Previous | Table of Contents | Next

---

After Raea stopped crying, she separated herself from Palan’s embrace. Her lips pursed as she met his gaze. “I haven’t forgiven you yet,” she said. Her voice dropped to barely audible levels. “Or myself.” She straightened her back and smoothed out her feathers. The movement came naturally, almost instinctive. She felt sick when the action triggered an image of Madison preening herself.

“I don’t need your forgiveness,” Palan said and snorted. “I’m used to people hating me.”

“That’s terrible.”

Palan shrugged. “So now that we established your undying hatred for me, can we discuss what happens next?” he asked with a smile as he sat down on the bed. “I don’t imagine you’ll be able to bring me to the capital looking like … that.” He gestured at her.

“Am I that ugly?” Raea asked and frowned as she reexamined herself. “Maybe I should file these,” she mumbled as she observed the pointed ends of her claws. Her palms were still red, but a layer of black scales covered the back of her hands.

“You’re not ugly at all,” Palan said as he admired her figure. She stared at him with a blank expression. “You just don’t look very angel-like. And I don’t think you’re an angel of kindness or patience anymore; I couldn’t use either of those powers.”

Raea nodded. “I’m a fallen archangel of wrath,” she said. Her face looked like she swallowed something bitter. She sighed, causing a jet of black flames to shoot out of her mouth. Her brow furrowed. “I really need to stop sighing.”

“Just wrath?” Palan asked. “What about envy and greed?”

“I don’t like to acknowledge those parts of myself,” Raea said and crossed her arms as she sat on the chair near the bed. Palan pushed the blanket aside and made himself comfortable as he lay down. “But I’m sure they’re still there.”

Palan stretched his arm towards the ceiling and narrowed his eyes. Wisps of greenish-black smoke spewed out of his palm forming a miniature cloud in an instant. “Well, I think it’s safe to say your envy increased in power,” he said as the smoke began to corrode the wood. He noticed Raea’s face paling.

“Gah!” a high-pitched voice shouted from the roof. “What the hell is this!? Save me, Sally!”

Raea turned her head towards the window and saw Cleo’s figure falling past, limbs flailing. A second later, Sally’s figure flew past the window as well.

“That’s what they get for eavesdropping,” Palan said and snorted. A ray of light shone through the newly created sunroof. “And it seems our contract is still valid.”

Raea rummaged through a bag by the foot of the bed and pulled out a yellow crystal. She crushed it, summoning the contract. She briefly glanced over its contents. “It’s still the same as before, but my title was changed from Kindness Angel to Fallen Angel” she said and released it. The yellow paper crumbled into dust which was swept away by a breeze. She bit her lower lip—Palan noticed some of her teeth were similar to his. “The problem is this clause, ‘The terms of this contract must be renewed after the Pride Demon Palan is reunited with his sister.’ Doesn’t that mean I have to be with you when you reunite with your sister?”

“Sounds like it,” Palan said. “But that was there before as well. I thought we were going to dissolve the contract with the Creator’s permission or some nonsense like that.”

“You didn’t think I could even make it to the capital. How are we supposed to go to the shrine of the Creator?” Raea asked.

“You’re not a kindness angel anymore, right?” Palan asked. He continued speaking without waiting for a reply, “Then you shouldn’t have any qualms about killing angels, yes?”

“What?” Raea asked and furrowed her brow. “Of course I have a problem with killing angels! Just because I’m no longer a kindness angel, it doesn’t mean I’m going to wantonly slaughter people and break all the laws.”

Palan scratched his head as he recalled the giant column of black fire that incinerated the four greater angels. “Uh. Are you sure?” he asked. “Didn’t you kill those four angels back there?”

“That was different,” Raea said stiffly. She broke eye contact with Palan and gained an interest in the clouds passing overhead. “They made me mad.”

“You know we’re illegally occupying someone’s house after killing them, right? Didn’t you tell me that was wrong?” Palan asked. He recalled the time when Emergency Victuals was still around and the group was heading towards the checkpoint after Ishim’s betrayal. They had encountered a log cabin that Palan wanted to raid, but Raea had stopped him and politely explained their situation instead.

Raea didn’t respond as she recalled the farmer burning to death in the rain. Her chest felt hollow—there was no sense of guilt or responsibility. Just anger. How dare he stab her demon? Her fists tightened, and her chair began to smolder from the heat radiating off of her body. “That was also different,” she said and glanced at Palan. Her fists loosened.

“Right,” Palan said. “What about eating bodies instead of burying them?”

“Huh?” Raea asked as her anger dissolved and was replaced by confusion. “I didn’t do that.”

Palan scratched his chin, debating whether he should break the news to her or not. Probably not. Her eyes widened as she gasped. “You didn’t,” Raea said, staring at him.

“What did you think of lunch today?” he asked.

“I’m going to be sick,” Raea said as her stomach churned. She covered her hand with her mouth as she dry heaved. She forced herself to swallow and straightened her posture. “Was it really?” Her eyes seemed to be pleading.

“It wasn’t,” Palan said. Raea relaxed, but a bolt of lightning crashed through the hole in the roof and struck Palan. “Goddammit,” Palan said as his body spasmed. “This is why your ‘don’t lie to me’ order is bullshit.”

Raea wordlessly stood up, walked over to the window, and puked outside. Unfortunately, she didn’t check if there was anyone below.

“Ewww! Did you think I wasn’t sick enough!?” Cleo shouted from the ground. Palan heard vomiting noises coming through the window. “Both of you are bullies!”

“I’m sorry,” Raea said before pursing her lips and staring at the slightly green lizardman. She really didn’t mean to puke on her. It just happened.

“I’m pretty sure there’s some nonsense angel law about puking on someone,” Palan said as Raea retreated back into the room.

Raea sighed and wisps of smoke that smelled like burning vomit escaped through her mouth. “I get it, okay? You want to go to the capital illegally,” she said. “I—“

“Elrith’s here!” Cleo shouted from outside. “Carry me, Sally! Stop! Why are you running away!?”

“Elly?” Raea asked and furrowed her brow as she peered out the window. Sally was flying away from the vomit-covered Cleo. She looked at the fields and saw her brother storming through, riding on an earthen spider, heading straight towards the house.

---

Previous | Table of Contents | Next