While Harry had been shocked, but mostly elated, at Mal’s display of great power, Michael and Gabriel were simply in a state of shock and nothing else. While Gabriel suspected Mal had some power, the level she showed was on par with Harry's. And it was a well-established fact that he was a very powerful wizard here in Purgatory.

As the couple fell asleep, Gabriel slowly clicked his pen and lazily crossed out the reminder to have Mal checked for magic. It was entirely unnecessary now.

“What was that?”

“Just a note to have Mal checked for magic. She was right about so many things; I thought she might be a seer at least.” Gabriel then looked at Michael. “Were you aware she had magic?”

“Know? No. Suspect? Yes.” Michael sighed. “There was something about her, a spark. So I suspected magic at the very least, but I never imagined she had power such as that.”

Gabriel spared a brief glance towards the staircase before looking back at Michael. He had his own theories about what the future held, and he was sure his brethren, minus Michael, would agree with him.

“Was that bed your doing?” Michael asked with a stern glare, drawing Gabriel out of his musing. Evidently, he disapproved of the Queen-sized bed the couple was sharing. Why that was, Gabriel could not quite fathom. After all, they had catered to couples in Purgatory before. And there was no denying that was precisely what Mal and Harry were, even if they didn't see it themselves yet.

“It was not.” Gabriel said calmly, knowing that any sign of hostility in any form would not be a wise move. “But I’m not about to argue with the Almighty; since she’s the only other one who can make adjustments to my office.”

With his face all stoic, it was unclear how Michael was reacting to that bit of news. So Gabriel clicked his pen closed and faced his brother. “What now?”

Michael calmed quickly, “Now, I test them.”

Knowing better than to talk him out of it, Gabriel asked, “Do you want me to deal with the situation outside while you do? We seem to have amassed quite the crowd.”

The Arch Angel Michael, Keeper of the Temple, lover and liaison to the Almighty, the first-ever angel, was not a man who made requests of his subordinates. He made demands. He gave orders as if he were a general in a military unit. He was the big man in Purgatory, the top dog.

The angels in charge of keeping a record of each world's real history theorized it was because of Michael's role in Purgatory, while Gaia remained in seclusion, that many mortal religions depicted a strong alpha male as their God. Either as a leader of a pantheon or a solitary God.

Such powerful men did not plead; with anyone or anything.

However, in that instant, after Gabriel’s offer, Michael looked at Gabriel with such a pitiful expression and pleading eyes it took all of Gabriel's willpower not to laugh.

“Please?” Michael eventually vocalized.

It was as Gabriel silently rose, mirth dancing in his own eyes, that he knew things were going to change. There was going to be a lot of work, but Gabriel had no real complaints for once. Probably because this time, he knew things would go differently. This time, his threats would not be empty; he would actually be kicking many angels’ rears.

He almost wanted to thank Rida and whoever put her in charge of a soul. Almost. He would get a lot more pleasure from firing them instead.

Oh yes, things were looking up.

~==(oIo)==~

As Michael and Gabriel were locked in the Temple, things had not been idle in the rest of Purgatory. Well, for the most part, anyway.

Purgatory could almost be considered a world unto itself; however, most angels thought of it more as a giant corporation. As there were many levels of it, and a variety of jobs within.

Every angel's job was important. Whatever was invented here was replicated in the mortal worlds, from a simple finger painting to advanced medical procedures that would allow a person to recover from brain damage. Everything eventually made its way to the mortal realm. It was merely a bonus that the angels got to enjoy certain aspects of these creations first.

Because of those angels who maintained the gardens, the angels had food and drinks to consume. Because of the section of artisans who worked in the culinary arts, there was a tremendous variety of things to try. So the angels weren't consuming only bread and water to sustain themselves.

It was a mistaken belief of the mortals and fledgling angels that angels needed no food or drink. Angels did; however, they no longer required to urinate or defecate. Rather than process food through a digestive tract, angels simply broke down the ingested substances in their bodies and absorbed the energy it provided.

An angel who was rather overly enthusiastic about mortal sciences once compared the process with photosynthesis. Instead of producing oxygen, the angels now had an energy source that kept them going until they needed rest.

Perhaps that wasn’t the best description, but for those angels who didn’t understand science all that well, it was a workable explanation for them.

From the moment of their promotion, fledgling angels were brought to a place that was akin to an apartment building. Their domiciles changed to fit their personal preferences. They returned to this place at the end of their day to allow themselves rest and sleep.

In a lot of ways, an angel’s workday was similar to a mortal one. Get up, work all day, go home and rest, wake up the next day, and do it all over again. Eventually, as angels grew older and got more powerful, they slowly lost the need to sleep altogether. However, it was still recommended by the Cherubs, the healer angels, for angels to rest regularly.

