Four weeks after the beginning of Aleks' sleep...
Hope tossed and turned restlessly, not being able to sleep. Something was keeping him awake and it was already gnawing at him. It was like a spot that itched, but he couldn't scratch it. He had to do something, something pulled him in one direction and he knew he would have to follow it, otherwise he would go insane.
Sereph lovingly put his arm around his mate and pulled him to his chest. "Dhan, what's the matter?"
Hope rubbed his face against him and sighed. "Sereph, something is wrong. It feels like my body wants to get to a certain place and it's pulling me in that direction. I have to go there."
Sereph was silent at first. What could it be? Where was Hope supposed to go and what awaited her there? Was it dangerous? "Where to, Dhan?" he asked.
Hope lifted his head and looked at him, then he opened his eyes and two emeralds looked at Sereph. "We have to go to Aleks," his mate said.
When they learned of the angel's serious injury and the abduction and return from heaven, they were more than shocked. Aleks had created the third key – Hope's key – in heaven. Perhaps it is the key that attracts him.
"You can't do that, you mustn't meet," Sereph said affectionately, brushing a strand from his heart's face.
Hope made a thoughtful expression. "I know."
After three days, Sereph sent out a raven.
Hope had started tossing and turning restlessly in bed and scratching his whole body bloody, couldn't sit still. They had no choice, they had to take Hope to Aleks.
With bandaged arms and legs, they traveled to Belial. When Hope stepped through the portal and entered the reception hall, the insane itching finally subsided and he became calmer. As if pulled by an invisible hand, Hope ran in the direction where Aleks must be.
With a pounding heart, he opened the door and entered the room, Sereph followed him. Aleks was lying on the bed with his wings outstretched, the right wing had already grown back a bit. Hope's cousin had pale skin and looked like a porcelain doll, fragile yet beautiful.
Carefully, Hope sat down next to the angel and took his right hand in his. He was where he needed to be. Hope raised Aleks' hand to his lips and whispered, "Wake up, cousin. You promised me that we would tell each other everything, get close to each other. You're the only family I've got left except Sereph." But the angel didn't move.
Sereph and Belial, who had joined them, watched the scene.
It hurt Belial's heart to watch it. Sai was in his arms and watched the scene in silence. Nix had assured them that the end of the world couldn't begin as long as Aleks was asleep – because as the prophecy said, Aleks had to make a decision and that wasn't possible if he wasn't awake.
A pull went through Hope's arm and it came loose as if by itself to travel to the amulets on Aleks' neck. He had suspected it. It was his key that had called him. With a gentle touch, his fingers rested on it.
A blast wave discharged and Belial and Sereph were thrown back. But this time they had been prepared, had prepared themselves in time so that no one was hurt.
A jolt went through Hope's body and he began to glow. His eyes turned white and his hair glowed white. Everyone waited for him to make a prophecy, but nothing happened. He simply tilted to the side and remained there, his hands still connected to the key. Aleks himself just lay there, no movement, nothing.
Hope opened his eyes and was blinded by a bright light. He hissed and covered his eyes. What the hell? That's when he realized it. I'm here again. He opened his eyes blinking and the surroundings took shape. He was back in the library and he saw. He could see.
A soft laugh sounded and he turned in its direction. On a chair at a hazel wooden table sat a woman with long ivy-green, curly hair and silver-colored eyes with a green ring. He recognized her immediately, it was the woman from the last time he had been here.
"You're back, my little star," her melodious voice said, and a smile appeared on her lips. She was really beautiful.
Hope rose and walked over to her to sit on a chair opposite her. "You're Metis, the goddess of knowledge, aren't you?" Hope asked cautiously.
"You're right, little star. Finally you are ready, you have now accepted your gift almost completely."
Hope knew what she was talking about. Knowledge had gradually awakened in his body, which is why he had changed. All the changes in how he perceived the world, the structure of his thoughts, and how he absorbed, analyzed, and classified information had been altered by knowledge. Hope remembered her words exactly.
A bright laugh sounded. "Why are you asking me a question whose answer you already know?" then her face became serious. "Hope, you have all the answers, you just have to ask the right questions."
He hadn't understood it for a long time, but now it was clear. He was the carrier of knowledge, so he had the answers to all the questions, he just had to ask them. But he hadn't yet fully awakened, so some paths remained closed to him.
"Why am I here?" he asked, and Metis just smiled.
"Little star, it's coming soon and you're going to wake up, not just you. Ask your questions now," the goddess said.
Hope looked at her. "Is there a way to prevent our awakening?"
Metis shook their head, but Hope had already thought so.
