Rayline. I walked through the forest with carefully measured steps, while stepping on fallen branches and twigs. Winter was over now, the trees there were dried up, brownish in color, and already dying. It looked so bleak, but it would just make it easier for me to get to my destination. As I reached the end of the tree line, my eyes started tracing the empty ground while leaning against a tree, my fingers rubbing the bark as I sighed. It's been a few weeks since I have come here again, it must have been very tough to get here with all the snow piled up. Besides, I also knew that he would not be there. Indeed, he was never there. However, I still had a little hope and faith that he would be there, even if it was an impossible thing. I started walking on the grass, the ground crunching with every step I took. It was as if all life had been sucked out of the area and replaced with a layer of gray that covered everything in sight. I continued walking towards the cliff wall overlooking
Nicolas. I was waking up to the sound of my cell phone that was constantly buzzing. I was dazed for a second and looked around, squinting my eyes as I tried to see, and when I sat up, I was again hit by an overwhelming wave of dizziness. My hand rubbed my face before picking up my phone from the table, and when I saw the name that appeared on the screen, I furrowed my brows. "Huh, Darren?" I said in a groggy voice. "Hey, Nicolas. Have you seen Rayline earlier?" His voice sounded distant and slightly worried. I brushed my hair out of my hands before resting my elbows on my knees. "Yeah, but not for hours." I took a moment to let it sink in. "Why?" "Well, I tried calling her earlier to ask if she was home yet, but there was no answer. I stopped by her house and she was not home, so I assumed that she was still with you." He told me. "What?" I abruptly straightened up and tried to process the information. "Yeah, the last time I saw her, she said that she was going to your place."
Rayline. As I slowly opened my eyes, my mind was in a daze as I tried to look around. It was dark here. I could barely see anything, but I could still hear the faint sound of crickets. I tried to move my body, but my hands were tied behind my back. I looked around once more and realized that I was sitting against a tree, so I started to straighten up as I happened to remember that Silas had knocked me out earlier. Then I started to get to my feet, but I instantly halted when I saw a man sitting in front of me on a piece of wood. "Oh, look who is up now," Silas grinned at me and I narrowed my eyes. "W-where are we?" My eyes glanced around to find out where I was, but it was just a forest. "Hiding, for now. We are waiting for the orders." Then he started to get up and I looked at him fiercely. My only guess was that he was telling the truth when he said they were working for someone else, so it was not entirely them who just wanted Cole dead... but someone else was the one who set i
Rayline. Jesse got to the field ready to fly off, and I grabbed him tightly by the neck. He then took off, his wings flapping as I got off the ground. My eyes looked down to see the people rushing down from the trees. "Hang on," Jesse said as he tried to shoot off faster than he ever had before. I looked down once again, and I could see those people, or rather the rogue demons who were armed with the sacred blade. One of them pulled back to draw a blade, and without wasting any time my hand quickly gripped onto Jesse. "Jesse, look out—" My words were cut off as one of the large daggers flew up and pierced one of Jesse's wings, and he let out a cry of pain. "Shit!" Jesse cursed as he tried to hold me back from going down, but the dagger was still stuck in his wing. I let go for a second and grabbed it and pulled it out, thus injuring my hand as I pulled it out, and I winced as blood could be seen dripping from my palm. But even though the knife was out, Jesse still seemed to be str
Rayline. There was someone in the flames, someone standing right in the middle, and my eyes were squinted as I tried to take notice of him. As they stepped closer, my heart started beating so fast, my stomach felt twisted and I lost the ability to speak. That was Cole standing there, his black wings spread wide and there was a flash of red light burning in his eyes. Then Nicolas landed on the ground behind him, his white wings flapping and sending a breeze across the field. Cole made eye contact with me, then glanced at Silas. He cocked his head to the side as his pupils dilated until they burst, blood red glowing through the darkness as horns started to grow from his head. He then started to charge at Silas, who braced himself, but what he did not expect was the shape-shifting Cole. Once he got in front of Silas, he completely shifted into his full demon form, his sharp claws slashing furiously. Chris, who saw it, ended up knocking me out, and I fell to the ground helplessly as h
Rayline. Everyone nodded in agreement and then started to leave, but before I could stand up, Cole immediately grabbed my injured hand, which was still covered in blood from gripping the blade stuck in Jesse's wing, and healed it. I don't even think that he noticed the wound, but I gave him a grateful look before he got up, and I followed behind to catch up with Taylor. Jesse headed towards the main hall, passing Nicolas and making eye contact with him, before continuing towards the stairs at the front of the group. Taylor led everyone to a room to sleep in for the night. He showed Darren to a room, and Darren looked over his shoulder at me, meeting my gaze before giving me a nod, and entering. As I continue down the hallway, it is just me and Cole now, as Taylor stops in front of a room. "Um, do you guys want to share a room?" His eyes flick back and forth between the two of us. Cole and I made eye contact for a moment. "Yeah, that would be okay," I told him. I was pretty doubtfu
