The air was thick with the scent of rain and something metallic, the kind that usually meant trouble was brewing. I was just trying to make my way home, my stomach rumbling as usual, when the sky decided to open up and unleash its fury. One minute, I was dodging a rogue taxi that almost took out a pedestrian; the next, I was struggling against invisible forces that were lifting me higher, higher into the storm. My feet left the ground, my scream getting swallowed by the howling wind and the deafening drum of rain. All I could think about was how much I’d miss this cheap Sichuan place down the street once this was over.

Then everything went black.

"Whoa there, meat shield!" A voice suddenly cut through the chaos, sounding like someone who’d gargled with gravel. When my eyes snapped open, I found myself floating in the sky, mouth agape, looking down at a figure that could only be described as… well, not quite what I expected from an angel, or whatever that was.