TW: Blood

The sun shone brightly over the city of the Aether, the huge floating island stayed in the air somehow, around lied smaller islands, farms and outcropping watch towers protecting the main island. Being's with wings often flew to the city and out, a constant motion that the people were used to. Large buildings towered, small homes and shops littered the streets, leaving little room for the Aether's natural flora. In the center of the city lay a large castle surrounded by short walls, elegantly crafted from diorite and quartz. The building seemed to shimmer under the sunlight, complimenting the extravagant city. In the gates lay many smaller quartz buildings, gardens, and beautiful walkways, elegant flowers and trimmed bushes surrounded sea and red stone lanterns, glowing the pathway through the community. All of the walkways led to a circle, where a large fountain of clear water ran indefinitely. Fish of unusual kind swirled in the large pool, frolicking as a valkyrie sprinkled food to the colorful creatures. A few winged beings waved to each other, clothed in regal robes that dragged as they walked. Guards with crossbows and large swords at their sides were positioned in selective spots across the castle grounds, keeping watch silently.

Luciel chewed on his lip, looking over the orders he had missed from his few days in the overworld. The valkyrie sighed and dropped his hand, looking up into the tree above. It's smooth leaves drooped, vine like branches surrounded Luciel. His back rested on its bark, his armor protecting his thin underclothing from the harsh texture.

"General!" His gaze lifted, meeting the eyes of a winged valkyrie, adorned with dull gold plating for training. The man stood stiffly and stoic as trained. "We are ready when you are sir." Luciel nodded, pushing himself off the tree to fold up his to-do list.

"yes of course. I will be there shortly." Luciel waved the valkyrie off, he looked back up into the tree's leaves. His mind kept going back to that demon, something had rubbed him the wrong way. He had never talked to the god in that manner, they had never talked much. Something about the difference in communication had Luciel chewing his lip again. Something was wrong, or just... off...

He flinched as he had tasted blood. The thought of not telling his god what had been done was killing him. Damn, he was getting too worked up over this. His lip pulsed where he had split it. He gently touched his new wound, looking at the blood on his fingertips. He shouldn't be having such troubling thoughts about the demon.

He tried to help, the demon resisted and left, he shouldn't care about that, right? Herobrine would come back alive no matter if he fell by his sword or not, right? He groaned, hitting the back of his head against the bark lightly. He had no idea of the damage his sword could inflict. Would his sword keep the demon down forever? Would it end his terror over the overworld? And why was that bothering him so much, he should be happy to put the demon out of it's misery.

Luciel groaned loudly, realizing he had leaned back into the tree. He needed to focus again and do his job. Herobrine was a god for Aether's sake, the guy could fare on his own just fine. 'God's. enough Herobrine for one day!' Luciel rolled his golden eyes, he slipped the note into his hidden pocket beneath his armor and quickly paced onto the walkway to follow where the winged valkyrie had gone to.

The training grounds were quite full, a line of armored soldiers were waiting patiently for the wingless valkyrie. The area seemed to clear of squabbles and side sessions as soon as Luciel walked onto the soft ground. This was his element, commanding those who needed the guidance and directing those who needed help. "Valkyries! Nothing immense today, Just standard procedure! Basic dueling, I will be seeing over the battles and helping from the sidelines." His voice traveled over the small field, making sure the small group of almost twenty soldiers heard him clearly. "I will allow you to choose your enemy. However I will switch you If I deem it necessary for your training." His hands folded behind his back, his chest slightly pushed out to display command and power. He unsheathed his long sword, stabbing it into the ground to nod. "Commence."

Immediately soldiers parted, slowly choosing their partners and making space for dueling. Light chattering filled the air and Luciel breathed out a sigh of relief. He watched for a few moments, his head examining his soldiers wield hard wooden swords carefully. Careful wouldn't cut it, his mouth opened to shout, however it snapped closed at the sound of a familiar name. Two soldiers to his close left gossiped. Luciel could barely breathe as he listened.

