Chapter 7: Survivors of Ragnarok

Chronos shows the newly made Malak, Oblivion, to the Paradiso branch of the Survivors of Ragnarok - a group of people fighting to prevent Armageddon from happening.

We had spent some time flying and some time walking in New Nazareth. The city was so clean, so pristine. It was nothing of what any memories I had of what cities were like on Earth. Even the most well kept cities in my memory had no inkling of the upkeep that went into New Nazareth. There was a certain meticulousness to even the scrubbed clean brick walkways we stepped upon. I almost felt as if I was tracking in dirt, but I was walking around outside. It was as if I myself was the stain, the unwanted filth. It wasn't too long though that we found ourselves in a sea of rolling green plains, the outskirts to New Nazareth that somehow looked just as well kept. There were some angels enjoying the beautiful day amongst the grass, a few lazy clouds passing by. The temperature seemed perfectly set as well. It was almost unsettling how much everything here was kept under check. 

"We'll have to go airborne again to cover ground quicker. Your wings still tired?" Chronos asked me. I shook my head. 

"No that break was good enough," I said. He nodded and scratched at his face a little. It seemed he was a bit nervous. This mentor of mine, Chronos the Archangel of Time, was a very peculiar person. We took flight again and he took the lead. 

 

Eventually we hovered over what I could only assume was the Crumbling Castle. It appeared to me as such as it very much looked like a castle crumbling from being blasted into ruins. The immediate area around it looked to be demolished as well, the road to the place included. This had once been connected to New Nazareth it seemed. The Crumbling Castle was the one thing I had seen thus far in Paradiso that wasn't kept up to an ultra-pristine condition, at least on its outside. 

"Here it is," Chronos declared as we floated down to our landing spot in front of the main door to the castle. It was strange that the place even had a door considering it was easy enough to fly in from any of the holes blasted through its top or from one of its sides. It appeared as it might've once looked like what much of the other buildings in New Nazareth looked like, but it was devoured in green with moss and shrubbery. It was riddled with blemishes of missing bricks and scorched or partially missing rooftops. 

"Before we go in...is there some kind of back story to their name? They're survivors of what exactly?" I inquired. 

"Ragnarok. It was the biggest conflict between Paradiso and Inferno that eventually turned into a full-scale war. Lots of people died during Ragnarok. Some of the toughest warriors and commanders I've ever had the chance to meet fell that day. Odin. His son Thor. Zeus. His daughter Artemis. Abraham Lincoln. Richard the Lionheart. Saladin. Alexander the Great. Hangaku Gozen. I could keep going with the list of marvelous people that dreadful war took from us. The original four members of the Survivors of Ragnarok actually fought and survived the war and managed to turn the tides enough to ensure neither Paradiso nor Inferno won the war," Chronos told me. I was glad to have him as a mentor. With a man who holds the power of time in his hands, it was likely he saw all the history of Paradiso, Inferno, Purgatorio, and Earth altogether. If I had a question, he was likely the best person in either of the worlds to know the answer. 

"Wow. No pressure then," I said sarcastically. 

"Don't worry. They're too old and too weary to try and be very intimidating. Except Nine though, he's the oldest and somehow he's still scary. Then again...he's also - well I'll let you get to know him for yourself," he said and then knocked at the door that stood before us. The door to the place stood proudly where the rest of castle around it appeared to be ready to fall to pieces at any second - yet somehow even in its fragile appearance it towered over us. The place almost looked like a giant game of Jenga. I waited quietly as the metal door creaked open just a crack. An eye peaked through and spoke. 

"Who's there?" said the booming, deep pitched voice of an older sounding man man. 

"Nobody," Chronos said with a playful grin on his face. 

"Oh f**k you Chronos. I swear you do that joke every time you stop by," said the man at the door. The door swung open fully and it was revealed what was behind the door. It was a true-to-life Cyclops. The creature stood nearly as tall as the door itself and his proportions matched: feet the size of a sedan, fingers the size of ironing boards, and rest of his body giant in comparison to either Chronos or myself. Thankfully the creature was adorned with appropriately sized clothes so I didn't have to see if his nether region matched the rest of him. I noticed too that he had no wings, so he wasn't an angel. He was purely the creature he was - a Cyclops. 

