Demond

The last thing I remembered was Ragna standing before all of us in what should have been our moment of triumph.

“Please… Forgive me.  This must be done,” Ragna’s words echoed through the battlefield.

The tall bident she held began to glow and a blinding light began to surge towards us.

I dashed to Tasha, or was it Xei? I didn’t know for certain, nor did I care.

“Xei-Tash-Xeisha! Run!” I shouted, frantic, panicking as I tried to figure out what was happening.

Despite my panic, Xeisha didn’t have an ounce of concern on her face.

“No… This is as it should be,” Xeisha sighed in contentment.

Was this just her accepting her fate?

I rushed to her, grabbing hold of her, my fingers digging into her back as I held her firmly against me.

No matter what, I wasn’t going to let go of her. Somewhere inside Xeisha was Tasha. I wouldn’t lose her again.

I looked up at the white wall of burning light surging towards us and I braced as best as I could.

That’s when my senses went into overload.

Like a flashbang had gone off right in front of my face. My ears were ringing and my vision was completely overwhelmed, with nothing but bright white.

That’s when I heard the voice of Cassara, of all people, in the distance.

“…You left yourself wide open, what’s wrong with you?” Cassara chastised.

I heard Xei’s voice, or what sounded like Xei’s voice, “As Zepherina would put it: She rocked your shit!” followed by playful laughter.

“Probably,” Cassara’s voice rang out.

My vision returned and I was staring at the ceiling of the training room within the Guardian Temple.

I was laid out on the floor, my cheek felt sore, like I had just taken a punch.

I shook my head, sitting up slowly, “…where am I?”

“Oh, you did rock his shit,” Xei’s voice chimed in as I saw Xei, or Tasha, look over me.

They had both their eyes, which was odd, though one was pink and the other red.

“…Tash?” I asked.

Cassara’s face soon loomed high overhead, as she looked down on me, “Uh… Who’s Tash?” Cassara asked, her eyebrow lifting, “Do I need to hit you for real, Demond?”

The two eyed Tasha’s shocked face slowly turned into a grin, “I got him Cass. You go chill, okay?”

Cassara huffed, “You fool around on Xeisha and you’re getting more than a love tap,” Cassara warned before walking off.

“Okay, up baby… slow and steady,” Xeisha, I guess, said as she helped me to my feet. “I know this must be so overwhelming.”

My head was still spinning as I looked around, “Where are we? Last I checked-”

“We were facing what you thought was the end,” Xeisha grinned at me, “But, you’re awake now!”

I shook my head, still getting my bearings, “I don’t understand, Tasha-”

“Okay, so… I go by Xeisha now,” Xeisha beamed at me, holding my hand softly, “We’re still married. You’re still a Lycan, you’re still the Avatar of Ariel, and we don’t need to worry about you turning me into a were-wolf.”

I lifted an eyebrow, “That’s a lot,” I looked around, “Are we in Heaven?”

“Kind of the opposite, though not Hell,” Xeisha said, holding my hand, “I think Cass’s punch really knocked you hard, you don’t remember the current timeline at all?”

“Current timeline?” I asked.

“Ragna remade the world, starting about 13 years ago, she changed a few key things but let everything play out mostly the same, sans some minor details,” Xeisha whispered, “Evangeline, for example, is gone.”

“Evangeline? Gone?” I asked, my brow furrowed.

“Shush!” Xeisha chided, “Don’t speak her name too loud, okay? It’s dangerous.”

I lifted an eyebrow, “Uh… Okay. So, she’s gone?”

“Yes,” Xeisha looked down, “That’s the most important thing to get out of the way. We’re barred from speaking of her, to anyone.”

“I can’t just pretend that Timothy’s sister doesn’t exist,” I growled, “Is Timothy fine with this?!”

Xeisha forced a smile, “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” I could feel the Xei in her, that was for sure. Xeisha wasn’t all Tasha, she had a bit of a coyness to her. A strange shadow looming behind her redder eye as if she was hiding something. “And why are you not separated?”

Xeisha’s face hardened, “Oh, I’m sorry! That’s your concern? I’m whole, I can’t be split apart again, okay? Not easily, and if I was, I surely wouldn’t be the same!”

