“So, first thing first I guess… I am assuming because you are here that you got rid of the Astral Authority?” Alyssa said as she walked along the street. She would have liked to have had this conversation in a bit of a more relaxed situation. She didn’t have to talk with Tenebrael over tea and crumpets, but standing around on the street able to talk face-to-face would have been nice. But she had other work to do and not a lot of time to do it in.

She could have asked Tenebrael if she would stop time. That would have allowed a face-to-face chat or a quick way to the guild storage room—though the latter would have ended up with her leaving Fela behind, so she probably wouldn’t have done that. Frankly, she half expected Tenebrael to stop time anyway. The fact that she hadn’t might mean that something was up.

Hence her question about the Astral Authority.

“I imagine a few have noticed my appearance,” Tenebrael said, slowly looking around as she hovered along beside Alyssa. “They’re probably rushing here as fast as they can. But they cannot use their portal network anymore. Which means no endless reinforcements. Which means that I can simply kill the few who show up as they show up.”

“So once you kill all the ones in the world, that will be it?”

“It is possible for more to squeeze through—not an easy task, I assure you—but their mass transit has been taken away. Imagine it like this: Instead of being able to sail across the ocean in a large cruise ship, they’re having to swim. Some will tire halfway, some will get eaten by sharks, and a few will manage to make it all the way here, but they’ll probably be exhausted from their journey.”

“Alright then, a few ancillary questions. When you say some are rushing here as fast as possible, how many are we talking? Ten? A hundred? Ten thousand? And when you say some will make it across your metaphorical ocean, how many is some?”

“I suppose we’ll find out when they get here.”

Alyssa pressed her lips together, shooting a few nervous glances around. “You aren’t filling me with much confidence. If they show up and you disappear, leaving me to deal with them, I’m going to be a little pissed off.”

Tenebrael glanced to Alyssa. She looked genuinely affronted at the prospect. “I promise I won’t leave you behind. You did a lot for me recently. Keeping them off your back is the least I can do in return.”

“Well that’s something.” But I’ll believe it when I see it. Angels weren’t supposed to lie, but Alyssa was not Irulon. She didn’t have blind faith in the angel’s power. Or personality, for that matter. Sure, she probably wasn’t lying. Of all the angels Alyssa had met, Tenebrael was really the only helpful one. Iosefael had helped with putting away Adrael, but if Iosefael had made the same promise that Tenebrael had just made, Alyssa would probably ignore it completely and get ready to take care of things all on her own.

Speaking of Adrael… “I don’t know if you’ve looked into your little prison chamber lately, but if you haven’t, you might find a certain Archangel clawing at the walls of one of them.”

“Kenziel?” Tenebrael said with a scowl. “I thought I impressed upon her the—”

“No. No. Adrael. The one who is actually assigned to cleaning up your world? You can’t tell me you’ve forgotten her.”

“Yes. I remember. I just wouldn’t have expected her to show up. Or at least show up in a position where she could be captured by you.”

“Spectral Chains have worked quite effectively on everything but you. Iosefael helped out by opening a portal to your prison chamber. Which reminds me, I think she has figured a way in and out from them. Just so you know before you try to lock her up again.”

“That shouldn’t be necessary, but I will keep it in mind.”

“As for why she showed up… I saw into the Endless Expanse.”

Tenebrael froze solid. Even her forward drift came to a sudden stop. Had Fela been capable of interacting with angels, she would have bumped right into Tenebrael’s wings. She was so still that it reminded Alyssa of Kasita freezing during the effects of Accelero. Locked in time.

But it only lasted a short moment. She looked over to Alyssa, eyes wide as she started drifting along the street again. “You went to the Expanse? And came back in one piece?”

“Saw into it. Like a window opened up and I peeked out. Saw all the iridescent towers and tons of angels. Those big wheel angels too.”

“You saw the Throne?” Tenebrael asked, voice soft and… reverent?

“I saw something. The building it is housed in, I think. A big tower that could be seen no matter whether or not I should have been able to see it. Maybe that was the Throne or maybe I’m not comprehending something about the situation.”

Tenebrael nodded. When she started speaking, it was a bit faster, but still not quite at her usual volume. “I’m not surprised. The Throne encompasses far more than a simple chair. It is a tangible thing yet not at the same time, a metaphysical chair of sorts, but it is far more than that at the same time. It’s a… title? A position. A method for rule. It is the center of literally everything, yet exists outside everything at the same time. Hard to describe, honestly. It is something you know you’ve seen if you’ve seen it.”

“Then I probably saw it. Because I saw something.”

“I’d be careful though. The Endless Expanse is not a place for mortals. Angels… I mean, I look as beautiful as I do,” she said, preening. “But this isn’t exactly a proper physical body like what you have. I think even you would have a hard time surviving in that realm.”

