The Demon’s Bride

Her heartbeat's pace quickened. To know that her mother was on the other side of the place filled Elise's heart with expectation. However, at the same time confusion wrapped her.

"Why is mother here?" She asked. The garden was an extremely gorgeous place for the souls to spent their time in. The place which was now guarded by the thorns appeared to be as beautiful as the other place, however, the way it was surrounded by thorn made it appear as if this place was a prison rather than a garden.

Raziel scrunched his eyebrows together, "This is the place for innocent humans who had inevitably took a life by their hands." 

Suddenly, Raziel reached out his hand to touch the thorn. Warm blood covered Elise's cheeks as she closed her eyes to flinch from the sudden splatter of blood. Opening her eyes, she saw the burning wound on her grandfather's hand. 

As she reached out her hands, Raziel stopped her and used his other hand to swipe his wounded skin where in the next second, the wound disappear. 

"You can heal yourself," amused Ian who saw this power with a look of interest.

"No. The power to heal has never been blessed to me. All I have done was to return my time, to the time where there was no wounds on me," answered Raziel and he shook his head. "This thorn is extremely dangerous to be touched. As you see, it can hurt me, an archangel. But it can also hurt a demon, causing a deep wound that will never heal."

"This is why you haven't been able to meet mother," whispered Elise, her expression said how she pitied her grandfather. Raziel can't help but smile at the lovable child. 

"I can't meet her, but it put me in ease to know that on the opposite side of this thorn fence, she is living well, having a happy life of herself, far from danger."

Raziel raised his hand to call the guard who was waiting next to the fence. After a few discussion, he then looked back at Elise. "You two can enter now."

Elise smiled at her grandfather. As they were allowed to enter, the thorn fence begin to curl itself like a living vine, craving a path for them to enter.

Before entering the gate, Elise's eyes still lingered at her grandfather. She walked toward him, reaching out her hand to offer him a brief hug. "I will tell mother about you."

Raziel looked at her blankly, as if he was reaching a state of a startle and happiness. "Thank you." His simple words added with his serene smile said enough to Elise of how deeply he treasured her and her mother.

Elise separated with her grandfather and held Ian's hand as they entered the other side of the thorny fence. There was no guards standing inside the space. And apart from the numerous amount of exotic birds that flew around them, Elise couldn't sense the presence of other souls in the place.

Her eyes ventured around and seeing the expectation and eagerness that brimmed on her face, Ian helped her to find her mother. 

It should have been a difficult puzzle for Ian to find his mother in law. But the woman had Elise's signature red hair which made it easy for him to spot the woman at once.

Sitting on the field of green grass while looking at the blue sky was a woman who was dressed in white flowy dress. Surrounding her was butterflies. Sunlight passed through the butterflies' glassy wings, causing hint of purple, blue, and pink to tint the older woman's face.

As if it was her mother instinct, Adelaide's eyes suddenly open wide as she looked behind, finding Elise with her breaths cut short.

There was no words they can share when their eyes met. Elise had dreamed day and night of what she wished to say to her mother. In her mind, she had reiterated the same scene of their first meeting over and over again, hoping to appear more mature and composed to ease her mother's mind. 

She dreamed of reunion full of smile and she tried to smile but seeing her mother, all her memories of her childhood where her mother had died to protect her, broke the dam of her tears. 

Tears falling and the wind swept the droplets across as her mother's hand gently covered her face, wrapping around her head and burying her face gently on her shoulder.

Ian crossed his hands over his chest, watching Elise with a smile of his own. 

It took Elise a lot of time for her to organize herself and put a halt on her tears. 

"You've grown," Adelaide said, brushing her hands over Elise's hair and face. "Oh dear, what should I do? Your father will be a little sad to know that you look nothing like him at all," the woman chuckled. "He might look mature and composed at all time, but trust me that no one is more bitter than he is. Though I trust that he must be very proud to have you as his daughter."

Elise chuckled, brushing her finger under her eyes to wipe away her tears, leaving red streak under her eyes.

"How are you mother?" Elise started with the simplest question she could find.

"Hm, I'm a little bored but I have to say that in this place, I always feel at peace. There's something about the air in Heaven that calms me down. I wonder if this because my blood feel that this is my home," Adelaide hummed to herself. "What about you? Did you meet any trouble along the way to meet me?"

Elise's smile widened, "I am very happy to meet you and no, everything went smoothly. Along the way, I met grandfather, he was the one who had led me here."

"Grandfather… you mean, Raziel?" Adelaide apprehensively questioned.

Elise nodded her head at once. "He wished to meet you but there are rules that caused him unable to meet you."

"I see. I did felt that was the case." Adelaide said that being in Heaven caused her to feel at peace and by her answer, Elise could tell that her mother had made peace with her own pass. 

She kept looking at her mother, whose appearance remain the same to the time when she was young. She was just as beautiful as Elise recalled, her words that were both brave and gentle never changed.

"And… who is that gentleman over there?" Adelaide went closer to whisper.

Elise's cheeks reddened a little when her mother questioned her. "This is Ian, my husband."

"Husband!" Gasped Adelaide with her eyes spread wide, "Oh my, congratulations!" Adelaide looked at Ian who had kept distance to give them a room. "I have to say, my daughter. You really do have a keen eye for a handsome man! Just like me." The woman laughed. "Tell me more about yourself. I want to hear how your day is."

Elise had a lot of events happening in her life but asked by her mother to tell her story, she kept the worse out of worse aside, deciding to tell all the happy time she spent in the mortal world. 

The entire time she talked, Elise watched her mother looking at her with a gentle look, keeping her smile the entire time without letting it down and chuckle from time to time.

Elise told her all she wished to say, trying to hold her tears as she didn't want to fill her meeting with sadness and tears to her mother and she can tell at times how her mother was doing the same thing.

"How's your father?" Adelaide then asked after a while, her eyes holding a certain expectation.