It's amazing how sometimes the entire mood of a setting or situation can change in the blink of an eye, which is usually if not entirely caused by something unexpected happening. Regardless of whether it's good or bad that sudden of a shift can leave a person in a state of shock, questioning if what transpired was even real. However for the archangel Gabriel he experienced this so much as of late, that it would take quite a lot to surprise him anymore. But leave it to his family to accomplish this, for the moment they laid eyes on him no sooner was he being hugged by them.
Now he expected this kind of a reaction, to embrace him as tightly as they could while tears were shed in mass, so why then was he stunned by it? Simple, although he had been in a demonic body up until now all he had felt during that time was pain, so even though he went through the process to acquire a new one the lack of agony made it slip his mind. So when his loved ones all rushed over and began to squeeze him out of joy, he felt every bit of air in his new lungs be forced out and his bones all strain from their combined strength.
"IT'S YOU! IT'S REALLY YOU!" Lucifer shouted while crying tears of joy, something that his wife, daughter, and father all did as well.
"WE THOUGHT WE'D NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!" Lilith shouted, her cries equal to her husband's.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE BACK UNCLE GABE!" Charlie shouted, her crying easily the worst of them all, which admittedly was expected.
"MY SON IS SAFE!" Vega shouted, his crying the least abundant of them all.
"I...I appreciate...this...welcome..." He barely muttered out while doing his best to stay conscious, "But...I...I can't...breathe..." He told them.
Hearing this they released him immediately, which allowed him to gasp quite loudly as his windpipe was saved.
"Breathe?" Lucifer questioned while wiping away the tears from his eyes, "Does that mean you have a body?" He asked.
"Yes...it was...a...necessity..." Gabriel wheezed out accompanied by a few coughs, "The Slayer couldn't just kill me...not while we were still in Doom...otherwise the Dark One would've claimed my soul again..." He explained.
"Oh my gosh that's right, Will!" Charlie realized as her eyes widened, "Uncle PLEASE tell us that he's with you! That both of you came back!" She begged.
"No...I'm sorry..." He replied as he regained his composure and got his breathing back to normal, "But before we go any further, I feel there are many things I must tell you first." He said.
Though all of them desperately wanted to know why Will was still in that horrible place, they all agreed that if he had a story to tell they needed to hear it. They showed this by getting all of the chairs and easily moved bits of furniture that were in the lobby, then moving them close together so they could sit comfortably while he spoke. Waiting until this was done and they were all settled, Gabriel thought carefully of where he should start.
"First and foremost I want to tell all of you that he is okay, he has not been injured, handicapped, or in the most impossible outcome killed, he has done what he does best without faltering." He began noticing how they all breathed a sigh of relief when he said that, "As for what became of me, I was kept in a state of limbo as the Dark One and his
minions all focused their efforts on dealing with him and their recent defeat, speaking of I do not know how long we've been away, if the passage of time for example is different there than everywhere else, but regardless I was only recently given a new vessel by them which he severed the limbs from so he could carry its torso, from there he carried me with him as he traversed the realm until we came to a forge, however what made it strange was its abandoned state and who had once called it home, to my surprise and what shall be yours...there was one demon in that vile Hell that managed to become his ally." He revealed.
"No fucking way!" Cherri exclaimed in astoundment, speaking not only for herself but everyone else.
"I know it seems impossible to believe, but this comes straight from his mouth as well as evidence found at the forge itself, from holy markings carved on the outside to ward off the Dark One and the other demons, to the devices found within which allowed me to escape and receive this new body, though it defies all expectation and logic one of those creatures sided with him, earning his trust and going so far as to aid him." He replied.
"...Wait a second..." Angel Dust spoke as the cogs in his head slowly turned, "Did...did you just say...it came from his mouth?...As in he told you?..." He asked.
Feeling all of their eyes widen as he made a good point they all looked back to Gabriel, who remained silent for a few seconds which in of itself confirmed it.
"Yes, the Slayer spoke to me." He answered just for good measure.
"Holy fucking shit, this is insane!" Cherri exclaimed once again serving as their collective voice, "Well what the hell does he fucking sound like?! You gotta tell us!" She demanded.
"It's...rather hard to describe..." He replied.
"WELL FUCKING TRY ANGEL BOY BECAUSE THIS IS MONUMENTAL SHIT!" She
shouted at him.
Being taken aback by just how passionate that was, as he looked around at the others though they weren't vocal like her, he could see the same amount of eager interest.
