Chapter Thirty
Angel Vessel
I wiped away the tears quickly with the back of my sleeve. I could never be Eunji. But, I could be my usual self. The self I knew best. "Michael. Tell me, how many Angel Vessels are there out in this world?"
"Why do you ask?" He asked. "Answer the question Michael." I said. "A countless number. We must be ready for war, strife and the disasters that humans cannot hope to handle on their own." He said.
"How did you bring yourselves to do it?" I asked. "I don't understand what you are trying to ask, Park Minji." Michael replied. "Ripping apart the souls of angels to create people like me."
"The angels who become vessels do so voluntarily." Michael retorted. "Because you gave them no other choice. What do they have to choose from? Rot in your version of a prison or become this." I pointed at myself. "To redeem their wrong deed?" I asked and Michael went silent.
"You can't tell me that I'm the only one to ever question this. You're powerful. They say you are the strongest angel of them all, but to me, right now, all you are is a coward. Unlimited power. No, I don't even need that. All I need is the power to stop the Reaper. To end what Angel Vessels after me have to suffer!" I yelled.
I took a deep break. "Tell me how to stop the Reaper." I said as I walked over to the walls of my prison. "There are lines we do not cross. That is what makes us angels and keeps the demons in hell." Michael finally replied, but I noticed the hint of uncertainty in his voice. That was my skill, that made me so good at being a detective. Michael was not a suspect, or a felon, but he knew much better than I did how many things he must've had to do in his existence that weighed on his conscience. If angels had that sort of thing.
"Then don't Michael. You don't need to cross them. I will. And I will suffer any punishment heaven will give to me. I have half an angel soul. Let me do what is actually good because your angel souls are too untainted to do them. My human side will take care of it." And I raised my arms and hit the mental prison as hard as I could. As if I was watching a window shatter, I felt the taste of freedom.
"Minji!" Eunji's voice yelled at me. I felt her warm power wash over me. "Take away his immortality." Michael said at last before his presence seem to fade into the background. I knew he wouldn't help me. But if I still felt Michael, that meant I could use his powers. I gasped for air as my vision cleared and I saw the scene in front of me. Woohyun and Sunggyu were still fighting the Reaper. Sunggyu had a rapidly healing bloody gash across his forehead and Woohyun wound up and punched the Reaper again with his blue glowing fist.
I didn't say anything as I wracked my brain for the words. The same ones Gabriel spoke. My hands started to glow bright gold, even more brilliant than Gabriel's power orbs. I charged at the Reaper and because he didn't see me coming, I blasted the power right into his chest. He went flying backwards and hit the wall of the warehouse.
He sputtered, coughing. "Minji. Glad you are joining the fight." He chuckled even though he was coughing blood. "Take away his immortality." I said to Woohyun and Sunggyu who were looking at me as if I was a different person. "How do you do that?" I asked. Woohyun's face changed. "How..." and then I saw when the realization hit.
"Gyu!" Woohyun ran at the Reaper and I recited the ancient language once again to lunge at the Reaper as back up for him. Woohyun grabbed the Reaper by the throat. Gyu grabbed my wrist. "What?! Why are you not helping? Sunggyu!" I turned around to face him as the power orbs in my hand went away. "I'm sorry Minji." He said and he punched me, hard. I dropped to the ground dazed. I was looking at Woohyun and the Reaper. The Reaper for once had a weird expression on his face. "You wouldn't you, stupid guardian. You wouldn't." He said in a choked voice as Woohyun's glowing hand tightened on his windpipe. "I will." Woohyun's body started to take on a glow. And I tried to get up but Sunggyu kicked me in the stomach and knocked the breath out of me.
At least he looked apologetic. My ears started to ring as the atmosphere suddenly became thick with power. "Michael. What is he doing?" I choked out. But there was no reply. Sunggyu also watched Woohyun.
Woohyun leaned into the Reaper and I saw his mouth move. Forming words that were not any language I knew. The Reaper stiffened. "Does she know what you are doing Nam Woohyun?" He managed to get out. Sunggyu left beating me up to keep me down and went over to Woohyun and the Reaper. He kicked the Reaper way harder than he kicked me and ground his foot into the Reaper's stomach. "Shut up, you sorry excuse for an existence." Sunggyu bit out. The Reaper coughed but a knowing smirk seemed to stay on his face. It was sickening and my stomach dropped.
I finally managed to pull myself up, but Woohyun's mouth stopped moving and I was blasted back by the sudden force of magic being released into the air. Sunggyu caught me. I grabbed Sunggyu's collar. "What is happening?!" But Sunggyu didn't reply. I looked back at Woohyun and the Reaper. "I'll see you in hell, Woohyun." The Reaper started to laugh. Woohyun didn't reply and snapped the Reaper's neck with a hard jerk of his hands. "You first."
Woohyun stood up and looked at the now lifeless body of the being that had been causing us so much grief. He just stood there and didn't look at me. Finally regaining my legs, I pushed away from Sunggyu whom I definitely planned to speak to. And I ran to Woohyun. "Woohyun!" I tried to hug him, but he turned around and that stopped me in my tracks. Blood was on his face and across his sweater. His eyes were cold. "Don't you ing dare touch me." He said and I instinctively took a step back, eyes wide.
"I try to protect you and all you did was get yourself in trouble. You delivered yourself to him." He started towards me and I started to back up with every step. I could see the sun rising through the cracks in the warehouse's boarded up windows, but suddenly the world felt darker than it had when I was confined to my mental prison.
"Save Kim Myungsoo. Heal him. How many times did I follow your every command?" He asked. And my eyes trailed to the blood staining his right side from when he healed Myungsoo from the gunshot wound. "You didn't care about me. All you cared about was putting yourself in the way of danger because you have some repressed desire to be the martyr and seek out your twisted justice." He said angrily.
"You acted like you cared about me, but you can never be Eunji. You will never be her. You even got branded by that scum. All you do right now is disgust me. I'm done with you Park Minji. Since he's dead you will no longer need my services." And Woohyun disappeared. I stared at the spot he vacated in complete and utter shock.
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