Until The End Of Time

Chapter 22. Until we meet again

A few rays of sunlight escape through the thick fabric to spray on the bed. The couple wraps in each other's embrace, but only one is asleep. Michael stares at the gap between the curtain and the wall, thinking about the past events in his life. His hand kneads the long, soft hair that covers half of the pillow and his left shoulder.

This moment is so simple yet means so much to him. He wouldn't trade it for the world.

"Good morning."

A sleepy voice pulls him out of his thoughts. Kye looks up at Michael with her misty brown eyes.

"Good morning," he replies, hoping the perfect moment will not end so soon.

The way Kye looks at him, with so much love and awe, like he is the single most important thing in the world, still makes Michael speechless at times. None of his siblings looks at him that way. To them, he is an authoritative figure. A leader with a fist of steel. They respect and fear him too much to freely love him. To humans, Michael is many things. They pray to him, asking him for protection and guidance up to the moment he descended on Earth. Then, he became a monster who brought nothing but pain and death to their world.

Michael knows affection in the most technical sense of the word, but he doesn't understand it. He has never received it. Not like this. Not this pure, unconditional, and overwhelming warmth he feels from head to toe. His meat suit tingled with a mysterious force.

For the first time, Michael  understands what humans mean by  "looking forward to the future." His desire to build something long-lasting for them gets stronger every day despite the usual doubts. Michael can and is willing to give Kye more than just a piece of his grace. It already is the rarest gift, the most precious resource in case her life is ever in danger, but he can give her much more than that.

A soft knock on the door catches both of their attention.

"One second," Michael says with a tint of annoyance in his voice. He is not ready to get up and let go of the human in his arms, but his siblings are waiting.

Today is a special day.

Years have passed on Earth. A lot has changed. The new laws that Michael had worked so hard for are now firmly in effect. No more eternal contracts and abusive treatments of humans. In fact, Michael has shifted to a more hands-off approach that allows Earthlings to slowly take back control of their planet. The angels only stay for support and guidance. Michael wants Raphael's reign to become nothing but a faded stain in Earth's collective memory.

After all concentration camps were demolished, the rescued received not only free housing but also free services such as schooling and medical care. These benefits will last perpetually.

Naomi has come up with many other great ideas that Michael can't himself. She has lived among humans much longer so, naturally, she knows better.

Michael knows, however, that these gestures of his kind are perceived as too little too late. They can't erase decades of bad blood between two species. Humans' fear and hatred, as well as angels' arrogance, run deep. The best thing he can do is pull back.

A changed Ayham, however, has resulted in the greatest return in the city's history.  At first, it was a few individuals and groups dared to come back for visits. Then, wave after wave, people flooded the city gate as it was dismantled and rebuilt. Thousands of people who used to take refuge in Resistance camps and outposts came back. The city doubled its size in a month or two and looked as lively as it was before the War, if not better. Population growth usually comes with new problems, but nothing the city hasn't seen or dealt with before.

The Resistance, for the first time, faced a unique situation. They had fought for this, but independence came rushing in so suddenly. They didn't know if they should remain or dissolve.