Around the volcano, water has been boiling for hours. Sand and rocks shake violently with the giant's awakening. Subtle rumbles can be heard from hundreds of miles away, both under and above. They get louder and louder with each minute until the eruption happens.

A giant collum of boiled water and volcanic materials shoots up almost a mile high from the opening into the ocean before spreading around. Out of the murky cloud, a sizzling ball of magma floats up to the surface. It then explodes into millions of smaller pieces.

Among the floating debris was an unconscious, naked man. The waves carry him for three days and nights before his blue eyes finally blink open.

He doesn't know where or when he is, but, for certain, something important is waiting for him.

He doesn't have any other destination besides Home. Something must have reset his "program," and the feeling at the back of his mind is strong. It bothers him.

He stands up. Under his feet, cool salt water gently moves about, warping his reflection. He looks to the sky. Home, it is.

*

Michael's feet land on the cold floor, wet from the seawater. It is not a floor, so to speak. Where he stands is also not a room. There is no ceiling or walls, only boundless space.

Michael looks around and tilts his head to a weird angle before opening his mouth wide.

Like a projectile vomit of energy, light and heat pour out of him, shaking the whole place. The Host—whoever remained—rush in. They stand side by side, wearing the same confused expression on their multiple faces, murmuring to each other in Enochian.

Standing before them is an enormous creature with a brilliant golden shell covering its entire form. Its six wings spread out, slightly curved behind the creature's back. They vibrate with power and blazing halo. The creature's five massive, identical heads, which carry human and bird features, scan the mass of angels and nod.

The angels all bow their heads in return. One angel with salamander green wings and a set of bulky, ox-like four legs comes forward.

You're here, brother. It says.

Yes, I am, Tadhiel. Where else am I supposed to be?

The other angels drill into Tadhiel's back with anticipation. They want it to be the messenger.

What happened to you, brother? Tadhiel looks up at the creature in front of it, searching for something. Tadhiel is uncertain. It hopes Brother won't punish it.

We all felt it... Tadhiel says. The explosion of power. Your power. We thought we lost you when we couldn't feel you anymore. We still can't really feel you now. Everything seems...different.

I'm fine, the giant creature says. I will give you all an answer soon.

Michael can't look his siblings in the eye. His memory is blank in some spots as if someone deliberately wiped it clean. He makes eye contact with each angel and communicates with them through their mental links. Go back to your posts. I will call for you when the time is right.

The angels quietly exchange looks before bowing again. Their heads touch the floor, and, one by one, they disappear.

Michael reaches out to the angel who asked him questions. Tadhiel, wait.

Tadhiel's many eyes blink. It is ready for whatever Brother orders it to do.

You've been doing well. Michael simply says.

Thank you, Brother... Is there something you want me to do? The confused angel shakes its long heads while staring at Michael.

Tadhiel wants, no, Tadhiel needs an order. Soon. Without one, it feels unfulfilled. It bet other siblings feel the same. Brother is back now, but he seems so different, and Tadhiel can't help but be concerned.

Michael is busy looking at a piece of rock he has just conjured up. Nothing. You can go back to your post, too.

He plays with the cold, rough object while humming a tune. The bizarre sight throws Tadhiel into deeper confusion. The angel backs away and bows until it reaches the door. Strong curiosity is ignited within, but Tadhiel knows better than to ask more questions.

With a whooshing sound, the angel is gone, and the office returns to its ever-empty state.

Michael holds the piece of rock and listens to his true heart sing. It is as loud as a thousand church bells. All of his power concentrates in its fiery core—strong as ever—but something feels off. Something feels good and painful at the same time that he has forgotten. His heart has somehow reduced to a bundle of strings that constrict and expand. Oddly physical.

There are clues—fragments of memories that Michael can't quite grasp. He wants to so badly.

Michael waves his hand, and a large, leather-bound book materializes. It floats in the air and opens to the exact page he wants to read.

Day 284C55, Earth.

Three days ago. The ship explosion, what happened that led to the event, who were killed, what possibilities it started. They are all recorded there.

Day 282G35, Earth...

Day 146G56, Earth...

Day 124S78, Earth...

Kye. Kye. Kye. A name is repeatedly mentioned like a spell, like some kind of a keyword, all the way back to five years ago. It doesn't make a lot of sense to Michael. The events feel somewhat familiar, but they stop at that. Michael is reading someone else's story. He must be. The name, however, evokes something in him.

Michael doesn't know that he can feel, but deep down, he knows those feelings have come to him a million times in the past. He just has to find the cause for them.

***

It has been a week. When Luc first heard the news of the Trident, he felt a little taken aback. He still had plans for Alastair—that was why he even took the half-dead human in. Now, there's nothing to be done anymore.

Luc once again is surprised at the length Michael was willing to go. The ritual was an extremely risky move, and for what?

