Raea opened her eyes as footsteps resounded from outside her room. The interior was completely made of red metal: the chairs were metal, the bed was metal, even her clothes were made of metal threads. Anything else wouldn’t survive her flames of wrath. There were a few ashy spots on the floor from gifts her friends had brought over. They were gone now, burned away because of her. At least no one had died inside of the room. Yet.

Raea sighed as a soft knock echoed through the room. The door bulged outwards like a dome. Repeated impacts from her fists and feet had left their impression on the metal. “Is it safe to come in?” Cory’s voice asked from the other side.

Raea bit her lower lip. Would it ever be safe? The flames poured out of her whether she wanted them to or not. Any little thing could cause the room to be flooded with fire. Why did Cory insist on coming back despite knowing the risks? No one needed her anymore after all—the war was over; an angry angel wasn’t necessary. Raea curled her fingers and toes and placed her forehead against her knees, resting with her back pressed into the corner of the room, sitting on the metal bed that might as well have been the floor. They were equally as uncomfortable.

“I’m coming in then,” Cory said. The door shrieked as it slid open, causing hints of smoke to drift out of Raea’s feathers. Cory frowned and furrowed her brow as she hopped to the center of the room, placing a basket on the table. “I brought your favorite snack: mushrooms from the underworld. They were a bit burnt by the edges, but I peeled those parts off for you.”

“Thanks, Cory,” Raea said and sighed as she raised her head. Her stomach growled as she crawled to the edge of the bed and reached over to grab the basket.

“Of course,” Cory said and bobbed her head. “What are best friends for if they can’t bring you food when you’re down?”

Raea grunted and nibbled on the mushroom. It had just the right amount of salt. Cory personally made the food herself, and learned what Raea liked through trial and error. If she liked the food, there’d be no explosion. If she didn’t … it was a good thing Cory was fast. “They’re good,” Raea said and nodded at Cory. The harpy let out a sigh of relief as she patted her chest.

“Today’s a good day then, huh?” Cory asked with a smile. “Remember how you complained to me about dealing with wrath? I found someone who could help you.” She faced the door and cupped her wings in front of her mouth. “Ivan, come in.”

The door shrieked again as it opened. “So you’re the one who requested Ivan Blackflame’s help,” a lizardman said as he stomped into the room, head held high. He froze when he met Raea’s gaze. “Uh, Cory?” he whispered to the harpy. “Isn’t she the harbinger?”

Cory nodded. “Mhm.”

“Aren’t her abilities stronger than mine?”

“Mhm.”

“Then…” Ivan scratched his head and raised an eyebrow. What exactly was he supposed to do here?

“Here’s the thing,” Cory said. “Raea’s been cooping herself up here for seven months now because she’s afraid of hurting people with her flames. You’re an angry person too. How do you control your wrath?”

“Uh.” Ivan frowned. “I think about things that anger me, like wet socks, and then flames appear.” A black flame burst into existence in front of Ivan. “Like so.”

“So you haven’t reached the point where you’re angry all the time then,” Raea said. Ivan knit his brows. “I mean, you have to think angry thoughts to create your flames. I don’t have to do anything to create mine, but I have to think soothing thoughts to prevent the flames from forming.” Tiny black flames crawled spread from Raea’s wings, traveling up the walls. She sighed. Cory’s intentions were good, but they weren’t helpful at all. Ivan was too weak. It would be nice if she could ask Raphael how he controlled his anger, but the angel in the floating cube had refused to speak with her or Palan. He probably resented being dragged out of the room by Palan.

“So … I’m no longer necessary?” Ivan asked and tilted his head.

“I guess not,” Cory said and shrugged. She flew over the lizardman, picked him up with her talons, and tossed him out of the room before he could say anything to annoy Raea. “Don’t worry, harbinger. I’m sure there’s a way to solve your problem.”

“Is it really a problem?” Raea asked. Her expression darkened as she violently tore apart a mushroom with her teeth. “Or is it just me? I’m the problem, aren’t I? It would explain why Palan would spend all his time with his sister instead of me. What does he even do nowadays? Baby her all the time?” The flames on the walls grew larger as the basket was set ablaze.

Cory cleared her throat and inched closer to the exit. “He’s, uh, actually been posing for his statue that the centaurs are making,” she said. Raea’s eyes turned purple. “But I’m sure he’s looking for a way to reduce your wrath!” Cory screeched the last word as she dove out of the room, barely avoiding a flaming halberd strike to the face. She pressed a button on the wall to close the door and sighed. Another failure. Sometimes Raea liked hearing about the things Palan did. Sometimes she tried to kill the messenger.

“Is it safe to go in?”

Cory raised her head. Andrea was standing behind a corner, her head peering out as if she were stalking someone. “Hello, Andrea,” Cory said and waved. “Maybe in a few hours, it’ll be safe enough to go inside.” Was the little demon finally taking her advice? Cory suspected Andrea was the key to solving Raea’s wrath, but the demon never wanted to communicate with the harbinger despite Cory’s attempts to persuade her.

“Oh. Okay,” Andrea said as she walked around the corner, approaching the door. She was holding a bag in her hands.

“What’s that?” Cory asked, tilted her head.

“Cookies,” Andrea said, a strange glint in her eyes. “Pyre made them.”

Cory furrowed her brow. “Can I see?”

“No!” Andrea said and shook her head, hugging the bag to her chest. “You can’t. You’ll want to eat them if you see them. They’re for Raea, and Raea only.”

Cory sighed. It seemed like this would be Andrea’s attempt at striking Raea somehow. But Andrea couldn’t hurt Raea; it was the other way around. Well, everyone had to do stupid things while growing up before they learned a lesson. Andrea was no exception. “Mm. Then I’ll be going,” Cory said. If something did happen, she didn’t want to be around to accept responsibility.