Anaurael's parents were quick to visit her in her bedroom chamber on learning of her new condition. Imperius allowed them into his inner sanctum, and they were awed, yet humbled, at being able to see such a masterpiece of Heavenly construction. Anaurael had changed into a light, soft gown of pale silver cotton that would help keep her comfortable, and she happily greeted her parents. Imperius did have her wear her circlet though. He wanted that on her at all times with her rings. She met her parents just inside the stairwell that led to her bedroom. At the way her bedroom was from being heaped up with treasures, they found themselves laughing at her plight and started to help her sort a bit for room.
"I told Greed that I didn't need all of this. He knows that I give much of it to you. He also told me that, what you spend, his followers get back for him," Anaurael smiled.
"So...he takes back what we use? Good to know," Ilerael chuckled.
"And then he gives it back to me. So, if you want something, please take it with you. I know I'll only get it back later," she sighed. That got her mother laughing. Imperius was busy staring out a colored diamond pane window silently. It was tinted a soft blue to keep to the colors of Heaven. Other windows were tinted gold, silver, and various shades that corresponded with the sunset. Most of the time they would be opened. For now, he had them closed for privacy.
"I suppose you won't be training very much now?" Ilerael asked.
"It's doubtful," Anaurael admitted. "I am sure that Itherael would allow me to study on history in his Library, though. That is something I can do."
"Or I carefully train you in my Halls," Imperius said.
"That, too," she nodded.
"We were given amulets that will allow us to come here to see you. We'll visit as often as we can. We did promise Tyrael that we would help him with the rebirth of the Horadric Order. Oh! That reminds me. You remember that book you wanted to see? The one that was written by Deckard Cain?" Ilerael asked. At her nod, he sighed sadly. "He perished at the hands of one of Belial's servants. But, his knowledge was recorded in his book and kept safe. We can let you read it now. We'll bring the book by later on. As they say, to know the enemy is the best way to defeat the enemy."
"That can be true," Imperius agreed.
"I'll have Izarius bring you foods to help your possible pregnancy," Lilaurael chuckled.
"Thank you, Mother," her daughter smiled. They embraced her again and were able to teleport back to Sanctuary. Anaurael was clearly troubled now.
"What is wrong?" Imperius asked and looked at her.
"The book. I don't know if I would want to read it alone," she frowned. "I was told so many various things about it. I want to read it, but then I don't."
"Hmm. I would read it with you, but I do not care for the writings about demons. I already know everything about the High Heavens, too. It would only bore me. But, Itherael can read it with you. I am sure he would appreciate the opportunity. Come. We will speak with him," he nodded. She smiled gratefully and let him take her to the Library. On their arrival, Itherael was consulting his Scroll. He glanced over and listened to what was proposed to him.
"I shall take definite interest in this! Bring me the book, and I shall read with you," Itherael nodded. "Knowledge is something to not slight, nor overlook. We shall all benefit from this greatly."
"While you read with her, I will need to see to the training of our newest warriors. It needs to be done. She may need nourishment nearby," Imperius said.
"I shall have her warrior guardians assist with that," Itherael agreed. Izarius had appeared shortly after with the old book. Darius, Azarius, and Mithus were quick to set up a chair and desk setup for her. Another table was carefully set with food and drink.
"Thank you, brothers," Anaurael said.
"We shall wait here along the walls of the Library chamber," Azarius said.
"I shall wait in your personal chambers," Izarius nodded and teleported away. The moment the ancient book was opened, Itherael was quick to hover over it to read with her. Such knowledge was considered priceless to him. As they scoured through the book, he was simply amazed.
"I am surprised at how much the humans knew of us. And we knew so little of them," he admitted. "You would think that it would be the other way around."
"You would think so, but both sides had agreed to stay out of the way. That was until the demons got too curious. I'm not sure what else there is to say," she shrugged.