"I know. Sorry about Hilde," Chronos stated. 

"What do you mean - my dog's fine. Nothing's wrong with...oh, son of a b***h! What's going to happen to her?" the Cyclops said with a realized irritation. 

"Can't tell you that part, but I do offer my condolences as you'll not see me for a little while after this. I just wanted to tell you now that I am or...rather, will be sorry for you loss," Chronos said with a sort of bored sympathy in his tone. This was another display of Chronos's abilities. As far as I knew he has seen what the past and future has to offer. I could only wonder how that affects him in the present. If he really has seen it all...that would mean he would almost always have to play pretend in not knowing what'll happen next. 

"S**t...well...thanks I guess," the Cyclops said with a now sullen tone. The big creature stood aside and let the pair of us in. I felt an odd sense of guilt not having introduced myself, but after what Chronos had said, the creature seemed a bit preoccupied. I continued after Chronos as he led us both into the candle-lit castle. There appeared to be holes and openings on the outside, yet on the inside it appeared as sealed up and as regal as it likely had looked when it was first built. There were long running carpets with intricate patterns over them laced with all kinds of fabrics. Underneath them there were elegant marble floors that stretched over until they elevated into staircases. All around there were stone columns with statues of different angels jutting out from them, the names of who they represented were etched into plaques just below them along with the artist who chiseled the stone. 

"Doesn't quite look like the outside does it?" he said, a question I assumed rhetorical. I simply nodded as he took me before a door to the west of complex, just underneath the next floor and to the side of the stairs. 

"Where are we going?" I asked. 

"I had planned for them to prepare a mid-afternoon meal for us a couple days ago," Chronos replied. I scratched my head for a moment. He already knew we were going to be here? I guess from the conversation I had just experienced a second ago with the Cyclops I shouldn't be so surprised, but still I was taken aback. He knew this would come to be and he set up a meal for me, he also had stepped in part way into my dubbing as a Malak with the Congregator - he had called himself my mentor before anyone else was even ready to be appointed. There was some conflict in my mind of whether or not he truly knew what was to happen next or did he purposefully guide what was to happen next? Whatever the case I set these thoughts aside as the doors opened. Lo and behold there was a dining table full of people with a meal that had just been placed at its middle, just like he said. 

"Wow, exact time you said...to the second. Nine said he couldn't make it. He went out to meet someone outside of Paradiso. He didn't specify more than that," one woman's voice perked up and said to him. The woman (and not trying to say this with a s****y pun) was heavenly looking. Her eyes were a caramel color, amber brown I would say. Her hair was made of curly locks of jet black. Her face itself held a very warm, welcoming look upon it, her skin itself a light bronze. She glanced over to me and the corners of her mouth rose ever so slightly. 

"Right. See something you like, Amy?" Chronos joked. I glanced over to the ring above her head. Her halo - it was a fake like mine. She was a Malak, just as I was. Chronos had shortened the name of the Malak he was speaking to earlier, from Propitious to "Pit". What was Amy's designation? 

"I...I'm sorry - you, the Malak...have we met before? You seem familiar," Amy said to me and held out her hand. I shook her hand and stood quiet for a brief moment. 

"I just got here. I don't think so," I said to her. 

"Oh right...duh. Sorry," Amy said and blushed. I shook my head and smiled slightly. 

"Don't worry about it. How long have you been a Malak?" I asked her. In the corner of my eye I could see Chronos cracking a smile. What he was smiling about I didn't know. 

"I'm not really sure. Time here is different or so Chronos has been telling me. To me it's been like a few months or something," she said, scratching her head. I turned to Chronos. Did he purposely position himself to be the mentor to three different Malakah? Why would he do that? 

"Are you - " I began. 

"Yes...okay, so I lied before. I mentoring three of you. Amy is the first, Pit's the second, and...now you're the third," he said with a shrug. I was going to ask him why, but found myself more drawn to continue my talk with Amy. 

"What's you're the full version of your name?" I asked her. She smiled as I asked. 

"Why don't you tell me yours first?" Amy requested politely. My eyes slightly widened as I realized I hadn't properly introduced myself. 

