I woke up slowly, wrapped in what felt like the softest sheets in the universe. The room was immense, with vaulted ceilings that seemed to disappear into the shadows above, and everything was decorated in golden and black tones that somehow felt both elegant and welcoming.
But it wasn't the grandeur of the place that fully woke me up. It was the voices.
"He looks so much like Luci when he was younger," someone whispered with a deep and affectionate voice. "The same delicate features, the same peaceful expression when he sleeps."
"Shh, you're going to wake him up," another voice responded, this one more authoritative. "Lucifer specifically asked me to administer a sedative. Do you know how painful wings can be when they emerge so suddenly?"
"But he's adorable," murmured a third voice, clearly trying to be quieter. "Look at those eyelashes. And the golden hair... he's perfect."
"They're talking about you like you're a puppy," Set laughed in my mind.
"A very cute puppy, though," Sekhmet added with amusement. "Your uncles are completely enchanted with you."
Uncles?
I opened my eyes completely and found myself looking at five incredibly attractive men standing around my bed. They all had a presence that screamed "divine power," but in completely different ways.
"Hello," I said, and my new voice still surprised me—softer, more melodic than it had been all my life.
One of them, who had pale pinkish blonde hair and eyes that shone like stars, immediately lunged toward me. "He's even more adorable awake!" he exclaimed, wrapping me in a hug that smelled of cinnamon and moonlight. "Hello, nephew! You are absolutely precious."
"Raziel," said one of the larger men, gently pulling the enthusiastic one away from me, "look at his face. He doesn't know who we are. Why don't we introduce ourselves first before overwhelming him?"
He was right. I was completely lost, though something in the back of my mind whispered that these men were important, that they were family.
The one who had spoken stepped forward with a kind smile. He was tall, dressed in a formal suit in green and white tones, and had a presence that radiated natural authority.
"I'm Gabriel," he said, slightly inclining his head. "I'm the healing angel. And your uncle."
The angel who was near me, who was still close to my bed, straightened up and gave me a brilliant smile. "Raziel, archangel of divine secrets and knowledge! Also your uncle, obviously."
My eyes moved to a man who looked more like an executive secretary than a celestial being, with elegant glasses and perfectly styled hair. "Uriel," he introduced himself with a more reserved smile. "Archangel of wisdom and purifying fire."
"And I'm Azrael," said his twin—because they were clearly twins, though Azrael had slightly more disheveled hair. "Archangel of death and transition. Don't worry," he added with a mischievous smile, "I'm not here for work."
The last man stepped forward, and immediately I could see the family resemblance. He was enormous—easily almost two meters tall—with long black hair that fell over his shoulders and purple eyes that were like mine but darker. His presence was intimidating even when he smiled.
"Michael," he said simply. "Your uncle. And your mother's twin."
I felt my brain processing that information. "Uncles," I repeated slowly, feeling how a smile began to form on my face. "You are my uncles."
And then, as if I had said the magic words, they all pounced on me in a group hug that somehow managed to be overwhelming and perfectly comfortable at the same time.
"Finally we can meet you properly!" Raziel exclaimed, ruffling my hair.
"We've been waiting so long," Gabriel murmured, his voice full of emotion.
"Lucifer has talked about you for millennia," Uriel added, adjusting my pillows.
That's when I heard footsteps approaching, and my room door opened to reveal another man. This one resembled Michael and Lucifer, but his features were slightly finer than Michael's, though not as much as Lucifer's. His black hair had soft waves, and when he smiled, I felt a warmth that went directly to my heart.
"Grandfather," I whispered, though I wasn't sure how I knew it was him.
His smile became brighter. "Hello, my beautiful grandson. I thought you had forgotten me. I'm so glad you remember me. I'm God, but you can call me grandfather if you want."
He approached the bed and gently helped adjust my wings, which apparently had gotten a bit tangled while I slept. His touch was incredibly soft, and immediately I felt how tension I hadn't noticed vanished from my muscles.
"Better," he murmured, examining the golden feathers. "New wings can be tricky at first."
That's when my stomach decided to growl so loud that everyone in the room laughed.
"Could I... could I eat something?" I asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Of course, my love," came Lucifer's familiar voice from the door. He entered carrying a tray that smelled absolutely divine—golden pancakes with what appeared to be crystallized honey and a glass of milk that glowed softly.