"True," he thought aloud. "It is uncanny how all of us are portrayed with such accuracy. All of the Evils in the Burning Hells. All of the Archangels in the High Heavens. From illustrations, to pen-notes and descriptions. They almost seem to know us more than we know ourselves."
"You would think that would be the case," she smiled. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed in a brotherly way. As they continued to read over the book and glean its knowledge, the Nephalem was preparing another trip to Pandemonium. That meant going to the High Heavens to get there. Lyndon had managed to convince his friend to let him tag along.
"I shall be here," Tyrael said. They had traveled to Westmarch, as that was the closest place to where they had to be. Of course, it could be anywhere, but it was fine. There were other bounties to see to while they were in the area. Kormac had easily befriended Anaurael's parents, and he learned of their history with fascination.
"Do you think I could meet your daughter?" he asked respectfully.
"In time. Imperius is keeping a close watch on her right now. It can't be helped," Ilerael shrugged. "As to why, well, she's bearing offspring now."
"Really?! I did not think that was possible!" Kormac blinked.
"Neither did we," Lilaurael smiled. "I'm sure she would be happy to meet one that has such a strong belief in the Light. Do not worry about that."
"That is good to know," he nodded.
"Can we go yet?! I'm getting bored!" Lyndon scowled.
"Patience," the Nephalem muttered. Haedrig, the blacksmith, was hard at work to forge new armor and weapons for the powerful champion.
"Can you make me a gold crossbow? I asked you before," Lyndon said.
"Not now! I'm busy!" Haedrig scowled and shooed off the scoundrel. "Let me and my apprentice work. Lad! I need my hammer! Get it now!"
"Oh! Sorry, Sir," the young man said and got him the right hammer.
"Good job! Now, watch how I strike down here. Keep that fire hot!" he instructed. As he worked and trained his apprentice, Lyndon sighed. After another hour, they finally got into Heaven. But, before they could go to Pandemonium, the Nephalem needed to speak with Auriel over something that needed to be discussed. As the champion went to find her, Lyndon was left on his own.
"Oh, this is just great! Wonderful! Well, while I'm here, I'm sure I can explore a little. I won't be missed too much," he mused. As he walked through the halls, he noticed that many of the angels ignored him. A few gave some wary glares, but did nothing. They knew he was helping the Nephalem. They were only giving him tolerable respect. After a bit more exploring, he found his way to the Halls of Valor. While he explored this new area, Itherael had just escorted his sister to her bedchamber.
"You are exhausted. Rest now. When you are able, we shall read more," he chuckled.
"And you promise you won't read anything new without me?" she smiled warmly.
"I vow," he nodded. They clasped hands, and he vanished away.
"We are being asked to assist Imperius in training new angels," Darius said.
"I shall remain to assist you," Izarius nodded. She smiled and waved her three protectors off. Then she yawned, stretched, and Izarius was able to assist her. He had seen her nude multiple times before, so he was unaffected by her. He tended to her when she was young, and her mother had to make emergency trips to the village. She was able to change into a sleeping gown of light green silk. It wasn't sheer, but it was elegant and felt luxurious against her skin. Greed definitely knew what to bring for her.
"I shall stand guard," Izarius nodded. She hugged him lightly and lay back in her bed. He ignored the busy scampers of Greed Goblins putting treasures back that were old and new. He only drew the sheer bed curtains around her sleepy form to give her a touch of privacy. On noticing that she needed more food and drink, he vanished to retrieve it.
"And what room is this? Amazing! Is that solid gold?!" Lyndon gaped at the sight of Imperius's throne in the inner sanctum. "This place definitely looks important. Hmm. If I touch anything in here, my thief senses are giving me the vibe that I'll be caught and quartered faster than a hunter with a caught deer. I'll come back to this room. Oh! A passage! Yes, I think I'll invite myself to go down the stairs."
He stepped down very lightly and managed to walk into the bedroom below. His jaw dropped at the sight of all the wealth that littered the place. There were various paths through the room among the treasure, though much of it threatened to fall from how stacked up and cluttered it was. The main path was straight to the bed, almost as though beckoning him to dare and look at what lay on it.
