Azrael exited the bedroom as fast as his legs would allow. Slumping against the door that divided them, he listened to Evangeline shuffle around on the other side. A pain in his chest tightened, unsettling him as the warmth of her touch from her foot still claimed his hand. He flinched curling it forcefully into a fist, wanting to rid himself of the strangeness.

Conflicted, his body hummed, vibrated. The few drops of her blood affected parts of him that had been sealed shut. It had invaded his mouth, burning his tongue, sweeping through his sensory organ, electrifying each never, emitting a signal like a homing beacon, tapping, chipping at his cage. Those few droplets communicated a story... and something else.

His heartbeat quickened.

His heartbeat never quickened.

Angelina's heartbeat had always been his metronome that kept the rhythm of his heart... his soul at a steady pace. Even after all this time, memories of her pulled at his very essence, her crux would forever be his light, his dark.

Without instruction he recalled the smallest of details, her laugh, smell, the hastening of her pulse when the barest amounts of their skin would touch.

His jaw clenched and his chest pain constricted his breath. Something was wrong, very wrong. He needed to speak with the only other being that could answer the question that now throbbed in his head.

Who was Evangeline?

Standing straight, his spine stiffening, he was swept into darkness, teleporting to the Firmament.

The Firmament was a remnant cloud from the beginning of time. To the eye, darkness was prominent, the same darkness that came just before the sunrise. But as one's eyes adjusted, greens, red and blues pulsed intermittently as if a star itself had exploded.

Another light came into his line of sight, a golden light that radiated elation and purity. It passed him, around him, through him, onwards it travelled to its destination as if being magically guided. He knew these to be souls of the recently departed.

The Firmament sat between the realms, a border of such. He had heard it described as many things over the years. The humans of the Physical Realm would refer to it as the Gates of Heaven in most of their documented writings. Those souls with pure intent could pass through without fear from the Firmament into the Heavenly Realm.

It was also the gateway to the Sky Realm where the oldest of beings sat, watching, waiting for her return, Pure Souls.

The soul he sought sat within the Sky Realm. Looking down, his feet hung in the air, but a pathway could clearly be seen beneath them. Particles of red and yellow dotted together, calling him to move up the path beyond where his eyes could not see. The urge to move forward was an undeniable strong pull that called to the slither of light he still held within. He seized himself, this was a path he could not tread. No longer was it his right to bask in its warmth, feel the pure essence feed his tired soul, walk with his brother and sisters.

Focusing, his purpose returned. Forcing the surrounding ether to vibrate, he mentally plucked at his aura, releasing a tiny thread of his soul, extending before him, its lights surprisingly to him still golden. It continued to stretch out, searching until Azrael could no longer see. He waited.

As if an elastic band were being cut, the thread of his soul snapped back.

He was here.

In the distance he saw a white light move towards him. Translucent, shimmering before shifting into a form that he recognised. Azrael allowed himself a smile. "Brother." His tone was welcoming, startling him.

"Azrael." Ender bowed his head, seemingly unsurprised by Azrael's appearance in the Firmament. "I have been expecting you Brother."

Indifferent to his brother's declaration, Azrael saw no point in delaying, each passing moment he spent in the Firmament was a risk to him and his brother. "I must ask Ender, why did you request I take the pledge, Evangeline?"

A pause. "I sensed something, something I could not confirm and still cannot not confirm."

"And, please share Brother, what was it you sensed?"

"The vampire lied."

Azrael absorbed his words, knowing this to be true. "We both felt something at the ceremony, you spoke of your mind being touched and I tasted magic in play. Are you sure you saw the mark of Erubus... with your own eyes?"

Ender glided towards a pulse of red light, lifting his hand, the red light passed through his fingers, glowing beneath his skin before fading. "I have learned to see and believe are poles apart, but I can only say what my eyes lay upon." His eyes fixed on Azrael's before continuing. "But if you are asking if I felt something different – then my answer is yes Brother, I did." He watched Azrael carefully, his pale blue eyes teeming with questions. There was a time when he would have not needed to ask his brother's thoughts. "What led you to that question?"

Azrael rubbed his hand across his chin. "The reaction in the pledging circle, was it identical to Angelina's reaction?" He himself had not witnessed, often pondering in his times of despair, if he had seen it that day, would it have changed the outcome?

Ender shook his head, a flash of anger, darkened his green eyes. Azrael had never witnessed his brother's anger.

"No Angelina's was different; I know that I need not explain further." He sighed, the anger receding as a heavy sadness fell across his brow.

Azrael recoiled as the sadness he had denied himself belied from deep within, pushing out every other emotion. Where there once had been love, light, laughter, now he only felt pain, darkness. He swallowed down the distaste of his sorrow, pity was an emotion he despised. "Tonight, I tasted her blood, Evangeline's," he clarified. He watched Ender's eyebrow arch; a questioning look spoken without words.

