Elaine was getting used to her new room in Ilerael's house on Sanctuary. Erelus had inspected the room thoroughly and mused at how the Greed Goblins were now revamping the furniture. Now that Elaine was taken in as family, she was also going to be spoiled rotten. A whole closet filled with intricate dresses and clothing items was next to be seen. When jewelry, treasures, and other trinkets began to appear, Erelus put his foot down.
"She cannot move! Do as what was done with Anaurael's chamber! Organize them into chests!" he snapped at the small demons. Gurzick now appeared for Greed to talk to him.
"I shall see what can be done. As for you, girl, I have something to ask you," Greed said from the crown. Elaine seemed to cringe a touch at how she was referred. The massive elder angel noticed this right away and got overly protective.
"Her name is Elaine," Erelus growled.
"Very well. Elaine," Greed said. "is there any particular item of interest you desire?"
"Oh," she blushed softly. "Not that I know of. My Mother's brooch was really all that I needed. I never really needed anything of value. My family was always quite happy as we were. We didn't starve. We didn't suffer. We were happy with the simplest of things."
"You are very rare. Your purity is quite eminent," Greed mused. "I wonder if that is why the angel before us likes you so much."
"What?" Erelus asked now.
"It does make me wonder if others like her would benefit the Heavens. As much as I would not mind or care for such a thing, it is a curiosity factor to me now," the demon lord said aloud. "If females that hold such purity would be vital to you all."
"Hmm," Erelus thought now. "This would be a first for me."
"You would think it would be," Greed chuckled. "Let me ask another. I shall have Gurzick return shortly. I need to be sure of this."
Erelus could only shrug at Elaine's puzzled look when Gurzick left for the High Heavens. Imperius was seated in Anaurael's room to help her eat. When the Greed Goblin appeared, Imperius glanced at him curiously. The issue was explained, and Anaurael now found herself thinking hard on this possible discovery. Malthael was soon in the room to assess it.
"It does hold merit," Malthael said. "Some humans...do display more Light than normal. Depending on upbringing. So...it could be possible..."
"Shall we test the theory?" Greed asked.
"I would not know with whom," Imperius thought. She kept her hand on his cheek to help him focus. "I do not want any of Anaurael's closest brethren to be tested. Nor Izual, as he is very important."
"Agreed," Malthael nodded. "We could test this with one of the other warrior brethren we have. Ah. How about with Titharius? He may be used?"
"He is my lieutenant," Imperius muttered. "I need him for my troops. I am already dividing much of my attention between training my warriors and being with Anaurael. It will not work."
"True," Malthael seemed to ponder.
"We do have a lot of new warriors now," Tyrael said from where he was reclining in the bed. He wasn't exactly exhausted enough to sleep just yet. "Darius and Azarius could check and see who would work. I'd suggest Imperael..."
"No. He is a valuable protector for Anaurael," Malthael said with a shake of his head. "He cannot be sacrificed. He vowed to protect her, too."
"Of course," Imperius nodded. Imperael seemed to snort from where he stood at the door. He couldn't fathom the thought of being with a mortal female. He had to help Anaurael in secret, anyways. Anaurael thought and reached out to Itherael for ideas.
"I have come," Itherael said when he appeared. "I have a couple warriors that I can send out. Such is not an issue. Find a female, and I shall send one to her to see what happens."
"I would suggest to let him see her in the viewing chamber. That is where Erelus saw Elaine," Anaurael suggested. Itherael paused and nodded at her insight. As they continued to plan and consult new ideas, Erelus was regarding Elaine silently. She was quite timid around him still, and he wasn't sure what he could do to help her.
"Did you want me to leave?" he asked.
"No. It's fine. I actually feel...safer...with you here..." she whispered.
"Do you?" he asked gently. At her nod, he recognized the signs that she was getting ready to cry. He carefully lifted her into his arms to let her sob. The attack truly scarred her quite badly. "It's fine now. The ones that touched you are dead. I ensured it."