As he took a few steps towards it, he saw Anaurael sleeping in the bed. She looked truly beautiful with her eyes closed in sleep with the pearl and gold coverlet over her slender, yet firm form. Her circlet even glinted in the sunlight that streamed through a diamond window pane through the sheer silk curtain, and he was in complete awe of her hair at how it framed over her body like its own thin sheet of soft, molten gold. At the thought that he could possibly kiss her awake to be her hero, he began to walk towards her. But, it was Gurzick that was quick to appear to stop him.
"No! You go! Leave!" the Greed Goblin warned. "Not safe!"
"Oh, please. There is nothing wrong here," he scoffed. "I appeared at just the right time! She's simply waiting for me to wake her up and spirit her away from this nightmare of wealth and riches! Of course, we'll take some with us. This is a perfect opportunity for me. Nothing can go wrong."
"Oh, yes it can, you greedy thief!" Greed growled through the crown. "You are in one of my treasure vaults. I see you as trespassing. If you don't leave now, I will sound an alarm. You know that pretty little room you came down in up above? The one with the golden throne? That was Imperius's personal chamber. Do you want to know how 'happy' he'll be when he sees you in here?!"
"What's going on?" Anaurael yawned and looked over through the silk curtains. On seeing Lyndon there, she gasped with complete shock. "You! How did you get here?!"
"I...came here with my friend. I went to explore, since my friend had to find Auriel. I must say, though, your room is amazing! Do you need anything in here? I could take some of this off your hands..." he started. At her glare, he paused. Now that he was in Heaven, and in the Halls of Valor, her mark was at full charge. It flickered and glowed for him to fully see from the circle in her circlet. On Sanctuary, it was invisible. Anywhere else in the High Heavens, it was invisible. But, in her bedchamber that was so close to Imperius's personal energy auras, it was able to reveal itself in full. The glowing mark simply added to her beauty.
Her molten gold hair also seemed to shimmer with the effect of her angry mark, as she said, "You have five seconds to leave my bedroom before Imperius comes here to toss you out a window!"
"You are the most stunning woman I have ever seen in my life," he said softly.
"Trust me. I am that way to many, as well. However, I only belong to Imperius," she glowered.
"Your time is up. Nice knowing you!" Greed smirked. Gurzick came to and stayed in front of Lyndon's path. Izarius had just appeared and nearly dropped everything that he was carrying. He was able to set it down quickly and charge into the human to knock him aside.
"You dare to come into the bedchamber of Imperius's champion?!" Izarius bellowed out. Lyndon was about to explain how he got there, but he paled at the sight of Imperius appearing to tower over him. At how Gurzick was blocking the path, Anaurael's livid glare, and the way Lyndon was knocked down, he already knew much of what happened. Azarius, Mithus, and Darius had appeared soon after and backed Imperius with their hammers ready.
"You have five seconds..." Imperius glowered. "to explain yourself."
"Right!" Lyndon said and managed stare back at him. "I came here with my friend. I got bored. I wandered around. Then I found myself here."
"Fine. Leave," Imperius snorted. "And don't stray again."
"And don't touch anything!" Greed growled. "I'm watching you!"
"I know," Lyndon rolled his eyes. That was proven when he tried a slight-of-hand grab at some loose treasure to only find a goblin there to slap his hand away. They knew how thieves and rogues worked. Izarius only glared at the scoundrel's back as he left. Now that Imperius was able to fully console Anaurael in his cradling embrace, Lyndon made his way back to where he should have stayed in the main entrance to Heaven. When he got there, Itherael was waiting for him.
"You are lucky to be alive," Itherael said softly.
"I always live through my scrapes," Lyndon bragged.
"You do not understand. Anaurael is expecting."
"I know! She was expecting me!"
