Return of the Angels
She walked down the steps that led into the prison cells and came across the same wooden desk that was set at the side. Sitting behind it was the tall man, appearing to be a giant more than anything else. Jerry, a gentle giant more like. He was busy bent over a piece of paper, a pen in his hand, but he appeared to be stuck on something. His finger scratched the top of his head and it dawned on her that he was weak in some areas; he probably fights better than he does on paperwork. She walks over and looks at what is asked of him to complete.
"What would you do if someone gave you a direct command?" she asks him and he looks up at her, surprise and relief flooded into his eyes. She smiles at him but nods down at the paper, indicating what she was speaking of.
"I would immediately obey the command," he said, paper forgotten as he puts down his pen and threads his fingers together.
"Relating to informing someone on problems, who would you go to?"
"I would go to either an officer higher than myself in my own area, or I would report immediately to my superior officer."
"I said 'on problems'," she tells him and he widens his eyes before clearing his throat and answering.
"I would report immediately to my superior officer…"
"What if they are problems that are incredibly important?"
"I would report to my superior officer and then report to the officer in charge of the operation."
She nods, agreeing. "Good; you see, it's not so hard when it's broken down."
He nods, smiling. "Thanks, Celine, and welcome back. It feels quite strange not having you visit."
"I'm kind of getting tired of being underground. I might be doing something about it soon." Jerry couldn't quite read what was on her face, but he dismissed it, knowing that it was something that was too soon to be spoken about. Instead her face immediately changed, becoming a happier and lighter one. "I'm sure you know on who I'm visiting today."
"You know he's back down here?" Jerry asks, surprised. There was something he was definitely avoiding on saying.
She nodded at him. "I'm sure there's no problem with that." She saw something within his eyes and she blinked, her face slightly frowning. She knew alright and she definitely didn't like what she found. She shook her head to herself as he was avoiding her gaze. She turned and made way for the dark tunnel outlined by the burning flames on either side of the entrance. She grabbed a spare unlit torch from the table near the entrance and was about ready to lit it with one of those already burning ones when Jerry appeared by her side, grabbing her arm, stopping her.
"I'm sorry, Celine, but I've been ordered not to let you see him."
She turned and narrowed her eyes at him. "He's no longer a threat to me anymore, Jerry."
He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but orders and orders…"
"And my orders top theirs," she said shifting her features to a frown. "So whoever has ordered you, let me make this clear, I am in charge here. If they don't like it then I'll let this world be destroyed." Jerry released her and took a step back, finding her words menacing. "You may not even want to know how much I've had to change Jerry, how much I've had to sacrifice," her words were harsh, bitter and completely in charge. "Don't ask me to sacrifice anything else," she said softer.
"What happened for you to change so much?" he asks, unable to catch his tongue before the words were out.
"The same thing that everyone has been wondering," she replies, a little but too harshly. She sighed, softening the impact of her words on him, but it didn't work. She looked at him, softer, not so firm and his features completely sagged as if just a mere look got him to understand. Her tears stung her eyes again and she tried to force them down. "I don't want to go down that memory again…"
"I'm sorry, I-I-I… I didn't mean for you to cry…" he tried to calm her, and although her tears slightly fell, she shook her head at him.
"It's not your fault; I shouldn't have done that to make you feel so guilty, but I couldn't quite stop them this time…" she wiped them away with a wrist. "But please don't stop me, Jerry. I may not know how to be a proper leader to run a large army, but I'm learning…honest."
He seemed unsure on what he should do. "I-I'll let you through…" but he still felt like he was going to be punished for disobeying a direct order from someone really important.
"Thanks," she smiled weakly; completely different to how she was a minute ago. As if all the strength within her had been drained! "If something happens to you about allowing me to see him, tell them I said to let me through. If they still have a problem, send them to me and I'll deal with it. I won't let you take the fall for what I have asked you to do for me." He nodded in understanding and walked back over to his desk. Celine looked at him sadly, as if she had lost a friend. "Jerry," he looked at her. "I'm sorry…" he smiled a forgiving smile and waved her through, but first he threw the keys at her, allowing her permission to do more than just look on through bars. She caught them and smiled at him, nodded in thanks before she lit the torch and walked down the long dark path.
It was just like all the other times. So dark and forbidding that she kept thinking that there was a hidden evil down here. She could no longer hear the torturous cries of souls, but she could see them within their representative cells. This time there was more of them, bound into them by chains, conversing with each other. New generation prisoners, old ones, ancient ones…all of them here, were talking. From all around her, at her approach, they stopped talking and turned towards her, so many eyes following her ascent into the darkness.
