It was at the Garden she stood.

Like a painting, she blended into her surroundings. A white figure in a sea of green. Sun-kissed locks gently swaying in the wind as the light from the star overhead illuminated her immaculate tunic. A beauty unmarred and unmatched.

"Hello, Brother," she said upon my arrival. Wearing a smile that would not look out of place on the most beautiful Greek sculptures.

"Yo, Sis," I returned. "How's it hanging?"

It was odd, watching her giggle and smile. To see her so warm and vibrant once again.

It took some time, you know? After His passing, I would never have imagined watching her face light up as it is now.

Like chimes, she gave out a soft chuckle. "Another human term you have picked up?"

"Ah, you know me," I winked at her. "The human world never gets boring."

"I could see that," she giggled once more. "Perhaps I could join you on your next visit?"

It was here that Man's ancestors once resided. A paradise unlike any other.

Now, it lies unused.

The vibrant green leaves slowly wilting away. The crystal blue lake over the hills having dwindled throughout the years.

Grinning, I gave her my own Heavenly blessed smile. "Of course. You're always free to join me, Sis. Just tell me when and whe–"

I stopped when I saw it.

Her gentle blue eyes looked beyond the horizon. Her smile, disenchanted as her attention settled elsewhere.

No matter how much time passes; heartache never truly fades away, does it?

"Gabriel. Sister, I–"

For once, I didn't know what to say.

I watched her solemn, soft blue gaze look beyond the green hills. Beyond the golden sun.

His death hit us all pretty hard and even now Michael throws himself into his work, trying day by day to live up to His standards. Raphael's warmth smoldered into something imperceptible. Like an emptiness, his once piercing hazel eyes had lost their luster. Only now, after all these centuries, are beginning to show signs of regaining himself.

"I had a dream."

The melody of her tone shook me out of my thoughts.

"It was of a beautiful woman. Perfect in all regard, yet her eyes held nothing but emptiness."

I stayed silent as I listened to her.

"And then there was a light. A light that was so familiar that I–"

She turned away, avoiding my gaze. A moment of silence stretched out between us.

"I–I don't know what to do," she softly whispered. "It reminded me so much of Him, and yet…"

I understand. She didn't need to say anything, but I understand. To dream of His light, His warmth at an age that does not include His presence was simply too cruel to hope for.

A few minutes passed by, the sun glimmering in all its majesty, blessing us with its rays.

She suddenly turned back to me, a different look gleaming in her eyes.

She raised her hand, a blue mark filled with elegant lines that interconnect in a seamless pattern. At its center laid a small, golden cross.

"That may or may not be a dream, Uriel, but this–"

Azure blue eyes met wide golden ones.

"–this is not"

He stood near the back of the room, a slight smirk at the edge of his lips. The rest of the Peerage sat at their usual designated areas around the main table, all eyes towards the new guest as questions and thoughts raced through their minds.

He took a brief moment to look at the room instead.

Decadent.

Luxurious polished tiles lay at his feet while the surrounding white walls appear unmarred. Opulent furniture occupied the room, a quality too expensive for any normal high school to possess.

Turning his attention towards his summoner's group, he prepared himself for the host of questions he could see swimming in their minds

But before he would begin satisfying their curiosity, Sona had looked towards her Peerage and gave the silent order to introduce themselves out of respect. One by one, they greeted Archer, giving him a feel for their personalities.

Tsubaki Shinra, the right hand and Queen of Sona's Peerage, stood rigid as she bowed to him in respect, earning her a slight smile and nod from her King for taking the initiative.

The Knight, Meguri Tomoe, was next. The cheerful one of the group, she casually held her sheathed katana while waving with the other hand in earnest; greeting him in an upbeat fashion. Her reddish-brown hair bouncing to Archer's amusement.

Kusaka Reya, one of Sona's Bishops, gracefully stood up. An air of Japanese elegance innately structured into her being. The polite young woman spoke with a soft tone, introducing herself with a natural poise that inwardly impressed the tanned figure.

He gave the other Bishop, Momo Hankai, a slight eyebrow raise at her snow white locks, a clear reflection of his own. She greeted him with a natural smile; her friendliness putting Archer at ease.

