Chapter 12 The new fallen

Chapter 12 The new fallen

Thaddeus sat alone in his penthouse office, staring out at the glittering city below. The weight of everything pressed down on him like a cold hand on his chest. Uriel was gone. Captured. The thought kept circling in his head, refusing to settle. He had sent his strongest fighter into Mexico City alone, thinking it would be quick. Save the girl. Come home. Simple. Now the silence in the room felt heavier than ever.

He rubbed his face, elbows on the desk. I thought I was doing the right thing. One quick mission. One child saved. Instead I sent Uriel straight into a trap. The city lights blurred in front of him. He had paid for this life—the penthouse, the tailored black suit that still felt foreign on his body, the black SUV parked in the private garage. No more cheap motels. No more counting pennies. For the first time in his life, he had space to breathe.

And yet the weight in his chest remained.

The door opened softly. Malachi stepped in, guiding a new figure beside him. The newcomer was wrapped in a makeshift curtain torn from one of the office windows, golden skin still faintly glowing underneath. He looked disoriented, like someone who had just woken from a very long dream.

Malachi’s voice was calm, almost gentle. “My lord, this is Raziel. He arrived moments ago. The save you performed earlier today bound him to you.”

Thaddeus turned from the window, blinking. “Another one?” Thaddeus rose. Happy. At least this will keep Echo back for a while.

Raziel gave a small, tired nod. “I felt the pull. One moment I was free… the next, I was here. Naked on a rooftop. Malachi found me before anyone else could.”

Malachi helped Raziel sit in one of the leather chairs. “He has a rare gift, my lord. Raziel can step into time loops. He can go back, see events as they unfold, and return with knowledge we need.”

Thaddeus rubbed his face. He glanced out the window again. The black smoke that had been Echo was gone now, dissolved into the night. But the memory of those silent ghosts still lingered. “We need all the help we can get. Uriel is in trouble. Kane has him.”

Malachi nodded. “Raziel, once you are dressed properly, we will need your sight. Uriel was sent to Mexico City to save a child. He has not returned. We fear the worst.”

Raziel closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. “Just a moment to harmonize with earth. I will surely look.”

A few minutes later, Raziel returned wearing one of Thaddeus’s spare suits. It fit loosely, but it was better than a curtain. He sat down again, looking more grounded.

Malachi spoke first. “Raziel, we need two things desperately. First, Uriel’s location and condition. Second, the Ageless Balm. Master's body is failing under the Ledger’s weight. The Balm can heal him. Can you see where it is?”

Thaddeus looked in expectation. Silence.

Raziel leaned back, closing his eyes again. The air around him seemed to shimmer. The room grew strangely quiet, as if time itself was holding its breath. Thaddeus watched, fascinated and uneasy. He had never seen anything like this.

After a long minute, Raziel’s eyes snapped open. He gasped, clutching the arms of the chair.

“I saw it,” he said, voice rough. “Uriel is in an underground facility beneath an old meatpacking plant on the edge of Mexico City. Victor Kane runs it. He collects… everything. Children for organs. Artifacts. And now angels. He has Uriel chained with a black arrow embedded in his shoulder. It drains his power. Kane is excited. He keeps saying he finally has a real angel. He plans to experiment on him slowly.”

Thaddeus’s stomach twisted. “We need to get him out. Now.”

"No master," Malachi called. Halting Thaddeus. "We need you fit and ready and that's why we need tha Ageless Balm. Raziel? Can you see it?"

Thaddeus couldn't reason with Malachi. He had lost people in the past. He wouldn't sit back and watch the only ones that remained in his life get lost. He stood up, pacing. “Prepare us a trip to Mexico, Malachi. We fly commercial. Suits. Businessmen. No wings. Kane will be watching for anything unusual.”

Malachi nodded slowly. “I understand. But my lord… your health. The Ledger is draining you faster than before. The Ageless Balm was released at the same time as the Ledger. It can heal anything. Angel, demon, mortal. It stops the decay. Reverses it. We will need it to heal Uriel when we save him.”

“Let me look.” Raziel closed his eyes again.

The room shimmered once more. This time it lasted longer. Raziel’s breathing grew labored. When he snapped back, his face was pale. He swayed in the chair, then fainted, slumping forward.

Malachi caught him before he hit the floor. “He went far back. When he wakes, he will tell us exactly where the Balm is now.”

Thaddeus stared at the unconscious angel. “We can’t wait. Uriel is in danger. And now we have another fallen who might not wake up for hours.”

Malachi laid Raziel gently on the couch. “We have to wait, my lord. He pushed himself hard. But when he wakes, we will have the location. Then we go for the Balm first. It will heal you. It will make you strong enough to face Kane and whatever else is coming.”

Thaddeus looked out at the city again. The lights still hid thousands of Lilys. Thousands of Gregorys. He felt the Ledger hum in his veins—quiet, patient, waiting.

He sighed. “It’s getting complicated. Fuck.”

Malachi’s voice was quiet but steady. “It was always complicated, my lord. You just stopped pretending it wasn’t.”

Thaddeus nodded slowly. He thought of Lily’s small wave. Of the trust he had set up. Of the children still out there.

He turned back to Malachi.

“We wait for Raziel to wake. Then we get the Balm. Then we go to Mexico.”

Malachi bowed. “As you command, my lord.”

The penthouse fell quiet again.

But somewhere far south, Uriel was chained in the dark.

Thaddeus sat down, staring at the unconscious Raziel.

The war had just begun.

And he was already running out of time.