I walked up to The Temple, or more accurately, I limped up to it. My body hurt like hell and I had a monster headache. I think she broke a rib on me, I really do. Maybe even on purpose. When I got to the entrance, Sona was waiting for me there. Everyone was kind of tense after the humans in the village during the Carvation Olympics, so the last month has been like martial law up here. At least as martial law as you get with seven people in your military.

“Gryft,” she said, nodding her head.

“Sona,” I returned.

“Nice eyeshadow,” she complimented, staring right into my obviously black eye. “You’ve looked worse.”

“Thanks, I’ve been working on my image.” I groaned. “What’s the marble slab-”

“Please use some proper respect,” she growled. 

“Fine. What’s The Temple need with me?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But it sounds like you’re going back to the Living, your favorite place.”

“You don’t have to patronize me every time we talk,” I said, walking past her and into The Temple to see what it needed me for.

I don’t really like The Temple as a being in general, but even I have to admit the inside was impressive. With a ton of statues inside, the place was well decorated. The statues were something that always made me curious though. Sometimes I’d walk in and statues would be missing, or extra ones, or they would just be in different spots. I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t care too much about the interior design of a dirt-old building.

“What do you need me for?” I asked, not bothering with any banter. 

“We have another assignment for you,” said the voices of The Temple through the air.

“When don’t you?” I sighed, popping my back.

“In the Living there are captive and broken carvations. They need you.”

“What do you mean by ‘broken’ exactly?”

“They are hurt, and alone,” The Temple elaborated. “They need to come back to The Village for care.”

“Yeah, sounds like a job for me alright. So what? I break in and rescue them, then take them back to the hospital? Sounds simple enough.”

“There is a… complication. They need immediate treatment that neither humans nor most carvations can give.”

“I’m not a first-aid,” I said seriously, looking down at my hands. “I can barely grasp traditional magic. There’s no chance I can learn advanced medical stuff.”

“We decided you should find a partner for this assignment.” it said.

“I’m not taking Sona,” I sighed.

“Take a partner who can provide proficient medical attention,” The Temple said, irritated.

“Yeah,” I said, rubbing my temples. “I know who I need.”

“Take care to see a doctor before your assignment. You already look battered and beaten already.”

*   *   *   *   *

As I walked down Heaven’s streets, I thought about how many choices humans had for where to go when they died. Heaven and Hell were relatively basic to know which one you wanted to be in. I also heard there’s this layer called The Afterlife that is a place for mental illnesses apparently? It’s really weird what we have here, and I never really paid attention to it before. When we die, our souls get merged with the consciousness of The Temple. Don’t ask me how it works, because I don’t know.

Anyway, getting back on track, I found the house I needed and knocked on the door. The place was well guarded, and my mind couldn’t help but wonder how I would break in if I had to. It was kind of instinctual at this point. Not that I would ever have to break into her house. Well, I hope I wouldn’t have to. I gave the door a knock and the one-winged angel opened it.

“Oh, Gryft,” Iris said, surprised. “Why’re you here?”

“I need your wife,” I said, trying not to laugh at my own joke.

“What?”

“I need Moon.”

“Very funny, she said with a very unamused face. “Moon, Gryft is here for you!”

Shortly after, Moon joined us on the front porch. We all sat in rocking chairs and talked about what I needed Moon for.

“Where are we going exactly?” Moon asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “But it’s in the Living, and it might be dangerous.”

“I can take care of myself. How’s the rib after practice?” she asked smugly.

“The nurse said it was fractured before she healed it,” I groaned. 

“I was holding back, you know.”

“Don’t have to brag,” I said, rolling my eyes. “But are you coming with me, or not?”

“Let me check my schedule…” she said, taking out a planner and flipping through it.