Until The End Of Time

Chapter 1. The restaurant

Art: Ling Yun

The artifact, vaguely as it sounded, was stored in a thirteen-by-four red mahogany box with weird symbols carved all over it.

If Kye had not known it was indeed the box, she would've easily mistaken it for a solid block of wood.

It didn't have any lock, keypad, or even opening slit. It was also deceptively light. Besides the fact that the box was quite beautiful to look at, nothing indicated that it was the storage for one of the most powerful weapons ever created.

Kye had only learned from Ruby that it was some type of close-combat weapon—One could destroy anything it touched, mortal or not. A true Michael masterpiece.

The Resistance had been in the process of collecting supernatural objects forever. They wanted to "tip the scale toward us" as Bobby, Ruby's handler, had said one time. The Resistance, or Red Serpent Resistance in full, used to be a small grassroots movement among other similar organizations. By some miracle, it had survived many seek-and-destroy operations to be the only one left standing in the Western Hemisphere. It had caused major chaos and been a nuisance for the garrisons and their councils in the past decade.

Kye understood the artifact's importance to Michael and the angels, but what was hers to the Resistance?

It had taken them five years and many well-trained, devoted-to-the-cause men and women to acquire that weapon, so it didn't make sense when they were willing to just hand it back to Michael, right after they had just gotten it, in exchange for her.

Kye didn't know a whole lot about their plans. She had only been in contact with them for four months, solely through Ruby and her handler. Ruby had said the guy was a big shot. He would contact Kye whenever she was needed, never the other way around.

How a simple girl such as Kye had gotten in bed with them, you would ask.

It all started with a nothing-out-of-ordinary business dinner. Kye had accompanied Michael to a restaurant located between Aax District and Steel Heights—an industrial area of Ayham.

Michael would meet with Fergus Crowley, a businessman-turned-politician there. Crowley was someone who had not only managed to survive but to thrive under the angels.

He had been known as a Council member who knew how to play all of his cards right. A lot of people saw Crowley as a disgrace to humankind—a crook who was willing to sell his mother out for half a cent, but Kye always saw him as witty and resourceful. Crowley could be downright charming when he wanted to, but never, ever, got the wrong idea that he was your friend.

Crowley was only Crowley's friend. Cross him, and you died or wished you could die.

Michael had been listening to Crowley's yapping about reopening the harbor, how it would revive the city, and help the miserable citizens. Angels didn't need food and necessities to survive, but humans did, and the city had been in quite bad shape. That had been the root of all crimes and riots. The Resistance had been waiting for an opportunity to incite more uproars. They might seem like a bunch of backcountry idiots with death wishes, but they also had gotten bolder and more creative each day.

Michael had agreed that the angels should not underestimate these individuals if they wished to govern Earth in peace.

They were about to conclude the meeting when Alastair and his men came in gun blazing. The man's cold gray eyes locked onto Crowley's surprised face for a second before moving on to Michael.

The archangel didn't show a single thread of emotions, but his left hand grabbed Kye's wrist with a bone-crushing force since the moment Alastair's men had kicked down the door. Michael's eyes were fixed on the humans on the opposite side of the room. He was about to teleport out of there with Kye in tow when a silver bullet hit him on the shoulder.