That was certainly Xei talking, “Yes, it is my concern. Because I love, and married, Tasha.” I growled.

Xeisha’s eyes each flexed oddly, as if their eyes had shifted briefly from human to reptilian and I could see the small horns on her head, normally hidden by her hair, growing larger.

I knew that look, Timothy had it when he didn’t have full control over his Seraphim form. “…So you’re still Xyphiel’s kid.”

Xeisha closed her eyes, her horns shrinking, “Better than being either a Succubus or Vampire,” she opened them, calmer, “Sorry. I should be more understanding, Monty.”

There was my Tasha, shining through.

I took her other hand, looking her up and down, “You need to realize that, last I checked: Tasha was dead and Xei turned into… well… You.”

Xeisha nodded, looking up to me, “Sorry. You’re usually more used to me,” she tapped my forehead, “You remembering anything? You’re supposed to remember both your current and previous memories from before and after Ragna fiddled with the universe.”

I rubbed my head, feeling a lump on the back of my skull, “How hard did Cassara hit me and why?” I asked.

“You two were training. Then, in the middle, you just froze up and she dropped you like a sack of shit,” Xeisha said slyly, the hint of Xei peeking through.

I just heaved a sigh, looking around, “So, give me the tour of where we are then, okay? I’m sure I’ll get my head on straight soon enough.”

Xeisha smiled warmly, her eyes gleaming in that excited sort of manner Tasha did when she had a secret.

“Also, tell me why you don’t know how Timothy feels about this Eva-” Xeisha cut me off.

“Don’t say her name,” Xeisha hushed, “Please, Demond.”

I nodded, “Okay.” I started again, “Tell me why you don’t know how Timothy feels about her being gone.”

“Because, unlike you, Timothy hasn’t woken up yet,” Xeisha explained.

“Woken up? So, what, he’s in a coma?” I asked.

“No,” Xeisha smiled, “He’s living his life. If you want, you can go and meet him.”

“Living his life?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

Xeisha smiled, “Many had a choice, some didn’t. But, from what I know, Timothy never had a childhood. He was always fighting, even when he was younger. Fighting Xyphiel since he was a teenager and the like. Timothy always put the mission ahead of his own life. From what I understand, Ragna told him his mission was completed. He had done it: Xyphiel is vanquished. Now, Timothy can live a normal life.”

“Normal?” I asked.

“Well…” Xeisha chuckled, “Normal Adjacent? He’s still the heir to the seat of the Metatron, unless… Well…” Xeisha smiled, “why don’t you go meet him?”

“Shouldn’t I wait until my memories fully recover?” I asked, smiling.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Xeisha asked with a wide smile.

I was convinced she was my Tasha, with a hint of Xei in there. Almost like spice to her original personality.

Even if this wasn’t Heaven, I was pretty convinced it was close, “Of the things that changed, I have to know: What happened to Elon?” I asked, holding out a glimmer of hope that maybe, this one thing had changed for the better.

Xeisha’s smile faded, “He… He is still with Gabriel. If anything, he continues to work as a Reaper.”

I sighed heavily, my heart sinking.

“He’s very much committed to his role,” Xeisha forced a smile, “He’s happy, Demond.”

I nodded, “It’s a strange comfort, I guess, to know your brother is happy and safe on the other side.”

Xeisha led me out of the training room as I looked around, confused and not so sure of what was going on.

The Guardian Temple looked to be in full swing, or mostly from what I could tell.

Cassara was there, I saw Irfan, Rosalie, her mother and even Jorge.

I was stunned, however, when I saw Vael appear before me.

When I say they appeared, they literally manifested from nothing, appearing in an instant before Xeisha and I.

“My, so many awakenings. It seems this is the starting point for many things,” Vael’s voice rang out around me like wind chimes.

To my ears, anyway, they sounded like wind chimes.

“Oh, you can see Demond is awake?” Xeisha grinned.

I sighed, “Awake?”

“We call it an ‘Awakening’ when someone recalls the events which occurred prior to the remaking of the universe,” Vael informed, “To be clear: You have been physically awake, but now your spirit has been reawakened.”

