Archanghel: Tale of the Universe

Chapter 19

“She survived. Xandriel was safe.”

Raphael was all smiles as he watched Xandriel in the body of Rachele, talking to Janus who was in the body of Cleo. There was some kind of happiness he was feeling when he heard that Xandriel was back and Miniel had managed to save her.

“Where is Miniel?” Zadkiel, who had just arrived, asked.

“He’s at Paradise recuperating. He will undergo another trial once his body heals.”

They all looked back when they heard a familiar voice. It was Michael, the head of the soldier. Just like the rest of the Archangels, he was wearing a satin, blue satin. There was also a tint of blue-colored on his huge wings. It was much larger than the rest and looked like two wings that were combined. His wings were not the only thing that could be seen on his back, there was also a huge sword placed there. His insignia can be seen on his left chest, where the heart was located. And because he was the head soldier, his body build was much larger than the others.

“Michael, you’re here,” Gabriel asked jokingly. Between the seven of them, Gabriel and Michael were relatively close.

“What? Am I not allowed to see the prophesied one?” Michael also answered in a jokingly mannered way.

“Archangel Michael, it is time.”

Everyone looked at the angel child behind Michael when she talked. He was holding a book that barely fitted in her small little hands. Compared to the Archangels and Guardians, she wore a thin piece of cloth. Her body was that of a child as well as her wings because she was a Virtue. The angel of miracles and the controller of the seasons.

“I’ll be leaving something here before I go.” Right after Michael had said that a little angel, in the form of a baby, flew towards Janus and Xandriel.

“A Cherubim?” Zadkiel asked in confusion.

It was rare for that kind of angel to leave Paradise and go to earth. Because they were the guardians of the glory of God, they couldn’t be seen outside and were just gathered around the throne. They were also the symbol of God’s power. They were that important and mighty and to see one on earth was something.

+++

“One month?” I asked in shock.

“I’ve been in hell for a month?” I repeated the words. It felt foreign to my ears.

I can’t believe that it’s been a month since Janus woke up and I was in hell. It's just like a day or two when I woke up there. Janus and I were talking in my room. It's been days since I woke up in this body. It's also been days since Janus almost transferred into this room. He wouldn’t let me go by myself. Well, the first few days were critical, since I couldn’t move on my own, but it’s different now. I can sit up in bed on my own.

“It’s been a month. All I did was pray for your safety since I didn’t know where you were. The first few days when I woke up, I talked to the archangels but the next day, I couldn’t call them anymore. Or I can’t see them rather.” Janus said as he handed me a piece of apple he was cutting.

“It’s probably because your soul has blended into your body now.” I looked up when I heard an unfamiliar voice at the door.

There stood an older woman standing by the door. She had luggage in her right hand and another bag in her left. She was smiling at me widely as if she was ecstatic to see me in the flesh. Janus looked at her briefly and then nodded. He got up from his seat and carried the bags to put them on the couch in the corner of the room.

“Thank God, you're finally awake. I thought something bad had happened to you.”

I did not answer. First, because something bad happened to me, I'm not going to tell her that. And second, I don’t know her. We weren’t supposed to know anyone here. I looked at Janus.

“Who is she?”

“Oh! I'm so sorry dear, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Isma. My real name was Ismael. But it did not fit my gender so I shortened it.” She explained while still smiling at me like a grandmother would do to her granddaughter.

I looked at Janus to ask for confirmation and he just nodded his head. I turned my head once again to *Lola Isma when I heard her clap lightly.

“You must’ve just entered the body. Don’t worry, I'm not a bad person. I'm here to help you.”

Lola Isma took the chair beside me and sat down. She placed her hands on me and lightly patted them with her own. She looked at my face and her smile broadened.

“I’m an angel. Well, used to be since I've been banned now. Did you know that angels, especially guardians, don’t have gender?” I shook my head as an answer.

“Cleo already knew this,” I looked at Janus. “Did it not occur to you why angels were more beautiful than any men or women on earth? It's because we were genderless. We are made to be as tough as a man and as beautiful as a woman.”

I stare at her. Now that she mentioned it, Zadkiel and the rest do have a different physique than people. I thought it was just because they were angels and they just needed that. I did not know that there was a reason behind it.

“But why are you here? Why are you a woman now?” I curiously inquired.

I thought that she had been offended by my question when she did not answer me. I was about to retract my words when she squeezed my hands and opened her mouth.

“Because I broke the greatest rule of the Guardians. I fell in love with a human,” She paused, “Lucas was a great and kind man. I was honored to be his guardian. I’ve watched over him since the day he was born. Watching him every day and knowing all of his secrets was the greatest treasure I possess. Because of that, I've come to see him as a strong, reliable, and smart man. Slowly, love blossomed in my heart. And it was not supposed to happen.” Lola Isma sighed.

“I was called at Paradise when the news reached them. Loving a human was the greatest sin we could commit, so they banished me here on earth. They stripped me of my wings. When I reached this place, I still had the remnants of my powers, so I turned myself into a woman to be with Lucas.” She continued.

“Just like Miniel! Miniel was stripped of his wings too!” I couldn’t help but exclaim. My eyes were big as saucers when I finally got the answer to my question about what happened to Miniel. He too fell in love with a human, but who?

“Is that the name of your guardian?” I nodded. “I think he also fell in love with you or any human around you. He knew that it was not right and when you were brought to hell, he came running to you to save you.” Lola Isma explained.

Just then, I realized that Miniel had sacrificed a lot of things for me. In the end, he had done his job. I wished that it would put him in a nice position and he could be given a second chance.

“I think you should get some rest, Rachele. Your body is still healing and putting you under a lot of stress won’t help us anyway. Don’t worry too much because I'm here to assist you. A good friend of mine sent a message about you and maybe I can use this to repay and send my gratitude to Him for giving me a chance to experience the thing that I wanted the most even though it was only a short time.”

Lola Isma stood up from the chair. She helped me lay down on my bed and arranged the duvet around my body. She also instructed Janus to get some water in a basin as she rummaged in the bag she had bought. I watched as the two of them scuffled in front of me and attended to me. My thoughts were left wondering what Miniel's condition could be.

+++

I dreamt of you, Xandriel. Janus wanted to continue his story as he looked at Xandriel and Lola Isma talking and getting to know each other. He still remembered the dream. Not that he can forget something like that. No, he will not forget that.

The image would be forever embedded in his mind. It would haunt him forever and that would be his greatest fear. He might forget a chunk of the exact scene, but not the feeling, never the feeling. When Xandriel walked away from him, he saw her getting back away from him. When she saw how she linked her arms to a demon, it would be forever tattooed on his mind. Janus contemplated whether to eventually tell Xandriel about it or not.

He feared that once he let it out it might happen. The possibility of it happening was huge and Janus couldn’t risk adding to that possibility.

Janus watched as Xandriel and Lola Isma talked animatedly. He chanted a reassuring word to himself and tried to calm down. “Xandriel is safe and she’s with me now. There's nothing to worry about again. I'll just need to make her safe.” He promised to himself.