When they were finally able to break apart from their embrace, it was already morning. Rose suggested trying the Aetherial Flight and despite Locious reticence, they manage to arrive home in less than a minute. He was extremely proud and congratulated her for practicing so much in his absence. They were laughing, not sure what was so funny but the happiness in their hearts was too much to keep it hidden. However, as they were about to enter the house with their hands tightly held together, she suddenly forced him to stop.
"There is something bugging me that we haven't talked about. The night I got drunk, you were really angry and acting up. I remember that but what did you actually say? " she asked and Locious high spirits crashed on the floor. His face changed colors and he hoped that she wouldn't notice anything amiss.
"I… Umm… Dang! Listen, I was in a very bad place at that moment. I'm really sorry. I said something incredibly stupid." He stopped hoping she didn't pried any further or that suddenly, the Earth opened and swallowed him. But, his luck wasn't that good. She stayed there, eyebrows arched, waiting for his explanation.
"Fine. I said I would never lose my future for something that is here today and gone tomorrow… or something like that." He said it quickly as when you have to take out a bandage from your arm. Now that he thought about it, what he said was more for him, than it was for her. She hadn't been the wrong one, she actually saw the light before him. He had just been a silly man scared of his own feelings and tried to hurt her. Which ended up backfiring on him. To his surprise, she laughed so hard that tears gathered in her eyelids.
"You really said that? Ha! Look where you are now. You completely pawned your own future and still chose to be with me. Yeah! You are a silly Angel and I love you." A smile so wide was plastered on her face. He was stunned. As she kept laughing he pulled her into a kiss and a smile tugged at the corners of their mouths. That moment was perfect and nothing could ruin his joy.
Or so he thought. Sudden shouts coming from the house made them break apart startled by the commotion.
"I can't believe I had to freaking pick you up from that place! So you're the one tarnishing Locious's reputation right? You're the promiscuous one while people talk as if it were him! Get a hold of your freaking self you disgusting pig!" Sandy's voice was so loud and sharp that Locious was sure any neighbors would have wondered who was being tortured next door.
"Shut up! Look who's talking! You're the one tarnishing his reputation. You are so loud and you know what? Look at how you're dressed. Cargo pants and a crop top? Really? No one taught you the Association has a dress code? Shirts? Jackets? Normal trousers? Do you even know what they are? And don't even get me started on you looking for a fight every time someone says something you don't like!"
Hariiel's voice was just as heated. A rapid-fire series of thuds made Locious and Rose run to the door and open it with a loud bang. Nothing could have prepared them for the scene inside. Sandy had her legs wrapped around Hariiel's head and they were sprawled on the floor like two wrestlers in a ring. The vases Kiizary loved so much, the little statues Crale collected, and the furniture Locious had spent so much time picking out were destroyed.
Locious touched his eyebrow and scratched it. If he hadn't been an Angel, he would surely have already had a crater in his eye. He had just come from the best moment of his life only to find these two brutes destroying his home. And he… snapped.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" he shouted. His voice made the entire house shake and his Aura was vibrating due to sheer anger.
Hariiel and Sandy stopped thrashing and scrambled up to look at him scared out of their wits. Their clothes were disheveled and they looked like two children who had been caught playing a game that got out of hand. However, Rose's laughter dispersed his anger in a second. He looked at her crying with laughter and suddenly felt that even if his world was chaotic and filled with people who had no self-control he would put up with anything as long as she could turn around and see her next to him.
This was the beginning of a new journey for all of them. The savages, the serious, the broken, the cheerful. They were all together, walking the same path. And as long as he could hold her hand, it didn't matter what came after them.
***
Some days later, after the honeymoon period, as Kiizary called it, ended and the Void was completely broken, Rose and Locious returned to the office. Everyone congratulated them when they saw them holding hands; even Mike gave Rose a shy shadow of a smile. However, the pleasantries didn't last long as reality came crashing at them and they had to switch to serious business mode. Locious stood at the head of the table in the Conference Room with every department boss around him.
First, everyone reported what they had found out, which was nothing that could solve any of the mysteries they had in their hands. When everyone was finished with their findings, Locious went on to talk about his trip.
