29

The sun hadn't risen yet when Grace woke up. She didn't wait for it to. She slid out of bed and padded downstairs. Everyone was still asleep, apparently. She then went down the hall and through the main doors to go outside. It was morning now, after all – a lot safer than the night.

She stood in the yard that looked like the rest of Hell; sandy, dry, and covered with small stones and dying weeds rather than plants or grass. Even the worst gardens she had ever seen on Earth now seemed  beautiful in comparison.

Garden... Heaven was called the garden of Eden, wasn't it? No wonder there weren't any gardens in Hell... Grace breathed in the cold morning air and tried to be grateful for the fresh energy it gave her. Energy... she hung her head at the previous night's events. What should she do? She looked back at the castle, her only home in this unhomely place. But its residents no longer wanted her there – or maybe they never had.

She found herself walking away, but where? She didn't know. She would return eventually, of course; just like she had always returned to her aunt's house. She had nowhere else to go, after all.

'Good for nothing!' her aunt had harshly said to her once.

Maybe she had been right.

Grace stopped and looked around her. Where was she? How dumb of her to wander off like that!

Idiot! Burden! Menace! Always a bother for me!

This wouldn't do, she thought as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her aunt wasn't here, but her taunts had travelled with her even to this other world. She sighed and turned back. She would go home. She would talk to Lucien when he woke up and ask him what the matter was. She would assure him she wouldn't cause them trouble; and mean it too. Maybe he wouldn't mind her as much as she had thought he did last night.

Maybe she was reading too much into everything. They had gotten along fine enough before, hadn't they? Unless it had all really changed now...

'Grace, what are you doing here?' asked a soft voice that surprised her.

She turned around. It was Azel! The angel looked taller than usual, and the lighted aura around him felt far more powerful than it did when he was inside – it somewhat reminded her of the Assistant. But this power wasn't oppressive; it was gentle. Like a still lake that ran deep, and only rippled when you touched its surface. His blue eyes were filled with a sense of calm and peace, and they were now looking at her solemnly, not to judge, but to enquire.

'I was just... walking,' said Grace awkwardly.

'Ah, a morning walk,' said Azel approvingly. 'So was I! The air before the sunrise is incredibly healthy and... soulful, isn't it? Care to join me?'

'I... no, I don't want to disturb you,' said Grace politely. 'Thanks for asking.'

'You won't disturb me. What does look disturbed right now, though, is your heart,' said Azel, and his eyes met hers; like water into earth – or a whisper in the centre of a storm.

'What would you know,' muttered Grace, looking at a distant barren tree to avoid the questions his scrutinising gaze sought answers for.

'You underestimate me,' said Azel, lifting up her chin with a gentle movement and a gentler smile.

Grace looked at him. His face looked... radient. In every way. And its light seemed to touch her very soul.

'Try talking to me. Maybe you'll feel better,' he said, smiling at her.

So this was what an angelic smile looked like; it was beautiful – in the most beautiful way. And Grace was almost entranced by how his whole countenance was changed by that simple expression. He wasn't just a solemn, rule-bound entity that gave heavy warnings and left; he was an angel, with an essence that was pure and truly good. Kind. And almost human when it came to empathy and understanding – but better.

'I...' she managed to say, but the angel began to walk away – not in impatience or from growing weary – but graciously, to give her space.

'Only if you wish to,' he said, softly as ever, turning back once with a calm smile before walking on his way again, leaving her with a choice to either go back or join him.

She paused and watched him go further and further away. Then, she chose the latter.

'I wish to!' she called out, running until she was by his side. 'I wish to walk – and talk – with you.'

'Then, by all means, let's do so until the sun rises completely,' beamed the angel next to her. 'I recommend this route. It gives me much peace whenever I choose it.'

'Isn't it all the same around here?' said Grace. 'The same barren trees, the same sandy soil. The same stones everywhere – here's one in my shoe again!'

Azel paused and waited for her to take it out before he spoke again, calm and content. 'No, it isn't the same.'

'Huh. Landscape says otherwise,' said Grace, looking around.

Azel smiled. 'You can do better than that, Grace. It's all in the details. Some things can be overlooked easier than others, but it doesn't make them any less beautiful. Everyone can look, but not everyone can see.'

Grace looked around her with more attention to detail, but all she saw was... 'More stones,' she said. 'So what?'

'Look under that one,' said Azel, and he tenderly lifted a rock off the ground.

'What's in – oh, wow!' Grace took the rock in her hand and looked at the bottom delightfully. The top was grey, but the bottom was red – bright red.

'Try this one, too,' pointed out Azel, picking up another. This one had a yellow base.

'They should be called "Rainbow Rocks"', giggled Grace.

'Hmm,' said Azel, amused. 'Not bad! We call them the "Phosphoraphin Extractious", but your name certainly rolls off the tongue better. Incidentally, there is one with a blue base, but those are rather rare.'

'Oh,' said Grace, somewhat awed.

'Then, this rather unruly plant,' said the angel.

Grace looked at the mess of half-dry, half-ugly leaves sprawled out on the ground. 'Unruly, indeed.'

'It actually blooms once a month,' said Azel. 'In fact, I think I see a tiny bud forming already...'

'I'd love to see the flower,' said Grace, staring at the bud in surprise.

'You will,' said Azel. 'And you'll love it. There are actually many flowers in Hell, but not many know of them; just like there are many good hearts in the world, but unlocking them can be hard.'

Grace walked next to him in silence as she thought over his words.

'Now, do you see that tree?' said Azel, pointing out an especially dry specimen.

'Looks more like the ghost of one,' said Grace cheekily.

'Haha! I suppose it does,' said Azel, walking up to it. 'But, in God's universe, nothing truly dies. This is the Vershua Ziggunaia Linoya...'

Grace looked at him blankly.

'When it dies,' he continued, 'its roots turn to saplings and two resprout, making the tree come to life again. Look, do you see these tiny leaves on the ground near the dried-up trunk? This is it.'

'Wow...' said Grace, admiring the pair of glossy green leaves she hadn't noticed before. 'It's beautiful.'

Azel smiled. 'So,' he said, continuing his walk, 'as you can see, beauty is sometimes around us, in front of us, but we fail to notice it.'

Grace nodded silently as she walked next to him.

'But, whether we notice it or not, it does not cease to exist,' continued Azel. 'Because it can't help being who it is, regardless of what anyone thinks about it.'

Grace looked up at him. 'What if it's just a weed? And no one wants it there?'

'Calling a beautiful plant a weed doesn't stop it from growing everywhere,' said Azel calmly. 'And in my opinion, no plant is a weed. Weed is a subjective word, depending on the taste of the person who uses it.'

'You really think so?' said Grace, looking at his serene face as the first rays of sunlight touched it and paled in comparison.

'Yes,' he said, looking at her with a small but sincere smile.

'Thank you.'

'Don't be. I only speak the truth. Truth needs no thanks. Only acknowledgement.'

'Still, thank you,' said Grace with a smile, holding his hand – it felt soft and made her wonder what the earth in Heaven would feel like.

'I must go now,' said Azel, pressing her hand in his before returning it gently. 'I have work to do – and so must you. Goodbye, Grace.'

'Goodbye, Azel.'

The angel flew upwards in a sudden movement and vanished in a flash of light.

Grace turned back to the castle and nodded with determination as she walked towards it, her heart lighter than it was when she had last left its doors.

'Let's see what what's bothering you, Lucien.'