Chapter 187 : Archangel

Chapter 187 : Archangel
Rayline. 

A wave of cool air filled the room as the flames died out, leaving a trail of empty craters. No one moved. No one dared to breathe until the demon himself, Harvey stepped back. All the Nephilim watched his movements in awe, and some of them even bowed their heads in his honor. 

I leaned over Cole's body, my hands shaking as I brushed his hair, which had fallen to the side. Tears fell again, rolling down my cheeks without stopping. The sound of footsteps coming closer, got louder until they finally stopped right behind me. 

"Rayline?" 

I blinked slowly, turned my head towards the source of the voice, and saw Cole's father standing there. His expression changed as his gaze fell on his son who lay motionless in my arms. He swallowed, his gaze filled with such deep pain. 

"...Is there any other way?" I asked hoarsely. "Is there anything you can do?" 

He knelt beside me, pain filling his eyes. "I'm sorry," he says hoarsely. I look back down at Cole, and the sobs I have been holding back finally break, sliding out of my trembling lips. He looked carefully at the blade that was stuck in Cole's chest. "May I?" he asked softly, and I could only nod slowly. 

He gently pulled the blade out, removing it from his son's body, and placed it off to the side. I looked at the deep gaping wound on Cole's chest clearly exposed in front of me. I placed my trembling hand over the wound, trying to calm myself down by taking a deep breath, before finally pulling my hand back weakly. 

His father then placed his hand over Cole's, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment. He then rose to his feet, taking a few steps back, and gazing over at Jesse, who was lying on the ground with Nicolas. He gently stroked Jesse's hair, trying to calm him down as Jesse cried on his lap. 

"Rayline?" My name was being called again, and I looked at Chase flying towards me from a distance, passing by the Nephilim who were standing in silence. 

He quickly looked up at me, his face pale from the fear that struck him as he glided on his massive wings. Once he landed, he knelt beside me and placed his hand over Cole's heart, and he shook his head with trembling eyes, a sense of disbelief radiating from his face. 

"No," he whispered harshly. 

"It's too late," I said quietly, feeling crushed as the words escaped my lips, which made his eyes lift up to meet mine, while tears ran down his cheeks. 

He fell silent, gazing at his brother's body with deep grief. His gaze fell on the wound on Cole's chest. "No," he said through sobs, his voice filled with utter despair. "No, please, don't." 

With trembling hands, he brought one hand over the stab wound, and his other hand covered his sobbing mouth. I can see how he used his power to start flowing, as his eyes were shining for a fleeting moment, trying to remove the scars from his brother's body. But it was not working. Nothing had changed. Only silence struck us. 

I leaned down a bit closer, resting my forehead against Cole's, as my hand still grasped his cold one. 

"Please..." I whispered. "Please come back to me." 

My eyes glazed over. It felt like my heart had been ripped apart, becoming an overwhelming... unbearable weight. Like my soul was split in two, torn apart by an agony that could not be explained. Then I rested my hand on his chest, over his heart. But there was nothing. Nothing was left there but a silence that was so suffocating as if the whole world had faded away as I sat there. I did not want to move. I did not want to do anything. I just wanted to stay here with him. I wanted him to come back. 

I wanted to hear his laugh again, see his smile. I want to walk out of here holding hands with him so that he can wrap his arms around me. I want to hear him singing again, see the stars together, see the world with him by my side. All that promise, all that hope, was gone in a split second... a second that shattered everything. 

The golden sunlight streamed in from behind the open door, beating down on our bodies as dawn broke, shimmering as the morning birds began to chirp overhead. 

"Rayline?" I heard Cole's father call out, and I snapped my eyes open as a gasp escaped from Chase's lips. 

I turned my head towards him, but he was looking at the wall instead, and I followed the direction of his gaze, a white light that began to emerge from the wall. The light grew larger and larger, glowing so strongly that I had to raise my hand to cover my eyes. Finally, the light faded, just enough for me to see. 

