Until The End Of Time

Chapter 22. Until we meet again

A few rays of sunlight escaped through the thick curtain to spray on the bed. The couple, wrapped in each other's embrace, opened their eyes at the same time. However, only one had been asleep.

Michael stared at the gap between the curtain and the wall, thinking about how different his life had become. His hand kneaded the long, soft brown hair that covered half of the pillow and his left shoulder. That moment right there was what he risked his life for, and it was worth it.

"Good morning."

The sleepy voice pulled him out of his subconscious. Kye was looking up at him with her misty brown eyes.

"Good morning," Michael replied, savoring the moment.

The way Kye looked at him—with so much love and awe, as if he was the single most important thing in the world—still made Michael speechless at times. None of his siblings had ever looked at him that way, naturally.

To them, he was an authoritative figure. A leader with a fist of steel. They respected and feared him too much to freely love him.

To humans, Michael was many things. They used to pray to him, asking for protection and guidance up to the moment he descended to Earth. Then, he became a monster who destroyed their world.

Michael had known affection in the most technical sense of the word, but he hadn't understood it. He had never given or received it. Not like that. Not that purely, unconditionally, and overwhelmingly. His meat suit tingled with its mysterious force.

For the first time, Michael truly understood what humans meant by "looking forward to the future." His life wasn't a constant, rigid line anymore. It had a clear goal. Selfish one? Perhaps. But who could dictate otherwise? Michael could and would give Kye more than just a piece of his grace.

A soft knock on the door caught his attention.

"One second." Michael barely concealed his annoyance. He wasn't ready to get up and let go of the human in his arms, but his siblings were waiting.

That day was a special day.

Years had passed since that fateful, brutal night. A lot had changed, but it wasn't enough to make Michael forget or put down his guard. Never again would he let those who were close to him abuse the power they possessed.

The new laws that Michael had worked so hard for were now firmly in effect. Eternal contracts had become obsolete, but in some dark corners, behind closed doors, abuses could still happen despite severe punishments. That was why Michael had pushed for a more hands-off era that allowed Earthlings to take back control of their planet.

The angels would stay for security and orders only until reconstruction and repopulation reached the quota. After Raphael's camps were all demolished, Naomi had come up with a big project to give the rescued free housing and essential social services. It had been a great idea from someone who had lived among humans and knew them intimately. Still, it was hard to erase the stain Raphael's reign of terror had left behind.

Michael knew that these gestures were perceived as too little too late. After decades of bad blood between the two kinds, humans' fear and angels' hatred ran deep.

A changed Ayham, however, was quite visible. The city had seen the greatest return in its history. At first, a few individuals dared to come back. Then, wave after wave, people flooded the city gate as it was dismantled and rebuilt. Ayham had doubled its size within a month or two and looked more and more like it had before the War.

Population growth usually came with new problems. So did population shrinkage. Thousands of people who had taken refuge in the Resistance camps and outposts left for the city during that time. The organization faced a unique situation. They had fought the battle for freedom and equality for so long that when these things became reality, they could feel like punches to the gut.