Carmilla never thought she would be in here again, it was a mix of feelings. Dust had settled on her tools, but other than that, everything has been untouched.
'I never thought I would see this place again. It has been a literal eternity since I was here.' Carmilla thought as she grabbed her old hammer.
It felt familiar… yet also like a stranger. Like meeting a long a long lost relative.
"Feeling nostalgic?" Emily asked as Carmilla turned to her.
"Yes, in a way." Carmilla said with a nod. "Being here... I made many things, the weapons that defined heaven... hard to believe it was so long ago."
"Do you think you can repair Lucifer's sword, despite the time that's passed?" Sera asked.
Carmilla looked at her old forge.
"… I'll manage." She said.
Sera smiled at her mother, but wondered if this room was where she was "born" as she glanced around the forge.
"Do you need any help? I can call Vaggie to come or your daughters." Emily suggested.
"No... I made this... only I can fix it."
With all six of her wings, Carmilla flapped them and made all of the dust in the old forge blow away.
She held a hand up and a white flame formed, soon being thrown at the old coals.
"... Time for me to right a wrong." Carmilla said, holding the broken sword.
She put it inside the forge and went to the side of it.
"I might be a bit rusty, it's been a long time and I had accepted the idea I would never see the old workshop again." Carmilla as she set the hammer down and gazed at cold forge.
She grabbed a handle and began to pump air into the forge, trying to heat up the coals. Most people believe that Blessed fire is hotter than the sun... but it's not. It's the coldest of all fire, but the reason it's so vital, is that it's the only fire capable of smelting angelic metals. Carmilla is the only Angel capable of naturally generating Blessed Fire, it was what the Lord himself made her for.
It's how she was able to make things like Blessed Bullets, Blessed Tipped Guns, and even Blessed Rope after her fall to Hell. All the weapons her district took after exterminations, she would melt them down to the raw materials herself.
But she would never make the weapons herself, she would give it to her workers to make them.
The white flames began to flicker to life on the coals as she worked the forge's bellows. Carmilla hadn't realized how much she missed this, the moments of working so closely with the her old equipment.
She would spend days, months, even years in one case, just building weapons. Whatever God asked of her, it was what she made.
"Such a long time." She said, moving to grab another item she'd need, "Yet it still feel like yesterday."
From the background, Sera and Emily watched as she worked. A somewhat comfortable silence as the (no longer) sisters didn't feel like talking to each other at the moment.
Sera stared at the tongs that fit perfectly in Carmilla's hand. She swept her gaze around the shop. Eyes going over each tool hanging on rack. Sera stopped her gaze on the casting molds in the corner. One question burning in her mind that she could no longer contain.
"Is this where you made me?" Sera asked her mother.
Carmilla faltered for a brief moment before easily resuming her steady rhythm in pumping the bellows.
"I was more dignified that to bring life into a place designed for making weapons." Carmilla said, "I created you in the temple of God, the only place a Seraphim can come to life."
"The temple of God? I don't remember being born there." Emily said.
"Once you were born and breathing, you were taken out of the temple to be clothed and informed of everything you need to know." Carmilla said, making sure the white fire was the right temperature.
Sera gently touched the back of her head where Carmilla had indicated the mark was.
"I've always felt off… what I mean is… I've always felt like I've had to prove my worth to fath-to God…" Sera clammed up as Carmilla glared at her as the broken blade was shoved into the brightest coals.
"Perhaps being my child is the reason you had fallen in love with that little sparing partner of Michael's." Carmilla said, recalling that memory. "I should've acted like your parent then because you became cold since your relationship ended."
"Our relationship didn't end, YOU casted him out!" Sera said, growing annoyed.
"Under the direct order of God!" Carmilla said.
"Can I ask who you guys are talking about?" Emily asked.
"No!" They both said firmly, making the princess of Hell pout/glare.
'Great. It feels like never left.' Emily thought.
Sera whipped back around bristling with anger.
"So it's not a problem if YOU follow orders but it is when I do the same thing!? And how was I to know that I was casting out the one who created me if I never knew?! My own mo-!" She stopped herself from saying mother, it was what Carmilla wanted in after all.
Carmilla started to pump the bellows more furiously. Her anger was starting to get the best of her.
"That's none of your concern what I had to do!" She shouted.
Emily's eyes widened at the similarities.
"Holy shit, you banished her boyfriend! You are just as overprotective as Sera is!!!" Emily said as she points at Carmilla, then turned to Sera. "And you had a boyfriend? I thought you were just a stuck up old bitch that hated love. No offense."
