Far From Home

Zachary had been beyond appreciative of the trip he’d had with Hecate. He had always dreamed of seeing other parts of the world. Vividly remembering sitting in Heaven, anticipating the day where he’d be sent to Earth for a mission. Unfortunately, it hadn’t turned out as expected, but now after spending a few months with the fallen angels, he’d started to feel more at home on Earth.
He looked out at Hecate from the car door as she asked if he could feel something, instantly making all of his senses aware of their surroundings. Demons. “Yes,” he replied, looking out of the window to see if he could spot anyone. But either way, if this was a nest, it was probably best to get out of there. And he anticipated her to start the car again as she got in until she mentioned that there was a human. She then said that she’d distract the demons while he got the human, making him inhale a sharp breath. Gaining whatever courage he had together. He then gave a quick nod before he got out of the car, and walked closer to the station, taking a breath in to try to sense where the human was. However, as soon as he saw the demons by the bathroom door, he gulped. Not wanting to get into any trouble with them. Let alone when he didn’t even know who this human was. However, he’d also been raised to help others in need. And to always protect humans from evil. At the moment, looking past the fact that he could be considered as evil himself. However, he stayed back as he waited for Hecate’s distraction, and as soon as they paid attention to her and their presence, he rushed towards the door. “You can come out now. My name is Zachary and I am here to help.” He knocked on the door a few times before looking behind his shoulder, starting to sense more demons coming which frankly terrified him. He had started to get used to being a fallen angel, having had the help of the others at the prison to get an idea of what this was like, including the training of his new abilities. And he had even been welcomed by a demon family after his escape. But he still had a rather large fear when it came to them. Being the very species who'd captured and tortured him for months. Besides of the horrific stories he'd heard about them throughout his time in Heaven.

He felt relieved when the human opened the door. And oddly enough, she seemed familiar to him in some way. Like he’d seen her facial expression before. However, with no time to spare, she asked him what they should do. And he had no idea. “I don't know.” He never knew what to do in situations like these, but he took a moment to think about it. However, the moment his gaze landed on her cut, he reached a hand above it. Using his biokinesis to close the wound. He was grateful for still having this ability, seeing that he’d lost his pureblood angel’s ability to heal. He watched as the wound closed before he removed his hand, not caring about the blood on it as he then turned his attention behind him. Seeing the white cloud of smoke that Hecate had created. And knowing her ability it would be toxic. However, it didn’t stop the demons that he sensed coming from another side. He quickly stopped, feeling his heartbeat reach his throat as he saw a demon running towards them, but the human stopped him. Then his gaze moved to Hecate walking through the smoke, raising his hand towards the human as to tell her to lower her aim. Because indeed, she was with him. But then a demon jumped behind her, pushing her to the ground, and before he could even react to it, so did a demon to him. Weakening him with some sort of power, and although he tried pushing him off him, he saw a blood demon jumping Elenora and biting into her neck, so he closed his eyes and prayed to his father. He had many times thought of praying to him. To meet him under better circumstances and confront him about everything. However, he had been too afraid to do so. But now. He saw no other option than to call his father to fight these demons. He prayed for him to help, almost not feeling the cuts to his abdomen as he focused all his energy on the prayer.

Michael's outfit

Michael was reading a book when he heard Zachary’s voice. Someone he for a long time had longed to see. But he’d wanted it to be on his terms. However, the content of the prayer made him rather worried, so he didn’t hesitate to teleport to his location. And as he did. Landing on the rough asphalt of the gas station, he saw the demons attacking Zachary, Hecate and… Elenora. He stood frozen for a few seconds as he hadn’t expected her to be part of this before he stabbed the guy above Zachary in the back with a blade that would send the demon to Hell. He then did the same to the demon that attacked Hecate and Elenora. The blood dripping off his sword as he looked around them, anticipating any other demon, but it seemed that they just went further away the moment they’d sensed the archangel. The demonic presence diminishing by every second. He breathed out before he looked to Zachary. He’d wished many times for them to meet again, albeit not under these circumstances. However, it was still in his interest to get all of them away from the woods. Witches’ magic was especially strong on a full moon like this and so was the uncontrollable nature of werewolves. No, they had no reason to be here at this time. He walked towards Zachary to give him a hand, helping him to stand up before he looked between the two girls. “Grab onto my arm.” It was more of a command than a request. He knew that the demons were calling their leader, and he’d much prefer them all to be long gone before his arrival. Zachary still had a strong grip around his father's hand as he waited for the girls. Knowing that his father could get them away someplace safer.

