"I stand before you, the Holder of the Keys. A great many of the mysteries of our Order are known to me. Our secrets are laid bare before my eyes. It is I and I alone who can grant passage to our most inner circle."
With nowhere to live and no family at all officer flowers was kind enough to let Azrael sleep on his couch 'after running it by his wife of course.' It had been awkward for the first couple weeks. The first order of business was to get new clothes and on his second day there Azrael and Flowers went shopping at a tailor in town the clothing he acquired shirts, pants, underwear and the like were all in the colors of his chapter. Forest green, black, and tan but more importantly it felt great to get out of the clothes he got at the hospital.
It was hard for Azrael to keep to himself as much as he would have liked in the small two bedroom house. But he managed to get by. He would regularly leave the house and he found himself spending a great amount of his time at the public library. He absorbed the knowledge as fast as his mortal form could, but one thing he could be thankful for was he was indeed a fast learner and his previous centuries as supreme grand master had taught him that knowledge was the most valuable weapon. But the frailties of his body was something he felt he might never adjust to, it needed seemingly constant sleep and food he couldn't even go one stinking day without falling face first onto his stack of pancakes at breakfast. And for his first week he only ate as much as he always had only one day to collapse and have the doctors come to the conclusion he was trying to starve himself to death.
While he ate more after this incident the issue once again came up as Mrs Flowers took great issue with his lack of regular eating, at one point sitting him down at the table in front of a particularly large meal her words were to the effect of...
"Young man you look like a twig, you are going to fall over dead if you keep eating the way you do and you won't be of any use to the world dead now you are going to sit there until you finish every last bite on that plate"
But dealing with Mr and Mrs flowers was one thing, their daughters were another. Their names were Emma, and Sophie five and seven standard years old respectively and they were the most nosy people Azrael had ever meet, dealing with children was something he rarely if ever did and even than it was neophytes who were older then he currently is. One of the most annoying, or endearing (he was still up in the air about it) was that the girls could not pronounce his name so had instead opted to call him "Azzie."
After three weeks of trying he'd just given up.
Then one day his exam for signal academy came to the house. Azrael spent the better part of two days making sure every question was answered as correctly as possible and finally he managed to get it sent in before the deadline. Now all that he had to do was wait for the results. And when he retired to rest that night he dreamed.
He found himself in a dark forest heavy mist hangs in the air impossible to see past but he could hear, he heard the snarling of animals and then he saw one he couldn't believe what he saw..
A Calibanite lion, it dwarfed him profoundly if it were of the mind it would down him in one bite. But the great beast wasn't paying attention to him and from behind he heard more growling. Daring to turn his back on the lion azrael wheeled around to see bright read eyes fixated on him and then their lupin forms materialized out of the gloom.
They snarled and snapped their teeth at him, instinctively he reached for his sword and to his surprise his fingers found purchase and he drew the sword of secrets from its scabbard and unslung lions wrath from his back. He held the combi-bolter in his left hand and the sword of secrets in his right.
The first beast lunged at Azrael, he cleaved it in twain with a swing of his sword the next one he cored with a plasma blast from lions wrath. It felt great to be powerful again, to once more fight enemies on an equal footing. Every swing of his sword, and every blast of the bolter was in his mind a lion's roar. But his exhilaration soon gave way to a feeling of forlorn as the waves of beast kept coming were many, and unending. His armor was torn his robes ripped and tattered until finally there was a lull in the fighting, then he heard a voice
"find me.."
he turned to the direction he heard the voice only to once again see the lion he gestured with it's head to follow. The sound of howling beasts maybe thousands of them about to come crashing down on him, he had no choice he ran after the lion the howls around him grew louder and louder and as he ran the forest floor gave way to stone and the impenetrable darkness narrowed closer and closer until it to gave way to stone walls and ceiling the howling faded and the lion disappeared in the darkness before him that manifested into a long empty hallway.
Walking down the hall he recognized it, this was the rock, was he truly back? Following the voices he eventually came upon a room and as he got closer he began to hear who was talking.
"enough of your whining belial we have bigger problems to deal with."