Michael surely exceeded all of Luc's expectations, but now is not the time to lay back and speculate. Luc's plan with Raphael is in its final phase. They have been taking action. Replace key positions mainly—either by intimidation, persuasion, or straight-up making people disappear. Luc is an expert in that matter. Dragging Raphael along is not ideal, but Luc needs the guy. Raphael is still an archangel with real power and influence among the ranks. Doesn't hurt when Raphie's extreme selfishness and self-pity often cloud his judgment. He is the perfect co-conspirator. For now.

Their plan has worked as smoothly as it can be, and with Michael's disappearance, the deal is sealed. Raphael has taken over.

No one has felt Michael in a while, so the rumor that he died from a failed grace-boosting ritual spread like wildfire. Behind the curtains, Luc and Raphael have done everything in their power to spread it even more.

Raphael now sits on Michael's throne. The power has gotten to his head and makes him bolder. Raphael is obsessed with upturning everything Michael did as a statement that he can do everything better. He seems to totally forget what he has promised Luc. What really needs to be done.

Raphael first put a stop to the new law Michael just implemented not even a month ago, then created his own version. Now, not only every human servant and domesticated companion will be submitted to the Eternal Contract, but they will also be severely punished for trying to quit, run away, or break the contract in any way. Before the Eternal Contract was reintroduced, when people quit, they might or might not get approved, but there was no consequence. At least, that was on official records. Only angels can decide what they want to do with their human servants. Death is not the worst thing that can happen after all.

There will be segregation. The city will be sectioned off into angel and human' areas. No crossing without special passes. There will also be curfews. Anyone who can't make it to their destinations on time will be arrested.

Fear is not a good way to rule. It creates an unnecessarily bad atmosphere that takes the city back to the last few years of the War, but Luc is not here to create improvements.

Under Raphael's wings, Luc can finally do everything he has done out in the open. Raphel is too power-drunk to notice. Maybe he just doesn't care.

"Grace collecting" happens almost nightly now. Usually new, unsuspecting angels from different garrisons. They are hand-delivered to Luc, and he drains them. Luc can't deny that grace gives him strength and a high like nothing else. The shameful act of devouring his own kind is so addictive that Luc can not find a way to quit.

Silvery light swirls in his glass like a thick liquid. Luc watches its movement in a daze before chugging everything down. Tastes like Heaven, he must say. Luc feels invincible, but as Father intended, no matter how much of his siblings' grace Luc devours, his powers will never return. The effects are short-lived.

Today is the eighth day since Michael went missing, and something feels different in the air. It is not strong enough to get everyone's attention, but Luc can feel it. He needs to remind Raphael again what is at stake before he also forgets.

Luc fishes out a phone from his suit's pocket.

"What do you want?" Raphael picked up, sounding as condescending as ever.

"Tell me you feel it too, Raphie."

"Feel what? I'm busy."

Luc has up to his neck with this attitude. Raphael can be a real pain on his side sometimes, but what can Luc even do?

"Listen, you'd better pull your head out of your ass and go check, brother. I can feel it. If you're not busy playing king over there, you would feel it, too. It's like nothing I have felt before, but definitely one of us... I think he's back."

"You think..."

"It's best that you go check the explosion site one more time and make sure. It won't be good for either of us if he somehow survived and comes back, and please, start looking into those camps. We don't have a lot of time. We need to destroy them. It won't be easy to flush that girl out the normal way, but it's not impossible. The only thing is the Resistance, as primitive as they are, protects her as if their lives depend on it, and they are some tough meat to chew. I'm telling you, Raphie. They're like cockroaches. Just keep living on!"

"I've already checked the site a million times. There is nothing there. The ritual destroyed everything. There is no trace of him or his grace..." Raphael sounds very impatient, but the fear of Michael presents clearly in his voice. "No angel can survive the reaction, especially Michael. The more power the angel possesses, the more devastating the reaction is. We all know it. That's why no one has ever been so foolish to try. We have no reason to take that big risk... About the girl. She is there. They don't know what's coming for them. I can get her anytime I want."

"Believe me, Raphie, do it fast or don't do it at all. Those humans are smarter than what you give them credit for. If they can even smell something wrong, they are gone, and you won't be able to find them again. Not with an army that has already been stretched as thin as what you have, and don't let me lecture you about how many are still loyal to Michael. You know it. All they need is a sign. If I can feel the energy, they can, too. Your empire is shaky, brother."

On the other end, silence remains for a long time until Luc hears a heavy sigh. "I know... You're right, Luc. I will do it."

"As you should. I won't keep you, brother. Let me know the progress."

"Of course," Raphael hangs up.

Luc's eyes wander to the ceiling. He hopes everything won't crumble the minute it has just started, but uncertainty only grows, and it refuses to leave him alone.

***

"No, it can't be right... There's no way he can survive that shit. It's been weeks already."

"Maybe he is not dead, but his grace just diminishes, like some of ours, so he just hangs back somewhere, recovering?"

"ok, but where?"

"How should I know? My guess is as good as yours, but it can't be wrong. He's back. The other angels felt it, too."

"Yup, that level of energy can only be him."