"No. You still do not understand. Imperius got her pregnant. As I have stated, you are lucky to be alive. Please refrain from wandering through the Halls of Valor. Your life depends on this."
"Wait...he was actually able to make a brat with her?!" he gaped.
"If anyone is a 'brat' it is you," Itherael said with a hint of warning. "I see Anaurael as my sister. I am not one to be provoked to such levels of violence and rage. However, we do not know how this will turn out. All of us here in the High Heavens are on edge from this. Not only is she an angelic mortal, but this is an offspring to Imperius. If anything happens to her, he may give the order to intervene. We do not want that to happen. It is also why she is to remain here for now."
"But...how was he able to accomplish getting her pregnant?! Does he even have a...well...you know? I mean..." he seemed to shrug his shoulders in question.
"Anaurael is a part of him. She is the Light he was missing. You could say that she is the joy that he lost. When new angels are made, we merge with the Song of the Arc. Our bodies become instruments to the energy of the Arc to create new angelic life. There is no pleasure in it. It is simply a duty that we fulfill. We do not lay together as mortals do. We have our own Songs, and we Sing with the energy to call forth new brethren. As for Imperius and Anaurael, he used his Song directly with her soul. Even I am not sure how it truly happened, but she describes it as a pleasuring vibration that leaves her breathless. I am still unsure of how an offspring could have formed, but such a curiosity is mild."
"It still escapes me," he admitted. "To me, being with a woman is the best thing that could ever happen! It's the most pleasurable thing that could ever come to mind."
"And, if you make offspring with that woman?"
"Oh, I never know if that happens. I'm off on another adventure before I find out!"
"And that is where we differ. Anaurael cannot have a simple union like yours. She is too special for that. Such a thing would offend her," Itherael said calmly.
"So, she's still considered a virgin?"
"When it comes to mortal pleasures, yes. And that is the way it will be."
"Well...maybe I could show her..."
"No."
"Oh? Why not?"
"Did you not see her mark yet? The glowing circle on her forehead?"
"That's what that was?!"
"So...you did see it?"
"Yes. When she was pissed off at me, it glowed."
"Ah. It must be because she was so close to Imperius's initial energy signature in his Halls. That could be the only explanation. Otherwise, it would be completely invisible to you. That mark that you saw is the lifeline to Imperius. His direct link to her. Whatever you try to do, he will know. He can see through her with that mark."
"Oh. So, even if it's covered...?"
"It will not matter. Her eyes are his eyes. Her ears are his ears. She is an extension of him."
"Seems like a waste to me."
"A waste?"
"She is one of the most beautiful women that I have ever laid eyes on! And, for her to only be subject to one that can't even give her proper pleasure..."
"Stop. Right now," Itherael said with a sad sigh. "One like you will never understand. In time, you may. If I recall, every male has a female that they covet and refuse to share. Such a bond is unbreakable, as it is with Ilerael and Lilaurael. Anaurael is that female to Imperius. He will never share her. As I have stated before, she is the Light he was missing."
"Oh..." Lyndon frowned and seemed to tremble. "To me, no woman is worth keeping anymore."
"Because you were betrayed?"
"How do you know?!"
"Ever since Diablo's defeat, I have kept close watch on those around the Nephalem. This includes you. From the discovery of your brother's death, to the note found in that dagger of the one that truly slayed him. You have my deepest condolences. In time, you may exact your vengeance."
"I...thank you..." he blinked.
"As Auriel has always said, never lose hope."
"Of course."
"I must retire to my Library. Please remain here. The Nephalem will return shortly," Itherael nodded and vanished away. Lyndon was a touch at a loss about the reminder of his brother's death, but he took a deep breath and changed his thoughts to Anaurael. She was a virgin. And she was pregnant with Imperius's child. He now made it a personal goal to show her what real pleasure was like. And, since she was already pregnant, I can't be held to blame for the child. He always felt that it was his calling to give such joy to women all over the world. And, if I could be with her, it would be something of a dream. He was patient. He could wait until the right moment happened.