Mitherael's tracks had gone completely cold. The only thing that they found that gave them a solid clue as to where he went was from the scattered remnants of gold coins all over the place. There was only one way that the gold would have been there untouched. There were even traces of cloth where a bag was torn. Gurzick recognized the cloth. And he recognized the scent on it. He brought the evidence to the Angiris Council chamber where Itherael and Izarius were. Of course, he collected the coins, too. He couldn't leave those behind, and they could help trace where to go next.

"A rival scout may have been there. Or a minion of the Baroness, for better clarification," Greed said from Gurzick's crown. "He may have been teleported away. This does not bode well."

"Is there a way to get into that realm to check?" Itherael asked.

"I may be able to send a lesser scout to infiltrate in that used to belong to her group. I know where she is. She does not know where I am. I can do something about it," he said calmly.

"A precaution, then," Izarius said. "Spread out the Soulstones a touch more. Just in case your goblin is caught and forced into your realm. We don't want Diablo to find any of them. We don't know what he can do now. He's already in a realm with goblins that can teleport anywhere. Think about it."

"So he's in the possession of a mortal angel...and the Baroness is female..." Itherael seemed to pause with a sensation of disbelief mixed with horror. "We remember what happened with that witch."

Izarius now found himself cringing with complete disgust and recollection. Anaurael would be in serious danger, if Heaven was breached. Then he said, "I don't know if the Baroness can breed out..."

"She can. She has daughters," Greed seemed to growl. "She has replacements. And she can only birth females. Males like myself can only be risen in ranking. Females cannot be done like that."

"If he finds out about the prophecy and decides to breed out..." Izarius shivered with horror.

"Sacrilege...!" Itherael breathed out and was soon flying off to find Anaurael. He was scared for her now. Izarius was right behind him. She was safe enough for now, though. She was in a deep sleep on top of Imperius in his sanctum, and it was sealed off in full. He was reclining with her in the chair to guard over her. He was resting one hand on her back and the other in her hair to cradle her.

"Hmm?" he glanced up at the sudden requests to enter. They felt urgent, too. Grumbling a touch, he knew he couldn't let the others see him in the state he was in. As much as they wouldn't mind, it could have been seen as a sign of weakness. He had to stand tall and at least be sitting in his throne to regard them. He tried to get up as gently as possible, but she woke up in the end.

"What is it, love?" she asked softly. At the feel of her hand on his cheek, he sighed and kissed her palm in a loving way to make her blush.

"My presence is needed. Let me sit on my throne with you," he said. She nodded and let him move to stand. He felt her belly to chuckle at the healthy kicks he got. "My son moves strongly."

"He does," she nodded and yawned. The moment he sat down, he had her recline in his lap with a cradling embrace. Her eyes started to droop with comfort, and he laughed softly.

"Rest, my ward. You're safe with me," he said and willed the doors to open.

"Imperius!" Izarius said when he charged in. "Diablo and Mitherael reached the alternate Greed Goblin realm with that Baroness!"

"What?!" he asked with shock. Now Anaurael was wide awake at this news. She sat up fully in Imperius's lap to assess the situation in full.

"We worry now," Itherael said when he appeared.

"How do we know for sure?" she asked.

"Greed recognized a scrap of cloth left behind when we traced Mitherael's steps. And there were coins littered everywhere. There were also no other footprints of his to find past that. They escaped through a portal," Izarius seemed to sigh and shake his head.

"And they're not really demons, so it's harder to track them," Imperius growled. "We need to tighten our defenses. Anaurael, we should do another Lightsong. The extra angels we call can help."

"MOTHER, I WILL HELP ENSURE THIS HAPPENS, TOO," Anarius said when he walked in. "I CAN INCREASE MY AWARENESS TO TRACK ANYTHING THAT COMES HERE. I MAY NEED TO SPEND MORE TIME AT THE ARCH OF HEAVEN, BUT IT CAN BE DONE."

"We may not have a choice in it," Anaurael frowned. She shivered from the offspring in her soul, and Imperius soothed her with a light back rub. "I really need more rest, though."

"Well, if he was just arriving there, then plans would need to be cemented. We are on borrowed time," Imperius said. "Let her rest for a time. We'll perform another Lightsong afterwards."

Even as they were talking, she was already sleeping again. And Malthael pulled them all into her mind. At their questions, he only chuckled. "She dreams again."

"No," Imperius grunted and held her sleeping form close. He was getting ready to wake her up. Itherael rose up his hand quickly. Auriel was also present and wanted to stop him in full, too. Tyrael and her parents managed to arrive, and they would get filled in on what was going on shortly. He seemed to scowl at the small audience. Anarius, Izarius and Imperael were soon present to watch.