"Do not fear for her safety Ender, she was not harmed, you had my word and my word will always keep its value." He watched him visibly relax.

Ender moved towards him; his hands outstretched in a warm gesture. "May I taste?"

Azrael nodded his head, pushing himself forward. He closed his eyes, opening to find Ender mere centimetres away from him. His lips parted as Ender leaned forward pressing their lips together. Even after all these years the familiar feeling of them joining, forming a connection, brought a rush of oneness that he would never freely allow himself to admit, he missed.

Ender's tongue glided over Azrael's.

Ender's head lurched back, a flush of red burst through his cheeks. He touched his parted lips. "Pure soul essence. I taste it."

It was the confirmation that Azrael needed. He nodded. "Who has gone from the Sky Realm?"

They both spoke her name in unison. "Sophia."

The weight of her name from his lips both brought relief coupled with terror. No matter the cause why he hadn't known she was the vessel he sought – it was the only logical explanation. She was being hidden somehow... magic.

"Do you think the vampire forced Sophia somehow? To carry the child, Evangeline?" Knowing the answer, but still he had to ask. A Pure Soul could be neither forced nor enticed to do anything, but could willingly do as they desired, unlike Angels.

"You know as well as I Brother, that cannot happen. Sophia would have to give herself voluntarily, without reservation, without doubt." He paused. "Without shame."

Azrael's shoulders slumped; a lump formed in his throat. In times gone past he had sought Enders council but could not bring himself to burden his brother with the knowledge of past actions or his intended future actions. A rush of dishonour twisted around his spine; this feeling did not sit well with him.

Ender watched his brother fight an internal battle within himself. The urge to hold him, ease and share his burden brought a swell of need that he had denied and pushed down for many years. "Come home Azrael, end whatever it is you seek, forgive yourself. I have Brother, please return home... to your family."

Azrael flinched, his brother's words were unexpected, the weight of them thickened his already heavy burden of guilt. "I cannot brother... not yet." He watched Ender's eyes grow wide, unable to recall a time his words had surprised his brother, although he knew what he said had been but a mere fantasy, a lie.

Ender nodded, Azrael words 'not yet' gave him hope that he scarcely believed was possible.

Azrael tipped his head. "Thank you, Ender. but I must take my leave now, others have sensed my presence here and may not be as welcoming or pleased to see me as you." There were other reasons he needed to return home, one of those being the many questions for his Angel. But first he needed to locate something. Lowering his gaze from his brothers, he closed his eyes.

Moments later Azrael opened his eyes, he was back standing in his library. He needed to find a scroll, a scroll that recited the story of the prophecy child – or what he could remember, he had scribbled the pictures quickly, when he had returned from Erubus.

A sudden coldness ran the length of his vessel. For many years he had refused himself to think back to the fateful day. The day he had freely given part of his soul, his pure essence to try to save Angelina. He had little interest in their terms, paying no heed to the voice in his head, warning him. That day he not only lost her, he lost his family and gave himself freely to his tormentors, those who had turned him into this thing he was now, a Nether Demon, a prince amongst those created for the sole purpose to destroy and give rise to their return.

Yes, he had been imbued with power, a power he neither asked for nor desired. But it had all been lies, He could not save her and only then had he realised through his own stupidity he had heard only what he wanted to hear.

Grabbing each scroll, he opened one after the other, dropping them to floor. Frustration quickly got the better of him but was interrupted with a growl from behind.

He needn't look behind him, he knew it to be his Lupine. "Speak Zuul, I have business I need to attend too."

He stopped and turned as his Lupine mind spoke to his. "What do you mean gone? When?"

Azrael didn't wait for an answer as he teleported to the bedroom where he had left her, he wanted to witness her deception for himself.

He scanned the bedroom, nostrils flaring, his finger curled tightly into the hem of his trousers. Why had she not listened when he had instructed her not to leave this room? A tightening in his eyes, he had warned her, and she had not listened, unaware of the dangers that could be anywhere, everywhere. His teeth ground against one another.

Zuul stood by his side, bigger than moments ago. "Find her Zuul, now!" Zuul growled and vanished.

Merely a second passed as Azrael teleported to Zuul's location.

He witnessed the sight before him. His knuckles now white from clenching his fists too tight. He remained shielded from their eyes as he assessed the situation. His heart leapt to his throat as he saw a man with a blade standing over Evangeline. Burning rage hissed through his body as he instructed Zuul to show him no mercy.

Distracted by a whimper and desperate growl. He saw a wolf withering on the ground, imprisoned by a magical chord, an Elm knot. It glowed a golden amber as it tightened around the wolfs large throat and chest. He would surely be dead soon if the knot was not severed, it would eat into his skin, eventually decapitating him, a slow and painful death to be sure.

Allowing himself to be seen, he lifted his hand pointing in the direction of the two men. They froze where they stood under his control.

He walked towards the first. He would question then kill them, showing no mercy and devour their souls.