As it was common that angels would reach a point where they considered their work tedious and would come to hate their occupation. When this happened, mistakes were made; things that needed to be done weren't, and sometimes said angels actively worked against Purgatory for the entertainment value.

So along with the angel’s domiciles to sleep, many recreational centers were created for angels to relax. There were so many, not only because of the sheer number of angels but also due to the different preferences. If you wanted an old theater setting where people spoke only Shakespearian English, Purgatory had it. If you wanted an old medieval tavern, Purgatory had it. Sherlock's office; yes. Cat café; yes. Titanic’s first-class dining room; yes. Hogwarts Great Hall; yes. Various common rooms from Hogwarts; yes. Irish pubs; yes.

Any place you wanted, and yes, anything included various kink places, Purgatory had it.

With all of these places and ample time, there was no excuse anymore for angels to work themselves into a place where they willingly caused trouble. Inexperience was one thing; knowingly causing damage wouldn't be tolerated.

However, with Michael being lax in his duties and the number of angels involved, understandably, some had slipped through the cracks or were on the verge of slipping. Those angels could be found in two departments where most of the angels found their placement.

The Records Department and the Guardians Angels.

By comparison, only a handful of angels found their calling to be in another area.

For this reason, the dominating populace of the recreation centers were the angels who worked in Records or were Guardian Angels.

As Michael and Gabriel watched over Harry and Mal, many recreational centers were full to capacity. Not because the angels were avoiding work, it was merely because there was no work for them to do at the moment. Two worlds sat frozen in time; this meant that all of the Guardians for those worlds, and the angels in charge of Record Keeping, couldn't work until the worlds started back up again.

The angels in Records had it the easiest. They only had to get up from their desk and leave their cubicle.

Guardian Angels could do the same if their charge was in the mortal realm while it was frozen.

However, Guardian Angels with charges in Purgatory either had to stay with their charge or find a place where they could deposit the soul so it could rest. The Guardian Angels for the frozen worlds with charges in Purgatory all chose to bring their charges to the Clinic and left. Forcing the Cherubs to deal with the souls.

Now, this particular situation wasn’t unusual.

The current priority case, one of the many variants of Harry Potter and the mortal world he called home these last nine lives, had been frozen eight times before this one. The souls of that world's version of Dumbledore, Hermione, and various Weasleys were unbearable to watch over and forget to deal with them in Purgatory. Even at the Clinic, where the Cherubs usually assigned a soul to a room (the souls could not leave without the Cherubs authorization), those souls had more or less been sedated so they couldn't cause trouble.

As even a powerful soul could overtake the weaker angels. The souls might not be able to leave the room, but they could harm an angel if they were awake and left to plot.

Charge-free, as they had made sure to be, the angels involved with that world were all, essentially, on break until a decision had been reached about Harry and his contract. Not that the angels on break cared. They were just grateful for the respite.

What was unusual about current circumstances was there was another world frozen along with Harry’s world.

There was nothing special about the world as far as anyone knew—just another nonmagical earth variant. It was almost overloaded with mortal souls. Natural resources were running low; the ozone layer was diminishing. Many animals had gone extinct due to climate change or humanity's greed and stupidity. If something wasn’t done soon, the world would perish and fall from the cosmos.

Most of the angels were unsure if it was by the Almighty's design or if the mortals were expediting the process. Up to that point, no angel was prepared or even made an effort to ask their superiors' questions.

Still, the world was frozen, and rumor had it; it was because of a soul, rather than anything being out of the ordinary about the world.

This soul had come with a specific plan, not a priority contract, but a detailed plan that even a fledging angel could understand and follow the instructions. That this soul and plan had come from the rarely seen, but undeniably in charge, Arch Angel Michael, and was further backed by the Arch Angel Gabriel, meant that this plan would have, should have, been followed to the letter.

That it hadn’t been was shocking, that brazen angel who dared defy the Arch Angels was the sycophant Rida was not. Usually by the Head Angel Stephan’s side, following him around like a lost puppy, at the very least, Rida rarely interacted with her fellow angels, let alone had a charge before. Had any of the angels outside of Stephan's contingent been consulted, they could have and would have most adamantly listed several reasons why Rida was not fit to be a guardian.

In fact, many of Stephan's followers agreed with this consensus in private. Publicly, however, they backed Stephan's orders and decisions completely.

What made this soul special or not didn't matter. What did matter was that two Arch Angels had been defied.

