Uriel’s low voice reverberated through the air, declaring we should start our journey.

  But while everyone unanimously agreed, I found myself the voice of objection. A nagging worry gnawed at the back of my mind. “Shouldn’t we make sure Dana’s okay,” I interjected. “What if she doesn’t know where we are?”

  The group exchanged uneasy glances, evaluating my concern when Ellie took my side.

  “Maybe one of us should go back and make sure she’s okay," she suggested.

  Uriel’s eye met mine, and I saw a fleeting trace of regret in his gaze. He understood our apprehension, but before he could respond, Zeekiel interjected. “Dana’s tougher than you think,” he assured. “She knows where to find us.”

  “Well, what about you Zeekiel?” Uriel said, serious but with a slight amusement. “Thought you weren’t planning to come with us.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m starting to feel like I’m the head of the flock here keeping everyone safe,” the demon huffed.

  Ellie sighed. “Some of us have been doing fine without you around,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t be proud of that.” He gave her a glare and was more sharp than I’d ever heard his tone be with her before.

  Everyone went silent and as we trudged through the dense woods, I couldn’t help but feel the portal was farther than Uriel made it seem. With each minute and every step, I became increasingly aware of the distance. The overgrown foliage scratched at my skin and the ground beneath me became more swampy, sinking me into mud. Our path seemed never-ending as the night sky cracked with the first light of dawn.

  In the distance, the sounds of cars grew louder, their presence a reminder of the world I was about to leave. As we pressed forward, those distant noises served as a reminder that reality would still be there and it would go on without me. It was that same dread again I felt thinking about Dana forgetting my name.

  Though this time, it was easy not to focus on it as I pushed those thoughts aside to focus on hiding my discomfort. I maintained a strong facade while the weight of the staff grew heavier and the burns on my hands continued to irritate me. I had been entrusted with illuminating our path, and I was determined not to let the team down.

  When we finally came to a stop, Uriel asked Raziel to offer assistance to Ellie. “I know with wings like yours you can do it yourself,” the giant stated to the angelic prince, “but I need you to keep on your feet after releasing consumed ones without a Guard.”

  Raziel nodded. “Don’t worry. Keeping up my wings themselves takes more out of me than helping with those sick.” His tone was light, joking even. But no one laughed or even broke a smile, forcing him to awkwardly chuckle it off as he held his hand out to Ellie.

  “I can do it,” she said and slanted her dark eyes at both of them.

  “I’m aware,” Uriel said, “but now’s not the time to exert yourself.”

  She huffed and slapped one of her circular blades into Raziel’s open palm. He seemed confused by her gesture as she said. “Just do it. You only need this”

  “You can also-” The four-winged angel was interrupted as Ellie insisted again.

  “You don’t need my hand,” she expressed. “My chakram is better at reducing the burden, anyway.”

  He didn’t argue, instead offered her a grateful smile as he accepted her weapon. “You’re right,” he agreed. “Thank you.” Ellie’s expression softened, but she remained silent.

  As Raziel raised the metal lady’s weapon up high, a surge of energy pulsed through the air, crackling over the raised hair on my skin. The bladed disks glowed with a swirl of colorful light, making the air shimmer with a thousand multi-colored fireflies swarming around us.

  I watched in awe, my breath catching in my throat, as the portal began to materialize before us, a vortex of swirling rainbows, like a more vibrant version of gasoline on the surface of water. It felt like my bones were humming a melody as I watched everyone break through, still processing the scene before me.

  “Come on,” Zeekiel said, pushing me through.

  I stumbled forward, holding my breath in excitement as I stepped through. The world around me twisted, colors blending together in a whirlwind of motion.

  Suddenly, the sensation stopped, and I wasn’t even aware of my displacement from standing until I fell onto the sharp blades of grass laying beneath me.

  Above me, the portal waved like a mirage over hot sand before fading away into nothingness. Exhilaration bubbled to the surface as I began to laugh up at the rising morning sky. I had just crossed over into a new realm.

  I sat up, the sweet scent of wildflowers filled my lungs, and a gentle breeze danced through my hair. Birds sang in melodious harmony, echoing to a rising sun.

  “Where are we?” I said, looking around to the others. We were in an open field with tall grass, a stark difference from the dense, muddy forest we were just in.

  Raziel was the closest to me and extended out his hand to offer me assistance. The pain in my hands rejected his kind gesture, forcing me to carefully hoist myself up using my elbows.

  “This is what they refer to as The Ring,” Raziel replied, letting his hand swing back to his side.

  Adriel and Ellie were already with us while Uriel and Zeekiel had to walk over to join.

  My excitement turned to dread when Uriel announced, “We still have some distance to keep walking.”

  Zeekiel led the way through a mass of colorful orbs and fluttering rods. Almost the same as I saw on the other side, but larger and more bright. I marveled at the spectacle and noticed the flying creatures encircling Raziel’s wings. He gently scooped one into his hands and let Ellie and I peek in to see the orb.

