Zeke and Ugo let themselves into Heath’s Sports Bar and allowed for a moment to recover from the interesting aroma that comes from entering.

They waved at the new fresh-faced employee as she finished jotting down an order—Naomi—her flowy, sunflower blonde hair snaked down from her baseball cap, and she wore the cheap long-sleeve T-shirt uniform with the bar’s poorly rendered logo on it. She halted and waved back as bubbly and guileless as ever.

“I got some nachos going cold here, Naomi. What are you doing!” A gruff chef yelled from afar.

“Coming!” Naomi ran off.

A thin man, sipping a beer way too early in the day, slithered near them. “Man, you see that hot piece of ass?” He guzzled down his drink. “I’m going to make my move.”

“Hey, that’s our friend,” Zeke said.

“Really? Shit, so is she like 17 or something?”

Actually, she was about 300-years-old. Zeke wasn’t sure if telling him that would be a deal-breaker or not. He seemed to be made out of the same degenerate genetic material as Ugo.

“She’s not a kid, but back off, buddy,” Ugo barked at the man. “She’s taken.”

“By who? You?”

“Yes.”

“No, she isn’t,” Zeke said.

“So, she’s available?” The man replied with a smile.

“Go home, and isn’t it way too early to be drinking?”

The man leaned toward Zeke with a mean glare. “What did you say to me, Rosario-scum?”

Zeke cowered back, looking away. “Nothing, sorry, uh, I speak broken English. I don’t know what I was saying.”

The man narrowed his eyes and waddled away, muttering to himself.

Zeke let out a sigh of relief as soon as the man was nowhere in sight. Even after learning that literal demons exist, xenophobic locals still ranked high on his personal hierarchy of terror.

The boys started walking again, making their way toward Naomi.

“Now, you don’t think there’s a chance between Naomi and me,” Ugo said.

Zeke groaned. “I can’t keep up with this… how many people are you after?” he said, exhausted. “And just to be clear, I never thought there was a chance.”

They halted once they spotted a familiar sweaty man with a scarf, wearing a parka coat over his fancy shirt and tie. He sat alone at a table near the windows.

Zeke’s mind went back to the conversation he shared with the dejected angel at the same spot two months ago as they approached the table.

###

Beer-soaked glassware dotted the table. The celestial was clearly sober but held a hostile and grim look.

“What did you just say to me?” asked Nananiel, as if he were giving Zeke and his pack a way out.

But it wasn’t enough to keep Zeke from repeating the proposal. “I can help you find out who broke the seals. Let’s make a deal.”

Zeke could feel the intense sensations Nananiel was emitting from where he was seated. It was like he was granted the abilities of an empath and could feel his own mood dropping as he sat on the other side of the table alongside AJ and Naomi.

Then, Zeke gave the area a quick scan. It was empty, and only one middle-aged employee was present. He was slumped over the bar counter, half-sleep while watching the TV playing reruns. It was midnight, but Sunday as well. There should’ve been inebriated remnants of weekenders scattered around the place like flies at an abandoned picnic.

This served as the basis of a new theory for Zeke; he understood how celestial beings’ mental state can affect things around them. The dejected vibrations the angel was emanating must’ve been disrupting the luring power of the bar for potential binge-drinkers, looking for escape via the malty flavor that served as their ferryman towards sweet ignorance.

“Angels don’t make deals, Ezequias Rosario,” said Nananiel in a caustic tone.

“I don’t recall angels trapping innocent beings in jail for hundreds of years all while calling them an ‘abomination’ either,” said AJ in an even more caustic tone, as if she were challenging him.

Zeke gave her a look and then reminded himself that this was the girl who threw a shoe at a possessed supernatural being. This act of foolish bravery paled in comparison.

Nananiel turned to AJ, eyes growing wide. “Wait, do…?”

Ugo was on the other side of the table, sitting next to Nananiel. In an act that almost made Zeke’s heart explode, Ugo put his hand onto Nananiel’s shoulder and leaned in. “Yeah, we know,” he said.

