Chapter 169: Wings and Wants

Grace walked beside Celestia through the Dominion’s upper levels.

“So where’s Azrael?” Grace asked again.

Celestia’s wings drooped slightly.

“That’s complicated.”

“Everything with her is complicated.”

“True.” Celestia stopped at a balcony overlooking the clouds. “After you removed her corruption, she woke up within days. But she couldn’t…”

“Couldn’t what?”

“Couldn’t bear it.” Celestia gripped the marble railing. “The shame. The guilt. Everything she’d done under corruption’s influence.”

Grace waited for Celestia to elaborate.

“She tried to apologize to everyone.” Celestia’s voice dropped. “The angels she’d led astray. The ones who died in the battle. Me. But words weren’t enough. Not for her.”

“So she left?”

“Self-exile.” Celestia turned to face Grace. “She’s gone to the Origin.”

Grace blinked.

“The Origin? Like, where Eternia started building Linaria?”

“The same. It’s chaos incarnate. Raw creation energy still swirls there. The winds can tear wings off angels who aren’t careful. The gravity shifts without warning. Colors that don’t exist anywhere else. Sounds that drive you mad.”

“And she went there alone?”

“She said it was fitting.” Celestia’s expression turned bitter. “The place where everything began would be where she’d end. Not dying, obviously, but just… existing. Forever. Till the end of time.”

[Dramatic much?]

“That’s stupid.” Grace crossed her arms. “She’s punishing herself for something that wasn’t entirely her fault.”

“Try telling her that.” Celestia laughed without humor. “I did. For hours. She wouldn’t listen.”

“Then I’ll go drag her back myself.”

“No.”

The word came out sharp. Celestia grabbed Grace’s shoulders.

“Grace, you can’t. The Origin isn’t just dangerous – it’s impossible for most angels. You need perfect flight control. Instant reaction times. The ability to navigate in total chaos.”

“I can fly.”

“You can fly in straight lines.” Celestia smiled, not unkindly. “Which, to be fair, for such a fresh angel is impressive in itself. But, the Origin requires aerial acrobatics that take centuries to master. You’d be shredded before you got halfway there.”

Grace wanted to argue. She’d absorbed thousands of years of corruption. Fought Azrael herself. Saved everyone.

But Celestia was right. Her flying was the one part she hadn’t just leveled up with her System.

“Fine.” Grace shrugged off Celestia’s hands. “Then I’ll train.”

“Grace—”

“I’m not leaving her there to mope and brood for eternity.” Grace spread her wings. “How hard can fancy flying be?”

Celestia’s expression softened.

“You really won’t give up?”

“Have you met me?”

“Fair point.” Celestia sighed. “If you’re serious, I’ll arrange instructors. The best flyers we have. But it’ll take time. Years, maybe.”

“Then I better start now.”

Grace turned to leave. Celestia caught her arm.

“Thank you.” The Archangel’s eyes shimmered. “For not giving up on her. On any of us.”

“Yeah, well.” Grace grinned. “Someone has to be the responsible one around here.”

The rookie wing hadn’t changed much in three years. Same layout. Same furniture. New scratches on the walls from whatever Diana had been doing.

But it was packed.

“GRACE!” Alia’s voice hit first.

The redhead launched herself across the room. Grace caught her out of habit. Alia wrapped arms and legs around her like an octopus.

“You’re awake! Really awake! Not fake awake like that time Zephyr made an illusion!”

“That was ONE TIME,” Zephyr called from the couch.

Grace peeled Alia off.

“Grace.” Diana’s voice cut through the reunion.

The warrior leaned against the doorframe. Her grey eyes swept over Grace like she was checking for damage. Hair to her shoulders now, still messy. Still topless because some things never changed.

“Diana.”

They stared at each other. Three years of missed time hung between them.

“You look good for a corpse,” Diana finally said.

“You look good for someone who apparently broke things.”

“Only furniture.” Diana pushed off the doorframe. “And a few walls. Maybe a tower.”

“Diana cried,” Alia stage-whispered.

“I did not.”

“You totally did! Remember that time with the wine and you were all ’Grace would have loved this’ and then—”

Diana covered Alia’s mouth.

“Party. Now. Before I throw you out a window.”

“Party?” Grace looked around.

The room filled rapidly. Venus sauntered in with bottles. Mara carried food. Seraph brought what looked like an entire roasted something. Even shy Petriel appeared with desserts.

“We’ve been planning this for years,” Venus explained. She’d exchanged her usual barely-there robes for… actually, these might be even less there. “Just waiting for you to stop being dramatic.”

“I was unconscious!”

“Dramatically unconscious.” Venus winked. “Diana, music!”

