Here We Go Again

Every fucking time.

Twenty-three years of patience, waiting, planning, adjusting, and adapting over…

And over.

And over.

Again and again.

The goal, his prize, literally in his hands.

Slipping away.

Again.

The rage engulfing.

The hopelessness.

The darkness.

Spreading to every crevice of his being.

Settling in.

The quiet mutterings of his mind growing louder.

Antagonizing the urge to destroy.

Annihilate everything in his way and thoroughly clear the path of all obstacles.

To take the easy way out for once.

But to give in to those cravings would mean that he wouldn’t get what he most desired.

He needed to stop.

To think.

Why couldn’t anything ever be simple?

Ren tore away from Sakura, long legs stalking across the house as he ripped the bracelet from his wrist and threw it without any concern for where it would land, a massive ebony wave rolling from his back. He seized the handle of his sword that leaned next to the door that he flung open, slamming it against the wall.

The visitor was already there, an unwelcomed familiar face, standing and staring at the boy with the girl latching nervously to his arm.

His boy.

His girl.

His.

No one would take what was his.

Not again.

“Turn your ass back around and get the fuck out of here!” Ren demanded, ocean eyes becoming nearly black waters as he stormed across the yard and towards his target.

But the man didn’t move, didn’t speak, his sky-blue eyes locked on crimson ones, his stern, chiseled face quickly draining of color.

The over-sized sword slashed high, the tip of the blade pressing just against the intruder’s throat. A warning. A promise. “I said get the fuck out of here, Cassiel,” Ren snarled, his voice low and sinister. “I’m no longer beholden to The Kingdom, and unless you’re looking to add your own head to your collection, I suggest you go back now. There’s nothing for you here.”

Cassiel was frozen, completely unaware of the blade and man that threatened his life. He had come for the Fallen One, but the one who greeted him had been almost a ghost. The white hair was identical, the face hauntingly similar, the crimson eyes proof.

The boy before him was Lailah’s child.

Lailah, his only child. The child that had been everything to him. The brightest light in his life. The light that had been snubbed out, leaving only darkness behind.

The boy was hers.

The boy was the devil’s.

What was he to do?

Cassiel looked up at the Fallen One, the younger man taller than he, his ominous raven wings dwarfing his own magnificent snow-white ones. “Where did you find this boy?” He wanted it to be. But he didn’t. “Where did he come from?”

Ren regarded the angel. He wasn’t there for Zero, the devil’s existence was clearly a shock to the man, something he could have never expected. Something no one could have expected. The man must be a conflicted mess having to choose between his loyalty to his god or to what remained of the child he had lost years ago. It was no secret throughout The Kingdom how much the man cherished and adored his wife and daughter, two women who were considered the most beautiful, the purest throughout The Kingdom. They had been protected like treasures, most never setting eyes on either of them, only hearing their utmost praises.

It had sent the entirety of The Kingdom into an uproar when Lailah had managed to slip away to the land below, only to be captured by a devil. It had broken her mother and father in the way that only losing a child could do. Her mother had withered away, her heart and soul following her daughter as her body was placed in the ground only a few short years later. Her father, having nothing left, had used his power as the highest-ranking angel to search for her and the one who had taken her. In the end, he had claimed the devil’s head but not even so much as a single white hair from Lailah.

So sad.

So not Ren’s problem.

So, why was the highest-ranking angel on the land now? In the Northern Mountains? On Ren’s front step? Harassing him and ruining his day? Word was word, The Kingdom couldn’t force him back, and even if they could, someone else should have been sent to retrieve him.

Not Cassiel.

Never.

Unless...

The Kingdom must be desperate.

Ren couldn’t wait to hear his pleas.

But first he would need to remedy this situation.

Ren nodded at the rocky peaks that nearly touched the sky behind his home. “In the mountains.” His eyes and voice brazen, certain of a successful persuasion. “He’s inbred. You know how those mountain people are. Not much beyond your mother or sister to choose from. Generations of slim pickings does weird things to their bodies. Their eyes.”

