From outside the mill, a large hole was kicked through it, and on the other side of the hole was a slender yet curvy angel. The brown-eyed angel dusted herself off with an effortless flick of her pure white wings, the shattered remnants of the mill wall crumbling behind her. Her pink hair shimmered like spun sugar in the sunlight, and her blue halo pulsed faintly—less divine radiance, more like a malfunctioning neon sign.

  Everyone turned to the new intruder, immediately going on the defensive again. Iritscen hid the crystal behind his back.

  Alice narrowed her eyes, conjuring her wire-tipped gloves at the ready. "Another visitor? What do you want."

  The angelic stranger raised an eyebrow in response, looking far too unbothered by a literal army's worth of weapons suddenly aimed in her direction.

  "Relax, I'm not here to cause trouble."

  Alice looked like she wanted to laugh—and say "yeah right.""...Then what are you here for."

  At the unexpected arrival of a literal angel, the group all paused—looking between each other with a mix of shock and confusion.

  Liana blatantly starstruck, droned, "UHHHHHH..."

  Zofie, less enthusiastic yet equally surprised, mumbled, "...wow..."

  Antiquus was equally startled but trying to hide it. "...I didn't think angels were real."

  Iritscen was looking like he was trying not to explode, saying at a volume only he could hear: "...who is she?"

  "So," she said cheerfully, tapping one foot impatiently. "Which one of you idiots stole my sister’s dimensional anchor?" She pointed at Liana’s stolen crystal with a manicured nail. "That."

  Liana blinked. "Ah, ya mean THIS shiny thing, nya?" She tossed it carelessly between her hands like a hacky sack made of pure cosmic instability, much to Iritscen’s audible distress (and Zofie’s immediate ice-lock on Liana's wrists to prevent accidental apocalypses).

  The angel sighed deeply, as if this was just Tuesday. "...Yes. That. Now hand it over before your timeline gets… creative." Her smile didn't reach her eyes.

  Adeyemi steps forward, hand resting on the hilt of her sword—not threatening, but definitely not backing down either.

  "Hold on. Your sister’s dimensional anchor? That doesn't explain why some sketchy mercenary was trying to kidnap Hikaru to get it." Her eyes narrow. "Who the hell even are you?"

  The angel tilts her head, halo flickering like a faulty lightbulb. "Me? Oh, I'm just the archangel Bonnibel—part-time celestial bureaucrat, full-time headache-haver." She waves a hand dismissively. "And that sketchy mercenary back there? That's Denjiki. He's looking for a particular archangel to capture and bring to some shady cronies. He wanted your space-bending friend to aid him in that."

  Jax snorts. "...He really thought he was playin’ 4D chess here, innit?"

  Bonnibel throws up her hands in exasperation. "TELL ME ABOUT IT. But look, just—he's working with some shady individuals to retrieve the crystal you possess. So give me the stupid crystal before she finds out you have it and sends another minion with even worse jokes this time."

  The group looks unconvinced, still on edge.

  Antiquus, being skeptical, took one step forward. "Prove it. Prove you're really this 'archangel Bonnibel' and not some... celestial scam artist."

  Bonnibel just rolls her eyes, exasperated but not entirely surprised. "...You want proof." She spreads her wings with a flourish, and a wave of divine energy emits from her, like a heavenly perfume. "How's that for proof? Can we skip the part where you doubt everything I say now?"

  Everyone goes quiet upon Bonnibel's demonstration of divine power. Even Liana is speechless, the stolen crystal hanging limply in her frozen hands.

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  But Alice just looks more determined. "Alright, so you're an angel—but why should we trust you? Angels aren't exactly known to be nice."

  Bonnibel actually snorts at that. "Nice?! Darling, most angels are self-righteous, holier-than-thou jerks who'd sooner judge you than help you. My sister and I are unique in that we actually care about mortals."

  "I dunno, mates," Jax whispered to his comrades, "The last time the angels were down here was during Black Mensa. Not sure that was the BEST example humanity could have set for our divine overseers."

  The mention of Black Mensa sends a visible ripple of discomfort through the group. Even Hikaru's typically blank expression flickers with something unreadable… Maybe disgust, maybe just bad memories. Even now, millennia later, the memory of those atrocities makes Adeyemi's aura flicker with suppressed rage—her own family had been among the "undesirables" purged during that dark era.

