A small smile began to appear on Arcos's lips once he laid eyes upon the High Heavens once more, and Auriel was internally filled with glee when she witnessed this out of the corner of her vision, and she didn't try to hide it as she floated slightly in front of him, her wings fluttering all the while. And even though Tyrael witnessed this, he remained silent as they conversed.

"It seems that I have finally the chance to lead you through the Heavens, just as I had hoped for.", her aura of happiness was infectious as, despite his usual demeanor, Arcos could simply not stop the smile from appearing upon his lips as he looked back at her. The last time he was here, the heavenly realm was infested by darkness and corruption, for the legions of hell were swarming the angelic realm to banish the light once and for all.

The last time he told himself that he would do anything in his power to help, even if it would not mean anything to their kind. And thus, he felt no more than a stranger in a place where he did not belong…

… but now, as he witnessed the way Auriel floated happily in front of him as she held her hands together, internally debating on what she would like to show him first, he simply couldn't help but share in her happiness.

"... Auriel seems to be very happy.", Tyrael muttered only for Arcos to hear as he subtly stepped up to him, keeping his tone down.

"How do you tell?", even though Arcos meant it in an ironic way, Tyrael muttered something that caused him to freeze, for he had known and observed something that he had never been aware about.

"Her wings. An Angel's wings will always flutter whenever they are happy. Auriel has always been radiating a neverending aura of positivity, but I have never seen her like this before. Whatever you do, don't cease to do it.", Tyrael subtly took a step away again, acting as if he had never said something behind her back, for Auriel was simply too much lost in her own world, having not noticed a thing. The former Archangel still didn't understand what it was that had changed, or what was special about the two of them whenever he observed them, but whatever it was, he welcomed it.

For Auriel seemed to be radiating an aura of happiness that was unmatched by anything he had ever seen before.

On the other hand, Arcos was still frozen in place, multiple memories appearing in front of his mental eye as he seemed to blankly stare at Auriel's back, almost entranced by her wings.

'An Angel's wings will always flutter whenever they are happy…'

And these words were continuously echoing in his mind.

Until suddenly, their attention shifted towards the arrival of yet another Archangel.

"Tyrael, you have returned, and the Nephalem is with you as well?", the questioning tone in Itherael's voice was evident, but despite that, there was not an ounce of irritation or dismay as he merely regarded Arcos. At least, until his attention shifted towards Auriel.

"Imperius has wanted to arrange another meeting, I will not ask where you have ventured, but I am certain that he will want an explanation.", Tyrael could see the way Auriel did her best to refrain from heaving a sigh, for that would be something that would be very much unlike her. And he could note how her previous glee seemed to gradually fade away upon the mentioning of another meeting now…

"We have gathered a lot of information about Malthael's whereabouts and intentions, and if we want to pursue him, we will inevitably need to cross the portal towards the fields of Pandemonium. Instead of having to attend an immediate meeting, I suggest Auriel should rest for now until she has properly recovered. I will share the news with Imperius.", Tyrael could feel the surprise Itherael was radiating, and even though he knew that the Archangel of Fate had undoubtedly seen into his scrolls to know where Auriel had gone, he still seemed to be surprised at Tyrael's sudden declaration.

Even Auriel was slightly taken aback, and yet, before she could voice her thoughts out aloud, knowing that she could not simply back away from her duties despite her inner wishes, Itherael suddenly nodded. And it was then that she was utterly taken aback, for even Tyrael had expected at least a further questioning on Itherael's part.

"Then we shall go, Imperius is already waiting.", words almost evaded Auriel as Tyrael merely gave her a subtle wink before he joined Itherael, the latter shifting his attention towards Arcos one last time.

"Despite what Imperius may claim, your presence is not unwelcome for many. However, I implore you to remain within certain parts of the Heavens during your stay, those who stand under Auriel's guidance are among those who are by far the most… open to your kind. Thus, Auriel's Gardens of Hope are a most suitable place for you to stay for the time being.", and with that, both Itherael and Tyrael took their leave as they vanished with a bright light, leaving both Arcos and Auriel to themselves.

Auriel slightly shifted her gaze to the ground, only glancing at him out of the corner of her vision as she remained idle for a brief moment. She knew that she should not disregard her duties, and still, even as Tyrael had offered to give her rest and her rational side wanted to argue against it… her personal wishes had silenced that voice in her mind, and even now that the decision had already passed, she felt… glad.

