After watching Moxxie for a while, Blitzo asked, "Are we gonna start developing weird powers like that when we start turning into cherubs?"
"Yes, you will," Stolas said. "You all will. You will revert to having the powers your kind had when you were cherubs."
"What about me?" Loona asked curiously.
"You'll become a heaven hound," explained Stolas. "An angelic dog that teleports to earth from heaven to comfort a human in need when they need it the most. They can teleport and phase through walls."
"Well, fuck, we seriously got downgraded when we followed the angels to hell," Loona said. "In heaven, we had all this power, and we were treated equally. How did your dad convince our ancestors to follow you to hell?"
Stolas sighed and sad, "You'd have to ask the original cherubs who defected."
"She's right though," Blitzo said. "We really got a sore deal."
"Well, if you get your wish, you'll get to go back and talk to the original cherubs yourself," said Stolas as his smile deflated. "Which reminds me…There's something I need to ask you."
"Yeah?" asked Blitzo.
Unbeknownst to them, Moxxie opened his eyes.
"On the Day of Judgement, I need you to come to hell and take Octavia to the other side," Stolas said solemnly. "Unlike Lucifer and the rest of them, I don't live in denial of the coming judgement. I know it is something we will all face. Repenting is not something I'm brave enough to do, but I'm not denying Octavia that chance. God is merciful. He will take her since she never chose to be evil herself and she will live in the new paradise while my cohorts and I burn, and she will be okay."
A moment of silence passed before Blitzo asked, "What? Why wouldn't you try to repent? Wouldn't you want us to save you too?"
"I don't know if someone of my station would be allowed into heaven even if I do repent," Stolas said sadly. "If that's the case, I want Octavia to be saved."
Blitzo looked at Stolas in concern and said, "Stolas, you don't know that it'll be impossible for you to leave."
"Yeah, even if it was, Octavia wouldn't want to leave you. Why would you ask her too?" asked Millie.
Stolas smiled sadly and said, "I'm not giving her a choice. Octavia has to be saved no matter what."
Blitzo looked aside, looked back at Stolas, and said, "Stolas, you can be saved."
"But if I can't, I need you to promise me that you will save Octavia," Stolas pleaded. "Do you promise?"
"Of course, your majesty," said Millie. "We'll protect her for you."
"Yeah, we promise," said Moxxie.
"Moxxie?" Millie asked, happily rubbing her husband's forehead. "Are you alright?"
Moxxie sat up in the bed and said, "What happened?"
"You started glowing and almost opened a portal to Heaven, you overpowered idiot," Blitzo said. "Don't you remember?"
Moxxie paled and gripped the sheets tightly.
"I remember," Moxxie said. "But I don't remember how it stopped. I remember talking to Blitzo and then everything going black."
"It's alright, honey," Millie reassured. "We all jumped on you and got the bracelet back on your foot."
Moxxie lifted his foot out from under the covers and looked at the bracelet.
It was a silver cuff styled bracelet with a glowing red gem that held a pentagram in the center. The bracelet was decorated with metal in the shapes of serpents devouring holy discs and halos.
"That bracelet you're wearing is a magic inhibitor as well as a tracker," Stolas explained. "It is designed to keep the magical abilities of reformed imps like yourself under control. Unfortunately, it is only a temporary solution. It only slows down the development of your magic. You see, heavenly magic is stronger than dark magic. So, the bracelet doesn't stop it completely. It may take hundreds of years, but the magic will still grow and eventually reach a point where we can't stop it anymore. When that happens, the would-be taken imps rip gashes between dimensions and escape on their own. Just one of the many reasons that imprisoning cherubic imps is completely pointless."
Moxxie gulped and asked, "Is that why King Lucifer kills them?"
"He can't physically kill them, but yes, he will send them into the void," explained Stolas. "But that doesn't work either since the cherubs simply enter the void to retrieve them there too."
Moxxie wrapped his arms around himself and shook nervously.
"Don't worry, Mox," Millie said. "We won't let that happen to ya."
"I know," Moxxie said, giving Millie a kiss on the cheek. "Stolas, sir, is there any way I can learn how to control these powers?"
"I'm not sure," Stolas said. "You'd normally learn these skills from other cherubs."