Tsubasa Yura, the Rook, decided to follow her Queen's example and gave Archer a perfect bow. Her tone respectful and polite as she casually sat back down, betraying her earlier display of formality.

Archer then finally turned to the last person; the only other male in the room besides him.

What greeted him, though, was a narrowed set of eyes coupled with a slight frown. Gray eyes like his own that lacked the steel behind them stared back in a calculative manner.

"And you are?" Archer asked, an almost teasing grin on his face.

That instantly caused a reaction from the Pawn. He narrowed his eyes further, the frown on his face deepening.

"Saji," spoke out the Queen, a hidden warning laced her tone.

For a few more moments, Saji doesn't say anything, creating an odd sort of tension that made the rest of the occupants fidget in their seats.

Sighing inwardly, Sona decided to intervene before the situation can get any more awkward until the Pawn suddenly stood from his chair and caught everyone by surprise.

"The name's Genshirou Saji!" He all but declared, jamming a thumb to his chest. "Kaichou's strongest and most loyal Pawn!" Nearly yelling out in pride. "So don't even think about getting in her pants!"

Yura's hand shot out so fast, slapping him in the back of his head that he slammed headfirst into the table, breaking it in half.

"Haha, don't mind him," said Momo, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "Gen-chan can be such an idiot sometimes."

Sighing, Sona merely faced palmed in defeat.

After reviving the troublesome Pawn, the King and her Peerage sat back down at their chairs; the table repaired without a scratch thanks to a little bit of magic.

"Well, that was an interesting round of introductions," smirked the tanned man.

"Quite," responded Sona, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"But enough of that," she coughed into her hand, getting down to business. "I assume you know what comes next?"

"Of course," nodded Archer.

Taking a moment, Sona took in the sight of the man before her, questions and thoughts racing in her head as she decided what to ask him first.

"Archer, forgive me for being so blunt but–" She adjusted her glasses. "What are you?"

"You mentioned earlier," she continued. "Saying "when you were still alive," hinting to a past death of sorts. But from what I can see; you do not seem like a spirit at all. You interact fine with the physical objects around you and seem as corporal as everyone in this room."

"Not only that," she added, "But I've never heard of a human-like familiar before. So, let me ask again, Archer-san." Her tone turning icy cold.

"What exactly are you?"

An observant one, she is. He inwardly grinned.

He paused, mostly for dramatic effect, before answering her question with a question.

"Tell me, what do you know of familiars?"

Catching her slightly off guard, the bespectacled heiress answered back with a text book worthy response.

"Familiars are creatures linked to their masters through a magical contract," her posture shifting towards that of a model student. "An indication of their master's power. Commonly contracted familiars are usually small creatures with rudimentary animal intelligence," she squinted at Archer. "Although there are cases of mythical or even legendary types of familiars like gryphons and unicorns seen but they are usually reserved for powerful individuals possessing a particularly strong will or having the individual themselves gain the respect of the familiar."

"But no matter how powerful the individuals are, there has never been a case where someone has successfully contracted with a sapient being with human-like intelligence before."

Archer nodded at her answer, "Correct. Normally, familiars are creatures bound to their masters through spiritual or magical means. To forcibly contract on a creature beyond their station without the necessary conditions you mentioned would normally prove stressful, such as having the master constantly trying to enforce his will, to downright dangerous, as you can imagine with the more powerful familiars."

Sona nodded, having already heard this explanation from her mother.

"That is because of the correlation between intelligence and will. A creature, mundane or otherwise, would always possess an animal type of intelligence, their modus operandi would usually center on survival. A human, on the other hand, thinks beyond their natural instincts. Possessing creativity, aspirations, and a will, it makes them nearly impossible to have them forcibly contracted like an animal. Otherwise, it would change their psychological makeup at a fundamental level."

"The key word is force as a familiar contract is based off of mutual understanding. Whether through a particularly strong will that turns the animal docile and receptive or powerful levels of empathy where it would seem more like a partnership."

"I… I never thought of it that way," muttered a perplexed Sona, a finger set under her lower lip in a thoughtful manner.

"However," the white-haired stranger uttered. "There are exceptions."

He paused.

"If one is lucky enough, an individual can contract themselves to a special human-like familiar."