"shhh you're not supposed to say his name...!" A young man in his twenties hushed the other, dodging a badly aimed attack.

"pshh, I don't believe that, he'd have killed us all by now if it summoned him." A scoff came from a slightly older woman, her wings were dusted with brown flecks. They flashed out as she lunged forward, throwing another badly aimed strike. The man battered the wooden blade away with his own, looking frustrated.

"Anyways, I heard that he was spotted injured, like, super bad. I wonder if Notch got him recently, though I guess-" She heaved as she dodged a well-aimed stab. "We woulda' heard about that!" She struck back, the man grimaced. "I wonder if it was... uhm." The woman glanced at Luciel who was staring. "uh..." She turned her head slowly away, trying, but failing to act like she wasn't just about to talk about her general right to his face. Luckily both were saved from the tension as a shout came from across the field.

"General! General- Sir! phew!" A young valkyrie with smaller wings jogged up to Luciel, his hands rested on his knees as he drooped in exhaustion. His hair fell into his eyes as he wiped away sweat from his forehead. "Sir- Lord Notch requests your attendance to his office as soon as possible!" Panic gripped his chest, he knew exactly why he was being summoned. If the news of Herobrine's injuries ended up in his soldiers ranks, then his god would have known as well.

The young man stood up stiffly and saluted, then he clumsily jogged off, continuing his duty elsewhere. Luciel breathed in, flashing his gossiping soldier with a stern look before he addressed his soldiers. "Continue until I return!" Luciel quickly weaved through his disciples and made his way quickly to the large castle. His heavy iron clad shoes clinked onto the quartz walkway with every nervous step.

How much did notch know? Would he get reprimanded, scolded, or even punished? No, he needed a bit more faith in his god. Luciel breathed out and swatted a group of hairs away from his face. The bright strays fell back into place as he walked, light wind blew his hair around, it almost shimmered in the sunlight. He did everything he was told to do; prevent Herobrine from hurting mankind. His duty to his god wasn't strayed from.

With another deep sigh Luciel stood in front of the castle, huge golden doors towered over his head, intricate patterns and designs flowed around the outer edges. The gorgeous sights seemed to blend together for Luciel, he had seen nearly every inch of this castle a million times. He had lived his whole life inside of these walls. Thousands of his years were spent here, his home. The castle was huge, multipurpose as well, It held thousands of meetings, offices, bedroom's, a kitchen, throne room, dinning room, a huge library, and many more room's that Luciel hadn't even looked into. His own office lied nearby his sleeping quarters, he very much missed his bed- lying in it that morning had felt amazing.

Opening the large doors felt a bit sour today, a feeling that he had never experienced while entering his own living place. Two guards in gold nodded to him before they both began to push open the doors, using quite a bit of effort as they let Luciel inside. The angel stuck out like a sore thumb against the winged people. His halo was unique to himself, no other Valkyrie had his powers it seemed. He had always silently wondered why his god had designed him like this. But he was just grateful to be given the life he had, gifts or not. He also seemed to befriend other valkyries more often than the lesser god's. Notch had tried many times to have Luciel fit in with his team, but the angel had always felt strange around these powerful beings who were able to create and destroy at their own whim.

He shook his head, he couldn't focus on his inability to befriend god's now. His hurried footsteps clacked, he made his way down the crystal hallway's, knowing exactly where to expect his god to be waiting for him. After a few flights of curved stairs, he arrived at another set of large golden doors, regal and more intricate than the first. This was where he was used to discussing important matters with Notch alone. He was used to this- but why was he so... nervous.

Luciel looked down at his palm, clenching it for a few moments. Whatever judgment Notch had planned for him, he would accept with open arms. And with that, he knocked a few times, waiting patiently before the doors opened inwards, sliding with ease.