"Oh s**t, sorry I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Oblivion...I guess," I said to her with a slight bow. 

"The full word of my name is Amorous. I am a Malak of Love," she said with some pride in her voice. I cocked a brow for a second. Something as broad as love - I had reason to believe that she couldn't be the only person to have such an ability. Out of the entirety of all who died on Earth now living either here or in Inferno, I could only assume there had to be other Malakah or Archangels of the power of love. 

"If you're wondering if she's the only one to have her title - the answer is no. Although it is a very rare ability. Cupid is one of the most famous to herald the power and title of love. She should count herself quite lucky to be given such a powerful gift," Chronos mentioned. It was as if he read my mind. There was no denying he knew what was to come next. He knew the question I had and might've been inclined to ask, and answered it before I could even begin to formulate in the form of an actual spoken question. I'd be lying if I didn't say I felt invaded, like he had set up a security camera in my mind so he could monitor my thoughts. My thoughts swayed back to Amy and as I looked at her I noticed my heart jumped a pace as I locked eyes with her for a moment. 

"You're not using your power right now are you?" I asked before realizing how dumb that sounded. I shook my head in embarrassment. I honestly was wondering if she was. I had just met her yet she seemed instantly familiar, just as she had mentioned feeling that herself. I felt like I had already known her well and the look, the smile she gave me made me feel...well, "happy" was too simple of a word - it was something much more fulfilling than simple happiness. She laughed, likely amused at my question. Chronos took no liberties to cover up his own laughter. 

"No...I'm not. Whatever you're feeling is natural," she said very slyly. I scratched the back of my head. 

"I - I...well...alright, I wish I could erase that memory," I said through nervous laughter. 

"What about you though? You're Oblivion? What's your power? You're the Malak of...what, exactly?" she asked me with a curious look now on her face. I glanced to Chronos. I don't believe he ever let the Congregator finish speaking. I wasn't sure what my title was. I was Oblivion, the Malak of...I don't remember. What the f**k? How could that be? I couldn't go around being the Malak of "I don't know". 

"He's the Malak of - " Chronos began. 

"Holy baskets of goat s**t, why don't you lot sit down already?! We're all hungry here! We made the meal for you two after all!" one loud voice complained. Chronos smiled as he was interrupted. 

"The beaded loud mouth over here is Baldur, brother to Thor and son of Odin and Frigga. He came to be in a - " Chronos began to explain. 

"Second command and teller of my own over-told story. If I get to eat quicker, I'll tell it! Sit your butts down! So let's begin. I'm going to give you the nice and short abridged version of the story. I went to Inferno to go to my favorite brothel. Loki happened to be there all drunk and what-have-you. We got into a fight and we went outside and took to the sky to have it out. We had a pretty good fight, but he tricked me into diving headfirst into the middle of the street. I knocked myself out proper - enough so to put me into a coma. Loki panicked and dragged me over to Purgatorio and left me there. A set of Grigori took me in and cared for me while I was in my coma, but all the while I was gone it was believed that Loki had killed me in cold blood. Both sides had come to believe an Archangel allied to Inferno had killed an Archangel allied to Paradiso. War happened in the time of my lengthy coma. Goddamned Ragnarok they called it - it started because of a drunken bar fight. Eventually I woke up and came back to find the aftermath of the whole ordeal. Most of my family, many of my friends - all dead because of a misunderstanding," Baldur told the story, getting more grim in tone as he told it. There was a time of silence between all that was at the table. 

"But that was an eternity ago and that's what we're all here for! To make sure something like that never happens again! Let's damned eat already!" Baldur demanded with a much lighter tone. Smiles of relief crawled over mine and Amy's faces as the rest of the room cheered similar words. They were the Survivors of Ragnarok. They were mostly comprised of former soldiers of what appeared to be a nearly forgotten war between Heaven and Hell (outside of the Crumbling Castle that is). When Chronos and I had flown over New Nazareth it had appeared just as I remembered any modern city on Earth with the exception of cars being absent and winged people floating about instead. Of what I had seen and heard, the common citizen of New Nazareth had no concern of war even in their thoughts. They were absorbed into their shopping, what someone said to somebody, and their trivial bullshit complaints of menial things like political correctness...at least those were the topics of several conversations I floated over and by.  

