip out of her neck and she took one last breath before her head fell clean off her body. Her head fell one way and her body went another as she landed on the sand, decapitated and dead.
Garin opened his eyes and saw Gentel's severed head staring at him and he was shocked by it. He looked up and saw Sader with his axe and there was blood dripping out of it; Gentel's blood.
"Sader? What have you done?" Garin asked him, knowing that such mutiny would not be taken lightly by Lucifer.
"I've saved you, brother," Sader said and helped Garin and Hannah up to their feet.
"Why are you doing this?" Garin asked.
"I have my reasons, brother," Sader replied.
The demon looked over and saw that Fawn was back on her feet and was ready to continue fighting. Now wasn't the time to duel with a powerful angel so he decided not to.
"Grab onto me," Sader said to Hannah and Garin.
They wrapped their hands around him and the demon released his powerful wings. He carried them along with him into the air before disappearing into the sky.
Fawn wasn't sure what just happened but that wasn't her main problem. She ran over to her sister who was dying so she could help her.
"Norae, are you okay?" Fawn asked and placed her hand on her bleeding stomach.
"I'm not --going to make it. She got me good," Norae said.
"You will make it," Fawn told her and tried to heal her.
"That won't work. Only Father can save me but I won't be able to stay alive long enough to make it to him," Norae said.
"Yes, you will," Fawn picked Norae up into her arms, released her wings and took to the sky.
She needed to get to Heaven quickly before it was too late to save her sister. Her wounds were inflicted on her human flesh by a demon's blade so angel magic wouldn't be able to heal her; only God could and they would have to get to him before she died, otherwise, she would be gone forever.
.
.
.
Hannah, Garin and Sader appeared in a dark cave in the middle of nowhere. The lovers were still hurt so after they arrived in the cave, they both lay in a corner, holding on to each other while Sader used his flaming axe to light up some torches.
He lit a couple of them and the cave became brightened up. After lighting the torches, he put his axe away and went back to Hannah and Garin.
He was about to put his hands on Hannah when Garin took out his dagger and held it against him.
"Relax, Garin, I'm just trying to help her," Sader said to him, "If I wanted to hurt either of you, you wouldn't still be alive,"
It was hard for Garin to argue with that logic. He put down his dagger and allowed Sader to see to Hannah.
"You'll be alright," Sader said to Hannah as he lifted her into his arms, "You just need to soak in some holy water and you'll be as good as new in next to no time."
He carried her toward a little pool inside the cave that had sparkling clean water that glistened as if it had diamonds in it. He placed her into the pool and the water shone brightly as she got in.
Hannah sighed in comfort as she felt the water on her skin. It felt so good in there and her wounds were already beginning to heal. She closed her eyes and fell asleep while she was being restored by the holy water.
"She'll be alright, Garin," Sader assured him and walked back to help him with his own injuries.
"What is in that water?" Garin asked.
"It's water from the River Jordan. It has different attributes to different beings. For humans, it's just water. For demons, it feels like acid and is more painful than salt but for angels, it's like an elixir of healing. It fixes their wounds and heals their broken bones," Sader said.
His hand burst into flames and he placed his burning palm on the wound in Garin's shoulder to cauterize it so it could heal better. Garin grunted out in pain but was able to endure it.
"Unfortunately for you, demons don't have any kind of healing water that can heal all their wounds," Sader joked.
"Why did you kill her?" Garin asked.
"I've wanted to kill her for centuries, Garin. You have no idea how good it felt to finally do it," Sader said.
"You betrayed her. You betrayed Father. Aren't you afraid of his wrath? I'm surprised that he hasn't pulled you back to Hell for what you did," Garin said.
"Come on, Garin. I wouldn't have done this if I didn't have a plan," Sader said and rolled up his sleeve so he could show Garin the bracelet around his wrist.
"Is that...?"
"The Bracelet Shield of the first angel I ever killed. I've kept it in this cave for thousands of years because I always suspected that one day, it would come in handy. The shield still has its angelic properties and I merged it with my hand before Gentel and I came to the desert.
"The only way to get this bracelet off my hand is to chop my hand off," Sader said.
"And because nothing from heaven can exist in Hell, Father won't be able to force you back with the bracelet around your wrist," Garin said.
"That's right," Sader took some bandages and began to wrap them around Garin's shoulder.
Garin still didn't understand Sader's reasons for doing what he did. It didn't make that much sense that he would betray Lucifer just to help him. Garin knew they had a good relationship in the past but it surely wasn't worth all this so Sader must have another reason for doing what he was doing and he needed to know why.
"Why, Sader? Why did you save us?" Garin asked, looking at his brother with a bit of distrust.
"I haven't set foot on Earth since the day Father cast you out of Hell. I was in there the entire time and my existence felt like it had no meaning anymore. When you were there, we were real brothers. I was actually able to call a demon my brother and mean it in every sense of the world but after you were banished, I felt empty.
"I used to watch you from Hell. I watched your life while you were a mortal on Earth and I coveted what you had. You were free to be whatever you wanted to be and I was still father's prisoner. I always felt incomplete after I lost you, brother, and after thousands of years enduring my phoney and pathetic existence, I decided to break the rules, just as you did, and have a little fun for once," Sader said with a smile.
"You mean to tell me that you did this just to have some fun?" Garin asked, "You are one crazy demon, Sader."
Garin leaned over and embraced his brother. It was probably the first time two demons had ever hugged since the beginning of time but they did so because they had real love and respect for each other, a feat almost impossible to find in demon siblings.
"I've missed you, brother," Garin said to him.
"And I you," Sader said back.