He saw the look on Elenora’s face, but he wasn’t giving her a choice. It would be far too dangerous to go after the demons. Moreover, she looked badly injured. He was about to go over to her when Hecate took a hold of her arm and the moment she grabbed onto him, he teleported them all to the bunker. He let go of Zachary’s hand and turned his focus to assess their injuries. He walked over to one of his cabinets to grab a box with medical supplies and a rag that he wrapped around his sword before putting it down by the cabinet. He then looked at Hecate as she thanked him. They'd had about one of the worst first meetings imaginable. His determination to find Zachary had gotten the better of him at that time, but in the end, it had only resulted in him not wanting to come home with him. So, he wanted to do everything to prevent him from feeling like that again. “No problem. You did right by praying to me.” He now looked at Zachary, feeling like it had been years since he’d last seen him. He felt both relieved and happy to see that he was okay, having feared the worst after knowing that he was with Maelle. He then turned his attention to Elenora as she said she could have taken him. But it would have been a suicide mission. “No, you really shouldn't have.” He walked over to her, grabbing one of the wooden chairs that he guided her to sit down on before he grabbed one of the sterilizing pads and placed it against the biting wound to her neck. It would feel cold, wet, and stinging, but it was necessary to remove the chance of infection. Even though Erin and Zachary had the ability to heal others, there was no reason for them to use their powers on a wound like this. After he’d cleaned the wound, he found a bandage that he placed above it to help stop the bleeding. “What were you thinking, taking all of those demons on by yourself?” He could sense a frustration in her for not getting him, and from experience, he knew that that kind of anger was rooted in something. But still, it could have ended very badly for her if Hecate and Zachary hadn't shown up.

Zachary was still getting past the shock of what had just happened. He didn’t even really feel the pain of the slashes to his stomach as he stood there in much calmer surroundings. He had never been here before, so he took a moment to look around the living area, seeing the family photographs as well as some other artwork that reminded him of their home in Heaven. This made it all seem just a bit better. Like they were safe. He held a hand on his stomach, trying to use his biokinesis to close the wounds but after having healed Elenora, and being this injured himself, with the adrenaline still having a big effect on his system, he couldn’t. He was about to say that he might need the bandages as well when he saw Erin enter the room. An instantaneous smile formed on his lips at this, and despite his bloody clothes, she greeted him in a hug. He slowly wrapped his arms around her as well, not really knowing how she’d react to seeing him again, so to get this kind of welcome was more than he’d hoped for. However, the hug did pain him, making him groan as he’d placed his arms around her before he had to let go. “It’s okay... I think.” He looked from her eyes to his bloody hand, to the cuts in his shirt.

Michael gave Erin and Zachary a moment before concern washed over him, seeing that his son still hadn't closed the wounds in his upper body. But he also knew that Erin would heal him if need be. That kind of injury wasn't too demanding of her ability. He inhaled slowly as he looked between them. They were going to be fine. And that was the most important thing. But there was something else that he needed to do as well. Tell the truth about who Elenora was. “Erin. You know how I said that Ethan was your brother and that he had a twin sister? Well, this is her.” He looked from Erin to Elenora. “Elenora meet Erin and Zachary. Your siblings.”

“I understand.” His voice was calm as he said this, and he looked into her eyes for a moment. Revenge wasn’t always the answer, but if a demon had killed someone innocent, then he believed the only justice was to do what she intended. “He will get his punishment, but not like this. Not with you risking your life for it.” He hoped that she could at least see that. He wouldn't allow her to do something as foolish as taking on a demon's nest by herself again. He walked over to throw the bloody paper in the trash before he returned to them. He looked at her gun on the table before he picked it up and unloaded its bullets to check if they were ordinary. If they were, he'd have to make sure to give her some of his specially altered ammunition.

