"Everyone hit the ground!" was the shout of surprise as a wave of power echoed across the sky, an angel had lost their temper and their grace exploded in a show of mighty power, around them warriors dropped into the dirt as soon as the order was given. It rolled around them, brushing over backs, and rustling through hair, barely touching anyone enough to be absorbed.
And then reality changed.
It had met someone.
The exploding grace of Zachriel met someone.
Drums beating the air echoed around them, and they all stood in various glances of confusion, Nisroc helped his Commander to his feet, both exchanging a quick glance as the familiarity of the tune echoed in their ears. The warriors all ran from the training field, at the sound of the echoing drums, to the Axis to get a better look at the commotion there was to behold.
Zachriel stood in the middle of the stone road, cradling something in his arms, staring in horror at what he had done in the middle of a place filled with so many angels. They couldn't make out what he was holding, despite their effort, and they were joined by a mix of messengers and healers and choir angels, various outside of the four main castes. In the middle of the road, marching down with the Heavenly guard, was the Morningstar in grand precession.
Celestial silver chains glinted an echo in the sun, and they stared as the Second in all of Heaven was marched down the street, as he had been all those eons ago. Turning slightly, Michael could see the younger two Archangels pushing their way to their brothers side, Lucifer watching the proceeding with wide horrified eyes, as though he were reliving it where he stood.
Nisroc swallowed hard when they followed, the Power's corralling the Choirs together in one massive group, as they walked down the procession. They managed to spot one thing that stood out, one little thing that would have remembered this, there, clutching at the echo of Jeremiah's leg, was little Akeelah, looking around in fear.
The Procession slowly faded, filling into another echo of another memory, illuminated raindrops fell through them as the rain poured all around, and they watched three disgraced Powers drag a tiny body out from behind a pile of debris. Little fingers scrabbling at the broken road under them, struggling for all they were worth, until they were forced to stand. Bright blue eyes cut through the crowd as they were finally able to see who it was being laid witness to.
An echo of Theo snapped something, to which they could not hear, and the other two forced the tiny fledgling around. A large hand closed around the back of her top and tore it as they pulled it down to reveal her smooth back to the pale moonlight above, she struggled against her capturers, tugging at her arms as best as her might would allow, and then he raised the whip. A collective gasp rang through the crowd as it bite sharply into the fledglings back, tearing a line across smooth shoulders, and as the little form arched forward at the impact, a silent scream echoing around them.
The whip was raised again and again, every time brought back with more and more force, until there was nothing left but blood and lashes across the fledglings back and she hung limply from their hands.
The fledgling was dropped where she stood and fell forward into a large puddle of rain water and mud, falling limp to merely lay there. Theo laughed, cajoled with the other two, and paid no mind to the fledgling he had just flogged so harshly. Some time passed, little fingers kneading in the filthy water, lightning crashing over illuminated the extent of the injury's received Raphael covered his mouth at the sight of it, turning to look for the sought after fledgling, before realization hit him first and he turned with horror to the thing that Zachriel held so close and the shadow of a figure skirted around the edge of another pillar, the young messenger appeared then, lowering himself into the puddle beside her, pulling his cloak off to drape over her shredded back, as they sat there silently in the middle of a storm.
The echo faded and they all turned to see another begin again, the same fledgling from before, and another, running away from two older angels chasing after them. Blood was dripping from her temple, and the boy's next to her, their hands clasped together tightly, and Nisroc started when he caught sight of the boy's face, and in turn looked over to his left where the same boy, albeit older, stood looking rather pale. He held a handout for him, and young Paul's fingers curled around his, squeezing as the echo of him and the fledgling ran to stand in front of them. Akeelah and Paul looked over to their left side where they were being chase, and ran forward, up the stone steps into the debris of the training field, under the noses of the Powers as they trained one another harshly at the center of the debris covered field. The two of them ran across the field, ducking down under boulder and broken walls to avoid being spotted from behind or to the side, and then young Paul fell. His leg twisted in an awkward position, clearly having been broken previously, and little Akeelah stumbled forward at the sudden stop. The muted racket drew the attention of their pursuers, and the attention of the gathered Powers, and young Paul pushed her away, silently screaming an order at her, to which she shook her head and reached back for his hand, he shouted something offending, and she jumped back as though struck, tears building in her eyes, and she turned and ran as they all converged on the boy.
As the echo faded, Nisroc knelt down slightly, "What did you say?", Paul looked up at him with stricken eyes, tears forming in the corners, as though he remembered the day as if it were just yesterday.
"That I hated cowards."
Another began to form, but it was waved away by His sharp hand, "That is enough."
Zachriel was panicking as He stepped up before Him, shaking in his place, eyes blown wide "I didn't know! I swear I didn't know!"
"Don't you all have duties to be returning to?" was the only reply he got, and a slight understanding nod, as He lifted the unconscious fledgling from his arms. The others dispersed at the order from their Father, all except for a certain few. The Archangels converged on their Father in attendance of their fledgling, Zaveriel ghosted behind His right shoulder as though waiting to jump to his friend defense, and Nisroc and young Paul stepped up to His left.
Relinquishing His hold on the fledgling in favor for lowering her into Michael's arms, mindful of her limp, unconscious form, He turned to address His young son.
"Give her time, My son, she will return to your side once more."
The statement left them all with more questions then it did answers, and when they turned to Paul, the youngling merely nodded at Him and gave them all stares in return.