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Thieves of Light Chapter 9.A Saint Seiya fanfiction by Ariane Kovacevic, AKA Fuu-chan. The world we stepped into was both beautiful beyond belief and dreadful. Impossible. Once the last traces of the Light released us, retreating in waves of white-hot molten metal which faded into nothingness, the alienness of the place we had come to hit me. My mouth agape like a child, I looked up and stood on my tiptoes, turning and making a full circle. Everywhere it was the same: there was nothing but pure azure blue all around us. There was nothing but that vivid color, there was neither up nor down, neither right nor left. Unable to reconcile what me eyes were showing me with reality, I stumbled, reaching out on instinct to steady myself, and I closed my hand on Seiya's right shoulder. "It's as if we were floating in mid-air," The Pegasus Saint whispered in awe, "it's like walking in the infinity of the sky." "It *is* the sky." Hyoga blinked, shaking his head slowly as if to clear his mind from some senseless noise, disbelief plain on his face. In a low whisper, he said, "This is Etsem Hachamayim, the Hall of the Sky's Deep Essence." Turning towards the three Fallen Angels, who were now clad in the shining white cloaks that Gabriel had provided for them, my friend asked, "How can this be? Is all that's written in the Kabbalah's texts true?" Dark amusement shone in Belial's eyes, and the Fallen Angel scoffed at the Cygnus Saint. "Some things reach out to the truth, but many others do not." I tensed as the clear voice answered Hyoga's question, silencing Belial. On my left forearm, the Chain's rings were twinkling softly, unable to detect any threat in our close vicinity. The voice had come from our right and, as we turned towards its source, shadows grew out of nowhere and gave substance as well as shape to our surroundings. Between two rows of high column of impossibly clear blue stones which were reaching up to a ceiling I couldn't see, an angel was standing. Staring at us with something like curiosity dancing in his pale green eyes. His gaze was set on Hyoga. "I'm surprised you don't know this. Such strange Questers of Soul you are," he mused, "clad like warriors ready for a deadly battle and yet ignorant of the steps along their path to the En Sof...." The angel let his voice trail off into silence, allowing my friend an opportunity to reply. When he understood that no answer would come, he grinned at us, adding, "You're an unlikely group of pilgrims, wouldn't you say?" In the angel's back, I suddenly noticed three pairs of white wings which had been hidden to our eyes until now. "We're honored, Lord Raphael." Saori-san bowed low. "Unworthy souls like ours don't deserve to receive such precious knowledge from your lips." The archangel laughed at that and mirth shone in his gaze as he shook his head. "You don't lack for courage, that much is certain. Is it your desperate bravery that moved Gabriel to turn a blind eye on your intrusion?" Raphael quickly scanned our group, and then added in a very quiet voice, "Or was it Darkness which stormed the Gates of Livnat Hasapir and overwhelmed it in an instant, to leave the Hall of Sapphire whiteness empty, its bounty of life reaped and its hunger sated?" All pretense of playful lightness had left the archangel. On my left forearm, the Chain twinkled and pulled at me, pointing towards the enemy who was standing before us. "No life was lost in the first Celestial Hall." Julian Solo stepped forward and calmly confronted Raphael. "It was Lord Gabriel's wish and ours as well. We can only tell you what we told him: we don't want war, we only want to survive and we'll do what we have to for that." A great sword came to the hand of the archangel while he wondered in a distant voice, "Should I pretend that I believe you, and let you go like Gabriel did?" A humorless smile came to Raphael's lips, and he shook his head. "You're but insignificant shadows, and in your folly you're doing exactly what is required of you..." the pale green eyes narrowed, setting on the Fallen Angels, and the archangel concluded in a toneless whisper, "but what's walking in your steps in darkness incarnate, and its presence befouls this Hall." "Come then, Raphael", Lucifer challenged, a cold smile on his lips, "call your Wardens and defend the blind Light that you serve." In a very slow movement, the archangel pivoted to face the Lord of Hell and smiled back at him, a cold smile which never touched his gaze. "Taunting me will avail you nothing, Prince of Empty Shadows. I know you and your tricks." Reporting his steady gaze on us, Raphael dismissed the Fallen Angels' presence as if they were unimportant, a mere insignificant part in the equation. Then he said, a strange curiosity again seeping into the tone of his voice, "I'd like to understand why it is that Gabriel allowed you free passage, and what's more helped you to dissimulate the presence of demons in Beriyah, when he knows what you must be after, as well as how Lucifer and his minions will use you and lay Heaven waste if they can." With eerie, frightening calm, the archangel told us, "Gabriel damned himself when he let you go, and I want to know why." A slight metallic sound echoed in