The Ascent of Zariel, Volume II, Prelude


 * Hall of the Ascendants - 


 * Here, at the highest pinnacle of the Ascendant Aspect, the Angels of Necromundus can almost - but never quite - bask in the brilliance of their home plane. Diffuse white light fills the space, wisps of pale mist gathering at the will of the inhabitants to form whatever physical objects they may require while here. In this hall, Ascendants meet.

The Hall of the Ascendants is a place few ever see, and none not of Angel stock. Yet today, clearly, an exception is made. The Archangel has no throne - indeed, there seem to be no chairs at all in the pleasantly cool hall - but sits on the mist itself, holding open a portal of summoning.

Stepping through said portal somewhat uncertainly, Zariel examines the area. "Woah," is the first thing to come out of his mouth, and the only thing for a good while as the demon marvels at his surroundings.

"I asked the others to leave, for the time being," says Cephas mildly. "You are the first of your kind to be invited this far, but I felt it was an appropriate occasion. A month has gone by, after all. It's time to tell me about your progress."

"I'm flattered. I'll start off by telling you that it's no /wonder/ all the goody-goodies are so freakin' uptight," Zariel replies, running a hand over his hair, "And then I'll add that I'm no further along now than when I started. Went in a great big circle of Bad that landed back at square one. Except I'm more tired, achey, and all-around irritable. But, hey, at least I didn't kill anyone. I managed to get one thing right in this mess."

Cephas blinks. "No...just calmer," he says. "You should know by now not to believe everything you hear." He waves a hand, solidifying mist into a silvery mound of pillows. "Sit, if you want to. Tell me about your quest."

Zariel sighs and takes a seat, stretching out his wings. "I started out trying to get close to the King. First thing that came out of my mouth offended him... which, really, I guess that's not surprising..." He continues to explain, in great detail, everything about the quest so far, including how eventually he gave up on his task altogether to just try to get the King /back/. At the very least, it seems the demon likes this opportunity to vent. He leaves out things that aren't directly related to his task., and in general seems to emphasize the bad and downplay the good. His general vibe is 'I'm a fuckup and here's why.'

Cephas listens quietly to it all, calmly and without comment, until the end. "...So...you gave up, you say, but you tried to rescue the King anyway? Why?"

"Because it's my fault he was kidnapped in the first place," Zariel replies, blinking, "I felt bad. Guilty. Which is a really new feeling to me, for the record, and I don't like it one bit."

Cephas nods. "I would imagine so. Demons do not normally know guilt, it would make it quite difficult to live their lives. But why did you give up?"

"Wasn't so much giving up as putting it on the back burner," Zariel explains, "I tried to get some holy water to him after he was placed back in his throne, but... well, yeah, that didn't happen. Like I said, the only thing I managed to get right was the no-killing clause."

Cephas nods thoughtfully, wings spreading. Here, in the closest point to the Ascendant realm, the radiance is not blinding so much as...normal, really, a candleflame at noon. "So. What did you hope holy water would do?"

"Linnael said the Shining Ones have this freaky water that makes people forget things, and makes them easier to re-educate," Zariel replies, "Something about a healer or holy water being able to cancel out the second part. I thought maybe if I could help him see what the Shining Ones were all about, it might help the King have more of a fighting chance against their influence? I don't know, it might have been a dumb idea... seemed like it was worth a try at the time."

The Archangel nods, floating somewhat higher into the air. "Do you want to continue with your quest?"

The demon tilts his head, quirking a brow in mild confusion. "Well... yeah, but didn't I fail?"

"And if I say you have," asks Cephas. "Would you still want to finish this task? Do you think you can?"

"I want to finish it," Zariel nods, "I intend to regardless. No sense just stopping in the middle of something. Now, whether I /can/ or not... Right now I don't feel like I can get anything right, so I really don't think I can give a good opinion there until my self-esteem isn't shot to hell."

Cephas nods. "The next task may be harder," he says. "You are sure you want to continue?"

"Yes," Zariel replies, "I'm still a little lost, though. Unless King Trueguard's soul mysteriously saved itself, I failed the last one. Am I missing something?"

"I am the Archangel of Necromundus," says Cephas calmly. "I am the angel with greatest authority and power on this plane, the voice of the Powers to even other angels in this world." Descending to conversational distance, he looks Zariel in the eyes - perhaps disconcerting, since one of Cephas' is less an eye and more a small window on infinity. "The ascendant Powers we serve do not play games, Zariel. They are not unknowing, unmerciful, indifferent or cruel. There is a reason for their silence, and a reason for every request they make. Even," and his claw points toward Zariel, "in your case. Tell me why you think you failed. Zariel."

"I was told to save a soul in a certain amount of time. To my knowledge, my time is up and I haven't saved the soul," Zariel remarks, trying not to stare at the infinity-eye. It's more a case of fascination than discomfort.

