Anaurael was sitting on her bed and shivering. She hated the outcome of it. She hated what was to come. She declined her food. She didn't greet Gurzick as she usually did when he appeared. Izarius knew all too well how severe her depression was right now. There was only one other time that this happened, and it was after she tried to make friends with the local village girls in her childhood years. They had teased her so badly that she had secluded herself in her room. He was able to talk her out of her depression. He had to do the same thing once again.
As the first one that found her, he made sure that she was always his first priority. He proved to her that day that she could talk to him about anything. He also gave her his name that day. He saw her as the closest friend he would ever have. He knew she would talk to him.
He glanced at his fellow warrior brethren, and they nodded. As the one that found her first, they saw him as their squad leader. They left the room.
"Gurzick, I need a moment alone with her. Give me one hour. Please keep your brothers and sisters, if you have sisters, out, too," Izarius whispered to him.
"What?" Gurzick frowned. Greed poked at him and his minions to do other tasks to help Izarius out. He knew what needed to be done now. The Greed Goblins vanished, but it took a bit more convincing for Gurzick to leave. After the chamber was fully cleared out, Izarius looked at Anaurael. He calmly walked up to her and sat on the bed next to her. He put an arm around her and pulled her close.
"Grieve now. It is fine," he soothed.
"There is...nothing...to grieve about..." she whispered.
"Do not lie to me. I am your older brother. You need to vent your anger. Your sadness. Your rage. Imperius is not here. I am. Talk to me. You did so before. I am here now."
"Why...does this...happen...to me...?"
"Because you are special. Different. You were chosen by Imperius. He claimed you as his ward. He guarded over you from afar until your tenth year. Then he revealed himself to you in full. He claimed you as his champion. You are his champion. And you will always be my little sister," he said soothingly. "When you had none to speak to after those selfish children teased you for trying to befriend them, I was there for you. The odds are stacked against you once more. I am here to be your guiding strength. To help you recover from this downfall. Talk to me. Grieve, too, if you must. You are at your limit. I can tell, Anaurael. Confide in me as you always have."
"I...don't want to..." she whispered. But, the tears came. He pulled her into his arms to let her sob hard. He rocked her and finally had to carefully lift her into his lap to hug her tightly to his chest. At the sight of a small stack of cotton handkerchiefs, he knew that it was from Greed. Nodding slightly, he took one and had her blow her nose after most of the crying was done. He dried the rest of her tears and held her in silence to let her recover. When she breathed easier, he was able to talk again.
"Tell me what happened," he gently urged and ran a finger through a lock of molten gold hair. "Tell me why you grieve so. I was told to leave with the others. I do not know anything."
"It has been found out," she said hoarsely. "that Malthael is in my mind."
"I do know that much."
"He wants to be freed, but the Heavenly Arch does not recognize him. He cannot be reborn as a true angel. So, he torments me in my mind until he gets what he wants. Imperius knows this. There is a way for him to be freed. He was able to verify it with Chalad'ar."
"Does he truly wish to be freed?"
"Yes. But...he must be reborn as a mortal child. From me," she cringed. Now he glanced at her with shock. "Tyrael is the only one that can help him accomplish this goal. As the only other mortal angel, it can be done. But...I vowed that only Imperius would touch me! That I belonged to him! To let myself be with another...it hurts so much! I mean...yes...this could finally heal their mistrust with each other. But...to sacrifice such a vow to him..."
"Think on this," he said softly. "If such a vow were to be sacrificed for a limited time, would not a lot of good come of this? Malthael will be free to be your son and out of your mind. Tyrael may never need to touch you again after such a thing has been done. Imperius will finally mend what was broken with Tyrael, too. There have been a lot of misgivings with Tyrael."
"Has there?"
"There has been. Many feel that he should never have stripped his wings. To do such is an outrage to any angel. It is a form of sacrilege. I am very surprised that your parents were not hunted down and killed the moment they were found out! They hid themselves very well. Even I was outraged when I saw them, but I was only told to find them to find you. And, I will admit, I was very shocked to see you. I sensed Imperius within you."
"You did?"
"Yes. Even as a newborn, his Light in you was strong. I do not know how you came to hold it. It could be that the Heavenly Arch knew. It always knows much. Great Anu was exceptionally wise. It could be that, as the vessel for the Burning Hells housed all of the Evils, you could be a vessel for the High Heavens, but to give birth to new life in various ways. I have been thinking much on this."