"I...don't know...if I can sleep..." she shivered. He simply rocked her and cradled her in a very protective way. At the thought of any other males wanting to touch her, he tensed. I don't want anyone else to touch her. He saw her as his.
"I wonder...if this is how Imperius feels with her," he muttered.
"What?" she asked softly.
"Imperius and Anaurael. He sees her completely as his. No matter what happens, she belongs to him. Even in the midst of others, she goes directly to him without fail. I was informed of the intricate bond they shared. How he watched her from afar after her birth. Can you...do something for me...?"
"What's that?" she asked. He took her hand and gently placed it on his cheek under his helm. That had her extremely surprised. He gave a shudder for control now.
"What do you feel? Can you tell me?" he asked. Worrying her lower lip, she carefully reached up to feel what she could. She was amazed.
"I feel...the start of a beard, first of all. Ah...high cheekbones. There is hair. Rather thick on the sides and thinning up top, but not by much. And your hair seems to...come down in a slight wave past your ears. Your eyes feel wide, and spaced a bit apart, yet slightly sunken in. Just a bit. Your forehead seems a bit broad, too. A few wrinkles, but that may be normal as worry lines. Your nose is a bit large, but not by much. It goes well with your jaw. Square, I think. Powerfully built, too."
"And my mouth?" he asked. As she gently traced over his thinned lips, she felt his lower lip tremble with a form of control. Now she looked at him with concern.
"I guess you are troubled?" she frowned.
"I can...confide in you?" he asked. She nodded, and he sat with her in an elegant chair. He did place his heavy mace to the side, though. He had to in order to sit properly. Sighing, he said, "I am very old, but I'm also quite new. I was trapped in a pocket of suspended time, since before humanity came about. A millennia ago. So...I am learning a lot of new things. Much of it still escapes me. Like the alliance with Greed. He's a demon, but he seems more...of neutrality now. It makes no sense to me. But, this whole thing with Sanctuary and how it came about. It's very puzzling to me on how it happened. I was told how, of course, but...much does not make sense to me."
"The Horadrim may have more answers for you. I do know that Tyrael is the leader of it," she smiled. That had him thinking now. "Maybe he would know?"
"I can talk to him. Not now, though, obviously. Also...Imperael told me that he feels much like me, too. Where he is still learning much. He was formed not long ago. A few months ago, more or less. So, like me, he is also trying to find his true place. He may have found it, though."
"Has he?"
"It's...difficult to discuss. It involves Anu."
"Oh."
"If I say too much, bad things may happen. We are not in a safe enough place."
"Then...where would a safe place be?" she asked. Something surged in him, as he leaned over to plant a sudden kiss on her mouth. He didn't know why he did it. She was taken buy complete surprise, but a calm feeling that this felt right to her took over. Her mouth easily fit in the slit of his helm, as the kiss deepened even further. His armored hand came up gently to pull her closer into his chest, and he was trembling as badly as she was when the kiss ended.
"I don't know why I did that..." he admitted. She worried her lower lip in thought.
"Can you do it again?" she asked in a shy, timid way. He gladly obliged. This one seemed even longer than the first. She pressed herself into him when this one ended, and his arms squeezed her close. "I'm surprised at myself. I usually...well, never...go this far..."
"Is that so?" he muttered softly. At her small nod, he thought. "How far did you go?"
"Oh...you're actually the first..." she blushed hard. Now he looked at her for an explanation. "Um...I can tell you...what those...men...were going to do..."
He seemed to tense at this, but he nodded. Now she leaned in as close as she could to softly describe what her fate would have been if he didn't intervene. He was furious. "Sacrilege! They were going to force themselves on you?! Demons! The lot of them!"
She could only nod, as he rocked her. She licked her lips slowly and said, "Thank you. For rescuing me when you did."
"And I thank you for coming into my life," he said gently. More tears fell from her with complete relief, as she nodded. He ran his hand calmly up her spine to soothe her a bit more, and he heard her sigh softly. She was clinging to him, and he had no plans to move her. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and continued to comfort her.
