By now, Helix had noticed two things about his Angel. The first was that she loved to smile at every little thing. The second, however, was more...important.
Ezekiel talked like she knew everything, and being the Angel of Revelation, it wasn’t that surprising.
"Caspian... yes, I know him well. We have met on numerous occasions, yet I still do not know his true identity. I don’t know where he came from or how he got hold of my bloodline."
Her expression turned grim, sadness flashing through her eyes.
"Long before you were born, a child of mine was brutally slaughtered by an unknown person. Do you know what happens when someone dies?"
He shook his head, completely clueless.
"Let me tell you then. If you’re a normal person, you go straight to Azrael’s realm and suffer in the River of Screams until she has judged you to have...turned a new leaf."
Helix shuddered at the mere thought of the horrific pain that mundane people went through after death. The name ’River of Screams’ didn’t inspire much confidence.
"What if you’re not...normal?"
Ezekiel put a finger on his lips, her touch cold like ice.
"I’m getting there, Helix. Patience."
By now, the Angel of Revelation had dropped her act and had started calling him by his name. Helix was grateful for it; being addressed as ’my child’ by someone other than his mother was uncomfortable.
The feeling is similar to when that creepy uncle touches you in the closet.
Not that he knew how it felt. But it must have been close.
"Blessed, my child, are different. Their body and souls belong to their patrons. Let me tell you a little story, and don’t interrupt me...please."
And he was back to being touched.
"We, Children of God, as you now know us as Angels and Fallen, had made a pact long ago. Father had just created the first human, whom you may know as Arson. Want to sit?"
"Sure."
As his words rang out in the colorful world, the paint beneath them moved. It surged outwards like a waterfall, slammed into the ground with ferocious force, then disappeared.
In its place were two chairs, each white like bone and liquid like milk. But when Helix sat on it, it hardened just enough to support him, yet still fluffy.
Like sitting on a cloud.
"Now I don’t want to take up much of your time; Abaddon is still waiting after all. So long story short, after Arson was blessed, I got him by the way, being the eldest and all, but anyway. I couldn’t bear to see his soul burn for who knew how long, so we made a pact."
Ezekiel’s smile warmed. If the previous smiles were fakes or acts, then this was her real face. Helix could clearly see the longing in her gaze.
Helix could recognize that look, after all, he had once seen it on Perseus. It was a look of love.
Whoever Arson was, he must have been her whole world.
Will I, too, be like that one day?
Helix was sure he would fall hopelessly in love with a woman, whether she would be his fiancée or someone else entirely; he wasn’t sure.
But did he want to fall in love?
Sure, those who were in love were often the happiest people alive, but they were also the saddest. Was momentary happiness comparable to a world of negative emotions?
Helix didn’t know, but he’d find out after saving his family.
Family above all else.
"Because of that pact, Azrael can’t take a single blessed soul; instead, they travel to their patron’s realm. Now this is where it starts concerning you."
Helix immediately sat straighter in his chair, eyes sharpening like daggers.
"After death, our blessings always come back to us. Always. But when a child of mine recently got killed...his blessing didn’t come back to me, Helix. It’s gone forever."
"Don’t tell me..."
Ezekiel shook her head, eyes forlorn with grief.
"It’s exactly that. Prince Caspian stole my blessing after German died, and now he’s running amok wearing my name."
She shifted on her seat, the milky substance warping under her weight.
"And to top it all off, I can’t even learn about his true identity because of the natural protection my blood has against divination."
Ezekiel sighed deeply, visible plumes of color escaping her mouth.
"I’m certain he’s in the academy and has another bloodline. Be careful, Helix; it can be anyone."
"I will; you too...what should I call you?"
Was he supposed to call her mother? Maybe Ezekiel, or perhaps benefactor?
She placed a hand on her chin, pondering the question.
Should I let him call me Eve? The boy is quite similar to Arson. Ezekiel thought to herself before shaking the thought away.
Maybe in the future.
"Now that’s an interesting question. My siblings call me sister; my blessed call me ancestor. But you are neither my sibling nor are you solely my blessed, so instead call me whatever you want to."
"Then, would Star suffice?"
Shock flashed across Ezekiel’s face before she masked it with a smile.
"Sure, but why call me that?"
"You are my guardian, are you not? And you’re undoubtedly going to protect me, are you not? It only seems fitting to call an angel like you Star. Calling a beauty like you anything else seems like sacrilege."
Ezekiel’s cheeks heated up, a bashful smile playing at her lips.
"What a way with words you have."
Without missing a beat, Helix responded. "I learned from the best."
The Eldest Angel felt her domain shift, the splattered colors shifting to a darker, more crimson hue.
She stood up suddenly, the chair spilling to the ground behind her.
"I need to walk my goldfish, goodbye."
Before Helix could even react to the outrageous statement, Ezekiel waved her hands, and his body vanished.
Calming herself down, Ezekiel fell to the ground, arms spread out. A hand covered her face, hiding it from view.
"I just got played like a damn fiddle, didn’t I?"
She really needed to go out and socialize more.