the room as Saori-san rested the tip of the Scepter which was holding Nike on the ground for support. Then, the Goddess Athena held her head high and sustained the archangel's inhuman gaze, retorting, "We have no answer for you, Lord Raphael, none other than the one we already gave you." The young woman's calm voice echoed in the great hall which felt like the sky and then silence closed around us again, until eventually Raphael shrugged. "I know," he heaved out a small sigh, waving Saori-san's words away with a dismissive gesture of the left hand. During what felt like an eternity, he stared at us, the great sword of light in his hand, then all of a sudden it vanished. "Go," the archangel said, the light in his eyes unfathomable, "I'll watch and I'll wait. Either I'll find the answer I seek before you reach Ratson, provided you can make it to the Hall of Will of course, or I won't, but anyway your foolish journey will come to an end there." With those words, the archangel turned away from us. "Are you mad, Raphael?!" The archangel froze while the furious question resounded between the high columns on each side of us. "Are you out of your mind?!" A thin, unpleasant smile curled up Raphael's lips and he turned on the left just as a second angel appeared right beside him. The newcomer stared at the archangel and asked, outraged, "You're not seriously thinking about letting them go through, are you? The Fallen Ones know of the Seals, and--" "I'm well aware of that, Zacharael," the archangel replied in a deceptively soft voice, "and yet I'm going to walk away from Etsem Hachamayim and allow them passage. I'll watch their progress; after all why should I worry about them when annihilating them is as swift and easy as this?" A strangled cry abruptly filled the air, coming from my right. On impulse, I pivoted, just in time to see Sorento collapse on his knees, his right hand clawing at his chest, right at the heart's level. The eerie crimson colored eyes had glazed over, and the young man's face was a mask of absolute pain. Cosmo exploded around him as he tried to win free of whatever was holding him, but its bright light died down almost instantly, savagely crushed by a force beyond anything we had ever known. Belatedly, I realized that Raphael had turned to face us again. His emerald gaze was set on the slumped figure of Sorento, and a frightening, alien fire was lighting his eyes. Numb with horror, I thought that the awfully strong power at work was neither unknown nor unnamed. It was an archangel's power. "Damn, you, bastard!" Julian Solo's furious exclamation broke the spell, and the host of Poseidon stepped forward. Fire seemed to inflame the air around him as a God's infinite cosmo flared to life. Then in a single, fluid movement he threw the Trident right towards the still figure of Raphael. The ghost of a smile touched the archangel's lips and he held out his hand, as if he was inviting the terrible weapon to strike him down. The storm of raw power died in the instant it came within a step of him, and calmly, Raphael seized the Trident, his movement when he closed the fingers of his left hand around the terrible weapon as easy and casual as if Julian Solo had merely wanted to hand it over to him. "Human fury won't serve you here, "Raphael said in an even voice, "Uncontrolled human emotions cannot harm us. You are children, pitiful shadows of what you were when the world was young." Human fury.... All at once I understood what he had meant. It had been Julian Solo who had reacted, using the power of the God who was a part of him to try and protect one who was precious to him...but the human impulse wasn't enough against Raphael. His lesson given, the archangel tossed back the Trident towards Julian Solo in a careless gesture. Then, Sorento bowed his head, getting air into his lungs in short, ragged breaths. Free. While we helped the Marine Shogun to stand up, Raphael pivoted to again face the angel he had called Zacharael and continued, as if nothing had happened, "It's my decision and if it doesn't suit you, you only need to choose otherwise as if your right as second Ruling Prince of this Hall." Before the other could protest, the archangel turned on his heels and walked away, just as he had said he would. I watched Raphael disappear between the high columns supporting the Hall of the Sky's Deep Essence, and I felt cold invading my heart while I saw again in my mind's eye the casual cruelty of the archangel. It was true, what Lucifer told me. There's no reasoning with them, no talking with them. We're nothing but insects beneath their feet. There's only one thing we can do: kill them before they destroy everything we love. I closed my eyes as the terrible thought filled me, and from very far away I felt myself trembling. The Kamui that I was wearing might not be enough against the likes of Raphael, but I could feel Hades' sword's cold metal against my side. Combined to the Fire coiled up inside me, the great blade would be enough. Yes, more than enough, and I would use it. I would use both of them. After all, Lucifer had taught me how to hate and to kill. I could do no less than to put his lessons to good use. "Curse the archangels and their complacence!" An angry voice resounded from somewhere