"You know we need to see this," Tyrael said. "She can give us premonitions."

"Or disturbing thoughts," Imperius muttered. As much as he disliked it, the dream had already started up to let it happen.

It was over. The battle had ended. Malthael won. All of the humans were dead. The Nephalem was in a crumpled heap on the ground before him on the floor in Pandemonium. The mercenaries were in the same state. When Sanctuary was visited, it was eerily quiet. Some animals remained, but they were left unchecked now and ran around aimlessly. Westmarch was a smoking husk of what it once was. A soft weeping was heard, and the sound was sought after. Tyrael was beside himself with loss, as he stood over Lorath's contorted corpse.

"Why?! This is...?! I mean...why?!" the mortal angel could only ask Malthael's floating form.

"Because. It was needed," Malthael seemed to shrug. He turned to look at the floating Black Soulstone in the distance. It surged with a form of electricity and death. It shivered and pulsed with a life of its own. The only question now was what to do with it. If he shattered it, then the demons would be free again. He'd have to hide it away for all eternity, it seemed.

A glance at something scurrying showed a Greed Goblin still alive and well. They weren't true demons, so they lived through it. They were looting with glee, but Gurzick was incredibly sad over this. No new items would be made. No fresh food was going to be found. Haedrig and his apprentice were gone. So was Myriam. Shen was, actually, still alive to show that he wasn't a mortal at all.

"Oh! This is terrible!" he mourned. "So terrible!"

"What happened?!" Ilerael asked when he managed to run over from where he was brought to them by Izarius. "Everyone's...oh, no..."

"All of the filth is dead. The Eternal Conflict is over. We have won," Malthael said with his arms crossed. His following slowly began to filter out from where they were. Urzael was even present to show how pleased he was with it.

"But...what are we to do now? If all of the demons are gone...what are the angels to do with their time? I mean..." Lilaurael whispered hoarsely. Izarius seemed to shiver from where he stood. When Imperius came down with Anaurael, she was in shock at what she saw. Malthael turned his attention to her with complete surprise. He didn't expect to see her again. Imperius set her down to stand and survey the empty city around them.

"Why did you kill them?" Anaurael asked when her eyes fell on Malthael. She saw the Black Soulstone in the distance, and she felt complete disgust with it. Imperius was pleased that the humans were gone, but he remained quiet with his hands on her shoulders in an act of claim.

"They were demons," Malthael said.

"But...there were angels in them, too. And you killed them all," she said in a soft, frightened whisper. Now Imperius paused at this thought. "How am I to survive? Who will help grow food and help make supplies? Sure, things will work for now, but when it's gone..."

"We can only do so much on our own," Ilerael winced and moved to his daughter's side.

"When all of it is gone...I don't know what will happen..." she said and gazed out at the dead bodies that simply dropped where they stood.

"The filth had to die! They were an abomination!" Urzael argued to support Malthael's cause. "I witnessed this in full!"

"You only saw what was here. Not out in the farmlands where they helped others," Anaurael said. "The town I came from was good. Some were bad. But most were good. There were others that wanted to help and defend each other. To protect the sick and young. To only live their lives and do what they could for where they were. And now they're all gone. Many of them still held Light! It may be true that they were also part demon, but they had Light! They were angels, too! And now it's gone! All of that Light that could have been saved...it's gone..."

"Anaurael..." Imperius whispered and squeezed her shoulders when she broke down into tears. He lifted her up to cradle her and comfort her.

"He...killed them...all of them..." she whispered among her tears.

"I know that re-population could be possible with us," Ilerael swallowed. Then he noticed Malthael. He was staring with silent disbelief at Anaurael. Something she said struck a chord with him. He seemed to look at the floating Soulstone with a sense of disdain.

"Imperius, what are we to do?" Izarius asked.

"We'll hold a Council meeting. It's true that...Tyrael, Anaurael, and her parents cannot survive without sustenance. We will work on something," Imperius said lightly.

"And what of me?!" Shen asked. "What will happen with me?!"

"Well, you clearly aren't a mortal. You didn't fall," Izarius said.

"I don't care about that! Who will make my meals now? Who will be my next wife?! And my gems? Who will buy them? Who will steal them? Who is left to even do this for me?!" he seemed to rage. Malthael would have slaughtered him, but something else was happening. He actually began to regret what he did. Only because Anaurael told him that he killed angels. And it upset her. He didn't know why that bothered him.

"We should...bury the dead..." Tyrael seemed to mutter out. Lilaurael moved to hug him tight to comfort him. Ilerael was next to hug him to show that he understood.

"Master?" Urzael asked. Malthael was still standing straight and tall, as he thought over everything that happened. No longer did he seem proud of what just happened.

