They found themselves floating at the end of the world; the sky was roiling crimson and orange,

with reddened clouds rolling uncontrollably in every direction. The entire scene was peppered by
tiny, popping sparks that gave the impression that the world would burst at any moment. Yet the
entire display was muted; the world was completely devoid of sound, and after a moment, the
ominousness receded, but Reginald still felt as though the world might detonate without warning
at any moment.
Jayden either didn’t notice or didn’t care about his new surroundings; he was fiercely engaged
with his captor, their arms quivering as Jayden slowly pulled his captor’s arm away from his
face. “GET OFF OF ME!!” Jayden roared.
Reginald saw Jayden move in a way that caused his mouth to fall open; the boy brought up his
arm up as high as he could get it, driving his elbow behind him, striking his captor cleanly in the
stomach. Reginald wasn’t sure what surprised him more; the impact, which sounded as though it
cracked a rib, the fact that Jayden had deliberately injured someone, or the fact that it sounded
like a woman who had been struck.
Either way, Jayden got what he wanted; his captor was forced to let go, suddenly more
concerned with her midsection than holding onto him, but much to Reginald’s surprise, Jayden
didn’t appear to be finished with her. The boy turned, raising two closed hands just below his
chin. The woman recovered from his elbow strike, raising two open hands that were slightly
extended from her chest.

Did I just hit a woman?!

Stop! Don’t think about that right now! Focus, remember what Zeus taught you…
Jayden released a long, slow breath as he regained his composure. Although he wanted to show
nothing to his opponent, as he had been taught, he scowled; the woman’s hands were open. He
had never encountered an open-handed style before!
Plus, there was no ground to stand on, nothing for him to strike a balance on. It’s okay, I’ll bet
I’m a better flyer than she is.
The woman–if it was a woman–was perfectly still, the hood of her cloak lowered to conceal her
identity, her mouth parted slightly. Jayden could feel her quiet anticipation in his mind; she’s
waiting for me.
Well, I won’t be rude.
Jayden heard Reginald yell something at him, probably telling him to stop, but he was already
committed; he lowered his body and thrust himself at the girl, closing his right hand into a fist
and swinging a wide, hooking shot aimed at her head; his most powerful move, as Zeus had
taught him. Moments before the impact, Jayden smiled, assured that this attack would be the last
one necessary–
The girl shifted, the outside of her open hand striking the inside of his wrist and sending a jolt
through his arm–she blocked!
She continued shifting, stepping into him, lowering her head, as she clutched his arm. She drove
her shoulders and the back of her neck into his body, stunning him as she effortlessly lifted him
overhead. Jayden lost his bearing as she flipped him over her shoulders, still holding his arm. He
landed on her outstretched foot, his head ringing an unpleasant symphony as the back of his head
crashed into the top of her foot.
A boulder crashed into the side of his face, and for a moment, Jayden nearly lost consciousness.
Oh, that wasn’t a boulder. She just hits real hard…
Keeping his training at the forefront of his mind, Jayden looked up, searching for an opportunity,
and found it in the girl’s exposed ankle. He quickly reached behind him with his free hand,
clutching her leg and yanking hard. She managed to get off an astonished “What the–” before
Jayden jerked, forcing her from whatever balance she held, causing her to float helplessly in the
air. Jayden willed himself to rise, stood over the girl, and clenched a fist–and after a moment’s
thought, unclenched it. Just in case it is a girl.
Jayden opened his hand and raised it high above the girl’s body. Just as she began to recover, he
brought his forearm crashing down on her midsection. She appeared to be folded in half, an
OOMPH forced from her diaphragm as she was sent plummeting as if hurled from a cliff.
She fell nearly fiften feet before grunting audibly, flipping forward to right herself. She then
rocketed upwards, ready to continue the confrontation. Jayden closed his fists and waited.
“Lihua.” A young, yet authoritative male voice spoke from behind Reginald. “That’s enough.”