  “They’re just bugs,” Ellie said, twirling away gracefully. The lights sparkled with her movements around her chakrams that left trails of rainbow colors. She moved with a fluidity that was almost mesmerizing to watch, dancing with the lights as if she’d practiced this hundreds of times, waiting for an audience.

  “They’re more than bugs,” Raziel explained as both of us watched her come back to our side. “They’re drawn to the gates and feed on the residual energy.”

  “You mean they’re eating the magic?” I inquired.

  The four-winged angel nodded. “It’s a lot of power that isn’t contained, which is natural, just as it is for these little ones to clean it up and scatter it back out. They’ll dissipate as we get further away from this area.”

  “Do you see these back home, too?” I asked him.

  “Sometimes. I’ve never seen this many before, though,” he answered, his voice tinged with uncertainty. “The gates back home aren’t all operational, but they would be more advanced than this one and preferably leveled on both sides,” he said, referring to our fall in. “Ours are more like actual structures, while this one is held up by someone’s magic and needs to be unlocked to be seen.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I questioned, “Someone else’s magic?”

  “The Aldraka,” Ellie answered. “The portals from your world to The Ring are like borders for a region; more portals a territory can hold up, the more land is claimed.”

  “So they’re, like, a leader,” I said, assuming I understood.

  “Uh, well, not in this territory,” she said. “Leaders are elected here while the Aldraka is chosen at birth.”

  Zeekiel scoffed from ahead of us. “Chosen? She means bred.”

  Unease radiated from Ellie as she glared at Zeekiel’s back, her eyes narrowed in on his back. I noticed the four-winged angel also studying the metal lady’s demeanor.

  Raziel’s piercing amber gaze caught mine before he spoke with a hint of defensiveness, “I personally don’t believe there’s anything wrong with someone being born with a purpose.”

  It felt like Zeekiel was the only one who felt as unsettled by the idea as I did, but the demon stayed unusually quiet.

  The heavy silence was suffocating as I desperately tried to escape the awkwardness by slipping into daydreams, but it was only making me feel more tired.The overwhelming weight against my eyelids had me shamelessly considering if Zeekiel would offer to carry me again if I collapsed asleep.

  A shot of adrenaline shook off the exhaustion as everyone froze in their tracks. Before I could utter a word, Raziel swiftly covered my mouth and mimicked the gesture to his own face with his other hand. It was a signaled command to remain silent, and I nodded in understanding.

  I tried to take in my surroundings, searching for the danger they could feel. Uriel cautiously moved, guiding Adriel behind him, while the others formed a protective ring around the young sidekick and me.

  They were preparing for a fight, and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. Instinctively to be ready too, I clung closest to Zeekiel.

  The distant sound that the others had noticed first grew louder, gradually reaching my ears as a thunderous force hurtled towards us, accompanied by tendrils of smoke twisting through the tall grass. Fear wrapped me like the smoke that enveloped our feet before rising to obscure our vision.

  I couldn’t see who came to find us, but Uriel’s voice trembled with genuine horror as he addressed through the dark fog. “How are you here?”

  A smooth voice belonging to a man replied, “Someone, in their infinite kindness, has released me from my prison. You look so much older now, Uriel. It’s been merely four thousand years. Don’t tell me you’re withering already. And Zeekiel? Hmm, you look just the same as-”

  “Why are you stopping us?” Uriel interjected, his voice tense.

  “Your young companion here is free to go.” The voice that spoke was alluring yet menacing, the underlying tone of danger wrapping around us as it circled around before finally positioning directly in front of me.

  I couldn’t help but stare into the razor-sharp gaze that locked onto mine. The man’s pointed nose gave way to a face framed by neatly groomed jet black hair, his intense orange eyes glowed against his pale skin.

  His horse, similarly adorned with white wings, stood proudly next to him. Every detail of his appearance exuded an air of elegance and power from his layered vest and half sleeve cape to the perfectly asymmetrical tailored cut of his clothes. It was clear this was no ordinary angel grunt standing before me.

  My eyes shot down while Uriel gently nudged Adriel, urging him to leave. “The rest of you can go once you surrender Uriel along with the girl and Prince Raziel,” our foe continued. “We knew you were in danger when you didn’t return,” spoke our enemy to Raziel. “I came to bring you home.”

  “I…um,” Raziel’s words stumbled out incoherently as Uriel shifted his gaze to the four-winged angel before tapping his celestial cane on the ground, directing his attention towards Zeekiel.

  In a blur of motion, Zeekiel scooped me up and flung me onto Raziel’s back without warning. I clung onto the prince tightly as the demon charged into battle alongside Ellie, who was already taking quick swings at the enemy. The air vibrated with energy as their weapons clashed in a chaotic dance of lights.