"Celestial food," Lucifer explained, placing the tray on my lap. "It will help with your body's transition."
I didn't need to be told twice. The pancakes were incredible—sweet but not cloying, with a texture that melted in my mouth. The honey tasted as if it had been made from pure sunlight, and the milk was creamy in a way that words couldn't describe.
"You look like a hamster," Azrael commented with amusement, watching how I stuffed whole bites into my mouth.
"A very cute hamster," Raziel immediately corrected.
"When was the last time you ate properly?" Uriel asked with concern.
I had to think about that. "Two days ago? Before the mission where... well, where I died."
The silence that followed was uncomfortable until Gabriel cleared his throat.
"Well, that explains the voracious hunger."
After finishing my celestial breakfast, my grandfather sat on the edge of the bed with a more serious expression.
"Alexander," he began gently, "I'd like to better understand what you've been experiencing. Lucifer and Voren told me some details, but I'd like to hear it from you. Can you tell me about your experience as an omega in the Bearer world?"
His question brought back memories I'd rather forget, but I knew it was important for him to understand.
"Omegas in Ra-Ma-Tec don't have real rights," I began slowly. "We're expected to marry alphas that our families choose for us. We can't train for combat, we can't occupy leadership positions, we can't even make important decisions about our own lives."
I could see how my uncles' expressions darkened as I spoke.
"And if we refuse," I continued, "if we try to rebel or make our own choices, they use runes and spells to... to deprive us of our free will. Temporarily, they say, just until we accept our 'proper place.' After they marry us off, they 'free' us, but by then it's too late."
"That's slavery," Michael murmured, his voice so cold it made the room's temperature drop several degrees.
"Forced mind control," Gabriel added, his fists clenching.
"Systematic abuse," Azrael growled.
My grandfather raised a hand, and everyone calmed down immediately, though I could see the fire in their eyes hadn't faded.
"And Set and Sekhmet?" he asked. "How did they come to be part of you?"
I smiled slightly. "Why don't you ask them directly?"
Without warning, Set and Sekhmet manifested physically in the room. Not in the subtle way they had appeared before—this time, they appeared in all their divine glory.
Set was exactly as I had seen him in my visions: tall, with bronze skin and eyes that changed color like sandstorms. His presence radiated chaotic power, but not in a malevolent way.
Sekhmet was fierce and beautiful, with hair that seemed to be made of flames and feline eyes that shone with an intensity that could cut diamonds.
"Hello," Set said with a smile that showed perfect teeth. "We've been waiting to properly meet our little bearer's family."
"We disappeared between dimensions millennia ago," Sekhmet explained, her voice purring like a great feline. "We were tired of the Egyptian pantheon's politics, of their rigid rules and their lack of understanding about the necessary balance between order and chaos."
"We found Alexander—well, his soul—floating between lives," Set continued. "He was so beautiful, so full of potential, and he was destined to suffer so much..."
"We attached ourselves to him," Sekhmet said simply. "To protect him and seal his powers until he was strong enough to handle them."
My grandfather studied them carefully. "The Egyptian gods believe you're dead."
"The Egyptian gods," Set said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "have believed many incorrect things for millennia."
"And now," Sekhmet added, "they've crossed a line they should never have crossed. The alpha-omega-beta system—a natural system that should be blessed—mind control, slavery..."
"Yes," my grandfather murmured, and there was something dangerous in his voice. "They had already crossed a line with the Sacred Covenant millennia ago. This time, they've messed with something much more fundamental: free will."
He stood up from the bed, and for the first time I could see completely the divine authority he radiated.
"The Council of gods was already upset with the Egyptians for involving humans in divine wars," he continued. "Now that they've messed with the fundamental nature of souls—making the system become one of slavery—I think it's time for them to face the consequences, more than they've already been tested. Maybe they didn't learn the lesson."
The smile he gave me was completely loving, but there was something in his eyes that made me think the Egyptian gods were about to have the worst day of their immortal lives.
"But that," he added, sitting back down and reaching to fix one of my feathers that had twisted, "is something we'll worry about later. For now, what's important is that you're where you belong, with your family, being exactly who you're destined to be."
I looked around the room—at my uncles who smiled at me with so much love I felt my heart might explode, at my grandfather who radiated unconditional acceptance, at Set and Sekhmet who had waited millennia to protect me.