"Although, the term familiar is rather crude in this sense." He smirked.

"These special human-like familiars are called Servants, physical copies of legendary heroes."

Silence permeated the room, like a bombshell, looks of disbelief can be seen across the faces of those listening.

Archer merely grinned, enjoying the sight.

The Sitri Heiress was no exception but she quickly recovered. "Explain, Archer."

"I mean exactly that," turning his attention back towards her. "Servants are a special, high-class type of familiars possessing the personality and memories of well-known heroes throughout the ages."

He lingered, taking a quick moment to gather his thoughts.

"To explain, when a hero is well known enough, they ascend to a higher plane of existence called the Throne of Heroes, removing their souls from the cycle of birth and reincarnation. By ascending to the Throne of Heroes, they become immortalized, becoming what's called Heroic Spirits; beings closer to Divine Spirits rather than human ones."

The room was fully enraptured by Archer's explanation as thoughts raced through their minds at how absurd this is all beginning to sound.

"Normally, Heroic Spirits cannot be summoned by any means. The conditions behind it are too absurd and ridiculous to do so. Instead, bodies composed of pra–er, mana are made, filled with the memories, personality, and a fraction of their Heroic Spirit's true power. This essentially makes them copies of the original that resides within the Throne of Heroes."

"That–" Pointing at the mark in Sona's hand. "–is what's called Command Seals, indicating you as a Master of one."

Sona looked down at her mark–no, her Command Seals, in slight reverence. Looking back up, she saw Archer narrow his eyes at her Seals.

Turning his attention back towards Sona, he explains further. "A Command Seal is the crystallization of high-class magic, giving you the ability to enforce your will through direct commands. Commands that demand absolute obedience."

Sona widened her eyes. Absolute obedience?

"You get a total of three," he stated, raising three fingers. "Three Command Seals to give absolute orders that the Servant must obey. For example, you can command to have the Servant commit suicide, forcing them to follow through as compelled by the Command Seals."

A collective gasp was heard throughout the room, looks of horror strown across their faces as they stared at Archer in dismay.

Sona's face hardened, her hands clenching under the table at the mere thought of her, of anyone, giving a command as horrid as that.

"Archer-san," she pronounced, her eyes staring directly into his. "I swear by my honor, to never use these Command Seals to compel you to such a manner."

To her surprise, he merely chuckled at her proclamation, "I appreciate the sentiment, but before you disregard the use of those Command Seals, let me further explain."

"While it's true Command Seals can be used as such, they can also be used in a more beneficial manner such as empowering a Servant. For example, say you're faced with a powerful opponent. To gain an edge, you decide to use one of your Seals by giving out the command to "Strike the enemy down with all your might." At that order, a Command Seal would activate, compelling the Servant to not only attack with all their power, but it would also strengthen the attack beyond their normal limits."

I see, Sona thought.

"Command Seals are valuable, but they do have their limits and conditions." He continued, crossing his arms. "For one, Command Seals must be specific. The more general the order, the less effective the Seals are, forcing the magic to spread and minimizing their potency. Such as giving the mandate to "Listen to all my orders," all it would do is give the Servant a nagging compulsion to listen to you that the Servant can ultimately ignore whenever they wish."

"The other is that the order must be within the Servant's ability to perform. For example, let's say your Servant can't see through walls, if you gave an order as such, all you would do is waste a Command Seal."

"However," he added. "There are some orders that can be performed when it's impossible in normal conditions. Such as teleportation. Say the Servant can't teleport but if you give the command, "Come to me," the magic within the Command Seal would bend space and time to teleport the Servant to your location."

"And finally, I must reiterate that you only get three Command Seals. No more, no less. Once you use up the last Command Seal, then the Servant is free to do has it pleases."

Sona adjusted her glasses, "I understand."

"Now, getting back to Servants," Archer shifted. "Since the power of a Heroic Spirit is far too vast to be normally summoned, their power and abilities are divided into seven special classes when summoned as Servants. Each class represents a portion of the Heroic Spirit's power, skills and abilities."

"The classes are Saber–Servant of the Sword, Archer–Servant of the Bow, Lancer–Servant of the Spear, Rider–Servant of the Mount, Caster–Servant of Spells, Assassin–Servant of Murder, and finally, Berserker–Servant of Madness."