  While the others fought, Raziel’s outer wings beat against the air, propelling him forward and helping him to leap effortlessly over obstacles in his path as he ran. The rush of wind and the blur of trees passed by us as we entered another densely wooded area. I struggled to maintain my grip while also attempting to hold on to my staff and the bag Zeek entrusted me to carry.

  I turned to look behind us and my breath froze as I saw the smoky wave advancing towards us. “Something’s following us,” I said, my voice barely audible over the beating of Raziel’s wings.

  Like a miracle, the wall of fog questionably halted its pursuit, and as the danger subsided, Raziel sank to his knees, his breath ragged. He rolled me off his back and set me down next to him while he managed to catch his breath.

  “The Sanctuary is close,” he said. “I can hear the others... You need to keep going from here. The others there should hear you coming.” With a shaky finger, the prince pointed to the path ahead, urging me to continue.

  I nodded, ready to follow his direction, just as I had done with my mom and Dana, but a part of me refused to abandon him. Even though they were right about the dangers of staying, I was afraid of losing yet another person. Guilt gripped me, knowing everyone was trying to protect me while I couldn’t do much to help them back.

  “You okay?” I asked, as a growing sense of helplessness tightened in my chest.

  “I need a moment,” he replied, his voice strained. “It’s tough carrying extra weight,” he said, and my face heated with embarrassment.

  I looked up, curiously noticing a wild commotion above us. Branches cracked and leaves shook before something broke through the canopy of trees. We had no time to react as another inked monster sprang towards Raziel with alarming speed. Without Zeekiel by my side, it was once again difficult to wrestle with the slime.

  More grotesque beings slithered around my legs, their dark goo inching dangerously close to Raziel’s face. I remembered the sheer terror in Zeekiel’s eyes when he saw Dana in a similar state, barely able to contain his fear. That look alone made me realize the gravity of our situation and the urgency to panic.

  The angel’s struggle ceased, his arms reaching out desperately, but to no avail. The surrounding monsters thrashed, their sheer numbers overpowering us. Before I knew it, their movements propelled me down to Raziel, and I lost grasp of my staff. I used my hands to claw at the monsters, but as soon as I touched anything solid, it would dissolve through my fingers.

  Both of us were becoming one inky pile of goo. The darkness completely swallowed my vision until a sudden burst of blinding light engulfed me. The intensity was overwhelming, taking over my entire body in a searing pain that robbed me of breath and sense. My ears rang with deafening noise, amplifying the disorienting chaos around me.

  My body writhed as I instinctively tried to escape from the burning heat. But it was no use, I was trapped and at the mercy of the powerful source of light. I could hear Raziel yelling, but I couldn’t make it out over the sound of my own screams.

  Suddenly, a crushing weight straddled my body, pressing down with an almost unbearable force on my chest. With my head pinned back by hands, it felt like someone was trying to squish me like a bug. Every breath was a struggle under the burden on top of me and every heartbeat a desperate attempt to push back.

  I didn’t know what was happening to me, but a sharp pressure in my eyes felt like someone was digging them out with their fingers. The intense but familiar sensation made it impossible to think or move as I realized who was doing this to me. Raziel.

  With all my strength, I struggled beneath him, desperate for any chance at escaping from his grasp. A wave of fear crashed over me as he continued to show no signs of relenting. Energy pulsed from the prince’s fingertips, sending a force spiraling around my face as his hands locked me down to the ground. It was as though I had been transported back in time, to that fateful night in the cafe where I first encountered an angel and how I struggled against their power.

  As my consciousness wavered from excruciating agony, I could hear Zeekiel calling out my name, desperate for answers. But all I could make out was Raziel’s commanding tone, urgently requesting his help. “I need you over here!”

  Blind and disoriented, I felt something slimy slither into my mouth and solidify around my teeth. The putrid taste of blood mixed with goo made me groan in revulsion, adding to the already overwhelming sensations of pain and confusion.

  Amidst the chaos, Zeekiel’s voice cut through sharply and warned, “There’s consumed ones moving in.”

  “Then take care of it,” Raziel replied with irritation edging in his voice. “I’m trying to fix this.”

  Despite my weakened state, Zeekiel’s cold touch attempted to push my hand into the wood of my staff. My fingers quivered, and my jaw slacked as the trembling seized control of my body. There was no way for me to help him release the consumed ones.

  Suppressing the urge to vomit, I felt Raziel’s hands slowly retreat from my scorched and battered eye sockets. Though I couldn’t see, I could feel a ghostly presence guiding me as I rolled onto my side to release the bile choking me.

  Zeekiel’s lifeless aura lingered around me, his hands a steady source of comfort while he attempted to hold me up as I convulsed violently and gasped for air through my spasms. My body still retched, struggling to expel the torment tearing through me.

  Raziel’s words were distorted, muffled by the numbness that had taken over my senses. Panic surged through me as I felt my body give in, but before I could fall completely, Zeekiel swept me into his chest as his arms shook me in an attempt to keep me conscious.

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