I was led out and away from the minotaurs. Instead of going back the way we came we hooked a right. It wasn't long before I was led to a meadow, a wondrous field filled with wildflowers of cornflower blue, yellows, and whites, sprinkled with baby's breath. Butterflies lazily swooped around in the late afternoon light. The field gave way to an orchard, practically choked out by weeping willows. The breeze here was nice, and the drooping limbs and their leaves seemed to sing a song in the wind.

"You will remember this tree," Mikha'el told me, stopping before what seemed like a random tree in the middle of the grove. I hadn't the faintest clue how I would remember this specific one, but as soon as he said it, I knew it to be true. I would know this tree from the rest.

Without explanation Mikha'el gingerly and lovingly moved aside the boughs. The archangels walked past him and under, disappearing until it was only Mikha'el and me. I was confused and I leaned forward. My senses were dumbfounded when instead of seeing beneath the tree, there was some sort of doorway that led to a strange area filled with mist and twilight. Vaguely, as I looked at Mikha'el questioningly, I wondered when things like this would stop surprising me.

Mikha'el smiled and held out his hand, urging me to enter the mist. Trusting him explicitly I took a deep breath and stepped forward. He followed immediately behind me, and as soon as the leaves rustled behind us, the verdant grove disappeared and we were completely within the twilight.

"Where are we?" I muttered, and was equally mystified and embarrassed when my voice echoed far away from us.

"A very important, very sacred realm," Auriel said seriously, his voice equally reverberating throughout the vastness.

"There are more protectors," Gabriel told me as we walked off in a seemingly random direction, our shoes tapping against a hard floor hidden beneath the swirling lavender mist. "As before, we will ensure they don't rip you limb from limb."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered, but the words easily traveled. It earned a laugh from Gabriel and a chuckle from Auriel. Mikha'el looked deeply amused.

It didn't take long before we came upon a massive set of double-doors. They were silver and richly ornate, carved with flowers and swooping, stylized decorative lines. In the distance they had looked like a mountain, but their true form appeared out of the blurry surroundings. As I had been warned, two minotaurs stood guard, bearing two massive polearms. And, just like earlier, they lowered their weapons at me as we approached. Once things were smoothed over, they let out an ear-splitting guttural cry, and the doors slid open. I was not to come here often. In fact, my introduction to this place was one of the few times I would ever find myself here in all of my years as an angel.

Spreading before me was the strangest thing I had ever laid eyes on. Rows upon rows of what looked like paintings were floating mid-air. Television hadn't been invented yet, but once they were I would come to realize they were more akin to TVs than paintings, with their slight glow and flickering replay of a seconds worth of time. Instead of being led into the maze of bobbing images that went on for as far as the eye could see, we stopped just a few feet into it, the massive doors shutting behind us.

"What is all this?" I breathed, and had it not been so quiet my words probably would not have been heard.

"This is the most sacred realm of them all."

Raphael had said that. What he said was unbelievable, and I turned to him. The incredulity in my voice went unchecked.

"Even over Heaven?"

"Yes," Raguel answered for his brother, and when I looked at him his icy eyes were narrowed. "Even before Heaven itself."

"Welcome to the Time Realm."

It was a new voice that spoke, and I turned my attention. Walking out of the strange floating squares was an impossibly old looking man. His hands were gnarled and wrinkled, knuckles looking arthritic. He was bald, large liver spots blossoming on his skull. His face was anything but clean-shaven; instead, an impossibly long beard flowed from his chin, his upper lip partially covered in white hair. The beard flowed to the left currently, over his shoulder, dragging behind him. Truth be told, I was worried the old man was going to trip over it.

As he drew nearer, I noticed two things. One were his white robes. They were lovingly intricate and detailed, with threads of gold woven throughout. They were long, almost as long as his beard. The second were his eyes; they had the milky coverings of complete blindness. You could imagine how unnerving it was when he looked directly at me with his unseeing eyes, extending his wrinkled hand in greeting.

"It is so good to meet you, dearest Ulcinin," the man said.

With hesitation I took his hand and shook it. It felt frail in my palm, and I suddenly was afraid it would crumble if I held on too tightly.

"The pleasure is all mine," I greeted, thankful when he slipped his hand out of my own. "Forgive me—and you are?"

