Chapter 5- Journey of Realization

Thy world so endless and big,

yet can snap just like a twig.

You wish for a peaceful gig,

but there is too much to dig.

The moment of peace and love between father and daughter didn’t last for long. As usual, time continued running in its endless circle. And thus, for the next year, Michael was busy taking care of paperwork, leading and ruling over the angelic beings along with dealing with the gods' usual demands. 

The King of Angels felt like his work would grow more and more the longer he was on “parental vacation” to raise his daughter. He was so busy these weeks he only saw Seraphina at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And no matter how bad he felt about it, he knew he would have to pick up his full duty soon. After all, their military forces had to be trained properly, especially because the War of Good and Evil was still raging fully.

Yet, even with all that in mind, he was hesitant to return to work. Because if he is gone all day, who would be there to care for his daughter? That thought alone gave him a major headache. 

“I have a few options, but none of these are qualified enough!!!” Michael shouted in frustration and growled before slumping back in his chair. “There are my brothers, but I can’t trust them to take care of Sera. They are busy too, and who knows what they might teach her…” He shuddered at the mere thought of it and shook his head. “No. Nope. Definitely not. They’re out of question as guardians.” He rubbed his temples with an inaudible sigh.

“I need to decide if I enroll her in the academy too… She’s young but her wisdom is growing at a rapid pace and I can’t trust Uriel to teach her all the time. I also need to find an etiquette teacher who can teach her about the royal life.” The man grumbled, running his hands through his messy dark hair. ‘I can’t keep her sheltered from an angel's duty for forever either… The gods are getting unruly and want to meet her but she’s too young. She has shown no sign of her special power yet, and she still has only a single pair of wings. While that isn’t unusual for her age, my genes might not be powerful enough to make her an Archangel.’

His train of thoughts paused as he grimaced slightly and took a sip of his coffee. ‘I have to keep in mind what Raphael told me three years ago… He didn’t have time to check up on her again because of training the potential new healers in his free time. If it’s true and she doesn’t have any strength now either and shows no sign of a special ability, she won’t be able to pick up any kind of duty.’ He thought grimly in worry, biting on his bottom lip absentmindedly. 

‘Her status as Princess of Heaven would get in the way, she can’t technically become a guardian angel… But if that’s the case, her duty would revolve around reigning this kingdom. And I know how misogynistic Zeus can be, so he wouldn’t let her rule by herself…’ 

Michael cringed in distaste and clenched his fist angrily. ‘Yeah, no, nope! Ain’t no way I am going to consent to an arranged marriage. Fuck Zeus.’ 

Before his train of thoughts could continue to circle around Seraphina’s future, a soft voice jolted him out of his worries.

“Papa?” Seraphina asked him in worry, her head tilted as she stared up at her father nervously. She had been standing next to him for over five minutes already, but the Archangel never responded to her calls. Obviously, this had worried the four-year-old a lot.

Michael spun around to her in surprise, staring at her with wide eyes. A bit of his coffee spilled on his shirt from the sudden movement, making his daughter gasp lightly before she hurried off to get him a napkin. 

“Wait, Sera-” He shouted after her before sighing fondly. ‘She didn’t need to go out of her way and get a napkin. Gosh, she’s too precious…’ He thought and tried really hard not to tear up at the thought of his daughter growing up slowly but surely.

Seraphina returned quickly with a napkin, mentioning up to her father, who picked her up and let her try to clean up the stain on his shirt. “Be more careful next time, papa…” The four-year-old scolded him, making Michael grunt lightly in amusement.

“Yes, yes. Don’t make it sound like you’re older than me, for Astria’s sake.” He grumbled in response before letting a deep sigh escape his chest. “...How long have you been standing next to me, Sera?” Michael asked her seriously, already feeling bad for not noticing her right away.

The girl paused in her movement of rubbing the stain and let her hands drop to her lap. “I don’t know… Five minutes, maybe?” She asked and shrugged lightly, but it was clear something was bothering her. Her features had turned sad and thoughtful, an expression you truly don’t want to see on a child’s face.

Michael frowned at that, gently pulling her closer before hugging her with a sad expression. “I’m sorry, my little dove. I really didn’t want to ignore you, I was just absorbed in work. That is no excuse for not noticing you, though. Please forgive your stupid old man.”

