The last soul he had needed… with the Black Soulstone in Sanctuary, draining the lives of every vile being of demonic origin, and the soul of the Nephalem now in his possession… the Eternal Conflict would finally come to its end…

Until suddenly, he shifted his head towards the flash of light that appeared amidst the fields of madness, barely dodging the incoming strike of Auriel's sword as she rushed forward in the air. He didn't speak a single word even once he witnessed the seething emotions of hatred and desperation radiating off her, and this time, he didn't move as she struck him again.

But her blade effortlessly moved right through him, leaving no visible sign of having made an impact. Auriel pulled back and blocked a mere swipe of his sickles, which was rather meant to force her to back away.

"It seems even you are prone to change…"

And with that, he swirled around and took flight again, heading straight for the Pandemonium fortress at the very heart of the fields. Auriel knew that she couldn't harm him like this. He was a being that was treading in between the lines of death and life, thus, preventing her from leaving even a single scratch on him. But she would find a way… she would make him pay for what he did…!

Not wasting a single moment, she pursued him towards the giant fortress. From below, it was a sight to behold for every trapped demon or angel that had long lost their sanity due to their eternal struggle, for a surge of pure light was clashing with the dark force that was Malthael until the both of them were heading straight for the fortress.

However, once he arrived at the giant entrance, which was sealed by a large gate that would normally hold strong against any aggressors, he shifted his head slightly towards Auriel just as she attempted to reach him with her blade.

"So be it then…"

A large crack suddenly ripped through the center of the gate, all until it began to spread and a large part of it broke through, leaving a gap amidst the entrance. And he vanished right through it before Auriel followed into the confines of the dark fortress without a second thought.

Yet, upon her arrival within the fortress itself, Auriel took a moment to look around in search of the Archangel of Death, finding no trace of him. But she sensed his presence…

… and her gaze wandered towards the heart of the fortress, where the souls he had collected were all gathering together. Witnessing a small walkway a short distance beneath her, she landed upon it and let her wings fold together slightly, holding her blade at her side. But even outside of the large gathering of souls in the very center, she could see countless of them striving through the entire fortress, simply from the sheer excess.

She wandered slightly to a large pillar that was protruding from the depths of the bottomless ground beneath her, which was glowing in a blue light due to the souls coursing around it.

'You…'

She gasped as she instinctively grasped her blade tighter, watching for the source of the small voice. But… soon, she easened the grip on her weapon once she turned around, and she saw the ghostly form of a small girl standing in front of her with her hands close to her face, almost as if she were uncertain to look upon the angelic being in front of her.

'I… I know you…'

Her eyes were reflecting it as well, and soon, Auriel slowly knelt down upon the ground to look at her at eye level, radiating a soothing aura to ease her from her fear.

"You need not fear me, little one. How do you know me…?", her tone was gentle and caring, and she placed her blade upon the ground once the girl lowered her hands from her face with less fear in her eyes, trusting the Angel. But, instead of speaking further, Auriel watched as the girl timidly reached out her hand to touch upon the armor on her knee on which she was bending down, and suddenly, images flashed in front of her mind.

'Sister! Hold on, I… I'll get you out of there…!', Auriel was frozen in place, dread coursing through as she was forced to watch the horrifying scene in front of her. There, a small wooden building was bathed in flames, the fires consuming whatever was left of the already crumbling home, and yet, a small girl was still trapped within. And in front of the entrance… a boy was desperately trying to remove whatever wooden debris that wasn't still burning in order to get inside.

But that boy… he was…

Tears were streaming down his face as he tried to rip through the burnt wood that was blocking his way, and yet, for every little bit that he could manage to remove, only more suddenly started to fall down as another part of the ceiling collapsed upon the entrance. It burned his hands, and he cried out in pain before he looked back upon his sister.

Arcos. This… this was the night… where he had lost everything… this was the time where she had first laid eyes upon him, far from above, when all hope and joy had left him…

She could have stopped it.

'Brother… it… i-it hurts…', his eyes widened in utter horror as he watched how the flames washed over her, and he was left helpless, his face stained with tears before he tried once more to break through to her. But it was all in vain, all until her eyes closed for the last time, and the building collapsed entirely.

'SISTER!', his cry of agony ripped through the night as he broke out in tears, the home he had always known burning in front of his own eyes.

Regardless of anything she tried, of how much she tried and forced herself to help, to do something, to protect him and his family just as she should have done so long ago… Auriel was left frozen in place, unable to move a single, for it was all just a memory. One that reminded her that she could never go back to it to protect him… and his family…

And finally, the vision slowly began to fade away again…

Until she found herself on the same spot again as before, within the dark fortress of Pandemonium. Auriel's gaze focused upon the small girl again, his sister, and she gazed at her with guilt and sorrow as the girl hesitantly pulled her hand away again from her armored knee.

'My… my brother trusts you… so I want to trust you too…'

Auriel was left with the crushing guilt still dwelling within her, but she knew that she could not change the past. She had dedicated herself to his life on that fateful night when she had first seeked him out alone, she wouldn't allow such a fate to befall him, not while she was still alive to protect him. And if she could help his sister find her peace after all this time, then she would do anything for it.

Auriel gave the small girl a nod, the latter beginning to smile ever so slightly with gratitude as she could feel that the Angel was smiling back at her, as much as her own inner feelings were allowing her to.

'A vile being is keeping a hold of me here… can you help me to set me free…?'

And once again, it all came down to Malthael. And that he needed to be destroyed, once and for all. A renewed vigor coursed through her, and she gave the girl another nod before Auriel finally spoke again.

"I will, I promise. But… would you be willing to help me as well?"

