*All Supernatural characters belong to CW. New chapter will be updated weekly.
Originally posted on AO3 & Wattpad.
"Please, sir...Master, please! Don't walk away, don't do this!" Kye pleads on all four, ignores the dirty, wet ground and puddles of murky water rising on her knees and elbows. The rain's getting heavier with every minute passed. Her dress, which was white a long time ago, now in questionable color and soaked through. She looks beyond miserable, her whole body shakes since the dress doesn't do much in terms of warmness, long locks of matted and dirty brown hair sticks to her face, dark circles form under her bloodshot puffy eyes. She hasn't slept for four days since Michael ordered his men to take her from the loft to an abandoned warehouse.
The warehouse used to be a prison for the "damned souls", people Michael deemed worthless and problematic to society. Kye suspected it was his excuse to build a torture-dungeon-style playhouse. Sure they were criminals and junkies but Michael was not God to pass judgments. Since he lost most of his interest in "the art" of torture, the warehouse was once again abandoned, up until Kye was taken there.
January is usually a miserable month, with bitter cold and nonstop rains, ranging from drizzles to heavy showers that last from hours to days on end. With all that, Ayham is often flooded, especially in Eastwick Alley where they're standing, the part of the city that nobody gives a shit about.
They're waiting in front of a large opening that leads into the city sewage tunnels underground. It's a complicated system anyone can get lost in, besides the people call it their home. The Resistance has been using the tunnel system to communicate, transport supplies and information since right after the War. They're more familiar with it than the streets above. A group of 6 men surrounds Kye to prevent her from running away while they wait for the exchange. Kye stares at the man standing in front of her. He hasn't looked at her once since they got here half an hour ago.
The rain is still falling hard on them. Michael checked his watch, then turned his eyes upward. He looks for Heaven, but all he can see is the gray sky and occasional lightings. The rain makes it difficult for him to open his eyes. Human meatsuit has limitations but he needs it to walk the Earth. Without it, he's just a light orb and energy wavelength floating around, too huge and too intense to do anything.
"Did I do the right thing, Father?" He thought without expecting an answer.
***
Some people say the War turned our world upside down, but in Kye's eyes, the problems already existed long before that, the War just magnifies them 1000 times. People like her, her folks, and neighbors are just stuck in a shitty card game with Fate.
20 years ago, the Hosts of Heaven decided to show themselves and carried out God's Judgement Day. Although no one could confirm if it was actually a decision from God, everyone had a taste, more like a whole 3-course meal, of heavenly wrath. The War lasted for 3 years. It's called the War because, to Earth's credit, humans did put everything in the counter-attack as an attempt of self-defense, but apparently, the latest and most destructive weapons mankind has ever made were no match compared to what Heaven had to offer. In those short 3 years of fighting, followed by multiple diseases and famines, half the Earth's population was wiped out. The angels' original plan was to wipe the slate clean and hit the reset button, but after a long debate, they settled for "kill half, leave half for reeducation". Humankind should feel lucky and grateful enough to cooperate then that the angels even gave them a chance to "redeem themselves".
Kye doesn't really see the difference between immediate death and slow death due to lack of food, clean water, medical care...She is "grateful" alright, to be selected to serve the master in Aax District, where all the angels and human officials of the Ayham City Council live. The Council is the symbol of a shaky and unequal alliance between humans and angels. It was established "to ensure human life quality under angel supervision", a government of sort, much like the old Heaven, but right here on Earth. In reality, it's a shackle on humanity. There are only a few livable corners left in the whole world that are governed by different angel garrisons and their councils. People with an obscene amount of money can also buy properties in places like Aax District, but only after getting approval from the Council. To be honest, who would want to be close to a bunch of supernatural fanatics that can smite any living thing with a touch?
Kye was initially bought for 7000 Cubes, half a price of a good horse but still twice a monthly income of a household in her neighborhood, in a group of 12 girls that would serve different households. They were vetted when signed up to be sold in the market. The angels ironically are against slavery so you have to sign yourself up. Not everyone is qualified but the demand is always there. There are also recruiters to convince young, naïve people to sign up when the supply runs low.
While Kye is on the ground, her mind keeps going to her mom and brother back home, in their 320 sq. ft. container converted into an apartment that has leaks everywhere and smells terrible, unbearable to live in most of the time but filled with all of her family's memories. How are they gonna live without her now?
The fact that she's still breathing is a miracle on its own. Heavenly hosts and the Councils are famous for their ruthlessness. Mercy is rarely granted, especially to someone insignificant like her. It doesn't matter what kind of relationship they had before that, she can't expect mercy after what she did. The pain in her chest is something hard to ignore. It doesn't come from the state that she's in: the uncomfortable position, the cold wind and rain bite into her skin, the unknown future her family will face, or the fear of losing everything, including her life, but something deeper, more profound. She should've never taken the artifact and given it to Ruby, never replied to people from the Resistance, and most of all, she should've never betrayed him.
She stares at the back of Michael's slate gray overcoat for a long time, still expects him to somehow miraculously change his mind and keep her with him. It's pathetic to hold on to that hope. Michael and his kind are not known for flexibility, or change of heart after a decision is already made. There are exceptions though. At the end of the day, a change of heart did save humankind from going extinct.
Kye's eyes trace from Michael's dark hair, his gray coat to the back of his shiny black boots. He always dresses extremely well, complementing his vessel: A Mid-30s man, 6ft2, lean and muscular with light tan skin, dark brown hair, and stormy blue eyes. This is the cosmic being older than Earth itself who promised her the world not long ago, privilege and wealth that she can't even imagine. Power. Immortality. Protection. Love. He has no reasons to lie to her. That's why it's like daggers to her heart thinking of what they had, what it could've been if she didn't mess up.
"Michael, please!" His name slipped from her tongue. This is not the first time she called his name but it was always in the confines of his loft or when there were just two of them. No servants or domesticated companions are supposed to call their master by name. Punishment for the slip of tongue varies, depends on the creativity of the owner, something not too severe that would kill the servant/domesticated companion but painful enough to be a lesson. Angelic grace can fix almost any mortal injuries so nothing is really off the table when it comes to angel's tortures. Michael was never above getting down and dirty with the "discipline". He's the prince of the Heavenly hosts, leader of the angelic army, the First Born, but also the master of tortures. Kye has tasted as well as witnessed some of his methods in the early stage of her time serving him that she would never forget or want to be on the receiving end again.
Through their 4 years spending together, Michael had changed a lot. Hard to believe, she did feel loved and protected with him. Their relationship had evolved from master-servant to true companionship. It gave her hope that If a cruel and rigid angel like Michael could change, all angels could, and maybe then, humanity had a shot. Kye had heard rumors of rogue angels left their garrisons for lives among humans. She would never expect something like that from Michael, but again anything was possible if time and effort were invested. She already knew where she stood with him, or so she thought.
Everything just changed when she reconnected with Ruby.
NOTES:
This is my very first work anywhere y'all! I was super excited and had a lot of fun (and headache) writing this first chapter. This is a new challenge to me. I do hope it'll bring joy and inspiration to others like the works of some of my favorite writers here on Ao3 did to me. Please read and give me feedback! English is not my first language so there will be mistakes, weird word use/grammar. I'm trying my best to edit every chapter (i asked my husband to read every chapter for me also). I have several ideas for future works in my head but I will try to finish this one first in a timely manner :) Right now it already feels like I have bitten off more than I can chew lol