Seraphina’s eyes widened at that in surprise, her expression bewildered. “Wha- No! It’s not because of you! I was just worried about you, papa! You don’t need to be sorry for anything! I understand!” She cried out quickly, feeling bad for worrying her father even more.

“Okay, okay. Calm down…” He chuckled in response and kissed the crown of her head fondly. “What is it then? Did someone upset you?” He asked carefully, even though his eyes narrowed slightly. Oh god forbid someone upset his daughter or they will find themselves at hell’s doorsteps.

The four-year-old fidgeted slightly, not knowing how to explain what she had wondered about.  ‘Isn’t it selfish to ask something like this? ...I should be just happy I have papa and a wonderful home…’ She frowned lightly as her mature mind impeded her more childish side. But… After all, she was still a child at heart so she could not hold back at this moment. 

“Why can’t I play with other children? I mean… You said there are more like me and Uncle Uriel explained to me that there are lots of angel children in Heaven and even mortal children on Terra…” Seraphina mumbled sadly as she stared to the ground. “I-I don’t understand… Do they not want to play with me?” 

The King of Angel’s stared at his daughter in shock, for a moment not comprehending the fact she had asked about such a thing. Then, however, he flinched and hugged Sera tightly. “No, no, no… That’s not the reason, Sera.” He whispered sadly, trying to figure out how to explain it the best. 

Seraphina sniffed lightly, clinging to her father with teary eyes. “Then, why…?” She muttered sadly. “I just... want to meet others my age. I… I read in books that it’s normal to have fun and play with each other at my age. So why can’t I...?”

Michael grimaced at that and closed his eyes sadly, a pang inflaming his chest with guilt and sadness. It’s not like he didn’t want her to find friends and just be a child, but… Ever since she was born, Seraphina had been sheltered and stuck in the palace, making her interaction with other children non-existent. It was mainly Michael’s fault for being so protective of her and not letting her just go outside the palace. But he couldn’t fully blame himself. The War of angelic and demonic beings was far too serious to ignore, and Michael feared his daughter was being targeted by Lucifer. He simply could not let her run around by herself. It was too dangerous and risky, even in Heaven. Whilst most of the Rebellion have been banned together with Lucifer centuries ago, there were angels with the same growing mindset who were opposed to the “royal family” and the King. And Michael had no idea if these growing frustrated feelings have grown worse these past few years with the birth of his daughter. So, allowing her to leave the palace to play with other children had been a risk he didn’t want to take. But now he regretted his choice. It hurt him to hear Sera speak in such pain and sadness about wanting to meet other children. 

The father took a deep breath to collect his thoughts, running his fingers through his daughter's hair to comfort her. Maybe there was a risk he had to take for Sera’s happiness… He opened his eyes in determination and forced a smile on his lips. “You know what, Sera? You’re right. It’s time we make a trip to Terra!” He spoke loudly, swiftly placing her back on the ground before rising to his feet. “It’s time for you to see the world we are protecting and meet some mortals we are meant to guide! And maybe we will find some kids who want to play with you! How does that sound?” Michael asked her enthusiastically while ignoring the fact he had more work to do. After all, his daughter’s happiness would always come first.

Seraphina’s eyes widened at that in awe and excitement. “Really? We are going to Terra?!” The princess jumped lightly in happiness as her white-silver wings ruffled softly. “Yay! Thank you, papa! I love you!” She shouted in joy and crashed her father in another gentle hug.

Michael chuckled lightly as his eyes softened. “Yes, yes… But now get ready, please. Tell Lauriel about the trip to Terra so she knows what to dress you in. Okay?” He petted her head as he watched Sera’s expression brighten to resemble a happy sunny day.

“I can wear mortal’s clothes, right?! Yay! I’m going to tell Lauriel right away! I want to wear that one dress!” The four-year-old cheered happily and raced off towards her room, making Michael smile in genuine fondness.

‘She’s really too precious!… A promise of a trip cheered her up this much, huh?’ He shook his head and glanced back to his desk that was loaded with unfinished paperwork. “Yeah… I will probably have to work all night to finish this then…” He sighed but couldn’t bring himself to regret his decision. Bonding with his daughter was definitely worth the all-nighter he would have to pull.

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