For if she wanted to stand a chance against the Archangel of Death, then she needed to be in touch with death as well in order to meet him as an equal.

And to her gratitude, the small girl nodded with conviction.

…

An endless stream of souls was coursing around the heart of the fortress, a single platform that served as a means for Malthael to gain more and more strength. And it was there that Auriel landed, her gaze slowly directing upon the Archangel of Death that was awaiting her before she swung her blade to the side, her wings flowing outward.

His back was facing towards her in that moment until he slowly turned around, his arms crossed, along with his sickles.

"The end of the Eternal Conflict is nigh… fight me now, and you, too, shall find your end."

Auriel had no need for words any longer, for her actions revealed everything once she raised her blade and pointed it at the mad Archangel, his head tilting to the side ever so slowly in response.

And thus, he answered in kind and rushed forward in the blink of an eye, swinging both of his sickles at her. But she had expected it. Even as his sickles kept her blade in place as she blocked them, the tendrils of her wings were still free to move and she struck him without restraint.

Before Malthael realized that the damage was done, something that he was not prepared for as he had still believed to be invincible, her blade was already upon him in a follow up strike. It cut through his armor, a dark mist escaping his wound. Slowly, his empty and dark gaze returned towards her as he looked up from his injury, but Auriel did no longer hesitate.

Charging ahead, she levitated slightly above the ground before she brought her blade down upon him. Malthael crossed his sickles, blocking her weapon in its path, and yet, the tip of her blade was still pushing through the middle, his sickles barely holding it at bay and preventing it from piercing him.

With much effort, he pushed the tip of her blade away from, and the both of them traded one blow after another, the metallic sound of their weapons echoing around them. With each moment, and each hit Malthael had to endure, the stream of souls around them began to flow even more strongly.

His desperation grew, the threat of a defeat, and along with it, the threat of all of his efforts to be in vain, it caused him to resort to any and all powers he had at his disposal. And not just him, Auriel, too, felt all of her strength being drained from her as she gave it her all to keep fighting. Until the last of her light would fade, she refused to stand down, knowing what it meant if she should fail.

Thus, her rage, her sorrow, her desperation… they all led her arm to strike her blade against him with a might that was overwhelming, to ignore any and all pain or exhaustion that coursed through her at every clash they had against each other. And most of all, the image of his lifeless expression, empty and devoid of the light in his eyes as she held him in her arms…

It all led to the final blow that she dealt to Malthael after a flurry of strikes, a relentless assault that left the Archangel of Death to kneel on the ground, even as she panted. And still, Auriel merely pointed the tip of her blade against him, her intent clear.

She was not going to let him live.

"... these… emotions… they themselves are a chaos within you…"

Auriel tightened her grip on her blade before Malthael raised his head one last time, and beside him, she witnessed how the Black Soulstone materialized. Carrying the essence of all of the Lords of Hell, its mere presence was radiating a dark aura, one that could corrupt almost anyone with enough time. And for that, it needed to be sealed away, to never be found again… and not like this.

"If… demon kind is not destroyed… they will find a way to return… and the Conflict… will never end…"

"It could have long been over. But after everything you have done…"

She raised her blade without a single trace of remorse, and all of her thoughts and feelings revolved around one single being the moment she brought it down upon Malthael.

"... begone…"

A sickening outcry sounded all around her as his body began to dissipate in a dark mist, swirling around him until it was all gone. And the Archangel of Death… was no more.

Auriel's blade clattered onto the ground as she fell upon her knees, all of her feelings that she had forced to suppress now beginning to overwhelm her as only one single thing remained from Malthael's remains. A single… glowing soul…

Her body was trembling as she shakingly held out her hands, the small orb of essence hovering above them. And she could no longer hold back the small droplet of liquid light that fell from her hidden face. There was still one last thing to do...

… he needed to return… he needed to…

"... ah… w-where… am I…?", a small groan escaped his lips as Arcos slowly began to blink his eyes, his vision all but blurry, and his memories foggy. He was… laying upon something… and his surroundings…

He tensed with a gasp the moment an armored hand suddenly but gently touched upon his jaw, and his eyes shifted towards the shape of a being that was-

"... Auriel…?"

-and his eyes flung open, a feeling of utter warmth and safety coursing through him once he recognized her form. And yet, any and all words that he wanted to say, that he was thinking of, of what had transpired… they were all silenced as she placed a single finger against his lips, and their eyes merely lingered on each other.

It was only then that he realized that his head was resting upon her lap, and his surroundings represented nothing else but her secret part of the Gardens of Hope. He could feel as she held him, and even as she did nothing but gaze at him silently, almost imploringly, it was almost as if she was trying to convince herself that he was truly there…

… and the memories of what happened immediately returned to him.

Almost as if she had witnessed it, he gasped once more as she placed her head against his own, and he could feel the familiar tinge of warmth of her hidden face as she hugged him dearly, refusing to let go. And suddenly, he found that he did not need any words, for instead, he slowly but surely placed his hands against her back as well.

And he found that she was crying.

His eyes were all but staring as her body trembled against his own, pulling them even closer together, and her wings were silently draping around them, showering him in their warmth.

That was all that needed to be said. And still, just as she pulled back ever so slightly just so that she may gaze at him once more, he could feel that her hands were suddenly shifting from his back and onto the sides of her hood.

And his eyes widened once more in realization, her fingers pulling down her hood ever so slowly, finally allowing it to fall down.

"Welcome back… my dearest…"

The Brutal Legend: And that's what I'll do no matter what, considering how much writing stories has given me over the years, I doubt it'll stop for a long while. It truly is magnificent.

As for the end of this story, I hope you all enjoyed this small journey!