Milokan watched the orange glow of the sunset against the dramatic outline of the Vanderwood mansion. A foot of snow was left behind after the miniature blizzard. The temperature was cold enough for the snow not to melt away when the clouds cleared.
The angel glanced at Kaiden, smiling to himself. His eyes resembled the warmth of the sky.
"So, snow is very cold to humans?" he questioned.
"Obviously, it's ice." Kaiden made the snow in his hands into a ball as they sat on a bench in the middle of the maze. They found the middle when the demon started to deny any evidence of being lost after wandering the maze for two hours. Milokan flew to the middle and found Kaiden again to guide him.
"You are trying to make me feel stupid."
Kaiden glanced at him from the corner of his eye and said, "I don't need to try." He watched how Milokan raised an eyebrow, and he was starting to enjoy his attitude.
"In a few thousand years, when I know everything about the earth, you will not be able to take advantage of me anymore." Milokan wrapped his arms around Kaiden's arm and hugged it. Last week, Kaiden would barely let him touch his hand.
"I guess I'll have to use my time wisely then," Kaiden said, finding it comforting that Milokan will still be with him for years to come.
The young angel chuckled and waved his legs, his feet too short to touch the ground as Kaiden's could.
"I guess you will."
Kaiden moved his arm from Milokan's grip and placed it around his shoulders instead, pulling them closer on the bench. Milokan rested a hand on his leg and lent against him.
"Do you think Vinny will show me his vampire teeth if I ask him?" Milokan assumed he was a vampire, he couldn't sense that he was a human, and there was an unusual power around him.
"I doubt it," Kaiden sighed. "Maybe ask Rayvon, he's less likely to want to bite you if you ask."
"You and Vinny are similar. I am sure, just like you, that once we get to know him, he will be kind and nice."
"I'm not nice."
Milokan looked up, meeting his sunset eyes.
"You are nice to me."
"Yeah, but that's you. I'm a demon; it's my goal in life to be grumpy and hate everyone."
"Which is also what you dislike too. I know you hate the judgement, but you give them something to judge you for."
"I know, I don't think it's a part of me that'll change for a while."
"It might never change. If you are kind to me, I do not mind how you are with others, as long as you are not unnecessarily nasty."
"I'm sure you'll yell at me anyway," Kaiden said, playfully jabbing the angel in the side, but his face remained serious. "I was going to hit Rayvon for no reason today. I just... I can't control it."
"You will learn. Rayvon forgave you and did not question you about it, which means he understands. They have dealt with demons, and it is not new to them that you will have issues with your anger. They see that you are trying, especially when you apologised. You are compromising, and so are they."
"I would have felt bad if I did hit him. I guess feeling remorse is a start. Usually, I wouldn't feel guilty."
"That is good Kaiden," Milokan beamed before he stood and gently pecked him on the cheek. Their hearts skipped a beat, feeling a flutter of affection in their chests. "Shall we head to the mansion? Zachariah said... or should I call him dad?"
"Do you feel comfortable with calling him, dad?" Kaiden asked.
"Yes, but it sounds a little strange. I need to get used to it. Anyway, he said that he would tell everyone about him being my father tonight."
"I know, I was there when he said it."
"Oh yes," Milokan chuckled. "I am nervous, though. What if-"
"Don't even say it," Kaiden sighed. "Everyone will be happy for you. There's no reason to stress at all."
"Okay," Milokan smiled and nodded to himself for reassurance. "Finally, People want me in their lives."
Kaiden's heart ached lightly, but he hid it well. The demon stood too and looked down the long darkening path leading back through the maze.
"You should use your wings," Milokan suggested.
"No." Kaiden grabbed his hand and pulled him through the snow.
"Why not?"
"I don't like the way they feel on my back."
Milokan wondered if his scars had something to do with it. Maybe Lucifer knew he had wings and did all he could to prevent them. When the angel was a toddler, his wings were out uncontrollably because he wasn't old enough to put them away. He frowned to himself as they turned a corner. Meloras and Jeronah must have known about his wings, Kaiden would have been born with them out in the open.
* * * * *
Meloras sat still, so still that her heart felt like it was shaking her entire body, it was pumping hard. A hand rested over her mouth; she was paranoid that her breathing was too loud.
