It was a calm night at the library, the te November winds were howling around the building. Kate had always found it to be quite comfy to be inside with books and a storm raging outside. While this wasn’t really a storm, it was quite unpleasant for any humans who happened to be outside at this te hour.

  Kate and Eisheth had gotten comfortable in the restaurant in the back of the library, enjoying some tea and tiny cakes.

  “It’s nice to have things feel normal again.”

  Kate raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Getting Lilith back brought me and Naamah together again. We did a lot as sisters in the past weeks, but now we are slowly moving back to just living. There is still excitement when we see each other, but the feeling of needing to do things together has faded. All three of us are happy again, and that happiness is slowly becoming normal.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  “It is. It also made me realize something. I buried myself here, among the books and duties of this pce, to avoid Naamah. But now, I feel like I want to be here. I love it here. I no longer feel like a former inquisitor who ran from her duties of freeing her sister, I finally feel like a librarian.”

  “To be entirely honest, I feared you might want to take a step back from the library. I don’t think I would have tried talking you out of that, but I would have been quite sad.”

  “Good thing I’m not going anywhere then.”

  Kate smiled and nodded. “I am very gd to have you here and call you my friend.”

  “Getting sentimental, are we?”

  “A bit. I just feel like letting people know I like them. Rexing with Polly, I had the time to think about things and knowing what happened to Phea and Saliria, I feel so bad for them. They didn’t get to say these things to many of the people they knew a long time ago. People who they might never see again.”

  “Might?” Eisheth raised an eyebrow.

  “I mean, when this universe fades, we will be able to access the underworld tied to it, right?”

  “Theoretically, yes. But that is still a very long time off.”

  “Still, there is hope we will see all those we loved who have died again. Well… not all of them, I’m sorry, I didn’t think…”

  “It’s okay. Just as many humans don’t believe that they will meet their dead loved ones again, we have accepted that we won’t either. I don’t want to be jealous of your hopes and I really don’t want to lessen them. Getting Lilith back taught me to not just dismiss other’s optimism. So yes, maybe they will get to say how much they loved their parents again one day.”

  “Until things are proven otherwise, I want to believe that.”

  “I do too.”

  It was almost like a jolt of magic that the two demons felt running through the entire library. Kate shot up from her chair.

  “Angel?”

  Eisheth nodded. “It felt like that, yes.”

  “They wouldn’t dare come in here.”

  “Let’s be ready for anything, I will send for help.” Eisheth conjured a pre-written note and teleported it away before magically switching her clothes for her demonic armour.

  Kate followed that example and suited up as well.

  Two angels stood before the reception desk, their swords id out of their reach on the desk. Kate recognized one of them: Kokabiel. The other was tall and slender, almost unnaturally so, with two rings circling his faceless head, both studded with many eyes. Kate had never seen his kind in person before but recognized him as an ophanim. He was the one to speak when the two demons stepped closer, their hands on their weapons.

  “Librarians Kate and Eisheth, I decre our arrival in peace. We surrender our weapons to you in hope that you will not just accept them but also us.”

  Eisheth nodded at Kate to signal her to talk.

  Kate stepped closer to the angels. “If you are here in peace, then we will talk in peace. I hope you understand that we still have to take certain precautions, your kind is not usually permitted in here.”

  “We understand and will follow all orders you give.”

  “Okay. Then I have a few questions before I invite you into our office to talk in a more private setting.”

  “We will answer all questions you have.”

  “That’s a good start. Of course, if you have questions, please ask them. Firstly, I already know Kokabiel, we met before, but I don’t know your name.”

  “I am Tariel, foremost among messengers of the flight of Gabriel.”

  “And why did you two come here.”

  Tariel gnced at Kokabiel. “To surrender to your mercy and in hopes to follow the path of the fallen one Sariel. I know you can see into my thoughts to witness the truth in my words. I beg that you allow us to repent for our deeds against your kind.”

  Kate took a deep breath. By now, several justiciars had teleported in and shut the front door. While there were many demons here she could defer to, the two angels had come to speak to her and hoped that she would show them the same mercy and understanding she showed Kokabiel before.

  “I will deny your repentance as there is nothing to repent for. If you wish to join us, wish to ‘fall’ then we will accept you. I will accept you. We demons will see you as one of our own and you will be given the right and opportunities that any other demon receives as well. But I, Kate, have one stipution.”

  “We will accept whatever you ask of us.”

  “It will be hard for you, but I must demand that you live as you desire. Your life, your identity, your very self is more important than any service you could offer others. Sariel took a long time to learn that. I don’t want you to make the same mistake. If you join us, you will have room to be yourself, something I was told is not truly possible in the high courts. I won’t judge you if you take a while to figure yourself out or fail several times, but I want you to try.”

  Kokabiel looked at Tariel for permission to speak. The ophanim turned to him and gave a strange version of a mouthless smile. “We are no longer of the courts, speak your mind as you wish. As Kate said, we are to be ourselves. I do not wish to be your superior, do not defer to me.”

  Kokabiel nodded and turned to Kate. “We have brought knowledge and were ready to offer our services, even make sacrifices just to be accepted in some way. I didn’t expect you to just let us in. Are you sure you can just accept us like this? Do you not need to ask anyone else?”

  Kate shook her head. “No, I don’t. Even if I had to ask the other demons here, they all accept you. Take your bdes and let’s take this to the office. There are a few people I need to notify about this decision, but you are welcome here and in Hell. I don’t know what the exact things I need to do to turn you into demons, fallen angels, are but I will talk to someone who knows and then you’re free from the heavens.”

  “Thank you, truly.”

  Tariel spoke again. “You have my deepest gratitude. Do you permit a question?”

  “Ask whatever you want to ask. Welcoming you here also means being open with you.” Kate smiled.

  “Why did you decide our fate so quickly? You do not know what we wished to repent for, what we did in the wars. Your interaction with the angels has only been negative so far.”

  “Not always. Kokabiel was a nice surprise. The big thing that drove me to such a quick decision were the words a good friend gave me: forgiveness is the key to many paths. You came here on your own accord to ask for just that. Forgiveness. And I am happy to provide. Whatever you did, you can always speak to those you may have hurt directly. Overall, we demons are very much into the idea of forgiving and accepting. If the other shows remorse, which I can see in your mind. I must admit though that it is difficult to not let my encounter with Arakiel colour my perception of angels. Still, I know that not all angels are shitty vengeful idiots.”

  “I understand now. We should move to your office. I assume you do not want any humans to see us here.”

  “Yea, that would be a bit of trouble but nothing we can’t fix. Let’s head to the office, send a letter to Athena and see about having you fall, shall we?”

  “We will follow you.”

  “Unless it makes you uncomfortable, I would like to keep the justiciars here. Not to protect anyone from you, but to protect you in case Gabriel or anyone else gets the stupid idea to stop you from joining us.”

  Tariel nodded. “We appreciate your protection. The justiciars’ presence in fact comforts me.”

  “That’s good then. Alright, the office is this way. Eisheth, want to join us?”

  Eisheth nodded. “Wouldn’t want to miss witnessing the fall of two angels.”