Surprising me, the man laughed. It broke off into a wet, hacking cough. Once done, he smiled once more at me.

"You may call me Time."

"As in the herb?"

"No, my dear boy. Time, as in the sands of time, or the time of day."

I couldn't help it; I felt my eyes bulge.

"You should call him by his proper and respectful name, Father Time," Raguel said curtly behind me.

Raguel was seriously on my last nerve. As such, I looked over my shoulder and openly gave him a snotty look.

"Raguel, I told him he is allowed to call me Time, and so he shall," Father Time said, narrowing his white eyes over my shoulder at Raguel.

Raguel, to my astonishment, went down on one knee, crossed his right arm across his body so his fist touched his left shoulder, and bowed his head.

"Forgive me, Father Time, I did not mean to speak out of place."

Time smiled kindly at me. "It's alright. Down the road we will butt heads, but Ulcinin here and I are going to become fast friends."

Time continued to smile at me, as though he expected me to say something. So I did.

"Oh. Er, alright. That's good to know."

Time laughed.

"What is all—"

"This?" Time interrupted me, waving behind his back at the glowing, bobbing maze. "This is time itself. These are called the Time Frames. Every single second of every single day is recorded and kept here. History is played out in them, starting with the beginning of everything-"

I looked to where he had gestured, a great vastness of swirls, and blackness, and stars, which suddenly gave a brilliant, blinding flash of light.

"—and following one being at a time until the end of time, or, in the case of mortals, until they die. From there Time begins again, with the addition of a new being."

"I don't—I'm afraid I don't understand-"

"Come, Ulcinin, come. I shall show you."

Giving a brief nervous look at Mikha'el, I followed Time to one of the first Time Frames. He showed me how Adam was made and lived his life in the Garden of Eden. When he died, I saw the same images but this time with Eve. Then I witnessed everything happen once more, in the exact same way, except with the addition of Cain and Able.

It was strange, seeing the same lives play out with slightly different outcomes over and over again. Yet through it all, nothing major had changed, and all outcomes were largely the same. Time was tweaked to include every new addition to the mix. It was impressive, to say the least. Truthfully it was awe-inspiring, and I was reduced to tears, much like I had been at the multi-dimensional scrying pool.

I felt foolish, standing there, crying as I watched history play out before me. Without me saying anything, Time gently rested his lithe hand on my forearm. When I looked down at him, he smiled.

"You will get used to this all. You weep not only for the sheer magnitude of what your eyes look upon, but also a deep understanding that you are bearing witness to the fabrics of reality itself. Your angelic powers are humming—can you feel it?"

I closed my eyes. After a moment I opened them and frowned. "No—am I supposed to?"

Time chuckled. "Forgive me, Sera. It is not a literal humming. You are being reduced to tears because your celestial being is in tune with your surroundings. It's inexplicably overwhelming. Do not be ashamed—most, if not all, beings who come here are reduced to tears the first few times they enter. "

"Er, I'm sorry," I said, wiping off my face with my arm, "Why did you say 'Sera'? Who is Sera?"

Time chuckled. "Oh. Right. Forgive me. It is the true name you are to go by eventually."

I opened my mouth to speak, but behind us Mikha'el cleared his throat. Time, looking a bit mischievous, patted my arm and then turned to my ward. As he spoke he began to hobble forward.

"Please forgive me, dearest and holiest Mikha'el. It was a slip of the tongue."

Mikha'el frowned and crossed his arms. "Of course it was."

Time laughed. "I have agreed not to overwhelm the lad by showing him all of my realm; let me at least have this."

Mikha'el groaned. Even so, he took Father Times hand in his own. Dropping to one knee, he kissed the back of the speckled, wrinkly hand.

"It was a pleasure to see you, as always, dearest Father Time."

Father Time put his hand to Mikha'el's cheek and smiled. "How often must I tell you—please, call me Time."

Mikha'el laughed.

Father Time bid us all goodbye. We had to wait on account of Raguel; Time had pulled him off to the side, and while I couldn't hear what was being discussed, it appeared as though he were being scolded by the old man. After their discussion Raguel came back to us, looking like he was eating something sour. Ignoring his demeanor completely though, Mikha'el turned towards the doors.

"There is no more for you here, presently. You have one final being to meet, and then we are done for the day."

As we left the Realm of Time, I could feel Raguel glaring at my back.