The Survivors of Ragnarok on the other hand, these people banded together to remember the terrible war they participated in and wanted to cooperate with those in Inferno to prevent a terrible war between the worlds from happening again. I could understand that fact now after Baldur's brief little spiel about why Ragnarok had started to begin with. To them it was long ago, but still they remembered and came together in this place. As confused as I was about my surroundings I had to take some appreciation of that.  

I took my seat just near to Amy, something I was glad for. Something about her - I just found instantly appealing. Chronos took a seat across from me and soon enough the feast was set, ready to be devoured. 

 

I hadn't even realized how voracious of an appetite I actually had before the meal started. I hadn't eaten since my time started in the afterlife. All of it was a lot to process to even think about things like hunger or sleep. I barely had a grasp on why I was even here. I knew I had died and I obviously knew now that there was a life after death, but I knew jack-s**t about why I had died in the first place. I had died and it felt like I was simply following where I was being told to go. The Grigori guided me to the Congregator. The Congregator told me some things and offered me the suggested choice of becoming a Malak. I did so and Chronos swooped in to deem himself my mentor Archangel. Now I had my first meal in Paradiso, sitting amongst people who described themselves as relatives of people who I both knew existed in reality and didn't believe existed in reality, all because Chronos said we should. It was strange to know these people and types of creatures like the Cyclops existed. 

Baldur for example was the brother of Thor and son of Odin. Before this, I would've laughed at someone if they told me they existed outside of stories as flesh and blood. One of the Archangels had taken some time over the meal to tell me about some of the stories passed down to Earth and how often liberties were taken in the telling of said stories.  

"Many, if not all of them were sort of like pieces of guidance wrapped with...generous amounts of propaganda. Several different teams of writers took their efforts in trying to peddle their own versions. Different names were given to different books: the Bible, the Quran, the Torah, and so on. Ultimately it worked. Humans usually align Paradiso - or Heaven as it's more commonly called in the stories, as a place of 'righteousness'. Inferno was and is often too disorganized to send out propaganda of their own," said a man named Anansi. He was a dark-skinned man with a spider tattooed onto the top of his bald head. He had strong features and wore a pinstripe business suit. He had a very calm voice and seem to wear a permanent smirk.  

After speaking a little of the propaganda Paradiso had sent out, Anansi described his own story. He told me his story was one given to those in West Africa and as he told me about it he briefly went over which parts of his story were true, partially-true, and outright lies. Outside of the stories, apparently him and Loki would often compete in pulling pranks on one another, at least before Ragnarok had happened. Anansi apparently hasn't spoken to Loki since the war and had mentioned he believed Loki to have likely died during Ragnarok. 

Eventually the meal concluded and I was brought before Baldur himself within the main hall. I stood before the giant, burly, bearded man like a boot camp soldier would stand before his Drill Sergeant. Baldur was a Survivor of Ragnarok, but also considered the Spark of Ragnarok as Anansi mentioned. Baldur's false death had been the reason war was waged between the worlds. It was strange to think, but the man who looked like a Viking fresh off the boat had never actually fought in Ragnarok itself. Just the same though, the gratuitous amount of scars, the hardiness in his eyes, and the somewhat beaten pride in his stature lead me to believe that his absence in the actual battles of Ragnarok hardly meant he avoided violent conflict within the span of his life. 

"So, a unaffiliated not-yet-an-angel whelp like you wants to join the Survivors of Ragnarok, huh?" he said through spittle, as if he were talking to a piece of rat-s**t he found in his kitchen. 

"Chronos said that I would learn what each world was like and had to offer by joining your efforts," I answered to him. A quick, angry frown formed on his face. 

"You didn't answer my question, boy," Baldur said with a tone that sounded like if I spoke wrong again he would punch me on general principle. 

"Yes, I want to join the Survivors of Ragnarok...sir," I said, hoping to sound like the little military recruit I was somewhat involuntarily being signed up to be. His scowl instantly faded into a beaming and goofy grin. 