in front of me, interrupting my dark train of thoughts. Zacharael was staring at us, disgust plainly written in his expression and his beautiful voice distorted with rage. "I won't look away and allow my domain to be sullied." In the blink of an eye, seven angels appeared in the halls and surrounded us. This time there was no pause, no opportunity to try and avoid a battle. Without a sound, the unearthly beings flung themselves at us. "Stop fidgeting, Lune, you're setting my teeth on edge." Hearing the weary annoyance which had seeped into Merle's whisper, the redhead shook his head, forcing himself to come back to the reality of the here and now. In spite of everything, he smiled when he realized that Merle had been right: he was indeed fidgeting, and he hadn't even been aware of it. As if I was already a jumpy old man, he grinned to himself. Focusing on his surroundings and denying the attractive lure of strategy planning which would once more send him into absent day-dreaming, Lune thought that everything was as ready as it would ever be. As it will never be, he corrected inwardly with a snort. Now there was nothing left to do but watch and wait. The redhead would be lucky if the waiting didn't kill him before either the Heavenly Host or the demons did. The least one could say was that neither Lune nor Merle had received the news that they'd be left in charge of the Sanctuary with happiness and enthusiasm. Thanks to the opening of the gate between worlds on the altar of Star Hill, they now were Gold Saints in their own right, but it was a technicality based on written law passed millennia ago. Not reality. Whoever had edicted the Sanctuary's set of rules had obviously never envisioned the possibility that a Gold Cloth might one day accept an apprentice who hadn't been raised under the tutelage of a full-fledged Gold saint. Stupid. Because of that, there had been no gainsaying Kido Saori; the Goddess Athena had turned a deaf ear on all of Lune's countering arguments. She's as headstrong as a mule, the redhead thought with no small amount of irritation. The situation they were trapped into as a consequence was an impossible one, and deep down Lune understood the Goddess' decision. He knew she had had no other viable alternative. But we're too young for this, far too young, damnit! He and Merle lacked experience, they had never known a true battle. The only combat they had lived through had been their long, solitary fight for survival in the Sanctuary's hostile environment. And that's nowhere near enough. As it was, it was all both young men could do to cope with the indescribable feeling of wearing their Gold Cloth, of discovering what it meant to truly *be* Gold for the first time. They needed to learn and to adapt, but they wouldn't be given that luxury. I suppose that this is what war means, Lune smiled grimly, to be pressured into making impossible and dangerous choices. Both Gold Saints were incredibly gifted and powerful adolescents, but what it came down to, the truth of the matter was that they were just that: adolescents. Children. They were hopelessly unsuited for the crazy task that had been set upon their unexperimented shoulders, but fortunately they could depend on the support and advice of seasoned warriors like Ophiuchus Shaina and Aquila Marin. The Silver Saints' power might feel small or even insignificant when compared to the raw purity of Gold, but they had faced battles. The two women had faced enemies far superior to them, they had even faced Gods. Their counsel would be invaluable, the more so given the presence of a fraction of the army of Hell on the Sacred Domain's grounds. Looking down from his watching spot on the very last steps of the Great Stairs leading up to Athena's temple, Lune observed the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac and below them the plateaus which reached up to them in degrees. The redhead didn't have to focus to feel the darkness slowly spreading there in delicate tendrils of shadow that even now were reaching out to embrace the ancient stones. It's madness, Lune repeated himself for the thousandth time. Lucifer's minions were there, unlikely watchers over a land that was sacred. Guardians of humanity. The irony of the situation would have been priceless, an insane joke played on the righteous which would have sent Lune doubling over in laughter, had he still been the wild, rogue apprentice who had been rejected by the harsh community of the Sanctuary. By a community which had snatched away his right to a normal life away from him. With a weary sigh, the redhead discarded those thoughts. He and Merle had reached a final decision, moments after the Goddess Athena and her companions had left the world to step into Heaven: they would protect the remaining Saints, no matter what. They'd defend the unaware, indifferent crowds of mankind. Everything they had set into motion since had been planned according to that double goal. Unheeding of the many protestations which had risen when they had announced their plan, both Gold Saints had ordered all the human inhabitants of the Sanctuary to take refuge on the highest level of the Sacred Domain: inside the great Temple of Athena itself. There, they would be protected by the Goddess' curtain