Zachary gave Erin a nod as she said she’d help the healing, closing his eyes for a moment as he felt the healing energy and how it managed to close his wounds in a matter of seconds. He breathed out as he opened his eyes again, already feeling much better. “Thank you.” He then looked at Elenora as his father gave him quite the surprising news. He was the brother to a set of human twins now? He just stared at her as he processed this information, not seeming all that friendly and eager to meet her as Erin was. But it was all a little overwhelming to him. Everything that had happened this year had felt this way, to be honest. “Hi,” he finally said with a half-smile as he looked at Elenora. He knew that this meant it hadn’t been a coincidence that they’d met her. It had been fate. And in some way it felt good, to be reunited with his family like this. He even considered Hecate close to family as well, having always been there for him these past months and taught him about Earth. And he was especially grateful for her showing him around the U.K. with the trip they’d been on. He turned his blue eyes to Hecate by her comment, making a wider smile appear on his lips. “Yeah,” he agreed. They were back to the craziness. And his crazy family, which apparently had two new members that he’d never known about. However, he had always had a close relationship with his siblings. Especially because of how absent his father had been, so a lot of times, they were all they’d had. He then looked to Elenora again as she thanked him. He was thankful for this as well since it had resulted in all of them being brought back together. “Are you a hunter?” he asked. He’d heard his father talk of human hunters before as he’d told stories of trips that he’d had with them. But he wasn’t sure about her being one. She could as well have been after this one demon's nest because of her incentive for revenge.

He nodded as Elenora replied to his question. He’d never been the type to turn to violence, nor had he ever wanted to join God’s army as some of his other siblings had. However, he’d shown nothing but an eagerness to serve Heaven and God, having spent most of his life doing more than asked with the dreams of one day living up to the Santcius name. But all he’d done the moment he got sent to his first mission on Earth was disappoint, besides resorting to the one thing he’d always distanced himself from. And he hated himself for it. He wished nothing more than to take it back. The only problem was, he couldn’t. If his grandfather had wanted to spare him from this fate, he already would have answered his thousand prayers by now. He still had a difficult time adjusting to this role as a fallen angel, and he still didn’t feel like he belonged with the others, but he tried his best he could.

Michael shot Elenora a warning glance as she said that she wasn’t going to kill her. It was an uncalled-for comment considering that she’d just saved her. He normally would reprimand his children for saying such things. But Hecate seemed to take it well, and there was no reason to add to the tension that the air was filled with. Zachary just stared at her for a moment before he looked to Hecate, but before he could ask her if she would have under other circumstances, Erin tried to break some of the tension by wishing her a happy birthday. So, he just went along with it. Thinking that perhaps it wasn’t the time for that kind of conversation between them. “Happy birthday,” he wished her with a brief smile. He'd never really celebrated birthdays, but he understood that it seemed to be a big thing on Earth, especially for humans who had vastly shorter lives. “Yes, that’s right. There’s still some birthday cake in the fridge if you’d all like some.” He looked at Elenora, still not sure how she felt about all of this before he looked up at Zachary and Hecate. It was strange - being here with two people he had a very strained relationship with and a daughter he’d only met once. He leaned back to sit partially on the table. “So, how have you two been?” he asked them. It was no secret that they’d left on anything but good terms, but he was forgiving, understanding that Zachary had gone through terrible ordeals in the past months and he wanted nothing more than to make things right. Because the worst-case scenario was that he’d lose another child. Besides, he'd been sure that Maelle would manipulate him to turn dark-side like she had many other fallen and lost angels. But seeing him again, he knew that she hadn't in the sense he'd feared. His moral compass was still on the good side.

His gaze automatically fell to Zachary’s shirt at the mention of bloody clothes, reminding him that he needed new clothes as well, but he was still processing the fact that he was standing here with him after all this time - especially after how badly their last meeting had gone. However, prior to all of that, he thought himself to have had a great relationship with Zachary - as great as it could be with the limited time that he was in Heaven. He nodded as Hecate answered that it had been good and that they’d gone on a road trip. He smiled faintly at this, knowing how much Zachary had dreamt of seeing the world, begging Michael to take him along for journeys all through his life. But he hadn’t. And when he’d finally gotten a mission on Earth, it had turned out for the worse. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said. He'd longed to hear this, having been worried sick about his son for months.

“The fallen angels have been nothing but welcoming of me, and I've finally seen more of the Earth that I've dreamt to see… And I know I should have reached out to you, but I just needed some time to process everything and be with others that were like me,” Zachary said, hoping to find understanding from his father for this. Knowing that he’d probably feared that he'd turned on him like others in their family had. “They helped me train my new abilities, and I’ve tried changing other people’s morals for good, to act out of virtue rather than sin,” he said with a minuscule smile, remembering a scenario where he’d turned a murderous blood demon’s immoral beliefs to its righteous opposites. Albeit, he wasn’t so sure of the effect, but he at least wanted his father to know that he tried his best to use his abilities to do good. To make him proud. Even if he’d lost his heavenly light.