Whatever actions Rida took, the public did not know. Though, what they were learning was Rida had been under evaluation—on orders of Gabriel, backed by Michael. That was surprising enough. As per protocol, the evaluator was chosen from another Arch Angels domain so that the situation could be judged fairly by an impartial party. Usually, an angel from the Arch Angels Ephraim’s domain, one of the Cherubs, was chosen as they worked with souls and angels and knew extensively about both. However, this time, an evaluator came from Satan's domain, and not one of his lesser guardians either; the one chosen was Tarnok, while newer, was one of Satan's most trusted and worked with the eternally damned souls in Hell. Along with Tarnok being the evaluator, others of Satan's most trusted were sent along as bodyguards.

Tarnok, at his power level, would not need bodyguards from Rida, who was drastically weaker by comparison. Despite being an angel longer than Tarnok.

That meant the bodyguards were there for the soul.

Some had thought this reaction was overkill. Those who had seen Rida angry thought what guards Satan sent weren't enough.

After the soul's recent death, the world was frozen, pending Rida's evaluation results. As neither Tarnok nor his comrades had been seen yet, it was believed that they had yet to make their report.

Until such time the Arch Angels reached a verdict; the angels were on, what they considered, a well-earned break.

“That world is one big cluster fuck, let me tell you.” An angel from Records declared before he brought his cigar to his mouth for another puff as his other hand swirled the brandy in his glass. While he wasn’t fond of such language, it felt appropriate given the circumstances.

“You think you’ve got it bad?” Another angel, a guardian, coughed as he was still new to cigars. “Try watching it in action!”

“Who’s your charge?” The Records angel asked.

The Guardian leaned back in his chair, “An American Politician who remarkably resembles a Cheeto with a toupee.”

The Records Angel winced. "Alright, I'll concede. That is worse."

The Guardian nodded in acknowledgment.

The room they were in was the Record angel’s favorite. It was on the smaller side, with only enough space to comfortably fit four sets of two chairs facing each other. What could be seen of the walls were deep mahogany, with matching heavy drapes. The drapes were always drawn, allowing the use of a candle chandelier and wall sconces. They were bathing the room in firelight and shadows lurking in many corners.

One of the walls hosted a large stone fireplace, adding further firelight. A huge brown bear fur rug lay before it. The rest of the equally stone floor was covered in a tasseled Persian rug. The rest of the three walls sported bookshelves made of dark wood.

What books lay upon them; the Records angel did not know. His focus was always on the large, almost plush leather chairs a man could just sink into and the end table near it, which always had a decanter of brandy, and a case of the best cigars.

When he needed to unwind, relax, or even just bitch about his day and the people involved, he came here. Always the same chair, near the fireplace. Mostly so he could stare into the flames if he wished to brood, and also a little because it added to his mystique in his opinion.

The place was fashioned off a gentlemen’s club back before the name was likened with a den of iniquity. He had been to it only once. His father had been a member until he was banished for some long-forgotten reason. Being a good son, he followed his father to America, where they lived comfortably for many years.

Another cough drew his attention back to the young angel before him. Perhaps the other angel was not as young as the Record angel thought him to be, but many angels were young compared to him.

“You’re Glen, are you not?”

The younger angel nodded. “I am, and you are called Humphrey?”

It was asked with a note of caution, and he had to smile. "You can relax Glen, I have long since gotten over any embarrassment my name may cause."

Glen sighed in relief, so Humphrey got back to his point. “If you can’t handle it, don’t waste the cigars.”

Glen sheepishly put it down and sighed. “May I ask you for your opinion on somethings?”

“Would that be because of my occupation or my many years’ experience?”

“Experience.”

Humphrey nodded, "We've time to waste; why not spend it educating."

Glen decided to take that as a yes. “The situation with Rida and her charge, is that unusual?”

“Highly.”

"What about the rate of the decay of that world? Is it normal for an Earth to rapidly fall apart like it is?"

“First, do away with any concept of normal.” Humphrey advised. “For there is no such thing; in fact, the concept of normalcy is a mortal creation.”

Glen nodded, filing that tidbit away.

"Second, I've seen worlds such as this Earth reach calamity much faster, and there are still many worlds alive and thriving that I used to work on." Humphrey explained. "As for this Earth going too quickly, I cannot say. I've seen Earths like this that I was sure would die but ultimately did not. Then again, I've seen this scenario we are currently dealing with as well, and it ended about as I expected."

That was not the answer Glen was hoping for, but he understood Humphrey's point of view. All worlds reached a point where they could not be saved and needed to die.

Glen was there at the beginning of this world and had seen three fall in his time. The only issue was, those had all been because of natural events. This was the first world that Glen had ever seen that the mortals seemed bound and determined to cause a complete and total shut down of their Earth. Exterminating all of humanity and life as it was known, forcing the Earth to start again, or perhaps destroying the world beyond any hope of saving it. As Glen doubted, the mortals in that world would reach deep space travel in time for them to save themselves and their universe.