of Light, and no angel would be able to reach them directly. Lune remembered Gabriel's and Hamaliel's apparitions in two of the Houses; there was no way the redhead would allow the tragedy of Chameleon June's death to repeat itself. That security measure couldn't ensure the Saints' or the apprentices' safety, however. Nothing could. If worst came to worst and the Heavenly Host came down from beyond the sky, if they defeated the small army of demons and both young men blocking their advance, the battle would reach the Temple of Athena. There was no way of preventing that. Lune had turned his sharp, inventive mind upside down without devising a solution to the problem. A gentle cuff on the top of his head abruptly put an end to the redhead's reflections, and Lune realized with a distant pang of guilt that his insatiable mind had once more gotten the best of him. "I said, stop that. Have you gone deaf on me?" Tearing himself from the contemplation of the mountains below, Lune looked up at his friend and flashed Merle a charming smile, saying in an apologetic voice, "Sorry. I can't help myself." "Is that so?" Merle rolled his eyes heavenwards in mock despair, adding, "Well, you'd better learnt o control that mind of yours. One day you'll start on one of those thinking sprees and you'll be trapped in your own intricate plans, lost to the world until the end of time!" There was something changed in Merle, Lune thought with a smile. Since the tall young man had truly touched the constellation that was a part of him, that was his name, something like confidence had started shining in the pale blue eyes. There now was a quiet acceptance emanating from Merle, and that made him stronger. It was as if at last the new Gold Saint of Sagittarius had found that he belonged somewhere. If he turned his gaze inwards, Lune knew he'd find a strange feeling, both alien and familiar, very similar to Merle's burning steadily in his own heart, but it wasn't a thing the redhead allowed himself to dwell upon. He had far more important things to do than to indulge in sentimentality. After all, I have a reputation to maintain, Lune thought with a playful glint in his emerald eyes. "Everything feels calm and peaceful tonight," Merle suddenly whispered on Lune's left. Looking up at the stars above and at the clear belt of the Milky Way, the redhead nodded in agreement. "Do you think we'll feel it if they die up there?" Lune felt a cold smile coming to his lips, and he replied in a whisper as soft as Merle's had been, "Yes, I believe we'll know. If Athena dies, the heart of the Sanctuary will crumble and we'll die as well." For if it ever came to pass, the Goddess' death wouldn't be simply the passing of her present incarnation. This time, it would be the Goddess' very essence, her Light which would be forever extinguished if she was defeated. So it can return to the one it was stolen from. Lune shivered in the night. Fortunately, both young men weren't given much time to reflect on those gloomy possibilities. A hundred steps below them, a shadow suddenly rose, darker than the moonless night, and detached itself from the House of Pisces. Tensing, Lune cursed himself as he felt his muscles stiffen, unable to prevent the instinctive reaction which raised gooseflesh on his skin. Forcing his expression to remain indifferent, the redhead waited until the frightening ghost reached his and Merle's level. "Everything is set the way you wanted, Gemini." The dark wraith spat, contempt present in its voice but not as obvious as when it had addressed other Saints. Clothless, hence nameless to him, Lune thought, like he and Merle had been. But with the Gold Cloths enhancing their cosmo, heralding to all those who had even a hint of awareness that they were in the presence of powers to be reckoned with, it became impossible to ignore what the two young men were...unless they chose to hide it, which was the last thing to do when confronted with the likes of what was now standing before them. Lune understood power games; it was in his blood, an instinct like breathing. "If the Heavenly Host attacks, we'll be the ones to bleed and die while you hide behind your Goddess' protection." Lune calmly sustained the gaze of dark fire and smiled, perfectly aware that the anger in the harsh whisper had only been half-feigned and that it was justified. Yes, you will, the redhead thought grimly, and that way maybe, just maybe, you'll be diminished enough for us to be able to hold you back when you turn the tables on us. Lune's and Merle's plan was a hard, merciless one but they couldn't afford to be noble, not in this. They had set the lower demons in key places in the Sanctuary, and they had spread the great Lord of Hell in the Twelve Houses where the archangels were likely to appear, hoping to surprise the Sanctuary forces and to come on them unawares. Eventually, Lune nodded curtly. "Good. Don't forget that none of you must walk beyond the Sacred Domain's borders. Athena's protection won't shield you from Heaven's eyes if you fully step into the world of men." With a dismissive wave of his right hand, the redhead added, "Now go back to your post." For a moment, the great shadow which was one of the most powerful Lords of Hell didn't move, wavering