Michael nodded approvingly as he said this, honestly feeling further relieved from it. He then looked to Hecate, knowing that she wasn’t so bad herself for not stopping him in pursuing these ways. But he also knew that they might not be telling the whole truth and that Maelle and the other fallen angels possibly had manipulated him to do or think wrongly. But for now, he chose not to concern himself with it. “Let’s get you cleaned up as well,” he said before he walked towards the hallway in which Zachary followed him. Michael gave him a brief tour of the rooms they passed before they reached a bathroom that he could wash off the blood from his wounds. In the meantime, he went out to fetch a black t-shirt that he could put on instead. Afterward, they both walked back to the common room. Michael walked towards the table to pick up the medical kit and put it away. “Ethan’s great… both I and him were wondering what you would be doing today, but hunting a nest of demons? It wasn’t exactly what we’d guessed,” he said as he looked at Elenora. He then sat down by the table and grabbed one of the forks as Erin handed him a plate with cake. Zachary sat down by the table as well, wondering more about how his brother Ethan was. “Is Ethan a hunter as well?” he asked his father. “Yes. Or he’s a police officer, but he does hunt monsters as well. And like Elenora he isn't an ordinary human,” he explained before he took a bite of the cake.

Elenora seemed defensive of her reasons for hunting the demon’s nest, so perhaps her opportunity to take them down proved itself best tonight. Michael had never questioned her having her reasons. But most humans would be with their family or friends on their birthday - not risking their life hunting a demon’s nest. Zachary looked at the picture of Ethan and Erin together with a minuscule smile. “I can’t wait to meet him,” he said as he looked up at Erin. How that meeting would go would depend on his view regarding fallen angels. But if Erin or his father was there with him, he would feel safe enough to meet him regardless of this. After all, Elenora seemed to be the kind of hunter who disliked most supernatural beings, but still, here they were. Both him and Hecate being considered on the worse side of those beings. He sent her a glance as she took a bite of the cake, and when he looked back at the others, he did the same. Still finding amazement in the taste of food that Earth had.  

Michael inhaled deeply at Elenora’s reply regarding why she was out there tonight. He understood her reasoning. Of course, he did. But it still seemed unnecessarily reckless. And odds were that her fiancé's body was long gone by now. However, he also knew that she wanted revenge for the demon responsible for the murder. So, it wasn’t just about getting the body back. “Erin’s right. You don’t have to go through this alone,” he said with a compassionate look in his eyes, noticing the tear escape her own. Everyone present had lost someone. Hecate her mother because of him. Zachary and Erin their mother and siblings, and him, almost everyone he'd ever loved. And it was never easy, but the support of others made the world of a difference. “And I understand that you want to go back, but I insist to go with you when that time is,” he said, only having her best interest in mind. “You can count on me too,” Zachary added as he looked between them, always being progressive when it came to helping others and being there for his family. Besides, ever since his fall, he'd felt like the need to prove himself. Hoping for nothing more than his family’s forgiveness and acceptance. “What happened back in January?” he asked Elenora.

Michael was positively surprised when Hecate seemed willing to help. He knew that there were fallen angels who'd hate Zachary solely based on who he was, but he also knew that he wouldn’t have stayed there for all this time if most of them hadn’t accepted him, or cared in the way that Hecate seemed to. And if anything, he was grateful for him having had that. His attention then turned to Elenora as she began replying to Zachary’s question, glancing once to Zachary at the mention of being kept in the dark by the demons. He had yet to ask him about the details of his capture, but one thing was certain. He was going to make the demons who’d captured and tortured him pay for their crimes. Michael inhaled sharply as she revealed that she killed her dying fiancé to end his pain. It wasn’t a decision that anyone should ever have to make. And to know that she hadn’t gotten away after that but was forced to endure more pain. He was honestly surprised by the fact that she'd come back at all, risking them to capture her again - despite her wish for revenge.