Over there, from within the light, came a person... a beautiful being. The face was initially blurred by the light for a moment, but it slowly became more vivid as he made his way forward, and a man walked towards me. He had vast white wings behind him, flickering in the bright light that radiated from him. 

Then he took a step forward as my lips parted in awe. My eyes simply could not take their eyes off how mesmerizing he was, feeling the sheer power that came from him as he drew closer. 

"Ray," Chase murmured, calling my name. I turned to see him kneeling on one knee, his head bowed in a respectful gesture. Then I looked around and realized that all the Nephilim in the room were also kneeling, their bodies still. I followed them, lowering myself at the man who stood before me. 

A few moments passed, during which my eyes caught sight of Cole's father. He wasn't kneeling, but I noticed him making eye contact with the creature, giving him a knowing look, before nodding. 

"You may stand," he started to speak, addressing the entire room. 

I slowly lifted my head to look up at him in his stunning beauty, a light glow surrounding his figure. 

"What brings you here, Raphael?" Cole's father's deep voice broke the silence. He stood beside me, a wary look in his eyes. The angel's lips curled into a thin smile that was soon fading. 

"Everyone in the Heavens can sense it," his eyes lowered to Cole's, "when a guardian dies." 

A guardian. 

My guardian. 

He took a step closer, his head lowering in a moment of respect. 

"He proved himself." 

"What does that mean?" The question slipped out of my mouth, and his eyes shifted to me. I looked at Chase glancing at me with a concerned look, and I wondered if it had been my place to speak, but that was too late now. 

"It's the guardian angel's duty to protect," he goes on. "The moment he left, he focused on nothing but his mother and himself. He forgot." His eyes locked onto mine intently, as if digging into my soul. "He forgot what his purpose was." 

I swallowed hard, trying to grasp what he was saying. 

"But he finally found you, and he did everything in his power to protect you. He fulfilled his duty, no matter the situation he was put into." He trailed off for a moment. "Proving himself worthy." 

That was why. That was why no matter what he had done, he had no idea what "proving himself" meant, because he needed me. He had to find me, to protect me. And that was exactly what he did. 

"I came to fulfill our promise." He stated as he looked down at Cole with a deep look in his eyes. "But it appears I came too late." 

My heart sank, a sense of emptiness creeping in slowly as I looked back into Cole's closed eyes. 

"You." He looked at me with a slightly tilted head, full of curiosity. "You are bound to him, right?" 

"...Yes," I whispered. "I am." I shifted back to look at Cole, my trembling hand touching his now cold cheek. 

"Not only did he prove himself, but he also helped save the demon world from being corrupted, and thus protected the heavens and the rest of the realms." His bright eyes stared between me and Cole. "I feel it's more than fair to offer you his reward." 

"His reward?" I wondered, a little shaken by his words. 

His reward would surely be a return to heaven with his mother. What could I do with such a request like that? 

"I offer my services to you. Anything you want." He trailed off for a moment. "One wish." 

A wish? 

I slowly looked back down at Cole, his motionless body, his even colder cheeks. 

I don't want anything. I just want him. I want him to come back to me. No power or item could ever change that. Nothing can fix the hole he left behind. 

"An archangel," Cole's father's voice suddenly rang out, catching my attention, and making me turn to him. He was staring at me with a deep, knowing gaze, as if he knew something I simply did not. "Has the power to do almost anything." His gaze deepened, piercing into my soul. "Even bend the rules of life and death." 

An archangel? 

I was standing in the face of the man, only to realize that the one in front of me was in fact an archangel. 

My heart was beating wildly. I whispered desperately, "Bring him back... please, bring him back." 

The angel lowered his head slightly, showing a deep sense of empathy. "His soul must have the strength and be willing to return. But I will try."

With steady steps, he came closer to Cole's body. Chase rushed to grab my shoulder and gently pulled me away from Cole's body as the archangel kneeled down by Cole's side, looking at him carefully, while I placed my hand over Chase's, which was resting on mine.