"Oh, crumbs," Moxxie said, sitting back against his pillow.
"Maybe we could try to run into some cherubs in the living world," Blitzo said with a sigh. "Dammit, Moxxie. Why couldn't you develop your powers sooner? You could have given us so much business."
"I COULDN'T PLAN ON THIS, BLITZO!" cried Moxxie.
"All the window shots you could have reached…" Blitzo lamented.
"I'm not evil anymore, Blitzo," Moxxie said.
"Unfortunately, Blitzo, my husband just has a good heart," Millie gushed before giving Moxxie a cheek kiss.
"I guess so," Blitzo said with a sigh. "Which leads me to what we wanted to talk to you about...Today didn't exactly go as planned...What? You ain't staying?"
Stolas had gotten up and was walking to the door.
"Sadly, I have to go back to the party," Stolas said. "I was also going to take these vegetables to my cook to make you all a hearty vegetable stew."
"You're such a simp," Blitzo quipped.
"I love you, too," Stolas replied, blowing a kiss as he walked out the door.
"You were saying, Blitzo?" asked Moxxie.
"This mafia don wanted us to take out this author because he didn't like how he was portrayed in the book he wrote about him," said Blitzo.
"Wait, what?" asked Moxxie.
"Some newly arrived great-grandnephew of his started fanboying about this book he read about his life and Don Henroin didn't like it," explained Blitzo.
"Henroin?" Moxxie asked. "Like the Spider Family?"
"Yep, the one with a gay pornstar for a second-born son," Blitzo said. "Henroin was furious about the book 'misrepresenting' him."
"But since we wanted to go the redemptive route, we told him that his book wouldn't be revised if the author was dead, so I suggested that we go into the real world and ask the author to make the changes he wanted to make and the Don agreed," Millie continued.
"So, how did that go?" asked Moxxie.
Blitzo and Millie looked at each other awkwardly, giving Moxxie the answer he needed.
"What happened?" asked Moxxie with a sigh.
"Well, he kinda flipped out and fell off a balcony," Blitzo explained. "He's hospitalized now."
"Oh, crumbs!" Moxxie exclaimed with a facepalm.
"But he's still alive," Millie reassured him.
"That's great," Moxxie said with a smile.
"But we're not sure what to do since appearing in his office and showing a list of demands made him panic," said Blitzo.
"You just burst into his private office?" Moxxie asked incredulously.
"Without disguises?" added Loona.
"Yeah, how else were we going to talk to him?" asked Blitzo.
"By disguising yourselves and knocking on his door politely?" Moxxie asked.
"Oh, okay, the peaceful route," Blitzo said. "I never thought of that. But now he's in the earth hospital, and he seemed like he was in a stable condition."
"Oh, thank God," Moxxie said.
Everyone in the room looked at Moxxie and paused.
"What?" Moxxie asked.
"I don't think I've ever heard you say that," Millie answered. "You've never thanked God for anything."
Moxxie made a squeaking choke and covered his mouth.
Millie giggled and said, "It's cute."
"Millie, no," Moxxie said with a blush.
"It's only natural," Loona said. "You're one of God's cherubs now. You might as well accept it."
"I know, but it still feels weird," Moxxie said.
"You'll get used to it," Millie said, giving her husband a kiss.
Moxxie blushed more brightly.
"Okay, so now what do we do?" asked Blitzo.
"We must protect the human in the hospital of course," said Moxxie.
"From who?" asked Blitzo. "We're the only assassin imps I know of."
"Not from other imps or demons, humans," explained Moxxie.
"He wrote a book on a guy who's been dead for decades," Blitzo argued. "What does he have to worry about?"
"I don't know, surviving family members of the mafia family hunting him down?" Moxxie replied.
"Oh...But what do they care? He's dead," said Blitzo.
"To uphold their family name, Blitzo," Moxxie explained.
"Oh, gotcha," Blitzo said.
"Took you long enough," Loona snidely commented.
"Can it, Loony," Blitzo rebuffed. "So, what should we do? Should we be guardian imps?"
"That wouldn't be a bad idea," Moxxie said. "Like how we helped Stolas in Loo Loo Land…"
"Helped would be the wrong word to describe what we did," Blitzo interrupted.