"Malthael discovered that any angels that touch my mark would be in my mind after their death. He discovered it after touching my mark. When his body was slain, his spiritual essence was drawn to me. He hid behind my own energy until he was strong enough to call to me. Then Imperius found him."
"And...in order for them to leave your mind?"
"What is being done with Malthael may be the only way," she shivered. He was still rocking her in his arms. Then she took his gauntleted hand and pressed it to her mark. He gasped, as he felt a connection made. A portion of his spiritual energy was now locked within her mental state.
"Why?!" he asked her with shock. She didn't answer right away. After she knew the connection was done, she moved his hand to press her cheek into.
"You are my brother. I cannot let you fall and be lost to me. At least...if something does happen to you...you will find a way back to me. And, another form of redemption and rebirth can be given to you. You deserve so much, Izarius. You may lose memories, but not all. The Chalice said that much to Tyrael when it was asked," she whispered. He looked at her with silent wonder. Then he did something she never saw before. He removed his helmet to set aside. He tilted up her face and pressed an innocent kiss to her lips and another to her forehead.
"You are my sister. I love you dearly. For this honor that you have bestowed upon me, I will never leave your side. I will always defend you. I will never falter with doubt about you."
"I love you, too, Izarius. You have always been there for me."
"And I always will. I...will admit something."
"What is that?"
"I was appalled at first. When I was told to guard over you and your parents," he sighed and pressed an invisible chin to her forehead. "I did not want to watch over mortal filth. But...an order from Imperius was an order. I could not fight it. In time...a few weeks, if that...I saw the struggle they went through. How they coped and survived. It...emboldened me. I saw why they did what they did. And, there was one day I was told to watch over you. At a year old. Your parents had to attend a village meeting. I did not want to watch a mortal child! It was the last thing I wanted to do. But...you reached for me. And, you clung to me with such trust..."
"I did?" she smiled.
"You did. And...I found myself laughing. And, as I held you, I realized that you were no ordinary mortal. The mark of Imperius burned so brightly on you! I saw that there was no reason for me to fight any more orders about you. There was no reason for me to question why I was guarding you. After that day, I always offered to look after you. I saw you then as I do now. My sister. A champion of Imperius. A warrior of the High Heavens in mortal form. I actually feel intense relief that I was the one that found you first. That there was a reason for it. This...was my reason. What we are doing now."
She began to tear up again, but it was with a form of relief. He continued to rock her, as these tears were spent, and he replaced his helmet right after he dried her tears again. She swallowed hard, but refused to let him go just yet. He knew she needed him there. His white tendrils of wings gently wavered around them, as he rocked her. When Imperius appeared and saw them, he only nodded.
"Izarius, please approach me," he said regally. Izarius gave her one final squeeze and let her move onto the bed. He rose up dutifully and approached respectfully. "I have now seen how you are with her. How you protect her and let her confide in you in my absence. I am very pleased with you. So, I am going to give you a new rank. A permanent one. You are to be my champion's personal protector and strength should I not be present. Continue as you are now. There was a reason that you found her first. Let this be that true reason."
"Imperius!" Izarius said with wonder. At the nod given, Izarius found his armor shifting slightly to have a few more gold embellishments than the usual angel. His form also got larger and more formidable with an imposing stance. The Heavenly Arch agreed to the decision.
"You are to become another lieutenant of mine. This is a rare thing for us to do, but such a thing is needed. You are always there for her. Let this show the others why. Never falter in your loyalty to her or myself. Always do your duty with utmost respect and valor. Cut down any that oppose us," Imperius said sternly. Izarius bent down on one knee to show his loyalty to him. But, to Anaurael, he simply moved to her side to rest a hand on her shoulder. It was much that Imperius did, but this was in a brotherly way. He was honored twice this day. Once by her to be reborn. Once again by Imperius to champion Heaven and to protect her even further.
"What will you have me do?" Izarius asked.
"Just be as you always are. Be my brother," Anaurael nodded. At this, he relaxed and became more like she was used to him being. "Around others, you can show your new change. Your new status. But...around me...there is no need for it. I am as you said. Your little sister. Such a thing can be shown to me in the privacy that we share now."
