Chapter 14: Choir

“Rise and shine, tiny!”

“Uwha…?”

Grace’s eyes slowly opened to find Seraph looming over her bed, with a wicked grin and her muscles rippling (as usual). The warrior angel was already in her training gear, which consisted of… not much, actually. Just enough strips of gold-edged fabric to keep things interesting while showing off absolutely criminal amounts of toned flesh.

“Wha…?” Grace managed ever so eloquently, still half-asleep and definitely not staring at how Seraph’s abs flexed as she moved. “You… Huh?”

“Breakfast time!” Seraph announced. “Can’t have our newest recruit running on empty!”

Grace blinked. Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten since… well, since dying?

“Oh, I should probably—EEEP!”

Before Grace could finish that thought, Seraph scooped her up like she weighed nothing at all, tossing her over one very muscular shoulder.

“W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”

“Time to put some meat on these bones!” Seraph laughed, patting Grace’s thigh with a hand that could probably crush boulders. “How are you supposed to swing a sword with arms like noodles?”

“I do not have noodle arms! I-I’ve spent the last several years living a rough life on the farm!” Grace protested, though the effect was somewhat ruined by how she was currently being carried like a sack of particularly light potatoes. “And I can walk!”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Ugh!” Grace groaned.

She had to admit, though. Being at eye-level with Seraph’s back muscles was… educational.

[… Is this what it looks like when you work out for hundreds of years? Her muscles have muscles. How obscene.]

Grace yelped as Seraph bounced her once.

“H-Hey!”

“Just making sure you didn’t fall asleep again, hehe.”

[Ugh, these Sisters of Bravery are so annoying!]

She slumped, accepting her fate.

—

The Angelic Dominion wasn’t just a city – it was an entire civilization in the clouds.

“Put me down!” Grace squeaked as Seraph carried her through streets paved with crystal (yes, she was still on her shoulder). “People are staring!”

“Let them stare!” Seraph laughed, but she finally set Grace on her feet. “Besides, they’re not staring at you being carried – they’re staring because you’re our cute new recruit!” She ruffled Grace’s hair.

Grace looked around, face burning as she realized Seraph was right.

Angels of all types filled the streets, and many were definitely watching her with interest. Some lounged in cafes that seemed to float on clouds, others browsed shops selling everything from divine weapons to… were those magical lingerie stores?

“Wait,” Grace blinked as they passed a group of angels playing what looked like some game where they smacked a ball into the air, toward each other (in very small outfits). “Shouldn’t they be… y-you know, doing angel stuff?”

Seraph’s laugh boomed through the street.

“This IS angel stuff! What, did you think we spend all our time fighting demons and answering prayers?”

“Well… yes?”

“Oh, honey.” Seraph grabbed Grace’s hand, pulling her toward a vendor selling what looked like glowing fruit. “A lot of us do, but even that gets a little boring after a hundred years or so.” She winked at the vendor, who blushed. “Try this!”

Grace took a bite of the offered fruit and her eyes went wide. It tasted like sunshine and summer storms all at once.

“Good, right?” Seraph grinned. “Now come on – you haven’t lived until you’ve tried heavenly pancakes!”

They wandered through markets where angels sold crafts that would make mortal artisans weep, past gardens where flowers made of crystal bloomed, and through squares where musicians played instruments that seemed to be made of pure light.

“Is that…” Grace stopped, staring at a massive building. “Is that a gym?”

“Of course!” Seraph flexed, making several passing angels fan themselves. “Us soldiers aren’t the only ones who like to get their exercise in.”

“I… but… angels need to work out?”

“Angels need to do lots of things,” Seraph waggled her eyebrows. “Speaking of which, wait until you see the bath house—”

“The WHAT?”

Grace had a feeling this tour was, like lots of things about the Angelic Dominion, not going to be good for her heart.

Especially since Seraph was already dragging her toward what looked suspiciously like a spa run by angels wearing… well, not much at all.

[Heaven is going to kill me,] Grace thought as they approached. [Again.]

“Well, well… if it isn’t our esteemed commander.”

“Ah… shit,” Seraph muttered, her hand finding Grace’s shoulder protectively.

An angel approached them, her dark blue robes a stark contrast to the city’s usual brightness. She carried a crystal staff that hummed with power, and her wings were a deep, cold blue.

“Sister Meridian,” Seraph’s voice was carefully neutral. “What brings you to the market district? Run out of scripture to criticize?”

Meridian’s smile was sharp as a blade, but her eyes never left Grace.

“Just welcoming our newest arrival. You must be the one everyone’s talking about.”

Grace suddenly felt very small under that calculating gaze. More robed figures emerged from the crowd, all wearing the same dark blue, all watching her with unsettling intensity.

“She is,” Seraph stepped slightly in front of Grace. “And she’s quite busy with her training.”

“Of course, of course.” Meridian’s smile widened. “Though if you’re ever interested in learning the… truth about our dear goddess, little one, the Ascended Choir’s library is always open.”

The way she said “truth” made Grace’s skin crawl.

“I’m sure she has better things to do than listen to your weird theories,” Seraph’s muscles tensed, and several nearby market stalls suddenly found very interesting things to do elsewhere.

“We shall see.” Meridian turned away. “We shall see indeed.”

Grace watched them glide away, their dark robes like ink stains against the crystal streets.

“Who were they?” she whispered once they were gone.

Seraph’s jaw clenched.

“The Ascended Choir. They call themselves scholars, but really?” She spat the word like it tasted bad. “They’re blasphemers. They think Eternia abandoned us because she was too weak to fight the demons anymore.”

Grace’s eyes widened.

She’d heard the story from Eternia’s own lips. She knew damn well that was false… Though the actual truth wouldn’t sound much better, she thought.

“But that’s not—”

“True? Of course not. But look, don’t mind them, they’re just a bunch of eccentrics,” Seraph’s smile returned, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Now come on! You haven’t tried the heavenly ice cream yet, and I know this place that makes it with actual starlight…”

As Seraph dragged her toward another vendor, Grace couldn’t help glancing back. For just a moment, she caught Meridian watching them, those wings of text writhing like snakes.

Something told her this wouldn’t be their last encounter.

But hey, at least she had ice cream to look forward to!

—

{Meridian}

Meridian glanced back, eyes narrowed as she watched that tiny slip of a girl walk alongside Seraph.

She could feel the potential radiating from her. Clearly, she hadn’t materialized much of her power yet, but… she could be a problem.

“Will she pose a threat to our… negotiations?” One of the other scholars asked.

Meridian thought about it.

So much time had passed, so much research had been done, and now, finally, the Ascended Choir would get something out of it. Would his girl stand in the way of that?

“…” Meridian turned away. “I doubt it. Let us keep to ourselves for now, sisters. We are so close, after all.”

“Right.”

They kept walking.

[Play with them while you can, new recruit,] Meridian thought. [We will be busy achieving real results.]

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