"Do you think any of us who've worked on this world will be punished for not voicing our concerns more?" Glen asked a little fearfully. "Perhaps if we had, the world would have been saved or put on the correct path.”

Humphrey paused and puffed his cigar for more dramatic effect, knowing that this was the big question.

"Why would we?" He eventually asked in return. "After all, we were just doing our jobs, as we were told."

~==(oIo)==~

Meetings such as that were taking place throughout the recreational centers. All of the "younger" angels walked away with more or less the same answer from the older, more "experienced" angels. Even so, the younger angels remained unconvinced.

The meeting of importance took place in what could be considered a cat café. Though instead of the small, domesticated house cats, the place catered to the larger breeds of felines. Very few could relax when tigers, panthers, lions, and other such large felines stared at them. That is why the group chose this place to meet. No one would look for them here; thus, their conspiring would go unnoticed.

Glen was the last to arrive. At the front sat the one who called them together, an angel named Connie.

"I assume everyone got the same answer as I did?" Glen asked the assembly as he sat down. "Something that amounted to a big fat nope!"

Everyone nodded.

“We have to say something.” Connie said to the group.

"I agree." Glen declared. "Mostly because I don't think the world we've been working with is meant to fall just yet. Something about that line of thinking feels wrong to me. I've never been wrong when it comes to this feeling before. So, I’m with Connie on this.”

“But what can we say?” Another asked.

“The truth.” Connie persisted. “That we’ve had questions and voiced our concerns that were blatantly ignored by our superiors, and then we were blocked at every turn when we tried to approach Gabriel with this.”

Most of the group didn’t take well to this.

“So we’re turning traitor and throwing our colleges under the bus?” One snarled at her.

"No, it's not." She defended calmly. "We were taught about this in the Academy. They are the ones at fault for stopping us. Just as Rida is at fault for the way, she handled her charge."

"We don't know that, Connie.” The angel beside her said gently.

Connie glared at her friend. “Yes, we do, Rebecca. Why else would Gabriel and Michael have ordered her evaluation if that wasn’t the case?”

This stopped the protestors, and Connie knew she had them cornered. Reaching into the pocket of her outer robe, she pulled out a scroll.

“Look, this is a confession.” She said as gently as Rebecca had spoken to her a moment ago. “It states that we suspected something was up with Rida and all of our concerns about this Earth’s situation. How we also tried to inform the head angels, then Gabriel himself, when they turned us away. This may not absolve us of any wrongdoing, but it will let them know that we tried to do our jobs but were blocked. We may still get punished, but we won't lose our positions as angels. As I have no doubt the others who blocked us will."

Rebecca sighed and looked over the group. “She has a point. The Arch Angels don’t get involved often, but we do know what happens when they do. Connie's right, and this may be the only way we don't get demoted. We, at one time or another, tried to do our jobs, but we were ignored, shoved aside, or punished for our attempts."

“Which this confession also highlights that.” Connie hastily added.

The group was silent for several moments before each took the pen Connie offered and signed their names on the scroll before departing. In the end, it was Connie and Rebecca left.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Connie.” Rebecca eventually said softly. “You’re carrying our futures in our hands.”

"Gaia is not omniscient; neither does she control the mortals as if this were some kind of video game like the mortals like." Connie sighed. "That's why there are so many angels and why the Arch Angels rely on us, to be honest with our work. We are supposed to report things like a world dying too fast, that cult, and our suspicions and concerns about our fellow angels. Case and point, Rida’s evaluation. It should not have taken Rida mouthing off to the wrong person for her ineptitude to be looked into. We knew all along. What horrors has that innocent soul suffered due to our inactions?”

“I hear you, and I agree.” Rebecca sighed. “But, I heard that once you get demoted for misconduct as an angel, you can never be promoted again. If the others are believed over us, we will be sanctioned then turned back to mortal souls.”

Connie shook her head. “If we can't put our faith in the Arch Angels, then this whole place is corrupt, and I'd rather be a mortal soul for a short time before going to Heaven and sleeping till my soul ceases to exist than deal with this place any longer.”

Leaving a rather shocked and sorrowful Rebecca behind, Connie got up and went to find Gabriel. He was usually in his office, and if she could avoid going to the Temple where Michael resided, she would. Gabriel was more amicable than Michael. In her opinion, Michael was a little scary. But the only other place Gabriel could be found was the Temple. Especially in light of his current priority case.

As her luck would have it, when she got to Gabriel’s office, the wall was sealed off. Even after knocking and waiting for a few moments, there was no answer. A few doors down, the door was visible, and she knocked before letting herself in.

“Excuse me, Terra, Phil, is Gabriel not in his office?”

The two angels inside looked at each other before shaking their heads.

