She woke with a sudden jolt and a gasp an hour later. He was in a mild meditation of sorts when she came around, and he regarded her with silent concern. At the tears she showed next, he eased her up to lean into him and waited for an answer.
"I dreamt of...Pandemonium..." she whispered.
"You did?" he asked gently.
"Yes. Of...Malthael..." she cringed. He seemed to stare at her with surprise. "He was calling to me. Asking for help. I...I felt so sorry for him..."
"Did he say why?"
"No. Just that he was suffering. I...don't know what else to expect...or how he could have reached me! It was so real!"
"He touched my mark on you. I wonder if that was why he did it. He placed a connection on you. This disturbs me greatly. My mark was only made to be a direct link from me to you."
"But...he almost severed me from you! I almost died!"
"Let me check something," he said.
"Yes, Imperius," she nodded. He placed his thumb to her mark and focused. She found herself relaxing instinctively. He was gleaning what she dreamt of.
"He did reach you. However, I cannot trust him," he muttered. "Now that I can see what he did, it almost seems like he tried to divert my energy away from you. He tried to replace me. I'm not sure if that was his full intention, but I purged his poisonous touch from you. His touch was corrupting you to a certain point. However, there is enough of his imprint there to let you remain with some form of a link to him. He was able to hide all of this from me using your energy signature as a shield from mine. Now that he has revealed himself, his cover is gone. This does not bode well."
"What does this mean?"
"Malthael is still able to find you. Even in his true death. His spiritual essence latched to you."
"What are we to do?"
"We will consult the Council again. If you need to eat, you will eat there."
"I do," she nodded. He didn't put her down. He wanted to carry her there.
"I should have you wear gowns of gold thread from now on," he said lightly.
"Solid gold thread? Or just coloring to make it easier?"
"The latter."
"I can speak with Gurzick when I see him again. He can find something for me."
"Do so," he nodded. Her molten gold hair seemed to spill over his shoulder when she rested against him now. This was another reason why he carried her. He knew she couldn't move too much on her own. She was still feeling ill. This was proven at the whimper she made halfway to the Council chamber. He was forced to stop at a window to let her vomit. Izarius was there with another glass of water. He always made sure to be around for this.
"She should rest," the warrior angel said.
"She dreamt of Pandemonium. Of Malthael," Imperius muttered.
"What?! That cannot be!" Izarius said with shock.
"It is why she must accompany me," he said.
"No need," Itherael said when he appeared with Auriel. "Darius contacted us."
"We shall speak here. Or, actually, her chamber. She can rest in her bed, as we talk," Auriel nodded. "She must be comfortable."
"It is unnecessary," Anaurael whispered after she rinsed out her mouth.
"But, it is necessary, my sister," Itherael said. "As much as it pains us all about Malthael, we must discuss this with you. It is too important. I shall bring Talus'ar with me."
"Do so," Imperius nodded. Azarius and Mithus had already left for the bedroom chamber to prepare it. Izarius was following dutifully behind Imperius when he carried Anaurael back to her bedroom. Itherael and Auriel were already waiting for them when they appeared.
"You shouldn't...have to do this..." she sighed.
"It is necessary, though," Itherael said again and consulted his Scroll. "Hmm. Where did this dream take place? Where did Malthael call you from in Pandemonium?"
"It was from where his body disintegrated. In the fortress," Imperius said. "It was what her dream showed me. I was able to see it through my mark."
"He seeks redemption," Itherael said softly from what he read.
"It is too late for that," Imperius muttered.
"Well...what can we do? Can his soul be reborn from the Arc?" Auriel asked.
"He corrupted himself. He is trapped where he is. He seeks freedom, but it will be forever out of reach. How was he able to reach Anaurael?" Itherael asked.
"He had touched her mark. I informed Auriel of this, but not you. When he touched her, she became poisoned. He tried to severe her from me. From what it looks like, he may have tried to direct her life to his without knowing," Imperius said and flicked his wings. Itherael seemed to look at him with a form of horror. Auriel was beside herself on what to think on this. "There is enough of his essence within her to keep a mild link with her. I need to severe this link."
"Hmm," Auriel thought. "Maybe you can, if you use your Song."
"That may be possible. I cannot have any with me, though. I need to keep my Song pure for her. Wait in the main Council chamber until I call for you," he nodded and was forced to carry her away from the bed. He hadn't set her on it yet. As he prepared to do so, down in Sanctuary, Tyrael was going over the latest set of bounties in Caldeum. A large woman from a fancy wagon nearby managed to move over to him quickly. On looking at her, Tyrael nodded. On seeing the strain of worry on her face, he became instantly concerned. Something had to be wrong. The intense vision she had would soon prove it.
"You need to go back to Heaven!" she said.
"Why is that, Myriam?" he frowned.
"Because! You need to be there! Go!" she urged.
"Tell me why I need to go."
"Malthael," she whispered. Now he looked at her with complete shock.
"Is he returning?!" he asked.
"It is hard to say," she admitted. "He wants to, but doesn't want to."
