Epilogue
The large mansion was empty, dreary, and depressing, reflecting the way she feels. As she stood in the drawing-room taking in the peeling wallpapers, stained covered carpet and leaks (and that weren't even the worst of it) was dreadful. But Raf could see how it was once been in better care with gleaming chandelier, pristine wallpaper that aren't sagging with age and plush carpet to sink one feet into. Regal and homely. As her eyes roves her infant-hood home, her heart feels heavier than ever. She could have grown up here as a Terrestrial instead of being a Celestial being.
She wrapped her arm around that wistful thought, a rueful smile on her beautiful face. It would save her the trouble from all this pain. Sighing, Raf dismissed the thought from her head and reminisce the event that brought her here, a broken angel with a broken heart. The angel who fell in love with a devil and had paid the worst price. Exiled from the Higher Spheres and stripped of her power, she should be devastated but Raf has known grief like no other and her exile had brought nothing but relief.
Numb, that is the only thing that can describe the lack of emotion in her. Simple joys in life that she enjoyed so much before are now meaningless. Even her friends were not much of a distraction.
Make no mistake, Raf still loves her friends. But her grief and despair numbs all other experience out that being without them was a better relief than being with them. They remind her of the better times that was like salt to her gaping bleeding wound.
She climbs the large spiraling staircases remembering; how she ran down them, with adrenaline coursing through her vein, with Reina's underlings hot on her heel with thoughts of her loved ones in her mind came. He had been there, along with many others, a suppressed but prominent image in her head, unwanted, but there nonetheless.
Her mouth twisted ruefully. Those good old days, when she can afford to dismiss him from her mind. She never could of course, but the effort had been harmless. Now, now she'd give everything to be able to think of him without having her already so mangled heart more torn. Without the tears that rocked her to her sleep and the nightmares which she was haunted upon it. To think of him without the scorching pain in her soul.
She stopped at the top, her long slender silhouette still, her eyes close. Heaving a ragged sigh, she closed her eyes at the sharp lance of pain reverberating through her, a familiar feeling these days. She crumpled down on the top staircase, unable to hold the sorrow in her from welling up and consuming her, her delicate body trembling in silence as her tears streamed gently down her cheeks.

Wall of books from the floor to the ceiling and an open glass wall greet her when she cracked open the door to the library in the second floor. So did a clutter of other things; a broken globe on the floor, an empty frame by the fireplace, a fading dressing gown on an armchair that has seen better days, piles of broken lamps and vase on one side of the room and shards of crystal everywhere, which she suspect is from the chandelier hanging by one cord that looks precariously close to falling. A desk stood proud in front of the stained glass wall and Raf gingerly made her way to it, her boots crunching the scattered crystal along the way.
The desk, she discovered, was on a higher landing and was in a good condition despite the cobwebs and heavy dust layered on it. It was covered with paper weight, pen holds, open books, papers with an open pen on its side, as if whoever that was sitting on this desk had got up in the middle of writing and never came back. Remembering what her father had told her, he probably didn't.
She moved around the table slowly, trying to imagine her father, a familiar stranger, with his black-blue hair pulled back, hunched over an old ancient scripture as he poured it over with his dark blue eyes. It wasn't hard. In the brief moments she had known him, he proved himself to be an intelligent caring man. He was brave man with integrity and Raf was proud to call him her father.
She swallowed a sob back but a stray tear fall, dropping on a paperback that has fallen to the floor. Glancing down she bent over to pick it up, and read the title. ROMEO AND JULIET. Another one of her bittersweet memories welled up and her sweet cupid bow mouth curved in the now rare amused smile.
"Tell me." She urged her face light with eagerness and barely contained amusement.
He looked at her, light exasperation and embarrassment in his eyes."Why do you have to know?"
"Come on, who else can you tell but me. I am a little shell-shocked now so hit me while it's still hot."
He glanced at her then, an eyebrow raised in veiled cynicism, "Really, Raf?" She shrugged sheepishly, a cheeky smile on her face.
"Alright, but don't laugh or I will never confide to you ever again, okay?"Raf nodded excitedly, her blue eyes on him. He flicked Raf an enquiring glance and received a gold encouraging nod.
"It's Shakespeare. My favorite author is the moustache guy who writes crazy mushy stuff that suckers read," he blurted out in one embarrassing breath, blushing profusely. "There, satisfied?"
As a reply, she gave him a bright smile that lit up her entire face barely keeping her amusement at bay.
"Very."
"You just love watching me squirm don't you?"
"Maybe, just the tiny bit." They laughed at that, watching each other with such tenderness in their eyes.
Involuntarily, their body inched closer until there's nothing but a breath between them.
"We can't." she manages to breath out after a long static moment.
"I know." He said as his amber eyes filled with sadness.
They both smiled a smile of craving wistfulness.
"Hey, Sulfus, what's your favorite one out of all of his mushy stuff that suckers read?"
Sulfus chuckled softly, his face beautiful under the star light and the moon, pale dark and handsome. Her dark knight gave her a slow sensuous smile that curled her toe and quicken her heart.
"Romeo and Juliet…"

