The drive back to the hotel was in complete silence. He had absolutely no desire to speak. Only the necessary pleasantries passed his lips. At the hotel, after dinner, Elise and Jules had gone to Elise's room. The girl was dead tired and had certainly not recovered from what had happened to her and her stay in the woods. The trauma would take time to fade. He manifested an orb of pure gold light and gave it to them to take with them in the tub; it would heal their superficial wounds instantly. He had laid down on the couch and put on his trusted, soothing headphones. Now he needed music. Not blues or jazz, and certainly not classical. Now he needed hard rock, very loud and very raw. So he chose Motörhead and started with a live extended version of Overkill. Half an hour later he felt her step barefoot into the living room. Without opening his eyes, he said:
"No, Red, I'm not in the mood to talk or answer questions.
She sat down on one of the chairs in silence. He wondered how it was possible, after everything that had happened to her, that she could still sit like an innocent young girl with her legs pulled up under her.
"If you want something to drink, there is quite a selection in the fridge. If you prefer white wine, I advise against the bottle in the fridge. I can manifest a nice one for you."
Elise heard his blaring music very clearly. She wondered how he could speak so softly with such loud music in his ears. Hesitantly she replied:
"I would like a glass of white wine, Jon."
He snapped his fingers, and on the coffee table appeared an ice bucket with a bottle at the perfect temperature. Next to the bucket was a glass that she thought looked like a very delicate, very expensive crystal. She poured herself a glass and took a sip:
"Oh my God, hmmmm, this is my absolute favorite drink from now on..."
He chuckled for a moment:
"No, my grandfather had nothing to do with it. And it better be good at about three hundred dollars a bottle. The official name is Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. I just call it Chardonnay. Back in the day, my dad had something to do with the founding of the place, and we still own about ten percent of it, so."
With a chuckle, he added:
"And no, there were no deals about souls involved. He just liked the couple who had the idea and financed their dream."
Elise almost choked when she heard the price of the bottle. And with that, the silence returned. Elise watched as his breathing became calmer and calmer until she knew he was fast asleep. She covered him with a blanket. She left his headphones. If he needed the music so badly, she would leave it. It was abundantly clear that he needed the loud music for some reason. No one put on headphones at that volume unless they were fighting something in their head. She did not know what he was fighting and could barely imagine what a supernatural celestial with powers like his would be struggling with. She continued to stare into the void from her seat, thinking about everything. The bad things that had happened to her and Jules, how they had gotten into this hornet's nest, and now this Antichrist. She was jolted out of her thoughts when she noticed that Jon was growing increasingly restless in his sleep. Elise saw that sweat was beginning to form in thick drops on his face. Until he suddenly shot up and screamed:
" CASIEL!"
His breathing was rapid, and he was gasping for air. She saw the raw panic in his eyes as he slowly began to take in his surroundings. Jon ripped the headphones from his head and threw them away with a horrified look in his eyes. He flew off the sofa and yanked open the door to the balcony. He fell to his knees and gagged several times. Elise had followed him to the balcony. She put a hand on his back and rubbed it gently. It took a great deal of effort for him to regain control of his breathing. After a minute or two, he more or less found his balance. He fell down on his butt against the railing and let his head hang. Without saying anything, she sat down next to him. She could see tears streaming down his cheeks without him making a sound. Jon took a few deep breaths and then made a pack of cigarettes and a lighter appear in front of him. After taking a few deep puffs. She asked:
"Who is Casiel, if I may ask?"
"I don't mind you asking, Elise, but I don't want to answer that question!"
She nodded, and they sat in silence for a while. When he finished his cigarette, he let it disappear into thin air, stood up, and said:
"If you'll excuse me..."
Then he disappeared into his bedroom. She was sure that he had unconsciously lowered his shield for a moment because she had suddenly felt an incredible pain and a deep sadness in him.