"I see," Sona's eyes widened. "So 'Archer' was not some random name, but a title." She realized.

"Correct."

"So am I to assume that your abilities rely on ranged combat?" Sona inquired.

Archer merely gave her a grin in response.

"The classes are an indication of the Servant's abilities but the class names lay more on a general term most of the time. Instead, they are centered around their strongest weapon."

"You see," he indicated, sweeping his gaze across the occupants. "While Servants are powerful despite holding a fraction of the original's power, what makes them truly dangerous is not only their parameters but their ability to use their trump card."

"Called Noble Phantasms, these are the crystallized manifestations of their legends weaponized as their most powerful armament."

"W-wow…" Someone muttered.

Raising her hand, Tsubaki spoke up for the first time since her introduction. "What do you mean by crystallized manifestations?"

Giving a thoughtful look, Archer searched for an example. "Let me see," he said. "What about this. What's the most famous sword you know?"

The Queen looked down for a moment before responding. "Excalibur."

"Right, Excalibur. And who owns Excalibur?"

"King Arthur."

"Correct. And if King Arthur were to be summoned as a Servant, she would end up as a Saber-class Servant, her Noble Phantasm would be Excalibur."

She? Sona mentally noted.

"Now, depending on their legends, heroes can be summoned in different types of classes based off of a number of circumstances. Since King Arthur as a swordsman is well known, her most powerful class would be Saber, wielding Excalibur. But she also has a chance to be summoned as a Lancer, indicating her use of one of her lesser known weapons, the holy spear Rhongomyniad. Or maybe even as an Assassin for her use of the dagger, Carnwennan. This is an indication that if summoned as a Heroic Spirit, King Arthur would be able to wield all of these Noble Phantasms and even have access to her famous stead, Dun Stallion."

"Know this," Archer warned. "Like Servants, Noble Phantasms are not equal to one another. Some have the power to destroy entire cities, while some can annihilate a whole continent. There are those with powerful utilities as well, like creating entire worlds called Reality Marbles or possessing the ability to summon powerful Phantasmal creatures like dragons."

"T-that's so OP" Saji muttered. Sona can do nothing but agree, her eyes wide at the sheer scale these Noble Phantasms can inflict.

"There are even Noble Phantasms that have the power to destroy the world itself. Luckily, they are few and far between."

Sona's eyes bulged from that fact, her mouth slightly agape at the mere thought of that type of raw power.

"Say Archer-kun, you don't happen to have something just as powerful, d-do you?" questioned a hesitant Meguri, her tone a mixture of awe, curiosity, and apprehension.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," was Archer's only response, teasing eyes looking back at the Knight.

Before anyone can question him further on what he meant, Archer continued the next part of his explanation, earning a slight glare from his summoner.

"With how powerful Servants, they are still entirely composed of mana, partially relying on their Master to sustain them."

"What do you mean?" wondered Sona, getting over her shock.

"We have a bond, you and I, which should indicate our connection. Try focusing on your spiritual core and see if you can find it."

Closing her eyes, Sona looked deep within herself, feeling the swell of power she possesses as a High-Class Devil.

Sona was always known as a prodigy, despite being extremely young in Devil terms, who are known to live for centuries. As a prodigy, this extends beyond not only her intellect but to her talents as a mage and the skill to sense power within others. She was so talented in this aspect, that she can even partially sense the underlying power that flowed within the Maous, which they keep hidden from overwhelming lesser Devils and inadvertently affecting their environment.

This is why Archer has perplexed her since his arrival. That despite his brief minor flare of power to clear the dust at his summoning, she couldn't sense anything at all. In fact, she was stupefied when she couldn't sense anything from the Command Seals when they first appeared on her hand. It took some time, a couple of weeks actually, before she can even take a glimpse at what her own sister felt.

And the feeling was… impressive, to say the least.

So when she heard the power these Servants seemingly possessed, it made her all the more curious why she couldn't sense anything at all.

So it all came to a shock to her when she finally found that connection Archer was talking about, a bond so fragile looking and subtle she almost doubted that it can sustain a being of Archer's supposed caliber.