A tinkling chime resounded through the mansion, waking her from her reverie. She walked gingerly through the clutter in the library and made her way down the stair and to the front door.
Raf opened the door and Miki, Sweet and Urie all rushed forward to engulfed her in one big hug. Taken by surprise, Raf took a startled step back. "Whoa."
"Jeez, you'd think you didn't see her for years or something."
Raf turned her head to Kabale's voice, surprise lit in her eyes when she saw the trio Devils that were Sulfus's friend. Cabiria, Kabale and Gas stood there in their Terrestrial form, seemingly a normal human Goth threesome. Her friends released her from their tight group hug allowing Raf a chance to see them clearly. Like the Devil's, the three Angel's were also in their Terrestrial form, all donning cute t-shirt and comfortable jeans. She looked to the group in confusion.
Even though she had been exiled and stripped of her power, the neither High nor Lower Spheres had been capable to take her Celestial sight and she had also retained some of her mind ability. So for the them to take their Earthly form came as a surprise to Raf.
"The superior orders," a familiar voice said, answering her unasked question. Raf turn her head, and saw the two Headmaster and Headmistress, Arkhan and Temptel standing next to the group, also in their Terrestrial form, "We were told to take our Terrestrial form as precautions. We wouldn't want you be seen talking to clear air."
"Aren't you going to invite us in?" the Devil Headmistress asked, inclining her purple head and peering at Raf above her black square spectacle.
Raf blinked and smiled wanly at the odd group, "Come on in."

"Whoa, this place needs a lot of work. It's a dump." Cabiria exclaimed when they entered the living area. Raf didn't say anything to that, silently agreeing to Cabiria. But her friends winced and Urie glared at the Devil girl who grinned sheepishly back. Unlike her who dated a Devil and was actually quite used to the blunt, cynic and sarcastic way that Devil talked, her friend is proper Angel who played by the good ol' Celestial Rules and wouldn't even dream of breaking any of it never mind the biggest and the worst rule of all. Raf mouth twitched at her self-deprecating thought and turned to her unexpected guests. "So why are you guys are here?" she asked bluntly.
They looked startled at her question and Temptel smiled, not missing a beat. "We're here to help you clean out your new home," she said gesturing at everybody, the Angel smiling brilliantly and the Devil grimacing at Temptel choice of word, "so you don't have to do this alone."
"Help?" Kabale scoffed, rolling her eyes, "We're here as a punishment.
Not help. You think we would want to be here willingly?"
"Ah, yes about that, the higher and lower spheres thought it'd be a fitting punishment. Kind of like a Celestial community service."
"Oh." She said looking down to the floor. She guesses she shouldn't be surprised. The Devil Enemies and the Angel's Friends did have a substantial amount of involvement in the whole incident and the Lower or Higher Sphere wouldn't even think of sparing them. It could be worse she suppose.
They could be like her, a Neutral like Reina. She dug her nails into her palm at that thought. No, not like Reina. Never like her.
"That's nice, I could use the help."
"Duh, even I wouldn't live in this place." Kabale said smirking like she always does. "I just don't understand why you would want to live here when SHE used to live here." Kabale shuddered.
"This was my home first," she said quietly, "beside, she kept a good maintenance so we don't need to strip it down and fix it inside out."
"Yippee." Cabiria said eagerly, looking at the huge mansion in despair.
Miki glared at her then smiled amiably at Raf, "That sounds optimistic, Raf."
Temptel glanced at her watch and then snapped her finger bringing the room attention to her. "We don't have much time so let get down to business here." She spoke in a strict tone, her eyes on each of the Devil Enemies and Angel's Friend, "You will assist with Raf for as long as necessary or until the entire house are deemed inhabitable by her. You will come here every one day in the week and your earthly one will be undertake by the Golden School during the entire course of that day with few exception. You may discuss the day among yourself and decide it. You will be here from 9AM to 10PM. You WILL NOT: slack off to another place, come here in your Celestial form, use your powers or cut your time here in any way or any reason unless it is consulted with one of your instructors. Is that understood?" she finished with an icy cold look, cocking her brow for consent.
They all nodded, wide eyed at the barrage of instruction. Raf almost smile in amusement. Temptel rage would be much worst in if she is in full throttle. Raf would know, she and Sulfus had seen it. But that little display of temper had already struck the fear in the poor group. They be horror-struck if they seen what she did.
Temptel nodded with satisfaction after thoroughly terrifying the celestial teenagers and walked away, rising her hand to Raf as some semblance of a goodbye. Raf smiled back.
"Very well, now that is out of the way we will leave you be." Arkhan smiled, looking at them gently. Then his eyes were on Raf, his blue eyes filled with sadness and his smile faltered. "Take care, dear child."
Arkhan eyes were fillded with compassion but it left Raf feeling cold. She stares at him impassively, willing for anything; anger, dissapoinment or even sadness to come. But nothing did. And that made Raf feel empty.
At Raf lack of response, he nodded, understanding her animousity, apparantly. Raf wanted to correct him, wanted to tell him she felt absolutely nothing but no words come. Arkhan is a reminder of her pain and probably will stay that for a long while.
He turned to her friends, said some meaningless things and took his leave.
The Angel's Friends look at her curiously, puzzled at her coldness at Arkhan while the Devil's Enemy stood akwardly on the side. She smiled at them, wiling it to be sincere.
"Well, lets get started."