Chapter Text
“Wait! This is unfair! Sera, you realize that, don’t you?” A small seraph spoke as she flew before the much taller seraphim, looking up at her with pleading eyes. “The Speaker must have misunderstood, I’m sure if we—”
“Camael!” Sera’s voice boomed, echoing around the large, empty hall.
Camael went silent, eyes widening, but not for long, as she squared her shoulders. “But Sera, this is insane, they're just—”
“Silence!” Sera’s voice cut her off once more, and this time Camael stayed silent. “The Speaker does not misunderstand. The Speaker does not pass a false judgment. The Speaker is the Speaker of God for a reason.”
Camael frowned as they landed softly on the ground, looking down at their feet. “I know it’s just…”
“To say otherwise is blasphemy.”
Camael bit her tongue at that, fighting the words that wanted to come up. It’s not fair. This is wrong… She’s not listening again. They never listen. Camael could feel her nails digging into her palms painfully to the point they began to shake. Suddenly, however, she felt a hand on her shoulder and relaxed her hands as she looked up. Sera looked down at her with a small smile and gentle eyes. Camael thought she looked older with that kind of expression. An expression of understanding… Understanding her pupil was upset with something she believed Camael did not understand. However, Camael did understand, and that was the problem.
“I understand you're frustrated, Camael,” Sera began slowly, “but this whole situation has been… a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“Yes, it was a mistake on my part to think you were ready.”
Camael stiffened.
“I had forgotten how much younger you are than I…”
I’m not that many centuries younger than you…
“...I will be sure to remember this in the future and leave you out of decisions that involve both Heaven and Hell. I do not wish to cause you such distress again.” Sera continued to speak, now guiding the smaller seraph down the long corridor with a gentle hand at her back. “For now, I believe it would be best for you to spend some time praying to calm your nerves. I believe with some time to reflect, you will have a clearer head and realize why things had to turn out the way they did.” Sera stopped in front of a set of large doors and pushed them open to reveal a room full of empty pews, and at the opposite side of the room sat an elegant altar. Sera folded her hands behind her back as Camael stepped into the room. “I will allow you some time to yourself. Once you are feeling better, I will be waiting for you in my office.”
Camael looked up at Sera, who had a small smile on her face. Camael did her best to return the smile but ended up bowing her head instead in silent frustration.
Sera frowned at this and began to reach her hand out before pulling it away. “I… this is for your own good, Camael. I know you may be upset with me now, but you will understand.” With that, Sera opened her wings and gave a single, powerful beat, as she lifted into the air and disappeared down the hall. The doors slowly closed upon her absence, giving a final hollow echo as they fully shut, leaving Camael alone.
Camael let out a defeated sigh as she lifted her head towards the altar and began to walk towards it.
As she got closer, Camael slowly lifted and folded her hands in front of her chest. Upon reaching the altar, Camael looked up at it and furrowed her brow as dizziness took root in her head and heart. Camael fell to her knees as she bowed her head and closed her eyes, pressing her already folded hands impossibly tighter.
~
Sera returned to the altar room several hours later, having grown concerned for her pupils' unusually long absence. Perhaps I was too hard on her. Sera could not help but reprimand herself as she knocked on the altar room’s tall doors. When no response came, Sera slowly began to push the doors open. “Camael, I was getting worried and—” Sera stopped in her tracks, her wings drooping as her arms fell to her sides.
The room was empty.
~
Camael carefully made her way to the meeting room. Once there, she poked her head in and glanced around to ensure that it was empty. After confirming that it was she silently shut the door behind her and flew over to where an angelic steel cage sat. Camael winced, remembering she was the one who had melded it with her magic, shaking her head, Camael lifted the cloth that covered it.
After fully removing the covering, Camael heard a soft hissing and growling sound. Looking into the cage, Camael’s eyes softened. Two small girls sat curled in the corner, holding each other tightly with their tiny hands. One of the girls gave a warning growl upon seeing Camael.
“Shh, it's okay, I’m not gonna hurt you.” Camael hushed, softly as she began using her magic to open the cage. “I’m taking you somewhere safe. The only problem is I don’t know where that is now because we’re already in Heaven, but I just learned they're planning to exterminate you guys— er, well, not you two in particular, but all sinners really. Or at least a portion of them for population control.” Camael began to ramble nervously while trying to calm the girls. At some point, Camael realized she did not hear any growling and looked back at the cage to find it empty. “Oh.”
Suddenly, Camael felt a soft tug on her dress and looked to see the blonde little girl looking up at her. “You’re pretty.” The small girl squeaked out.
Camael felt she would die on the spot at how cute the girl was with her small, round hands and plump cheeks. Although they were a bit too hollow for Camael’s liking, what were they doing to these children? “Why, thank you, pequeña. Ah- would you happen to know where your sister is?”
The girl simply stared up at her with wide, curious eyes. However, Camael did not have to wait long to discover where the other had gone, as she felt a sharp nip on one of her wings and let out a small yelp. Looking down, she saw the other girl nibbling on one of Camael’s feathers that was no longer attached. Camael noted this with a frown but shook her head now that she knew where both of them were. “There you are!” Camael scooped up the small girl so that she could not wander off again. This caused the girl to let out a giggle, and she began pulling on Camael’s hair. Camael winced but smiled nonetheless.
“Why do you have so many wings?” The blonde girl asked, once again tugging on Camael’s dress. “Can I have wings? How did you get them? Are you an angel?” The girl continued to fire off questions before Camael could even begin to open her mouth, too busy trying to think of a safe place to take the girls until Heaven came to its senses and realized that an extermination was a really, really bad idea. It was with a great mental struggle that Camael realized that the only place the girls would be safest was back in Hell. However, Camael would not allow them to go back there alone. No. She would be going with them. Camael scooped up the other small child as well, and she flew to the center of the room, opening a portal.
Camael paused before stepping through the portal. “Do you have names?” Camael asked the blonde, realizing that the smaller of the two could not yet talk. The blonde girl tilted her head at her, however, and shook it. Camael felt her heart clench for the two one last time. “I shall name you Odette and Clara then. After my two favorite ballets.” Camael stated, getting a soft smile from the blonde and a wide-eyed stare from the smaller one. It was with this final statement that Camael stepped through the portal.
The portal remained only a moment longer before disappearing right before the doors to the meeting room swung open, and a panicked Sera began looking around.