When and where am I? - Michael

Air. Finally, he could breathe again! Alexei shot up into a sitting position, from laying down in the snow. He gasped for breath, clutching at his chest as it felt like he hadn't taken a breath in years - simultaneously, his last memories haunted him. Seeing his parents getting shot as their entire family had been sentenced to death - before he himself had been shot at, then stabbed at, and while gasping fo rbreath and choking on his own blood, he'd been shot in the head, and things had gone black. He started to hyperventilate as he felt around his body for any of the wounds he could remember getting, and... Finding none of them.

Other than that - why was he out in a forest? They had been executed in the cellar of the house in Yekaterinburg! His panicked gaze looked around himself, searching for anything the slightest bit familiar, but finding nothing. It looked like any of the forests he was used to - a Russian forest during the harsh, cold winter.

He was only wearing the clothes he'd had on when they'd been executed - thin clothes meant for sleeping in, not for walking around in the snow. He wrapped his arms around himself, his breath visible as it huffed out in front of him, the warm breath meeting icy cold air.

Slowly, he stood up, and began to stagger forward, with no sense of direction, no inclination of which way there might be other people. His family... He had to know if what he remembered was real... Were they all dead? Or was someone perhaps alive? Maybe one of his four sisters? He knew his parents would be dead, if his memory was right... At the very least, the clothes he worse... Were as bloody as his memories were, even if if he could feel the inner shirt still had the many precious stones sown into it, as all of their undergarments had. "Hello? Is anybody out here?" he called out as loudly as he could, in his native Russian.

Michael traveled to foreign countries frequently. This week it was due to a prayer from a pastor in Yekaterinburg who had invoked his name. He'd been convinced that a demon had possessed his grandchild and asked for the archangel's help in curing her. Michael appeared invisible at the scene. A small living room in the pastor’s house, watching the granddaughter scream her lungs out while throwing different objects across the room, making him step aside to avoid a hit from a lamp. The pastor kept praying, keeping his eyes closed while doing so, but the demon had quickly turned her attention to Michael as she sensed his holy aura. He exorcised the demon before it aimed an attack on him. Sending her back to Hell where she belonged. The girl immediately fell to the floor as the demon's soul left her body, making the pastor run before to her before he praised Michael and God.
He teleported outside of their house, appearing visible again. He then decided to take a saunter in the area to make sure that there weren’t any more demons around. At some point, he ended up walking through the snow-covered forest, inhaling the fresh air as he looked up at the tree crowns, somehow feeling a force leading him in a certain direction. And sure enough, he soon felt the energy of a resurrected angel, following it until he saw a man between the trees in the distance. “Hello,” he greeted in a neutral Russian accent as he appeared behind a tree and walked towards him, assessing if he had any visible injures before he returned his gaze to his face. “Do not worry for God have blessed you with new life,” he said, knowing how confusing this had to be for him. Even if people had died the most unjustifiable way, it was usually still hard for them to believe that they'd been given a second chance. “What’s your name?” he asked before he took off his jacket and handed it to him to grant him some warmth.

Alexei had begun walking straight ahead - he had no clue where he was, but staying there wasn't going to help him any, at the very least. Moving could never be worse than staying put, especially in this weather. And just then... He heard the voice of a man, and turned to look in that direction - his eyes falling on a guy who looked quite some years older than himself. He felt a strange sense of calm and comfort settle over him, as the man got closer. nothing the way the guy had looked him over as well - with his clothes being stained in dried blood, it was perhaps no wonder that he did so, after all.

And then... He heard what the guy said. Wait... What? Had... Had God really... Been the one to send him back? He'd heard Alexei's prayers to keep him safe? then why not the prayers to keep the rest of his family safe, too... His sisters... His parents...

"... I'm... I'm the Tzarevich." he said, at first, looking the man over, before he elaborated. "... Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov." he'd always been told to present himself with both his title and his full name - as had any other Romanov. He looked at the jacket for a second or two, before he gratefully took it with a slight bow of his head as he thanked him - and then wrapped it around himself, already feeling quite a bit more comfortable. "Do... Do you know..." he swallowed, as he dreaded the answer. "... What happened to my family...?" his Russian was, of course - with a bit more of a posh dialect, now that he had been born into a royal family.

