Oresa Park

You've never been outside the castle walls since you've gotten to Doalim. The air was cool and the sky was lit up with thousands of stars. Michael was walking beside you with his hands in his pockets. Both of you were in sync, your feet falling into step. "Where are we going?" You asked looking up at his face. He grinned and licked his lips. "We're almost there." He answered. You crossed an empty road towards an array of trees. Michael picked you up so you wouldn't step in a giant puddle, and set you back down on a paved trailway. "Thanks." You muttered. He nodded and his hand reached out like he was going to hold your hand, but he refrained and shoved it back in his pocket. You glanced around looking at your surroundings. The grass framing the trail was greener than any you've seen in your dimension. The trees climbed higher and looked much older. There were small, black and silver lamp posts along the trail that were slightly dimmed. You could catch a glimpse of stars through the leaves of the trees, sparkling ever so brightly. A few benches were spread out in the grass, wood and black iron arm rests. "Oresa Park." Michael said admiring the scene. You looked back up at him. "What?" He chuckled and his eyes burned a bright green. "Oresa Park. It translates into Darkness Park. Morbid I know. But it's actually quite peaceful. I come here a lot." He explained. It did look peaceful. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. "I'm imagining you sitting on a bench reading poetry. And you're playing with your blue flames. If anyone interrupted you, you'd light them on fire." You opened one eye to peek at him. "Am I close?" You asked. He grinned and crossed his arms. "Pretty close. If someone interrupted me, I'd whack them with my book. Then I'd light them on fire."

Michael showed you all of the 'important' parts of the park and told you some of the memories he's had there. Each twist and turn in the trail led you somewhere more beautiful than the last. It was simply amazing. "Now do you see that split tree?" He asked, pointing to a deranged tree. You nodded. "I came here with Luke once and I witnessed what happened to that tree. What Luke didn't show you in the nanaeel room is, he has another ability. I've only seen him use it once. Someone... uh....tortured his loved one. He stormed out of the castle and came here. I followed him because I thought he'd do something to himself. He was so upset and broken. He came deep into the park. Right over there. I saw him fall to his knees and he clenched his hands and let out a scream. The tree cracked and burst into flames and Luke didn't even notice. I ran to him and tried to calm him down. He struck me pretty damn hard and he ended up dislocating my jaw. Once he did calm down, the fire stopped and his eyes changed from white and silver to his normal eye color. He stared at the tree for a while before tears started falling. He looked at me and said, 'There's no hope for me.'" Michael rubbed his face and you could tell he was getting choked up. "I've never seen him look like that. It scared me. I didn't know what to do." You put a hand on his arm and blinked back the tears you were fighting. He smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and pulled you into a hug. "Ever since I brought you here, Luke's been happy and full of life. That's why I wanted to tell you that story. You brought him back. And for that I am forever grateful. Thank you."

You thought about Luke the rest of the night. You couldn't imagine him being so lost and hurt. He was such a ray of sunshine in such a dark world. Michael pulled you along the trail where it broke off into three separate directions. You took the one down the middle and you recognized it from one of the images Luke showed you. The fountain was flowing and sparkling, the moon reflecting off the water. "It's beautiful." You breathed. Michael clasped your hand and brought you closer to the fountain. He sat on the edge and pulled you down next to him. "Look in the water. What do you see?" You glanced into the basin and blinked a few times. "It's uh....water." You said honestly. He chuckled and motioned for you to hold on a second. His hand lit up with the blue flames and he lightly touched the surface of the water. It rippled and changed. You now saw four figures. Alessa, Luke, Calum, and Michael. "What does it mean?" You asked. Michael smirked. "Well I can't see yours, but, it shows who you care about most. Well in this dimension obviously. It's kind of like a Harry Potter kind of deal. But not....kind of. Am I making sense?" You giggled and nodded. "Surprisingly yes. I get it. That's cool." You smiled and kept looking at the image. Michael cleared his throat. "Would you mind telling me who you saw?" He asked. You raised an eyebrow. "I saw your mom." He threw his head back and his laughter rang throughout the trees.

"How are your cuts doing?" You asked while he stirred the water with his fingertips. He scowled and lifted up a sleeve of his hoodie. You saw the black stitches rimmed with red. "Are they getting worse Michael?" He shrugged and continued with the water. "Mike. Are they?" He signed and faced you. "I don't know. It's weird. They look bad, but they're numb. I don't know if that's a good thing or not." He answered. "Maybe we need to go back and see Luke." You said starting to stand up. He grabbed your hand and pulled you back down. "No. We can do that later. Right now I just want to be away. And I'm enjoying my time with you." Your mouth twitched and you smiled. "Are you getting castle fever?" He snorted and nodded. "You could call it that, yes. But I also wanted to show you a few other things."

Apparently a few other things meant more grass, more trees, more benches, and more stars. You weren't complaining, but you had a feeling he just wanted to stay away from the castle as long as possible. "Ok. This is where we're going to do it." He stated. Your eyes widened and you looked at him. "Excuse me?" He smiled and glanced at you, his own eyes widening once he realized what he said. "Oh my god. No that's not what I meant at all! I meant that-just-but-what? No!" He said flustered and turning bright red. You raised your eyebrows waiting for a explanation. "Ok that came out wrong. Just...lemme show you. I promise it's not....that." You nodded and giggled. He gave you a shy smile before standing in front of you, closely. "Do you trust me?" He whispered. You tried not to laugh. "I trust you Aladdin." He glared at you and you burst out laughing. "I'm sorry! It's like a Disney movie though! 'Do you trust me?' 'Yes' 'A WHOLE NEW WORLD!" You sang and giggled. Michael shook his head and wrapped his arms around your waist. "I try to be mysterious and you turn this into an animated movie." You apologized and questioned his grip on you. He waggled his eyebrows and his wings spread. "Wait. We're not going to-" You couldn't finish your question due to Michael lifting off the ground and into the air.

You held onto him tightly and buried your head in his chest. His grip on you didn't loosen and he chuckled. "Look Y/N." He whispered. You shook your head. "C'mon Y/N. You'll like it." You sighed and slowly lifted your head. You were surrounded by stars and dark sky. It looked so peaceful and beautiful from up here. The castle was barely in view and Oresa Park was just below you. "W-Wow." You said shivering. Michael chuckled and looked up. "Amazing isn't it?" He asked. You nodded and released your death grip in him. "Y/N I hope you know that I will do anything to protect you here. No matter what the others say. I've made up my mind and I will not give into their orders. You just have to trust me Ok?" He said looking into your eyes. "Michael what are you talking about?"You asked, your heart beating quickly. He gave you a sympathetic look and took a deep breath. "It's not important right now. But when the time comes, you need to trust me and trust that I will not let harm come to you." You nodded and you trusted him. You barely knew him and you trusted him more than yourself.

That night you'd dream about the battle.

Wings. Wings flapping and twisting, and folding. Every dark angel was fighting. Both sides were strong. Both sides were weak. It was only a matter of time before one of them would fall. Then it would all be over. You recognized Luke who was on the white angels' side. He fought fiercely and swiftly. The white angel was by his side. It seemed right. "Y/N move!" A familiar voice yelled. You turned and came face to face with the black angel and his partner. Ashton. You looked at the other one and froze. "Calum?"