Chapter 25 Destiny Awaits
"I… I can't," I whispered, pulling back slightly from his touch. The words tumbled out before I could second-guess them. "I can't just jump into this. Not yet. It's too much. Too fast." Also, I needed to get a grip on these weird impulses that ripped through me when either Malik or Ryker was near.
"I need a moment," I rasped, my gaze sweeping desperately towards the shimmering portal where Ryker had vanished. "A breath. On Earth."
Malik's composure fractured, a rare sight. "Amaya, that is ill-advised; the boundary weakens."
"Just a few hours. Please."
He hesitated, the sapphire of his eyes darkening with concern, before nodding curtly, a celestial guardian bound by an unexpected concession. Ryker, a shadow just beyond the light, watched the exchange with a predatory stillness, already anticipating the next rupture in order.
Malik's brow furrowed, a faint shadow crossing his serene features. "Amaya, the realms are in peril. Whiro's shadow grows. There is no time for hesitation."
"Just a few hours," I insisted, meeting his gaze, the need for the mundane a desperate clawing in my chest. "I need the smell of coffee, not starlight," I countered, my voice gaining strength. The fear was still there, a cold knot in my stomach, but a new, stubborn resolve began to burn. "I just… my world shattered last night. I need a moment to breathe. To process. To say goodbye to… to my old life."
I thought of my apartment, of the quiet routine, the familiar streets. My plants are wilting on the windowsill. The library books are overdue. The small, mundane anchors that had once defined my existence. They seemed impossibly distant now, but the yearning for them was sharp, an ache in my chest.
"I need to go back to Earth," I said, the words surprising even myself. "Just for a little while. To… to gather my thoughts. To make sense of all this."
Malik's eyes narrowed, a flicker of something unreadable in their sapphire depths. "To what end, Amaya? The mundane holds no answers for you now. It is a distraction."
"No," I insisted, shaking my head. "It's my anchor. It's where I still belong, even if just for a little while. I can't commit to being a… a Saint, or whatever, until I've had a chance to understand who I am now. What I've become." The thought of being constantly surrounded by such impossible grandeur, by angels and demons and shimmering light, made my head throb. I needed the familiar, the gritty reality of the city, to ground myself. I needed my humanity.
He regarded me for a long moment, his gaze intense, assessing. "You speak of understanding. Yet, the answers you seek lie here, within Salvation. Within the truth of your own powers."
"I'm overwhelmed," I confessed, the words raw. "Your sincerity, your… your light… It's a lot. Ryker's… chaos… is a lot. I need a quiet moment, in a place I know, to figure out which 'lot' I'm even capable of dealing with. And which one do I even want to deal with?"
A sigh, soft and almost imperceptible, escaped Malik's lips. It carried the weight of ages, of ancient responsibilities. "Very well. Your free will is a sacred thing, Amaya. I cannot compel you. But know this: you carry a light now that attracts much. The dangers on Earth are far greater than you imagine, especially for one of your burgeoning powers."
"I'll be careful," I promised, though the words felt flimsy even to my own ears.
"Careful will not be enough." His voice held a warning. "The Veil protects the mundane from the overt influence of Requiem. But not entirely. There are always cracks. Entities that slip through. Others who seek to exploit the unaware." He paused, his gaze hardening. "I cannot be with you every moment. But I will ensure you are protected. My eye will be upon you."
The possessive note in his voice, the fierce protectiveness that radiated from him, made a strange warmth bloom in my chest. It was unnerving, yet oddly comforting. An archangel, watching over me. The thought was absurd, exhilarating, and terrifying all at once. It also felt forbidden. Are angels supposed to play favorites?
"Thank you," I managed, genuinely grateful.
"I only ask that you return when you have found your clarity," he said, his gaze unwavering. "Your destiny awaits. And the realms await your choice."