Zeke and Ugo lounged on the timber couch. After administering the medicine right into Eldora’s cheek. The team couldn’t do anything else but wait. AJ was keeping Naomi company in her room. She retreated for a well-deserved rest but didn’t want to be alone. AJ didn’t seem bothered by it.

There was the problem of figuring out which spell could snap Eldora and Gerardo out of the magical-dust induced slumber, but Zeke decided to stress over that only when the time came.

“So, Naomi is about three hundred years old. I just remembered she basically confirmed that,” Ugo said. “Better an old lady than a child, right?”

Zeke stared at him blankly.

“You know what? Forget that I ever said that.”

“I don’t think I can.” Zeke heaved a heavy sigh and scanned the waiting room. “What do you think about calling this place, Providence?”

“‘Providence’? Like… Providence Hospital?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Ugo thought for a moment and then slowly nodded. “I like it. Let’s trademark it.” He glanced at Zeke. “So, what else is on your mind, Mano?”

“What?”

“You’ve still got something you need to say. I can feel it.”

“What’re you an angel?”

Ugo chuckled. “What is it, Mano?”

Zeke lowered his head, his chin touched his chest. He curled his lip to the side and his mind sank into deep thought.

They sat in silence for almost a minute. Ugo waited patiently.

“When it comes to the Tainted Generation,” Zeke began, “there is always a Damned and a Deliverer. The Damned is condemned to burn in Hell for eternity and the Deliverer will bask in the holy glow of Heaven for eternity no matter what either of them do. As for the remaining nine members, nobody knows what happens to their souls after death. And there is no way of knowing who the Deliverer or Damned are. It’s only revealed when they die.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah,” Zeke muttered. “Violet explained it to me. Sorry for not telling you.”

Ugo folded his arms and cocked his head up. “Why didn’t you though?”

“I dunno. The thought itself just scares me so much,” Zeke admitted. “If I said it out loud, it would make it real. It doesn’t make much sense. I’m an idiot.”

Ugo touched his forehead. “So… Hell, Heaven or… Limbo.” Ugo paused for a moment. His expression was hard to read. “We’ve gotta do something about that,” he said.

“We’ve gotta do something about the adversity amongst Healers and angels,” Zeke responded. “The fighting has gotta stop.”

“After thirteen versions of us, you’d think someone would’ve figured that out by now.” Ugo rested his hands behind his head and put on a relaxed look. “So, what’s the plan?”

Zeke paused to think. “It looks like Naomi’s powers have been restored,” he said. “Do you think we can use her to track other angels?”

Ugo gave him a look.

###

The boring night at Heath’s Sports Bar became even more tedious as midnight came along. Nananiel was left alone with one middle-aged employee, slumped over the bar counter, half-sleep while facing up at the TV playing midnight reruns of a sitcom that Nananiel didn’t even bother to try to identify.

He gulped down his tenth round of beer and then slammed the cup down onto the table, adding it to the growing collection of beer-soaked glassware.

The alcohol had no effect unfortunately, but imitating the scene he saw in a vast amount of media comforted him. When the hero hits rock-bottom, completely dejected, and then suddenly salvation comes in the form of a love interest, best friend, a burst of motivation, the idea that’ll solve the case, an unlikely miracle…

And then it happened.

Four people stood beside his table.

Nananiel squinted up at them.

“This is not us giving up,” Zeke said.

AJ, Naomi, and Zeke took a seat on the other side of the table. Ugo took a seat beside Nananiel.

Nananiel gave them a puzzled look. “Are you mocking me?”

“Irin’s been destroyed, bro,” Ugo said.

Nananiel’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Nananiel.” Zeke folded his hands together and leaned forward. “I have a proposal.”

-END-