"I'm not surprised," Hannah said. "So, does that mean you're giving up on him?"

"No."

"You and your never-ending supply of patience. What do you do down there, anyway? Stare at him?" Hannah shuddered. "Must be creepy."

"Close," she said. "We stand there and talk."

"What in the world do you talk about?"

"Him, of course."

Hannah's laughter merged with the ringing of the school bell, signaling the start of classes. "I’m not surprised. He's completely full of sinful arrogance and always has been."

Serah smiled sadly. He wasn’t that conceited, but she didn’t correct her friend.

The girls ran off together, arm-in-arm, while Hannah and Serah sat in silence. The playground was completely deserted after a few minutes.

Hannah went to speak when a scraggly, stray dog came aimlessly wandering by. It hesitated as it neared, its focus shifting toward the swings as a gnarled growl vibrated its throat. The filthy yellow fur on its back bristled as it lowered its head menacingly, bracing for an attack.

Serah glanced around in confusion. "What in Heaven's name?"

Hannah twirled her finger in the air, stirring up a small, strong gust of wind that startled the dog. It yelped and scampered away, running from the playground. "Can't say that's ever happened before."

"It felt like. . ." Serah wavered. ". . .like it was looking right at us."

"It couldn't have been unless it was possessed. I felt no demonic presence."

Neither had Serah. No, all she'd sensed was inherent suspicion and some fear radiating from the dog. It had felt threatened, somehow sensing it wasn't alone.

"Anyway," Hannah said, standing back up. "Duty calls. There's a full moon tonight. Good luck with Satan."

"Come on, guys! We've got this!"

Samuel grasped the rope tightly, straining his taut muscles as he tugged. Three bodies behind him worked in harmony as the four across from them pulled with all their might.

Tug-o-war: such a senseless game.

Serah relaxed on the neighboring grassy knoll, watching her brother and some other Powers test their strength. They'd been at it for hours with no progress, the sides equally matched, the massive mud puddle between them untouched.

"How long do you think this will take?" Hannah asked, lounging beside her.

"Not sure," she replied. "Last time it went on for three days before the Dominion showed up with orders to get back to work."

"Ugh, they're so human sometimes." Hannah rolled her eyes. "They ought to just whip out their genitalia and settle this argument once and for all."

Serah's eyes widened as she burst into laughter. "What?"

"Isn't that what mortal men do? Apparently penis size is indicative of true manhood now, which I don't quite understand."

"Uh. . ." Serah had no idea what to say.

"Remember the days when having six toes was a big deal? That's what real kings were made of. But every male has a penis. They're just so common, like miniature limbs."

Serah shook her head. "You certainly know how to trivialize things."

"Sure, procreation is important, but so is eating, and they don't compare the size of their mouths." She paused. "They don't, do they?"

"Not usually."

"So I don't understand what it is about sex that fascinates everyone. The fluids, the sweat, the noises, the impaling. It's so . . . messy. It looks painful."

"It's pleasurable."

"Like you'd know," Hannah said, nudging her. "It's a human act, not intended for our kind."

"But Azreal and Dinah. . ."

"Both fell."

"Benjamin and Luna."

"They, too, fell."

"Cian and Maylin."

Hannah hesitated. "Maylin fell."

"But Cian didn't," Serah pointed out.

"True," Hannah conceded. "Regardless, I don't see the appeal. I'd never take the risk. Would you?"

Serah remained quiet as she watched her brother and the others battle for control. Would she do it? She'd watched thousands—millions—of humans fall in love, watched as emotion consumed every ounce of them, controlling their every thought and altering their very being. To know such passion would be glorious. But would it be worth opening one’s self up to earthly temptations? She wasn't sure.

It was a slippery slope, love and lust. They could bask in love, but surrendering to lust would be the end of them.

Mere minutes had passed when the air crackled and an Archangel appeared in the middle of the park. His presence startled everyone except for Samuel, who took the sudden distraction to gain the upper hand. He pulled hard, yanking his opponents straight into the mud with a splat.

Laughing as the angels tried to clean themselves up, Samuel made his way over to the grassy knoll. He took a seat beside Serah, his face lit up with an elated grin. His brown hair reached his chin, falling into his face. He ignored his messy locks and threw his arm over her shoulder, pulling her roughly to him in a headlock. "Hey, little sis."

"Samuel," she said, trying to escape his grip. "Have you forgotten I'm three nanoseconds older than you?"

"Older, but still smaller."

She broke loose. "Yet just as strong."