"In time...I think..." she whispered. "I think I would like to do more..."
"As in?"
"Seeing...how far...we could go...maybe..." she blushed softly.
"I honestly wouldn't know what to expect."
"Neither would I."
"You know that I would want no others to touch you."
"I wouldn't let any others have the option. I only want to belong to you."
"That does relieve me. But...I honestly don't know if such a thing was possible for us."
"Well...we could try..." she said with a softer blush.
"You wish to do this?" he asked. "Not now, of course..."
"Maybe it should be now," she said and gazed at him.
"So soon? After your attack?"
"You will keep me safe, right?"
"That goes without question. Although, I do not know what offspring would come about..."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," she smiled.
"A bridge? What bridge?" he asked in a puzzled way.
"Oh. It's an expression," she giggled softly. "When it happens, we will deal with it then."
"Oh!" he said with pure unknowing surprise. "Well...you feel well enough?"
"I wouldn't be suggesting such things, if I wasn't," she said and found herself kissing him again. Now that they were attempting to see if offspring could happen, Itherael was hovering in a viewing chamber with one of the warriors he chose to have assist with the discovery. He was very curious to see what would come about. Even Greed was anxious and began to place small tests of coins on the ground to see what would happen. He was also having his minions target the poor to mid-wealthy populations around Sanctuary. He knew that nobles were very rare to be pure of heart.
"Found one," Greed chuckled. "She is looking for the owner of the coin."
"Show us where," Itherael nodded. Greed was able to direct the viewing pool to a place that was northeast of Caldeum. It was a small hut within the oasis. A farming family that comprised of mainly fishing and water transportation lived there. The moment she was seen, he watched his warrior lean over the pool with a form of complete fascination. "Orphilius?"
"I am sorry, Itherael," the warrior angel muttered. "I need to see to her now."
"So, she does call to you?" Greed asked. As a response, the warrior was quick to teleport away. Now Itherael watched with surprise at how Orphilius approached the girl carefully. The black-haired, brown-eyed girl was very plain to look at, but that didn't matter. Even her figure was something that wasn't too much to be noticed. It was the quality of Light in her soul that attracted the angelic warrior to her. Now Itherael had to wonder if the same would be done for the female warriors. He would have to talk to Auriel about the possibility of trying it.
At the same time, he was concerned. He went to his Library, since he knew his warrior was wise enough to keep to caution around humans, and he opened Talus'ar. As he browsed through the threads of destiny, he found himself pulled to the mental spire in Anaurael's mind. He was surprised at this.
:WE MUST...SPEAK...: Anu said calmly.
"What must we speak of?" Itherael asked curiously.
:THIS NEW WAY...TO PURGE...THE DEMON BLOOD...FROM MORTALS...:
"You think that...by our warriors doing this...?"
:YES. TO BREED OUT...THE FOUL BLOOD...AND PLACE IN...THE TRUE BLOOD...:
"You believe that it may be possible to drastically reduce the amount of demon blood in a mortal?! I mean...it would require generations, though..." Itherael said with a touch of concern. "Things like this do not happen right away."
:I UNDERSTAND...: Anu agreed. :BUT...THE POSSIBILITY...THE HOPE...IS THERE...:
"I do know what demons do to humans. And they could do the same thing, if they learn of what we are attempting to try. I am unsure of what to think."
:AS THEY BIRTHED...A VESSEL...FOR EVIL...WE SHALL HAVE...VESSELS...TO PURGE EVIL...: Anu continued. :NONE SHALL BE...AS STRONG...AS MY CHOSEN...ONE...BUT...THE BLOOD...WILL BE FILTERED...IN TIME. PATIENCE...IS SOMETHING...WE ALWAYS HAVE...EXCELLED AT. I FOUGHT...FOR VAST MILLENNIA...UNTIL I WAS...SHATTERED. NOW...AS TATHAMET...WAS GIVEN A...CHANCE...SO SHALL I...BE GRANTED THE SAME.:
"As we all know," Itherael nodded.
