Category: Darksiders I & II
Rating: T
Couples: Mention of War/Azrael
Warnings: AU, Set in Angel of War-Universe
Chapter: One-shot
Copyright: Characters & places © By Appropriate Copyright-holder, Plot & OC´s © by me and Food-for-mind
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If one asked an angel what was the greatest sanctum the White City head, said angel would answer 'the Tower', regardless of whether they were a scholar or a warrior. For most outsiders, they would not elaborate as to why a tower that did not truly stand out from any other structure in the city – instead of say, the Argent Spire which dominated the skyline – was the most important structure the First Kingdom had to offer. Perhaps, if prodded enough, they would answer that access was restricted even to the denizens of the City; of the entire race, only a proverbial handful had ever had access to the upper levels.
Only a hundred would be called to serve there as guards or servants and more often than not, those deemed worthy of these duties would be granted several consecutive millennia of work, making some of them as much permanent residents as the one they served and guarded.
The only ones who could reach the greatest chamber of the tower without some extensive vetting were of course the Angelic Firstborn. Considered the purest and most infallible of any angel – something they vehemently would disagree with if ever asked – no one could even consider subjecting them to the rules of conduct the others had to abide by.
Laylah like most of her siblings had considered most rules the later generations had set upon themselves asinine and overly restrictive. As such, those of the Tower-attendants that had been more recent additions looked on with mild disapproval as she marched through their domain. Where other visitors were quiet, introspective to the point of being almost meditative, the Firstborn did not bother with such trivialities and made their presence well-known by marching down the marble corridors, the sounds of their progress echoing against the walls. Though the fact that the four-winged female slammed a door was new even for the eldest of their race.
"My lady?" One of the eldest of the attendants – a maternal uncle of Abaddon and the only one who was a fixture as much as the official inhabitant – spoke up as he approached her. "Is aught alright?"
"Of course not." The female graced him with a flat stare. "My dear brother is still asleep. He is overdue to wake up for a good century now."
Despite what the Horsemen had learned only recently, there were not five Angelic Firstborn still alive... There were six; though according to the five the Nephilim knew off, the fourth brother might as well be dead for how much he did nowadays. Which meant that he slept for about a century, woke up for a few days... and then went right back to sleep. Much to their annoyance, he had managed to sleep straight through the Endwar as by the time those in the City had realized what was happening on Earth, it was considered too late for him to make any difference.
"Ah... I can imagine..." The younger angel was cut off by an annoyed wave of her hand.
"Return to your duties, Zadkeil." She ordered him, crossing the room to the source of her annoyance. Floating at the far end of the elaborately decorated hall floated the highest power of the City, the angelic equivalent of Absalom... A ball of feathers and wings with no body in sight.
She ignored the bell specifically designed to announce the presence of visitors and marched up to the white ball. "Michael!" The few younger angels in attendance looked at her with incredulous disbelief. "Wake up!"
Aside from the customary undulations going through the ball as wings – and wing-like tentacles – shifted eternally, there was no reaction from the other Firstborn.
"Michael, so I swear, I know you hear me in your sleep!"Azrael's mother did not lower her voice in the slightest. "So I know you know I am here. Get your wing-covered ass to wakefulness."
Now there was a reaction; the wings and tentacles tightened, the ball growing smaller as if the one inside it wanted to shield himself from her voice.
"Michael, don't make me open a portal to some kind of ocean and drench you! Even your thousands of wings cannot completely keep a lake worth of water from reaching you." Hands on her hips and wings widespread, she might have made an imposing figure if her opposite wasn't still the size of a sizable Gholen.
Almost reluctantly the ball un-tensed. "Let me sleep, sister..."
"No." The Archangel of Conception countered sharply. "You have overslept for a century, Michael. It's about time you wake up. Besides, we have decided that from now on, you are going to get a normal sleep-schedule again."
"Why...?" The voice was a mixture of uncaring sleepiness and mild annoyance. "I am tired."
"You're always tired." She rolled her eyes. "You overslept so long you slept through the Endwar, brother. The Seven Seals are broken. Both Hell and the Hellguard are decimated and I am not even talking about what happened to our sons and Abaddon."
"The Endwar...?" Michael echoed, opening several wings until his sister could see the source of holy light at the centre of his ball and he could see her. "Why did you not wake me...?"
"Because by the time we in the City realized what was happening, it was too late to warn you." Her wings relaxed as she moved forward to pat his wings. "Abaddon started it early. The Third Kingdom was exterminated." Behind her, Abaddon's uncle flinched at the reminder of what the son of his sister had done. "Earth is still damn near uninhabitable to them. Abaddon is dead. Your son Lucien is dead – something called Corruption tainted him – and Azrael is banished for the next 285 years for having failed to realize what our General was planning and unwittingly assisting him."
"Lucien... died?" More wings opened as the male agonizingly slowly leaned forward. "My son... fell?" His face glowed with the same soft glow he had inherited to several of his children, the unfortunate Lucien included.
"Yes." She moved closer, well into range of his wings. "But all those fiddly details can be left for once you have fully woken up. Don't think I can't tell, brother. You're waking up whether you like it or not and you'll stay awake this time."
A small smile formed on his face as his wings rippled and opened completely, leaving him standing on bare feet in front of her. His skirt dropped to the ground, moving like it was pure water as it pooled around them. "I thought the Endwar was over and done?"
"Well... no. It's postponed until its' proper time. As said, we'll discuss that later."
"Then why... did you bother coming yourself?" Despite sleeping most of the time, he was still nicely muscled... and taller than his sister.
"Because I wanted to make sure you really wake up this time." She smirked up at him. "You have a wedding to attend."
"You woke me for a wedding?" He sounded annoyed now. "Laylah, I am certain I slept through plenty of them."
"Azrael's wedding." The small female informed him dryly. "Considering I attended every wedding of your Second-born, you can deign to wake up for mine, that's for certain."
"Azrael's marrying?" For the first time in a long time, Creation was graced with Michael's flabbergasted face. "I thought he would be too busy, what with all his duties."
"Banishment gave him free time." The other Firstborn smirked. "Besides, I'd be tempted by War as well. He does have some nice muscles."
"War...? The Horseman War?" The oldest being of Heaven demanded in shock. "The Nephilim?"
"Yes. Details later, Brother." Laylah stated with a small grin. "We do need to see the tailors before the wedding next week."
"You are the most annoying of my siblings..." Michael muttered. "I have clothes."
"That are out of date for ages by now." She patted his shoulder. "And you should know that I am just making sure you don't sleep forever at some point."
