Music recommendation: Secret Intention by Satoru Kōsaki on Spotify.
As the sun began to dip over the west of Eden, its hues painting the sky golden with purples and pinks over the clouds, the city was illuminated as the foliage surrounding the buildings gave an ethereal glow. Floating orbs pulsed an iridescent glow, lighting the halls and arches along the paths.
Many celestials were flocking back to their respective areas as the day drew to a close. However, not all were returning home. Nestled in a secluded garden near the grand hall, Uriel paced through the garden. His massive wings dragged behind his steps, and if he were to notice, the indents he was forming would carve a pathway in the earth.
His brows were furrowed, deep in thought, with the revelation Archangel Gabriel shared to the court was grave news that tensed and coiled his soul.
Could it be judgment from the Creator to bring about retribution to the realms they fought to protect?
Uriel could only sigh in indignation at the troubling storm slowly brewing. Archangel Michael was gracious enough to give a reprieve and a short recess after Gabriel's theatrics, which left the room filled with celestials in pregnant silence. When the meeting reconvenes, the outcome regarding the vessel in question will be announced.
Why must there be bloodshed? After centuries of that forsaken war, the coexistence of the realms has returned. The end of the Demon King was unavoidable, and the eradication of demons was necessary. Prosperity has returned. However, it was not long enough for hellish spawns to sprout from the shadows and wreak havoc across the lands.
The spark of dark rebellion was slowly rising while the celestials were grasping straws. If the only solution is to bring about another war, Uriel doesn't have the spark he once held. His features dimmed at the thought of his comrade; the memory of that war ending victoriously for the celestials held a price, and even he shuddered to peer back further.
What price will hang in the balance of peace and calamity? What pound of flesh and blood would pave the way for the next generation of younglings to roam freely without fear of destruction, snuffing out life itself? Blood and death are always the outcome, whether for war or sacrifice to avoid more casualties.
Uriel continued pacing back and forth, his mind filled with depressing thoughts. Being distracted in his reverie, he failed to notice another presence leaning against a tree. The luminescent fauna was not bright enough to reveal the identity of the lone figure draped in a black cloak.
"You know if you keep pacing like that, you will carve a crater in the ground, and it will ruin the garden, Uriel," Leo chuckled as the anxious angel shrieked as he twirled to the source of the voice.
"By the Creator! You almost sent me to an early grave!" Uriel huffed, placing his hand over his fast-beating heart.
"I think we are past an early grave. You're far too old and need a cited eulogy," Leo quipped. It has been ages since he has seen his comrade. Viktor would be considered a friend of sorts, but Leo brought him up from a young age after the massacre of his family, and Uriel has been his comrade since they were young. They trained in the arts and mastered celestial prowess until they became the archangels of their time. At least, one of them continued.
Uriel squinted and felt his heart ache as he approached Leo. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Uriel was slightly shorter than the other, but he couldn't help but see his friend return alive and well.
"It's been too long, old friend," Uriel said fondly before his expression grew anxious. He stepped back and clasped both hands on Leo's shoulders. He noticed the red irises glance back at his golden ones, and Uriel reluctantly released his hold as his features dimmed. "You are still banished. How are you here? Are you out of your mind and seeking death? Do you wish Archangel Michael to burn you to ashes?!" The jarring questions Uriel asked nagged at him as his face grew anxious.
Leo merely smirked as he lifted his hood. His eyes trained on the frantic angel before him, wondering how foolish he was to return, but the words Leo was about to speak left Uriel speechless as he gawked at the latter.
" I completed my mission and seek an audience with the High Council, Uriel. I have suffered long enough, and I am running out of time," Leo said. His features were stern, and his eyes held clarity, but there was a hint of pain.
"…"
The timing of Leo's arrival couldn't get any worse!
At this moment and all the pieces came crashing down in his mind, and Uriel had to turn away from his friend in shame.
"My hands are tied, Leo. You know that," Uriel reminded. "The matter of your mission will be mentioned in this meeting, and I pray they will seek you regarding your penance, but that is all I can do at this time. We are still in a conference that is of great importance to the entire realm." He turned back at Leo's steely gaze and emphasized the last note, "War is upon us."
Leo scoffed, " Have you all gone deaf and blind in my absence? The war has already begun, and you have only now figured that out?"
Uriel glared at his remark, but Leo wasn't finished.
"While you all were perched behind your ivory walls and glamor, I have been suffering alone and still managed to save the weak and helpless from the demons that wreaked havoc. Not only have I infiltrated their stronghold, but I retrieved what they have been searching for all these years."
"Don't tell me you have—" Uriel widened in shock. Perhaps Leo mistook his reaction as awe, but the latter couldn't be far from the spectrum.
"Her name is Lyra, and she is the vessel the demons have been searching for. We nearly escaped their clutches from Evrax and have arrived to seek sanctuary," Leo declared as he hoped this key information would give him leeway and return him to his rightful place.
Call it desperation or determination. Leo has endured his suffering for years, and it was a miracle he hadn't succumbed to his fate. All Uriel could muster was shock and doubt.
"I will relay your words to the council," Uriel sighed as he looked away. "But know this, Leo, your return may have been a pivotal point to the scale of the realm hung in the balance."
"Need I remind you what cost me centuries of agony after what I have done?" His red gaze sparked with specs of gold as his aura pushed against Uriel, and the archangel winced at the blindsided approach, stumbling before he stood firm.
"You know I am only telling you this as your friend, Leo. I am simply warning you to be cautious. Eden is not as it once was before your departure," Uriel warned the tactless man before him.
The bells tolled from the cathedral for the return of the council, and Uriel turned to face the sound before glancing back at Leo, only to find no one there. Shame. He would've given a piece of his mind on what he has brought to Eden.
He wished he could say calamity was but an object, but fate decided to have it in the form of a woman, a human no less.
Releasing an exasperated breath. Uriel made his way back to the grand hall to convene with the rest of the high council. He was the type to remain neutral amongst the overbearing archangels as they all claimed to hold power for the sake of peace and prosperity.
But at what cost?