Nananiel twitched to a sharp sting in his eye as a droplet of sweat raining down his forehead slipped under his eyelid. He shut his eye and hissed at the pain as he contemplated the oddities of his Container.

He could jump off one of those giant flying contraptions that housed a multitude of humans at once and hit the ground feeling just a tickle, but minor inconveniences brought him immense pain. Just the other day, he stumped his toe on a table and swore the agony was comparable to being stabbed in the back when he used to fight in celestial wars.

He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead as he shivered all over. Sweat droplets sprinkled the surface of the clear white marble table before him.

Nananiel heard rapid clicking coming from his right, followed by a ding. He looked over to the angel, settled in a white chair, and concentrated on a typewriter stationed on his lap.

The angel wore a Container reminiscent of a stereotypical male human accountant. Nananiel always noted that upon seeing him. He was a Scribe Angel. A special First Sphere angel in charge of recording everything, notable or not, they write it down.

Nananiel honestly couldn’t tell if it was the same Scribe from before or another who put on a similar vessel. Scribes are devoid of personality, and Nananiel had never heard one speak before. They hardly spend any time in the Realm of Mortals. Down to the composition of their soul content, they were indistinguishable from one another.

Another ding went off. Cutting off Nananiel’s thoughts. He looked around the bland, doorless, windowless, pure white room and then settled his eyes on the angel before him. Enthroned in his chair on the other side of the table, he wore a male Container attired in a classy blue suit with thin reading glasses that had settled at the tip of his nose. He focused on Nananiel with a silent, vexed expression.

Elgorizel of the First Sphere.

Another ding went off, startling Nananiel. As if they rehearsed, Elgorizel started speaking.

“Brother Nananiel, you were the one responsible for allowing Naomi to cross over to Earth without the consent of your fellow Virtue or Power brethren, correct? You went over to her cage and freed her yourself?”

“Yes,” Nananiel answered in a scratchy tone.

“And now she is missing, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have the intention of locating the child?”

“Of course I do. I know and understand how much of a threat it is to allow her to roam the Realm, especially with all the unholy creatures now roaming as well.”

Nananiel snuck a glance at the typing Scribe and then glared at Elgorizel. “What’re we doing?” he said. “Was it necessary to bring this Scribe here? You already know the answer to these questions. You just want to rub it in my face —”

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“It’s this or a conventional hearing, Brother Nananiel,” Elgorizel interrupted calmly. “With the entire First Sphere authorities present. All you have to do to receive the latter is to continue repudiating to cooperate. Go on if that is what you wish.”

The Scribe stopped typing and fixated on Nananiel with a wooden look. Elgorizel placed his hand over the table and drummed his fingers on it collectedly.

Nananiel succumbed to the threat. “Forgive me, Brother Elgorizel. I lost focus for a moment. I apologize.”

The Scribe stifled a giggle and continued typing. Ding.

Nananiel snarled for a moment. The weak parasites were condescending. Feeling all so superior without ever stepping foot on a battlefield. Their pompous attitude stemmed from having a powerful agent be required to accompany them at all times.

Elgorizel stopped thrumming and said, “As of now, do you have a way of pinpointing her exact location?”

“No. However, the First Sphere can.”

“Brother Nananiel, answer the question —”

“The First Sphere surely has a spell or two that can find her.”

“This is your mess, Nananiel. You have to be the one to fix it.”

“What of the Seals, Brother Elgorizel? How come when Sister Paschar had that vision, not a single one of you came down to help?”

Elgorizel bared his teeth at Nananiel. “You are an angel of the Second Sphere, the Chief Dominion of all titles, which you were chosen for throughout a vote and a valuable referential. You accepted the position. You took a Holy Oath. You weren’t supposed to let any of the Seals be broken in the first place.”

“A member of the Tainted Generation infiltrated our ranks. They tarnished one of my brethren’s Containers. A wicked spell transmogrified the Container into a soul-trapping cage. A cage containing a dimension of its own—or portals to secluded Realms—I’m not sure, to be frank. It’s cruel magic. I was the only one able to escape it so far. I later learned that the same trick was used on Sister Irin’s and Brother Dabriel’s groups.” Nananiel crumpled the handkerchief in his hand. “The one who infiltrated Kalmiya’s Container had a soul that emanated an aura like an angel’s. An incredibly effective camouflaging spell of some sort. They must’ve sneaked in the other member to possess the other Container. They both spoke our tongue. These scoundrels know how to speak like angels! At least four conspirators were involved, I believe. The Fourteenth Damned was the mastermind for sure.”

“I strongly consider that it was poor management on your part. All I hear are excuses. It sounds to me like you want to give up your title as Dominion.”

“No, what I’m saying is that I would like to see someone from the First Sphere actually do something for once.”

The Scribe stopped writing and gave Nananiel a look alongside Elgorizel. Silence lingered in the room for a moment. The Scribe shook his head and returned to typing.

Ding.

Elgorizel averted his gaze from Nananiel and stared at the spotless ceiling for a few seconds. His eyes fixated on the table. Nananiel could tell he was disgusted by his presence.

“Brother Nananiel, you are now under a deadline to locate Naomi and fix the Seals of the Winterberry Adytum. You will not be informed of when the deadline ends. Till then, you are banished from all Holy Grounds.”

“What?” Nananiel shouted.

“If you try to test my word and step into any of the Holy Realms. Your Elders and I won’t hesitate to eradicate your existence, Brother Nananiel. If you cannot meet the said conditions, your title will be revoked, and you shall be demoted to the position of angel. We also expect the effective extermination of the Fourteenth Generation and the resolution of the whomever is killing fellow angels.”

Elgorizel pointed at the Scribe, and he stopped immediately. “That is all. Brother Nananiel, you are dismissed.” Elgorizel raised a hand.

“Wait, let’s talk about this…” Nananiel urged.

Elgorizel snapped his fingers, and Nananiel’s Container glowed brightly from the center. The light enveloped and then dissipated alongside him.