"Of course," he chuckled and squeezed her shoulder.
"I need to speak with her in my inner sanctum. Has she had any nourishment?" Imperius asked.
"She has not. She was severely depressed. Shall I prepare a small table for her?" he asked.
"Yes. Not much, but enough," Imperius nodded. When the other three angelic warriors returned, they paused with surprise at Izarius's new look. It was explained how and why he got his new enhancement. They fully respected him now and would see to him first on anything that needed to be done if no others were around.
Imperius now gestured for her, and she rose up. She was still very troubled, but she squeaked when he pulled her into his arms to carry her. Holding her close, he took her into his inner sanctum. Sitting in his throne with her in his lap, he all but crushed her to him. She could tell he was very troubled now. "Imperius? What is wrong?"
"I have called a truce with Tyrael," he said gently. She blinked at him, but he only sighed. "I have also decided to let this offspring with him take form. But, once it is made, he is no longer allowed to touch you. I forbid it. We both know that this mortal offspring will champion the High Heavens in full. It would be...foolish...to not allow such a thing to take place. As much as it disgusts me, it all works in the favor of Heaven. Before, I would have declined much. Forced him out of Heaven. Refused all choices. But...with you coming back to me...with all of this centered around you...I cannot see you suffer so with Malthael in your mind. He is still my brother. Tyrael forced me to admit that much."
"Izarius believes that I am the vessel made for the High Heavens. Only, unlike the vessel for the Burning Hells that was made to die, I am made to give new life," she whispered. He turned to look at her with a silent form of surprise. "I know that such a thing may never happen. But...I did have him touch my mark. Izarius...he is my older brother. I love him as much as my parents. I cannot bear to see him perish and be dissolved into nothing. I may even have the same thing done with Itherael and Auriel. I know that it may not work with you, though."
"I know. I am your life. If I fall, so do you. And, I know this. Tyrael may not have the chance that they do. It almost seems as though only angels can be held in your mind. So...your parents, if they fall, they would also be lost. Such is the way a sacrifice needs to be made."
"I will speak with Auriel and Itherael later," she nodded. "and I will test your theory with my parents. Maybe even Tyrael to see if it is true."
"I will ensure it. Unfortunately, this means that, if any in your mind do fall, Tyrael would have to help them come about again. Hopefully, it will never come to that," he snorted. She could only wince and nod. "But, we do not know for sure. We shall see what happens with Malthael."
"That we will," she agreed and continued to rest on him. "I do request something of you."
"Yes?"
"When Tyrael has succeeded in being with me," she seemed to cringe, and he squeezed her with understanding. "I want you to be with me right after. I will need you."
"I know that," he nodded. "Have no worries about that."
"I can only hope that I won't need a human!"
"No!" he scowled. "Humans will not work! I had Tyrael ask that question. Your body is incapable to do anything with demon filth! Humans are half demon. They will not work. Nor will I allow such disgust to touch you! At least Tyrael is a mortal angel. As much as I despise him, I will accept that part of him. Not like I have much of a choice now."
"Imperius," she whispered. "I want you to do something for me."
"Hmm?"
"Should an offspring happen for Tyrael, you are to no longer despise him."
"What?!"
"Think about it. I will be bearing him a son. A rebirth of your brother. By him doing this, then there is no reason for it. Granted, you will always be wary of him. I can understand that. Despise him, if you must. Just do not voice it in front of me. It will cause me to build mistrust with him. If I am to accept all of this, I need to see Tyrael in a new light," she said. He sighed heavily. "So, while we are here, I want you to tell me all about him. The battles you fought with him. The victories and losses you did with him. Tell me of him as if he was your brother. He is your brother, too. Let me believe in him, as you did so long ago. Please?"
"Very well. You are right," he nodded with a small grunt of distaste. He hated being wrong, but this was his missing Light. She had to see Tyrael in a more positive aspect. At a shift in her mind, she knew that Malthael was also curious to hear this side. As much as she disliked it, she allowed Malthael to listen in. Maybe it would help improve him, too.
Only after Izarius appeared with a small table of food and drink to let her take what was needed did Imperius begin to talk of his earliest memories with Tyrael. She rested in his lap and listened to everything he had to say with rapt attention.