Zachary looked down for a moment as her story reminded him of his own. Most nights he couldn’t sleep because he’d be reminded of the haunting memories. Seeing the darkness that he’d lived in for months. Besides, he deeply feared that if he let his guard down and went to sleep, the demons would find and recapture him. And when he finally did manage to fall asleep, he’d have nightmares about it. However, he tried to push those thoughts aside as he looked up at her again. “I’m so sorry,” he said as he looked into her eyes. He exhaled deeply before he looked towards Hecate and then his father. “Something similar happened to me in January,” he said in a low voice as his eyes returned to Elenora. “I was captured by demons five hours into my first mission on Earth. And when I finally escaped my cage and reached the streets, they caught up to me and inhibited me from getting away… The next thing I remember was that I lost control of my powers and... I,” he paused as the memory passed his mind. The lifeless mother and child laying next to each other on the cold street, and how he’d tightly hold onto their hands in his attempt to heal them while tears streamed down his face. “I did an unforgivable thing,” he spoke quietly. He still didn't recognize himself in the actions he'd made that night, although he was very well aware of the fact that he'd been responsible for it. “And when I realized what I’d done… I tried to save them, but it was too late,” he explained, wanting to share his story with Elenora, to know that he could relate to what she’d been through, besides explaining the circumstances that led to his fall. The combination of being here tonight and hearing Elenora’s story was what had made him feel safe enough to speak openly about this. Trusting that none of them would use it against him. He’d already talked to Hecate about it many times, and she’d been great at helping him deal with it all. “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough,” he then said looking up at his father. Every day he blamed himself for being weak that night, to have allowed the emotions to get the better of him and let the worst possible outcome happen.

Michael inhaled a deep breath as he looked at his son. “You were both strong for getting out on the other side of those experiences… but even when we are strong, things are going to happen. We are going to make mistakes. And we are going to be faced with obstacles and changes to our destiny… but no matter what those are, we can get better. Each day we can do our best to learn from those mistakes. So, whatever comes at us, we’ll figure out a way to deal with it,”  he said, hoping that it would resonate with something in them. He certainly believed in better futures for both of them. But he would lie if he said he wasn’t disappointed in Zachary's fall, and that he wished he’d not lost control to that degree. After all, Michael had been in many similar situations without accidentally lashing out on someone innocent. At the same time, he'd also had many more years of training in Heaven before God had asked him to use them. So now, he could only hope that he’d try to do his best to improve the world despite this. That he wouldn't give in to the darkness inside him and turn evil.

Zachary looked at Hecate as she placed a hand on top of his, appreciating her being there for him. He had feared a much worse reaction from his father, having heard mostly bad stories about the archangels and Heaven from the other fallen angels. But he seemed supportive. Like he still had faith in him. And that was all he could have hoped for. Knowing how torn their family already was. He’d honestly thought that he had no choice but to be on Maelle’s side, but now he was starting to believe that he wasn't completely unwelcome by what he still considered his true home.

Michael could only imagine how overwhelming all of this was to them, but he had to believe that things were going to get better. And he wished to restore even the slightest hope or faith in them. He wanted nothing more than for the family that was left to be united and always know that they could count on each other. Because family, the people who'd cared for him, those were what had pulled him away from the darkness in the past. He looked at Elenora when she said she needed a moment before he turned his gaze to Hecate and Zachary. “You’re welcome to stay here for the night… just, try not to touch anything, and don’t walk outside,” he said, glancing in the direction of the exit of the bunker. For obvious reasons, he couldn’t trust either of them. Especially not the hybrid. For all he knew, she had every incentive to find some valuable information or even the location of the bunker to give Maelle. He had a hard time believing that Zachary would go against him in the same way, but with Maelle’s ability to mind control, he wasn't going to take any chances. So, if they wanted to get out, he'd need to teleport them. He placed his hands on the table before he got up from his seat, picking up his plate as he then walked towards the kitchen. He slowly walked inside of it to place the plate on the counter beside the sink. “How are you holding up?” he asked, turning his body to face Elenora. If she needed more time alone, he would understand, but she clearly wasn’t okay so it was only in his interest to help.

Zachary glanced around the room, seeing an ancient sword hanging on the wall alongside his father’s artwork. The place seemed to have a lot of objects that he’d collected over the years, so he understood why he didn’t want them to touch anything. And he understood that he wouldn’t trust him and Hecate with the location, but he wondered if he’d ever get that trust so long as he still lived with the other fallen angels. As it were now, he didn’t want to give up any of the friends he’d gained there. He took another bite of the cake as he then looked at Erin. “How have you been this past year?” he asked her, having not seen her since last Christmas.