He recognized his name and title from history. From a devastating tragedy. His expression changed as he imagined the sadness, horror, and agony that Alexei had felt that night. He’d seen his whole family die, only to be shot and stabbed repeatedly afterward. A part of him hoped that he’d forgotten the memory of his death, but it varied depending on the angel. Some remembered every memory from their past life while others didn't remember any. “It’s nice to meet you, Alexei. I’m Michael,” he introduced himself, looking at him with a calm gaze as he took his jacket. He exhaled deeply at his next question. There was no easy way to tell someone that their family had been murdered. That he was the only one alive as of his resurrection. “Your family is in Heaven,” he said firstly, hoping that this would serve as a reassurance. On the contrary, the perpetrators had been sent to the pits at the time of their deaths. “You were all executed in the summer of 1918,” he replied his question, watching his expression for a sign of remembrance. But there was another crucial detail. “102 years have passed since then,” he said, knowing that the circumstances only got more overwhelming due to this. A century was a long time, so it was highly unlikely that anyone he once knew was still alive. “What is the last thing you remember?” he asked.

Alexei nodded to acknowledge that he had heard the man's introduction of himself, pulling the jacket tight around himself - the Siberian winter was a rather harsh one, after all, even at this time of year. You didn't need to be in december or january to really feel it.

He already knew what the answer would be. The moment he heard that exhale, he knew. His memory was right. He had so hoped it wasn't. But still... When Michael said they were all in Heaven... He couldn't help but feel llike a weight was being lifted from his shoulders. His hand automatically lifted to his chest... And thankfully... He felt what he'd been looking for, there. They hadn't removed the cross he'd always had hanging around his neck, hidden under his clothes. So... Perhaps his prayers had been heard, after all.

His expression probably did tell of the fact that he remembered it. All too well. It felt like it had happened mere moments before he woke up, out here, cold and alone in the snow. But... The sorrow gave way to shock when he heard how much time had passed. "What... H-how? I... I remember it all like... Like it just happened..." and he hadn't really known anybody that wasn't part of his family. Because of his hemophilia, he had been so over protected that he never got out on his own, always accompanied by someone in his family...

"I..." he bit his lip, and looked off to the side... Then looked back at the man in front of him. "... I... I remember the sentence being given to us. They kept Yasha out in the hallway because he kept fighting to get into the room, to protect Dad... And then... Dad getting shot... Then mum... And then... Me... It... It hurt so much... They stabbed me... I couldn't breathe... And then... Just... Darkness." with the final shots having been delivered to his head. "... I couldn't even move out of the chair to try to avoid them... My legs were so sore I couldn't stand... Dad had carried me down into the basement..."

He looked at him with a compassionate expression as he realized that he remembered the execution. Michael knew what it felt like to see loved ones die right in front of you. To be tortured because of some higher motive. Even if it had nothing to do with him directly. The answer to his question was a complicated one. Who really knew why or how he'd been given a second chance? All Michael knew was that this was Alexei’s fate. He placed his hand gently on his arm before he replied to his question, knowing that he probably found it hard to talk about something he'd rather forget ever existed. It was painful to hear him describe the incident in his own words, seeing that horrified look in his eyes. But his resurrection only proved that good things still happened despite the desolation that humans caused. “It’s going to be okay,” he assured him, giving his arm a comforting squeeze before he returned his gaze to the forest, feeling the cold wind against his face. It was an unfair world they lived in, but he believed Alexei was sent down here to help change it. “I’m going to take you somewhere safe,” he informed him. After all, this wasn’t particularly the best setting to continue their conversation.
He teleported them to an art-deco styled hotel that he’d checked in at earlier that day. He let go of his arm as they arrived in his suite, consisting of a living room, a small kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The red drapes covered the windows, hiding the view of the busy street outside. He turned his gaze from them to Alexei, watching his reaction to everything. He’d probably never seen some of the items before, but the style would remind him somewhat of his royal home. “The world is quite different than the way you remembered it… so feel free to ask me any questions,” he said as he walked towards the bedroom, looking through his closet to see if he had any attire that would fit him. He came back to the living room, carrying a white button-up shirt, a belt, and a pair of dark grey pants. “Try to change into these,” he said as he handed the clothes to him. They'd probably be too big, but it had to do for now. After all, he couldn't exactly go out wearing bloody undergarments. “Do you want anything to drink or eat?” he asked.