"Very well, give me a moment." He requested as he thought of the right words to
use, "...Alright, I think I know of a proper comparison to make this easier, first I must ask all of you this question, have any of you ever felt as though you were being followed? Not by a person nor something you understood, almost as if something mysterious or supernatural was stalking you?" He inquired receiving a fair amount of nods from all of them, "Good, the way you felt during that moment, a sudden cold washing over your body as a baseless fear took hold of your soul, the sensation that if you stopped moving or even if you turned around you'd see something you didn't want to, THAT is his voice, there is this quality to it that I've never experienced before, it lacks any warmth or life and even in the few moments he may chuckle or show some kind of emotion, it leaves you feeling disturbed as it's more like a practiced response than something natural, much like how he is around others he doesn't
really react to anything, it truly is as if he is but a soulless husk animated by instinct and compulsion alone." He explained.
After that was done he looked around himself again to see how they reacted to this information, which to no surprise it upset them a great deal. This is because one of their last memories of him was during his party, where they saw him actually smile and seemed to be enjoying himself. But to hear that his voice and no doubt by relation how he acted now was like this, it really did make
them sick to their stomachs. But this did bring them back on track, as their minds now only had one question take residency in their thoughts. And even though they didn't say anything Gabriel could see it in their eyes and expressions, as they all looked back at him wanting to hear more.
"Now then, obviously you all want to know why he didn't return with me, but the truth is even I am not entirely certain." He admitted while looking to the ground, "I thought that it was over, with a new body to temporarily house my soul the Slayer revealed a device, he called it a Slipgate and with but a few short seconds he used it to open a portal, now I do not know how this was possible as I've only had a few interactions with technology and something this complex was beyond me, still it filled me with euphoria for our nightmare was finally over...that is...until the stubborn bastard kicked me in my back." He revealed as a sigh left his lips, "All he told me after he sent me flying through the portal, the destination another circle in Hell which I presume is where his ally fled to long ago, was that someone needed to make sure that they behaved, then before I could reach him with my wings he blew up the Slipgate and the entire structure from what I could see before the portal closed, and given that I cannot open a portal back to the realm that device may have very well been our only way to get there." He explained.
Unlike before where the worst they felt after hearing what he said was sick to their stomach, this felt like someone stabbed them directly in their hearts with a serrated icepick. Though none of them were surprised as this was something he would do, sacrificing himself to keep everyone else safe, it still didn't make it hurt any less as he could be standing here right now.
"Goddamn it Will..." Both Katie and Angel Dust unknowingly thought at the same time, gripping their clothes due to how much this frustrated them.
"Well...that is...upsetting to say the least..." Lucifer spoke after they all shared a moment of silence, "But there is one ray of hope, this Slipgate that helped you escape was built by this apparent ally of Will's, and from what you said it seems like they may have escaped to another circle as it took Will no time at all to open a portal, if this is all true then what we should do next is focus all of our attention on finding this demon, if they could make this device in Doom then they certainly can make it again." He reasoned.
"Yes, but I do not think they are still in that circle, as where I was sent was Abaddon's domain." Gabriel replied.
"Is that bad?" Charlie asked as she still had just barely scratched the surface of her whole family.
"Not by itself, but out of all our siblings Abaddon is by far the most reclusive, which makes sense for why the demon would go there as no one would think to look for them in that circle." Lucifer answered.
"My thoughts exactly, but since it was Abaddon who greeted me instead of them I believe in light of all that has happened they left, possibly to try and find some way to help the Slayer, though this of course is just speculation." Gabriel said.
"It's a lead nonetheless, we'll have to try to get all the Devils family and otherwise to help confirm whether or not this demon is in their circle, though as it stands they've been rather firm in acting as if we no longer exist." He replied.
"...You've been rather quiet..." Alastor suddenly spoke up while looking to Vega, causing everyone's attention to move to them.
"Hm? Oh, I'm just thinking is all." He replied as he put his hands behind his back, "I mean, it is rather shocking to hear that any demon from Doom would be capable of free thought, let alone willingly help Will." He explained.
"Is that so?..." The radio demon pressed as he was clearly not convinced.
"Alastor this is NOT the time." Lucifer told him with a sigh, "We have far greater things to focus on and we don't need you making everything more complicated." He said.
"Just making an observation Luci, no shenanigans I swear." Alastor promised.
"It's quite alright son, he does make a valid point." Vega admitted sticking up for him, "I should be contributing more to this conversation, but as it stands I have never heard of a device of non heavenly origin capable of doing what this Slipgate has, combine this with the notion of a good demon from Doom and that they may have been sheltered by Abaddon, it's a lot to think about on top of trying to figure out our best course of action." He explained.
"Why not ask for the Maykrs' help? They are incredibly advanced and intelligent after all." Lilith suggested.