:THE MORTAL...COUNCIL...WILL BE VITAL. STRONG...ANGELIC BLOOD...WILL BE FILTERED...AND DISPERSED...TO SLOWLY REMOVE...THE DEMON FILTH...THAT PLAGUES US. THIS...IS...THE TRUE NATURE...OF THE COUNCIL...: Anu chuckled. Now Itherael was floored. Now the pieces fit into place. Why a mortal Council was needed. Why it had to come to pass. The descendants of the Council would fuel the human mortals that much more with a form of Light needed to repel the equal part of the demonic essence within them. He simply didn't know if it would tax a mortal body that much more. They would have to wait and see.
He found himself coming back around after that, and he knew he had to speak with Imperius. Then he paused. I can't just yet. Imperius cannot know of the mortal Council. He sighed irritably, but it couldn't be helped. "Great Anu, I trust you will assist with the thoughts of Imperius when such a time comes for him to know all."
The feeling of acceptance was given. Anu heard me and agreed. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm himself. As he mulled over everything, he looked up to see Orphilius coming into the Library with the girl in his arms.
"I apologize, Itherael," the warrior said from within his helm. "She was trying to escape a fate of mere farming, and I offered for her to live here."
"We have no true accommodations for a mortal! Anaurael is a special request..." Itherael said.
"Then, perhaps she can stay with her parents?" he asked. The girl seemed to shiver. She was very afraid that her family would find her.
"Child, why did you agree to leave Sanctuary? I am Itherael, the Archangel of Fate. You are safe here. Just tell me your story," he said gently.
"I am Kalina," she said softly. "My family wanted to sell me into marriage to a brash lord to pay some debts. I think it is merely servitude. There would have been no love in any of this. So, Orphilius came up with a plan for me to feign intense illness to pretend death. Then he could simply carry me off and away to show I was going to personally cared for here in the High Heavens. But...I fear that my family would have sold my body to the lord, anyways. He...well...likes that stuff..."
"Disgusting!" Orphilius snarled. "We shall let them think that she ran away! They will never find her here. I would wish to hold her here for a year to ensure this."
"Hmm," Itherael thought. "Let us seek Anaurael."
"Agreed," Orphilius nodded and squeezed the girl he held. She showed a blush along her well-tanned cheeks, and he took her into Anaurael's chamber to talk at length. She was still sitting in Imperius's lap when they were approached. Tyrael was eating with her now and was just in shock at everything. He almost dropped his fork when Malthael whispered to him of Itherael's conversation with Anu. He was very glad he didn't drink any water!
"We should make another building for this," Tyrael managed to say calmly.
"You think so?" Anaurael smiled.
"I do. To keep them hidden until it's safe to return. It should be fine," Tyrael chuckled.
"Hmm. If our warriors are finding females in mortals..." Imperius muttered.
"We were thinking that our female warriors could find hidden Light in the males, too," Itherael said with a mild shrug. "Auriel could be told to see what happened."
"True. But, how do we know this will work? And what is this purpose for?" Imperius asked.
"Anu did tell me that it was a way to slowly filter out the demon blood in them," Itherael said.
"Anu told you this?!" Imperius said with shock.
"Yes," Itherael nodded. Now Imperius thought hard.
"Have Auriel help with any female warriors that wish to assist. And have her help to create a separate building," Imperius nodded. Anaurael beamed and leaned into his chest with happiness at this.
"They will still have demon filth in them...but not so much after a time..." Malthael mused. "I can accept this easily. If Anu wills it, let it be done."
"Agreed," Imperius muttered and had Anaurael start to eat some slow-roasted chicken breast. Now with new plans underway, it wouldn't be long for various angels to readily agree at this new, possible way to remove the demons from Sanctuary. As long as the humans they found were pure of heart, it would work. It simply had to.