“Vael, maybe you can be of some assistance to us,” Xeisha asked, “Demond doesn’t recall current events. His last memories are of the wall.”

“The Wall?” I asked.

“When Ragna reset things, it appeared to many as a wall of light,” Vael clarified, as their many eyes focused on me. An arm lifted up and pointed to my head. The eyes blinked and then rolled, “Demond’s issue is twofold. One: A severe trauma occurred to his skull, causing a momentary lapse in long term cognitive functionality. Second: This event appears to have triggered Demond’s awakening, and as such, his feeble mortal mind is having difficulty grasping the magnitude of the situation.”

I narrowed my eyes on Vael, “Feeble mortal mind?”

“Demond isn’t mortal,” Xeisha quipped.

There was the Xei again.

Vael was unphased, “By Mortal Mind, I am referring to the fact that Demond and yourself still perceive time and space in the mortal realm almost exclusively. Unlike some of us. If you took any insult to this, I would find this to be a personal problem.”

“Feeble,” Xeisha hissed, “Is an insulting term, Vael.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Vael stated.  “Regardless, Demond’s memory will likely resolve on its own. If there is any issue, and I doubt there will be, Irfan will be more than capable of addressing it.”

“Thanks,” I stated firmly, trying to be as short as possible.

Vael remained unphased, “There are many awakenings, if you wouldn’t mind, I have to see them next. Blessed Be.”

With that, Vael vanished.

I turned to Xeisha, “Vael seems… Off.”

“They don’t have the full memories of Sofia or Samael, it seems. They’re very much a new being, even with thirteen years of experience, it’s as if they’re still lacking social skills. Granted, Vael is like Rachel. They can only exist inside The Guardian Temple,” Xeisha informed.

“Why can’t Vael leave?” I asked as we headed across the foyer. I paused, “Wait, Rachel?!”

Xeisha rolled her eyes, “Wow… Okay, yeah.  Uh… So, that’s one of the things Ragna changed in the universe. She brought Rachel back,” Xeisha cleared her throat, “You know… Since… you know who, doesn’t exist?”

I sighed, “And…? Is it a caveat of that resurrection that she can’t leave the Temple?”

“Yes,” Xeisha nodded, “And as for Vael? They are physically unable to use the door of the Guardian Temple. I believe it’s because their existence is a paradox,” Xeisha said with certainty, as if Xei were speaking, “Rachel is a different matter. Rachel, even in this world, is all but considered dead. Her punishment for turning down the task of the Metatron is to fulfill it in its entirety,” Xeisha’s tone was much more empathetic now, like Tasha.

“Meaning…?” I asked, thinking I might know the answer, but unsure if I did or did not.

“Meaning Rachel is trapped in the Guardian Temple, serving as the mouth of God, until her dying days,” Xeisha said solemnly.

I would have felt bad, but to be completely honest, I didn’t.

Rachel was, at her worst, a direct enemy who nearly killed me and was at the very best, an enemy of an enemy.

For her to be confined to The Guardian Temple to basically do the equivalent of Heavenly Community Service seemed, at the very least, like a light punishment for all she had done.

I reached the door, turning to Xeisha, “I’d say that seems like a slap on the wrist.”

Xeisha nodded, “I thought you would. You told me so before, not shocked you’d make the same statement again.”

“Was I… like a zombie, this whole time?” I asked, “I mean before I ‘awoke’?”

“No,” Xeisha chuckled, “You are you, always. You made the decisions you wanted to make and I could tell,” Xeisha said, her hand on my chest, “It was always you deep down.”

I smiled, “So… just… I can’t remember what I did with you?”

Xeisha nodded, “The memories will come back, as Vael said.”

The doors opened and I moved towards them, noticing Xeisha wasn’t coming, “Uh, Xeisha?” I asked, unsure what nickname I had picked out for her.

Xeisha chuckled, “Timothy doesn’t know I’m in the Guardian Temple,” she snickered, “He knows you are. You’re part of Project Serph and you’re a Major, he’s a Colonel.”

I frowned, “…And Anderson?”

Xeisha’s face softened as she looked upwards, “He sacrificed himself, much the same way he did originally. He’s at peace now, I can say that with utmost certainty.”