“Adrael gave me the same warning. Though Kasita stuck her arm through the window without any ill effects.”

Again, Tenebrael froze. Again, Fela walked right through her. This time, she didn’t resume her forward movement. Alyssa had to walk up to her and grab her hand—she made sure to grab her ungloved hand. If something had happened, if she had some wound or injury hidden beneath the glove, Alyssa didn’t want to grab at it. Though remembering how Adrael had lost her arm completely and popped back up with both arms intact the next time she had seen that particular angel, Alyssa had to wonder just what kind of injury might be hidden under there.

Upon being touched, Tenebrael blinked twice.

“I’ve got places to be. Keep walking. Or flying, or whatever it is you’re doing.”

“Sorry, I just… A mortal entered the Endless Expanse? Are you sure it was the real Expanse and not some world that just looks similar?”

“Are there worlds that look similar?”

Tenebrael just shrugged. “Don’t really visit many places aside from Earth.”

“Well Adrael thought it was the real thing. She was apparently inside the Expanse when Kasita stuck her arm in. Said she could smell this tainted world from miles away, popped up next to Kasita and me.”

“And you trapped her?”

“Not exactly then, but close enough. Though I did send her out to try to get rid of some of the Astral Authority, but they were apparently already gone. Your doing?”

“I finished my work only a day ago and implemented it last night.”

“Huh.” Maybe the Astral Authority had completely retreated when the Justice got wounded. Or maybe when Irulon had turned the entire contents of the dome to ash. “So with the Astral Authority gone, are you going to be around more often?”

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“I’ll be in and out,” Tenebrael said, seemingly happy with the change in topic. “Iose can go back to Earth now and I can take over here. I want to take over here. I’ve missed out on so much. I can feel myself… lacking.”

Alyssa curled her lip into a tight frown. “Are you talking about eating people?”

“Souls. Not people. I’m not some cannibal.”

“I almost forgot about that disturbing aspect of you,” Alyssa said with a sigh. She hadn’t actually forgotten it. It was more like something she remembered in the back of her mind during every interaction with Tenebrael. But it had been so long since she had talked with the angel without an ongoing crisis distracting matters that she hadn’t thought of it in a while.

Thinking of it now did sour their reunion somewhat.

“People die. It is either me or the Throne. I think I would prefer the former.”

“What does the Throne do with souls?”

“Don’t know exactly. Souls are delivered for processing. Beyond that…” Tenebrael shrugged. “Honestly? Probably the exact same thing that I do. Souls contain power that I can extract to do things that a Dominion normally would not be able to do. The Throne probably extracts that power as well, likely to fuel itself? That said, the Throne is highly esoteric, even to angels. It might be doing something I cannot even comprehend. I only know what I do to the souls and assume it is the same elsewhere.”

“Can the souls be recovered? Either from you or the Throne?”

“Definitely not for the latter. For me? Theoretically, maybe. I still have within me every soul I’ve ever consumed. However, I would recommend against it. I cannot say what state the souls are in or how they would react should you attempt something like what you and the young princess did for your friend. I imagine they would react poorly. Worse even than those fresh souls we used back when saving your friends from Earth. The dead are meant to stay dead. Keeping them from the rest they’ve earned would be cruel.”

Alyssa had to wonder whether or not Tenebrael was just saying that in an attempt to keep all the souls she had collected without argument. Judging by those souls that they had used on Earth, there was something excruciatingly painful and unnatural about being brought back. Izsha’s soul hadn’t ever been crystallized or touched the hands of an angel. It was either in its own body or in Alyssa’s. That might explain why Izsha hadn’t seemed to display any of the trauma that those other souls had experienced.

Even if Tenebrael ate a soul, it might be possible to put someone back as long as their original body was still around. If it were healed and underwent a ritual to jump start the synchronization thing.

Which did call into question her ability to create a new body that the dragon could inhabit safely.

Maybe.

The dragon hadn’t touched angelic hands as far as Alyssa was aware. And the dragon had not had problems inhabiting Irulon’s body. It might be more like Izsha than some random person whose body had been destroyed.

“I don’t suppose you could help with a project Irulon and I are working on?”

“Depends entirely on the nature of the project. My ability to interact with the world as a whole is rather limited, unfortunately. Especially right now. I feel a whole lot more like my old self than I’m used to. Perhaps after resuming my usual diet, more possibilities will open up.”

Alyssa decided to not comment. Perhaps Tenebrael was the better choice after all, if one had to be made. At least she was… not human but more human that some unthinking chair. People were going to die and there was nothing Alyssa could do about that. Instead, she just relayed the nature of the project.

“We’re trying to decouple Irulon from the dragon. The last I heard, we were thinking about giving the dragon a new body to inhabit.”