between obeying and tearing both Gold Saints to pieces on the spot. And I'm not sure we could defend our lives for more than a few moments. The uncomfortable thought echoed in Lune's mind while Time froze around the scene, hanging upon a demon's decision. Finally, proud and arrogant Assiel spat, "I know and understand the reality of this world better than you do, Gemini." A smile came to the Fallen Angel's lips as he added, "The pact won't hold us forever. We'll resume our discussion soon enough." With that somber promise, Assiel turned away and glided back towards his designated watching post in the House of Pisces. "Well, well, well. That was pleasant enough!" Lune exclaimed cheerfully once the Fallen Angel had disappeared form view. "You're mad!" Merle chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. The laughter he had heard in his friend's appalled words warmed Lune's heart. With a nod, the redhead replied, "Of course! I thought you'd known that for years." When both friends' laughter faded into silence, two Gold Saints resumed their watch over the Sanctuary. Waiting in the night. "Don't interfere!" Saori-san's shrill cry rose in the air just as I was catching a violent blow with the Chain. "Do you mean to tell us you intend to stupidly waste time and to endanger your precious servants, Lady of the Earth?" Lucifer's incredulous snort had come from somewhere behind me. "The Wardens may not look like much, but they exist only to defend the Celestial Halls of Beriyah. Their very nature is combat, and they're more than a match for your human warriors." "We gave our word," Julian Solo said, his voice tense, "that we wouldn't harm Beriyah unless our survival was at stake." Harsh laughter interrupted the host of Poseidon. "Gabriel knows that once the order to defend their Hall has been given to the Wardens, it cannot be rescinded. But suit yourselves and be fools. We'll watch you bleed and suffer for as long as you wish us to." I didn't hear anything more. Dancing t the side, I avoided a spear which harmlessly brushed against my Cloth. Pausing for a fraction of a second, my mind drowning under the thunder of my heartbeats, I looked around me and tried to assess the situation. The room of high columns had erupted into chaos, its only stable point the three still shapes of the Fallen Angels standing safely behind the front line. On my right, I suddenly felt the great Dragon rising as Shiryu called out to his cosmo. When he unleashed his power, I did the same and released the Chain, ordering it to capture the enemy who was coming at me. The bronze rings coiled up to a column, their target evaporated. "Shun!" In the same time that Seiya's warning rang in the air, my opponent materialized right behind me. From the corner of an eye, I saw the point of a shining spear rushing towards my unprotected left flank, and reacted on instinct. Whirling around in a blur, I unsheathed the blade hanging on my belt and lifted the great Sword of Hades to parry the coming blow. The nameless angel's eyes widened in shock as the sharp blade neatly cut off the head of his spear. Instead of following after the sword, I used the fraction of a second I had won to free the Chain and call it back to me. All of a sudden, the pure, beautiful sounds of a flute filled the room, and for the time of a heartbeat the angels froze. Then, together they turned towards the music's source, discarding us as if we had ceased to exist. And they flung themselves at Sorento. Pegasus Ryu Sei Ken! Seiya interposed himself between the angels and the Marine Shogun. Surprised by the unexpected interference, they didn't manage to react in time, and Seiya's attack sent them flying. Impossible! I thought when I saw them vanish in mid-air. Immediately, they reappeared beside us, and once more instinct as well as Hades' blade saved me. Focusing on the frantic beatings of my heart and fighting to steady the rhythm of my breathing, I took a quick glance at the room around me and wondered how we could put an end to this battle. Nothing seemed to be able to stop the angels. They had taken blow after blow, but they didn't appear to be wounded in any way. Neither my brother's fire nor Hyoga's ice seemed to have any lasting effect on them. They're not human. The distant thought echoed within, an obvious fact which brought no solution with it. None other than killing. No! A small voice inside me cried out, its desperate echoes sending shivers down my spine. "Enough!" I hissed, avoiding another blow. Beyond my opponent, I got a sudden, fleeting glimpse of Zacharael, the other Ruling Prince of the second Celestial Hall, who had remained at safe distance from the fighting zone until now. It's our only chance. With a short nod to myself, I stepped back and disengaged from the struggle, re-sheathing Hades' Sword. Eyes closed, I called out to Andromeda and focused all my will on the Chain. Summoning the feeling of the haughty angel to my mind, I mentally marked my target and released the formidable weapon. "Go!" I bade it, feeding it with the flames in my heart, "Go and catch my enemy!" A distant part of me noticed Hyoga positioning himself before another angel and shielding me with his own body, and almost at once I discarded the feeling of his presence. There