Then, Nananiel shifted his focus to Naomi. “Naomi, I…” he was unable to continue.

Zeke brought up the proposal again to prevent them from veering off course (and avoid giving his cowardice time to convince him to back out).

“You leave the rest of us alone,” Zeke continued, “and the ones I turn over. I want there to be a fair trial.”

“A trial?”

“Yes, a trial. We’ll judge them on their character and actions. And as for punishment... a form of rehabilitation.”

Nananiel’s expression scrunched up as he sank back in the seat. “A second chance.”

“Being young and capable of such insane power can mess with your head.”

Nananiel studied Zeke for a while and then reached into his breast pocket. “You’re a good person, Ezequias.”

“Yeah, he is,” Ugo said.

Nananiel pulled out his handkerchief and wiped some sweat off their forehead. “How do you know you can trust me?”

“Someone has to be the one stupid enough to try it out first,” Zeke said, “so that the rest can follow, like when Edward Jenner tested the first vaccine on that poor kid or when Barry Marshall performed a biopsy on his own gut to prove that ulcers aren’t caused by stress. I’m going to trust and put my faith in you blindly, hoping that you’ll keep up your end of the bargain.”

“So, you’ll act as a spy for me?” Nananiel asked.

“Any info we receive. We’ll report it to you.”

Nananiel raised his hand to his chin. His face said it all. He was interested, but something was holding him back. A lump in the back of his throat kept him from agreeing immediately. “But doing that… would involve convincing all the other angels. That would be difficult.”

“Well, we’re hoping that you’ll put in the work,” Zeke said. “So, we can finally end this senseless conflict between Healers and angels.”

“It’s not completely senseless since one of them is the Angel-Killer,” said Naomi, earning a look from everybody. She shrank back. “Sorry…”

“No, it’s okay,” Ugo said and gave her a warm smile. He looked over at Nananiel. “We’ve been told recently that a dude from the Tainted Generation will be organizing a reunion of some kind soon. We just gotta wait for that invite. We are going full Sherlock Holmes mode when we meet them.”

“‘Sherlock Holmes’ as in… you’re going to try to unveil the identities of the four who broke the Seals.” Nananiel said.

“Well, we already know—”

“That Violet isn’t one of them,” Zeke interrupted and then shared a look with his friends, giving them the cue to let him continue talking. “But yeah, we’re going to identify them all.”

###

By the time Zeke’s mind returned to the present, he and Ugo were taking their seats on one side of the table.

Nananiel wasn’t drinking anything. He was just slouched over in his seat, looking down at his clasped hands like a poster boy for men in crisis. All he was missing was the raggedy beard and the black and white filter.

“Nananaiel,” Zeke started, “what are you doing here?”

Nananiel raised his head, revealing his unkempt stubble.

With a closer look at Nananiel, Zeke could detect the enervation on his countenance before even noticing the darkness he was emanating that seemed to sap away his energy.

He looked over at Ugo, and he was out of breath, undergoing the effects of Nananiel’s current disposition as well.

Even with the dark circles around his saggy eyes, he forced a smile out of place with what the rest of his face was doing. “I like to watch over her… make sure she’s safe.” He looked away.

Zeke followed the direction he was looking in and saw Naomi scrambling from table to table delivering orders. He averted his gaze back to the angel and grinned, remembering how much he must care about her. Over the past two months, as the trio helped Naomi adjust to the mundane wonders of human life, she happily prattled on about the stories Nananiel shared with her during his amicable visits to her cage. According to her, he was the only angel who never used the word ‘abomination’ around her.

Unlike other angels would visit only to rebuke her about her paradoxical existence and fill her mind with teachings of what use she’d have to do when the right time came. ‘Irin’ was the name that came up the most.

“Naomi said you were the one who let her out,” Zeke said. “And that you would talk to her when she was in the cage. You were the nicest one to her.”