I nodded, “Okay. Well, see you later, then?”

Xeisha smiled and jumped up to give me a kiss.

I kissed her back, catching her before she fell.

Xeisha beamed to me, “Later, Monty.”

I paused, wondering, or trying to think of a nickname for Xeisha. One didn’t spring out right away, because I always called her ‘Tash’ when she was just Tasha.

But, I did have a name from a favorite movie that would fit, I wondered if it was the same I’d pick before, “Later, Tish.”

Xeisha’s eyes widened, “Do you remember?”

I chuckled, “No…”

“But… You always call me ‘Tish’,” Xeisha said, blushing.

I smiled at her, “I guess it was me the whole time after all, huh?”

Xeisha hummed happily as she got back to her feet, “Good luck!”

The doors closed and I turned to see myself in what would have been Colonel Anderson’s office.

There was still a desk in front, though no one was there.

On the door, I saw a plaque.

Col. T. Crestfall.

I gave a knock, waiting to hear a response.

“Who’s there?” Timothy’s voice called out.

I decided to be as formal as possible.  “Sir! Major Winter, sir.”

“Enter,” Timothy ordered.

I walked in, glancing around the room to see a fairly standard commanding officer’s office.

Timothy sat at his desk, in full uniform, glancing at his computer screen. “How’s the Temple?”

I figured I would be as honest as I could, “Sir, some minor rumblings about recent events, but nothing disturbing, sir.”

“Good to hear,” Timothy said, standing up. “You didn’t happen to speak to my mother by any chance, did you?”

“Sir, not today, sir,” I responded.

Timothy nodded, “I’m sure she’s busy,” He said with a flat tone, “I’m glad you’re here Major. The end of the Martial Law is going to require a significant downturn of troop numbers. I expect the majority of our units to withdraw. I would appreciate it if you continued to be my primary Temple liaison, of course.”

Timothy really wasn’t part of the Guardian Temple? This was bizarre to me. He was the one who took Elon and myself in. In this timeline, was I the only link he had to The Guardian Temple? What about Zepherina?

“Sir, Yessir,” I said, firmly, “But, may I ask a question?”

Timothy nodded, “Go ahead, Major.”

“Why me and not… well… someone of higher rank?” I asked.

Timothy’s lips pursed, “Because I trust you more than her.” Timothy said firmly.

Was he talking about Zepherina? I lifted an eyebrow in confusion, “Sir?”

Timothy took a measured breath, “The end of the Martial Law means that our operations are going to scale down immeasurably, which means that information will come from select sources. I just want to make sure I have more than one, Major. That’s all.”

Timothy was always hedging his bets, that was for sure. Seemed even in this timeline, contingency plans were his forte, “Sir, understood, sir.”

Another knock came at the door behind us.

Timothy cleared his throat, “Who’s there?”

The voice that came through the door gave me a shiver, “Captain Vazquez, sir.”

It was like hearing a ghost.

“Come in, Captain,” Timothy ordered.

I saw Sofia walk in. She was, well, human! Sofia was just as she was before she made her pact with Samael. No blindfold, no bizarre eyes, no wings, even her scent was human. She stood there, her normal brown eyes looking at me with a slight hint of contempt.

She wore a normal military uniform. Well, a mostly normal uniform. The only key difference was that, in addition to a US flag, which oddly was a 13-starred US flag, there was the flag of Penthesil over it.

“Major Winter, nice to see you sir,” Sofia said with a salute.

I returned the salute, out of habit.

Vael was still here. How could Vael and Sofia both exist?

Then again, Xeisha did say Vael was a paradox. Maybe the two could never meet face to face?

“Captain, good to see you. Are you here to discuss our rendezvous later tonight?” Timothy asked.

“Sir, yessir. Can it be discussed in the present company?” Sofia asked, her eyes moving to me.

“Of course, Captain,” Timothy confirmed.

“Sir, I would have messaged you, but I noticed you didn’t have any appointments. I wanted to confirm in person. But, as we’re here: Yes, I would appreciate it if we arrived at the location at 19:00 hours, sir,” Sofia announced.

“That sounds good, Captain. I’ll rendezvous with you at 18:30 hours, sharp, yes?” Timothy confirmed.

