The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-554

Raphael placed his hand in front of Madeline, standing in a protective stance. Madeline looked worried as she felt the pleasant atmosphere had suddenly turned tense.

"Why are you trying to defy the orders, Raphael?" questioned Paschar calmly without taking a hasty decision of attacking a fellow angel.

"Because I believe people's misdeeds can be forgiven. Isn't that what Heaven is all about? We give people a chance to mend their ways. While I lived in the living world, I realised why father sent me there. It had nothing to do with the punishment because if it was, I would not be here now, but would have continued to roam in the living world or ended up in Hell," explained Raphael, "Our father is forgiving, and he wants people to live in harmony. Madeline's happiness lies on the other side of Heaven, and I understand it is not something that you approve of, but don't you think she deserves true happiness?" Raphael's eyebrows knitted itself.

"And you are ready to take the punishment for a second time," Paschar narrowed his eyebrows.

"You have closely worked with him in the past, enough to know he makes your daughter happy. You know my reasoning is right," Raphael hoped Paschar would listen to him. If Paschar decided not to let them pass, there was no way he would be able to take Madeline to where Calhoun was and save the other angel's if they had involved themselves in the fight.

Madeline was taken aback, when Raphael mentioned this angel who was in front of them to be her father. Paschar's eyes shifted from Raphael to look at Madeline, who was staring back at him.

"Are you sure about this?" Paschar directed his question to Raphael.

"Yes," answered Raphael, and Paschar took a step backwards before moving aside from the passageway. "Where are they?" inquired Raphael.

"Not too far away from the gates," answered Paschar, and he then said, "I will come with both of you. If there are other archangels at the place, I doubt they will let you pass through." Having him would only put more weight on Raphael's explanation as he was one of the eldest archangels.

Away from the garden of Owe, Calhoun and Michael continued to fight with each other without taking a break. Most of the clouds beneath them had scattered away, leaving nothing but space like sky below them.

With sparks flying in the air because of their weapons clash against each other, Calhoun and Michael glared at each other.

"Did you know that Paschar's lover was a demon?" taunted Calhoun, and Michael's eyes widened.

"That's not true!" retorted Michael before making use of his angelic abilities, and he shot a beam of light with full force right at Calhoun. Calhoun tried to deflect the beam using both his hands, but being a demon from the living world, it left burns on him.

"Paschar is unaware of it, but my sweet wife was the one who discovered the truth," said Calhoun with a smug look on his face that irked Michael, reminding him of the Devil's smile. "This means Madeline is not just an archangel's child but also the first level demon's child."

Michael didn't believe what Calhoun just said. There was no way Paschar had been in a relationship with a demon. The angels had made a thorough check, and all they had found out was that the woman was a human.

"I don't care if Madeline is a demon or an angel's child anymore," replied Michael, his eyes steadily looking at Calhoun. "You must have already heard that we don't care about it anymore as the matter was already dropped. It is ironic, though, that fate played in a way to have Madeline end up in Heaven. Doesn't it mean that this is her destiny? We had nothing to do with her death."

"That I have gathered. It was the demon, and I don't care about it either. My only concern has been, where Madeline is." Seeing Michael not obliging to his words, Calhoun swung his hand to release a beam that didn't just go at Michael, but it spread out like waves from where Calhoun stood. The angel's who weren't as powerful as Michael fell on the clouds.

"Weren't you in a relationship with Helena?"

"What about her? It was purely for work reasons," said Michael with his eyes that narrowed.

It took Calhoun a second before he started to laugh, "Oh, nothing."

"Don't make me angry, Calhoun. Return to where you have come from, unless you want to die here," said Michael, raising his hand up and to the side as if he was harnessing all the energy around him.

"I have the same words to offer to you," replied Calhoun, and as he said that a dark shadow started to appear around him.

Before both of them could clash against each other, their attention was diverted by the presence of two more angel's and the girl who was today's highlight. Michael's eyes narrowed, and he glared at his two brothers,

"What are you doing by bringing her here?!"

Paschar and Raphael had arrived at the fighting scene. Calhoun's gaze moved from Paschar to look at Raphael, someone who he had thought he wouldn't be seeing. But since his last three visits to Hell, he hadn't been able to sense Raphael in there.

Calhoun's eyes then looked at the person who stood behind the archangels, and on seeing Madeline, his eyes returned to their red ones, and his gaze softened.

The other angel Gabriel had already been there, and he had let Michael fight the demon. His brother seemed to be enthusiastic to fight. Gabriel had decided to stand on the sidelines and observe.

Looking at Raphael, Gabriel asked, "Came to tour the lady around Heaven?" in subtle sarcasm. He could feel Michael's anger that was radiating from where he stood.

"This is perfect," Calhoun stated loudly. "Hand me Madeline over, and all of us can continue our lives like this never happened."

Michael's anger was directed at Paschar and Raphael, who had defied the orders for the second time. "Have you forgotten whose side are you on?"

Calhoun didn't wait, and he quickly apparated at a speed that within the next second he stood behind Madeline. Feeling the sudden breeze, Madeline turned behind to look at the stranger, who had red eyes.

"W-who are you?" blurted Madeline.