Diana grumbled but pulled out a crystal. Sound filled the room – something with drums and a beat that made Grace’s hips want to move.

“Is this new?”

“Alia wrote it!” Zephyr pulled Grace toward the cleared floor. “She’s gotten good!”

The party exploded into motion. Angels Grace barely knew pressed drinks into her hands. Stories of the past three years flowed. Seraph demonstrated a new sword technique using a bottle. Mara made everyone eat before drinking more.

Grace found herself passed between partners. Dancing with Petriel, who’d learned to lead. Spinning with Venus, who took every opportunity to press close. Even attempting some kind of martial dance with Seraph that left them both laughing.

“I missed this,” Grace said to no one in particular.

“We missed you,” Zephyr replied. She’d appeared at Grace’s elbow with another drink. “It wasn’t the same. Diana especially—”

“I heard my name.” Diana materialized behind Grace. “Spreading lies, Zephyr?”

“Embarrassing truths, more like.” Zephyr winked and melted back into the crowd.

Diana and Grace stood in a bubble of awkwardness. The party swirled around them.

“So,” Grace started.

“Don’t.” Diana grabbed her hand. “Come on.”

She pulled Grace away from the main room. Down a hallway Grace remembered well. Into an alcove that was more shadow than light.

“Diana, what—”

Diana pushed her against the wall. Not hard. Just firm.

“Three years.” Diana’s voice came out rough. “Three fucking years of not knowing if you’d wake up.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Diana leaned closer. “Just… shut up for once.”

Their lips met.

It wasn’t gentle. Diana kissed like she fought. Intense, but somewhat in control. Her hands tangled in Grace’s hair. Her body pressed close enough to feel every curve through thin robes.

Grace’s brain short-circuited. Three years of changes and Diana still tasted the same. Like danger and want and home.

[Oh.]

She kissed back. Pulled Diana closer. Let her hands wander to familiar places that felt new after so long.

Diana made a sound that might have been a growl. Or a purr. Hard to tell with her.

“Fuck,” Diana breathed against Grace’s lips. “I forgot how…”

“How what?”

“How you make me feel stupid.” Diana kissed her again. Softer this time. “Don’t disappear again.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

“Good.” Diana pulled back slightly. “Because next time I really will break everything.”

“Noted.”

They stood there, foreheads touching. The party noise drifted down the hallway. Alia’s music had shifted to something slower.

“We should go back,” Grace said.

“Probably.”

Neither moved.

“Diana?”

“Mm?”

“Thanks for waiting.”

Diana snorted.

“Like I had a choice. You’re the only interesting thing in this place.”

“Charming.”

“You’re welcome.” Diana stepped back. “Come on. Seraph’s probably drunk enough to start crying.”

“Seraph cries?”

“Only when she’s wasted.” Diana grinned. “It’s hilarious.”

They walked back together. Diana’s hand brushed Grace’s occasionally. Not holding. Just… there.

The party had evolved. Venus had started some kind of strip game. Alia was playing slower music on an instrument Grace didn’t recognize – strings and silver bells. Mara forced food on anyone too drunk.

“Grace!” Seraph’s voice boomed. She was definitely drunk. “My favorite demon killer!”

“Your only demon killer,” Grace corrected.

“Details!” Seraph pulled Grace into a hug that lifted her off the ground. “You saved us all! Again!”

“Team effort.”

“Bullshit.” Seraph set her down. “You absorbed… so much… and then BOOM!” She made explosion gestures. “Purple light everywhere!”

“You saw that?”

“Everyone saw that!” Seraph’s eyes were suspiciously shiny. “Most beautiful thing. Like… like a purple star being born!”

“Are you crying?”

“No!” Seraph wiped her face. “Warriors don’t cry!”

“Sure they don’t.” Diana appeared with a cloth. “Here, you big baby.”

Grace watched them bicker. Watched Alia convince Zephyr to dance. Watched Petriel and Mara chat in a corner. Venus had apparently won her strip game and was collecting her prizes.

[Three years. They all kept going without me.]

But they’d waited too. Planned this party. Kept her room. Kept hoping.

“Hey.” Alia bounced over. “Request?”

“For?”

“Song!” Alia held up her instrument. “I’ve gotten really good! What do you want to hear?”

Grace thought. “Something happy.”

“I can do happy!” Alia’s fingers flew over strings.

Music filled the room. Not the slow stuff from before. This was bright and quick and made everyone start moving again.

Grace let herself be pulled back into the party. More dancing. More drinks. More stories she’d missed.

The work wasn’t over, of course. Not for Grace, not for any of the other angels.

But, it was nice to just relax before her training began tomorrow.

[Flight training,] she narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular. [I’ll become the best flyer in heaven if that lets me bring Azrael back.]

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