A day has passed. Katie returned to her home, lying in her bed. She lies on her back, staring at the ceiling. Another day in the world of war... she thinks to herself. Katie grabs her blanket and pulls it over her head. I'll get up later. Too lazy to deal with today's bullshit.

BANG!

She immediately pulls the blanket from her head and whips around facing the door.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

... Silence.

In a sudden rage, Katie threw her blanket off and stormed towards the door, grabbing the doorknob and swinging it open.

"I said what the-!"

Her anger ceased as she stared into the darkness. She looks back over her shoulder, seeing all the light in her room disappear. Katie turns back around and yells down a flight of stairs.

"Mom! Dad! What happened to the lights!?"

... Silence.

The silence was deafening. She clenches her fist and leaps to the bottom of the stairs and walks into the living room. The television screen was static. Moonlight pierced through the windows, illuminating the living room.

"I don't understand. What happened to everyone?" She said quietly.

Katie opened her left hand, attempting to summon her sword. Nothing came... confused, she raises her hand to her face and then holds it in the air in another attempt to summon her blade. Nothing came, not even a glimpse of light.

"I don't understand... What is going on?"

Katie suddenly heard someone running behind her. Before she could react, a sharp pain ran through her back and stomach. She looked down to see a pair of purple claws pierced through her stomach. She felt its cold breath on the back of her neck.

"We will meet... under the darkened sky. There you will meet your destiny..."

It snapped her neck and ripped its hand out. Katie fell dead on the floor as the figure vanished into the dark. The muffled voice of a woman is heard calling out to her.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

A flash of light came through the windows, shining into her eyes. In an instant, her eyes opened wide, staring up at the ceiling. What just happened? Did I just have a nightmare? Her door slowly opened, and a light-skinned woman pokes her head into the room.

"Ah! You're awake. I thought you were going to sleep in all day after yesterday."

Katie sits up and places her hand on her forehead. "Hi, mom."

Her mother walks towards her bed and sits on her knees. "What's the matter, honey?"

"Just a nightmare, that's all."

Her mother gently rubs the top of her head and stands up. "Come downstairs. Your father hasn't seen you in three days."

She walks out of the room and quietly goes down the stairs. Katie sits in her bed and turns her head towards a mirror sitting on a white and gold desk. She pulls her blanket down and looks at her stomach. To her relief, there was no hole.

Thank God. It was all fake.

"Come on down!", her mother shouted.

Katie stood up and summoned light around her, forming into a toga. She walks downstairs to see her mom sitting on a white couch and her father, another light-skinned man, sitting in a white chair.

"What's up, kid," her dad said with a gruff voice.

"Life...", she responds quietly.

Her father sits up and places his elbows on his legs. "Life? That all you got to say?"

"Sorry, father. I'm just thinking about things."

"War, isn't it? What's going on down there? Why did you come back so early yesterday?"

She shoots a glance into her dad's eyes and looks towards the couch. Katie sits on it and leans back. "Dragons came down and took over the job for us. That's about it."

Gabriel reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar. He grabs a lighter from the table in front of him and lights the cigar. "You weren't instructed to go anywhere else?"

Katie reaches towards the glass table in front of her and grabs the remote. "No. Maybe the empire's presence on this side of the wall died down."

Her father nods his head and stands up. He turns around and walks towards a door behind the chair. He opens it and enters his room, closing the door behind him. Her mother turns towards Katie and rubs her back.

"I thought Gabriel would've wanted to talk to you longer. But I guess not, gotta get back to answering those prayers, eh?"

"Yeah." Her voice became monotone while staring at the television. " I don't know when I will be called to action again."

Her mother stood up and walked behind the couch, going to the kitchen. "I'm sure it will be soon, honey. Why ask about that though?"

Katie placed her elbows on her legs and puts her hands together, resting her chin on her fingers. "I don't know. It just suddenly came to mind."

"Ah, ok. Well, it's good to speak your mind. But you're twenty-six, you know that by now."

Katie zoned out and became lost in her thoughts. What was that nightmare? Why did it feel so real?

She stands up and reaches above her head, grabs her halo, and walks back upstairs. A screen with Chief's helmet appears in her halo. She places her finger on the image and swipes to the left, moving through the faces of other angels. She stops at a picture of Guidance and taps the screen. Only a moment passes and his soft voice is heard through the halo.

"Yes, Katie?"

Katie sits on the bed and crossed her legs. "I had a disturbing dream... And I don't know what to think about it."

"A dream? To me, that sounds like a nightmare. Please, explain."

Katie lies on her back, keeping the halo next to her ear. "All of heaven was dark. There was no one, not even a single angel, light spawn, or dragon. I was instantly impaled by the hand of a creature from behind, and it said something to me."