“Sir, yessir,” Sofia chirped back.

“And, of course, formal uniform is not required, Captain,” Timothy said with a smile.

“Sir,” Sofia said, smiling back, “Yessir.”  She turned to me, a wary look in her eyes, “Major, I’ll leave you and the Colonel to continue your discussion. Pardon my interruption, sir,” and with that she turned and left the room.

When the door was closed, I couldn’t help but grin and turned to Timothy, “Sir, permission to speak freely, sir?”

Timothy took a measured breath, “I’m going to regret it, but granted, Major.”

“You dog,” I said with a grin.

“There’s a measured irony in that coming from you, Major,” Timothy said with a smile, “…Martial Law is ending, the war’s over, so… Sofia and I had an agreement that once that happened, we would take things further.”

I chuckled, “Good for you, sir.” I considered everything and cleared my throat to ask, “Sir… Is she aware of your…” I paused, “Heritage?”

Timothy’s smile faded, “Well…” he cleared his throat, “That’s going to be a big part of our… discussions.”

I noticed Timothy’s wings were not displayed, but considering Timothy’s parentage was all the same, “And the uh… obvious issue?” I said, motioning to my own shoulders to hint at Timothy’s wings.

Timothy sighed, “Thankfully, I think that will be less of a shock than it would have been 13 years ago… Trust me, the wings are the least of my worries.” Timothy sat down at his desk, “I fought demons and orchestrated a massive defensive operation against the literal forces of Hell, Demond,” Timothy said, all pretenses of formality gone now, “Why is a single date with Sofia making me feel terrified?”

I chuckled, “Maybe because there’s no Standard Operating Procedure for relationships, sir?”

Timothy leaned back in his chair, “Wish there was.”

“I think things would be fairly dry if there were, sir,” I said with a grin.

“I like dry,” Timothy sighed.

“I can assure you: You do not want ‘dry’ with women, sir,” I joked.

Timothy sat up, looking like he was about to draw a line somewhere, when a gust of wind filled the office.

Papers flew everywhere and I had to shield my eyes as dust was kicked up.

I saw a sphere of yellow wind pulsing in the far end of Timothy’s office, hovering over the carpet before it touched down.

Once it did, it vanished and I could see who was standing before me.

One was Zepherina, who you could never mistake for anyone else.

Zepherina wore her plate mail, as well as some kind of violet ceremonial cape draped over the shoulders. On each shoulder I could see the insignia of Penthesil branded into the fabric.

Before her was a much smaller woman, in comparison, if she was a woman.

Maybe a teenager? Her skin was olive but her hair was light blonde, eyes were green, but glowed with a slight yellow energy as her feet touched down on the carpet shortly after Zepherina’s boots made a much more noticeable ‘thump’.

This younger woman wore a wool uniform, dark violet, with a black shirt and tie. The tie had the symbol of Venus etched on it in yellow thread.  She had calf high black boots, with slacks matching her jacket.

Timothy was on his feet, looking rather shocked, “Grand General Zepherina! We weren’t expecting you,” Timothy gave a firm salute, his eyes moving to me.

I saluted quickly, clicking my heels as if standing before a general.

“…Col. Crestfall, Major Winter,” Zepherina said, with some irritation in her voice, “I’m sorry to drop in on you. It seems…” Zepherina cleared her throat knowingly, “That someone didn’t fully understand the spell she was casting…?”

The small girl let loose a breath as if she was holding it in for too long.

I could smell ozone in the air and the scent was similar to someone else I had seen. My nostrils flared as I sniffed instinctively.

She smelled like Fatima, but also had a scent exactly like Syria.

“Sorry, Mistress,” The young girl replied, “I… I lost focus. It won’t happen again, I promise, next time I will take you to Lucilia’s quarters.”

“Tufan,” Zepherina spoke firmly, “I only allowed you to use your magic to take me here at your express request. You asked that you take me, did you not? Now, instead of being alongside Lucillia, I am in West Point with Col. Crestfall.”

Tufan pursed her lips, turning to Zepherina, “Mistress, if I am not able to use my powers to practice then how can I ever hope to be the Titan of Air my mom was?!” She shouted, her body taught and fists clenched.