Reginald had been so enthralled by the confrontation that he nearly forgot where he was.
Watching Jayden move like that raised a thousand questions, most prevalent being a desire to
know where Jayden had learned such skills. Or why he felt a need for them in the first place.
Reginald had always known the boy was troubled, but to take to learning how to injure…he felt a
pang of sympathy. Things at home must’ve been far worse than he had imagined.
He remembered when Bethany died; the violent exchange between father and son. He wondered
how long that had been building up.
A hand reached up and gripped his shoulder reassuringly, and Reginald was startled, jarred from
his thinking. He turned back to the owner of the hand, and for the first time observed his
uniform; an unassuming, two-piece sleeveless, black robe, with a crimson eye encased in a
triangle emblazoned over the right breast.
Reginald felt the breath torn from his body upon seeing the symbol. He now knew who’s custody
he was in, just as he knew their chances of leaving had just dwindled to nothing.
“Oh!” The young man exclaimed, holding up a hand to ward off Reginald’s suspicions. He
quickly removed his cloak, revealing a youthful face with brown eyes that had seen too much.
Short, curly brown hair adorned his hea, his skin tanned from spending a lot of time in the sun. “I
apologize! The uniforms are necessary, but I assure you; we have no intention of exiling you.”
Reginald turned to face the boy. “You open the sky and kidnap us. Forgive me if I have a hard
time believing you.”
The young man opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Jayden, who
suddenly appeared at Reginald’s left. “Who do you people think you are?” He demanded.
“They’re the Heimdall, Jayden.” Reginald replied, keeping his eyes on the young man. The
disdain in his voice was unmistakable. “The all-seeing enforcement squad of Yang himself. They
aren’t bothered by things like laws and commandments.”
“We are indeed the Heimdall, Jayden Zeneca.” The young man looked past Reginald and
addressed Jayden directly, “But despite what you may have heard, we are, in fact, just as bound
by the commandments as you are, if not more so, for the sake of our directives.”
He looked back at Reginald. “I’m sorry for alarming you, Reginald. But we are not here to exile
you.”
The young man’s look softened. Authority and confidence were overshadowed by weariness,
sadness…regret? Reginald wondered. He also took note of the two vertical lines on each side of
the triangle on his uniform; the young man was some sort of commanding officer.
“We are here to ask for your help.”
Jayden’s opponent floated into view, hovering behind him on the left. The other hooded figure
drifted up behind the young man. “Both of you.” He ordered, his tone soft, “Reveal yourselves.”
In unison, the two pulled down their hoods. Reginald was surprised; they were both female. Both
were undeniably beautiful.
Jayden’s opponent was pale-skinned, long, jet-black hair running underneath her cloak, angry
green eyes fixed on Jayden. She grunted quietly, massaging her battered midsection. She wanted
to continue their match. The other woman was tanned skin with light brown hair that blossomed
once the hood was removed. She smiled as thought it would illuminate Heaven, her bright brown
eyes beaming; the calming presence she exuded was undeniable.
The young man, their commander, extended his hand towards Reginald. “Lucifer.” He smiled,
“Of the Johab Saints.”
Reginald observed his hand for a moment and then accepted the gesture. “Reginald, of the
Morias Saints.” He replied cautiously.
Lucifer nodded. “I know who you are, Reginald. You’re the most renowned Angel in three
provinces.” He said proudly, “And I know your history with us. I wouldn’t have asked for your
help if I had any other option.”
“And Jayden Zeneca.” Lucifer smiled broadly, exhaling, “The first Angel to be trained by Zeus
himself. We most certainly could use your assistance. In fact, we may be able to help each
other.”
“Help each other do what, exactly?” Jayden retorted. “Who are you people?”
Lucifer placed a hand on his chest. “I am Lucifer St. Johab, last Captain of the Heimdall. Behind
me is Angelica St. Mihr of Isobella Flats, and well…you’ve met Lihua.”
Jayden turned to Lihua, who hadn’t stopped glaring at him since removing her hood.
“What’re the Heimdall?” Jayden inquired, “I’ve never heard of you.”
“You wouldn’t,” Lucifer replied, his tone slightly menacing, “Unless we had business with you.”
“What…” Jayden challenged, “Is that supposed to make me afraid of you…?”
Reginald blocked Jayden from advancing even as Lucifer raised his hands innocently, backing
away. “Forgive me, Jayden. Pride has always been one of my weaknesses. I’m very proud of
what we do, and the good we serve.”
“The good you serve?” Reginald shot back, glowering at Lucifer, “And how many innocents did
you exile for the good you serve?”
Regret came over Lucifer’s face. “It wasn’t my decision to go forward with your family’s exile.
We may have been mistaken, yes, but we cannot undo that now.”
Jayden looked at Reginald quizzically. “The Heimdall was assembled during the Great Divide,”
Reginald explained, “they were tasked with discovering and exiling anyone suspected of
collaborating with Yin.”
Jayden nodded as he understood. “As I recall,” Lucifer said humbly, “You were one of the
Angels offered a position in the Heimdall.”
“I was.” Reginald agreed, “But I thought it was too much power for anyone to have. You made
your decisions without investigation. You turned your mandate into a witchunt.”
Jayden frowned. “There were over a hundred thousand deportees when it was all said and
done…”
“Yes.” Reginald growled, turning his glare back to Lucifer, “Do you think they all went by
choice?”
Lucifer dashed, getting close to Reginald. “Listen to me. Do you want me to admit that we made
mistakes? I admit it, and I apologize. But please don’t let your judgment be clouded now, too
much is at stake. Work with me, and then have me charged if you like.” He exhaled,
understanding the implication of his next statement. “I won’t contest it. Just hear what I have to
say.”
For a moment, Reginald considered what Lucifer had just proposed. If they had really wanted to
exile them, they’d be far south by now.
“Okay.” Reginald. “I’m listening.”