"Very good. That's more like it. Well - you can ease up, kid. I'm just pulling your leg. We're not a military force. We're just people trying to prevent a pointless and potentially vehemently lethal war. You should've had enough life before this one to know that war in general isn't very nice. People die, ideals are used as excuses, morals become relative - war's never really had a reputation for positive growth of anything. To have war between different countries is bad enough, but to have war between the entirety of Paradiso and Inferno would threaten to upset the balance of chaos and order. When one leg of the table collapses we all fall down," Baldur told me. I nodded my head. I wasn't sure how the afterlife worked or to what level it all was interconnected to Earth and the previous life. I had to go with what was being told to me, at least for now. 

"So the balance keeps everything together? Don't both sides know this? Why would they do something that would potentially f**k everybody over, including themselves? Also, don't take this the wrong way, but how do you know you're right?" I said, throwing a bunch of questions at him at once. 

"I'm sure we're right because we've got Chronos and he says that we're right. You'll get to know in your time with him, but that man knows everything. As for Inferno and Paradiso as a whole - no, they do not know. Ragnarok happened so suddenly and ultimately there was no victor, and thus the balance stayed. The soldiers and their commanders returned to their worlds to lick their wounds. Eventually the focus shifted for both Paradiso and Inferno to internal warfare...like when a man by the name of Adolf Hitler attempted to overthrow the Lord of Order at the time: Gabriel, Archangel of Might. Thankfully Hitler lost the war just as he lost the one he fought on Earth. Now the dust has long since settled from that war and Inferno's own internal problems. The worlds are anxious to fight each other again. Tensions are high. One mistake from either side could spark another war between the worlds...Armageddon this one will be called if it comes to be," Baldur explained further. 

"You guys ever just knock on their doors and be like 'hello guys, this whole war thing is a s****y idea'?" I said jokingly. An appropriate snarl swiped across Baldur's face. 

"If it were that damned easy, don't you think we would've tried it? We sent negotiators to each leader. Uriel, despite being a Lord of Order and believer of peace sees Inferno and its people as a blight on both Paradiso and Earth. She believes if she eliminated chaos off the spectrum of things that it would be beneficial to not only the angels of her world but the humans of Earth. She feels righteous in her desire for war. Same goes for the other side. The long reigning Lucifer, Lord of Chaos and also an Archangel of Light, believes that if order was taken off the table that people would be given ultimate freedom and that those who always seek to oppress others by using the excuse of safety or protection would be gone. He believes ultimate freedom would allow people to coexist as they should: to live to protect friends and family and for one to enforce their own brand of justice. He too believes that he is fighting righteously on behalf of the humans of Earth and his people," Baldur explained.  

"They're both Archangels of Light?" I asked. Baldur's snarl slipped away and a smirk took its place. He scratched at his bushy white beard for a second before answering. 

"Guess you're one of the Malakah that still ended up with residual memories. That happens from time to time with the Mnemosyne Swipe. It's supposed to completely erase any bias, but sometimes a little bit stays with you and in extremely rare cases all of it stays with you. But yeah kid, they both have the title of Archangel of Light. As I'm sure Chronos has already explained to you, Paradiso and whoever's living here - we're not the good guys, though we're not the bad guys either. Things may seem more black and white here and in Inferno, but in a lot of ways we both still got our grey areas like Earth. Perhaps not as many, but they definitely still exist," he said and belched slightly after. The stench of the burp made me consider if I hadn't misheard where it originated from and perhaps it came out of his a*s. His facial flatulence was so rancid it distracted me from what was sounding to be like important words from a wise old warrior. 

"What the f**k man?!" I said and pulled my shirt up over my nose. 

"Sorry. People around here always clear the room when one of those comes out. There's a lot worse smells around the worlds, though. Take Burke for example, he's the Cyclops you probably saw at the door. Let me just tell you, you ever get yourself downwind from the fart cloud of a Cyclops and somehow manage to keep your dinner down - we'll make a plaque for you and hang it on the wall somewhere. Now that I think about it that old one-eye should've eaten with us, though he apparently had to go tend to his dog or something," Baldur said with a shrug. I nodded, remembering what Chronos had informed him. Just as I had thought of him, Chronos entered and traversed the stairs to where we were.  