Without taking his eyes off her, Nananiel said, “Yeah, it was an unfortunate situation for her. She was caged for the crime of being born. I always found it a bit unfair, but we had the universe’s safety at stake, so what could we do?” Nananiel shrugged and pulled his gaze from Naomi to look at the boys. “Although, the abomination is right here. Walking amongst humans for quite some time and nothing world-ending happened, so someone was wrong, right?”

“Definitely,” Ugo agreed.

Nananiel made a snicker, looking back down at his clasped hands. “She seems happy, and it’s quite nice when I see the four of you together. I’m thankful for that.”

Zeke’s perspective of Nananiel’s actions during that week had been experiencing some changes. Slowly, Zeke was beginning to understand that not only was Nananiel trying to do his job but also to assure Naomi’s safety. She was, in fact, being held ‘prisoner’ by two members of the Fourteenth Tainted Generation.

But as always, Zeke’s worries began to overcloud his thoughts, and he had to express them.

“Yeah, but I’m still worried about some angel coming out of nowhere to try to take her back,” Zeke brought up. “Even with Irin out of the picture, another one could try.”

Nananiel shot a look at Zeke. “What do you mean by ‘Irin out of the picture’? Irin is not dead.”

Zeke’s eyes widened. An image of Naomi’s giant sword-wielding, gray sun head titan form came into his mind. The visage of Irin’s tiny volcanic body being slashed into nothing but particles repeatedly replayed in his head.

“We saw her get sliced into oblivion,” Ugo said.

Nananiel released a sigh, realizing he had to now assume the role of bearer of bad news.

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you two this. Naomi did a number on Irin’s Container, but make no mistake, getting rid of Irin would never be that easy. I should’ve brought this up during our last meeting.”

Zeke wanted to give his grievances but lost the will as he realized he kept info from the angel, such as them knowing that Isaac was one of the culprits behind the Seal break. He felt it may be too early to give out that info for some reason.

“So, if Irin is alive, how come she hasn’t tried to get Naomi again?” Zeke asked.

“I don’t know. I think the First Sphere Angels simply don’t care anymore and have moved onto something new, maybe related to whatever Irin’s secret project is.” Nananiel pulled out his handkerchief and cleaned his damp hands. “I recently learned that Irin had been disseminating a high percentage of soul power for something and has been doing it for years.”

“Wait, are you telling me that we fought a weakened Irin?” Ugo said, despondent.

Nananiel nodded. “It would explain the instability of her Container those days. Unfortunately, with her promotion, I was demoted and lost what you humans in those government agencies would call ‘clearance’ to information about grand missions that concern the Realms,” he explained despondently. “Some angels were able to return from the limbo space created by the Tainted who attacked us, and I am still friends with some of them. Some of them, who are now of higher rank, can redirect me some information, but it would mostly be hearsay, second-hand speculation.”

“Irin took your job as Dominion Chief?” Zeke asked.

“And kept hers. She is now simultaneously the Dominion Chief and Powers Chief. Relations and management are now carried by a being who only knows war and bloodshed. The next couple of millennia will be gruesome, that’s if we make it that long.” Nananiel explained. “As for me. I am back to the title of ‘angel.’ Third Sphere. My missions are well… whatever all the other high-ranking angels tell me to do, oh, and on top of that. I have been banished from Heaven, so I must live on earth and do what I can to survive.”

Ugo raised a hand up to his forehead. “Man… I am so sorry.”

Nananiel waved his hand. “No, it’s alright.” But the modesty was quickly replaced with a face of desperation. “You guys wouldn’t happen to know any place where they are hiring, would you?”

Zeke and Ugo exchanged a look.

“You’re an angel. You have literal superpowers.” Ugo said. “Just use those to get money.”

“I am not supposed to use my power for selfish gains. My power is for helping humans.”

“Wait, is that another reason why you came here? Looking for a job?” Zeke asked.

Nananiel looked to his left and right quickly.

Zeke decided to back off to let the angel keep what’s left of his dignity. He cleared his throat. “Try Burger Queen. They hire anybody.” He was confident in that statement, given that he had several relatives that worked there.