"bigger problems?" he could hear Belial's voice, it sounded like a mixture of rage and grief.
"i ought to cut you down where you stand Asmodai, IT WAS YOU WHO GOADED OUR SUPREME GRAND MASTER TO HIS DEATH WITH YOUR OBSESSION!"
"OBSESSION!? why you little worm i have done nothing wrong all i have and will do has been to uphold our duty to the chapter, and need we forget it was YOU and the deathwing who failed to reach him before luther?"
Walking into the room Azrael could see all the members of the inner circle gathered around a table the masters of all ten companies, and the head chaplains and librarians. Belial and Asmodai stood glaring at each other weapons in shaking fists.
"I know what my failures are, and i have repented every day for my sins. But you, you strut around here like his death meant NOTHING. That you are blameless in this. Well no you have gone unpunished for to long and if i have to be the one to deliver judgement. THEN SO BE IT!" He cried taking one step forward.
"ENOUGH!" All eyes in the room turned to Samuel, his face one of fury "that's enough from BOTH of you." With his input both men slowly sat back down. Azrael entered the room "peace brothers i am well" If they had heard him the didn't show it
except Ezekiel who's head turned to him once he spoke
"something wrong brother?" Asked Belial, Ezekiel turned to face him.
"no brother." Belial nodded in acknowledgement then turned back to Asmodai.
"when our lord returns from stygius i will see to it there is a reckoning Asmodai." That was the last thing Belial said before he left the room followed by more until finally Azrael was all alone.
well not entirely..
"is it really you brother, or have i finally lost my mind?"
Azrael took a seat across from Ezekiel whose face was turned down not looking at him.
"it is me brother, i swear it to you"
Ezekiel looked up to him "you do not look as i remember you, how do you communicate beyond the grave?"
Azrael sighed "that is just as much a mystery to me as you brother, all i know is i woke up as i am on some world i am unfamiliar with. Come to think of it, how do i know this all isn't some figment of my mind trying to grasp some sense of nostalgia?"
Ezekiel smiled "certainty is a luxury few can afford anymore brother" Azrael laughed.
"In that regard you are right brother"
Ezekiel sat forward "this world, tell me about it"
Azrael regaled him the story of how he awoke 'leaving out his undignified beating' and going through everything he'd learned of "remnant" so far and his future plans. Ezekiel let out a laugh "supreme grand master Azrael going to a schola? Forgive me lord but that is truly hilarious"
Azrael smiled to "it is, but i don't know what else to do. This world feels strange to me i don't know if i'm even in the same dimension let alone galaxy. For all i know maybe there is no way back, maybe it's best i don't"
Ezekiel stood hands on the table leaning forward towards Azrael "what do you mean my lord?"
"i-" Azrael hesitated "i am not what i once was brother, my gifts are gone i can no longer call myself a true son of the lion and so what if you find me it'll probably be to late for me to rejoin the chapter, besides you all have bigger problems to deal with then hunting for a single man against the needs of the entire chapter and imperium." he said looking down and away from Ezekiel whom he heard rise and heard move around the table in his power armor and placed a had on his shoulder he kneeled down to eye level with him and grasped his hand.
"then if this is truly to be our last meeting then let me say this, no matter what you do or how long you stay in that world WE will always remember you as a true son of the lion and you will be remembered and respected by all members of the chapter till their dying day and when you die again i pray with all my heart you find your way to the emperor's side and be welcomed among the heroes of old" he said gripping his hand tighter before letting go, Azrael began to feel things blur and fade until only he and Ezekiel were left standing in darkness.
"May the emperor guild your sword, may your enemies feel his wrath, and may he accept you when you fall."
"Goodbye brother" that was the last thing he said before he to faded and the dream began to dissipate.
Dawn's light had barely crept in through the windows when Azrael stirred from his slumber. He was back on remnant the Forest and the rock a distant memory. The house was still and silent. Then he noticed he held something in his hand, opening his palm he saw a pendant shaped in the symbol of the dark angels.
Where did this come from, Ezekiel?
He tied the necklace around his neck and got off the couch. It was time to start his day.