"Oh my - Baldur is that another of yours? My eyes are watering," Chronos said wiping his eyes as he got close. Baldur let out a hearty laugh and nodded his head. 

"What were you up to, sir?" I asked my mentor. 

"No need for that Oblivion. No 'sir', no 'mentor', or whatever. Just call me Chronos. I was making a call letting Pit know that we'll be on our way tomorrow. Oh, and Amy wants to see you tomorrow morning. She didn't tell anyone that but I have a way of knowing these things. When you see her and she gives you a request, just tell her I said that it's okay with me," Chronos said with a smile. I raised my brow and nodded. I wasn't sure how to feel about his power. He definitely could answer anything I could ask, but how much did he know that I didn't want him to? Then again, how much did I even know about myself to worry about being private? I had no idea where I came from or who I was. I had remembered only a few moments of human life when I did, and since coming to the afterlife I've had what little I did have erased when I became a Malak. I still didn't even know what I was the Malak of. I needed sleep. 

 

I had gotten some much needed rest after Anansi directed me to a guest room. It was the first night of sleep ever, in a way. It was a bad first night though, as I dreamed of my death as a human. It was a memory that was supposed to be erased but somehow it resurfaced in my dreams. Regardless, it was my first night sleeping as an angel - or a Malak rather, which was basically an angel in its own right, with some added pros and cons. After forcing myself to get out of bed I did some asking around and I eventually found where Amorous was staying. Chronos had mentioned she wanted to see me. I found her tending to her appearance before the mirror in her room, the door of the room half-way ajar. As I arrived she glanced into her mirror to see me just outside her door. I saw a very brief smile form, but she quickly withdrew it. 

"Hello Oblivion. Did you need something?" she asked me politely. I scratched at my head as she sat up and met me at her doorway. I had only come here because Chronos suggested it's what Amy wanted. How was I to articulate that in a way that wasn't strange? 

"Someone said you were looking for me," I told her sleepily. I didn't figure a better way to say it with the short amount of time I had. A puzzled expression came across her face as she brushed some of her curly black locks behind one ear. I didn't know her well yet, but she was a very attractive woman, fitting of the pair of wings that she very lightly adjusted. 

"I guess I was thinking about looking for you now that you mention it. Who told you that I was -" she began to say and then seemed to realize who would've been able to predict her future actions. 

"Yeah it was -" I began to confirm. 

"Chronos, right? He likes to do that a lot. Gets a little annoying sometimes. He likes to be cryptic at times too. Also annoying. Anyways I was going to ask you: would you mind if I tagged along with you guys to go see Propitious?" Amorous requested. I shrugged, casually as I could allow/force myself to. 

"And I suppose that's what the other part of what he told me meant. He said it would be okay with him. I'm definitely okay with it...I mean if that's what you...if you really want to go," I said to her with a nod and failing to not sound like a nervous idiot. Thanks to the way the Grigori made it, my body didn't look it anymore but I was still sixteen in my head. 

"Great! I'll just grab a few things and we can head out. It'll be nice to see Pit again," she said to me.  

"Who is he anyway, this Pit guy?" I asked the brown-eyed girl who looked at me in a way that made my stomach turn in knots. 

"Propitious is the Malak of Camaraderie. He has the very powerful skill of making friends with anyone. Even someone who should be his sworn enemy can be made into a friend if he exerts enough of his ability," she explained. 

"You've met him?" I said. Amy nodded. 

"Yeah, we met each other through Chronos and I guess now the both of us get to meet you. I don't get why Chronos is breaking the rule of one Malak per Archangel - but he seems to be pretty high up the chain of power when it comes to either Inferno or Paradiso. I swear it seems like he's always the one giving people orders," she stated. 

"So Chronos chose to mentor a Malak of Camaraderie and a Malak of Love. I wonder if there's something to that," I mentioned. 

"Guess it depends. What are you the Malak of? Chronos was going to say but Baldur interrupted," she asked me. 

"I'm...well...I don't know actually," I spoke softly, embarrassed. 

"You don't know what your power is?" Amy questioned in disbelief. 