She was reluctant, after all. The constant amount of revelations Archer explained during the night left her a little dubious at the extent of the scale he mentioned.

That is, when she felt the connection directly.

Overwhelming power.

More than anything she's ever felt in her life. Power of a Satan-class Devil. Maybe even more.

She suddenly opened her eyes, shivering as she left her inner world.

Sona opened her mouth and closed it, not knowing what to say as a cold sweat nearly broke out from feeling all that power so intimately.

"K-kaichou?" asked a worried Saji, his tone full of caution as Sona took in the faces of her Peerage. A mixture of concern and even a little bit of fear stretched across their faces.

"Are you alright?" questioned her ever vigilant Queen.

Recovering her bearings, Sona adjusted her glasses once again and straightened herself out, looking as calm and in control as she can.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Her Queen nodded at her response, a hidden look of relief etched within her light brown eyes. Taking her focus off her still worried Peerage, Sona looked up towards Archer only to be met with an impassive expression.

"I'm guessing you felt it?" he inquired, a hint of steel under his pitch.

"I–yes, I did," she answered back with an unknown tone.

He took a moment to stare at her.

"Servants are powerful," he slowly began. "They require a large amount of upkeep to stay anchored to this world. This would usually drain the Master dry. Luckily, there's usually a system in place to support them in this upkeep; like a ley line. Which, as abundant in mana as it is, would unfortunately limit the Servant to its immediate area."

"Another option is a mana battery; like the Holy Grail and the ritual that surrounds it."

"The Holy Grail?" wondered Momo, the white-haired Bishop.

"I'm not familiar with any ritual surrounding the holy artifact," muttered her counterpart, Reya.

He paused.

"That's because it doesn't exist."

Eyebrows raised at that statement, as Sona suddenly looked up from her questioning thoughts.

"Servants are special type of familiars. The only method I've ever seen them get summoned by is through a system called the Holy Grail ritual. But I've confirmed upon my immediate summoning here, that it doesn't exist, at least, not the one I'm familiar with."

"What are you trying to get at?" demanded the male Pawn, eyes narrowed at the other man in question.

Archer's eyes turned hard as steel, catching everyone by surprise.

"Command Seals are normally red in color, indicating them as Masters of Servants. But yours," pointing at Sona's Seals once again, "–are blue."

He sighed, hesitance under his tone. "I've been wondering why, of all places and times, that I was summoned here. With my full will intact too," he muttered, a hand placed behind his neck as he looked up towards the ceiling.

The room was silent once again, trying to understand what Archer was talking about.

"I mean, not that I'm complaining, but this is the first time I wasn't summoned with a clear directive in mind," he continued. "Just… knowledge, and a new Master even."

"Archer-san, what are you talking about?" Sona questioned.

"You said it yourself, that the name 'Archer' is just a title. But in this case, it's not a clear indication of my class," Archer proclaimed. "–because I have no class."

That made it even more perplexing as Peerage members looked towards each other in confusion.

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Saji raised his voice, his patience running thin.

Unfazed, Archer kept his attention to Sona, her eyes narrowing as she tried to decipher the meaning behind his words.

"You see," he proclaimed, "As powerful as Servants are, with the strength to rend steel and weapons that can annihilate continents, they are but mere shadows…

… when compared to the originals."

Sona's eyes slowly widened in understanding; realization evident in her eyes.

"But, Archer-san, I–I don't understand," spoke up a hesitant Reya. "Didn't Kaichou feel some sort of connection to you? Doesn't that mean you're her Servant?"

Archer merely gave her a contemptuous grin.

"When did I ever say I was a Servant…?"

The room suddenly became so silent, a needle could have been heard dropped.

Archer spoke slowly, an edge laced under his tone. "Those that have ascended beyond the cycle of birth and reincarnation are normally impossible to summon in the physical plane."

"But every rule has their exceptions." He added ominously.

"This… system, this one in place, is powerful enough to summon the original unlike the ritual I was familiar with. Along with a connection to a Master and with its own unique set of Command Seals, everything else seems similar."

He paused, staring at each of the occupants as he finally came to a conclusion.

"But all of that is irrelevant right now." He softly spoke.

Archer straightened up, his towering figure looking far more menacing than it ever did in the past. With a hardened gaze, he directed them towards Sona, beginning a slow yet calm walk.