"Imperius...what do we do now that all of the demons are gone? What is our purpose?" Izarius asked softly. "We know nothing other than fighting."

"I know. We'll figure something out," Imperius said. Anaurael was still shivering and trembling in his arms. "At least the mortal, Willis, is gone."

"But...Xavian was honorable," she frowned. He squeezed her gently and nodded at that.

"We'll go back to Heaven. We'll see how it goes. Maybe some of these...mortals...can be reborn as angels, if they held enough Light. Stranger things have happened," he whispered to her. She didn't know that she could Sing yet, but she could only nod at the thought of hopefulness. Right after they left, Izarius moved to pull Tyrael, Ilerael, and Lilaurael back to Heaven with them.

Malthael was left alone. At first, he thought it was a triumphant victory. He had succeeded where Heaven had failed. Now he realized that his victory was quite hollow. As much as Urzael was trying to tell him that all was well, Malthael now realized that all of his work...was for nothing...

Anaurael woke after that and gasped. All were expelled from her mind, and Imperius was now cradling her to his chest when she burst into tears. "Hush, my ward. Hush now. It wasn't real."

"I don't...like that...!" she choked out through her tears.

"It did not happen," Malthael soothed gently when he stood at her side. "I was stopped."

"But...if it did...all of that...Light...would have..." she shivered.

"MOTHER, DO NOT FALL INTO DESPAIR. THE LIGHT WITHIN THEM WAS SAVED. ALL OF IT IS BEING MADE STRONGER," Anarius said and knelt down to see her. She nodded and reached over to hug him tight. A gentle caress was given to her back to fully calm her down. She gave out a deep sigh of relief and smiled. At his nod, Imperius took her back to hold her.

"Now, tell me," Imperius said, as he rose up with her from his throne to walk out of his sanctum. "Does anyone else know of the current problem with Mitherael? Of where he is now?"

"I can make it known," Itherael nodded. "I shall consult with Auriel."

"I just let Izual know," Tyrael said when he appeared as his angelic self. "He is warning the rest of the Horadrim now."

"Ah! There you all are," Greed said when Gurzick appeared. "I do have an idea on what we can try. But, it could be tricky."

"What do you have in mind?" Izarius asked.

"That rainbow place we went to. There was a rather interesting creature that helped us get out. I wonder if he can be contacted again for assistance. None of my minions could reach that other place. But, maybe he has an idea?" Greed asked.

"That cow thing?" Tyrael mused. "I hadn't seen it yet. I was told about it."

"Byden and his partner have seen it," Izarius said. "So have the Nephalem and the others."

"I wonder if we can go see this place, too," Anaurael chuckled.

"No," Imperius grunted. "It involves you going to Sanctuary."

Gurzick thought and beamed at an idea. He took out the rainbow rock and rubbed it on the floor for Gahin to appear with a giggle. Anaurael blinked at this with surprise. Izarius was even a touch amazed at this goblin.

"Hello! I was called?" the colorful goblin asked.

"Yes!" Gurzick giggled. "They want that cow thing to appear for them. The girl cannot leave here. She is special. Can you help?"

"Oh. I wouldn't know," she seemed to frown in a happy way. "Um...how did it appear before?"

"Hrm. Oh! Big one! Stick! Waved!" Gurzick said with recollection.

"What?" Imperius asked.

"He's talking about me," Kalgor said when he strode over with Salauriel walking behind him. "She heard you all talking at a viewing chamber. I have a staff that can summon the Cow King. He helped us get out of that weird place."

"Is that so?" Imperius seemed to snort. "Can you call this Cow King again?"

"We aren't sure," his angelic partner sighed. "We found ourselves back on Sanctuary."

"Well, that won't work," Izarius said. "Anaurael can't leave Heaven."

"Then what are we to do?" Anaurael asked. "Kalgor, is it?"

"Yes," the Barbarian nodded.

"I'm going to ask you for a favor," she said.

"Name it."

"Can you go back to Sanctuary and see if you can summon the Cow King? To speak to him on my behalf and explain our problem?" she asked.

"Well...what problem?" he asked.

"Mitherael, the one that holds Diablo's Soulstone, has found a way into a rival goblin's lair. The same rival place that Greed left behind," Izarius said. Kalgor blinked at this. He didn't know this. "We fear that Diablo may find ways to learn how to teleport around."

"I'm going to Sanctuary to find the Cow King!" he grunted. "Salauriel, can you please send word? I'm sure we'll need another scouting party."

"I can do that," she nodded. They left shortly after, but Gahin just realized something that was said. And, for the first time since anyone had seen her, her smile seemed to vanish briefly.

"Wait..." Gahin seemed to pause. "You said Diablo?!"

"Yes," Anaurael nodded. Gurzick even nodded at this with a frown.

