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“Alex, what did you see?”
Alex gazed forward, his blue eyes wide and glazed over with a thousand images.
“I saw the beginning,” Alex whispered, “there was light…”
Alex felt Michaels hand grasp his shoulder gently. It felt cool and soothing, even through the fabric of his shirt.
“I saw the beginning of life…and death…and love.”
Alex felt like a trance had gone over him; no sound invaded his senses as he gazed forward. So intensely had this vision taken over him that he didn’t notice tears were running down his face. The hand left his shoulder and he swayed forward for a moment before a caress started up his cheek and gently traveled down to clutch his neck.
“Alex, come back,” Alex heard faintly, as if it came from another room. For a moment he couldn’t remember where he was or how he had gotten here. Strange runes danced across the blurry background of his vision.
“Alex,” he heard louder than before, two hands suddenly gripping his shoulders and shaking him slightly. Like lightning, his body jerked and a gasp escaped his lips. Alex fell forward, his hands flat on the ground and his nails digging into the carpet beneath him. Quick and heavy breaths escaped him harshly with little control. He felt dizzy and confused like he was drunk. I went too far down, he thought. A vague story of a girl named Alice popping into his thoughts. He started to panic again and moved his arms inward to clutch his stomach. All of a sudden he could feel every marking on his skin like insects. Cool hands touched him again to grasp his hands before he could start scratching his arms in earnest.
“Alex, come back to me.”
This time the voice, Michael his mind supplied, was steady and clear and speaking softly into his ear. Alex looked up into Michael’s eyes, tears still evident on his face. He wasn’t sure why he had started crying, or even when, but looking into Michael’s answered questions he didn’t even know he wanted.
“He loved us all Michael,” he said gazing into the archangels’ eyes, “he wanted to give the angels a gift by his leaving, something he gave the humans so long ago.”
Alex leaned forward into Michael’s embrace, turning his head to rest his ear against Michael’s chest. He wouldn’t have thought that angels had a heartbeat but seeing the blood escape the wound just a few days ago, he expected the steady rhythm that welcomed him in.
“Freedom,” he whispered, his eyes clouding over again with unshed tears.
He felt angry with himself, with God, and with the angels. For most of his life he had suffered at the hands of others because of a choice his father made and now he knew that a choice from God had caused the deaths of billions. Was this the fate of this world, to suffer and cause suffering because of fear?
“I can’t do it Michael,” he said, spiraling again into despair, “I can’t help them understand when I myself don’t.”
Michael brought Alex’s head up and kissed his forehead; cool lips touching hot skin, bringing a sigh from them both in relief.
“My gift was not freedom Alex,” Michael whispered as well, resting his forehead against Alex’s, “my gift was you.”
Michael gazed down at the smile that had appeared slowly on Alex’s face and realized that he too saw light; only it was warm and more beautiful than any sunrise he had ever seen before.