By no means did he expect the angel to believe him. It was obvious that Cassiel knew exactly where Zero had come from. Who he was. What he was.

But Cassiel didn’t need to believe it.

He just needed to accept it.

And if Cassiel accepted it.

Then The Kingdom wouldn’t need to be any the wiser of the boy’s existence.

The angel glanced behind the Fallen One at his child’s child. He knew the boy would never be allowed to live. He shouldn’t be. But he was all that was left of her. And despite the devil blood that coursed through his veins, Cassiel could see it.

The light.

The same as Lailah.

The same as his One.

Pure.

Innocent.

Blessed.

It would be a sin to kill him.

Cassiel turned back to the man, his eyes pleading for mercy. “How far in the mountains?”

Ren couldn’t hide the upturn to his lips. Sometimes the predictability of others could taste so sweet. “Far enough. If you want, I can take you there, show you around, introduce you to the eligible brides. Or you can take my word for it. You know I’ve always been good on it.”

The blonde angel let out a slow sigh and closed his eyes, giving in to the narrative without push-back. “That’s fine. I don’t have much interest with making my acquaintance with an incestuous clan.”

“Of course you don’t. That would be beneath you.” He jerked his head lightly to the side. “Go on, you two. Go to your mother hen before she comes to get you and makes things difficult.”

Zero was quick to comply, guiding Ivy along with him to where the woman stood a short distance away.

Watching their visitor.

Emeralds burning and manic.

Like an animal caged.

Just waiting to attack.

Cassiel’s sky eyes followed the boy. It was all he could do. All he’d ever be able to.

“That’s enough. Don’t look at him,” a cold, quiet command from the Fallen One. “Look at me. What do you want?” Oh, what gem would await him? Ren could almost touch the man’s distress at having to concede to someone that the holiest of angels saw as beneath him.

He turned his attention back to the dark-haired man, suddenly aware of his precarious position. “Would you mind lowering your sword first?”

“I suppose,” Ren groaned, lazily swinging the massive sword from the angel’s throat and driving the blade into the earth beside him.

Cassiel stood a little taller and straightened the collar of his jacket, reclaiming an air of supremacy. “You realize that what you’ve done is treason? That it’s punishable by death?”

The man snorted, unimpressed with the threat. “And you realize that I’m at least smart enough to know that if you’re here, then killing me isn’t an actual option? So, how about you stop with the small talk, and get on with it? What the fuck do you want with me this time?”

“We need you to return to The Kingdom.” How it pained Cassiel to admit.

“I don’t need to do anything. Remember?”

“We’re asking that you return… temporarily.”

What a fun game this was. “Temporarily? What for?”

The angel hesitated, swallowing his humiliation. “We have a parasite. One that’s out of our control.”

“Oh, you dumb fucks!” Ren couldn’t contain his delighted sneer, the reality far exceeding his expectations. “How did you end up with a parasite?!”

“A Rogue One returned with it.”

“Good for him. But it sounds like your problem. Not mine.”

Cassiel closed his eyes tightly, needing a moment before he would have to relinquish what remained of his pride. “It is. But none of the weapons in The Kingdom will work against it. The only one that hasn’t been tried is your sword, and you’re the only one who can wield it. There’s no guarantee that it will be able to slay the parasite, but it’s our last remaining option.”

Ren acknowledged the blade that was stuck in the ground with a tapping from the toe of his boot. “If all of your other shitty weapons won’t work, what makes you think this one has a chance?”

“It wasn’t wielded by angels like all the others. There is no other weapon like it as it was a gift from God upon Raziel’s House.”

Now the man was really confused as he looked over at the small cottage he had been raised in by his uncle, unsure of how such a humble abode could be deserving of anything beyond regular repairs. “What? That one? You’re telling me that that house right there was given this sword? Why?”