"How is that NOT offensive?" Sera asked.
"Because I didn't call you a cunt like I used to." Emily said, shrugging. "I can go back to that if you want."
Sera rubs her forehead feeling a migraine coming on before then instinctively hands Carmilla her hammer seeing her pull out a bright yellow hot blade.
"I get it Emily, you still hate what I did to you. No need to remind me every chance you get… it has been haunting me every day since then." Sera said as Carmilla stares at the hammer.
'How did she know I needed this?' Carmilla thought, surprised that Sera still has the instinctive response, and takes the hammer.
Sera sighs and looks away from them both.
"Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't been made, then none of this would have happened. I only seem to cause problems." She said.
"No." Carmilla said, drawing their attention. "I was specifically told by God that you must be created. I don't know why, but he was insistant that a Seraphim be made."
"Then why not do it himself?" Emily asked.
"Creating a Seraphim is one of the hardest things to do. Creating me forced God to rest for 300 years." Carmilla explained as she starred at the hammer in her hands, slowly tightening her grip on it. "Which is why he asked me to create one. But I was told to never reveal to anyone that it was I who made her... Now that he's dead, I don't care what I say."
Carmilla kept starring at the hammer, as if she was struggling to force herself to do this.
"Wait, how did you know God was de-" Sera then turned to Emily. "You told her, didn't you?"
"I didn't." Emily said, shaking her head.
"Lucifer retired and then disappeared from all of Hell, God often spoke of how he had plans for the day his Morningstar returned to heaven... It isn't hard to piece the puzzle together. I've known for nearly twenty years, up until today nothing heaven did was my business." Carmilla explained.
Sera fidgeted with her hair as she waited for Carmilla to start. Memories flooding back to the first time she was brought into the forge. It felt like she was ruining this for Carmilla *again* when she saw her hesitation.
"I—I'll go wait outside, I feel like I am…unnecessary here." Sera said as she hurries to the door, feeling like a stain and coward trying to mend what she had unknowingly broken.
Emily followed her. Once they were gone, Carmilla closed her eyes and started to silently cry.
'You better be right about what you told me eons ago, Heavenly Father.' Carmilla thought, her sadness turning into anger as she raised her hammer
She slammed her hammer down on the burning metal. Breathing heavily as she did. She raised it up and then slammed it down again.
Outside of the forge, Sera leaned against the wall and slowly slumped to the ground. She wrapped herself up in her wings feeling deep shame as she listened to the sharp pings of Carmilla working. She'd be lying to herself if she said it wasn't a comforting sound, but leaving her alone was for the best.
"Yo, penny for your thoughts?" Emily asked.
Sera sighed.
"So much is going on. And I fear this might be the end of life as we all know it. I can barely handle with Roo out there... and now I find out my entire life is a lie." Sera said, looking to the floor.
Emily sat down next to Sera.
"Yeah, whole shit storm is going on." Emily said, "But... if it makes you feel better... regardless if we are or not... I still see you as my sister."
Sera turned to look at Emily, shocked. Sure they had repaired their broken relationship, but this was really the first time in 20 years that Emily called her sister.
"B-b-but I'm-"
"Here's a fun fact, I'm not biologically related to Charlie, still call her my sister. The sins aren't biologically related to Dad, but he still calls them siblings, and Charlie and I still call them aunts and uncles. I'm not related to Lucy in any way, shape, or form... and yet I'm still called Aunt Emily." Emily said, gazinf at Sera. "I've learned since my fall that blood doesn't make you family. Family is more than that, it's the people you trust, the people care about, the people you're willing to do anything to protect... are you willing to do anything to keep others safe?"
"Yes!" Sera said, rather quickly. "I want nothing more than to keep others safe through this... mostly you."
"Then there you go." Emily said, putting an arm around Sera, "You're my sister, nothing is going to change that."
Sera started tearing up at that. She began crying, while Emily just pat her on the back and leaned in her shoulder.
"Yep, let it all out." Emily said, using her other hand to check her phone.
Charlie sent her a text about Lucifer... And oh Emily was about to blow a fuse. Of all the stupid things he could've done...
'Calm down Emily.' Emily thought, taking a deeo breath through her nose. 'Getting angry solves lots of things... but this is not one of them.'
"Hey, Sera, you know, it will be a bit before Carmilla finishes the weapon." Emily said, putting her phone away. "Want to go with me to Sloth?"
Emily stood up and held a hand out to Sera, waiting for her to make her decision.