Sky's POV:

"What happened in the last year?" P'Pai asked. "The last year, Rain trained alone with Gabriel and Michael. The wings are a gift from them to him. They will disappear once he is done with the war. They have been given to him because our guardians believe that he might need them during his battles. And it's not one battle that we are looking at, it's a war," I explained. "So, what did you do during these three years? What exactly was the training about?" P'Venice asked. "That's the thing. As I explained, Rain was born with his powers, but they remained dormant, because the time was not right. Once the seven sins awakened, so did his powers," I said.

"Once they started awakening, you realised I was your mate, and the accident happened," Rain said. P'Venice grimaced at that. "That was when the first lock opened, heralding the clock has begun its countdown. These powers are not enough on their own, they had to be trained and honed to perfection. While I cannot tell you or anyone else how the seven sins must be defeated, I can and I must train every able-bodied member and make them an unbeatable force. If I can't make a kill for any reason, the knowledge will automatically pass on to you and only you," he nodded towards P'Venice.

Everyone sat quietly for a while. I could see P'Pai and P'Venice trying to digest all the information that we had thrown at them. They looked a bit shocked. I was not surprised. This was a lot to take in under normal circumstances, and these conditions were anything but normal. "So, now what is next?" P'Venice asked, looking at both of us. "The next step would be send out word to all the Councils to ensure that they are send their best warriors," P'Pai spoke up. "That's a good idea. I will take charge of that. Sending word will not be difficult. The difficulty will lie in convincing them," P'Venice said.

"Convincing them? What do you mean? Will they not believe you? Do they not believe that a war is coming?" Rain asked, a bit of his anger eking through. His eyes flashed golden. "Rain, calm down," P'Venice said, putting his hand on Rain's. I could see him calming down instantly. Maybe there was something in this mate bond after all. "It's not that they don't believe us, it's just that the seriousness of the situation is not something they will understand. We can start with our own warriors, set an example. Then we will have more success," he said. I was surprised by what Phi said. For a moment there, he had sounded like a true leader.

"Your Majesty," P'Pai began, and I burst out laughing. "What?" he looked at me, completely surprised. "Which one of them are you calling?" I asked. "Rain," P'Pai said, "because I am his cousin, so never a need of formalities," he added. I continued to laugh, literally holding my stomach. P'Pai was slowly turning red with embarrassment. Even his ears turned red. It was adorable. "Stop it Sky," Rain admonished. "P'Pai, you can call me Rain. You are my best friend's mate, my brother in-law in a way, and soon to be my advisor. Please, there is no need for any formalities between us." "Okay, Rain it is then. After all, you are my brother in-law too," P'Pai said.

Rain and Venice looked at each other. They didn't smile or say a single word, but something unspoken passed between them. I had asked Rain what they had spoken about, if he had forgiven him. He had said that he had told him that he will be the Queen, but not his mate. They would take some time to know about each other and then he would decide if he wanted to forgive him. "But haven't you already forgiven him?" I had asked. "I had decided to forgive him, and eventually I will. But Michael and Gabriel had once told me that the punishment can befit the crime, so not forgiving him right away is allowed," he had smiled then.

I looked at P'Venice and saw that he was looking at Rain. "What are you thinking?" he asked him. "Nothing. Just wondering when we can begin training," he said. "I think we can do it as soon as you are ready Your.., I mean Rain," P'Pai said. "The sooner, the better," I said. "Are you recovered enough?" P'Venice asked. "I am. I was never ill Phi," he said. "But you were in coma Rain, for three years. You can't overlook that one fact, right?" he asked him. "True, but my coma was just a means for me to go into limbo, a way for my powers to wake. I have been training all these past three years so there is nothing wrong with me. I am healthy, see?" he said showing off his biceps. P'Venice smiled. "Yes, I can see, you are cut," he said, sounding completely indulgent. I was actually very surprised that I was seeing so many sides of Phi today. Maybe he did have redeeming qualities somewhere.

Rick's POV:

Rain and Sky were finally coming home. I was just coming out of my room when the bell rang. I rushed down, just as Zan opened the door. "Rain?!" I exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing here? I was just getting ready to come pick you both up!" "We didn't want to wait. So we told P'Venice and P'Pai to bring us home," he grinned. "Oooh! I am so excited to be home!" he said as he took a flying leap into my arm. "Where are Uncle Type and Uncle Tharn?" Sky asked, still buried in Zan's arms. Venice and Pai were smiling at the antics of the boys. But what surprised me was Rain.