"Is there a way to prevent the destruction of the world?"
Metis nodded. "Yes, little star, but the road will be rocky. You carrierrs are about to awaken, but only the keys can open them. The only option is for you to accept it. Embrace this incredible power, make it your own, and subjugate it. When it becomes a complete part of you, it will also walk with you. Not even death can separate it from you."
Hope understood. If knowledge became an integral part of it, like an organ, it wouldn't split off from it and be released uncontrollably even at its death. Nor could it be released by others, because there would no longer be a key that could do this. So they had to open up themselves and gain control.
"How can we gain control of these powers?" he asked the goddess.
"You must accept it and defeat it. Use your strong hearts, they will stand by you in this battle," Metis replied.
Hope nodded, still had to analyze this. Metis certainly wouldn't elaborate on that, so he had to figure it out for himself. "Well, lastly, how do we open up? How do we use the keys?" he asked.
Metis laughed softly. "This, my little star, is the last hurdle you have to overcome yourself, but not everyone can do it. I can't tell you anymore, or Niyati will give me hell."
And, as always, the crucial question remained open. But he had received valuable information that gave them hope.
"One last question, will Aleksander wake up again?"
"When the time is right, my little star," she said, putting her hand to his cheek, then looking behind him with a smile. "It looks like I'm getting more visitors today than usual."
Sereph and Belial stood beside the bed and looked at their mates. "It's been in this state for an hour now," Sereph said, worried. Where was Hope? His skin and hair were still shining and his eyes were still white.
Sai waved his hands and Belial pulled him closer so that he could put his hand on his cheek. Sai always did this when he wanted to tell them something, he had already noticed that. The little hand rested on his cheek and Belial received Sai's thoughts or feelings. It was confusing, as it was both at the same time, but the message was clear.
"Sereph, lie down next to Hope," Belial said, and the prince of Hell looked at him in surprise, but followed his instructions. He pulled Hope into a hug, but made sure that his contact with the key did not break off.
Carefully, Belial placed Sai between the two, which surprised Sereph. But the very next moment he felt a small hand in his face.
When Sai also touched the back of Hope's head, his skin and hair began to glow like Hope's and his eyes turned ice blue. Sereph's eyes turned white and any tension disappeared from his body.
When Sereph opened his eyes, he found himself in a library. Where am I? Sai had sent him here. Then he heard a voice.
"One last question, will Aleksander wake up again?"
The demon knew immediately that it was Hope's voice and followed it. He saw him sitting at a table with his back to him, right across from a woman with ivy-green hair who smiled when he saw him.
"It looks like I'm getting more visitors today than usual," she said, her eyes fixed on Sereph.
Hope turned around and it was the moment their eyes met that changed something. He could see the bewilderment in Hope's eyes. Why? "Dhan?" Sereph asked uncertainly. Without warning, tears came to his mate's eyes and he stood up so jerkily that the chair toppled over and slammed to the floor. What happened?
Hope couldn't believe it, but the voice was unmistakable, as was the smell as he threw himself into his mate's arms. He couldn't believe it, needed time to process it. I can see him. I can see my heart and he's so beautiful. It's so breathtaking. "Sereph?" he asked in a trembling voice, his chest tightly clasped.
"Yes, Dhan?"
He looked up into those obsidian black eyes. "I see you," Hope sobbed, and realization spread across his demon's face. Hope soaked it all in, his brown, almost black hair, which reached to the middle of his back and was braided into a braid, his bronze skin and those absolutely adorable black eyes.
Hope almost forgot to breathe, because Sereph was breathtaking. He ran his hand over his face and memorized the appropriate image for each elevation, because he would never want to forget it, would always call it back in his thoughts as soon as he touched him.
Sereph just looked at Hope, gave him a free hand.
Metis laughed softly. "I'll leave you alone now. I will give you the privacy so that you can take time for yourselves." Then the goddess was gone.
Hope ran over Sereph's face again and again, seeing the deep love and affection in his demon's eyes that made his heart swell with love. He pulled his demon to him for an intense kiss, enjoying his taste.
I want more. I want to see everything from him. Somewhat impetuously, he dragged his demon to the ground with him as he slowly lowered himself down, and turned Sereph on his back to sit on top of him. He slipped his hands under the hem of Sereph's top and pulled it over his head in one motion, his demon cooperating and raising his arms.
Now his demon lay bare-chested in front of him. Hell, he's so hot, so perfect. His skin was smooth and his muscles were visible under the bronze skin. Hope's mouth watered. He ran his hand over his chest, memorizing every muscle, every spot.