Gabriel slept beneath the quiet stars that night, but his dreams were restless and unsettling. He found himself in a realm that was neither heaven nor hell—a strange place between worlds, where flowers bloomed under a crimson sky. The ground was made of obsidian, and silver vines crept up the sides of distant ruins. It was a garden of forgotten memories, and within it sat a figure waiting for him.
Medusa.
But this Medusa was not the monster of myths. Her eyes didn't glow with death, but with sorrow. Her hair, snakes of starlight, shifted with graceful movement as she sat by a shimmering pool that reflected visions of the past.
"You came," she said softly.
"I… don't know how," Gabriel replied, unsure of what to make of this dream-like encounter.
She gazed at him, her voice thick with the weight of long-buried truths. "You bear the mark of Gabriel the Angel, but there is something else in you. A wound... or a door."
For hours, they spoke of things Gabriel could hardly comprehend—of rebellion, of mercy, and of gods who had forsaken humanity for their own reasons. Medusa spoke of her punishment, not as a monster, but as someone who had saved those the gods wanted destroyed. Gabriel listened, feeling something stir deep within him—sympathy, admiration, maybe even something more. But it wasn't just pity. She was powerful in a way he couldn't explain.
"You see me differently," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
"I do," Gabriel admitted, his heart heavy with the weight of her words.
When he awoke, the garden was gone, and only her parting words lingered: "When the stars burn blue, I will find you again."
He sat up, heart pounding. The weight of the vision, the connection, still clung to him. Caitlin, Aziel, and Nyra were already awake, preparing for the journey ahead.
Merlin watched him carefully, as if he knew exactly what Gabriel had experienced. "You met her, didn't you?"
Gabriel nodded. "In a dream. But it felt real."
"Dreams are sometimes more than reality," Merlin said, his voice tinged with caution. "The final war is drawing near. And your heart may be your greatest weapon… or your undoing."
As the first light of dawn broke on the horizon, Gabriel stood, a renewed sense of purpose flooding his chest. The Immortal Slayer's journey had only just begun. But the path ahead was more treacherous than he could ever have imagined.