"Lorath! I need to see to a Council meeting! Remain here!" Tyrael ordered.
"Yes, Tyrael," Lorath nodded. Tyrael opened a portal up and ran through it. When he saw Auriel and Itherael in the main Council chamber, they both looked at him with a touch of surprise.
"What brings you here, Tyrael?" Auriel asked.
"Myriam, the Vecin enchantress, told me to be here. Something about Malthael," he said.
"Ah. Yes. When Malthael touched Anaurael's mark, he left an energy imprint within her. He was able to contact her after his physical demise. He seeks redemption," Itherael said.
"So...his soul still lives?" Tyrael frowned.
"It appears to be so. But...how can we trust him after the way he attacked us?" Auriel sighed.
"Where is Imperius?" Tyrael asked.
"He is in his inner sanctum with Anaurael. He is going to try to remove Malthael's taint with his Song. He wants us to wait here," Itherael said lightly.
"I'm waiting with you," Tyrael nodded. They all nodded and prepared to wait. In the inner sanctum, Imperius was holding Anaurael to his core.
"You must rest," he whispered.
"I can't..." she trembled. "I don't want to see him again!"
"Anaurael," he said a touch sternly. "You have me with you now. I am always with you. Remember how we fought so perfectly in Pandemonium? The perfect synchronization we had? You held no fear then. Let me confront Malthael at your side. Let me help you find out what he wants."
"Okay," she nodded and took a deep breath. Once he knew she had given him the full mental access he needed, his body began to vibrate with his Song. As much as he knew it would pleasure her, he turned it into a homing device. In her mental frame, he traced where the very essence of his former brother was. What he found was highly disturbing.
Malthael's essence was slight, but it was there. Like a fingerprint on her soul, he had withdrawn himself to the vast corners of her mental subconscious. Imperius was not in his core form here. He was in his usual armored one to confront the troubled spirit. Malthael was standing and waiting on a dirt ledge that overlooked a vast blackness. If he was shoved, he would fall and be fully gone.
"You found me..." Malthael said with a touch of surprise. His tone was still deep, but it lost most of the slow, drawling to it. Even his clothing seemed to have lost most of the black inkiness around it to become a stark grey for neutrality. His wings were still that of a form of mist, but only because he didn't have any Light. He also lacked his weapons. He almost looked like his old self again before he became the Angel of Death. The sight pained Imperius greatly, but he steeled himself for this. He needed any answers that Malthael could give him.
"Anaurael is mine. You almost killed her. Why?" Imperius asked.
"It was not my intention. I had never seen a mark like yours before. I was curious. I did not know what would happen if I touched it," he replied calmly.
"You attacked Heaven!"
"It was to thwart the Nephalem from reaching Pandemonium. I had no choice."
"You could have spoken with me!"
"And my needs would have been out-voted."
"You don't know that."
"But, I do..." Malthael gave a long, drawn out sigh. He turned to stare out at the emptiness before him. "I know I cannot come back. The Arc has not called to me. I have been replaced."
"Tyrael has become Wisdom," Imperius snorted.
"I know. So...if you let me stay here...I shall offer something in return."
"Such as?"
"Knowledge," Malthael whispered. "I shall give knowledge to this one. Ancient wisdom to benefit her for the future. Let me stay and live here. She will learn in her dreams. I will not be truly lost. I will still live, yet not live. I shall merely guide in my own way."
"How do I know that I can trust you?" Imperius asked. "How do I know that you won't use this to an advantage? After all you have done...leaving us and converting yourself into a blasphemous thing...what am I to expect now?"
"You have my vow," Malthael said.
"Then there is to be a condition," Imperius said sternly. "Before any of your thoughts come through, hers come through first. If I ask for your insight, then that is the only time you may speak for her. And you are to only come through when specifically asked for! You will not dominate her thoughts. You will not control her. You will not spy through her. I will know if you do. If I find out that you have at any given time, then your vow is null. I shall remove you and force you from her mind."
"I accept."
"Furthermore," he continued. "it is as I stated. She is mine. You will do nothing to sway her thoughts from me! If she speaks with you, then fine. You will only guide her decisions when they are needed. I refuse to allow any to tempt her away from my side."
Malthael only nodded in acceptance, but he made no attempt to step away from the ledge he was on. It was where he was going to stay. He knew the girl he inhabited feared him. He was going to help melt away that fear into a form of trust. If she was going to let me live, despite it not being in a mortal form, I owed her that much gratitude. He could see her as a little sister. He would treat her as such like the others. That was something he could easily do. Maybe, in time, his essence could separate from her into its own ghost. Was it a goal to him? It was possible. Even Tyrael needed time to reform as his essence lingered in Pandemonium after the Worldstone's destruction. It could be done.
Now that Malthael was dealt with, Imperius withdrew himself from Anaurael's mind. He clung to her, as she recovered. He made sure to leave a tracking imprint to where Malthael was. He would be closely watched and monitored at all times. He only hoped the others would approve on what Malthael wanted to do. He would find out after Anaurael recovered her senses.