Naomi crossed by their table and halted halfway. She froze, gaping at Nananiel. “Elder Brother Nananiel…” she bit her lip and looked away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was you I was sensing. I thought it was Zeke.”

Zeke made a blank face, trying not to think about how she assumed the depressive aura belonged to him, but he could hear Ugo stifling his laugh.

Nananiel arose, somehow managing to fleck spouts of sweat everywhere with just one movement. “Naomi, please, just call me ‘Nananiel’”. He moved up to her and put his hands over her shoulders, staring at her with a poignant look. “I am so sorry for what I put you through, and I am elated for what you’ve found.”

Naomi blinked as her bright doe eyes welled. “Thank you…”

The two stood there in silence, letting the moment sink in.

Zeke rested his cheek on his hand as he watched the wholesome moment. They didn’t give any care to the myriad of confused eyes that went in their direction or the vexed chef calling for Naomi’s attention in the background.

Then, Nananiel dug his cell out of his pocket. “You have a phone, right?”

“Um… yes,” Naomi answered sheepishly.

Zeke’s heart skipped a beat, taking his hand from under his cheek and putting it over his heart. The scene was already topping the unhealthy amount of cat videos he had seen.

“Good. Okay, I’m going to give you my number, and then you call me if you decide to quit or if a job opening here pops up.”

And the feeling inside Zeke died as he realized this was part of Nananiel’s job search.

Nananiel shamelessly went on. “Make sure to tell your boss about my skills. I am really good at cleaning. Cooking, not so much, but I really excel at attending to people because I love people. Oh, also, try to figure out what kind of resume style your boss prefers.”

“I’m not sure I want to work at the same place you work,” Naomi muttered.

“What?” Nananiel said in a feeble voice.

“It’s just that would be….”

“Embarrassing?” Ugo chimed in and stood up.

Naomi nodded, looking chagrined.

“Huh?” said Nananiel, turning back to Ugo.

“You’re kinda like her dad, dude. It would be a little awkward.”

Nananiel made a wry smile, touched and hurt by the words at the same time. “Oh…” Nananiel looked back at Naomi and patted her on the head. He went for the exit.

After the short awkward moment of silence, Naomi told the boys that she would be working a late shift tonight, so Zeke and Ugo said their goodbyes briefly before the chef stomped out of the kitchen and dragged her away.

The brothers’ next fated destination was the mall, specifically, the bookstore for new fantasy titles that now only didn’t serve as entertainment but vital knowledge that could help save several lives in the future. Or at least, that was their best excuse for continuing to feed their insatiable hunger for nerd culture.

The shopping mall was heavily decorated with gaudy Christmas decorations. With a towering Christmas tree in the center and dazzling lights everywhere, making sure one didn’t forget about what holiday it was. After they got their books, they were seduced to visit the arcade in the mall, which they were loved by its owner and crowned his best customers since they were his only customers. A couple of hours later, after trying to top each other’s high score on Monkey Kong until one made a score that was impossible to beat—Ugo won. His eidetic memory was an unfair advantage, but it wasn’t like he could do anything about it.

They rode the bus back to their sleep neighborhood Blackmarsh Grove and walked their way home with their new books in their backpacks. The biting cold of the night was merciless as the dead trees that accompanied their walk reminded them of the harshness of the season.

The households of Blackmarsh Grove didn’t let the forlorn visage of dead trees stop them from flaunting their Christmas spirit. As if they were all competing against each other, the colonial homes were covered in flashing, garish decorations. Without giving a damn for whoever enjoys a good night's sleep and giving the streetlamps a run for their money. The statutory nuisance seemed illegal, but acting like a crazy person in the name of the holiday spirit was better bulletproof than a kevlar vest.

Abruptly, Ugo halted and took off his backpack. He kneeled and rummaged through the contents of his backpack like a desert hiker who realized they didn’t bring any water 2 hours into his adventure.

“What’s wrong with you?” Zeke asked.

Ugo continued rummaging and responded in a whisper, “Mano, look at who is standing in front of our house.”

Zeke stared forward, and Jill stood in front of the gate of their small American colonial home.