Before Connie, Terra, or Phil could say anything more, a large ball of light broke through the wall from the left, passed in front of them before busting through the wall to their right and continuing into the next room. Shocked and more than a little fearful, they all turned to look at the left, where the light originated from. They were met with a woman staring back at them with a look that could kill.

As the wall sealed up again, Connie gulped. “Well then, I’ll just go to the Temple. If Gabriel’s not there, Michael will be. And I'd rather face him than whoever that was.”

Terra and Phil nodded in agreement but otherwise said nothing as Connie departed.

In the Citadel was another scene that Connie had been hoping to avoid. There were several Black Wings off to one side, looking at ease and patient. Rida was on the other side, despite being deep into meditation, looked positively livid. Connie had to wonder if she took lessons from that soul in Gabriel’s office that she saw.

Could that have been Rida’s charge? Connie couldn’t help but ask herself. Or former charge as it were?

“What can I help you with?”

“Tarnok, right?” Connie asked, matching his soft tone, understanding that the goal was not to disrupt Rida and thus have to deal with her.

The orc angel nodded.

Connie took a deep breath and stepped forward. “I’m going to safely assume that you and your companions are the ones who evaluated Rida. I have here a scroll from my coworkers and I for Gabriel about the situation.”

“Do you mind if I have a look at it?” Tarnok asked. “I was the official evaluator. These guys were essentially there as bodyguards to keep Rida from trying anything funny."

“So I heard.” Connie admitted as she handed him the scroll. “Go ahead.”

Tarnok quickly read through it, nodded, and put it in the manila folder that Connie noticed he was carrying. He gave Connie a grin and a wink. “Thank you for your contribution. I assure you Gabriel will be grateful for this.”

Connie couldn't help but smile at him and giggle at his antics. He eased much of her worries, and she knew that things would be okay. Whatever was happening, it was as bad as Connie thought it was, and she was right in doing what she did.

“You there! Girl!”

All of the angels turned to look at the corner where Rida had previously been meditating.

“Get away from that devil before he corrupts you!”

Connie sighed and rolled her eyes. Even though she had arrived simultaneously as Rida, the other angel still treated Connie as if she were fledgling.

“Take care. Maybe I’ll see you later." She muttered, patting Tarnok's arm, and walked away.

Tarnok watched her go, his eyes unapologetically on her rear the whole while as she left the Temple.

“Most definitely.” He grinned.

~==(oIo)==~

Gabriel opened the diamond doors to the Citadel as Rida shouted at Tarnok. “What were you heathen devil’s doing to that girl!?”

Gabriel, confused, looked up and saw the angel Connie departing and figured that she must have talked to Tarnok and set Rida off.

"Tarnok!" He called, drawing everyone's attention to him.

“Arch Angel Gabriel!” Rida immediately interrupted and rushed toward him. “These heathen devils invaded my viewing room! My charge tore up her contract! I need your assistance to rectify this situation at once so we might get things back under control!”

Gabriel continued to ignore her and gestured toward Tarnok's folder. "The verdict?"

“It’s all in there.” Tarnok nodded. “But in my professional opinion, Rida has indeed overstepped her bounds as a Guardian Angel and broken many of our laws blatantly, knowingly, and dare I say, willfully.”

"Filthy demons should shut up about things that are not their business!" Rida spat at the orc angel.

Everyone present, much like Mal had before, had to literally bite their tongues to keep from making the Gollum references aloud.

"Enough, Rida!" Gabriel shouted at her once he had control of himself again. Before taking a calming breath, and turned toward Tarnok again, "Thank you for assistance in this matter Tarnok, I'm sure that Satan will inform you all of our final verdicts if you do not witness it yourself, shortly.”

“Looking forward to the show!” Tarnok grinned.

As the black wings left, Gabriel felt a rush of air go past him and into the Temple. He knew immediately what had happened but kept his face composed as he looked back at Rida.

“Stay here until I come out again.”

She looked at him, shocked. "Surely you aren't going to listen to anything they have to say? They’re liars!”

"Rida," Gabriel said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "the fact that I even have to correct you on why we are here in the first place is infuriating. Now stay there, meditate or something, but you are not to leave the Citadel until I permit you."

Back inside the Temple, Gabriel groaned in frustration as he sat down at the table with the folder Tarnok had given him.

The rush of air had been his fellow Arch Angels entering the Temple.

Raphael sat with Michael, muttering to themselves as they went over the contract that Michael wanted written up and officiated before sending Harry and Mal into the world that he had chosen.

Satan sat in one of the recliners, watching the events that played out in Gabriel's office previously. At the same time, Ephraim took a seat beside Gabriel.

The other Arch Angels were rarely called in on meetings. They didn’t have anything to do with the mortal realms for the most part, and thus, were often left to their own devices and ways. Which they were grateful for. Since they weren’t involved, they felt that they wouldn’t have the right advice to offer.