Unsure of his intentions and reeling from the shocking revelation, Sona's Peerage stood up from their seats, their guard up with a look of defiance as they prepared to defend their King from the powerful being before them.

Their King raised a hand to halt them, eyes fixated at the figure who looked like a predator slowly sauntering towards her. Slowly rising from her seat, her body trembled slightly as she remembered her mother's words of warning– a familiar is an indication of their master's power and binding a familiar stronger than oneself can only bring disaster...she is simply too young and…inexperience…to possess a familiar of such power. If summoned, the familiar will most likely scoff at her stature and may even attempt to kill her.

She felt a flash of mana surge through her Command Seals before she clamped down on it. No, I will not let fear control me.

So she moved to meet him.

Like a statue, he towered over her. Corded muscles rippling across his frame as an ivory cloak hung from his side. His eyes reflecting the color of cold steel as they pierced into her violet eyes.

She held her ground as she matched gazes with the unknown hero before her. A hero who has accomplished feats so extraordinary that it propelled him into a status of myth and legend.

But the term hero has always been defined in various ways. Heroes from lore like Jason who abandoned his wife, Medea along with his children. Theseus and his immoral actions or the various other 'heroes' throughout other cultures who have done many horrible deeds that matched their many great ones.

She did not know which side of the fence Archer stood on, but she could not deny those cold eyes of a veteran.

The Sitri Heiress felt her heart beat with apprehension as they stood unmoving, adrenaline filling her veins.

Who are you?

Time seemingly froze at that moment. The occupants watched with apt fear as they prepared themselves to jump in, despite their King's orders.

Finally, a flash of understanding glinted across his eyes and in a move that caught them all by surprise, he bowed his head; moving an arm across his chest. A scene that mimicked those heroes from ages past was now presented before her. His posture exuding an air of nobility as he began to proclaim his solemn oath.

"By your summons, I have arrived," he affirmed. "From hence forth, your fate is my fate. My victory is your victory and your wish is my command. This is my oath to you as your Guardian, who vows to remain at your side, to protect you from your enemies as your stalwart Knight. This is my pledge, my vow to thee–my Master."

Slightly taken aback, Sona quickly collected herself and declared an oath of equal force.

"I accept your pledge and your oath. In the name of Sona of the House of Sitri, I give you my vow that I shall live up to your stature as a worthy Master. That I shall command your blade with integrity. In accordance with the summoning rights of our contract, this is my vow."

Their audience stood, enraptured at the scene before them, as the solemn Knight in an ivory cloak swore to their King like ages past. Moonlight peered through the window as specks of glowing dust danced around them. Riveted eyes could not break away from the image of eminence. An image seared within their very souls.

This was the beginning of a new dawn.

An era unlike any before.

Of heroes past and of modern ideals blended together.

They stood as witnesses to the new Age.

An Age that would stand firm against the oncoming storm.

This is the moment that shall forever be remembered as the beginning.

Of how a King met her Counter Guardian.

"Are you certain, Uriel?"

"I'm sure, Michael."

They stood at the second level of Heaven in a seemingly vast void; the stars twinkling in illuminating lights and beyond. Their eternal beauty stretched out across the twilight as painted streaks of falling stars shoot overhead.

Two angels stood at the center. The first, golden locks and forest green eyes looked at the nightly elegance above, blessed authority emanated from his disposition. His armor a perfect blend of gold and crimson. The other possessed hair of scarlet dawn, ageless wisdom hidden behind amber eyes joined their brother's in their shared gaze. An immaculate white cloak hung from his figure as his red vest peaked over his matching white undercoat.

"And even Jophiel could not find anything from his vast library?" asked Michael, his green eyes sweeping towards the other occupant.

"Oh yeah, you should have been there when I asked him. Kept going through all his notes on strange markings and rituals. Got him stumped. Ever seen the Angel of Wisdom stumped before? I never could imagine seeing that guy get all depressed over something like this. I think even now he's probably still in his library rummaging through some old books."

"I–I see" Michael stumbled, feeling sorry for the Angel of Wisdom.

They stood in silence, taking in the view of the stars before them.

"Uriel."

"Yeah?"