"But we did," Moxxie said.
"How? By burning down their park?" asked Blitzo skeptically.
"Neither Stolas nor Octavia were taken, sir," explained Moxxie.
Blitzo reflected for a second and said, "Point taken, sir."
"See?" Moxxie asked happily.
"Okay, so we become guardian cherubs," replied Blitzo. "I suppose we could. When we told the Don that we horribly injured this author without killing him, he laughed his ass off, told us to leave the list by the bed in case he survived, and left it at that. He did pay us well though."
Moxxie sighed in some relief.
"You might be able to heal him," Stolas said from the doorway.
"Wait, I might be able to do what now?" asked Moxxie.
"Heal him," Stolas repeated. "I don't believe I stuttered."
"How?" asked Moxxie.
"All cherubs and angels can regenerate and heal, Moxxie," Stolas explained.
"How long have you been listening there in the doorway?" asked Blitzo.
"Since we calmed Moxxie back down," replied Stolas.
"I thought you were taking the vegetables to your servants so they could make us soup," Blitzo said in semi-annoyance. "God, you're a terrible waiter."
"I simply rang for them, my dear Blitzo," answered Stolas in a sultry tone.
Blitzo chuckled and said, "You creepy stalker."
"Oh, Blitzy, you flatter me," Stolas said flirtatiously.
"You're one to talk, Blitzo," said Moxxie.
"I'm not a day hooker," Blitzo retorted.
"Anyways, as I was saying, all cherubs and angels have the ability to heal others and regenerate themselves from any injury, even those from angelic weapons," explained Stolas.
"So, I can heal anyone?" asked Moxxie.
"Yes," Stolas answered.
"Whoa," Moxxie said, looking at his hands.
"So, what are you saying?" Blitzo asked. "That we should take Moxxie over to the hospital and heal the guy?"
"You'll have to be sneaky as to not get caught," said Stolas.
"But won't you get in trouble, your highness?" asked Moxxie.
"They will not know," said Stolas. "Especially if I don't see it happening."
"Alright," Blitzo said, crossing his arms.
"Okay, do we have the book?" asked Moxxie. "I don't think trying to open a portal myself is a good idea."
"Certainly not," Stolas added.
"Blitzo, do you have it?" asked Millie.
"I do," Loona said, handing the book to Millie.
"Good work, Loona," said Moxxie.
"That's why you're my favorite, Loonie," Blitzo said.
"Don't do anything weird," Loona said. "I'm going to hang out with Octavia."
Blitzo gave Loona a hug and said, "Have a good time, sweetie!"
Loona rolled her eyes with a smile and said, "Will do."
Blitzo took the book and read out the spell to make the portal. The portal opened right in front of them into the hospital room.
"I'll be waiting here for when you need to open the portal back here," Stolas said.
"Wait, your majesty, how do I heal?" asked Moxxie. "I've never done it before."
"It's simple," Stolas explained. "Just use your hands."
Moxxie looked at him dumbfounded and asked, "That's all?"
"That's all," Stolas said with a shrug.
"Come on, Moxxie," Blitzo called through the portal, having already entered along with Millie. "We're burning daylight."
Moxxie sighed and hopped into the portal.
The imps entered the hospital room. The man was sleeping on the bed, attached to machines that were beeping rhythmically.
"You beat up an old guy?!" Moxxie whisper yelled at Blitzo.
"Hey, there's no way he's older than 55," said Blitzo protested.
"Focus, boys," Millie chided.
The man snored as he slept, interrupting their discussion.
Blitzo snatched the bracelet off Moxxie's foot and said, "Alright, Moxxie. Do your thing."
"Blitzo, what are you doing?" asked Moxxie.
"You can't heal if you have your magic inhibited. Can you?" replied Blitzo.
"But what if I panic again?" asked Moxxie.
"Easy solution. Don't panic," Blitzo said, shoving Moxxie towards the bed.
"But Blitzo, I don't know what I'm doing," argued Moxxie. "I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm panicking already."
"Moxxie, sweetie, look at me, hon," Millie said, cupping Moxxie's chin.
"Yeah?" Moxxie asked.
"Sweetie, you are going to do okay," Millie reassured him. "You're going to heal him and do wonderful."
Moxxie took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll do it."