Ephraim waited patiently as Gabriel finally gathered his wits back to himself and began to read over the file. The first thing he read was the scroll that Connie delivered—signed by several other angels. Connie had been Christie's Guardian Angel; she reported that Christie’s soul often came back slightly bruised, but this last time, it came back in pieces, and she feared that without a miracle, Christie’s soul would be lost.

Gabriel quickly read over the file. He found the things he expected, repeat molestation; Rida outright murdered her charge several times. Or engineered it to happen.

There was also a copy of the contract that Rida had made for Mal.

In the end, Gabriel slammed the file shut. Fury was a foreign word to him; this was a level of anger he had not been aware angels could possess.

“How many?” Gabriel eventually asked Ephraim.

“From the cult in general, or just those directly linked to Rida's machinations?" was Ephraim's return.

“Both.”

“In general, we’re looking at over a hundred souls at the last count coming in too damaged to go back to life. They will need treatment, but not an extended stay at the Clinic." Ephraim explained as he pulled out a small box. With a few taps of his fingers, it expanded into a filing drawer with many labeled and color-coded files. Gabriel noted the many black-colored files. "Then there are the souls that are in pieces to varying degrees. As you see from the black labels, there are several of them. I have to confess that there are so many that I have no idea if they can even be saved. Rida’s former charge; Mal’s mother, Lauren, being among them.”

The silence in the room told the two angels that the others were listening in as well.

“Stephan is a dead man walking.” Satan broke the silence with his declaration.

When everyone looked at him, he shrugged. "Rida is what that cult made of her, her disruptions and actions as an angel are horrifying, and she will be punished, but again, she's what her superiors made her. You'll remember that Stephan is the one who made her an angel. If she hadn’t been given Mal as a charge, she would still be following him around like a lovesick schoolgirl.”

“It was never supposed to be her.” Gabriel finally spoke. “It was supposed to be Stephan who watched over her until Michael came for Mal.”

"What's the deal with this Mal anyway?" Satan asked, looking at his brother and lifelong friend.

"I'm curious as well." Ephraim said, looking toward Michael. "You've never favored a mortal soul before, so why now? Why her?"

Michael glared at them all. He thought that he didn't need to explain himself to them, as Raphael spoke. "The why's and how's that got Michael involved are not important. At least not at this time."

Gabriel glanced at Raphael, so he knew but was protecting Michael's secrets.

“What is important to this conversation was that Michael was planning on introducing Harry to Mal after he completed his task in his world.” Raphael explained.

This shocked everyone, even Gabriel.

“You mean to tell me that you put up such a fuss, and you're going to put them through this freaking test of yours when you planned all along for them to come together!?" Gabriel shouted.

“It was not my plan for them to come together now.” Michael sighed. “As you know, Harry’s soul is not a new one, rather one that has been reformed after it had been broken.”

Gabriel nodded. “I was here the day that Gaia completed the reconstruction herself. You then placed Harry’s soul in my care; he was still an unconscious babe then. He had to wake up before we could put him into a mortal world, which ended up being a Harry Potter one. You specifically asked for his soul to be the one to take on the premade contract for that world.”

Michael nodded in confirmation that was all accurate. "What you don't know is that Mal was the other soul that Gaia reconstructed."

Everyone looked shocked at that, but it was Ephraim who got it first. “You mean those two are the ones-”

Michael nodded again. “They are.”

Satan let out a low whistle. “That’s something.”

“It still brings me back to why you are so angry and putting up a fight against this.” Gabriel snapped at Michael. Throwing his thumb up and pointing it at the screen, which showed the couple sleeping.

“Because this wasn’t supposed to happen!” Michael thundered as he rose to his feet and began pacing. “None of this! They weren’t supposed to meet yet! Much less bond the way that they have! It’s all too fast and far too soon!”

“You already have a theory as to why.”

Michael looked at Ephraim, seeing that Arch Angel in charge of the healers reached the same conclusion; Michael sighed in defeat and sat down. Ephraim nodded his understanding. "In that case, I agree with Michael. We need to know the strength of their bond before we proceed any further."

"What about Rida and the other angels involved with this?" Satan asked.

“Oh, we’ll deal with them.” Michael snarled. “But we will do so after this.”

“Fine by me!” Satan grinned. “Let’s see if these two can whip our head honcho down a peg or two.”

“He’s enjoying this way too much.” Ephraim grinned.

“He likes Harry, that’s all.” Gabriel defended.

“Better not let Ruby hear that.” Raphael muttered, causing the other two to chuckle.