"Luciel! Sit, please. We have much to discuss!" A cheerful voice greeted him, It seemed to relax the angel slightly. With a last heavy breath of air, Luciel entered, his gaze swept around the office, It seemed to change every time he was In there. The room was bigger this time, It was a library of sorts. His golden eyes took In the change. When he spoke a few months prior in this exact room, It had been a fairly generic office. A dark oak desk, tables and with papers lying messily everywhere. There had been scribbles and writings of concepts and ideas. Now It was a library, much bigger than before, several floors bigger. Many row's of ancient writings and scriptures adorned the dusty shelves.

"My private library!" A voice came from above, books floated to meet the dark shoes of the pale god. "Comes in handy when I need to recall my past errors." The man slowly descended from a higher floor, a few well preserved books under his arm. The red cape on his back swayed lightly, and he tipped his black top hat in greeting. Dark eyes met Luciel's golden ones and Notch smiled kindly. "Apologies for having you summoned so soon after your return to work, but I heard some interesting news off of a co-worker."

Luciel bowed his head, silently greeting his god, however Notch didn't notice nor acknowledge the greeting. "In fact I looked into it." The angel nervously watched as Notch placed his books onto a birch oak desk, pushing aside a few others. The god pointed down at the book, jabbing the hard cover with a finger, turning to look at Luciel with a smile. "My brother's writings." He spoke softly, watching his valkyrie's eyes light up in interest. "Lost to all but me now. I wish to give these to you. It may help you out a bit to understand him a bit better. Though he Is a being twisted to nearly no repair, there Is much to understand about him."

Luciel felt as if he was hearing things, as if his god wasn't just telling him there was more to the demon. "His sword please." Notch held out a hand, awaiting silently as Luciel jumped into action, sliding out the diamond blade from behind his own scabbard. The angel twisted the blade and presented it to Notch, holding It out by the blade, making It easy for his god to grab the hilt. A small chuckle from the god radiated around the library. "It is alright Luciel, you are not on duty right now. Rest easy." Hands grasped the sword gently, taking It away.

Luciel sheepishly nodded, feeling shame rise a bit. He knew Notch didn't appreciate much of the formal things, but outside of a personal chat, he felt like It was necessary. "Of course, apologies."

"Now sit, we have much to discuss."

Luciel's mouth felt suddenly a bit more dry. He did as told, finding a red cushioned seat nearby a window he swore was impossible to even be there. He could see past the training grounds, the Aether city loomed beyond. The sun was high in the sky, and the tall buildings reflected beautifully. It made Luciel's mouth open, about to make a comment about the beautiful sight. His attention was brought back to Notch when he heard the god clearing his throat.

"Luciel you are my top soldier, and have never failed me in any category you have attempted. whether It be coding, leading, or for Aether's sake; even cooking! I cannot be more proud to have such a valkyrie at my side." Notch ran his hand over the swords blade, the golden rings on his fingers flickered in the sunlight. His expression turned serious, his legs moved, unable to hold still as Luciel's gaze followed.

"That is why I have a new mission for you. It should be quite easy for you, seeing as you've downed my brother already. He Is weak and Is stuck In the overworld for a short period of time." Notch ran his hand up the blade, It flickered and shone gold for a moment, and then faded back to the stunning blue. "I need you to retrieve my brother and bring him back to the Aether."

Luciel blinked in astonishment, bring the demon here? "But sir- I don't believe this Is a good idea- The people-"

"Relax, I can handle Herobrine here in the Aether much easier than in the overworld, all Is well." The diamond blades hilt was held out to Luciel, causing a frown as he grasped the handle to return It to the side of his scabbard. "I have given you this task for a reason Luciel, I know you will not fail me." The god's hands returned back to the handwritten books, scooping them up carefully. "That Is not the only task I will give to you. And I know you are fairly busy outside of the occasional Herobrine sighting. However as the most trusted member of my team I am assigning you the pleasure of being my brother's guide. And In due time, I know he will enjoy helping with your students."

