He looked at the tea cup, at the swirling, glowing liquid, and saw a new reflection. Not of the pure, white-winged angel he once was, but of a being of profound sadness. He had lost his purity, but he had gained something in return: a new understanding of the mortals he had once dismissed. He had experienced their betrayal, their fear, and their despair. He had become something more than an angel; he was a being of both light and shadow, of purity and pain.
With a deep, shuddering breath, Zadkiel looked up at the vast, newly-formed planet. "It's beautiful", he thought to himself as he remembered the plane he himself came from.
It was a while before Ikenga's figure reappeared. The angel, now calmer, was in the process of making a new tea, his movements fluid and purposeful.
"I thank you for being patient with me," Zadkiel said with a radiant smile that caught Ikenga off guard.