Michael signed the contract, and Raphael left to file it and get the souls started on their test. Ephraim nodded his goodbyes and also left. He didn't care to watch mortal lives. His job was healing, and there was a lot of work waiting for him. He couldn't sit on his behind and watch what was essentially a really long movie when he had patients that needed him.

~==(oIo)==~

Rida, from her point of view, was a model angel. She didn’t partake of sinful pleasures as her cohorts did. Nor did she join them as they celebrated the end of their long days. Their days equivalated to one mortal soul’s life.

Including the wait time between lives for various reasons, Rida worked as a Guardian Angel for all of two weeks. She had been promoted to an angel years ago, but her superior, Sir Stephan, hadn't thought the time was right for her to take on the responsibility of being a Guardian Angel. He understood her impatience and disgust when it came to the heathen, sin-filled souls that lived in the mortal worlds.

And wasn’t that a shock to learn. That there were many worlds, and while similar, the word of God wasn't in all of them. Sure, it was in some, but most of them didn't even have proper religions. And some creatures existed in those worlds that were the stuff of fantasy, and thus devil work.

Then, out of the blue, Sir Stephan handed her a soul and the file that went with her. Saying she was ready and this soul would be worthy of Rida’s time.

He had been right; Mal was from the same world and the same community that had raised Rida.

Yes, she had been a daughter of the community. She had grown with the community's rules and ways ingrained in her very soul. When her childhood schooling was finished, she refused to be a breeder. It wasn't as if she wasn't beautiful; while not vain, Rida knew that she was rather pleasing to the eye. There had been several offers to her hand, and the church officials were somewhat eager for her to accept one of them. But that life wasn't for her.

From an early age, Rida was disgusted and looked down on the women who degraded and debased themselves for the men they married. All to give birth to ungrateful little brats. No, the church was where her life would be spent as a Nun in service to her Lord. As soon as she graduated High School, she walked to the community's convent and enrolled herself.

It took a few days for her family and everyone else to learn of her actions, but they had handled the situation rather well, she thought. Not that it mattered to her, she was made welcome, and she stayed in that convent until her dying day.

Rida spent her days in silent prayer and solitude. She made candles for the church and the people of the community. She made the rosaries used in the community or sold during festivals in the town. She repaired the habits that were torn or otherwise damaged by her fellow sisters.

She loved her life; there was never a moment when she regretted her decision. So she couldn't have been happier to receive Mal as her charge. She rejoiced in all the things that she and Mal would have in common. Mal was obviously a smart girl; she would see the value in becoming a nun as well. Then Mal would be promoted to an angel as she had been, and Sir Stephan would train Mal as he had Rida.

Yes, it was all laid out, and a good plan it was. Only, that’s not how it ended up happening.

Once Rida was set up all nice and cozy in her own viewing room, she read the file and was horrified to find that her home, her people, and their way of life were to be shut down. On orders from Michael no less.

No! There had to be a mistake! There was nothing wrong with her former home or its ways. Someone was lying to Michael!

And, of course, she knew exactly who it was.

She had been taught growing up that Lucifer had been the most beautiful angel in service to God. He was tall, lean, but still had a battled hardened warrior's muscles, with bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair. Even after his banishment from Heaven, his beauty had remained, and he used this beauty to lure weak souls to him to corrupt them further against God. Turning them into his demons, which would later be his army during the apocalypse when he tried to dethrone God and take the world for himself.

However, that’s not what she was met with here in this Purgatory. Satan, Lucifer’s demon name, looked to be a graduate fresh from High School. His hair was long and such a pitch-black it almost looked purple in certain lights. His wings were black, but they were the same size as his fellow Arch Angels.

And that was something she simply could not accept. That Satan was an Arch Angel and seemingly an ally to the angels.

Of course, Sir Stephan quickly disabused her of that common belief. He took his time to carefully educate her about how things really were here in Purgatory. For these reasons, she wasn't able to join her husband God in his Inner Sanctum.

She firmly agreed with Sir Stephan, and never had his words been more valid than when she read that file that came with her charge.

Satan was up to his old tricks again, and here was the proof.

Rida then had her epiphany, the reason why she was stuck on the other side of the diamond doors; she needed to prove herself! Prove her worth to her Lord Husband before she could be accepted into the Inner Sanctum. She needed to save her former home and her charges soul with it.

Without hesitation, she met up with Sir Stephan’s friend in Records and had a contract drawn up for her charge. One that would see the community survive and her charge rise to the ranks of angels such as Rida had.

However, all of that was an exercise in futility, it seemed.

Mal’s soul was not the weak-willed thing that Rida expected it to be. In fact, Mal was inquisitive, headstrong, and enduring. No matter what Rida put that girl through, Mal always came out whole in the end. Sure, there was damage from time to time, but it faded rather quickly, and the girl was back to her wicked ways.