"What did it say?" He said in a concerned voice.

" 'We will meet... under the darkened sky. There you will meet your destiny...' "

There was silence for a minute. She could hear Guidance pacing in his office.

"Hmm... A lot of angels and dragons talk about nightmares from the war. To me, this seems like the side effect of fighting for so long"

"That's not it either. The being that spoke to me had the same voice as me."

"Did it?"

She asked in a frightened voice. "Guidance, what the hell is happening to me?!"

"Stay calm. They attempted a scare tactic on me as well. You're just having nightmares from the war. Whatever destiny this nightmare spoke of is an attempt to frighten you. If this happens again, come to me immediately, alright?"

Katie sits back up and walks to her door. She grabs the doorknob and stares at it while talking. "Yeah...yeah. Sorry, I just haven't experienced one yet."

"I'm quite surprised, you served for six years and not one?"

She calmly shakes her head, "No. Never had one until today."

"I see... Well, I have to go, others are trying to contact me. But please keep your mind safe, I don't want to see you fall like those before you."

"I will try Guidance. And thank you."

"Always happy to help. I will see you later."

Katie taps her finger on the screen, ending the call. Her halo floats back above her head. "This is just a natural result from fighting. Nothing more. I will not let this hinder me, too many lives depend on it." She assures herself.

Two hours have passed. Katie is sitting on the couch drawing angel wings. Her mother enters the living room and sits next to her. "Drawing are we?"

"Just to pass time," Katie said in a monotonous voice.

Gabriel walks out of his room with a cigar in his mouth. "Seraphina. Go make some food for us, would ya?"

Seraphina looks at Gabriel and shakes her head. "I'm busy doing my pottery. You can go make your own."

Gabriel raises his hands. "What the hell?! I can't do it! I'm too busy! You're not doing anything right now!"

She whips around and blurts, "you can go microwave some damn food for yourself!"

Gabriel drops his arms and storms off towards the kitchen. "Fine, I will!" He blurts out.

Seraphina turns back around and looks back at her daughter's drawing. Katie lifts the drawing and shows her mother. "Could you guys cut back with the yelling? My ears are suffering from it." Katie grumbled.

"Sorry!" She said apologetically while smiling nervously.

Katie lifts her drawing and shows it to her mother. "So, what do you think?"

Seraphina leans forward, putting her forehead on the drawing. "Yeah, that's not half bad! Well...besides the line work could use a little... work! Get it?" She closes one eye and makes finger guns.

Katie raises her eyebrow and pulls the drawing back. "You have a strange sense of humor."

Seraphina lowers her hands and laughs, "Yeah, I know! I'm just being silly!"

Katie smiles and closes her eyes. "Mom, you're a goof," She says while shaking her head.

A sudden knock at the door comes. Katie and Seraphina dart their heads at the door and look at each other. Seraphina stands up and walks towards the door. She opens it and is greeted by Chief.

He bows his head. "Afternoon ma'am."

Seraphina smiles at him and bows back. "Welcome to our humble abode!"

Chief looks over her shoulder, watching Katie slowly stand up, staring at Chief.

"I need to talk to your daughter" Chief demands. "We have a new mission."

Seraphina glanced worriedly at Katie and lowers her head. "Please keep my daughter alive."

Chief places his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, we're going to be fine out there." Seraphina steps backward and moves towards the couch. Chief walks to Katie and motions his head to the doorway. Her mother watches them walk outside. Katie gently closes the door behind her and looks at Chief.

"Hey, Chief. What needs to be done?"

Chief places his hands behind his back. "I wanna talk to you about something."

She puts her back against the door, and crosses her arms, "Sure, anything."

" We've known each other for quite some time now, and I noticed that your... How should I say it...? You regenerate differently, instead of using light, your body just forces itself back together. You seem physically stronger than other angels I know."

Katie stays silent and keeps listening.

"Its... I don't know, it's just odd."

"Remember: Gabriel is the younger sibling of Celenara and Odraxon. I think I just inherited some of the dragon's blood from my aunt and uncle." She reassured Chief.

Chief puts his hand on the bottom of his helmet. "Hmm... I don't understand him being an angel. But Galactius works in strange ways."

Katie widens her eyes. "Oh, Chief there's something I want to tell you. Today I had the most strangest dre-" she was abruptly cut off by another voice talking over her.

"Guys, we have to move out, now!" An archangel approached them wearing a toga. Chief looks at Katie and spreads his wings.

"Conjure your armor, we're moving out." Chief demands.

To hell with it, I'll just tell him later. Katie spreads her wings and leaps into the sky with Chief and flies away from her home