"Shall we go then? I possess my own little private space within the Gardens, a place that is not known about by any besides the Council. I am using it whenever I seek to escape the outside world, to enjoy the peace of quiet… and I know that you might not want to gain too much attention.", she offered him her hand after a moment of hesitation, her gaze settling upon him.

And after a moment of silent contemplation, he accepted it and placed his hand into her own, causing a hidden smile to grow upon her lips before she opened up a portal towards their destination, leading him through it.

The moment they stepped through and arrived at the other side, Arcos gasped at the sight of the quiet garden that stretched in front of him, all while Auriel silently watched him as he admired her place.

True to her words, it was a relatively small and humble place, if that was truly the right word to describe it. It was completely separated from the rest of the Gardens of Hope, floating high above them in the air, and unlike the majority of the majestic structures down below, this place created a feeling of peace and quiet that subconsciously caused Arcos to feel more at ease, something that did not go past the Archangel.

After all, she could hope for nothing more than for him to feel at home… for perhaps, it could truly be his home in the future…

She shook her head slightly, pushing these thoughts into the back of her mind for now.

"It always helps me to calm my mind and feel at peace when I am here, I hope you can feel the same.", as his eyes wandered around the many plants that were growing in various places, they widened once he even recognized a few of them, for they were different from the ones which were only growing within the High Heavens. They stemmed from Sanctuary…

"How did you manage to get them to grow here as well?", his curiosity shining through, Auriel suppressed a content hum, instead opting to lean slightly in on him, causing him to shudder as her voice almost whispered into his mind from behind.

"Through tender care and patience…"

And for once, Auriel wished that time could simply slow down for as long as they were here.

Night had fallen over the sky quicker than Auriel realized, and before long, she was merely sitting upon the ground near the many plants that were growing around her, her gaze wandering down towards the peaceful and innocent expression upon Arcos's face as he slumbered within her lap. For hours they had simply conversed, talking about anything that came into their mind while regarding the flowers, until slowly but surely, she witnessed the way his previous exhaustion overcame him, and she tempted him to allow himself to simply lie down against her to rest.

And before long, her voice did the rest as she gently hummed him to sleep, his head having come to rest upon her lab while she carefully traced her fingers along his cheek, caressing his skin. No nightmares would plague him…

However, the moment she felt the presence of another, her head turned ever so slightly to the new arrival as a faint light erupted behind her, the portal closing soon afterwards. Tyrael regarded the scene in front of him with a neutral gaze, and something within his eyes told her that there was something on his mind that he had long been pondering about.

"Auriel, we need to speak for a moment.", he kept his voice respectively quiet, glancing at the slumbering form of the Nephalem as Arcos subconsciously shifted his head closer against her, causing her to gently place her hand against his cheek.

"What is it that troubles you, brother?", for a long moment, Tyrael remained quiet as before he gestured towards themselves.

"This. I have been wondering for a long while what it was that went on between the two of you, but I simply couldn't grasp what it meant. But I have come to know now just how close you have grown to him. Itherael has told me what you have done.", hearing this, Auriel opted to glance at the ground for a long moment, silence reigning in the air.

"I have told you before that I had my own reasons to seek him out… something… that I could not explain with words at that time.", her gaze shifted upon his slumbering form once more, and her finger traced along his skin.

"But I have long made my decision. I do not want to separate from him… never again."

"Intertwining your very fate with his own has inevitable consequences… ones that I am sure he is not yet aware about. And I'm certain that Imperius will be even less enthusiastic to hear about this.", she knew what her actions meant, and she did not regret them. Even if he did not yet know… and regarding Imperius…

"... I will not allow anyone to harm him. Imperius won't like my decision, but in the end, he will be forced to accept it.", with this, Tyrael remained quiet for another long moment until she could hear him depart, opening a portal once more to leave the pair to themselves.

"I just hope that he will accept this future as well, Auriel.", and with that, he disappeared through the portal before it vanished again immediately afterwards, leaving her to her own thoughts once more as she returned her gaze towards Arcos. And a silent whisper left her lips.

"I know he will…"

AngelicWisdom: It feels very rewarding to find certain items that can give you so many options to amplify your builds/playstyles, another reason why it never gets boring. Unfortunately my luck is as good as it gets and I only manage to find the same stuff I don't need at least six times in a row (I'm looking at you, Shard of Hate). As for the scene, I referred to the speculation that Auriel and Mephisto might have been together once, something that I… don't really see.

The Brutal Legend: I think I'm incapable of writing a standart romance, looking back, I think I've never done so before. But regardless, I'm happy you enjoyed it!