“I don’t mean a literal house.” This was so much worse than Cassiel had prepared himself for. He was going to have to break it down in simple terms. “I mean Raziel’s dynasty. His lineage. Family. Raziel was Grand Duke of The Kingdom before he relinquished his title. A title of which goes back a hundred generations. That sword was bestowed to them for being the most loyal of all of God’s subjects. It had been passed down to each male heir… until Raziel passed it to Celeste in preparation for the heir that she was supposed to provide. However, you’re now in possession of it, and no one outside of your blood line can wield it. And considering you’re the last of that line… well… do I need to explain further?”

Ren bobbed his head slowly, thinking, his lips pursed. “Uh-huh... yeah... what’s a Grand Duke?”

For as smart as the man was...

He really was an idiot.

The blonde angel stared at the Fallen One, his composure slipping. “You spent four years in The Kingdom, and you don’t know what a Grand Duke is? Let alone that it was your uncle?”

The man rolled his head along his shoulders, taking his time to crack his neck. “Would that information have assisted me in getting out of The Guard quicker?”

“Well, no.”

“Then why did I need to know it back then?” A dark brow raised in amusement at the dumbfounded look on the angel’s face. “Go on, tell me what a Grand Duke is. I’m so interested now.”

Cassiel really should have sent someone else. “The Grand Duke is above all. The most powerful of all men on both the land and heavens. They are only second to God.”

“Huh. Yeah, I guess he was pretty tough.” He shrugged. “But I’m still failing to understand why should I give a fuck about any of this.”

“The parasite has absorbed the North Wall and is halfway through the forest. We can’t stop it, and it will consume everything within a fortnight. Your sword is the only option we have. I know that what happens to The Kingdom is of no concern of yours.” Cassiel paused, willing himself to finish. “However, if you exterminate it, then The Kingdom will be in your debt. You’ll be granted an indefinite prayer.”

“An indefinite prayer?” Ren grinned with a giddy giggle. “Oh, I bet you hate that don’t you?” But he loved it so. “What if I use my special little prayer to take over The Kingdom like you’re all so afraid of? I make it mine and destroy everything and everyone there?”

Cassiel had already accepted that possibility. “It’s already as good as destroyed without you. But I assume that’s not what you want. If it was, you wouldn’t be here on the land playing in the dirt.”

The man checked his arms; the gray sleeves of his shirt rolled over his elbows and clay smeared on his skin and the fabric. The blonde angel had a point, and he was correct. Ren didn’t care about The Kingdom, but there were things The Kingdom was in possession of that he did care about.

And he wanted them.

So, he would have them.

“Alright. I’ll get there when I get there. I’ll come find you when I do. Now get the fuck out of here. You’ve already fucked up my day enough.”

Cassiel nodded, taking one last mournful glance at Zero before taking to the skies.

They watched as the angel soared towards the clouds and disappeared. Slowly, Ren turned towards the group, the darkness in his eyes having disappeared.

Now, they were wide, elated, and frantic.

“I’m a king,” his voice was low, barely above a whisper.

Sakura’s ears twitched as she stepped backwards, shaking her head. “Don’t you fucking dare.” It was already bad enough that the man boasted constantly about his alpha status. Now, she was going to have to live with this.

She should have taken him out with the shovel when she had the chance.

“I’m a fucking king!” Ren bellowed as he rushed the woman, snatching her and lifting her high into the air. “You hear that woman?! Your alpha mate is a king!”

“You’re not a king! You’re not even a duke! Raz was!” she yelled back, having actually paid attention, but the angel was far too lost in his delusion to pay her any mind.

“A king!” He dropped her to his shoulder and spun around. “You have been bestowed the most holiest of honors! Rejoice and worship your king alpha mate!” The man stopped and pointed sternly at the fae and devil, eyes narrowed. “You two lowly subjects are banished to the yard. Stay the fuck out of my house. I got king shit to do. Come woman! To the castle!” He swiftly sauntered back to the cottage, the woman screaming, punching him in the ribs and yanking at his wings, as he slammed the door closed behind him.

Zero sighed and looked down at Ivy, feeling more exhausted than he had ever felt. “Do you want to sleep in the tent tonight?”

She smiled sweetly at the boy, her fingers already untying the ribbon around her neck. “I think that’s a great idea. I would love to.”