Trust… trust… trust…
Yeah, that conversation with Sera was still stuck in my head. I'd already noted how her constant reassurances of support had struck a weird chord with me, and only now, soaring through the skies above Earth, did I think I understand why: in all this time, in all these tens of thousands of years (well, one full ten thousand, and the second just beginning), not a single Seraph had ever once told me to "trust us." And that made me seriously wonder what the hell it really meant…
I decided I needed to clear my head, and yesterday's meeting with my sons finally made me "remember" Abaddon. I mean, we texted, and pretty often at that, had video calls, and saw each other in person once a week, but I figured we should all go out and unwind somewhere together. Me, Abaddon, Seth with Azura, and Lute, who, to my surprise, actually agreed to a stroll in the human world. She'd already taken the day off anyway.
Flying over Earth was fun—when people saw me, they would literally lose their shit. With my vision, it was pretty easy to spot their comically slack-jawed faces, so I wasn't just pondering the eternal and relaxing, but also, as they say, "increasing Heaven's influence on Earth." Raphael came up with that brilliant justification for me yesterday when I asked him about it.
So, what was really behind this sudden trust? Could it be a trap? From the Seraphim? Nah, I'd sooner believe it was Eve disguised as Sera to… I don't know, lure me into a trap? I mean, I didn't scan Sera with my senses back then, so it's technically possible… Okay, that's just getting ridiculous. Now that I know how illusions and shapeshifting actually work, I knew that was bullshit. Thanks, Lucifer—that arch-deceiver, or whatever the humans usually call him. But what did this trust mean, then? Sera couldn't have been saying all that for no reason, right? What exactly did she see in me that made her so insistent on talking about trust?
Come to think of it, the old Adam never did anything so massive without warning them, and I'm drastically different—scheming behind the Seraphim's backs about what to do if I need to eliminate them. But they shouldn't be able to find that out… The drones! The fucking drones, multiplied by the mountain of shit I've already pulled! That's it. I'd totally forgotten that those drones are now patrolling Heaven, and that I'd fed the Seraphim a line of bullshit (Lucifer would have definitely appreciated the duck pun) about them just being for patrolling the streets for Eve's minions… And then suddenly they find out I'm pulling some strings on Earth, then in Hell, and after that, I get myself a son who's full of Darkness… Okay, theoretically, I understood her reasoning and thought process. I could work with that, and… give them their chance. "Trust us, we're on your side," right? Well, my dear beloved family, we'll see if you can really be trusted. And… I'll try to count on you.
I exhale, then immediately inhale the cold, clean air. Up here, at this altitude, it was always purer than down below. Although, doesn't smoke and all that waste go up? Or is it down? Embodying an entire world required a lot of knowledge and a deep understanding of the various complex mechanisms that humans call the "laws of physics," and it looked like I'd have to learn all that crap if I didn't ditch my idea for the Abyss… Fantastic…
Now, about Abaddon. He's already an adult, a fully formed personality, but he has no experience, nor a lot of important knowledge. In essence, he was just like I was when the Seraphim first created me. I had an understanding of many things, of course, but only what the Seraphim themselves had instilled in me. I had no experience of real, actual life, nor any experience in relationships, as Lilith would have gladly confirmed. As his dad, I should be the one to give him that experience, to explain what's right and what's wrong, but the problem was that this very same dad could be attacked by his own crazy ex at any moment. And this same dad was far from a role model. I mean, sure, I'm a badass, but my parenting skills could be extremely… shitty. I don't have the time—which means either I drag him along with me constantly, showing him a lot of unpleasant things, including my own involvement in them, or I see him rarely, leaving him at home, which was also shitty because, at his age, I was trying to bang Lilith when she "wasn't in the mood," and her opinion didn't matter much to me back then. I didn't even want to think about what kind of trouble Abaddon could get into.
The decision to dump my son onto my other son was spontaneous, but, in my opinion, brilliant. By teaching and raising his younger brother, Seth would, willingly or not, start to recall the teachings of Heaven, thus redeeming it a bit, even in his own eyes. And Abaddon would see that he's not alone, and that he has more than just a dad who's always "running out for bread."
Plus, Azura and Seth would get some parenting experience, albeit a very… peculiar kind… In short, one granddaughter wasn't enough for me. Now I wanted a grandson! Let Seth get to practicing and make me one soon… though no, better wait until after I've definitively dealt with the Eve issue, so nothing gets in their way…
But where should I take Abaddon? I remember yesterday, when Abel was telling his little brother about how he, Cana—my sweet granddaughter—and Dana, Abel's wife, went to a water park, Abaddon looked very interested. So, a water park it is? But which one?
I hovered in the air and, after rummaging in my pocket, pulled out my mask and slipped it on. O-k-a-y, what have we got here? Aquatica Orlando, in Florida? Sounds good.
