Page 26 of Uriel
And even if I can... should I?
The choice before me is staggering. On one side, my duty, my identity, everything I’ve ever known and believed in. On the other, Emilia. The world. A love I never thought possible and the chance to save billions of lives.
I close my eyes, reaching out with my celestial senses. I can feel Emilia’s presence upstairs, a warm, pulsing light in the darkness of my turmoil. Just knowing she’s there, safe and sleeping, eases some of the tension in my chest.
But it also heightens my conflict. Because now I know, with a certainty that terrifies me, that I would do anything to keep her safe. To keep her smiling, laughing, living.
Even if it means damning myself in the process.
I take a deep, shuddering breath, trying to center myself. The path forward is unclear, fraught with danger and doubt. But one thing is certain: I can’t make this decision alone.
Emilia deserves to know the truth. All of it. The prophecy, the stakes, the choice that lies before us. And then... then we’ll face whatever comes together.
With a heavy heart but a determined spirit, I make my way back upstairs. Whatever happens next, I know my life—and quite possibly the fate of the world—will never be the same.
As I reach the parlor door, I pause, my hand hovering over the handle. Beyond this barrier lies Emilia, likely still curled up on the couch where I left her. In my mind’s eye, I can picture her sleeping form bathed in the soft glow of the dying fire, her face peaceful and untroubled by the burden of cosmic machinations.
The image tugs at something deep within me—something dangerously close to human longing.
For a moment, I allow myself to imagine a different life. One where I’m not an archangel bound by sacred vows, where she’s not a key player in a cosmic game. Just a man and a woman, falling in love, facing the everyday challenges of a shared life.
The image is so achingly beautiful, so tantalizingly possible, that it takes my breath away.
But it’s a fantasy, nothing more. Reality is far more complex, far more dangerous. And it’s waiting for us on the other side of that door.
With a silent prayer for strength, I reach for the handle. It’s time to wake Emilia, time to face our destiny—whatever it may be.
The fate of the world hangs in the balance. And so, I fear, does my very soul.
My fingers close around the cool metal of the doorknob, the enormity of my decision crushing me like a physical force. I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation to come, for the moment that could change everything.
But as I begin to turn the knob, an unexpected sound freezes me in place.
Laughter.
Not Emilia’s warm, infectious laugh that I’ve come to cherish. No, this is something else entirely. Something that sends a chill down my spine and sets every celestial sense on high alert.
My hand falls away from the doorknob as if burned. Impossible. It can’t be. Not here. Not now.
But as the laughter continues, lilting and terrible in its beauty, I know with grim certainty exactly who is in that room with Emilia.
CHAPTER 14
Uriel
I push open the door,my heart pounding with a fusion of fear and anticipation. The scene that greets me is so far from what I expected that for a moment, I wonder if I’ve stepped into some bizarre alternate reality.
Emilia is indeed awake, but she’s not alone. Seated across from her, in one of my antique armchairs, is a figure I haven’t seen in centuries. My sister, Gabrielle.
She’s as breathtakingly beautiful as ever, her long red hair cascading over her shoulders in waves that seem to catch the firelight and set it ablaze. Her deep green eyes, flecked with gold, sparkle with mischief as she laughs at something Emilia has said. A smattering of light freckles across her nose gives her an air of youthful innocence that I know all too well is merely a facade.
They’re sharing tea and biscuits, chatting as if they’ve known each other for years. The easy camaraderie between them sets my teeth on edge.
“Uri!” Gabrielle exclaims, noticing me hovering in the doorway. “There you are! Come join us, brother dear. Emilia and I were just getting acquainted.”
I step into the room, my movements stiff and uncertain. Emilia turns to me, her face lighting up with a warm smile that momentarily pushes aside my unease.
“Uriel,” she says, “why didn’t you tell me you had such a delightful sister? Gabrielle’s been keeping me entertained while you were... wherever you were.” She tilts her head, a question in her eyes that I’m not ready to answer.
