Raziel's POV

I return Gabriel's smile. I didn't realise how much I missed him. "Gabe, you know breaking and entering is a crime on earth."

Gabriel giggles and rushes towards me, squishing me, wrapping his arms around my waist before fluttering upwards and kissing both of my cheeks. "I missed you too, brother."

He then turns to Kai and fusses over him before embracing him in a hug and kissing both of his cheeks which causes Kai to giggle. "It's great to finally meet you, Kai."

Kai smiles but it doesn't fully reach his eyes, and I can feel the nervous energy coursing through his body. Deciding that I should ask the question I'm sure Kai is itching to ask, I say, "Are you here to help, Gabe?"

Gabriel smiles. "Yes, I have been keeping an eye on you, but was forbidden from intervening until now. I can't believe you willingly went back to Hell." I shrug and Gabriel grins and shakes his head before continuing. "God knows how tenacious you can be when you want something, and after hearing some of Kai's reasons as to why Lance didn't deserve his fate, He decided to reconsider the fate of the hollows."

Kai releases an excited squeal. "Lance can go to Heaven?"

"If he wants to, yes. God has granted special permission for Declan to visit him for twenty-four hours once a week-"

"Can't it be more often if they both want it to?" Kai asks.

Gabriel shakes his head. "Living human souls that aren't bonded to a human aren't meant to be in Heaven so having one there more often than that could lead to problems."

Kai pouts but nods and Gabriel continues. "The other option is that Lance could train to be a grim reaper."

My eyes widen. When I was head warrior, part of my job was to do a few training sessions with them near the end of their training. They were usually human souls who were tough, highly skilled in combat and not very good people in their human life.

However, because of their skills, they were offered a chance to give back to earth in exchange for a better afterlife once their service was up. Lance didn't exactly fit the profile. If anything he was the exact opposite.

"It takes three years, but after that time, Lance will be able to have his physical body when he returns to earth," Gabriel says.

Kai's face lights up and Gabriel quickly adds, "There are a few tiny downsides with this option."

A frown replaces Kai's smile as he listens to Gabriel.

"Orientation for the grim reapers lasts six months and no visitors are allowed during that time. While Lance can't return to earth during the years of his training, Declan will be allowed to visit him once a week for five hours after orientation is finished-"

"Why did it decrease from twenty-four hours?" Kai asks with a pout.

Gabriel gives Kai a small smile. "Lance needs to spend most of his time and energy training, so he won't have large stretches of free time and since Declan isn't bonded to an angel, he can only visit him one a week."

Kai frowns. "But I'll be able to see Lance whenever I want since I have a bond with Raziel?"

Gabriel nods. "After orientation, yes. As long as Lance is taking a break from training, you can visit him. Keep in mind that he will be very busy, so it won't be for long periods unless you visit him during the times Declan visits." After Kai hums a response, Gabriel continues. "Lance would also need to leave next week because that's when the orientation for all the new grim reapers starts. The last thing is that Lance would have to be wiped from existence, so that when he returns to earth in a few years no one would recognise him."

Kai gasps and Gabriel, seeing that Kai is about to sulk and protest, quickly adds, "With the exception of you and Declan, every living human who has ever known him would forget everything they knew about Lance."

"So, after Lance is fully trained, he and Declan can be together on earth?"

"Yes. He will need to collect souls on earth and take them to be processed, but it only takes a few hours a day. The remaining hours in the day are his to do with what he wants," the archangel says in response to Kai's question.

Kai smiles and inches closer to Gabriel. "Thank you for helping!" Gabriel giggles and gives him a tight hug, and I overhear Kai whisper to Gabriel, "and about the other things?"

Gabriel releases a soft, musical laugh. "There is one more test that Raziel has to pass before he can get his wings back. I'll be staying on earth until he does, and as soon as he passes, I will take him to Heaven where he can receive them."

A smile spreads across my face as a warm fuzzy feeling flows through me. I pull my human, who Gabriel just released, into a hug before gluing my lips to his.

I can't believe he asked about me getting my wings back. When I tried contacting Gabriel, I only asked about him helping Lance, but Kai asked about me as well. I didn't think it was possible to love him more than I already do. "I love you."

Kai blinks as he catches his breath. His dazed eyes slowly refocus on my face and he smiles. "I love you too."

Gabriel's cooing brings the faintest blush to Kai's cheeks and he buries his face in my chest while I roll my eyes at Gabriel and hold Kai close.