"And...he's free?!" she gasped.

"He is," Izarius sighed. "In a sense. Not fully, but it can become highly possible."

"Oh, no! I must warn my home!" she said and made a rainbow portal. Right before she closed it, a large pink unicorn with a green mane and matching tail charged out of it. It looked rather happy to see a new place, but Gahin was not impressed. "NO! Go back in! You can't come out!"

It whinnied sharply as though to respond that it would behave, and it paused at the sight of the angels before it. Then it saw Anaurael and perked its ears forward. Trotting up to her lightly, it leaned its muzzle out to sniff her. She was simply amazed at it. When it moved to nibble her hair, it backed away with surprise at a chipped tooth.

"I'm sorry about that," Anaurael smiled softly. It tilted its head at her in a way to show that it understood her. It even seemed to nudge her hand to tolerate a small pat. They knew it was only behaving, because Gahin was there to monitor it. But, there was something else there in the unicorn's eyes. It was intense intelligence. This was one of the main guardians of its realm. It seemed to like the golden female. It didn't know why, but it did.

"Kill it..." Malthael growled from behind her. When Anarius walked over to study the unicorn, the creature paused with complete surprise. Then Imperael appeared. That was too much, and the unicorn charged back into the portal. Gahin only sighed and seemed to shrug before hopping in after it to close the portal up. Anaurael was quite amused at what happened.

"A very interesting creature, indeed," Itherael seemed to chuckle.

"I thought it was very cute," Anaurael beamed.

"I wonder how far I can make it fly if I kick it," Imperael mused. That got Tyrael snickering slightly at the thought. Anarius was deep in thought about it. Then, much to their surprise, Gahin came back in her portal. She looked rather puzzled in a happy way.

"Um, something funny happened," she giggled.

"What was that?" Izarius asked.

"Well, the one that was just here wants to stay!" she laughed.

"What?" Imperius asked.

"The unicorn likes her! And she wants to stay to protect her," Gahin beamed.

"She?" Imperael asked.

"Oh, yes! All of us are girls. Except for the Cuddle Bears. They tend to be boys," she giggled.

"Well, as much as I would be pleased of this, I'm not sure that I can support her," Anaurael frowned. "Oh! She can be my personal escort if I ever visit. Will that work?"

"Hmm. Let me ask!" Gahin beamed and skipped back into the portal. This time the portal stayed open. Anaurael was able to peek into the portal with Imperius. The odd, colorful world truly caught them by surprise. At the sight of the unicorn's large, pink muzzle peeking back at her, she found herself laughing at the healthy, sloppy lick given. Imperius really wasn't amused at that, but Anaurael was laughing even more.

"So, what is her name?" Izarius asked.

"Oh! Her name is Midnight Sparkle," Gahin nodded. "She is one of the guardians in the realm."

A far larger unicorn that was a much darker shade of purple with a darker pink mane nudged over to sniff Anaurael now. Imperius was a touch surprised that she was being studied by them. Then he asked, "And...what is this one?"

"Ah! She is Nightmarity!" Gahin beamed. "Super Awesome Sparkle Cake is around, too. I don't know why they like you so much, but they do!"

"Well, I like them, too," Anaurael smiled and gave a final pet to the muzzles of the powerful beasts. At the sight of her belly moving from the small kicks, Midnight Sparkle sniffed her. "I am pregnant. Bearing another life, you see."

Both unicorns looked at her with surprise, and then at each other. They snorted and pulled back as though to talk. They both looked back at the portal. Now they started to rub their horns together to shed off a few pieces. After that was done, they whinnied at Gahin.

"Wow! They never did this before! Um, here," Gahin said and gathered up the horn shards to hand to Anaurael. "If you need them, drop these in water! They'll find you and help you."

"Oh..." Anaurael blinked.

"Thank you. Your help is appreciated," Izarius nodded. "Although, we did have some, ah, friends go to your home once before..."

At this, the unicorns laid their ears back. They remembered them. Anaurael smiled and said, "I'm sure that, if I visited, I would come to no harm?"

Their ears perked forward again, and they nodded their heads deeply. She nodded back, and Gahin was able to close the portal.

"A very interesting conversation. But, if they are going to lend you their aid, I'd accept it," Tyrael said wisely. "We need all of the protection we can get for you."

"I know," Anaurael smiled. She yawned and found herself getting pulled against Imperius's chest. He hadn't set her down once.

"Let's perform the Lightsong. After that, you will eat," he said. She nodded and got carried away. Greed was completely floored at what happened. Now he wanted to get unicorn horn pieces. As he thought over everything now, Gurzick was quick to move to Sanctuary to watch the heroes ready themselves to search for the Cow King. He was very curious as to how this was going to play out.