54. WEN

Godric hasn’t shown up again.

Since I can barely feel him, he’s doing something to stop me from sensing him. If it turns out to be the latter, that vat filled with my molten fury that I’ll boil him in will be way bigger.

And after that stunt Giddy and Tory pulled, I realized I haven’t seen hide nor feather from Lorcan in days. It seems the archangelspawn have abandoned me wholesale. I’ll be more damned if I know why.

The cherry on top of this shitcake of a day is that Jophiel chose it to haul my Unitas’s asses from class to our first personalized Grace Development session.

I have the feeling our escorts are her followers, her cult even. I don’t like the way they looked at Sarah in particular. With the same disturbing fascination their idol once did.

They just led us to the area of her namesake building where she once probed Sarah and gave her a seizure. I look around the gigantic chamber they usher us into. Every line of architecture and every article of furnishing and decor feels like her, intensely feminine and immaculately eternal.

Turning to our escorts, to ask when their boss would show up, I find them closing the doors. Something tells me there’s no getting out until Jophiel allows it.

“What the feathered fuck? The bastard progeny of Heaven locked us in here!” That’s Jinny, echoing my conclusion, if more colorfully than I would have.

I swear, if I didn’t resent, and at times loathe, our resident demon, I would love her. Her corrosive and often macabre sense of humor sparks off mine, and tickles my funny bones. In fact, I think she’s the one who deserves the name “Witty.”

Another disturbing development is that I find myself standing with her against the others, even Sarah, on most issues, Jophiel being one of them.

While the other three believe she can do no wrong, me and Jinny see nothing but wrongs about her, and with this program I think she created to single our Unitas out. Singled Sarah, and possibly me, out.

Jinny makes a harmonic braid of a rumble and a whistle. “If your lady crush isn’t here in the next five minutes, Sar, I’m busting us out. Even if I have to barbecue the semi-Celestial geese standing guard. She’s not making me miss Weaponry and Combat, and my fix of kicking Angelblood ass.”

Yeah. They’re finally letting us at each other in these classes. As per Godric’s orders, I refrained from using my Melek moves, because he shouldn’t have been teaching them to me. We’re supposed to start the discipline as Second Years.

Yep, more rules he’s broken, just for me.

But I quickly realized that having him as my personal trainer made many want to pair themselves with, or rather, against me. Most were male, and some were hulking nephilim. I still didn’t need my Melek skills to knock any of them on their asses.

While I’m not back to the peak physical condition he’d whipped me into by the end of his brutal Phase One, I’ve been eating like a horse since his return, and training hard to regain the stamina and muscle mass I lost. After pitting myself against his ruthlessness for three months, even those already versed in hand-to-hand combat are no match for me. That Angelhole had permanently injected a measure of his deadliness into my being, and irreversibly metamorphosed me.

While being trounced made some avoid me, it made more consider me the one to beat, making them line up to take their shot at me. I heard they’ve been studying my fights to prepare for my God(ric)-given techniques. And placing bets who will manage to knock me on my ass. I’ve been welcoming the challenge, even if it’s a deficient substitute for Godric’s.

I bet I won’t have that bandaid anymore. No one will want to approach the Null, probably ever again.

Before I sink deeper in the dumps, the whole space lights up with pervasive light. Jophiel’s.

My resentful gaze meets Jinny’s before we transfer their brunt to our latest taskmaster. As always, the sight of her is a jolt. Jophiel’s beauty and majesty are truly mind-boggling. Almost God(ric)-like, objectively speaking. Subjectively, nothing even approaches his impact.

But the actual surprise is her attire. Gone is the flowing, Roman-like stola, and in its place is a haute-couture white pantsuit that makes her look like a literally high-flying businesswoman. Seems these archangels don their Celestial threads only when they want to remind us lesser beings of their nature and status.

After her light dies down, I feel the other three struggling with their awe of being in her exclusive presence as she surveys us with that endless tranquility of hers.