After the recent improvement to my teleportation (the part where I no longer had to fill a space with Light to travel there), I could go to any place I had seen at least once. So, with just a quick glance at a photo, I easily teleported there, immediately retracting my wings and halo, and changing my robe into simple shorts and a t-shirt.
It was only the first half of the day. Even though time in Hell and Heaven moved differently than on Earth, ten times faster (meaning one year on Earth equaled ten years in Hell or Heaven), I had arrived at a pretty good time. The sun was shining brightly, almost blindingly, and it was scorching hot, a fact confirmed by the dozens of people in swimwear or very light, open clothing. Poor things. They could even get sunstroke. Ordinary people have it rough; we never have that problem.
I walked a bit further, toward the entrance, and a huge, colorful arch emerged from behind the palm trees. A bright sign with dolphins sparkled above it. Life was already in full swing in front of the gates. A crowd of people—some in light beach shorts, some with a towel over their shoulder, others with kids smeared head-to-toe in sunscreen—stretched into long but very organized lines. Through the lively, cheerful hum of voices, you could hear the happy squeals of children, the clicking of turnstiles, and the muffled, upbeat rhythm of music coming from inside. Employees in bright blue-and-white uniforms were checking tickets and bags. The line moved quite slowly, but the mood was cheerful because everyone was chatting with each other. Damn, looks like I shouldn't have bought the tickets in advance. Coming here with the whole family would have actually been a pretty good idea.
In the distance, just beyond the green foliage and the shade of the palm trees, rose multicolored slides—giant, twisting tubes, spirals, and bizarre serpents. They shimmered in every possible shade, from azure to orange-red. There was even a special kind of beauty to it. The sound of falling water, cheerful laughter, and joyful screams drifted from there and blended into a single, unified symphony of summer. I silently walked up to one of the lines and got in behind a young couple. Okay, me, Lute, Seth, Azura, Abaddon. Five tickets in total.
I spent at least twenty minutes in that damn line. For fuck's sake, couldn't they let you order tickets online?! We're living in the twenty-first century, and this place still ONLY accepts cash! You couldn't even order tickets on their website! What century is the owner of all this splendor stuck in? I remember places like this in my past life, too. "Conservative" spots. And they couldn't give a rat's ass that all their competitors were actively advertising online and accepting payments in every currency under the sun. "It's always been this way, and clients still come!" Yeah, and then the place goes out of business and you have to find another job…
Anyway, to make the wait a little more bearable, I put my mask back on and dove deep into studying the local human internet, hiding my demonic "face" under an illusion… Finally reaching the cashier, I suddenly remembered that, apparently, in this world, you have to pay for things! There it is again! Again, because of my habit of being a resident of Heaven, I had completely forgotten about the capitalist bitch-ass nature of the local humans. So, first, I had to discreetly slip a gold ring into the cashier's pocket, and then, just as discreetly, create a few counterfeit dollars. Long story short, I got the tickets. And if that guy has any problems with his boss later and those fake green bills are deducted from his salary, he can just sell the "unexpectedly found" ring. See? I'm a nice guy.
After that, I quickly zipped over to the nearest pawn shop and pawned off a little more gold. This time, just a little—a couple thousand bucks would be more than enough. Finally, having sorted out all these minor problems, I went to get my valkyrie.
"Hey, beautiful," I said, slowly peeking out of a portal in my living room, looking with interest at the fist that was immediately right in front of my face. "I see you're ready?" I smiled, seeing Lute dressed in a gorgeous golden swimsuit with a light white cover-up, which was necessary for walking around outside until we got to the water park itself. God, she really is a beauty!
"Adam! Don't scare me like that!" my gorgeous girl tried to put on a pouting face, but when she realized it wasn't working, she immediately reached for me, jumped up, and gave me a gentle peck on the lips. "Yes, I'm ready. Are you alone for now?"
"Mhm," I said, hugging my girlfriend and kissing the top of her head, listening with pleasure to Lute's soft purr. "Shall we go?"
"Oh, you're always in such a hurry. You don't even want to spend a minute alone with me…" she began in a sly, enticing voice.
"Hey, are you talking to me about being in a hurry? You're just as much of a workaholic," I kissed my girlfriend again, this time on the forehead. "Besides, we get to be alone every evening, so don't grumble."
We stepped through the portal and immediately appeared near the entrance to the water park. I hid our sudden appearance with an illusion, just in case, so there shouldn't be any problems.
"I take it you haven't called the kids yet?" Lute asked, looking around with interest, her gaze immediately locking onto the park.
"Nope. Flew right over for my little angel," I winked playfully, putting my helmet back on. "Hello. How are you guys? Ready?" Seth and the others had been given a heads-up while I was standing in that line. So they should have been ready long ago.
"We're ready," the rocker's annoyed face appeared on the screen. "Abaddon has been talking my ear off about how cool you are. Come on, hurry up and take him, I can't stand this much longer."
"Ha," I chuckled, opening a portal right in front of Seth. I'd been to his place before, so it was no problem. "Come on through."