  Bonnibel's expression softens unexpectedly. "Believe me," she says, voice uncharacteristically solemn, "we fought against Black Mensa from within. My sister nearly fell from grace trying to sabotage their operations." Her halo dims slightly at the memory. "Not all angels are on heaven’s side…and some of us have been working against it for a long time.”

  Alice swallows hard but keeps her voice steady. "So you’re saying you and your sister aren’t like the angels who backed Black Mensa?"

  Bonnibel’s halo dims further—not in shame, but something darker. "We were opposed to it. That’s why my sister hid that crystal." She gestures at Liana’s stolen prize. "It anchors her power so she can stay hidden from the rest of our... enthusiastically genocidal kin." Her smile is bitter now. "And Denjiki? He works for someone who wants to drag her back into their mess."

  A beat passes as the weight of that settles over them all.

  Then Iritscen adjusts his glasses with a sigh and mutters: "...So we accidentally stole from an archangel on the run from heaven's equivalent of fascists?"

  Liana looks down at the crystal in horror, then shoves it toward Bonnibel like it just burned her.

  Zofie exhales sharply (still mentally filing this under 'reasons immortality sucks') while Antiquus groans, rubbing his temples.

  Adeyemi just pinches the bridge of her nose before locking eyes with Bonnibel again—this time less hostile, more exhausted.

  "...Alright. What do we need to do to fix this?"

  Bonnibel's wings flutter with relief as she takes the crystal, her celestial glow flickering like a candle in the wind. "Finally. Some common sense." She tucks it into a hidden pocket within her robes—somehow both ethereal and practical at the same time.

  But before she can elaborate further, the sky splits open above them. A jagged tear in reality widens, revealing an abyss of swirling gold and black—like ink spilled into sunlight. And stepping through it is...

  Another angel.

  A bit taller than Bonnibel, with silver hair cascading down their back like molten mercury and amber eyes that burn with cold fire. Their halo isn’t blue like Bonnibel's—it’s white-hot, searing the air around them as they descend slowly on pristine wings. The sheer weight of their presence makes the ground tremble underfoot.

  Bonnibel pales instantly, gripping her stolen crystal tight as panic flashes across her face for the first time since showing up. "Oh no."

  Liana gulps audibly (even she knows when to shut up now) while Zofie instinctively shifts into a combat stance beside Alice. Hikaru? They just take another sip of tea as if this were fine dining etiquette amidst armageddon.

  The newcomer surveys them all with glacial disinterest before speaking—their voice smooth but sharp enough to draw blood. "Return what you have taken from Heaven’s vaults... or perish where you stand."

  Alice exhales sharply through gritted teeth,

  "...So. Not skipping straight to murder then?"

  Zofie mutters darkly, "'Perish' is just murder with extra steps."

  Antiquus stretches his wings as if preparing for either fight or flight, but glances at Bonnibel for some kind of hint here…

  …Only to find she's already pulling something out from her…chest?!

  It was a gleaming silver revolver, inscribed with glowing Enochian script along its barrel.

  She cocks it without breaking eye contact with their divine visitor and says sweetly:

  "...How about ‘no,’ big guy?"

  The tension in the air is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife—specifically the kind that’s been sitting in your drawer for years and isn’t even sharp enough to spread peanut butter properly.

  Then Charlotte, ever the pragmatic one, raises her hands slowly. "Listen...celestial being of terrifying power. We just got tricked into taking this thing. We don't even know what it does beyond 'keeps an archangel hidden.' So maybe instead of obliterating us on sight, you could... explain why Heaven wants it back badly enough to send someone like you down here?"

  The silver-haired angel doesn't blink. Their halo pulses once—like a warning light before an execution. "Explanation denied."

  Bonnibel snorts and mutters under her breath: "Classic fucking Irael." She twirls the revolver on one finger before gripping it tight again—a silent challenge in her eyes as she steps forward. "Y'know what? Screw diplomacy. I didn't run from Heaven's bureaucracy for millennia just to get lectured by you now."

  Zofie has already summoned twin ice blades out of sheer reflex. Adeyemi charged her sword with moonlight stored from her fight with Cassie back in Valoria. Iritscen looks like he's mentally calculating how fast he can arm his bomb-toaster (not fast enough). Hikaru pours another cup of tea for themselves…this might be their last meal, after all.