Samael walked with his father through the Silver City. He had been excited to go out, but now he was less so. There were so many people, his siblings, who all looked different. Most of them he recognized some of them, but many of them had changed so much that he couldn't figure out who they were. Plus, many of them looked at him strangely. Also, some parts of his home had changed.

"Are you alright, child?" God asked his son. He noticed the uneasy look on his son's face.

Samael pointed to a building ha hadn't seen before as they walked. "That wasn't there before. A lot of things weren't."

"That's true. I told you, I changed some things. That's why I didn't want you coming out by yourself," God said.

Samael noticed another of his siblings staring at him as they passed by. "Is everyone looking at me because I'm so much smaller than them?"

God sighed. That wasn't the only reason they were staring at him. Many were angry. He'd

Made it clear that they weren't to treat Samael badly, but he couldn't control how they felt. He could only hope they'd come around. "They are as confused as you are, but we will all get through this, alright?"

Samael nodded, but he still looked uncomfortable.

"Would you like to go back?" God asked. He didn't want his son overwhelmed. Perhaps they should wait a little longer before reintroducing him any further with the Silver City.

Before the boy could respond, another voice was heard. "Hey, little brother."

Samael turned to see Michael with a few others behind him. "Hi, Michael."

"It's good to see you out. I was going to come see you later," Michael said. He was trying to make an effort to get to know his little brother. It took Samael being deaged to realize it, but he never really took the time to know him before. He saw this as an opportunity to fix that.

"Why? Why have you been so nice?" Samael asked. He knew he was supposed to give Michael another chance, and he really wanted to believe Michael would keep being nice to him, but it was hard to believe when he remembered Michael being mean not too long ago. It made him feel like it was a trick.

"Samael, I thought we had a conversation about this," God said in a slight warning tone. He could understand why his son was skeptical, but he believed Michael deserved a second chance, especially considering how kind he'd been.

"It's okay, Dad. I understand his skepticism," Michael said before crouching down in front of his brother. "I know I haven't been very nice to you before. I'm really sorry for that. I'm hoping you'll let me try to make it up to you."

"Dad says to give you another chance, but maybe you're trying to trick me or him. Maybe you're only being nice because he's here," Samael said suspiciously.

Again, Michael could understand his brother's skepticism. To him, Michael's demeanor had changed in an instant. To him, it hadn't been centuries since they'd seen each other. Although, an adult Samael would likely be suspicious too. They didn't really get along as adults either. "I'm not trying to trick anyone, but I can see why you'd think that. Would you give me a chance to prove that it isn't true?"

"How?" Samael asked.

"Well, it's not something I think I can do all at once, but I think if we spend more time together, you'll see that I've changed. I've heard you can fly now. If Dad agrees, maybe you can show me later, and maybe I can teach you some tricks," Michael said with a smile.

"Of course, you can take him flying, but no tricks. He's just learned how to fly," God said.

"Okay," Samael said to Michael. He did want to show off his new skill a bit.

One of the angels behind Michael approached. He had dirty blonde hair and green eyes. "Hey, little bro. You remember your favorite big brother, right?"

Samael smiled. He knew who this was just from that question alone. He always tried to make himself Samael's favorite. "You're not my favorite, Manuel. Amenadiel is."

Manuel brought his hand to his chest in feigned hurt. "That's so mean. How can you choose the dullest of our siblings for your favorite? I'm much better than him."

Samael laughed for a minute, but his face soon fell. "You're different now. You're a lot bigger. Does that mean we can't be friends anymore?"

Manuel knelt down next to him. "Of course not. It doesn't matter how much either of us has changed. I'll always be around for you." He only wished he'd stuck to that when his brother rebelled. It was just that had a hard time understanding what Samael wanted to much. He couldn't understand why he was unhappy and felt the need to rebel against their father. "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you yet. I was trying to let you adjust to the changes you'd already seen first."

Samael nodded that he understood. He then turned his attention to the final angel nearby. His hair was a lighter shade of blonde than Manuel's, and they had the same color eyes. Samael was pretty sure he knew who it was. He and Manuel always looked kind of alike. "Gabriel?"

"What?" Gabriel asked somewhat coldly.

"Gabriel," God warned.

"Are you mad at me? What did I do wrong?" Samael asked. His brother sounded really annoyed and angry with him. He didn't understand why. He and Gabriel hardly ever fought. They were friends. He must have done something to make his brother angry.

"Nothing, child. Do not pay any attention to your brother right now," God said before leveling a glare towards Gabriel, making it very clear that he wasn't happy with him.

"Yeah, don't mind him, pal. He's just grumpy today," Manuel said with a smile before standing up straight.

Samael looked at Gabriel, who still seemed really angry with him and was glaring. He then looked back at his father. "Can we go back now?"

"Yes, of course. Come," God said before placing a hand on his back and gently leading him back towards his quarters.

Michael turned and glared at his younger brother. "What's wrong with you? You'd be so cruel to a child?"

"What's wrong with me? The display you just showed was pathetic! You of all people were catering to that little bastard. Groveling before him like a servant," Gabriel said disgustedly.

"I was asking forgiveness to someone I'd wronged. I was talking to him the way I should've always talked to him, like my little brother. I have no interest in bullying him anymore. Forget the fact that it's wrong by itself for a minute, he is probably scared enough," Michael said.

"Oh, yes, poor, Samael," Gabriel taunted. "He's the damn Devil! Stop treating him like he's a defenseless kid!"

"Gabriel, he is a defenseless kid. He's just a little boy. What happened to you? There was a time when you never would've thought of treating him this way. You and I were the ones who defended him when Michael was the one being an asshole," Manuel said.

"Well, Michael was right, wasn't he? Too bad he can't see it now," Gabriel said.

"No, I wasn't. I was an angry kid who went after a younger sibling because he had Mom and Dad's attention, just like you are now. We both know this is jealously and nothing more. You got pissed because Dad began seeking his help with the stars when he was older. The difference is that I was a kid bullying another kid. It was wrong, but I was young. You don't have that excuse," Michael said.

"Don't give me that! You felt the same way I did until the little runt came back," Gabriel said.

"Yeah, I justified what I did because of his rebellion, but that all changed when I saw him. It's a lot different looking at an innocent little boy when you're no longer a boy yourself. I saw how I really was to him for the first time, and I was forced to wonder just how big a role my treatment of him might have played in how things turned out," Michael said. He'd been thinking about that since Samael returned. He didn't want to believe he was part of the cause for his brother's rebellion, and he knew he wasn't the only cause, but he couldn't help but think about it. "Have you considered how your turning against him might have figured into it?"

"I certainly have," Manuel said.

Gabriel scoffed in response. "I'm not responsible for that asshole's mistakes, and I'm not going to start worshipping him like you do."

"Well, you better damn well learn to be kind to him. Dad's not gonna put up with you being anything else, and I won't allow it either," Michael said strongly before heading off in the other direction.

"Hey! What are you gonna do when the bastard wakes up as an adult and remembers exactly who is, assuming it's not all a game he's playing?" Gabriel asked.

Michael turned back to him. "I'll hope he also remembers how different things were to him this time around for however long it lasts. I'll hope that somehow he'll be happier, and that he can forgive me."

Gabriel looked at him in disgust before walking away.