was only one thing left within me, a single sensation: that of Zacharael's Light. The angel tried to escape, but I followed him relentlessly, until at last the Chain's rings closed around him and immobilized him. Wildly, Zacharael fought my hold and I let him put all his strength against me, waiting for him to realize there was no escape from the Chain's embrace. Burning amber eyes set on me, alight with rage, and I told him sharply, "Tell them to stop! We have no intention of harming you or your Hall!" There was no reply, and behind me Belial let out a sarcastic chuckle. In a nasty voice, The Fallen Angel said, "He won't. You're wasting your time." Cold hit the pit of my stomach as I saw the malevolent fire dancing in Belial's eyes and I shook my head, denying his words and repeating to Zacharael, "Tell them to stop, please!" My only answer was a grimace of disgust and contempt which distorted the angel's fair features. Then abruptly I felt power emanating from him. Fire. High flames rose in the hall of sky-blue columns, and the Chain recoiled. Belial is right, a cold voice inside me stated, merciless. Within moments, Zacharael would win free. Time slowed, like a great river suddenly held back, choked by the ice of winter, and for a fraction of eternity I watched the angel's struggle. Immobile, I watched the angel's fire melting away the Chain's rings. Then I moved. Before Zacharael had time to realize what was happening, I stopped by his side and summoned my cosmo. Feeding the furious winds of Nebula Storm with the scorching Fire poised inside my heart, I struck a single, deadly blow. And in an instant, I extinguished the high flame that was Zacharael, Ruling Prince of Etsem Hachamayim. Bowing my head, I let my right fist hang limp at my side and whispered in a toneless voice, trying in vain to master the painful emptiness engulfing my soul, "Stop it now. He's dead, you're free to follow Raphael's orders." "They won't stop," Lucifer said gently, the echoes of his voice rising above the sounds of battle and the explosions of cosmo and wrapping ethereal arms around me. Holding me, and forbidding me to deny them. "They can't stop. They're beings of a single impulse, a single emotion which drives them. They're unidimensional creatures who can only know the Will of the Light they're a fragment of. Have you already forgotten what I taught you?" Slowly, I looked up, and beyond the figure of Hyoga who was still shielding me, fighting a desperate battle against two opponents, held back like we all were by the wish to spare lives and keep the promise we had made to Gabriel, beyond Hyoga I saw the purple eyes of Lucifer set on me. Strangely enough, there was no hint of mockery in the amethyst gaze. The Fallen Angel hadn't moved since the beginning of the absurd battle Zacharael had forced us to fight. He *wouldn't* move, I suddenly realized, because naive fools had wanted to be true to their sworn word and had wanted to do an impossible thing. Idiots that we are. Pain came with the thought, and the terrible understanding that the Prince of Demons was right. From very far away, I felt tears burning my eyes. Unable to sustain Lucifer's clear, steady gaze a moment longer, I turned away to see Seiya, Shiryu and my brother fighting to contain their opponents. Woodenly, I nodded, and set fire to my cosmo. Around me, the Storm rose, infinitely violent. And I flung myself forward. "It's over." A hand briefly rested on my left forearm, and abruptly I came back to myself to see Hyoga standing beside me. There was pain in my friend's pale blue eyes, sorrow at what we had been forced to do...senseless regrets that nothing could ever truly soothe. Beyond him, I saw the sprawled bodies of lifeless angels on the floor of blue stone, bright red blood spreading in small pools around them and marring the azure perfection of the Hall of the Sky's Deep Essence. Then I closed my eyes. "There was nothing else we could do. You were right to go all out against them, Shun." I smiled when I heard Shiryu's words, a painful, crooked smile. I knew that, but it didn't help the emptiness inside me. "Warriors who'll restrain themselves and risk losing all just for the sake of a few insignificant, nameless fragments of Light when they could get rid of the threat easily if they accepted to fully use the power at their command...fascinating," Belial's musical voice broke through the deep silence which had fallen over the place. "We should thank you for having prevented us from interfering," the Fallen Angel continued, dark mirth shining in his eyes, "that way we've been able to watch you fight and gauge your powers. Not too bad for mortals, I must say. It might just make the future interesting." "Let's go," Ikki-niisan said, coming towards me and deliberately ignoring Belial's taunting words. "There's no reason for us to tarry here any longer." While I was nodding at my brother, Saori-san let out a heavy sigh and asked in a dull, toneless voice, "Why did Raphael allow this to happen? He could have prevented this if he had wanted to." The young woman's fingers were holding the Scepter of Nike tightly, her knuckles white. "Because he couldn't gainsay Zacharael's orders. He chose to withdraw and the second Ruling Prince whose confrontation, that's