Before I break the silence with something from my inappropriate repertoire, or Jinny says something even worse, Jophiel’s Heavenly voice encompasses us.

“Thank you for waiting for me, cadets. A weighty development transpired, causing my tardiness. Regretfully, it will also force me to cut our session short.”

“Yes!” Jinny pumps her fist, before her manic grin falls off her face at Aela’s and Cara’s glare and Sarah’s grimace. “What? You know I’m only here for our USTB. What does Grace Development have to do with me anyway?” She looks at Jophiel, her full lips twisting. “Unless you’ve branched into Infernal Instruction and Indoctrination.”

Jophiel inclines her head. “I indeed have some techniques and teachings that might benefit you. But that will be explored at a later date. For this session, you can go back to your day, Jinny, along with Cara and Wen. You will hear from me again when I can devote more time to you.”

I meet Jinny’s eyes, and find them full of my same suspicion. That once she gets rid of us, Jophiel will also dismiss Aela.

The look we exchange says the same thing. Like Hell we’re letting you get Sarah alone.

Jinny raises her chin at Jophiel, a challenge between equals. It must be so nice being basically Infernal royalty. “Don’t bother devoting a second looking my way, archangel. But I’m going nowhere.”

I raise my hand. “I doubt you can do anything for me, either—no Grace to be developed and all. But I’m staying, too.”

Jophiel shakes her magnificent head, her glossy, ankle-length, jet-black hair undulating. “Your presence is not required.”

I barely stop “You bet your feathered ass it is” from flying out of my mouth. Instead I say, “It’s always required to be there for our Unitas members, isn’t it?”

Cara inserts herself between me and Jinny, hissing a whisper. “Get your asses out of here, before this goes into our record. I’m not losing credits for insubordination because of you nutters!”

I wave her off. “Chill, Cara. No such danger here. She told us she’s not our superior officer like her bros.”

“Even if she were,” Jinny interjects. “I’m sure as the fucking Inferno not leaving Sarah alone with her.”

Cara looks between us in stupefaction. “She’s not alone. Aela’s with her. And what are you protecting her from? This massive privilege? Having Archangel Jophiel’s interest and undivided attention is a dream come true.”

I smirk at her. “Yeah, you’d probably be eternally grateful if she gave you a seizure, too.”

Cara’s jaw drops. “What the Hell are you talking about? What seizure?”

“The one she gave Sarah that time she walked with us. It seems to be her MO. Divide our Unitas, with Sarah being one of those she keeps.”

Cara blinks between us, shaking her head. “It’s settled. You’re both certified. It actually explains everything.”

I sigh. “Cara, you can either sit beside us in silence until she dismisses us all, or you can go. You pick.”

At this moment, if Cara infused her glare with her Grace powers, she would probably melt our faces right off.

Instead, she exhales and looks at Jophiel. “If it’s okay with you, Archangel Jophiel …”

“Just Jophiel, Cara.”

Cara’s color deepens as she nods. “If you don’t mind, I’ll stay with my Unitas, Jophiel.”

Though it doesn’t show, I feel Jophiel’s disbelief and frustration. This must have been the last thing she expected, for us to refuse her dismissal.

She finally inclines her head. “Very well, even if it’s a waste of time you could use in more worthwhile endeavors.”

I smirk at her. “What endeavor is more worthwhile than supporting our Unitas members? Isn’t that what this whole Academy is about? The integration you laid the foundations for, and are here to oversee?”

Her calm smile goes nowhere near her eyes as she nods. “Indeed. It gladdens me that you are taking it to heart, and are blending into true unity.”

I raise her an even faker smile. “It’s all thanks to you. But we don’t want to keep you much longer from your ‘weighty development,’ so do your thing already.”

Jophiel holds my gaze and a shiver runs down my spine as something shifts in our dynamic. In a direction I have a feeling won’t bode well for me.

Oh, well. She can join the queue of my haters. I wouldn’t have left Sarah alone with her if she outright zapped me.