"I really don't. Chronos swooped me up before the Congregator told me and Chronos hasn't told me either. I haven't really had much time to ask yet," I told her. I had only been in the afterlife for the total of a single day. Figuratively I had gotten the training wheels taken off before I even knew what a bike was. I felt a hand grasp onto my shoulder and immediately after Chronos emerged at my right side. 

"Alright kids, let's get out of here. Oblivion is officially part of the Survivors of Ragnarok. Time for us to fly on over to Pangu's house in Babel. Pit's waiting for us," Chronos announced. Amy nodded, but raised her hand slightly. 

"I need to freshen up and grab a few things before we go," she said and scurried back into her room. Her saying this, it made me realize I didn't have anything of my own besides the clothes currently on my back. 

"What about me? Do I need to go get some clothes or something?" I asked Chronos. He shook his head. 

"No. I had Pangu go out and buy a few things for you before we got here. He'll have some clothes and other essentials you'll need after we meet with Pit," Chronos said.

We waited what seemed like nearly an hour before Amy was ready to go. I guess human or angel, prep time was a lengthy ordeal for women. When she eventually got herself out and fully packed to go we took to our goodbyes. I didn't know any of the Survivors very well just yet, but I had a feeling we would become close friends as time went on, especially if I was going to stick to their cause. I didn't have a reason to believe I would abandon the Survivors' cause either. They have a massive undertaking, trying to prevent what was basically the ultimate war, but if they didn't do it then we would all fall to the consequences. I wanted to help them. 

The three of us had taken to flying as we stepped out from the Crumbling Castle. It had been another couple hours in the sky. It was certainly faster than driving I was sure, but the cities around Paradiso seemed more spaced out because of that. It took quite a while to go from one city to the next, or so it seemed going from New Nazareth to Babel anyways. I wanted to ask Chronos about how I had dreamt of my human death, something that was supposed to be impossible - regaining memories. Just as I was to ask, Chronos spoke. 

"I can't believe I'm back in this place...this universe. I knew this was coming, but somehow I had wished that I had actually escaped. I knew it was only going to be temporary, but being right here just a short time away from what's to come...it doesn't make it any easier. I've literally seen it all and somehow strangely I'm not ready for this," Chronos said quietly. A brow rose on both mine and Amy's faces. 

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

"I've seen so many worlds, been to so many universes. It's always like this, everywhere. I was a fool to think I could somehow escape it. The end is always at the beginning," Chronos said. I glanced to him and then to Amy. She shrugged, in a way that confirmed she was just as confused as Chronos's sudden mood shift as I was. This was likely the cryptic kind of messages that she had mentioned was frequent of him. 

"Are you going to explain what you mean or leave us in the dark as usual?" Amy said, as if it was routine. 

"All I can say is that everything has an end, even something as infinite as me," he answered grimly. His tone was a getting a bit eerie now. It seemed like he was making an obvious suggestion, but I couldn't be sure if what I was thinking he was saying was what he actually meant. I hadn't known Chronos long, but it was strange to see him in this way. Chronos had previously had something in his eyes that showed some sense of having seen a lot, but now as I gazed into them from the side...they looked empty and the two sentences he spoke on our trip so far sounded so damned melancholic. 

"Chronos what's wrong? You seem...I haven't seen you this way before," Amy said with concern. So this wasn't a normal thing. Amy clearly voiced that there was something different with Chronos right now. 

"People think that infinity is just a forever expansion forward. It's not like that, not for me or any form of infinity I've found. The infinity I've found in my countless years of life has been more like the ouroborus, the mathematical symbol for infinity, or something as simple as a bedroom clock. It circles around and around on itself. Everything starts where it ends. One day ends and the beginning of the next day comes at the exact moment the previous day ended. There's no variation or slight changes in that structure. Day 1 ends and Day 2 begins at the same time there's never a slightly before or slightly after. The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning," he said to us with absolution.  

I wasn't sure what to say after that and I don't think Amy knew either. We looked at each other briefly for support but neither of us had any sort of grasp on what to do or say. I wasn't sure what happened before we left, but something was very obviously disturbing our Archangel mentor. It was almost deafeningly silent from there until we arrived in the city of Babel.

Author's Note

As always, if there are any grammar/spelling errors be sure to let me know so I can fix it right up. Hope you enjoy reading!