"Say it like a true expert."

"Well, shut up. At least I know more than you."

"You shut up!"

Opposite the ruckus in the meeting room, outside is a land of silence. Nothing besides the rain's pitter-patter on the old aluminum roof. Kye leans back on the shiplap wall and looks up to the grey sky.

Hope is an exhaustingly cruel thing. Every day, it is the same news. Mostly useless. No one can confirm whether he is dead or alive. No one knows where he is, when he will come back.

If he will come back.

Is it better to have closure? Sure. Kye's heart and mind are at their limit. Sometimes, all she wants is to scream until she passes out, but Kye can't even do that. That would disturb others. So she retreats into her shell more and more each day, waiting outside the meeting room or Bobby's cabin like a wraith. No one gives her anything, but no one chases her away either. She must have looked pitiful to them.

At least, out of all the bad, there is one good thing. Ruby has finally recovered after Gadreel's return. Kye is beyond happy that Ruby is back to her old self, but that makes Kye even more indebted to Michael.

He has done so much for her in such a short time—four years surely is a blink of an eye—even when she believed he had abandoned her. The last thing Michael did before disappearing was the new law that gave humans some freedom and dignity back. That was a huge gesture—his way of showing that he cared. Kye wants, more than anything, to tell him in person how thankful she is, but she doesn't know when or if she will have a chance to do so.

The day three angels came back, the camp erupted with joy. Kye waited by the gate until the sun went down, then up again, but Michael still didn't show. Their mental connection? Radio-silent ever since.

What could be so important that he broke his promise to her at the last minute? Did she misunderstand him?

Those questions have haunted Kye day and night, but today, her eyes are dry. She feels sick. Her empty stomach doesn't help.

Kye heaves and slowly slides down to the ground. She buries her head in between her knees. Where is Michael? Where did he go? No one has the answers. Only more speculations.

Kye misses him. That's all she knows. If Michael is really gone, Kye can't imagine how the rest of her life would be. Settling down with someone? Having a normal, mundane life or learning how to fight and contribute to 'the cause'? But how could she when every angel reminds her of him?

Why does everything have to be so hard?

Kye doesn't know, but either way...

Kye lifts her head when she hears light footsteps approach.

"Kye, did you eat anything?"

Ruby is standing in front of her in a green apron. It's an unusual sight. They are not blood sisters, but their expressions mirror each other. Kye can see herself looking at Ruby that way when her sister was not well.

"I did," she says. "I'll eat more when I get back."

"Why do you lie?" Ruby rolls her eyes. "I can hear your stomach growling from here. Ed said you were not at the kitchen this morning. You can't survive if you don't eat. You know that, right?"

"Damn Ed with his big mouth..." Kye groans. "I know he has a crush on you, but I didn't know he is willing to spy on me for you like that."

"Well, you live, and you learn. Your sister is irresistible," Ruby shrugged. "Let's go, I cooked some soup, but it's almost cold now because we've waited for you. You can't keep doing this, Kye."

"You know why I do this!" Kye snaps. "What do you want me to do? Stay in the cabin watching you and Gadreel getting lovey-dovey all day? Or wash pots with Ed at the kitchen? I can't do any of that. Not right now... Not until he comes back."

 Her voice breaks.

Ruby is startled, but she remains calm. "Hey, I know. I know... I was exactly where you are a few weeks ago, remember? Don't know if he is alive or dead or whatever happened. I didn't even handle it as well as you do now. You were there for me, Kye, so please let me be there for you. Don't suffer on your own. Talk to me about how you feel. Don't hold everything inside. It will kill you... Gadreel and I will keep our eyes and ears open. Anything happens, we will let you know for sure. I promise."

Kye feels the weight of her sister's hand on her shoulder. She closes her eyes and taps Ruby's hand as a way to say that she is ok, at least for now.

"Let's go home," Ruby sighs, "I attempted Ma's soup, but I can't guarantee the taste. It looks kind of weird too, I must tell you, but... Don't knock it 'til you try it." Ruby's dimples deepen as she grins.

Ruby holds out her hand and pulls Kye up. It is warm and dry like their mom's hand. Suddenly, Kye misses home more than ever.

"I wonder how they've been... "

"I know," Ruby inhales. "It's been a while. We can't risk going into the city. Everything just seems to change for the worse all of a sudden."

"I regret I didn't try harder to visit home when I could or convince them to come. Now... "

"You were busy with me, remember? If you have to blame someone, it should be me. They have their lives in the city. Nick still goes to school. I don't think they would have listened to you."

Kye shakes her head. "I just thought I could go back soon. Especially after seeing him... Now it's too late," she sighs. "No one knows when or if things will ever get back to normal again."

"It will," Ruby squeezes Kye's hand. "one way or another. It will."
 
Kye looks up to the sky. People don't think they would miss you, Michael, but here we are.

(Picture: An area on the summit of the West Mata Volcano erupting in 2009. Image courtesy of NOAA / NSF / WHOI. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/volcanoes.html)