Chapter Nine: Make This Right

                                    

                                          
Chapter Nine: Make This Right
     Ramiel sucked in gulps of icy air that make his lungs sting as he soared across the night sky, relentlessly fighting off the waves of Cherubim and Nephilim warriors descending from the mothership that was now bearing upon the humans' refuge. He slashed his katana, easily half the length of one of the planes in the airfield below, tearing apart any Nephilim or Cherubim that dared to get in his way. Hot blood gushed from the wounds of his enemies and splattered across his pitch-black armor. The crispness of the cold winter air soon gave way to the choking perfume of viscera and spilled entrails. If only he could get to her in time... 
     Honestly, he never cared much for humans. Unlike Sachiel, he never saw them as food or toys, but he didn't exactly value their lives, either. When it came to the plight of human beings, he was indifferent. To him, they were merely lower life forms. But still, he didn't wish to see them exterminated like insects. As for Shizuka Hikage...she was a different story altogether. He had to protect her, because he knew what would happen if she fell into Tabris' hands. Both the Nephilim and humanity would be doomed. A being with the Seed of Creation would be on par with an Angel, if not even stronger. They could reshape the world into however they saw fit...from that perspective, the strength of the Seraphim was equivalent to a god. 
     After watching the suffering of Shizuka and the other humans firsthand...he felt for them. He could connect to that suffering, the same kind he had experienced throughout his long, long life. In comparison to his, their lives were like that of a mayfly, but it didn't make them any lesser. 
     He fought through the hordes, his white-hot blade sizzling as blood splashed upon it. "Come on, come on..." he urged himself. "She's so close...I can smell her...I have to get to her before they do..." 
     But by the time he slaughtered his way through the armies that hindered him at every angle, he was too late. A beam of heavenly light burst from the roof of the building and shot up into the black skies. From there, he saw the glowing outline of six immense wings spreading into existence. Ramiel halted in his tracks. His ice-blue eyes widened, and his blood ran cold. "No...this can't be...she's awakening already!?" 
     Ramiel took a sharp dive to swoop in and snatch away Shizuka before she ceased to be human entirely, but he ended up colliding head-on with an invisible force field, an unseen wall generated by the massive wings that blocked him from moving any further. His insides warped as the barrier rebounded, sending him sprawling backwards. He took his blade to it, slashing against the invisible wall, but all of his efforts were for naught. 
     Within minutes, the Cherubim and Nephilim retreated, and the mothership zipped off into the darkness of the night, vanishing off into the distance at a speed nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. 
     As the dark consumed the shattered refuge, Ramiel finally felt the barrier give way. He dove into the ruins, only to see an abandoned battlefield. All the humans and Nephilim had vanished. Shizuka was gone. And most disturbing of all...Sachiel's mangled corpse laid sprawled on the floor, surrounded by a veritable ocean of blood. Ramiel's stomach turned. For a Nephilim like him to be slaughtered so brutally...it could only mean one thing. 
     Ramiel spread his wings and took off into the night sky once more, chasing down the faint remnants of Shizuka's scent...and hoping he wasn't already too late by the time he got to her.

     I stood staring down the ice-slicked driveway of my home, dressed in winter down and nipped at by chilly winds. Puffs of mist left my mouth with each exhale. The entire neighborhood was coated in a blanket of white. White Christmases weren't exactly common in my town, but it looked like this would be the one lucky year. I carefully scaled the ice-cloaked steps and rang the doorbell, only to be greeted by a horde of bright eyes and smiling faces. "Welcome home, Shizuka! Merry Christmas!" my mother cheered, giving me a hug before she led me inside.