She stopped at a particular cell that was all too familiar to her by now. Through the bars, the torch lit inside, where a living male laid on his side with his back facing her. The souls behind her hovered within their cells trying to peer into the one that she was looking into. Those that were on either side of the one she was looking into, peering at the boy. Some held onto the bars, watching him intently, and others just kept their distance but remained on watch. His black hair fell to the makeshift bed and his whole body was covered in that one piece suit. The thin blanket was draped over him from his shoulders down, and he remained wearing his shoes.
"What do you want?" he spoke out without having to turn to face her. But she doubted he knew who it was that was standing there at the bars to his cell. So instead she remained silent, waiting to hear who he thought his visitor was. "I don't want to talk, Van, so just leave me alone already."
"Oh, so it's Van that I need to talk with then?" she stated, crossing her arms and a makeshift smirk displayed on her face.
He was quick to sitting up and turning to face her, but that surprise looked as if it had been planted there ever since she spoke. Those violet eyes of his widened upon the sight of her and he struggled to keep his mouth closed instead of hanging open. She could pretty much see herself through his eyes. Golden blonde hair floating around her from wind that wasn't even there and dark ocean depth sapphire blue eyes peering out at him. Cockiness written on her features alongside the smirk that was there. How could she not be proud of herself?
"What the hell?" her smirk faltered as it was replaced with a raised eyebrow. "When I last saw you, your hair was white blonde, not golden…"
Indeed that had occurred to her as well. It doesn't remain one colour; instead it keeps going from golden to white blonde. She would always shrug her shoulders at it though. What was the point on dwelling on it? Besides, he was the only one to have pointed it out at the moment, but that still doesn't mean that others haven't noticed it. Besides, it made her more mysterious to what she really is. Besides, if there was one thing she liked the most in this world, it would be teasing Raven to no end.
"Ah but when you first met me in the desert it was golden," she said, her smirk no longer returning.
"Actually the first time I met you, it was white blonde and you were a damn right rebellious Imperial soldier," he replies, walking up to the bars. He towered her, naturally. She was only, what, five foot three maybe four? He was like five foot six or seven now. She smirked at the memory before she lifted her head up so she could see into his eyes.
"You know about me now?" she asks, no longer desperate for him to realize it was her, Sapphire, from three years ago.
"Yeah…" he replies, hands grabbing the bars. "Sorry…"
"For what?" she questions with a raised eyebrow.
"Not recognizing you," he says with a raised eyebrow.
She kicked his shin through the bar and he held in his pain. She crossed her arms as she looked at him. "Don't apologize you idiot, I never asked you to."
"Oh, so I need to ask to say sorry now?" he says, smirking, as he regained his height.
"Yeah, you do," she said smirking as well. "You're on my leash now, boy."
Raven chuckled. "You know, we'll always see to that won't we?"
"Is that a challenge I hear?" she asks, confidence quickly overriding through her system.
"You bet it is," he says, getting all fired up.
"Step back," she says and he obediently obeys by stepping all the way back until he's sitting on the bed. She tilts her head before she hides her laughter. She produces the keys and opens the door with one before she walks inside, closing it but not locking it. She walks over and sits beside him, trusting that he won't bolt for the door like he might have normally done. Instead, he was obedient and remained seated, looking at her as she looked at the floor. A smile may grace her features, but he could tell that she was thinking back to when something had happened between her and Zariel, when he was in control of Raven's body.
"You're not thinking on that time I was possessed, are you?"
She looks at him. "Shouldn't I?"
"No," he replies, looking at her. "You and I both know that you knew it wasn't me."
"Are you sure about that?" she challenged, moving her head a bit as she produces that little evil but cute smile of hers.
"Definitely," he replies, moving a little closer to her. His hand ran through a part of her hair in delicate movements, as if coaxing a little child. He was so absorbed into the task that he didn't know that he continued to talk. "Heard you were an angel, the angels' leader, and you're the angel of death's daughter… I wasn't sure what I should believe, so I kept thinking you were dead, until your father told me that you are Sapphire…" he stopped, as if realizing what he was doing.
She looked away and her hair slipped out of his fingers. She moved her feet backwards and forwards in the motion of a swing. Her hands gripped tightly onto his makeshift bed and slowly she was devoured into sadness. Everything came at her in one fell swoop. She closed her eyes, trying to deal with it all at once, but she knew it was impossible as a headache brewed. Her dealings with the Imperial army and Raven three years ago, everything that happened afterwards, the fight with Rafael, what she did for three years when she isolated herself away from the rest of the world, and now with the current dealings with the demons that were soon to be here.
She breathed in deeply and released it, unsure on how she could speak to Raven whilst keeping it as light and understandable as possible so he wouldn't have to flip out. She remembered his hot but quick to flare temper. She had dealt with it before, but it had only made her own flare. She didn't need that, she needed control over her temper if she was going to lead a large army that has a vast amount of numbers she wouldn't be able to calculate without having to use her own or another's gift to find out the answer.
If she told Raven what she planned to do in this war…
…He was so going to kill her himself…