Alexei's breathing had turned more shallow, more rapid, with the memories flooding him as he described it to Michael - he looked sorta like he might go into a panic attack at any point, while describing it. He barely even heard Michael's words, but still, he nodded, and just... Let the guy lead him to wherever he deemed safe. And suddenly, there was warmth all around him, as they were inside a building again. The pure shock of how quickly that had happened, stopped the panic attack from really blooming, as he looked around himself, looking rather stunned. Indeed, there were quite a few things here he hadn't seen before - in particular, he stared at the TV for quite a bit, before he looked back at the angel, and nodded. At the very least, he did know that this guy was an angel, even if he hadn't said so... Because he had the same feeling around him, as he'd always had being around Yasha... And Yasha had been his father's guardian angel, after all. Everybody in the family had known.

"I... Can already see that." he muttered, to the thing with the world being quite different from the last time he had been around. "I mean... What in the world is that?" he asked, gesturing towards the TV. And then he looked around the room, and noticed one thing that wasn't there, which he was used to there being in almost every home. "... And why isn't there a radio in here? Isn't... Isn't that how people still get news and everything?" there were so many more questions in his head, but he would just start with what was right in front of him.

He looked at Michael when he came back with the clothes, and nodded. He slipped off the long tunic, revealing a smaller shirt underneath - which very obviously had diamonds, rubies, sapphires - all sorts of precious gems embedded within itself, as all of the Romanov's undergarments had had. He very carefully took that off, too, folding it up neatly and placing it on the table, so that he was left in only his underpants, and the cross hanging around his neck. Then, he took the offered clothes, and got into them. They were, indeed, too big on him, but then again, he still just had a teenager's body, even if it was looking a bit older than he had at his time of death. With the mentioning of food, his stomach rumbled a little, and he gave a sort of awkward smile. "... Yes, please... Both."

Michael followed his gesture to the television, walking towards the coffee table to pick up the remote. “It’s a television,” he explained, clicking on the power button to turn it on. A news-reported appeared on the screen in an exterior setting. “People usually get their news through this or the internet now,” he continued. He’d have to remember to show him the internet later. He clicked again to change the channel. Now, showing a scene from a movie. Giving him a glimpse into modern clothing and a Californian neighborhood. He then turned it off and placed the remote back on the coffee table.
He glanced down at Alexei as he'd put on the clothes, seeing that they fit him slightly too big. But it would suffice until he could buy him something else. As he replied to his question about the food, he walked towards the phone to call room service. Ordering dinner for them both. He then walked to the mini-fridge by the bar to take out a large bottle of water. He poured the liquid into two glasses before he handed one of them to him. He then sat down in one of the armchairs, leaning back as he waited for Alexei to sit down as well. “So, tell me something about yourself. What are your interests?” he asked him. At least, he figured it would make him more comfortable if they got to know each other a bit before he overwhelmed him with information about his new life.

Alexei blinked a little and almost automatically, took a single step backwards - quite a natural reaction to someone seeing something they had never even dreamed of being real before. "... Oh. And... What's the internet?" he then, quite naturally, asked... Now that Michael had mentioned it. He looked sort of intrigued at seeing the modern-day clothing, though - quite different from his own time, and people definitely showed a lot more skin now, as well.

But after that, he got the clothes on, looking at the shirt he'd worn under, with all of the jewels... Before his attention was, once more, back on Michael. He took the glass he was offered, and, after a few seconds of hesitation, sat down in the other chair, taking a sip of water from his glass.

