“You think that’s Raea?” Pyre asked Palan as he squinted. The black needles disappeared, and the group of people on the ground stared at each other. A wave of heat washed over them, causing Solra’s eyes to widen in shock.

“This intensity,” Solra said as his robe fluttered from the hot wind. “It reminds me of Meffi. Who is that?”

“Who’s Meffi?” Palan asked as he jumped off the boulder and landed beside Cory and the four-armed centaur.

“He was one of the archangels on the council,” Pyre said. “But not anymore because he betrayed them and left. Last I heard, he was in Eljiam with Abaddon.”

Solra’s brow wrinkled. “Where did you hear that from?” he asked.

Pyre smirked. “Concerned?” he asked. “Don’t worry. If your plot was widely known, do you think you would’ve gotten this far?”

A strange light flashed through Solra’s eyes before he closed them. He sighed and shook his head. The four-armed centaur tilted his head. “Should we assist whoever is attacking our enemy?” he asked.

“No,” Solra said. “That’s not part of the plan.” He turned around and smiled at Dinah. He pointed at Cory and said, “Heal her. You know what’ll happen if you disobey.”

Dinah glared at him before hanging her head. Cory hopped over to the dejected archangel and held out her broken wing. A white light washed over her body, mending her feathers and resetting the bone. “Thanks,” Cory said and folded her wings against her sides. Dinah grunted in reply.

“For now,” Solra said and stared at the sky. “We wait. In a few days, we’ll have seven more archlings. When they’re ready, we strike. Continue defending the base and creating tunnels in the meantime.” He frowned when another black needle materialized in the air, larger this time. “Is that wrath being getting closer?” His gaze landed on Palan. “Is that the person you were looking for?”

“Maybe,” Palan said and frowned. He attempted to call on Raea’s powers. Solra’s eyes bulged out of his head when black flames erupted from Palan’s palm, forming a halo of fire in front of his face. Solra was sure he activated his zone of charity again after allowing Dinah to heal Cory. He deactivated and reactivated his power, but the flames in Palan’s hand were unaffected. A smile appeared on Palan’s face. “Yes. I finally found her.”

Palan leapt into the air, but landed heavily on the ground a moment, creating a web of cracks. “Odd,” he said and furrowed his brow. “Why can’t I use my powers?”

“Try again,” Solra said, his face pale. Palan raised an eyebrow, and a black glow enveloped his body. Solra sucked in his breath. “Is that … pride?”

A laugh was the only response he received. Palan leapt into the air, heading towards the carnage in the distance, taking Pyre with him. Solra and Dinah stared at Palan’s back as he got further and further away, his body becoming a black dot in the sky. “What kind of monster did Pyre make a contract with?” Solra asked and released his breath. His heart raced, and it took a while to settle down.

Dinah turned her head to look at Solra. “That was an archdemon of pride and wrath,” she said, her voice hoarse. “Are you sure you want to keep your agreement with him?”

Solra snorted and looked down on Dinah who was sitting on the ground. “With his help, victory belongs to me,” he said. “The council is exhausted. Sariel is the only one left, unless you managed to find replacement archangels in that decade I was gone. The four armies have been destroyed. Elrith is nowhere to be found. Akurel is dead. Jones and Michael are prisoners. All that remains are the heads of the families and the three academies. But you and I both know academics can’t fight.”

“And what happens when you win?” Dinah asked. “I still don’t understand why you betrayed us in the first place. Why did the four of you sin?”

“Am I a sinner?” Solra asked and raised an eyebrow. “Which sin do I have? I am still an archangel of charity, nothing more, nothing less.”

“You broke the law. You aided Anidun and Abaddon when they turned on the council. You plotted with Meffi and stole our designs,” Dinah said.

“Is it a sin to break an outrageous law? Am I not allowed to help my friends? Am I not allowed to return stolen goods to their rightful owners?” Solra asked. “I am an angel of charity. I think my actions were very charitable. The world isn’t black and white. For one person to receive a boon, someone else must lose something. For us to gain the land and territory of the halfings, the halflings have to lose them. Why are the angels the ones in the right?”

“Because we are blessed by the Creator!” Dinah said. “He lends us his power to spread his word.”

Solra pointed at the red centaur, then at Cory. “And them? They have powers too,” he said.

“They are the first of their kind,” Dinah said and bit her lower lip. “Without our influence, they would never be where they are now.”

Solra rolled his eyes. “Then the demons? What about them?” he asked and folded his arms behind his back. “Their powers are undoubtedly stronger than ours.”

“They too were influenced by us,” Dinah said and furrowed her brow. “Their powers may be stronger, but it is nearly impossible for them to manifest without our assistance.”

“You can say the same about angels,” Solra said. “Like demons, there are those who take a long time to manifest their powers. Some never even get the opportunity. Why are there so few archangels?”

“The Creator works in mysterious ways,” Dinah said. “The demons are a seed of temptation. They show us what we can have if we forsake the Creator, but as long as our belief stays firm, our own powers increase.”

Solra snorted. “And this is why you will never understand why we are doing what we’re doing,” he said. “The Creator has a plan for all things. Then I guess he no longer wants the angels to be the sovereigns of the land because in a few months, they won’t. I will create a more fair and just land—“

“And it will be destroyed by that archdemon,” Dinah said.

Solra fell silent. “It won’t,” he said and shook his head. “This whole time, the council has been solving every problem with the same solution: Suppress with absolute power. I will go the route of negotiation.”

“You think you can negotiate with a demon?” Dinah asked.

“Of course,” Solra said and nodded.

“The council’s never negotiated with one before.”

“Well,” Solra said. “That’s because you’ve never tried.”