City of Dark Angels

We are flashed back into our own time, in the center of the war that surrounds us. Some humans still run around in despair not wanting to be changed into a dark angel anytime soon, and Dark Angels chase them reaching out to grab them with their wings and pull them close, to look them in the eyes at the very thoughts that disturb them and twist them into whatever Raveira wants them to be.

With our weapons out we walk towards the forest, that leads into the very gates of the city of angels. Our memory of the horrid place still a vivid part of our memory.

Something is different about it this time, from what I can vaguely recall. Things feel just slightly off, and I can't place as to why. The closer we get to the entrance the deeper the feeling resides within me. As we reach the entrance I can see that there is someone standing right in front of it. There is a hood covering it's eyes but a sneering smile can be seen from underneath it.

"Death?" Travis questions starting to walk toward him, only to be whisked back by a force of his hand.

"He's... Not himself anymore." Erika says, holding a firm grasp on the ground, he says no words but the aura from him is disheartening. She manages to hold him in his place while the rest of us sneak past him and make it through the door and into the world of The City of Angels. The door slams as we make our way inside, Travis pulls out the map that the AIs highlighted for us to tell us where to go, and what places to avoid.

I shiver harshly from the cold, the wind giving me goosebumps on my skin even underneath my heavy sweater I can still feel the chilly air. It penetrates any sense of security that I could possibly have left.

We are fully in the city of Angels now, and it's more destroyed than ever before. The fires are out but now the ashes fly around everywhere, making it hard to see even half an inch in front of us.

"I think I see the tower off in the distance!" I say pointing straight ahead of us to a tall tower sticking up into the clouds. Its barely visible but the height still makes it noticeable among everything else in the area.

"How are we supposed to find the control room, if Raviera is in the tower as well." I ask as we begin the long walk down the misty city of angels.

"We just have to be sneaky ninjas." Travis says.

"Sneaky ninjas." I repeat.

***

The tower is more destroyed than the city, broken down staircases; windows either smashed in or boarded up. Smoke flying all about the tower, papers thrown all about.

"This place used to be so beautiful..." Erika says sadly, looking around the place distraught and heartbroken. She wipes off a layer of dust on a window sill and looks out the tower onto the city, a tear cascading down her cheek.

"Tell me about what it used to be like before all of this happened. You don't have to forget the beauty of the place just because it's now torn to shreds." Riley says to Erika trying to comfort her.

She closes her eyes, and tries to envision what was. And what will always be. There's a foggy vision that clouds my eyes and when I open them I find myself in the same tower, but with a different less threatening aura to it.

Citizens of the City of Angels all about, enjoying their day and laughing happily. I look out the window and onto a courtyard, people sitting and reading. And instead of black wings everyone's wings are a beautiful shade of white. It gives me a sensation of peace and tranquility. The longing inside of me makes me even more inspired to save this place. To give the people their peace back.

After a moment of viewing the city of angels from what it was before, our vision changes back into the present war of which we fight.

"It was so beautiful..." Riley agrees.

"It still is beautiful, maybe not in its looks wise but generally. It's still beautiful." Erika says, as we walk about the tower.

A sudden echo of a whistle can be heard from a few feet behind us, and I quickly recognize it as my fathers whistle.

We run, with a fire being ignited under our asses and make our way up about three flights of stairs since the power is off so the elevators aren't working anymore. We are on another floor, full of warn down bedrooms and picture frames broken and smashed on the floor. Erika quickly runs to one that's down the hallway.

"This was my room, before everything...happened." She sits on the bed and glances over at the unmade burnt bed across the room. "That was my roommate, Lily's bed...she was my best friend, she had beautiful blond hair she always had in pigtails, like me she died from cancer and grew up in an abusive home, she was so happy here, she was finally at peace. Then one day, she was taken away...she was gone for hours in the night and I paced around waiting for her, and then finally she came back and she was not herself. She started screaming at me, and blaming me for all her problems in her life. Her eyes turned blacker than the night, her wings were just as black and she growled a deep prolonged growl and told me to get out, and to leave her alone. I ran, so far out of the city and out of the portal and that's when I knew I needed to find you guys, I needed help."

Travis takes a deep breath and sits next to her on the bed, putting a brotherly supportive arm around her shoulder. "We're going to fix this okay, we are going to get this place back to what it used to be. But in order to do that, we need to get moving and not sit around reminiscing and feeling sorry for ourselves."

Erika nods in agreement and stands up and walks towards the window; glancing out of it she turns to us and says, "the 60th floor is the control room."