"I... Well, I like reading. And going on boat rides. There's a lot of stuff I'd like to try, but never did, because... Well... It's hard to do stuff when even just a small bumping against something can potentially kill you." he sighed, thinking back on the many times he had been in excruciating pain because of his hemophilia - and how much he'd been coddled because of it, not allowed to ride a bicycle or horseback, which he had really wanted to try at one point. "But... Sorry for asking, but I just want to know... You're not human, are you?" he then finally asked Michael. He was sure he wouldn't be this calm if it wasn't for that weirdly safe feeling he had around this guy.

“It’s a network that allows people to share information and communicate with one another across the globe, so long as one has an internet connection,” he defined. “I’ll show you once we have a computer,” he added, knowing that it was hard to grasp without seeing it. The sharing of knowledge was an incredible gift. It saved humanity much time, only aiding to their development. He nodded as he explained his interests. Acknowledging what he assumed to be a disease he’d suffered from, although he wasn’t sure what he’d read it to be in the history of the Romanov family. “You can be rest assured that you won’t have to worry about that anymore,” he said. His new life made it easier to do all of the things he’d once dreamed of. It was a good thing that he liked reading because Michael was inevitably going to give him many books to study. He sent him a faint smile at his next question before he placed the glass on the table in front of him. “Oh no. Not at all,” he replied, leaning back in his seat again. “I’m an Archangel,” he said, granted that the cross around his neck revealed that he’d at least heard about him. “And today you’ve become an angel as well,” he continued, watching his reaction to this. It shouldn’t come to a surprise. After all, ordinary humans didn’t resurrect from their grave a hundred years after their death. “With that comes great power and responsibility. A vigilance of evil and those in need of help,” he said. He wasn’t the least concerned about whether Alexei would live up to this, but still, he understood that it was hard to wrap one's head around. All of this was completely new to him.

It was quite easy to see that he didn't quite follow. He did get the idea, but he didn't quite believe it to be possible - so he guessed he would just have to see, like Michael said, when they got to a computer... Whatever that was. He guessed he was going to be very confused, for a very long time, with all of the advances society as a whole seemed to have made in these hundred years he'd been gone. "... I'd rather not take the risk altogether. I'm just thankful I can walk without any pain." he then said with a small sigh. He didn't dare to dream about his hemophilia being gone, in case it was, in fact, still there... Which he had no way of knowing until he had a doctor take a look.

When he heard that Michael was an archangel, he blinked a little - but then smiled, only mildly surprised. He'd already known about angels in his human life, after all. "So... You're that Michael?" he asked, just to be sure that he wasn't making any wrong assumptions. "I already figured you to be an angel... I... Feel as safe around you as I did around Yasha."

But when he heard that he, himself, had become one, too... He looked a little more surprised. "... Really? I... That means... I can get wings and all of that, too, now? I remember Yasha's were so pretty. He only showed them to me a few times, but I just remember them so vividly." He said - before hearing the last part, and nodding solemnly. Even in his human life, he had helped people whenever he could. He'd always had a lot of empathy for everybody in need of help.

Michael knew that he didn’t need to worry about it, but he understood that he wanted to be careful in the beginning. For all he knew, this could be some surreal dream. He nodded once as he asked if he was that Michael. Normally, he wouldn’t be the one to teach new angels the basics. Rather he taught them to be warriors. But he believed in faith, and that God had intended for him to meet Alexei for a reason. He raised a brow as he mentioned another angel named Yasha. Although, it didn’t surprise him that the Romanovs had an angel watching over them. His lips curled into a smile as he asked if he got wings now. “Of course,” he replied. “I can teach you how to fly tomorrow, just, don’t give into the itching feeling in your back just yet,” he said, moving his gaze to his shoulders when someone knocked on the door. Michael got up from his seat to walk towards it. He opened it to a waiter carrying a tray of food, stepping aside to let him inside. He took out a couple of bills to hand him a generous tip before he closed the door after him. “Was Yasha your guardian angel?” he asked out of curiosity. He then carried the two plates of food to the coffee table. Placing one at his side of the table with the cutlery before he placed his own by the chair he’d sat in before. He cut some of the food as he looked at Alexei. “Besides the wings, you’ll be able to sense people’s emotions and morals,” he explained, lifting the fork up to his mouth to take a bite of the meal. “And that safety you’re feeling... it’s called an aura. Every angel has it. Mine is stronger granted my age and the fact that I was created in Heaven… but yours will give people around you a sense of hope as well as a confidence in themselves,” he explained as he looked at him.