Never before had Rida seen such determination! The girl was horrible and had a black aura that attracted sin like a hooker attracted patrons. The black wings felt it, as Rida feared they would, and invaded her viewing room. She tried to fight them and tried to save her charge from their corruption, but she had failed in the end.

When they mentioned Gabriel, Rida finally saw salvation; she forgot about her mission to stand against the heathen devils and prove herself to Lord Husband God. As she waited in the Citadel, she convinced herself that it proved to know when to seek help. It was another lesson to learn, apparently. She hadn't failed, not yet anyway.

Mal had not descended into the pit of evil with the black wings and gone through whatever rituals they demanded to become one of them. She was still merely a soul. There was still time to save her.

As much as she wished she could go to Sir Stephan and ask for his aid, he was far too busy to be bothered with her situation. He had put his faith in her, and she was determined not to make him regret his choice in promoting her.

The Citadel was as she remembered it. Open and airy, with the diamond doors leading into the Temple, closed off for those such as herself. Only Arch Angels and some lesser ranked angels could get in. But she was barred. So all she could do was wait patiently. She had learned from past experience, regrettably, that it was better to wait for the Arch Angels to finish what they were doing and exit rather than try to storm the place.

As she waited, she was sickened to find the lowly black wings invading the Temple. That these were the same ones from her viewing room only made her anger worse. First, they defiled her viewing room with their presence; now they sought to continue their confrontation here!? She wouldn’t stand for it!

She was the purest of the white wing angels, and her power was a match for that of the Head Angel Sir Stephan! She would do as she should have done when they entered her viewing room and dispose of them!

She pulled her power together and creating a bright rainbow of light, and launched it at them.

Tarnok watched casually as a wave of sparkly rainbows blew across the Citadel at him and his companions. It blew towards them as if it were a calming breeze and wafted over them. Tarnok knew that the angel across the way meant to do them harm with it, but all she accomplished with it was covering them with glitter. He wasn’t even sure what that power was supposed to be.

He simply brushed off the glitter and took his stance to wait for Gabriel. He wondered if Rida even remembered that she had tried that many times before, and it didn’t work then either.

Rida did not remember and watched, crushed as her attack didn't work as if it were the first time that it happened.

Her lower lip trembling with embarrassment and bitterness having failed. She settled herself into her meditation so she wouldn’t have to deal with those before her.

So deep was her meditation that she almost missed it when another angel arrived. She attempted to get the fledgling away from that monster before she was corrupted, but the angel scoffed at her before giving affection to that creature and leaving!

To make matters worse, when Gabriel did venture out, he took the folder from the beast, then sealed himself back into the Temple.

She had been ignored and tossed aside to wait even longer! What was happening!? Why was no one taking her seriously!? They had a crisis on their hands!

“My Lord God.” Rida prayed as she fingered the rosery she made in Purgatory. “Please protect and watch over me.”

~==(oIo)==~

Up the staircase was a room that was the same as the temple area below. This was what was known as the Inner Sanctum. Instead of the furniture down below, which was sparse and had an airy feel, this room was cluttered. Several stations for various crafts were set up, and pushed to the back, was a large bed. It was unmade, with pillows strewn about it.

At the only place where the thin curtains parted, allowing Gaia to look down wherever she pleased. Golden spirals that looked like the inside of a clock rested midair, allowing her to adjust the images, change views, and look into her many worlds scattered across the multiverse.

Gaia sat in a bench chair, adjusting the spirals and dials to allow her to see better. Some had looked at her and had seen an elderly woman. Others, when they saw her, were struck by the image of a very beautiful young woman.

Regardless of the physical age she appeared as her skin was as black as the expanse of outer space, with the sparkle of stars glittering all over her. Her was long and tumbled down like waves as they crashed onto the sea, rippling down the length of her hair as it stopped at her feet. In contrast, her hair was a mix of the pastel colors as stars, planets, entire multiverses were born in that hair at her scalp and tumbled down with the waves till they reached the floor and rolled out into the expanse of the cosmos beyond the curtains.

Gaia, while not omniscient by any means, could hear when people supposedly prayed to her. Especially the angels here in her domain. She heard Rida and looked down morosely at the young angel and shook her head.

Perhaps it was the way she had been raised, perhaps it was the angels who took her in and taught her falsehoods, but it should have been apparent with Rida's "wind" ability that she was not meant to be a Guardian Angel. She was not ready to be an angel; in Gaia's opinion, she needed to understand mortal life better first. No, Rida’s gift should have made it apparent that she was meant for the artisan’s wing.

"So much to do." She whispered as she looked back at the couple who had disappeared from the bed she tucked them into, only to be put through a test. “Thankfully, we have the time.”