"Hey yeah! We should definitely get their help with this!" Angel Dust agreed.
"Well, if none of you object I could go catch them up to speed, while all of you stay here and continue speaking with Gabriel as he relaxes and recovers from his ordeal." Vega offered.
Receiving nods in response showing they were okay with that idea, Vega then opened a portal to Urdak behind him and went through.
"Whelp, while Vega's busy chatting with the nerdiest angels in Heaven, why don't we all get some more grub before we keep chatting? Bet you're pretty hungry too ain't ya angel boy?" Cherri asked as the portal closed.
"Surprisingly I am, part of the burden of having flesh I suppose, which I am going to have to fix as soon as possible." Gabriel answered.
The tranquility of Urdak had never been disrupted, even when all of Lucifer's people flooded through the atmosphere and peace was maintained, in fact it's one of the things that helped to calm them when they arrived. Yet if there was one thing that could accomplish this, it would be if the very being responsible for making it suddenly showed up in a panic. But come on, at what possible point in the entirety of time would the creator, the father, literal god himself show up and be in any kind of distress?
"SAMUR! KHAN!" Vega shouted out as he entered the realm, only doing so once the portal was closed so the others back in Lucifer's circle wouldn't hear him.
Huh, well you know what they say, there's a first time for everything. Anyways, having appeared just outside the central hub for Urdak as a whole, which is where the Khan and Samur had returned
to work, they appeared before him in a matter of seconds after he did that. "Father? What's wrong?" Samur was the first to ask once they appeared. "We have a problem, a VERY big problem!" He exclaimed in a panic.
"Father I've never seen you like this, what could have possibly happened while you were gone?" The Khan inquired.
"Gabriel, MY SON Gabriel, he came back and he did so with a body that resembles his true form!" He told them.
Out of everything he could have possibly said that was one of the only things they wouldn't have guessed. This is why instead of responding both Maykrs just stood there like statues, for it didn't make sense for how that was even possible.
"Right, sorry, I should've thought that out better..." He said as he gathered his thoughts, "Unfortunately we do not have a lot of time so I will have to give you the summary of it, apparently how our new friend left Doom behind was via a Slipgate of his own design, however neither he nor Will destroyed it after this use and it was laying dormant in his forge, as for why the Dark One never used it it's due to holy markings he made to keep him and the other demons at bay, so after Will helped him obtain a new body so the Dark One couldn't claim his soul anymore he used this Slipgate to send Gabriel to Abaddon's circle, after which he then destroyed it to ensure he would be still be sealed with them." He explained making sure to cover the most important details.
"That...is incredible..." The Khan said still in a bewildered state.
"Indeed, though given the intelligence of our new ally it doesn't surprise me he was able to craft this apparatus." Samur added as a thought came to him, 'Still, I don't think I understand why you are so panicked father." He admitted.
"Because Samur Gabriel came to Lucifer's circle! And now he is telling them all about his time in Doom and of the events I just told you as well, on top of this while they know very little they've been made aware of the Wretch's existence, and they are VERY determined to begin searching for him." Vega explained.
"If that is the case then perhaps it is best we just come forward and tell them the truth?" The Khan suggested.
"No, while this does complicate things I still want to limit their involvement as much as possible, Gabriel at most will be informed of the truth if it is appropriate, but I will not allow them to become too involved as I do not want to put them in any danger, nor do I want them to get their hopes up in case some unforeseen complication or issue arises down the road, I've already meddled in their lives enough and have caused enough issues in the past, I do not want to potentially make it worse." He told them firmly.
"Very well father." Samur replied for both of them, as they both knew better than to try and argue against his wishes on this matter specifically, "However with all this being said we should go and inform the Wretch of these developments, who to our surprise as remained in conference with the other Khans all this time." He revealed.
"Wait, he has?" Vega questioned.
"Yes, as Samur said it is fairly surprising that they've talked for so long." The Khan replied.
However instead of saying anything else Vega simply let out a groan, which confused the two Maykrs as they'd never heard him groan at all before.
"I don't think he knows how to end the connection, which is my fault..." He said with a sigh, "My mind is in so many different places right now I'm forgetting all kinds of important details." He explained as he turned around, "Come now, let's go help him return to his body entirely, no doubt he and the Khans are running out of things to say to each other." He told them as he lead the way.
"I have never seen father like this before." The Khan whispered to Samur as they followed behind.
"Neither have I, though considering the precarious nature of this entire situation coupled with the fact this could either end perfectly or in disaster, I'm honestly amazed he's made it this long without showing some signs of stress." Samur whispered back.