"Mister, why did Mael suddenly run outside?" Lily asked.
"I'm not too sure either, Lily," the old man replied, glancing toward the quiet street beyond the window. "Perhaps he just remembered he left something behind."
"Oh…" Lily said softly.
The old man smiled and gently waved his hand. "Anyway, while Mael is gone, how about I teach you instead?"
"'Kay," Lily nodded.
He pulled out a chair and sat across from her, reaching for the textbook on the table.
"Now then," he said kindly, "where shall we start?"
Walking slowly along the sidewalk, a teenage couple could be seen holding hands.
The girl had long, straight black hair that fell neatly down her back, soft bangs framing her pale face. Her dark blue eyes sparkled as she clutched the large teddy bear to her chest.
"Leon, you're so sweet!" she said, hugging the stuffed bear tightly.
"Of course, Emily," Leon said gently. "I wanted to get you something special to celebrate your middle school graduation."
Leon then closed the distance between them and placed a hand on her shoulder. The sudden move made Emily blush, a faint pink spreading across her pale cheeks as she looked away.
"So, we've got a whole month off from school," Leon said. "Are you planning to go anywhere? Maybe take a trip out of the country or something?"
"No…" she said softly. "Daddy said he's busy with work, so we won't be going anywhere this year." The disappointment was clear in her voice.
"Hey, if you want, I could get you a ticket," Leon said casually.
"Just you and me—we'd have so much fun traveling together!"
Emily chuckled as she nudged Leon slightly, "Don't be silly dummy, I don't want you to spend money on me."
"Don't worry, Emily," Leon said with a chuckle. "My dad makes tons of money catching freaks."
"Freaks?" Emily asked, clearly confused.
"You know," he said casually, laughing a little. "People who can, like, shoot fire out of their hands or something. Well… that's what my dad calls them, anyway."
"I didn't know people like that actually existed," Emily said, shaking her head in disbelief.
Leon let out a small laugh. "Yeah, they do," he said confidently. "My dad told me they got their powers straight from the devil himself."
"That's scary," Emily said. "I can't even imagine that."
"Hey, don't worry," Leon said with a grin. "As long as I'm around, no freak's getting close to you."
Suddenly, a shout rang out from behind them—
"Azazel! Come back here!"
The rapid thudding of footsteps followed, slapping hard against the pavement.
Leon and Emily turned toward the sound and saw a boy with short white hair sprinting in their direction, as if chasing someone just out of reach.
Not long after, Emily felt as if something—or someone—had brushed against her back. The moment it happened, her legs gave out and her vision darkened.
"Emily, what's wrong?!" Leon cried, catching her as she began to fall.
Barely conscious, Emily stared up at the cloud-filled sky. Leon's cries for help reached her ears only as muffled sounds, mixed with the thudding of hurried footsteps rushing past.
The last thing she remembered was the name Azazel—before everything went dark…
"Azazel, you bastard!" Mael shouted, chasing after him.
Even as he ran, Mael noticed the people around them weren't paying Azazel any attention at all.
Did he use Concealment?
They kept running until they reached a desolate alleyway.
"No one's here… I can finally use my powers," Mael muttered.
Time Stop.
Slowly but surely, Mael closed the distance between them.
Then—kick.
The kick landed hard between Azazel's shoulders, and he lurched forward, barely keeping his footing.
Azazel quickly steadied himself after the impact, then turned to face Mael with a sinister grin.
"How did you catch up to me so fast?" Azazel wondered aloud. A moment later, his eyes widened in realization.
"Don't tell me you copied Lord Noel's Time Stop ability before you were banished."
Mael instinctively tensed, unease creeping into his chest at being called out so precisely.
Azazel chuckled. "Judging by that reaction, I'd say I'm right."
"Why are you in the mortal realm again, Azazel?" Mael asked, his tone sharp.
"And why should I, an Archangel, have to answer the question of a mortal?" Azazel scoffed.
Mael snorted. "Hmph. Since I was once an Archangel myself, I know we're forbidden to enter this realm unless there's a power imbalance."
He fixed Azazel with a hard stare. "So why are you here?"
He smirked mockingly. "Go figure it out yourself. I didn't come here to be your babysitter."
The archangel turned and began to walk away.
Then he suddenly paused. "And Mael—one word of advice."
In a blur, he closed the distance. Pow!
His elbow slammed into Mael, sending him flying several feet before he crashed to the ground, reeling in pain.
Azazel calmly dusted himself off. "Try not to antagonize someone who's leagues above you," he said coldly. "It tends to lead to an early death."
"I don't even mind that you copied a few of my abilities," he said with a low, mocking chuckle. "Your eyes were glowing the whole time you chased me—it was almost flattering."
His laughter echoed faintly as he melted into the shadows at the end of the alleyway.
"D–damn you…"
Gritting his teeth, Mael forced himself to stand, every movement sending pain through his body. He turned and began limping back.
As he retraced his steps along the same road leading back to the tea shop, Mael spotted an ambulance pulled over nearby. A boy stood close by, speaking frantically into his phone, while a girl lay on a stretcher as she was rushed into the vehicle.
Feeling as though the boy was about to notice him, Mael's eyes briefly glowed as he instinctively activated Concealment.
Hidden from sight, he continued on toward the place where he had left Lily.
As he walked, Mael's thoughts churned. Why did Azazel deliberately touch several people as he passed by?
And the last one—the girl—collapsed the moment he touched her.
Just why did you do that, Azazel?
Not long after, the tea shop came into view just ahead. Mael's Concealment had already faded, and he took a deep breath, steadying himself as if nothing had happened, before stepping inside.
The bell above the door chimed softly as he entered.
"Welcome back, Mael! Mister Eldon is teaching me science," Lily said, smiling brightly.
"Your friend's quite gifted," the tea shop owner, Eldon, added.
"Alright, Lily. I think we should be heading home now," Mael said.
"What? So soon?" Lily asked.
"We don't want to make Mrs. Joann worry about you," Mael explained.
"O–okay. Let's go home," she said. "I don't want Gram-Gram to worry."
"Alright, you two have a safe trip home," Eldon said, waving as he watched them leave the shop.
"Right, let's head home, Lily," Mael said, glancing at her.
"Kay!" Lily replied with a bright smile.
With that, they walked home together, the sun sinking low, painting the sky in fading gold.