"That was your task," Cephas nods. "Not your test. Your test, you have passed." He grins. "Not, mind you, that your task was unimportant, and I *would* like to see it finished. But the first stage of your quest, you passed. Congratulations."

The demon laughs, as though a great deal of pressure is being released through this action. "Sweet," is the best word Zariel can come up with to express his relief, "One down, six more to go. So are you going to give me my next one now, or will I get some time to see if I can't finish that last task without the distraction of another one to worry about? Or... well, I guess the last task would be the distraction... I can take my time with it now. Although... if it's an option, it would be /really/ nice to get maybe a week of down time between tests? Just to recharge my batteries, see if I can't chill out a little? If it's not an option, that's cool."

Cephas shakes his head. "It's not an option, no," he says quietly. "Courage, determination...consider virtue. It isn't easily found. But you will probably lose heart again on hearing what is next."

"Eh, no harm in asking," Zariel says, "And I'll allocate my time better this time around. So, what near-impossible task am I going to be set on this month?" He sounds strangely cheerful about the idea of getting another 'near-impossible task'.

"...Help Ravus mend his relationship with Ax," says Cephas calmly.

The demon hesitates, blinking at Cephas. "Please don't ask me to get involved with that again," Zariel says softly, "I've tried before, I just..." Head bows and wings droop, "All I do is make it worse..."

"Consider virtue," says Cephas quietly. "One month, to make all well between them...and you cannot take Ravus for yourself."

"How is their relationship even any of your goddamn business?" Zariel asks, starting to get a bit angry, "What makes you think you have the right to meddle in their afterlives? To make /me/ meddle in their afterlives? What if it's something that can't be fixed, or... or what if..." He shakes his head before planting his face in his hands. "What if I make it worse and they get hurt? I don't..."

"What made the soul of King Trueguard my business?" asks Cephas quietly. "There is a reason. When it is all done, you will know that reason. This is your task, Zariel. Your quest...well. It will come clear in time. I hope so, at any rate."

Zariel shakes his head. "I won't risk hurting Ravus for this," he says simply, "I won't. It's not worth it."

"You surrender, then?" asks Cephas, quiet and serious. "You will remain a demon for all time?"

"If my only options are to risk hurting him or to surrender, then yeah," Zariel nods.

Cephas shakes his head. "That is your interpretation, not the task," he says. "Do you surrender?"

Tilting his head, Zariel shoots Cephas a look, "You know... when Ravus first told me he was going to ask Ax if we could be together... I couldn't decide how to feel. Part of me was like 'Yay, I might get to be with him' and the other part was like 'Oh, hell, what if Ax flips out and their relationship goes down the shitter?'. And Ax did flip out, and when I saw that Ravus was going to be forced into a corner... I offered to let him go, so he wouldn't have to choose between us." The demon rubs at the back of his head, "Obviously it didn't turn out that way. Ravus picked me, and then Ax was forced to either accept it or let him go." He clears his throat, then, "And I guess that story isn't all that relevant, but..." he just shakes his head, "Look, I'll accept it for now, if only to give myself some time to think. Who knows, maybe I can actually come up with something that won't end in disaster. But I can't guarantee that I'll even have tried by the end of the month."

"Choices are the heart of the work," says Cephas. "But bear in mind my exact words to you - don't make this something it isn't, or you will fail."

"My task is to 'help Ravus mend his relationship with Ax'," Zariel replies flatly, "And you said that the actual quest should be clear in time. And I can't take Rav for myself. Unless you meant I can't just push Ax out of the picture altogether, I'm not sure what you mean. And pushing Ax out of the picture wouldn't help the relationship anyway. Did I miss anything?"

"Quite a bit," Cephas sighs. "But learning is, I suppose, part of the point."

"I always was denser than a hunk of lead," Zariel remarks simply.

"Then have a little faith, or try to," suggests Cephas, "That what is asked is neither blindly nor without cause. Are you ready to go back?"

"Yeah," Zariel nods, "You going to teleport me or is there a way for me to head back on my own? It's nice up here, a short stroll through could be good for my head." He pauses, then, "Oh, um, question - are either of them allowed to know about this month's task?"

Cephas shakes his head. "Not until the month is over." He smiles slightly. "Whereupon, if you wish, it can be explained."

"What about third parties?" Zariel asks as he stands from the pile of mist-pillows.

Cephas nods. "Though I think you will find if word gets back to the principals, your task will become much harder, you can speak to any otherwise uninvolved parties all you like." He raises a hand. "Any more questions, or shall I send you back?"

"Nah, that's it," Zariel says, "Catch you later, Cephas."

Cephas nods, talons flicking through the air, to create a gate of sparks that rushes to engulf the demon's form.

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