T W E N T Y
Angels of Light

THE WALK BACK towards the surface was just as gloomy as the journey toward the golden chalice. Unlike the time when we were headed towards the center of the catacombs, Ida had not appeared even for a single second though the thoughts of what she said were still troubling me greatly. Even when the rays of sunlight had finally graced my skin, kissing just about every crevice exposed, did not wash away my worries for what was going to happen when the time comes for me to take the throne beside who was to be my husband.

One fact remained constant: Ida would no longer exist. Her body, her memory, her very being would be erased from the fabric of reality and away from people's minds. Though it would most definitely mean that Fabian would get the release from pain that he always needed, it also meant that he would never see his first love ever again. On the bright side, with her gone, she might no longer be Fabian's last love as well.

"Remind me why are we walking towards the top again?" I panted, coughing madly when a gust of contaminated air rushed into my lungs. We were almost to the entrance, just a five minute walk away according to the two brothers.

"Entering the church itself, though beneath it, lessened our capabilities for the moment. We only have the power to teleport when we are above ground and away from the holy ground and back to Hell." Calvin answered, speaking stoically with his dazzling electric blue eyes fixated on the road before us.

Just like when we had made our way in, Fabian was ahead of us, walking alone in his chosen solitude. He seemed to be very much content with his isolation away from other people and this made my heart clench slightly just thinking about Ida's words.

'When you become queen and gain immortality, I will cease to exist.'

I dared myself to wonder what life would be like for Fabian after Ida was erased from his mind. Would he be more carefree? Or perhaps he would be more open to the love easily available in this world. Rather, would he remain the same and bear the gloom in his soul for the rest of his life without fully understanding why he was condemned to such sorrow?

For now, only time had the power to tell.

"He will not always be this sad, you know?" I smiled a little, knowing fully well that my jolly expression still held hints of melancholy. "There will be a time in which he can finally regain that felicity he once had before Ida's death."

"I don't think anyone or anything can make Fabian happy again. Ida was singlehandedly both the greatest joy and the greatest heartache in Fabian's life. Nothing can change that." Calvin spoke with a sigh to his words, his shoulders dropping a little with worry for his brother. "I fear for him sometimes, you know? I worry that he will view life as a burden and a sort of torture rather than the gift that it really is. Immortality is a great obligation to bear when one is unhappy."

I bit my bottom lip, pondering over whether it would be a good decision to share what Ida had told me. In the end, I knew my answer.

"She will be erased from everyone's memory in the case whereby a queen ascends the throne of Hell."

"What?" Shock filled Calvin's eyes, his irises lighting up with newfound curiosity over what I had to share.

"She told me that once Dimitri and I are married and I become queen, only I will remember her. She will no longer appear and also be erased from existence. Meaning Fabian will finally be able to move on from his heartache."

"Praise the Lord." Calvin smiled a smile that was so brilliant that it seemed to light up our gloomy atmosphere. "It seems like the end of the war will bring more and more good to us if we reign victorious. I can only pray that what you say is true and that my brother will finally regain the light he once had."

The evergreen grass below my feet did not feel anymore soothing than as of now. When we finally made our way away from the entrance and towards an alcove made of trees had I allowed myself to collapse to the ground, burrowing my head into the palms of my hands in an attempt to erase the memory of Ida's burning words away.

"Are you alright?" Calvin asked, bending down to my level before gently resting a hand on my shoulder.

"What's wrong with you again?" Contradicting to his brother's words, Fabian's very own ones was a bit harsher in comparison. His black eyebrows were furrowed greatly, causing a crinkle in the skin in between as his lips shaped themselves into his usual scowl. "You've been through war and you can't even handle a few skulls now?"

"It's not the catacombs that are affecting me. It's my past lives." Unable to contain myself, I finally snapped at Fabian, wearing a frown that equally matched his in toxicity. "I am very sure you know who I am talking about."

The tension between the both of us was so strong that I was sure that the people within a fifty-mile radius could feel it. Calvin most certainly did because it took him no time before he got to his feet, putting both of his hands on Fabian's shoulders instead to steer him away from me.

"Alright," he said. "That is enough bonding time for the two of you. We have a chalice to bring back to Hell and we're just wasting time arguing here like a bunch of petty teenage girls."

Though Fabian's next words were much softer than his usual bitter tone, I could still hear his voice as clear as day. "She's not too far from one."

I gasped, jolting up to my feet. "You take that back!"

"The aura of a church is obviously not good for any of us," Calvin grumbled under his breath.