Was this extremely fit boy my brother? Rain had never been fat, but he used to always enjoy eating, so always tended to be a little plump. The boy I was hugging? He was cut. He had defined muscles and was fighting fit. Usually patients after a coma took a long time to heal, but here was my baby, completely toned and active. What the hell had happened to him? I was more than curious to know. In the past 2 days, no matter how many times I had asked him, he had always replied that he would tell everyone together. But I had to first ask the question that was uppermost on my mind. "So, have you forgiven Venice?"

Pin-drop silence followed my words. Rain jumped down and looked at me. I knew what he would see. Utter hatred for that bastard. Then he looked at Venice. He was looking at the floor, not meeting anyone's eye. He looked back at me, and suddenly I felt the aura in the room change. It was like electricity was running through it. Our hair stood on end. "What the hell are you doing Phi?" he asked. This was the first time he had called me Phi. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Why are you looking at P'Venice like that?" he asked. There was something different about his voice too, taking on a richer, deeper timbre.

"How can you even ask me that? He hurt you! He deserves this!" I exclaimed. His eyes started changing, a blackish golden tinge to them. I had never seen him quite like that. "Did you forget he is your king?" he asked. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. "He maybe a king, but for me, he is nothing but an asshole who broke my brother's heart," I was adamant in my stance. "And you didn't?" his voice pretty much a growl now. "Rain," Venice laid his hand on his. I could visibly see the change in him. His eyes returned to normal, the strange electricity in the room dissipating. "I deserve it," he said.

"Yes, yes, you do," he said, "but only from me." His voice had also noticeably changed, coming back to its original sweetness. He looked around the room. "What P'Venice did, he did to me. I will be the one to punish him, look down at him, fight with him, or make him feel guilty, whatever it takes. Nobody else. No one, and I repeat, no one has the right to judge him, except me. He is your king, the only thing he deserves from you, is your respect," his tone brooked no argument and the energy emanating from him made all of us, including Venice, bow our heads.

Who was this boy? Was he really Rain? I was shocked, to say in the least. I cleared my throat, just about to say something when I saw Pa and Dad and also Uncle Vegas and Uncle Pete. Even their heads were bowed. I was awed. The boy who had lain in coma the last three years had been my brother Rain. The man who stood in front of me, was the Queen. I looked at the faces of everyone around me and realised that they were probably feeling the same awe as I was.

Rain's POV:

I was furious. Had that been the treatment he had been getting the past three years? I had an inkling that it would have been bad, but I had never expected to see him treated like this. He had been given the title of the King of Supernaturals, but the truth was, he had been treated like trash. And the poor guy, in his guilt and grief, allowed that to happen, thinking it was all his fault. Maybe it was, but all of us were equally at fault. Had I not kept quiet, instead if I had kicked up a fuss at his being my mate, things would have been different. But now, I was back. I would make sure he got his rightful place back. Whether I would forgive him or not was my prerogative, no one else had that right.

"P'Venice," I commanded, "I want to go to my room. Please bring my bag along." I decided then and there that in front of everyone else, I would treat him as a mate deserved to be treated. Whatever else happened between us, would remain behind closed doors, private and secure. Phi nodded and followed me as I went upstairs. I was still seething when Sky walked in 10 minutes later. "They are still shell-shocked baby," he said, laughing. "How can you laugh at such a time Sky?" P'Pai asked, shocked. "He can laugh at anything. Be glad he is laughing and not blowing up things," I said, looking at Phi.

"What is that supposed to mean now?" he asked, bewildered. "If you had met him 3 years ago, he would have scalded you with his words. You are lucky that you met a more mellowed version of Sky," I told him. He looked at his mate, who was now comfortably lounging on my bed, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Take everything he says with a pinch of salt Phi," my bestie said. "Rain has the weirdest sense of humour, and he is not afraid to use it," he said. "But you don't see me laughing right now, do you Sky?" I asked. "You have to calm down baby. You know it's always like this. Things must always get worse before they get better," he tried to calm me down, his voice serious now.

"Rain," P'Venice began. "I am okay with this," he said. I seared him with a look. "But I am not okay. Absolutely not." I said. "It will pass over. Now that you are back, and we begin training our army, it will all be the start of a new chapter. I was stupid before, that I didn't understand you, but I hope we can try to at least be friends. That will mean a lot to me, and also be enough for us to forge a better connection than being mates," he said, smiling at me. Although I nodded and smiled back at him, I was actually quite astonished. It was not something I had expected from him, and when I looked at Sky, I could see the same reaction etched on his face.