all." Lucifer shrugged. "Still," Saori-san insisted, locking her gaze with the Fallen Angel's. Anger came into the tone of her voice when she added, "He could have come back after Zacharael's death and defended those under his command, but instead he abandoned them." The young woman shook her head, and a hard light inflamed her purple eyes. "He deliberately let them die a meaningless death." For a few seconds, Lucifer remained silent, then a lazy smile came to his lips. "You're applying human logic and human emotions to beings who have nothing in common with you, my Lady. That mistake will lead you nowhere. If you're basing your reasoning on what you perceived of darling Gabriel," the Fallen Angel continued, forestalling Saori-san's protest, "you'd better drop that line of thought. Gabriel Fell once, and that changed him. You can't judge the malakhim after him." "It doesn't matter," Saori-san waved her own anger away, then she said grimly, her face set in a mask of stone, "the harm is down and there's no healing for it. Let's go." Something which might have been a mixture of surprise and incomprehension flashed briefly in Lucifer's eyes, then he nodded in silence and stepped towards the heart of the Celestial Hall. As we followed after them, leaving behind us a haunted place where death reigned alone, I thought that we had done a terrible thing that could never be forgiven. A thing for which we would have to pay, sooner or later. A sin which would mark us as damned for all eternity. We had spilled the blood of Heaven. Pure, rhythmic sounds were rising in the many corridors of Zakhout, a music which would have felt foreign and out of place in any of the other six Celestial Halls, but not here as its Wardens had quickly learnt. Zakhout's rooms were all simple, almost rustic in a Spartan kind of way, and their walls were transparent, as the Celestial Hall's nature dictated. This strange characteristic didn't afford Zakhout's Wardens with many opportunities for privacy, but the angels didn't care in the slightest about what was nothing more than a human concern. Besides, there was a more than adequate compensation for that small disadvantage: in small, quiet groups, the Wardens could glide past one of the greater rooms close to the Western Gate and watch the fantastic spectacle of the Son of Dawn dancing. One such group paused briefly as it neared the room, and the Wardens turned their eyes towards the great angel standing in its center for the time of three heartbeats before resuming their walk. They didn't dare tarry any longer lest they be blinded by their Prince's magnificence. Lest their Lord notice their presence and send them to more exhausting training sessions or worse, bid them to join him for a passage at arms, laughter shining in his eyes. A high honor such an invitation certainly was, its tale told and re-told among the Wardens, but its price was high, for their Prince's Light burnt, its fierce, savage flames enough to scorch a Warden and reduce the unfortunate to cinders if the Lord wasn't careful. Zakhout's Wardens were without a shadow of a doubt the strongest among the angels of Beriyah with the exception of the Ones who guarded the Gates of Ratson. Perfectly honed warriors they were, and yet they remained children when compared to the Son of Dawn. Just as the small group of Wardens was about to go on its way again, their Hall's Ruling Prince bowed his fair head and started a new dance, his twin blades catching the ever-present mist of Beriyah and sparking it into Fire. Unable to help themselves, the angels froze for a moment, in time to see another materialize in the great armory. Eyes widening in surprise, the angels turned their heads and quickly resumed their errand, wondering at the presumption of the one who had dared interrupt their Lord's dance. The great angel smiled to himself, very much aware that three Wardens had stopped close to the weapons' room and were watching him in quiet awe from the insubstantial shadows of the corridor. As quickly as he had noted their presence, he discarded it and focused on the swords he was holding in his hands. Their blades were impossibly sharp and their balance perfectly adapted to his height and weight. Glittering tools of war they were, thirsty for evil blood. Soon now, I won't let myself be stalled by cowards who have too much of a taste for useless intricate plans much longer. The angel smiled, a feral smile which bared his teeth, and in a single movement of breathtaking, fluid beauty, he plunged into the ritual dance of death. Spark. Alien flame which flared to life in a moment. The angel froze, his left blade a hair's width away from the intruder who had materialized next to him. "Lord Michael," the newcomer bent a knee to him, reverent fear seeping into the tone of his voice, "please forgive my intrusion, but the tidings I bring to you couldn't bear with any delay." The archangel looked down on the one who had dared disturb him, surprised by the swirling undertones of anger he had detected in the other's words. There had been a strange, shadowed light shining in the nameless angel's eyes, something which didn't belong. Shrugging off his irritation at having been interrupted, Michael, Warrior Prince of Heaven, nodded. "Speak, then. What