Rayline. My lips formed a small smirk because I did know him, and I knew that if any girl were to get close to him, he would probably just look her up and down while glaring and then walk away with a cold look, exactly like he did to all the other girls. Well, all the girls except me. A hush falls over the room as we both sit on either side of the end of the bed, and my whole body shudders as a chill runs down my spine. Cole is quick to notice and he looks hesitant for a moment, but then scoots up the bed to put his arms around me. I looked up at him as he pulled me to his side, his warmth wrapping around me as I rested my head on his shoulder as he held me from behind. "Cole..." I said in a quiet voice. "Please don't leave." My voice sounded faint, and he looked down at me. "I don't think I can take it. Not anymore." Then he took a deep breath, and his chest puffed out against my back. I turned my body so that my face was hovering in front of his, and our eyes locked on each other
Rayline. Cole walked out of his bedroom door grinning. At the same time, the scenes of my trip down memory lane continued, going back to the time when he first lost control, when we spent the day together in the downtown area, going to his house at night, the first time we kissed. His expression was always blank, frankly speaking, I could not figure out what he was thinking or what he was seeing. He said that soul searching meant he could see everything, my thoughts, my feelings, everything became open to him like a book through his fingertips. He kept moving on until the scene was changed. It was back to the first day of college when I was talking to Nicolas on the side of the road, and my eyes were on the grass, seeing Cole for the first time. During the scene, Cole was listening to my conversation with Nicolas while standing at the back, and he let out a low chuckle. "What are you thinking about?" I asked, and he turned to look at me. "While you were sitting there?" I pointed a
Rayline. The meeting went exactly as I had expected it to go. Harvey briefly explained the entire situation and what he knew. Basically, all the causes of the riots and rebellion are related to years ago, and the roots have been resolved and dealt with. However, there would be unresolved loose ends and there were still ropes to be tied. Lilith most likely still has more allies and connections in places they have yet to discover, and they need to be sought out and dealt with. It may take a long time to clear things up, maybe even years, and the impact could be catastrophic. Harvey then asked everyone to share their stories and their connections. Cole spoke in front of us all, sharing everything. He talks about how he was first sent to Earth, and how Lilith gave his mother the disease out of spite and revenge. He spoke about the recent attacks, and how they were done as hatred towards him when they were actually related to the rebellion. He then spoke about me, how we met, how he bec
Rayline. As I lay nestled against his chest, I playfully drew small circles on his chest, the warmth of his skin keeping me wrapped in his arms, his wings spread out around me. The morning light sneaked in through the bedroom curtains while the two of us were still snuggled together on the bed, the sheets tattered messily. He ran his fingers through my hair, fiddling with the strands as I listened to his heartbeat, hearing every breath he took. "Did you fall asleep?" he asked softly, making me smile. "I should be the one asking you that." Spinning around to face him, my hand came to rest under my chin. "You were so busy as soon as we got back, and it doesn't seem like we got any sleep last night... or this morning." His lips curled up mischievously and his hand slid down my bare back, giving me goosebumps. "I'm doing okay. It was all definitely worth it." "Mmm...hmm." I tilted my head cheekily. Right now I was in his room at his father's house. As soon as the chaos died down, h
Rayline. He placed his hand on Cole's chest. There was light... a glowing white light that emanated from the archangel's fingertips, covering Cole's body. The light grew more and more, wrapping everything around him, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut because of the blinding light. I clutched Chase's hand as a wave of power pulsed through the room, shaking everything around me. I could feel my heart beating faster, my breath catching in my throat as the tension continued to rise in my chest. The light was retracted back into Cole's body, clinging to his skin. As I opened my eyes cautiously, I saw the light fading away as the archangel got to his feet and stepped back. Without holding myself back, I jumped forward, rushed to Cole's side, and with trembling hands, placed them on the side of his cold face. A few moments passed without anything happening, waiting. I gently brushed his hair aside. Then all of a sudden, his chest heaved, catching a deep breath that sounded so sharp, and