A second later, Abaddon shot out of the portal like a scalded cat, dressed in swimming trunks, with a large inflatable ring, arm floaties, and a beach ball in his hands… Considering he looked like a grown man, about twenty to twenty-five, I couldn't describe his appearance as anything other than "comical"…
"Dad, thanks!" he immediately threw himself at me, hugging me tightly. "Cana told me how cool water parks are, and I wanted to go right away! And you somehow figured it out yourself, thank you!"
Wow, what a burst of energy… While Seth and his wife slowly emerged from the portal, a smirk so smug and mischievous spread across his face that I immediately wanted to shove a lemon or two down his throat, I tried my best to keep my expression calm. On one hand, I was pleased that Abaddon, despite his Dark nature, turned out to be such a kind, open guy. And it was gratifying that he loved his old man, unlike a certain smirking parasite! Ahem. But the fact that he was doing all this while looking like a grown man… well, it was a bit unusual. To put it mildly.
"Listen, can you make yourself look… a little younger?" I asked Abaddon. In theory, he could. After all, his current form only existed because of the knowledge I'd instilled in him. His true form was completely different—something like the body I was creating for myself: a six-winged black creature with bright golden eyes and a mouth.
"Younger?" Abaddon mused, then seemed to freeze for a second before abruptly shrinking and de-aging by about eight years, becoming a regular twelve-year-old teenager. Convenient. The magic here is just OP! "Like this?"
"Perfect. It suits you much better," I smiled and placed my hand on Abaddon's head. "Well, I've already got the tickets, so don't worry. That line over there is of no interest to us."
"Hm, thoughtful," Seth grunted, gently hugging Azura and heading towards the entrance. I exchanged a look with Lute and Abaddon, and then we followed them.
The first few hours were pure bliss. Even Lute, my eternally serious beauty, was sliding down the water slides with joyous laughter, and Abaddon seemed to be on cloud nine. But over time, the novelty wore off for my younger son, and it was replaced by an all-consuming attachment (or whatever you call it). He started following me around like a puppy, constantly tugging at my shorts and bombarding me with a thousand questions, wanting to share every moment of his excitement with me.
I answered everything with patience, but I noticed the smile on Lute's face becoming a little strained. She tried to hide her irritation, attempting several times to draw Abaddon into a game, but he only had eyes for me. Finally, she sighed and, muttering something about "going for a swim," went to the far end of the pool. Her offended back spoke louder than any words.
I walked over to Abaddon.
"Son," I began softly. "Lute is part of our family too. She probably wants your attention as well."
Abaddon thought for a moment, then his red eyes fixed on Lute's lonely figure. He slowly approached the edge of the pool, and then, with childlike innocence, asked loudly:
"You… you're my family too, right? Mom?"
Lute froze in the water. She turned around slowly. The word "Mom" hit her with the force of a hammer. Apparently, she had never thought of herself in such a role.
"Let's all go down that big slide together!" Abaddon suggested cheerfully, not waiting for an answer.
Lute looked at him for a few long seconds, and I saw the ice in her eyes melt, replaced by something warm and completely new. She got out of the water, and a smile so sincere and tender bloomed on her face, one I don't think I had ever seen before.
"Can you say that again?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
"Mom?" Abaddon repeated with a hint of doubt.
Lute laughed, and I let out a breath of relief. I can't even imagine what she must be feeling right now.
"Yes. I'd love to," she said, affectionately ruffling his dark hair. "Alright then, go on and show Mom how to ride the slides!"
Later, when a tired but happy Abaddon was lying on a lounge chair next to Seth, under the watchful eye of Lute who now never took her gaze off him, Azura approached me. She was nervously fiddling with the hem of her light dress, but her eyes held a mix of determination and… was that embarrassment?
"Adam, can I talk to you?" she asked quietly, her eyes darting from side to side and casting wary glances toward Seth.
I tensed up. Okay, what does this cat want from me? Trying to suck up to her boyfriend's father? Or, God forbid, does she have a crush on me? Shit, that's the last thing I needed.
"I'm listening," I replied as neutrally as possible.
She must have sensed my apprehension and decided to get straight to the point.
"I just wanted you to know… I didn't fall in love with Seth because he's your son. Not because of his power or his lineage. I fell in love with him for who he really is. For his kind heart, which he tries so desperately to hide from you," she sighed. "It hurts me to see him trying to play the 'bad boy' around you. He loves and respects you so much. I just… I want you to be a real family. And I want to help."
I smiled, this time sincerely and warmly, and that smile seemed to calm her down.
"Don't worry, Azura. He and I are a couple of idiots, but if it comes down to it, I'd grind this world to dust for him. And he'd do the same for me. We just… don't know any other way." I walked up to her and placed a hand on her head. "Don't worry about it, by the way… I'm sorry, I misjudged you. I'm glad that blockhead managed to find a girl like you. You'll keep an eye on him for me." I winked, getting a nervous nod from the blushing cherub.