is your Hall?" The angel looked up, and replied in a carefully neutral voice, "I am Sabrael, Warden of Livnat Hasapir, great lord, and I have come to you to warn you of the coming of evil to Beriyah." Taken aback by the smaller Warden's words, Michael re-sheathed his swords and shook his head in incomprehension. "Has the First Hall fallen and all the others with it, then? Where is Gabriel?" "My Lord," the angel bit his lower lip, and this time anger was plain in the tone of his voice when he spat, "there hasn't been any battle. I came to you without Lord Gabriel's consent. My Prince has opened the Gates of Livnat Hasapir, Lord, and he has let darkness reach its heart." "Incredible," Michael whispered quietly, "but then Gabriel is a soft-hearted fool and after all human thieves are easily dispatched, unworthy opponents for one of the archangels, be it him." "The mortals weren't alone", Sabrael cut off the Ruling Prince of Zakhout. "Fallen Ones followed in their wake, Sammael in their midst. I know," the angel's voice was shaking with unveiled disgust, "I caught the demon lord's first blow before leaving gate to warn my Prince, but..." Sabrael abruptly looked away from Michael's deep golden gaze, as if he was shamed by the words he was about to utter, "Lord Gabriel allowed the human beings and those filthy demons free passage. He deliberately gave them access to the Light through which Questers of Soul may reach up towards Atsilouth." Michael whistled softly in the silence which followed Sabrael's incredible news. Eyes narrowing in speculation, the archangel reconsidered his views on the situation prevailing in Beriyah. Always he had judged the gathering of the Wardens in the second world unnecessary. They'd have been put to better use in a true war against Hell. The present passive strategy of waiting, ensuring defense positions had always felt stupid and cowardly to the one who was first and foremost a formidable warrior, but all at once events were forcing him to shift pawns to the higher gameboard. The balance of power he had known since mythological times was broken. The human godlings had sealed an alliance with Hell. It made perfect sense, of course. Michael knew that it was the only decision they could make, but...he'd never have thought that mortals would have the guts to again take such a terrible risk. And the Fallen Ones...something must have happened to free them from the eternal darkness the human god of death, Hades, had trapped them into. Sabrael's news had indeed been ones that couldn't be delayed. Flicker in the Light. Michael froze, the archangel's tall shape a very still once while he listened to the faraway wind which traveled up from Etsem Hachamayim. "Zacharael has fallen," he whispered quietly, a cold smile on his lips. Raphael had most likely chosen to withdraw so he could watch and study, the other archangel's thirst for knowledge an insatiable one. He had always preferred to desiccate ants slowly rather than to crush them directly. A waste of time. Waving off his irritation at the other archangel's irrational behavior, Michael once more focused on the angel who had come to warn him. "Go," he said, "warn Anahel and tell him to let them cross Noga unhindered. I'll take care of the rest here." With that, Michael turned away, his gaze focused on all the weapons stored in the armory. Soon they'd be put to good use. At last, events would allow him to shake free of Metatron's stupid orders. With a feral grin, the archangel welcomed the coming of a war which would put an end to an eternity of boredom. There was the slightest of shifts in the luminous mist that was Beriyah's essence when the angel Sabrael left the room and Michael thought with a distant feeling of disgust that Gabriel had chosen a worthless servant in that Warden. Michael would never have allowed a traitor in his ranks, even if he used such as Sabrael without qualms of conscience. War was war, and its tools could be ugly. Still, Michael had no love lost for betrayal or traitors. Discarding Sabrael from his mind, the archangel allowed himself to wonder about Gabriel for the time of a heartbeat. The Ruling Prince of Livnat Hasapir had chosen his Fate in an insane decision that couldn't be explained. When all would be done, Gabriel would Fall and Michael would be there to send him into exile, an exile which should never have been lifted. In the great room next to the Western Gate of the Celestial Hall of Zakhout, the Warrior Prince of Heaven smiled, his eyes glinting with a frightening light. Then he started his beautiful dance of death anew.
End of Chapter 9.
Notes
Raphael: God has Healed. One of the three great angels in post biblical lore. A legend claims that he handed to Noah a medical book after the flood. He's the Ruling Prince of the second Celestial Hall, a position he shares with Zacharael. Titles he holds include overseer of the evening winds, guardian of the Tree of Life. Above all, he is the angel of healing. He's also the angel of science and knowledge. I used his nature of angel of healing to give him interesting abilities at manipulating life and the Light which comes down from beyond Atsilouth both. Further details in later chapters! :P
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