Rayline. A wave of cool air filled the room as the flames died out, leaving a trail of empty craters. No one moved. No one dared to breathe until the demon himself, Harvey stepped back. All the Nephilim watched his movements in awe, and some of them even bowed their heads in his honor. I leaned over Cole's body, my hands shaking as I brushed his hair, which had fallen to the side. Tears fell again, rolling down my cheeks without stopping. The sound of footsteps coming closer, got louder until they finally stopped right behind me. "Rayline?" I blinked slowly, turned my head towards the source of the voice, and saw Cole's father standing there. His expression changed as his gaze fell on his son who lay motionless in my arms. He swallowed, his gaze filled with such deep pain. "...Is there any other way?" I asked hoarsely. "Is there anything you can do?" He knelt beside me, pain filling his eyes. "I'm sorry," he says hoarsely. I look back down at Cole, and the sobs I have been holdi
Rayline. Seconds. In a mere few seconds, my entire world comes crashing down, shattering into pieces as the heart-wrenching pain rips through my soul. My lungs burned as I let out a horrifying wail, holding onto Cole's chest with all my strength, begging, pleading for him to come back to me. My hands are still clasped tightly in his now cold hands, while my tears are flowing freely. I clutched at his shirt, crying helplessly as if I could bring him back with the despair welling up from within me. Out of the blue, I felt a gentle hand placed on top of mine, and I jumped, before I froze at the sight of Jesse looking up at me, his tattered wings dragging behind him. Tears streamed down his face from pain and sorrow, and his eyes lowered to the motionless Cole. He bites his lip as he looks down, squeezing his eyes shut as more tears fall. A sob that sounded like it was choking his throat before he sucked in a deep breath, and his head lifted. He reached out his trembling hand over to C
Rayline. Chris lifted the sword back up with a solemn look, ready to chop his bones off, and started to swing. But before Chris could swing the sword, Lilith suddenly stepped aside, stopping him in his motion. "Hmm..." Lilith stepped forward, and Chris suddenly stopped in midair. "I think I have seen this before." He said, moving between me and Cole. "You are ready to give up everything, while the ones around you squirm helplessly." She went on, talking about the night Cole would trade himself... to let them kill him so that all of us could leave. Cole's head snapped up to meet her eyes, with a glint of hatred. "But there was something missing, something that happened afterward. What is it now?" She tapped her fingers on her lips, as if in deep thought. "Oh! I remember now!" She let out a maniacal laugh. "You lost the person you loved the most..." Then she lifted a sacred sword, the reflection of its light glistening down on the steel, as her eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a pie
Rayline. To my horror, I watched as the skin of his wings was ripped away from the bones that reached out below, leaving only shredded pieces of flesh. His blood spilled onto the ground, soaking the tiles beneath him. She did not stop. With an expressionless face, Lilith continued to shred her own son's wings... the most precious thing to them. "STOP!" Cole's shout echoed out, filled with pain. Tears flooded his eyes. In a fit of rage, he let loose a blast of power that sent the men flying across the room, crashing to the hard ground. Cole reached out his hand towards Lilith, trying to stop her. Lilith froze in place, while Jesse's screams stopped, his body falling to the ground with a sound that struck my heart. I rushed towards him, my heart sank as I made my way to his side at the sight of the remains of his wings in a pool of blood, and a sick feeling came over me, making me bring my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the gasps. How could she do this? To her own son. "...H
Rayline. Cole let out a slow breath, as if trying to calm himself down. I hold on to his side, trying to provide support. "But I'm not done with you yet," Lilith continues with a sinister smile. "Cole!" I exclaim as his body abruptly slips out of my arms, throws onto the stairs of the dais, and lands hard on his back. A groan escaped his lips. "To think a half-breed like you could beat me." Lilith walked haughtily towards Cole, her smile full of disdain. "What happened to all those threats, huh?" she asked, her eyes flashing with cruelty as she lifted her hand, making his eyes widen and I could see her power take hold of his throat. "What happened to ripping me apart, hm?" She took a step closer. Cole remained motionless, his blood-red eyes locked on Lilith, full of malice. "What's wrong? Nothing left to say, mutt?" But then, Cole smirked. His blood-stained lips curled up, making Lilith frown, puzzled. Slowly, his hands opened, causing the melted pieces of metal to fall to the gr
Rayline. Chaos broke out in a split second. Before I could even see his movements, Cole was already whizzing over to Lilith. The blazes lining the entire wall burst with the sudden increase in heat, forcing me to lift my arms to protect myself. Screaming and roaring could be heard clearly as Cole furiously swung his claws at her while she quickly dodged out of his reach. Lilith sent a wave of fire that blasted across the room, scorching the air around her, which made Cole lift his wings and throw them off to the side. I ducked down to avoid the lick of flame that shot out when I heard my name being called. As I turned my head, I caught sight of Taylor staring at me, tugging on the enchanted chains that held both him and Jesse, and without thinking, I jumped to my feet and slid towards them. In another corner of the room, Levi and the other demons were too distracted with helping their leader to focus on me, in addition to the battle that was going on inside the room. Once I reache