He almost anticipated her to lie and say that she was fine. Because that was what he did most of the time - not wanting to burden anyone with his problems. Whether or not they saw it as such. Michael nodded understandingly as she said that she’d pushed everything down for years. He knew what it felt like to repress all the pain and emotions. To continue as if they weren’t there at all. And God forbid he showed that weakness to anyone. So, yes. It was easier to react with anger and keep up the cold facade. However, the pain was still buried underneath it. “I know,” he said in an exhale, looking from her to the room for a moment. “It’s tiring, isn’t it?” He moved his eyes to her again. “But it will get better with time, the grieving, I mean. Everything else… well, that's just part of the job description.” He had no doubt that she knew this, having been raised into a family of hunters. But in the end, it was worth it. For all those people they saved. “Anyway, I want you to know that I am here if you ever need someone to talk to… and if you ever need to blow off steam I’ve got a great training area downstairs,” he said, sending her a faint smile at the last sentence. It had a combat area and an indoor shooting range, as well as a secure room to practice some more damaging abilities.

Zachary sighed in relief as she said that it had been alright. In Heaven, he’d often worried about her because she lived on Earth, being so close to all the monsters and enemies of their family. However, the relief only lasted for so long as she revealed that she’d been caught by some demons in May. His expression changing to that of concern. She then added that someone else had been taken as well and that she’d made a deal to help this friend. It was typical Erin to offer such a thing. However, risky it had been for her. So, he was just happy to see that she’d survived and that it had been a short encounter. It seemed that their family always needed to be prepared for such incidents. Zachary could only hope that him being a fallen angel changed that somewhat, but if anyone first knew about his reconciliation with his father, he was afraid that it didn’t. “What happened to their commander? Did you kill him or is there a chance that he might come back?” he asked as he looked at her, wondering whether he'd return to seek revenge. “And are you involved in this… drama in school?” he asked, not exactly sure what she meant by it, having been homeschooled, and even then, he doubted that a school in Heaven would be comparable to that of a school on Earth. But he figured drama usually wasn’t a good thing.
He glanced at Hecate at her next question, curling his lips slightly upwards as he returned his gaze to Erin. “We met the night Maelle took me to the other fallen angels. She introduced me to everything back then, and she's been a very good friend to me ever since.” However, how she’d met their father was a whole other story. One that he didn't feel was necessary to tell at the moment, with all the negative stories they'd already passed around.

Michael felt better when he saw her smile, however faintly. And although he still had a lot to learn about her, their jobs automatically created some sort of meeting ground. Even if he had the feeling that their approach and motives weren't exactly aligned. “Let me show you to your room.” He leaned his body away from the kitchen counter to move towards the hallway. He walked towards the end of it where it split into two corridors, walking down the right one to open a door with the number 24 on it. It was a plain room with a bed with two bedside tables, a desk, and a dresser. The only thing standing out being the bible on the bedside table. “The washroom is two doors down,” he said, pointing towards it as he still stood outside of the room. “If you're ready to come back, I’m going to join the others again… I’m afraid if I stay away too long, they’re going to roam around the bunker and find things they shouldn't.” He was very particular about his possessions, some of them being exceptionally rare and valuable, so if they broke any such item, he couldn’t just replicate it with something else. However, he understood if she’d need some more time alone. Either way, he started to walk back to the common room.

Zachary held his breath for a few seconds as she said she’d healed him because that could hardly be a good thing - to have aided the commander in regaining his strength. But if she said that their father had taken care of it, he trusted that it was fine. Still, he couldn’t get rid of the paranoia regarding all their demon enemies. Especially the ones who’d captured him. And that was perhaps his biggest fear - for them to find and trap him again. But more so, he felt extremely guilty for having helped the demons in tracking down his father. He lowered his gaze as he thought of this. In truth, not thinking he deserved to be here because of it. But he’d felt so betrayed by Heaven at that point. He’d felt hopeless and lost. And he’d only done it because they’d promised to release him if he did. Although that didn’t make it any less wrong. He raised his gaze to Erin’s eyes as she replied to his question about drama in school, not helping but smile at the way she told the story. It easily made him forget his prior thoughts. And he realized how much he’d missed talking to her. “What kind of play is it?” he asked her. Zachary had read many books, including plays, although they were mostly ancient and classic. But he would love to see a play being performed for the first time. And he would without hesitation attend the play that his sister had a role in.