No sooner had he said those words than did his wings sprout on his back again.
"Oh, that's perfect," Blitzo whispered happily. "Now, fly over to him and lay your hands on him."
Moxxie gulped as he managed to get his wings to fly closer. He was about to lay his hands on the man when…
"Moxxie!" yelled Blitzo.
"What?!" Moxxie replied with a start.
"Hand sanitizer," Blitzo said, holding the bottle of hand sanitizer in his hands.
"Oh, right," Moxxie said as Blitzo spritzed some hand sanitizer on his hands.
After rubbing his hands together, Moxxie resumed his focus and tried to decide what he should heal first.
There was some dark bruising on the man's chest, so Moxxie decided to start there.
Moxxie flapped down, landed on the man's chest, and laid his hands on his chest.
"Just focus, honey," Millie encouraged him. "You can do this."
As he listened to Millie's words of encouragement, Moxxie's hands started to glow as he starts to heal him.
"Oh, my God," Blitzo said in astonishment. "It's working."
As Moxxie focused, he could feel the heavenly energy running through his veins.
The cherubs could feel the heavenly energy being used too. The cherubs opened a portal to earth and looked through as Moxxie had finished healing the man's broken ribs.
"Okay, I think that did it," Moxxie said.
"You should probably move onto his head," Blitzo suggested. "He is in a coma."
"Why didn't you mention that sooner?" Moxxie asked in annoyance.
"You would have panicked more," explained Blitzo.
Moxxie sighed and said, "Good point."
Moxxie flew up to the man's head and laid his hands on him. Focusing again, he started to heal the head, alleviating the damage.
The cherubs watched with a smile beyond the imps' notice.
Moxxie finished healing the man's head and said, "Done."
The man started to stir and Moxxie moved on to his broken arms. He felt slightly tired, but he kept going until he healed the man's broken arms.
"Are you alright, honey?" Millie asked.
"Just tired," Moxxie replied. "I think healing the more major injuries has taken the most energy from me."
The cherubs looked at each other in concern.
"Do you think you can finish the job, baby?" asked Millie.
"Just this last one," Moxxie said tiredly. "Then, I'll need to stop. His arm is almost healed."
"Okay," Millie said. "Are you almost done?"
Moxxie finished feeling the arm and felt light-headed.
"Baby, that's enough," Millie said. "You need to stop."
"I have to agree with you, Millie," Moxxie said as he finished up healing and backed up from the man. "My head is feeling dizzy."
"Okay, so all we have to do now is leave the note," Blitzo said.
Moxxie wrote down all the details on a piece of paper and laid it on the table next to the man's bed.
Once the note was finished, Blitzo called Loona to open the portal.
Meanwhile, Moxxie began to feel his head spinning.
Millie held him up to steady him and said, "Almost done, hun. We'll be home in a jiffy."
Moxxie began hovering in the air again with his wings pumping reflexively.
"Blitzo, Moxxie's flying away again," said Millie. "Give me his foot bracelet."
Blitzo tossed Millie the ankle bracelet and snapped it onto Moxxie's ankle quickly.
Moxxie's wings stayed but his magical aura decreased.
"There we go," Millie said, stroking Moxxie's back.
Just then, the portal opened in front of them.
"Alright, gang, let's get going," said Blitzo.
No sooner had Blitzo said those words than the man started groaning and stirring.
"Quickly, he's waking up!" whispered Millie.
"Go, go, go!" Blitzo said pulling Millie and Moxxie behind him.
As the man opened his eyes, he saw a portal closing and white wings entering it.
"An angel," the man whispered wearily. "You are good, God."
With those words, the man fell peacefully back to sleep. The cherubs entered the room to watch over him.
The cherubs flew over the man feeling overjoyed at what they just saw.
"Did you see? Moxxie is showing more good! He convinced his wife and friend to let him heal this man!" said Eustace.
"Yeah! Maybe we'll get two more cherubs in addition to Moxxie," said Collin.
"Maybe their Hellhound can change to a Heaven hound," said Eustace.
"That would be wonderful! God must be so happy!" Anna exclaimed.
"Perhaps we can wait just a little while longer for Moxxie and his friends," Collin said.
"Yeah!" Eustace cheered.