Luciel felt like his thousands of years of fighting this monster was just made up. It felt as if they were thinking of two different being's. "Sir-! I don't think I can do any of sorts-! I don't know what you expect of me but I'm not a therapist- nor do I want to be around that demon more than I have to!" He hadn't realized until he stepped forward that he had stood. "Notch I don't mean to doubt your belief's sir, but please reconsider assigning the demon to another-"

"Who is able to overpower the demon?"

"Any of the other god's sir-"

"Not any of my teammates other than you."

Yet again that finger was jabbing, but this time to Luciel's chest. "You know him better than anyone here, not even I recognize many of his patterns anymore. I am stuck in the past and barely recognize my brother. However I created you for this, for hunting, leading, and guiding. And you are definitely more than I had hoped for." Notch drew away, his arms folded. "Besides, you already achieved a small level of trust with him."

"Trust? you mean when I tried to heal him? I don't think I earned any trust from that. He resisted until he practically gave up."

"Correct. But that small action of aid Is something he hasn't experienced in several millennia. I believe this action may have been a shift." Luciel watched, his hands fidgeting by his sides. The air was uncomfortable and the amount of confidence Notch had in him made him even more unsure of this assignment. The god seemed so sure of his words.

Trust? How was he able to build trust with a being that had been existing far longer than him? That was bent beyond redemption? He had experienced so much of the pain and anguish that Herobrine had created, why was Notch suggesting trust?

Notch bounced in his step back towards his soldier, shoving the worn books towards Luciel's stunned and unprepared arms. "I am slightly surprised that you had not reported back to me about this, I would have handed you these books much sooner If I knew what was going on!" Luciel looked down, all this information was a lot. His worn fingers ran across the smooth leather cover of the top book, examining its fragile qualities. Even millennia old, the book seemed to barely be aged outside of standard usage. Both were handmade and definitely written in profusely over many years.

"He would kill me if he knew I gave those to you." Notch laughed and rolled his eyes, as If his joke wasn't literal.

Luciel was busy thumbing through the heavy well made pages. Splatters of ink and seemingly old blood periodically covered the white surfaces, Luciel barely wanted to touch most of the pages due to the brown hue of dried blood. The second book seemingly had been submerged in quite a bit of the fowl life fluid. The color seemed washed out thankfully, the letter's were legible. His gaze paused, a few drawings in the second book were visible, causing Luciel to blink. The demon was an artist? That was surprising. As he flipped through more pages he noticed more sketches, rarely seen with color. Most were monotone, whatever tool to draw with, the creature seemed to have used it for a long time until it ran out a few chapter's later. Then the medium switched to a different color or texture. It took a solid minute for Luciel to realize Notch was having a conversation with himself unknowingly.

The god raised his hands up, seemingly exasperating something in an excited manner. Luciel blinked, his focus had been drawn away again. He forced his eyes to tear away from the interesting books and he watched his god, his ears tuning back in. "-millennium! I will be watching In case you need me of course." The god spun around, moving behind Luciel to begin to 'push' the valkyrie out with gestures. "But you will be absolutely fine. Just do call if complications arise. I will be awaiting my brother's presence here tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow!?" Luciel began to be pushed out of the room by nothing, Notch wasn't even touching his back. The valkyrie dug his iron heels into the quartz flooring and tried to stop himself from sliding toward the doors to no avail.

"precisely!" Notch smiled and gently shoved his angel out the regal doors and somehow Luciel viewed the rooms exit to be outside the front of the castle. There was a woman now standing before the fish fountain, her arms whisked around, a large net in her grasp as she pulled out thick strings of film and growth from the water below. Luciel, astonished and at loss for words, whipped around to see the same regal golden door's as earlier, shut and silent before him. The castle he was just inside of was looming above his head. The two guards he had greeted before watched him with questioning gazes, curious on Luciel's expression of confusion.

Fascinating...