I was just about to take another jibe at the brothers when a flash of cool blond hair captured my eye, causing me to instinctively duck to a crouch at the ground. Turning over to the two horsemen, I gestured wildly at them to follow as well and they did so rather reluctantly.

Just a few feet away from us and eerily near to the entrance of the catacombs, Lucius stood proud and tall with a few other men behind him. One thing that I noticed was that his posture was undoubtedly much more different as of to how I remembered him to be the last time we met. His back was a little straighter, neck a little longer and smile a little bit crueler. However, that did not match the thing that stood out to me the most.

"Didn't Lucius have brown eyes?" Calvin murmured from my side the very second he noticed Lucius and his cronies. Indeed, the same question was running through my mind and I had no response to give Calvin.

Lucius's eyes had always been the warm brown of the soil, the sort of hazelnut that was glazed with honey in the summer or embroidered by the gold flecks of sunlight. The color of his irises had always reflected his personality when we were still friends; warm and caring like a mother's embrace.

Now, Lucius's eyes were the cool of winter. He had eyes of a frozen tundra, cool like the sea water against one's skin when it was summer or the frostbite of winter. It was a light aquamarine color that resembled the ocean's deep blue or of rare gemstones hidden in caves away from a normal person's eyes. That last bit was extra particular for it did seem as though he was hiding something absolutely sinister. However, it was definitely not the beautiful rarity of a gemstone.

"Yes." I gritted my teeth in anger as a hint of realization flashed through my mind. There was only one other person I knew that had bright aquamarine eyes like these and the same head of white blond hair. "He did."

"That is not Lucius in any way, brother. That is Lucifer in his body. Lucius's been possessed." Fabian echoed my thoughts, mirroring it perfectly well as what had been racing through my mind. To have one of the four brothers confirm my suspicion was enough to make blood boil through my veins.

We have found the devil.

"Come on, we have to go stop him!" I was ready to stand up to my full height, adrenaline coursing through my veins along with the blood of fury when Calvin's strong hand yanked me down in a single pull.

"No! Are you insane? There are so many other angels out there with him and though Fabian and I might have had the chance on any other normal day, we now have you to consider. Lucifer is nothing like Lucius. While the latter might have shown you some rare mercy due to his affections for you, Lucifer will not hesitate to end your life using the worst possible method. Going after them is suicide."

"For once in your life, Pilediah. Think rationally." Fabian chided. "If you were just any other person, believe me, I would've allowed you to be fed to the wolves in a heartbeat. But the truth of the matter is that you are now essential to the survival and victory of Hell in this war with the angels. Without you on the throne with Dimitri and with Lucifer reigning in the angels again, there is no doubt that we will all die along with you. And I am not just talking about the inhabitants of Hell but everyone and everything in the mortal realm as well. Is that what you want? Complete and utter destruction?"

"No..." I dipped my head down, staring at the ground in remorse for my recklessness. "I guess not."

"Then let us go. We have to get back to the castle where you are safe and protected and where we can finally figure out a solution to this on-growing madness."

I stared at Calvin's outstretched hand, already poised for me to take. Turning back to where I had last seen Lucius, or to be exact, Lucifer, I realized that the man with gleaming platinum blond hair had already ducked down into the sewage system, disappearing with his band of angelic warriors. I took in a deep breath, knowing fully well that he was on a mission to find the chalice that we had now in our hands for that could be the only reason he would be here.

"The war is only going to get worse from now, isn't it? Since Lucifer is now the leader of the angels, I mean." I asked with a small sigh, the corners of my lips turned down due to worry and fear.

Calvin could only smile sadly, pursing his lips. "Wars do not get better over just one night. We fight as soldiers and leaders to edge towards victory and make it better for the future."

With one last glance at the now empty surroundings, I took Calvin's hand before we were warped away from the mortal realm and back within the safe confines of Hell, his words ringing in my ears.

[A/N]:

This chapter is dedicated to cloudelixer for this wonderful cover shown. Thank you so much!

I am nearing the end of the story (for the Radish Fiction) and since this is the last book, I will be answering whatever questions you might have about the book. After I posted the last chapter to Wattpad (most likely around the start of next year due to exclusivity issues), I will also post an FAQ section where you guys can ask whatever questions you have still in regards to this series. I'll try to answer as much as I can.

As for the writing process, I am almost done. At the point where this chapter is posted, I am already writing the second to last chapter of [Courting Death]. This journey has been amazing and I cannot wait to share the rest of the story with all of you.

xx aurora