With Broken Grace

Chapter Nine

White walls have always been blinding, but with my grace being diminished, it was like staring right into LEDs.

I let my eyes wander around the enclosed space, but there wasn't anything too spectacular. No doors, no windows. It was just a vast blank canvas.

I took a few steps forward, hoping to walk around and discover where I was, but every step seemed to repeat in an endless loop simply due to its blankness, leading me back to the beginning once more. How utterly annoying.

I remember laying back down in my room after my talk with Maven. I, in general felt much better about the situation. The human approach had seemed to work, and she opened up way more than even I saw coming. 

Something about the empty look in her eyes really hurt me. I hadn't experienced something like that before, and had no idea how harsh words landed on mortals. Every time I think maybe I have a grasp on their functions, they surprise me.

Either way, I found myself more shifting into sleep rather than falling. I was surprised I managed to actually reach sleep. Maybe Maven put me into a more peaceful state of mind, as disturbing as that thought is to me.

"I remember you being more observant Delcour."

I froze where I stood, feeling my body strike to attention. Disembodied voices weren't so much scary as they were unnerving. I know they're placed in horror movies for the exact same effect. That drowning feeling in your gut, that you're no longer truly alone.

My eyes darted around the blank room a little more fervently, checking for even the slightest change in shadows. The voice sounded so familiar, but the echo of the room distorted it enough to be difficult. Mix that with being called such a rare nickname, I couldn't help but freak out. Internally of course.

The unseen source tsked at me, resulting me to whip my head in the direction it came from. It ended up being a 180 degree turn, ending with my jaw on the floor in surprise. 

It seemed to have come from nowhere, as I'd checked my endless surroundings already, but right before my eyes, there it was.  A giant white marble throne. The kind God sat in.

It was huge, just like I remembered from Heaven. It towered well over eight feet, tapering into a sharp point at the top. If you pricked your finger, you'd bleed. Every surface otherwise was smooth. It looked extremely uncomfortable, with no padding on the seat or rounded armrests. Of course, celestial beings didn't care too much for comfort, only the power they radiate.

The issue wasn't the throne, as shocking as the familiarity was, but instead resided in the being lounging across it.

His legs were thrown across one armrest, his upper back on the other, legs crossed at the knee. He was clad in a bleach white suit, the blazer flung open, revealing the golden button up beneath, unbuttoned enough to expose the beginnings of his chest.

My eyes narrowed as I took the creature in, observing him closely. He looked so young, hardly 18. I felt a tingling in my brain, the kind of feeling that I should know him.

 The boy wasn't even looking at me, but instead watching his hand, which was twisting the fingers around a silver dagger. It moved so fluidly through the crevices one would think it were liquid. His free hand dangled next to him, with the elbow resting on the armrest with his back. Such a dismissive position.

I took a step forward, releasing the tension of my grace so I could feel the hum just underneath my skin once again. I still wasn't completely healed from the demons, but enough focus and I could probably hold my own. Or at least that's what I told myself.

At the movement, his free hand flicked up, a single finger poised, telling me without words to stop. I did, but I think mostly out of shock. This little shit had the audacity to stop me. I felt my anger rising the longer he paid me no attention. The fury in his ignorance.