"What do you…" He paused, unsure why he was asking this himself. "Do you think there's something more to Gabriel's dream? Something that connects to," he hesitated, "–to Him…?"

The Angel of Light stood unmoving, his back facing Michael as he continues to stare at the twilight scene above.

"I don't know." He finally answered.

"Michael, it's been centuries since His death and I'm sure you can tell that Heaven hasn't entirely moved on," he continued. "We're not humans. We live for eons at a time with memories that stretch from the dawn of our creation."

"Is that why you've been so fascinated with the mortals ever since?"

The Angel of Light sighed.

"We all deal with death differently, Brother," his tone soft. "Ever since Father passed away, I was always curious why he was so fascinated with the humans."

"I mean, I remember the day Father told us to bow to those two in the beginning. At first, I simply obeyed, just like the rest of us."

Michael stayed quiet, watching his brother open up for the first time.

"And then that day happened. When Father's favored son refused to follow His mandate. That… that was the first time I had ever questioned why someone amongst us, the greatest amongst us, would ever refuse Him in the first place."

He turned, solace reflecting off his golden eyes.

"I was His Light, Michael," his tone soft. "I was most attuned to Father's feelings and I felt His Light waver that day. I felt the sorrow when He watched His favored son turn his back on Him. And yet…"

It was odd. When He died, all of Heaven cried out in despair. No one was immune. But he remembered Uriel. Of the Angel of Light's smile during that period of hollowness and grief. At first, Michael was perplexed and even a little angry at Uriel at how seemingly nonchalant he treated Father's death at the time. But he couldn't show his anger.

Not then.

Not when there were others still reeling from Father's death too. He was His Second-in-Command, and it was up to him to step in when it counted.

Where his sister lost her melodious voice and couldn't speak a word. Where Raphael's open heart hid behind a layer of stoic ice. He had to lead them back in retreat as their enemies lunged at them like scavengers after a wounded animal.

But that was then.

Over the years of observation, he thought he would catch glimpses of something… different, from the normally cheerful Uriel. Empty stares, hollow laughs, fake smiles. But it would soon disappear; gone so fast Michael thought he was imagining it. So he dismissed it. A trick of the light, he thought, as he threw himself back to his work, ignorant of his brother's plight.

He finally realized it, listening to his brother here and now.

It was all just a facade. The way he would laugh and joke around was his way of lightening up the situation. When most of Heaven still grieved for their lost Father, he stepped in and lightened up the room with his mere presence. In his own way, he was helping those who fell into despair–to be the light in the darkness of sorrow.

Oh, how foolish of him to ever doubt his own brother.

"He went to war with him, Michael." He continued, his tone filled with somber deference. "I'm sure you remember, Brother. You did banish him after all."

The Angel of Light's gaze lingered.

"To be cast out," he muttered. "The favorite amongst us. Despite His grief, He did what He had to do to protect those ever flawed humans."

"And He did so again, with the Eternal War." Uriel's eyes looked up, focusing on the Archangel. "Michael, He died to protect them. Because He saw their potential when no one else did. When the Devils did nothing to exploit them. When the Fallen did nothing but enslave them. When even some of Heaven's forces think themselves above them. He was the one to truly believe in them."

"And He died for it."

"Because of that, I will always remember Father as a hero." He whispered.

The Archangel simply stared at the Angel in pensive thought, a downward cast in his eyes. A man who has been struggling with his own inner demons for so long.

Uriel sighed.

"I've made my peace with His death," he breathed out, turning his back towards the Archangel once again. "And to think of Gabriel's dream as any more than just a dream is nothing but an insult to His sacrifice."

He took another breath, the tenseness from his shoulders fading away like a distant memory.

"Besides, we only have each other now," he added. "So whatever interpretation our Sister makes of that dream and mark–" He smiled. "I will support her to the best of my ability, despite my thoughts."

Michael bore a look of amazement. Amazement at his inner strength. Of the brother who played the fool. Of the brother who endured.

A look of calm assurance sets on his face as a tender smile slowly edges its way across his lips. And once more, the two brothers face upwards to the stars above in comfortable silence.

A/N: Remember, the story needs nourishment too! Donate your own Review today!

Beta: Andivia