Jeronah stood behind Meloras, focussing intently on the footsteps he could hear from inside the coffee shop. They were standing in the kitchen with no place to hide and no place to run. Someone had informed Lucifer about where they were, and now they stood with only a metal door between them, hoping they were strong enough to fight the devil.
"The room," Jeronah whispered.
Meloras turned with a frown.
"The white room with the instrument?"
Jeronah nodded.
They looked around for Veronica, but they couldn't see her anywhere.
"Let's go," Jeronah pulled on her wrist as they fled to the stairs and down through the corridor. When they reached the door with a code, Meloras typed it in. She had watched and memorised it from the first time they entered.
The white room hurt their eyes, but they could see enough to stop when a glint of light shone from the tip of a knife, pointing directly at Meloras' throat. She froze, and Veronica sighed, lowering her weapon.
"I thought you were him. Get in and shut the door. How did you know the code?" Veronica hissed.
"I watched you. It's not like you tried to hide it," Meloras said and relaxed when the door locked behind them. "What do we do now?"
"I don't know. Lucifer will find us here, and when he does, we're dead."
Jeronah stared at the instrument; a sudden idea popped to mind.
"Is it possible to open a tear right now, climb through with the instrument, then close it before anything happens?"
Veronica looked at him like he was mad.
"You would seriously risk that? Heaven will fall if you fail to close it."
"I would risk it for Meloras. Lucifer is after her. I will do anything to make sure she isn't taken away from me again."
Veronica looked at the instrument sitting on the glass shelf. She would do anything to live away from demons. Now, it all depended on her definition of anything.
"To live in a world without this constant fear would be something, wouldn't it?"
Jeronah and Meloras nodded, quite eager for her to accept the angel's idea.
"If this fails and we ruin the worlds, it is entirely your fault Jeronah."
"Yes, I will not deny that." He felt giddy at the thought of seeing his son again.
"Right." Veronica picked up the instrument when she heard Lucifer screeching at his demons to find Meloras. "Why is he looking for you? What have you done to make him this mad?"
"That's a story for another time," Meloras said as they crouched on the floor in a circle, staring at the air.
Veronica took a breath. She felt nervous. Creating a tear so quick was incredibly dangerous. It appeared to be their last hope for a peaceful life. The demon wasn't confident that she could kill Lucifer, it didn't feel right, it didn't feel like it was his time to die. Fate would step in eventually.
Jeronah watched her lift the device and hold it five feet in the air. She squeezed the handles and held her breath, positioning it just right. They all nodded with commitment. Once the tear opened, there was no going back.
Veronica bit her lip and slowly started to push the handles together, separating the sharp end, but a sudden boom on the door startled her. She gasped and pushed the handles together quickly, falling downwards and cutting the atmosphere deeper than ever before.
"That's not good," she said, watching it flicker furiously in between them.
"Is it done, is it open?" Jeronah asked. Lucifer was banging on the door with his foul voice, taunting his soulmates name.
"Yes, go through!" Veronica yelled when the metal door was denting from the fists of other demons.
Meloras took Jeronah's hand and opened her mouth to speak.
"NOW!" Veronica shoved her, and she fell through with no warning. Jeronah followed, feeling the familiar warmth of when he pushed Kaiden through a few days ago.
He didn't check to see if Veronica was coming because he could feel her hand on his shoulder, forcing him through and not giving him enough time to experience the transition of adventuring to another world.
Meloras had fallen onto the floor when he reached solid ground, and he tripped over her. Veronica did the same, feeling the soft grass press against her face.
"We made it!" Meloras beamed after looking up to see the edge of a forest in front of her, so green and so full of life. It smelt fresh, and the flowers were in full bloom on a warm summers day.
Jeronah grinned too, scanning the area with thankful eyes.
"It's not over yet," Veronica grumbled and turned to see what the tear was doing. To her surprise, it had gone and in its place was a tall figure, blocking the sun from their eyes. "What the..."
Jeronah and Meloras turned too and stared at what looked to be a teenage boy. Their eyes were not drawn to his face; they were brought to his hands as small bolts of electricity twisted and turned between his fingers, crackling against his palms.