Zachary still hadn’t explored many of the feelings he’d gotten ever since he’d stepped foot on Earth, including those of love and affection. And although he had experimented with it, he was still new to it. So much, that he didn't know whether he harbored feelings for Hecate beyond friendship. He got a different feeling when he was near her, and he’d always felt a sense of safety and care from her, but he’d yet to figure out why that was. Gratefully, Hecate redirected his sister’s teasing by asking about the play again. A brief smile passed his expression as she said they could come to her play. Although, Zachary would insist on showing up regardless.

“Have you gotten any news about Malachi or Eliana yet?” he then asked. The last thing he'd heard was that they were missing, and knowing what he'd been through himself, he was naturally very worried about them. He then moved his gaze up at his father's voice as he entered the room again. “Mal is alive and in Heaven... but I'm afraid he's not well. I've got the best psychiatrists and healers tending for him, and all they keep telling me is to be patient,” he replied, reminding himself back on the moment he found him in the catacombs. How he'd been fearful of Michael and screamed for him to leave - as if he'd hallucinated about him before. And when he'd finally taken him home to get something to eat, he'd murmured words in various languages to empty corners. He could only imagine what had happened to him, and none of those scenarios were anything but horrific. Worst of all was the realization of him not being there for him. He hadn’t even been able to find him without the use of dark magic. He walked closer to the table as he looked at Zachary. “And the last thing I heard from Eliana was that she'd fallen. Maelle and her angels had cut her wings off... but I haven't been able to find her since that time,” he continued, knowing that it had to stir something in Zachary to know that the angel he'd turned to had hurt his sister. “Do you know anything about that, Hecate?” He turned his gaze to the hybrid.

Zachary felt awful when his father said that Maelle had cut Eliana’s wings off. Thereby forcing her to turn fallen. He looked down at this, staring at the edge of the wooden tabletop. He wondered if she’d done it to other angels, or if she’d just done it because she was the child of Michael. Either way, it didn’t justify it. All it did was make him start to doubt why she’d been so welcoming of him. And if she had an ulterior motive for taking him in. It didn’t make it better to think that Malachi wasn’t doing well either, but if he was in Heaven, at least that meant he hadn’t fallen. He then looked to Hecate as his father asked about her knowing anything.

Michael knew that Hecate would be reluctant to reveal any information, but as a worried father, he had to ask. He looked at her with a disconcerted expression as she replied that Eliana wasn't with the other fallen angels. This could both be a good or a bad thing… or an extremely terrible thing. He breathed out, looking from her to Zachary for a moment at the troubling thoughts. Only convincing him that this was a bad sign. Then Hecate seemed to remember something. He returned his gaze to her at this, wondering what kind of spell Maelle needed Eliana for. None of it easing his worries the slightest. He then looked to Elenora as she returned to the room and got a word in before him. He listened to them as Hecate revealed the name of the witch, trying to go back in his memories for that name. Felicity King. However, it quickly turned out that it wasn't needed as Elenora knew the same witch and that she specialized in merging. He raised his brows in surprise as she said that, thinking that it was too good to be true. Her knowing the witch. Because everything else couldn't be further from good. Michael wondered what this meant and what she wanted with Eliana in that regard. Then he realized that perhaps she hadn’t truly been Eliana the one time they’d met, although he knew that it had been a fallen angel. He looked into the room with a contemplative expression as he thought back on their meeting, trying to remember if he might have missed a sign that would indicate this.

It was a relief to hear that Elenora could call her up as soon as tomorrow because the last thing he wanted was to waste more time on finding his daughter, and this seemed to be a step in the right direction. “I will go with her,” he said to Hecate’s comment. Not that he had much of a choice in the matter. He felt responsible for this, and for her, so he wanted to be there. After all, it could easily turn out to be dangerous to ask for things regarding Maelle. “Thank you for telling us.” He looked back at Hecate, knowing that she could get in trouble for giving them this kind of information. And he wasn't going to forget that she had. Despite the conflicting situation between her, Zachary, and him. “So, Felicity... anything else I should know about her?” he asked Elenora, wanting to know as much as possible beforehand.