Zepherina looked down at Tufan, an eyebrow lifted and not a word spoken.

Tufan’s hands shot to her mouth, eyes wide, “…Forgive me, Mistress. I spoke out of turn-”

Zepherina lifted a hand, “…No, you have a point. However, I do have to get to my sister. Practice all you want, within reason, yes? Don’t do anything that your mother would be upset with.”

Tufan’s face fell, “Mother’s upset with everything,” she said in a fairly typical teenage lament.

“Mother’s have a tendency to be that way,” Zepherina said with a smile, “Off with you. I’m close enough, thank you, Tufan.”

Tufan clenched her fist and thrust it to her shoulder, bowing to Zepherina, “Yes, Mistress. Thank you, Mistress.”

With that, Tufan walked away from Zepherina and turned to Timothy and myself.

My nostrils flared as I could sense a hint of pheromone in the air as Tufan’s eyes locked onto Timothy.

I could hear her heart race and saw Tufan’s face blush as she was engulfed in swirls of wind and lightning before she vanished.

I grinned a little, knowing why Tufan’s first spell took her to Timothy’s office, of all places.

Once Tufan was gone, Timothy spoke, “Tufan’s a little young, isn’t she?”

“She’s sixteen,” Zepherina said smiling, “The war’s over, she has plenty of peacetime to finally learn her powers,” Zeph chuckled, “Besides… She wants to be like her mom, Syria. How can I say ‘no’ to that?”

Timothy let out an exasperated sigh, “Like this: No, Tufan.”

“Aww, are you being the protective uncle again, Timothy?” Zepherina grinned at Timothy, “The Alexandratta are my personal royal guard and I can do as I please with them. Don’t forget: They function outside of your authority, Colonel.”

Timothy grumbled a bit, “Zeph…”

Zepherina chuckled, “Oh, come on! Like I’d actually pull rank on you,” Zepherina turned to me, “Hey Demond, how are things with Xeisha?”

“Uh… Fine, I think,” I answered.

Zepherina’s face turned to confusion, then to glee, “Wait…” She grinned, “No way.”

Timothy looked confused between myself and Zepherina, “…Uh, is this Temple business?”

“Yes,” Zepherina said firmly, “Go get ready for your date with Sofia.”

Timothy shook his head, “How did you-”

“Lucilia told me,” Zepherina grinned at Timothy.

Timothy narrowed his eyes, “I don’t like being surveilled.”

“Lucilia literally sees everything, Timothy. If you did something without her knowledge, I’d be immeasurably impressed,” Zepherina smiled, “Shoo, lover boy! Go get ‘er!”

Timothy cleared his throat and stood up, “Yes, ma’am,” before he headed out.

The second the door closed, Zepherina clapped her hands together, her violet eyes bright and her smile wide, “Oh my God, or well, oh my Mom? Eh! Demond, tell me everything! Are you excited? When did you wake up?” She was bizarrely enthused.

“Uh… Well I ‘woke’ up during a training session with Cass and…” I cleared my throat, “Not going to lie, the last memory I have is of the final battle.”

Zepherina’s expression softened slightly, “Wait so… You… You only remember The Wall?”

I nodded.

Zepherina’s eyes went wide, “Wait…!  Did you not talk to Xeisha?!”

“Uh, well, I was with Xeisha when it happened, why?” I asked.

Zepherina looked at me, expectantly, “…Did she… Tell you anything important?”

“Uhm, like the world got remade and this is a weird new timeline?” I asked.

Zepherina’s expression was more exasperated, “I swear the next time I can, I’m going to kick her ass.”

“Please don’t kick my wife’s ass,” I said, narrowing my eyes on Zeph.

“Figuratively,” Zeph chuckled, “What did she tell you?”

“That I shouldn’t talk about a certain person, since it seems they don’t exist,” I said firmly.

Zeph lifted an eyebrow, “Uh… Yeah there’s a lot of that going around, I guess? Rasper was talking about someone named ‘Eva’, which is really weird. Is that who you’re talking about?” Zepherina asked.

I just nodded, deciding it best to listen to Xeisha and not say Eva’s name.