He looked a bit surprised, knowing that this was indeed the Michael - as religious as Russia had been at the time, and the Romanov's as no exception as they had seen ruling Russia as their God-given gift and purpose... Then of course he had heard about this particular angel from almost as early as he could remember.

An almost childish smile, betraying his mind still being younger than his body was right now, appeared on his lips upon the notion that he would, indeed, have wings and be able to fly. There was the nagging thought in the back of his head that this could go terribly wrong, he could fall and have a massive internal hemorrhage as he had tried so many times before, and be near death... Again. Only when Michael had mention the itching at his shoulders, did he realize it was there... Oh well. When he was used to ignoring excruciating pain, then a bit of itching was nothing.

His eyes followed Michael as he got their room service order, and when he asked if Yasha had been their guardian angel, he nodded. "He was Dad's angel. But... He looked after me just as much, if not more. He... He was the reason I even survived that far. His blood healed me on several occasions." he wanted to ask what might have happened to the guy but he dared not. One thing was to lose all of his family, but if Yasha was gone on top of it... He couldn't bear to think of it. The guy had been with them at the house, so he might very well have been executed, too.

He leant a bit closer to the table when the food came, and took a bite. He nodded as Michael explained the other powers he would have. Quite interesting, and he didn't fully grasp what it meant yet, but he was sure he'd learn along the way. "Oh. So that's what I felt around Yasha, too? That... Sense of comfort, being protected? That was his aura?"

He tilted his head as he anticipated a question from the angel, but it seemed that he had none. A brief smile showed on his expression when he saw Alexei’s reaction to the wings, reminiscing about the feeling of flying. It was undoubtedly one of the most freeing things in the world. He nodded as he explained that Yasha had been a guardian angel, although they usually didn’t reveal themselves as that to the humans they protected. However, it did make sense, considering that he’d given his blood in order to save him. It was hard to explain that without revealing who you were. Perhaps Michael would have to ask this angel to presume his task as a guardian of Alexei, if God already hadn’t. “So, you might already know about the supernatural beings of this world?” he asked him, because knowing that angels and demons existed wasn’t exactly including all other beings outside of the Bible. It was a priority to Michael to make sure that all angels on Earth were aware of its monsters. And more importantly, that they knew what to do if they were to face them. He took another bite of his food as he’d explained the auras. Nodding to his question. “Exactly,” he replied, lifting the glass up to take a sip of water.

Really, he knew that Michael would probably be more than happy to answer any and all questions he had, but he just didn't want to bombard the guy with them, either. It just didn't seem polite to him, and he still had his manners, after all. He was very much looking forward to flying, though - even if he might need to make a small test before he dared to do that. Just the tiniest, smallest cut on his finger should be able to tell him what he needed to know. With an arch angel at his side, he wouldn't get to bleed out, anyway, right?

"I... I know about angels and demons. Are there others?" his entire family had been fiercely religious - so of course he knew about the supernaturals from the Bible, but everything else he had just dismissed as fairy tales or superstitions, as had most of the family.

Then, he smiled as he looked down at his food, before he ate and drank a bit more. Well, then it made sense why he had always loved being around Yasha, besides just how calm and gentle the guy had always been. He had been as much of a father to Alexei as Nikolai had, at times. But then he remembered something else. Something... He had always been able to do... Unless he hadn't been able to concentrate on it. "Say... I... Do you know of people with special abilities? I mean... Even when just being a... A regular human?" he just wanted to know if he was the only one...

“Yes… almost everything you’ve read or heard about is true. Vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, sirens… they’re all very real,” he said. Of course, other beings than angels and demons were already depicted in the Bible, such as witches and other monsters. But it was still very limited to the many beings that were currently on Earth. “Let’s say, you were to stand face to face with a demon... what would you do?” he asked him, trying to figure out what his first instinct would be. Again, this was important for Michael to know. To feel consolidated about the fact that Alexei was going to survive such a meeting - if it ever was to occur.