As she gestures for us to take a seat, Jinny mutters under her breath. “If she tries anything with Sarah again, she’s Fried Chicken Wings.” She swings her gaze at me. “You with me?”

“Hell, yeah.” I huff. “Let’s just hope our presence will dissuade her from doing something that will force us to commit suicide at her hands.”

Jinny’s fiery ponytail shakes of its own accord in disapproval. “It’s amazing how you underestimate us, Nullard. Even with my core powers not fully developed, I bet you I’m a match for that Celestial Librarian. As for you, heh, I’ll place my bets on you against her any day. You’re this existence’s supreme parasite.”

My heart clenches with the dread that she might be more right than she realizes. My glower is sullen as I mutter, “Why, thanks, Demon Douche. Just what every girl wants to hear.”

“De nada, Soul Sucker. Telling it like it is.”

A visual dagger from Aela shuts us up from then onwards, leaving me to ruminate over my open buffet of worries, with those for Sarah at the forefront.

With Jophiel’s disturbing interest in her, my questions about what she really is come crashing back. Along with my exasperation with Godric for not sharing his theories about her yet. His tab is growing heftier with every moment of his avoidance.

As for Jophiel, I expected her to do some ritual to activate Aela’s and Sarah’s powers, or use her powers to access and “develop” them. Instead, she launches into a monologue that goes on, and on, and on, about Aela’s seven Graces, and Sarah’s indeterminate ones. As usual, she says a lot, yet manages to convey nothing.

I try my damnedest to watch her for any slip ups, but soon my eyes begin drooping. Every now and then a snore erupts from Jinny, and Cara’s head drops to her chest, and I even see some drool action. Each snort and lurch jerks them awake to sit up straight, only for it to happen again, and again.

It must be one of Jophiel Grace powers, to set unwanted guests to snooze mode.

At the end of an agonizing hour, I’m certain of one thing. Jophiel is a vindictive bitch. And she’s latched onto the perfect method to punish us for thwarting her.

When she finally rises and promises to summon us again to continue the “progress” she achieved today, even Sarah and Aela are glassy eyed.

The moment she disappears in her usual flood of light, the doors open, and the senior cadets stare stonily at us. The male one says we can leave, unescorted this time.

Once we’re back in the Hall’s auditorium area, a yawn almost dislocates my jaw as I groan, “Guys, promise me tonight won’t be another snoozefest!”

Jinny slaps me on the back almost hard enough to make me cough out my lungs. “Celebrating your Nullhood will be the most fun we’ve had since being tossed into this Heavenly Hellpit—even if I have to set fire to that club.”

As I mutter my dubious thanks, each of the others has something to say about her declaration, what none doubts she literally means. A new argument is interrupted by the bell ringing, forcing us to disperse to our next classes.

As I run to Azazel’s applied class and the “Freak” looks still bombarding me, I still smile to myself.

Jinny’s blazing promise of excitement to come is the first thing to make me feel better in so long.

Just as the thought occurs to me, it’s wiped clean as he lands in the distance, sending cadets scattering from his path like they would from a meteor’s.

My heart goes off inside my ribcage, as if trying to gallop to him. When the magnificent bastard isn’t approaching me still.

If I thought he had a taste of me, and found it not to his liking, it would have been a killer blow, but I would have understood. I threw myself at him, and he had every right to say no thanks. I would have resigned myself to being with him in the same way as before, as he forged me into the best version of my new self.

But he did like the taste of me. The memory of him licking it off his fingers turns me into a puddle of arousal every time it hits me. He wants this thing between us. He admitted it.

I crave every second with you, every spark of you. I covet your every delight and disaster, my bane.

Still, the emphasis was on “disaster,” and it did happen. I did destroy his sanctuary.

But Godric the Great can find a way to defuse me, if he tries. He won’t, damn him to the deepest circle of Hell!

I hope they have alcohol at Noctis, something potent enough to get even Angelbloods drunk. I need to embark on my first experience of getting wasted. Maybe then I can forget that this hunk of Heaven and Hell exists, if even for a night.