Orbs of color streaked through the pitch-black sky, not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Reds, and blues, and greens, and vibrant yellows burned brightly, patterns of light originating from deep in space. Shooting stars, the mortals called them. Dozens streaked above them, trails of fire burning in the atmosphere.

"Make a wish," Hannah muttered.

"I haven’t seen a meteor shower this bad in a long time," Serah said, staring up in the sky. While beautiful, she knew it wasn’t a good sign. It was never good when pandemonium reigned.

"We did our best to ward off the asteroid, but so much broke through," Hannah said. "Next time, we may not be so lucky. The universe is in chaos, and it’s only getting worse. The hurricanes, the tsunamis, the earthquakes—it’s only a matter of time now."

"The apocalypse."

"Conquest, War, Famine, and Death will soon surface, and then life as we know it will be over," Hannah said. "Satan will rise."

"I don’t understand," Serah said quietly, still gazing at the frenzied sky. Lucifer seemed so sedentary. How could he be moving them closer to the apocalypse when he was trapped below with no way to escape? He seemed to almost accept that fact.

She needed answers, and she needed them fast.

"Hannah, do you know anything about War?"

"I know nobody truly wins at war. Everyone loses."

"Not actual war."

"The Horseman, then?"

"No, the card game."

Hannah’s brow furrowed as she glanced at Serah, her eyes leaving the hectic sky for the first time that night. "A game? You know more about human pastimes than I do."

The air in the field crackled behind Serah, Michael’s overwhelming essence radiating through the land around them. Hannah glanced back at him, but Serah didn’t move. She fixed her gaze on the sky, purposely avoiding him.

"I said it wouldn’t work," Michael said straightaway. "Just look at that prophetic sky. Judgment Day will soon be upon us."

"I don’t need an ‘I told you so’ lecture," Serah said. "It helps none of us."

"I’m lecturing no one," Michael said. "I’m simply stating the truth, Serah. All of this time you’re spending with that depraved miscreation is irrational."

Serah held her tongue, her jaw rigid as she purposely held in the words she yearned to say: That miscreation is your brother, like it or not.

Hannah sighed, nudging Serah’s arm lightly and giving her a sympathetic smile before teleporting away. Serah remained still as Michael walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her toward him. She didn’t fight it, didn’t pull from his embrace, but she didn’t melt into his arms like she would’ve in the past.

"I miss you," Michael said. "I miss us. Don’t you feel the same way?"

"I do," she admitted. She did. It was true. She missed the comfort he used to bring her, how safe she felt with him, how infallible he used to seem.

"Do you still love me?"

She couldn’t be certain, but she thought she sensed a bit of doubt in his voice. "Of course I do, Michael. You just don’t stop loving someone. Love changes you."

"Then why are you so standoffish?" he asked.

"Because love changes, too."

"It doesn’t have to."

"It does," she disagreed. "Everything changes eventually, not necessarily for the bad, but not always for the good, either."

"What does that even mean, Serah?"

"It means that the world isn’t always black and white," she replied. "Sometimes, it’s gray, and sometimes that gray explodes into colors you never knew existed before."

"I still don’t understand."

Serah frowned. She didn’t think he would.

Serah walked swiftly down the long corridor, leading to the room at the end. She came upon the massive, wooden double doors and yanked them open, her mouth moving as words started spilling from her lips. She expected Lucifer to be sitting in his throne, shuffling the deck of cards, but the sight that met her was quite the opposite.

Sunlight blasted her as she stepped through the doors and onto a long, winding, asphalt road, flanked by freshly painted sidewalks. Modest two-story houses lined the road on both sides, their driveways filled with cars and minivans. Trees were scattered throughout, vibrant green leaves rustling in the light breeze as luscious grass coated the yards. She could hear birds chirping as they flew through the air, whirling around the quiet neighborhood.

Serah was so dumbfounded she just stood there, staring, unable to move until she heard a noise behind her. She spun around in just enough time to see a child on a bike speeding right toward her, the street ongoing for as far as her eyes could see, the doors she’d just stepped through gone. She froze, expecting him to move right through her as if she didn’t exist, but the boy swerved onto the sidewalk to miss striking her.

"Sorry, lady!" he yelled as he peddled past. "Didn’t see you!"

Her eyes widened with shock. "What in Heaven’s name?"

She spun around again, flinging herself in a circle, and let out a startled yelp when she came face-to-face with Lucifer. He grasped her arms to stabilize her, his sudden presence throwing her off-kilter. She gasped as he touched her bare skin, shockwaves of electricity running through her body, flowing down her spine. Immediately, she stepped away from him.