"As for what Dexaryz and I found in the Aethium Umbra... Even though we couldn't find the source of the drug, we found traces of a path. Some tracks disappeared in certain areas and reappeared elsewhere as if someone were moving across the dangerous zones. Which should be impossible as no humans can enter, the pact of no intervention doesn't allow the Society or Association to set a foot there. And you know what happens if a Demon King or an Angel tier 1 stays there for too long." He stopped for a second, recalling the chaos it was their trip, not only because of his rampage episode but also because of what the implications were. He took one more moment and continued with his explanation.
"The air has also become heavier, which means something is polluting it. We found a piece of fabric that Greed is analyzing; it could lead us to the person playing around in the Umbra. We are reinforcing the guard on both sides, as a safe precaution. Dexaryz has also ordered a full scan of every demon under his command and we are doing the same with our people. If you notice anything amiss, please report immediately to me. We need to find the person behind the drug before this becomes a hazard to humanity."
His last words carried the weight of the future of Humanity and everybody felt chills down their spines. The meeting was dismissed after a few questions and instructions on how they were going to proceed. Locious walked into his office just as Sandy opened the door behind him.
"Locious, Xar called me. He said the favor he wants... is me. He wants me to work for the Association for a month." She feigned calm but he could tell by the little trembling in her voice that it was something that they both feared. Her working there could go really well or really wrong.
"What? But why?" Locious asked, wondering if Greed just had a bout of insanity. But then remembered the branded boy they met and that Xar had really been a useful ally in all this. It didn't matter that his reasons were not altruistic, he still helped them. So he made a decision. "Very well. Tell him you can start next week.Remember to change your hair the way he likes, don't you ever forget about that or I will go and bring you back. Even if I start a war with Dexaryz." He threatened and when Sandy nodded with wide eyes, he went on
"Second, even if you are there, you still have to report anything you find. I'm still your boss and your friend. Third, keep an eye on the branded boy. Don't meddle unless it's a life-or-death situation." They exchanged a knowing look and Sandy was about to answer when Mila entered with a tablet in her hands.
"I have bad news and good news. Which do you want first?" her eyes glued to the screen taking notes with an e-pen. Locious let Sandy choose and she asked for the bad news first. Sweat appeared on their foreheads as Mila spoke.
"I tracked a message sent to the Demon Association. I couldn't decipher the code because it was sent using feather magic." Feather magic was a special way of communicating when you wanted to have a secret message delivered that couldn't be tracked. Unless, you had someone like Mila in your team, that is. Locious used feather magic occasionally for encrypted messages to Greed; it allowed one to control computer lines for seconds before the feather burnt away and with it, all the data that was exchanged. Mila's ability to track such magic was why she was so valuable to them and why they had her skill so hidden.
"It could have been me," Locious suggested but Mila finally locked eyes with him and he could tell by her look that she was calling him an idiot.
"The magic feather was unique. It was disguised as a message from you but it carried a virus. If I hadn't known your magic signature so well, I would have opened it and destroyed every computer in the Society. I can't tell you who it was but the message was sent to the Association... from right here." The three of them stared at each other in silence, the heavy realization dawned on them as if they had swallowed a set of dumbbells. Sandy was the first one to talk.
"Does that mean...?"
"Yes, we have a traitor in the Society," Locious finished. "You have a fourth task now Sandy: find out who is double-crossing us. Now Mila...Please, the good news?"
"We won the bid against Dexaryz's team for the job overseas. We need to be there by tomorrow morning." Mila concluded and their phones received a notification. She had sent them all the information to their phones while talking to them.
"Great. Get the team ready. We leave tonight at… " a knock at the door stopped him and Rose walked into the office.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said, approaching him. She kissed him and he pulled her onto his arms, making her sit in his lap. By the time they broke apart they were alone in the office.
"I have to leave tonight. Remember the secret team and the special missions I told you about? We won the bid." Rose squinted her eyes and jostled his shoulder. He was surprised by the sudden anger and knitted his brows.
"Have you forgotten that tonight you meet your in-laws? Your brain had better be one hundred percent on my parents or I'm going on a sex strike for a month!" she threatened, her words hissed between gritted teeth.
Locious shivered. He wasn't sure if it was the fear of meeting her parents or the threat of abstinence. He gave her a tense smile but when she smiled back at him, hers pure and unrestrained he realized he would do anything for her. Destiny had placed its pawns in place. There were bonds that were indestructible and fates unavoidable. That was their story and they knew they had made the right moves when they left the office at dawn with their hearts full of love. The same question popped into their minds:
What will our next adventure be?