After school, Kyon made his way to the club room; he pulled it open, sighing.
Yuki sat by the window, reading as per course; Mikuru was making tea, dressed in her maid outfit.
This was expected; what wasn't was that Gabriel was sitting at the table, playing a game of chess with Itsuki.
"Check." he said, placing his rook in a position to take Itsuki's king.
Itsuki smirked, using his bishop to take Gabriel's rook.
Gabriel chuckled.
"It seems you've fallen for my trap, Mister Koizumi." said Gabriel, moving his last pawn to take out the king. "Checkmate."
Itsuki folded his arms, nodding.
"You certainly are a worthy adversary." he said.
'Figures Koizumi'd speak English.' thought Kyon.
Gabriel looked to Kyon, smiling.
"Hello." he said; Mikuru set a cup of tea in front of Gabriel, who accepted it.
"Thank you, Miss Asahina." he said in Japanese; this time, however, it didn't seem hesitated at all.
"I really should have figured." said Kyon, setting his bag down. "Where's Haruhi?"
"She had to leave early." said Itsuki, leaning back in his chair.
Kyon turned to Gabriel.
"So, what are you? An esper? A humanoid interface? A time traveler? Or maybe that slider I've been waiting for?" he asked, folding his arms.
"Would you believe I'm a witch?" asked Gabriel.
Kyon paused, quirking an eyebrow.
"A witch?" he asked; Gabriel nodded.
"An Umbra Witch, to be precise." he said. "Long ago, the creatures known as angels and demons stalked the Earth." Gabriel walked to the club chalkboard, drawing a circle and labeling it 'Original Reality'.
"This reality was watched over by the Creator, a being of great power known as Jubileus." He drew a figure over this orb, a feminine one.
"Jubileus ruled creation for five billion years, a period known as the Years of Jubilee. At the end of that period, Jubileus was cast down by an unknown power."
He crossed out the figure and circle, drawing three new spheres, labeling them 'Human World', 'Paradiso', and 'Inferno'.
"Without Her power to keep it in check, reality was torn into light, darkness, and chaos." He drew a horned, bat-winged figure over Inferno.
"The dark powers were given the realm of Inferno, where the demons roam. The realm is ruled by Queen Sheba, theorized to be the dark half of Jubileus."
Over 'Paradiso', he drew a figure with a halo and feathery wings.
"The powers of light became Paradiso, the home of the Angels. It is a place of golden holy light, presided over by the Cardinal Virtues of Fortitude, Temperance, Justice, and Prudence."
Over 'Human World', he drew a stick figure.
"All else became our world, where thing progressed according to scientific theory."
Between the three, he wrote 'Purgatorio'.
"And between the three realms lies Purgatorio, the spiritual energy nexus."
He drew an eye over each 'Paradiso' and 'Inferno'.
"Two special groups of humans were chosen to watch over history. Paradiso had the Lumen Sages, keepers of the Right Eye that oversees light; Inferno had the Umbra Witches, keepers of the Left Eye that oversees darkness. The Lumen drew power from Angels, and were able to perform great miracles; the Umbra made blood pacts with Demons, and could perform amazing magical feats. Both clans were given but one commandment: that if Light and Darkness conceived a child, all would be lost."
Kyon watched, wide-eyed, as Gabriel made a motion with his hand; a spell circle spread from it, and the room dissolved around the five teenagers. They were now in a large stone room; two people, a man and a woman, stood between two rows of robed figures; at the front of the two rows stood a woman in a black cloak with a high collar; the lower half of her face was covered. The woman in between the rows was holding a bundle; a baby.
"But, five hundred years ago, two star-crossed lovers violated that tenant, and had a child: a little girl."
The woman in front spoke, her voice resonating off of the walls.
"In your wickedness, you have broken our ancient commandments." she said severely. "Our laws are clear; you will be imprisoned for eternity. And as for the impure child, she must be kept from the dark arts forever."
"And as the Umbran matriarch commanded, the woman, Rosa, and her child, Cereza, were imprisoned. The man, Balder, was exiled from the Lumen. But this was not enough appeasement for the Sages. A war raged between the two clans, who clashed many times."
The room changed; battle-ready witches stood before an iron-barred door. On the other side, people in holy garb were trying to, and succeeding at, breaking in. A great two-headed dragon with a beautiful halo floated behind them.
"The Umbra may have won the battles, but the normal humans, who feared the Umbra and their strange powers, lashed out and began a crusade, the Witch Hunts."
"The European witch hunts… were real?" asked Kyon; Gabriel nodded.
"Yes. All over the world, Umbra Witches were murdered until only two remained; Jeanne, heir to the clan, and Cereza, the outcast. Fearing that the Lumen would obtain the Left Eye, Jeanne used ancient magic to place Cereza in enchanted sleep, placing her at the bottom of a lake with the Left Eye in a coffin, where it still rests."
The images faded, replaced by the SOS Brigade's club room.
"Wait. If the Umbra Witches were killed off… how are you one?" asked Mikuru.
"Lady Jeanne trained me herself." said Gabriel. "And more importantly, she's the one who sent me here to watch over Haruhi."
"And she sent you because…?" asked Kyon.
"Because, we believe that Haruhi is an aspect, or avatar, of Jubileus." said Gabriel. "And if the Lumen get their hands on her… the world as we know it will be destroyed."