Chapter 19

-Yvo-

I peel one eye open, glancing around. I’m in one of my visions, in the blank space Arche and I meet in, except there’s no one here. I’m alone.

And then, a gate forms in front of me. It is tall, and large walls form around it. I take a step back, watching as more and more detail comes in to existence in front of me. A searing pain spikes through my veins, and I fall forwards on to my hands and knees.

I let out a scream as my blood seems to set itself on fire, and then the pain is gone in an instant. Gasping for air, I stand up, and realise something is fundamentally wrong with me. The weight distribution of my body is different.

Glancing behind me, I clasp a hand over my mouth in shock as white feathered wings stare back at me. Except, they look slightly crooked, like they were broken and didn’t heal quite right.

Just like Kossiq’s wings.

Turning back to the gates, Arche’s form manifests in front of me, and I rush forwards into their arms. “What’s happening? I thought I- I thought I was dying,” I whisper as Arche wraps their arms around me, holding me tightly to them.

“I’m sorry I didn’t consult with you first, Kossiq and I sort of just…turned you into an angel.” I pull back, staring up at my Archangel. “What?!”

Arche strokes my cheek, before poking one of my wings gently. “Kossiq gave you his wings and some of his blood. I gave you some of my divine power; I’m technically not an Archangel anymore. I’m just not a normal angel either. Luckily for us, the heavens will take us back.”

I stare at them for a moment, before looking back at the wings, and then glancing down at my hands, thinking of the burning sensation in my blood. “Am I…am I a normal angel then?” I ask, not entirely sure what any of this means.

Arche shakes their head, looking behind them at the massive gates. “No, we’re both sort of…divine angel outcasts, now. The heavens are letting us back in, but only because I shouldn’t have made Kossiq a fallen angel, and because you and I did that whole possession thing to help him…we’re allowed in. We won’t have any of the regular duties, my only job is to ‘monitor’ you, and not cause any more trouble.”

Letting it all sink in, I just gape at Arche. “I’m going to live in the heavens with you? And I have wings now and weird blood?” Arche shrugs, fiddling with their hair. “I think so? I’m not- I’m not 100% certain what divine powers you have, I just…gave you some of mine, and hoped it would do the trick.”

Suddenly, I have the urge to laugh. Letting one slip past my lips, I pull Arche down, kissing them softly. “I love you, and thank you for saving my life,” I whisper, and they smile against my lips. “I love you too, and thank you for saving Kossiq’s life, and thank you for coming in to mine.”

We stay like that for a moment, before we both turn to the gates. “Will I not get to say goodbye to Kossiq? I feel so bad for him, he’s going to be all alone.” Arche shakes their head, taking my hand in theirs.

“He won’t be alone. He has the Hunter by his side.”

It takes me a moment to realise what that means, and then I feel shocked tears begin to fall. They’re happy ones, hopeful that Arche is telling the truth. “You- you mean, Martin- he’s alive?” I whisper, and Arche nods, pulling me back to them for a hug.

“Kossiq used his blood and tears to save him.”

I gape at Arche for a moment, my own tears still falling. “Oh thank- thank Kossiq, I thought- I thought he’d be all alone, because Martin died, because of me and I- I’m so glad,” I land on, Arche giving me a moment to digest everything.

Martin is alive. Kossiq is…a human?

“Wait so…what is Kossiq now then? Or is he some hybrid thing like me too?” I ask, and Arche shakes their head. “No, he’s a normal human. Making an angel is different from making someone into an angel - it required all of Kossiq’s power, things like his wings, his blood, his tears - the parts of himself that still contain divine power, even after being cast out. He is a normal human, he can grow old and die, the same as any human.”

“If Kossiq is a human then…people won’t be after him anymore,” I say slowly, realising the ramifications of everything. “He and Martin can be together, they can have a normal life. They don’t have to run away forever. And you and I- we get to be together too,” I say quietly, and Arche nods, a small smile twitching at their lips.

“Yes. I’m just sorry that for things to work out like this, Kossiq had to go through all the pain he did, and you had to…lose everything.”

I know what Arche means. Kossiq was tossed away, abandoned and cast out by those he’d spent his entire life with. I can’t even comprehend that kind of pain, whilst I spent my life working for an evil woman in the hopes of saving my mother, only for her to be killed by the Duchess in the end.

I will never not be destroyed by my mother’s death. I just haven’t had the time and peace of mind to grieve her properly yet.

But finally, everything is over.

Finally, I can make my own family, surround myself with people I love, and have a home which isn’t contaminated by cruelty.

“Are you ready to go?” Arche asks gently, and I nod. They squeeze my hand, and I smile at my angel. The gates slowly open for us, a paradise coming in to view behind them.

Blue skies, waterfalls of glinting water meandering down into rivers, soft green grass spanning out in every direction as particles in the air sparkle, sending rays of sunlight in every direction. Another gate stands at the very centre of everything, a crimson one with red dust trickling from it as it towers above everything, the bars showing the deepest red behind it.

Archangels, distinguishable from their blue wings, stand around the gate, feathers made of ice and glass encapsulating the red dust and turning into pure white dust, before turning into more feathers to be added to the Archangels’ wings.

Soft winds breeze past, gently nudging the glass leaves on the trees, which reflect the sun’s light, emanating warmth and making angels smile as they fly past.

Arche gives my hand a squeeze, turning to face me. “Welcome to the heavens, Yvo.”