Ten days.
It had been ten days since Michael arrived in New York. Ten days since he had stayed there. Ten days since he stopped waking up from nightmares, and ten days of going to the mausoleum of Ceres every single day... just to touch her tomb and relive the same vision, over and over again, of himself and the still faceless Seraphadneel.
It was always the same vision as the first... the two of them sparring, his sword clashing against her glaive, her helping him name his blade. And always, it ended with him watching her back as she walked away toward the Chamber of Creation.
But unlike that first time, in the days that followed, Michael no longer collapsed unconscious afterward.
"Young Master, the clan elders have requested you return to California. The banquet for your twentieth birthday is in two days," François said, standing just behind him.
After Michael's first collapse inside the mausoleum, François and the bodyguards made it a rule to follow him inside to ensure it never happened again... though the guards always stopped at the entrance, keeping their watch outside.
François still didn't know the true reason his master had insisted they come to New York, or why he visited this property every single day. But he knew Michael well enough not to ask. He had watched the boy grow up, and if there was one thing certain about Michael Heavensblade, it was this... he only shared what he wanted to share. No more, no less.
"You cannot enter," one of the bodyguards suddenly said, interrupting François's thoughts.
"And why not?" A woman's voice, sharp and impatient, answered back.
The moment Michael heard the voice, his heartbeat quickened for reasons he could not explain.
"Mr. Heavensblade is still inside," the bodyguard said firmly.
"And what does that matter to me? You don't get to decide when I can or cannot enter," the woman shot back, her tone cutting.
Michael decided to step outside the mausoleum to see who the voice belonged to. François immediately followed.
The four bodyguards had formed a living wall, blocking the woman's way.
"What's going on here?" François asked.
"Sir," one of the bodyguards reported, "this woman insists on entering the mausoleum. We stopped her."
"Hey, mister." The woman faced them now, irritation flashing in her golden eyes. "First of all, this property belonged to the Falcons... and was transferred to me. Second, that's my sister's tomb inside. So why are you stopping me from visiting her? I don't care if one of Lucifer's lackeys is in there. Move. I still have jet lag."
Michael winced at her words.
"I am not Lucifer's lackey," he said, stepping forward. At once, the bodyguards moved aside for him. "And I will never be that... " His words died in his throat when his eyes fell on her.
Black hair. Golden eyes.
If not for her hair, she looked strikingly like Ceres.
But it wasn't the resemblance that froze him in place.
It was the fact that, as he stared at her, the faceless Seraphadneel in his visions slowly began to take shape... her features merging, becoming one with the woman before him.
"Seraphadneel," Michael whispered, his voice breaking as he spoke the name.
The young woman frowned at him, her brows knitting together in confusion... not only at his presence but at the name he had just called her.
"Who are you calling Seraphadneel? My name is Evadne," the woman said, arching a brow at Michael. "And how long exactly are you going to block me from entering?" She cast a pointed look at the bodyguards still standing in her way.
"Princess, what's going on?" Everyone turned as Casadin approached. He gently pulled Evadne behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist... an intimate gesture that, for some reason Michael couldn't name, unsettled him deeply.
"I wanted to talk to big sis," Evadne said, resting her head on Casadin's shoulder and pouting slightly before casting another curious glance at Michael. "But these men stopped me. Something about a Mr. Heavensblade."
Only then did Casadin look up and notice who stood before them. His brows furrowed.
"Michael Heavensblade of California?" Casadin asked.
Michael didn't respond. His gaze remained fixed on Evadne's hands, still wrapped around Casadin's waist, as though the very sight offended him.
"Do you know him?" Evadne asked, glancing up at Casadin.
"Not personally, Princess," Casadin replied, looking down at her with a small smile. "But he's the head of Flynn's clan."
Amused, Evadne turned her eyes back to Michael. There was something so strange about him… and yet, so hauntingly familiar. She was certain... absolutely certain... this was the first time they had met.
Even stranger, she couldn't read his mind.
She had tried. The way she once tried to read Uriel's thoughts... and failed. Something was blocking her. But it wasn't her ability. She had no trouble reading the bodyguards or even the older man nearby. Her mind-reading, even after her training with Lyxaria, remained sharp.
Which could only mean one thing.
Michael Heavensblade… was an angel.
And judging by his name? Evadne would bet her soul on it... The Archangel Michael. The Blade of Heaven.
These angels, she scoffed silently, really didn't try to hide. Uriel paraded around as "Dr. Uriel Sunray"... the literal Light of Heaven... and now this one was walking around with a last name like Heavensblade?
'Are all angels so bored they've started walking around in human bodies now?' Evadne thought dryly.
"Baby, we need to leave."
Before anyone could speak again, Hades arrived beside them, frowning as soon as he caught sight of Michael and his entourage.
"The parents are looking for us... especially you," Hades said to Evadne. "You still have gown fittings to do, and we'll run out of time if we delay."
He took Evadne's hand, gently unwrapping her arms from Casadin's waist and pulling her to his side.
"But I haven't even spoken to big sis yet," Evadne said, though she didn't resist as Hades wrapped an arm around her shoulder and began leading her away.
Casadin followed on her other side, slipping one of her free hands into his.
None of the three even looked back at Michael.
And Michael... he couldn't understand what he was feeling.
He should have been fine. They were humans. Insignificant to him. Mere mortals.
And yet… he hated it.
The sight of the three of them... Evadne, Hades, and Casadin... together.
It wasn't indifference, the usual cold neutrality he felt toward mortals.
It was hate. Pure hatred.
And the most baffling part of all? He knew he didn't hate them individually. His hatred came from the fact that they were together.
"Young Master!" François cried out in alarm as Michael suddenly staggered, clutching his chest like he was in pain.
"I... I can't breathe," Michael gasped, shocking everyone around him.
Without wasting a second, François and the four bodyguards rushed to support him, lifting him and heading swiftly toward the parking area to bring him to the hospital.
As they moved, they passed by Evadne, Hades, and Casadin. The two men were fussing over her... adjusting her coat, kissing her hand, her cheek... and the sight tightened something vicious in Michael's chest.
His vessel may have been human, but it had always been blessed by his light. It had never known human frailty.
Except now.
Now, he was in pain.
Real, human pain.
And all because he had seen Evadne… standing with Hades and Casadin.