“You’re the second person who woke up and mentioned someone who didn’t exist. Next time I see Mom, I’ll have to ask,” Zepherina thought out-loud.

Zepherina doesn’t remember Evangeline?! What the Hell?

“What, exactly, did Ragna do?” I asked point blank.

Zepherina smiled, “Well, The Guardians handed her the keys to the Universe and she’s taking care of it now.”

I paused, waiting for more. “Like… Temporarily?”

“Nah, The Guardians retired,” Zepherina said with a warm smile, “Mom’s taking over and… Well, she has a few tasks. One is to rehabilitate those in Hell,” Zepherina’s expression hardened, however, a glint of green flashing in her eyes, “Well, most, anyway…”

“Dare I ask?” I was slowly starting to piece things together.

“Mom basically gave every single soul in Hell a choice: Reform by living a second, mortal, life. One where you’ll have no memories of your past transgressions until you die or remain in Hell,” Zepherina scoffed, “Most of them were fairly polite if they declined.”

“I’m sensing a ‘But’ in there somewhere,” I said, wondering who would turn down such an offer to start with.

“Bella,” Zepherina snapped, “She spit at my Mom’s feet,” Zepherina hissed with a vitriol that I only recalled shortly after her friend Theodora’s death.

“I see…” I wondered why, of all the people, Bella was so against possibly getting a second chance, “Did she give a reason?”

“I would rather suffer an eternity in Hellfire than ever take a breath among the mortals again. Enjoy your time, Goddess, for my only task will be to see the mortal world wreathed in fire and fury*,”* Zepherina said, her voice taking on an Italian accent as she spoke the words, “Something like that, basically.”

The way Zeph spoke, it sounded far too close to reality than a mere impression of Bella, “Okay… uh…” I cleared my throat, “So… Ragna is now…?”

“God, yeah,” Zepherina chuckled.

I looked Zepherina over, “So, what year is it?”

“Around the same time as when we all defeated Xyphiel,” Zeph confirmed.

“Then, why do you look older?” I asked.

“Aww, you look great too, buddy!” Zeph chuckled, rolling her eyes.

“I meant your eyes, you physically look the same,” I explained, “You just seem more jaded in some respects.”

Zepherina’s face looked troubled as her brow wrinkled, “Yeah… Rasper said something similar.”  She sighed, “So… I technically was made younger and older, at the same time. Mom had a request, basically.”

“A request?” I asked, “Like… Request from us or a request of someone else?”

“She asked the Guardians for a favor. Basically, they offered her the job and she said ‘yes’ but with conditions,” Zeph explained.

“Yeah, leave it to Ragna to literally hold God Himself to some kind of bargain,” I said, narrowing my eyes on Zeph.

Zepherina took a deep breath, “I know. Trust me,” she looked out the window, “The request wasn’t what you think. Mom never had a lasting relationship. Maybe two or three years, tops, but something always happened, you know? Whether by calamity or otherwise.”

Zepherina moved to Timothy’s desk, her hands placed flat on the desktop as she turned to me.

“Ragna always had her potential lover ripped from her life, somehow,” Zepherina shook her head, “So she just wanted one. She wanted a chance to have a family.”

“So, what happened?” I asked.

“Rachel still ran off with Xyphiel,” Zepherina explained, “But in this version of reality, Ragna and Rachel arrived at Penthesil together, took power, had me, the US tried to assassinate my mom and mami saved her. Then, after barely surviving, she had Lucilia,” Zepherina broke down the events at a rapid fire pace, “That’s kind of when the gears started going for the rest of the world.”

“Wait, so that would mean that Rachel still had Lucilia after the-” I was cut off.

“Yes, after the nanites,” Zepherina chuckled, “Mother really didn’t want to go back to ‘Thinking like a single being’, she was… oddly good at controlling the nanite swarm. She said she felt like it was integral to her being.”

I crossed my arms, “Seems like Rachel and Ragna are in control of everything now. Why did they get the keys?” I asked.

Zepherina shrugged, “I don’t know. It wasn’t my choice. My Mom, so you know, feels it’s a form of penance.”

“Where is Ragna now?” I asked.

Zepherina pointed up, “Watching, overseeing… whatever it is.”

“So She can see us now?” I asked.

