Eden
"I hadn't thought you would ever visit this place again."
I jumped nearly three feet in the air, nose buried in my new book and unaware of the one whom had gotten close. I peeked over the edge of the pages and blinked at who it was, that had come to see me.
"Azrael," I blurted without thinking, my surprise evident. "I thought the White City was going to keep a tighter leash on you, but look where you are now." I smiled, closing my book and waving it. "I came to Lostlight to deliver a message to Nathaniel. He has family back in the City, and travel between worlds is still restricted for everyone else, so I was just letting everyone know how he was doing and vice-versa. And I got a nice present in thanks." I made the book dance a little to show my literary joy.
A faint smile came upon the bronze-skinned angel's face, making the lines of stress disappear a little. "It's nice to see good deeds do not remain unrewarded." He agreed, then bowing his head and gesturing to the side. "Would you walk with me for a bit?"
I grinned and hopped to my feet, tucking the book in my pouch and mirroring his gesture. "Well, I can't float like you, but I can do that walking thing if I put my mind to it." I tapped my feet on the ground as if in discovery. "Yep, still good at it. Shall we?"
A complicated look of amusement and bemusement crossed his narrow features, and his words had me coughing back laughter. "Has anyone ever told you that you're the slightest bit silly?" He asked mildly, folding his hands into his sleeves as we started our stroll.
"Who, me? Nahh." I waved my hand in blatant dismissal, earning a glance that was more bemused than anything. Then I let out a small sigh, smiling wryly. But he'd remarked on it before I'd even gotten to explain.
"It's hard to picture someone so lighthearted living amongst the ranks of the Nephilim." This next glance was a sidelong one, and I absently smacked at my ankle, squishing the gnat that was bothering me. Never thought golden grass could mean anything other than it was dead, but this grass was very much alive— Along with the auburn-leaved trees, with their pale pearl bark… This place was a sight to behold, but ridden with summertime insects.
"Ranks? What ranks?" I gave him a look, flicking my brows. "They aren't miserable, but they don't lead easy lives, either. So I try to brighten up what little moments I can. Think about it for a second." I hummed for a brief second, to get my voice warmed up for speech. "Everyone ostracizes Death for leading the massacre of his kin, regardless of… Who ordered it. He agreed to it, knowing it was the right thing to do. What if he decided not to, though?" My eyes met with a glowing pair quietly. "He'd still be branded the pariah for holding his fellow Nephilim above the survival of the Balance. He lives with the title of Kinslayer, but he still did the right thing. And all four of them have to live with those circumstances." I then bobbed my head, vanishing the grave atmosphere that had gathered around us. "I like to think I knock everyone down to the same peg." I winked at him, and his countenance spelled nothing but confusion.
"But surely they are not the only ones living with misfortune hovering over them." The Angel of Death canted his head to the side, bidding me to clarify. So I did.
"Of course not. But I am only one person." I commented dryly. "While I'm not likely to drop by down in Hell to try and liven up someone's day, I don't mind wandering around others too. Because, regardless if your wings are white or black, wear horns or a halo, swing a hammer or swords… You're all still individual people with woes and problems. And since I don't get to pick a side, I get to be the lucky gal to annoy everyone enough to forget that the world's ending or whatever's going on."
I stuck my hands into my pockets, feeling triumphant as the angel merely shook his head, gliding through the air beside me silently for the longest time. Must have given him something to think about, then. Satisfied with just that, I'd taken to looking at our surroundings, and skid to a stop.
Azrael noticed my preoccupation, and looked back at me. "Is something wrong?" He asked, concerned.
I am ashamed to admit that my voice cracked terribly when I responded. "We are not in Lostlight anymore." I stared at him blankly, overwhelmed. All the ivory architecture, gilded in gold and silver, carved with stone guardians of griffins… "Did you just walk me through a portal without me knowing it?" I could only glance at him fleetingly, and it finally hit me, why this place was so familiar. "Holy—" I clapped a hand over my mouth. Bad thing to say around an angel… Wiping my hand away, I turned to him with my eyes bugging out. "We're in Eden. I thought you said nobody could come here anymore!"
"I'd also said that my life would be forfeit once the Balance was restored, due to my involvement." He mentioned this almost meaningfully. "However, due to the involvement of another, I am still alive. Someone managed to convince the Red Rider that collecting my life would not be in his best interests. An impressive feat for anyone, certainly."
Oh, oh no— I pointedly kept my eyes on the smooth marble beneath my feet, feeling my cheeks burn. Dammit War, you weren't supposed to say anything… "He already didn't want to kill you," I grumbled, rubbing the back of my neck. "But his honor was still infringed upon, so all I needed to do was give him an excuse not to do it. It wasn't that hard."
"So it was you." He actually sounded surprised, and I shot him a dirty look for tricking me. But he smiled again, and it's always been hard to stay angry when an angel smiles. "I had figured as much, but I wanted to be certain. I am sorry for the subterfuge."
"Yeah yeah." I waved it off, finally looking up at him ruefully. "So you're here. And, at the moment, so am I. The only question is, why?" I watched him expectantly, and nearly busted a hole in the ground with how hard my jaw fell at his simple reply.
"I'm giving it to you."
And oh, did I have things to say to that. "What? What?" I never said they were intelligent things… "You mean that you're taking the realm that pretty much everyone killed each other over, and after locking it away, you smuggle me the key because of why?" My voice jumped an octave. "Azrael, do you know how many people would be out to kill me if they found out? Not to mention the Horsemen— They said they didn't want Eden, but they were still denied a world of their own and I don't know how they really feel about it, and—"
A finger tapped upon my lips silenced me, and I stared blankly, waiting for some sort of explanation for the bomb of disorientation he dropped on me. He merely gazed down at me, and then patiently gave his reasoning. "It is a stigma upon us all, that Man was unable to be given the world originally made for them. It had been crafted with the love of the ancients, and perhaps they would have obtained a different fate, had they been nurtured there." His finger fell away, and he drew up to his full height, all proud, wide wings and ornate robes… "But the past can do nothing but be reflected upon. It is dead, and the present dying— Only the future truly lives. And it is a sad future for a place so grand and full of potential, to remain empty and rotting for the rest of its days." He inclined his head, as if expecting me to understand. "So I am respecting the kindness with which its spires had been wrought, and giving it kindness in return."
A hand was held up, and a lustrous, aureate light twisted and twirled from his palm. It looked almost ticklish… I glanced around nervously, before sighing and peering up at him in defeat. If he was that heartfelt about it… Denying would be nothing but an insult to his noble intentions. "…I suppose I can stop by every now and then." I conceded with a large sigh. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a little too nice for your own good?"
That hand gently pressed to my forehead, and the only thing I noticed while absorbing the 'key' was that it was very warm.
Then he pulled a trick out of my book, smiling serenely.
"Who, I? Certainly not."