He took a few more bites of his food, looking at the nearly empty plate in front of him when Alexei asked him another question. He was quite surprised that he’d had any special abilities, but it only made sense in terms of him being chosen by God. “Yes. A few human individuals have been granted with such gifts,” he said, tilting his head slightly as he looked at him. It only meant that he’d been a unique human, something that was easy to believe when you considered his strong faith and resurrection from death. It was truly a rare occurrence. “What abilities did you experience?” he then asked him before he took another sip of his water. It was always interesting to learn about the powers of others, because there were a plethora of different abilities out there. And he knew that he'd most likely kept them in his new life as an angel.

He looked quite surprised - it was a lot to take in all at once, after all. That every one of those stories had been true. But then again... He'd always known angels were real, so why should it really come as such a big surprise that all the others were real, too? As he mulled it over, he ate the last few bits of food on his plate, not having spilled even the smallest amount - his table manners were impeccable, after all, with his upbringing.

When he got the question, he thought about it for a moment, before he answered. "... Use my ability. Tell the demon to leave me alone and go the opposite way until they can't see me anymore. And... Since you say I have wings now... Use those to fly away when they are far enough away?" that was the first option that came to mind, anyway. He hadn't yet met someone his ability didn't work on.

But he was happy to know he wasn't the only human to have had an ability, at least. "I... Just one. But I... if I preface what I say with a specific sentence... I can make people do almost anything I want them to. I don't even have to look at them, touch them or anything. They just need to be able to hear me." he explained. He had tried it out from around the corner of a corridor in the castle before - just to test whether he'd need to look at people, and he hadn't. If he did it like that, he just needed to say their name, too. Almost as if the ability needed guidance in who to effect.

He nodded after he explained his ability, making sense to what he’d replied to his prior question. Because he could almost guarantee him that a demon wouldn’t simply walk away if he told them so. Sadly, chances were that they had an intention to harm him. “That’s a very powerful ability,” he commented. After all, most beings were not immune to mental abilities like that. Himself included. And he had faith that Alexei only intended to use it for good purposes or in self-defense, making him feel reassured about his new life as an angel on Earth. Michael finished his food before he stood up to carry both plates back to the tray. “You’d be right to use it against a demon, but otherwise, flying is your best bet to get away from them… they can’t compete with our speed and agility in the skies,” he explained, pulling out a napkin to dab it around his mouth before he placed it beside of the plates. “Of course, we will have to teach you how to fly first… as well as provide you with some basic combat training for the situations where fleeing won't be an option,” he said, before he walked towards him again. After all, it wasn't all situations where one could get out or use one's abilities. “And if it all goes to Hell, you pray,” he added. Seeing how his prayers had worked in the past, he was sure that Alexei would resort to that in the future as well. “How are you feeling?” he asked him, wanting to make sure that he didn't have any more needs that had to be taken care of. Besides that, he could only imagine how he was feeling about everything.

"I know. Yasha always told me to be very careful with it. I've barely ever used it." he said, leaning back in his chair a little. Then again, being the Tzarevich, people had rarely ever refused any request he had made, so there had really been no need for it. He had only used it as a young child to get what he wanted from his sisters, until Yakov had admonished him and told him to stop doing it, and use it properly, and only when he really needed to.

He smiled and nodded, then - he liked the notion of learning to fly, but the combat training... Not so much. He could remember a little, though. Not that he had ever been properly trained like that, but he had visited the Russian barracks during World War One, together with his father, and seen how the soldiers trained there. He had tried doing the same thing back home, but the vigorous movements had caused him to end up back in the wheelchair with joint pains due to his illness.

He got up and out of his chair again, and nodded. With all that had happened, now... With him coming back... And as an angel, no less... His faith had only grown stronger. It seemed a no-brainer for him to pray if things really went south. "As well as I can, all things taken into consideration, I guess." he said with a little shrug, but then smiled. "I'm just... Happy you found me, and... And want to take the time to help me out." he knew it was probably in most angel's nature, but he still felt the need to thank him for doing it.