“No,” Zeph said, frustrated, “When Mom first took up the role She vanished and we didn’t see Her for months. She came back to visit, only in the Temple and nowhere else. She can’t manifest on the mortal plane anywhere but the Guardian Temple or bad things happen. Like, there’s so much concentrated power around Her that things start going wrong.”

I furrowed my brow, “So… She’s trapped, too?”

Zepherina nodded, “She came for a few weeks, then vanished, then She was gone for a year. Then five, and…” Zepherina heaved a sigh, “It’s been almost a decade, now. Every day I wonder if she’s going to come back soon and for how long. Eventually, I think She’ll never be able to manifest in this world and when that day happens, I’ll literally be oblivious to it,” Zeph turned to me, sorrow in her eyes, “Heck, it could have already happened.”

“Sorry,” I sighed, “It sucks, to lose your parents, even if they are assholes.”

Zeph cracked a half smile, “Yeah well, you don’t have that problem.”  Zepherina’s face turned shocked, “Oh, shit! Right, you don’t know!”

“Huh?” I asked, confused.

“Demond, everyone got a second chance in Hell, but there were plenty who were in Hell during the reset… Those who could have been alive sometimes managed to live again,” Zepherina smiled, “Check your phone contacts.”

I lifted an eyebrow, but picked my phone out of my pocket. I looked through my contacts, unsure what I was looking for.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I reached the ‘P’ section.

‘Pops’

I felt the color drain from my face, “…My father is alive?”

Zepherina nodded.

I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck starting to rise, then I caught something out of the corner of my eye.

In the window, I could see a reflection of someone who wasn’t in the room.

Elon’s pale face looked at me, as if he were standing next to me, but looking at my eyes as I saw his reflection.

“Hey, bro,” Elon said with a smile, his single arm reaching out, “You’re in for a trip. Check your messages.”

I smiled, my eyes watering, “Elon?”

“Don’t get all sentimental,” Elon said, “Check your messages from Pop.”

I nodded and I tapped on the messages portion of the contact for pop.

“Hey, Demond. Meeting up later at the cemetery for your mom and Elon. Text me when you can.”

My head spun and my memories came flooding back.

The night I came home and my father and I had our fight, I put him in the hospital instead of killing him.

Somehow Elon had prevented me from tearing Pop’s head off or scratching him.

After that, he joined AA, eventually stopped drinking and started being a parent.

I remembered a life where my dad was distant, but trying. He was very far from perfect. He was deeply flawed, still. Constantly criticizing, constantly on my ass about things.

Then we lost Elon and he changed for the better again.

I remember my father coming to the hospital, after they failed to save Elon.

The tearful hug, and him holding me tight, begging for forgiveness.

Pops apparently didn’t like my relationship with Xeisha. He had some racist shit to say about it for a while, but finally warmed up to her after Elon’s death.

It seemed he needed a second turning point in his life, and while he was miles from perfect, we were at least on speaking terms.

I checked the messages again, as more memories flooded back and saw a picture I had sent to him.

It was a pregnancy test, only from a few days ago.

My head spun and I remembered Xeisha beaming at me and handing it to me.

“So… I’m unsure what it means but…” Xeisha smiled at me, “You’re gonna be a Dad soon.”

I shook my head as slightly different memories of battles kicked into my mind, though the results all seemed about the same, just missing Evangeline in key moments.

I smiled, as I stared at the photo of the pregnancy test, “…That sneaky little Tish.”

Zepherina giggled as I looked up.

“You get your memories back, Monty?” Zepherina teased.

I glanced at the window, Elon’s reflection gone.

“Yeah…” I looked up to Zepherina, who was once more her excited self, “…You’re gonna be an aunt.”

Zepherina hugged me tight and spun me around the room, “You get to be surprised twice! Isn’t that great?!”

I grunted as Zeph squeezed the air out of my lungs and as the room spun around, I couldn’t help but smile.

Things weren’t perfect, sure. But for me? This was the best my life had gotten, and wondered, hell I hoped: Could things actually get better from here?

I felt warm tears of joy leak from my eyes as it slowly hit me, that maybe, just maybe… I could have a ‘Happily Ever After’.