"I will visit Lance later to give him his options, but first I must address Kai's final request and the main reason I was sent to earth." Gabriel releases his wings. Flawless, yellowish green wings more than half his size spread out to the sides. "I need to meet this demon friend of yours and his Serignipen."

The noise draws Kai's attention and he wriggles out of my arms and turns towards Gabriel. "Woah! They're beautiful!"

I can't help the pang of jealousy that I feel when Kai admires Gabriel's wings, but I brush it aside. Gabriel said I had one more test, and if he's waiting on earth until I'm finished, I can't be far from passing. Soon Kai would be looking at my wings with starstruck eyes and asking if he can touch them.

Gabriel does let Kai touch his wings and my irritated expression only spurs on some giggling from Gabriel.

"Can we go?" I mumble when I see no end in sight to Kai's fascination with Gabriel's wings.

Gabriel sticks his tongue out before grinning and extending his hands. "I'll take us there. Grab a hand."

Once we do, Gabriel flaps his wings and Kai's hallway melts away, being replaced by colourful lights before we appear in front of Zorander's house.

"Woah! That was so cool!" Kai giggles and stumbles as he takes a step towards me. I catch my clumsy human and steady him before following Gabriel to the door.

Zorander opens the door before Gabriel knocks. His eyes run up and down the archangel and he smirks. "I didn't know angels came in pint size."

Gabriel pouts and Zorander's eyes follow the movement of Gabriel's lips. Noticing Zorander's interest, Gabriel leans closer causing the demon to gulp and take a tiny step backwards. "I'm Gabriel."

"I'm," Zorander's voice cracks and he grimaces before clearing his throat, "I'm Zorander."

"And I thought you were a feisty demon," Gabriel teases, stepping closer to the demon. "May I come in?"

As if in a trance, Zorander nods. His gaze follows Gabriel as he slides past him and into his house.

"Awww Zor, do you already have a crush?" Kai says with a giggle.

This seems to snap Zorander out of his trance and he shakes his head and glares at Kai. "I do not."

"Do too," Kai says before rushing inside after Gabriel.

"I have to agree with Kai." My comment immediately has the demon glaring at me, and I laugh and follow Kai inside.

"Why are you all here?" Zorander snatches a photo frame from Gabriel who pouts.

"But you look so cute in that green suit!" Gabriel whines. Zorander puts the photo back on the mantle and glares at the archangel who sighs and says, "Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched your stuff. I'm here because I have a potion that could help your Serignipen."

Zorander gasps and rushes out of the room calling over his shoulder, "I'll go get them!"

Melkopnius has been sick since they consumed the book, but within the past two days they have started getting worse. Zorander has been worrying nonstop, and I even tried a few more times to heal them, but to no avail.

Zorander returns to the room with Melkopnius wrapped around him and Gabriel approaches them. He gently strokes their heads and they give him tiny licks as a greeting before he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small bottle with glowing white and grey liquid.

"Will it work?" The concern in Zorander's voice is unmissable.

"They must be very important because after I made the base potion, both God and Satan completed it." Gabriel feeds the white part of the portion to the black and orange head of the snake and the grey part to the orange and white head of the snake. "Now they will need to be submerged in warm water for the next twenty-four hours."

Zorander nods and exits the room and Kai follows him so he can say hi to Melkopnius. Kai and Melkopnius have grown quite close and Zorander often sends Kai updates on Melkopnius' health.

"A grim reaper? You think he's cut out for that?" I ask Gabriel as I join him on the couch.

"I was as shocked as you were. Lance really doesn't seem like the type, but God allowed the other seventy-eight hollows that were still roaming earth the same options as Lance. Eighteen of them want to become grim reapers, and Saphael is very interested in finding out how the hollows perform when compared to their usual recruits. If these hollows do well, I think all future hollows would be allowed to train to become grim reapers."

Ugh Saphael. That archangel is way too bubbly for being the angel of death. He's in charge of all the grim reapers, and the reapers are only able to maintain a physical human body because of his unique ability to link their souls to his.

Zorander and Kai enter the room and Kai immediately makes himself comfortable on the couch next to me.

"Thank you for the potion," Zorander grunts and Gabriel grins in response.

I spend the next few minutes filling in Zorander on the options that are being offered to Lance until Kai whispers, "Razzy, bubble bath." He might as well have yelled it from the rooftops since Zorander snickers and Gabriel giggles before he offers to take us home.

"I'll be seeing you around, Zorander." Gabriel winks at the demon who is ogling his wings with a look of mild interest before flapping his wings and transporting us back to Kai's living room. 

Thank you for reading! ❤

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