“Why ever would you do that?”

“Whatever information you told her about souls has her spooked. She now believes it is killing both their souls beyond any kind of recovery.”

“Well, yes, very possibly.”

“And you’re surprised that they’re trying to stop that?”

“No. But it was such a marvelous experiment. There is no guarantee that they will suffer any real negative consequences post death. Hmmm…” Tenebrael put her gloved hand to her chin. With a thoughtful look on her face, she nodded. “I bet they would stop whatever they are doing if I asked them to.”

This time, it was Alyssa’s turn to stop. She shoved a finger right in Tenebrael’s face. “If anything happens to my friends because of you, I swear I will find a way to kill you if it is the last thing I do.”

Tenebrael backed up just enough for Alyssa to realize that she was pointing right at Fela. The hellhound clipped through Tenebrael’s chest, wide eyed and bewildered. The shocked look on her face was enough to make most of Alyssa’s sudden anger evaporate. “Not you,” she said, reaching out to pat Fela between the ears. “I’m talking about the stupid angel. You’re one of those friends that she better not mess with.”

“It was just an idle thought,” Tenebrael said. Despite the threat, she didn’t look worried in the slightest. “I’m not your enemy.”

“Then help us out. Irulon has a plan, but I think she is struggling a bit with working out just how to implement it. I’m going to create a body for the dragon, so a few pointers on how to—”

“Wait, wait. You’re going to create a body for the dragon?”

“Why not? You did it for Jason, Chris, and my mother.”

Tenebrael smiled as she clapped her hands on Alyssa’s shoulders. It was an odd sight with Fela still standing half inside Tenebrael. The hellhound’s red, fire-leaking eyes poked out just above Tenebrael’s collarbone, cradling the sides of her face with the fire. It gave her something of a maniacal look as she laughed. “That sounds like fun. You creating a whole body for someone to actually inhabit? Permanently, I assume.”

“Yeah.”

“Good. How fun! I can’t wait to see what you do with this. I could give you a few tips and tricks, but you would have to reconnect to me.”

Alyssa shot a quick glance around. No sign of any Kindness or Patiences yet. That was a good indicator that the problem really had been solved. As long as they didn’t show up in force, Alyssa could handle one or two cropping up on occasion. She had killed plenty using Tenebrael’s power before. It had just gotten too overwhelming to have it active constantly.

“We can do that, I think. But not right here in the middle of the street.” Prying Tenebrael’s hands off her shoulders, Alyssa kept walking.

They were really almost back to the guild building. Just a turn down this street then a turn down the next. There were quite a number of people around as well. Lots of work started in the early morning, from farming to carpentry, smithing to tanning. All had to be done by the light of day. Light potions worked well, but were just not affordable enough for everyone.

It was a good thing that Fela was around. People probably wouldn’t bother her much for talking to nothing, but they would probably pay her a whole lot more attention if she was just ranting and raving to thin air. Even if they heard Alyssa upset, they would look over, see that she was talking with a hellhound, then probably go right along with ignoring her as much as possible.

Unless some kids showed up.

“I did have some other questions,” Alyssa said. “A bunch of people died a mile out of the city. I don’t suppose you can tell me what happened to them?”

“Haven’t gotten my book back from Iosefael yet,” Tenebrael said with a slight sigh. “I’m a little behind on current events. Especially current events that you’ve had your hands on. The book changes when you’re involved.”

“I remember.”

“It’s on my list of things to do. But you should feel honored. The very first thing I did upon regaining my freedom of movement was to visit you. You’ve got quite the prestigious position in my mind.”

Ignoring the… Was that supposed to be praise? Alyssa went right ahead with her next question. “What of the demons? Does the pit still exist? Is that true demon still alive?”

“The Astral Authority did manage to close the pit. It was quite irritating for a week or so there. I still wasn’t done. Had to fend them off myself while working on stopping them as a whole. They almost destroyed what I had been working on before I finished. You really should have tried to extend the battle between them and the demons as much as possible.”

“Sorry but also not sorry. There was a lot going on.” That possibly explained why the Astral Authority had vanished so completely. They finished up with the demons, noticed Tenebrael doing whatever she was doing, and immediately went toward her. “What about the true demon?”

“If the Astral Authority managed to completely eliminate that one, I would be surprised. Injured, disfigured, and cast back into the pit as it was collapsing? I could see that. But that one will be back someday. Maybe a thousand years hence. Maybe tomorrow.”

Alyssa shuddered, wondering if whatever the true demon wanted her for was done with or not. “Let’s hope for the former.”

“Indeed.”

Rounding onto the street with the guild headquarters, Alyssa had to sigh. Volta and the cursed sword were out front, both looking like they were getting back on their horses. They had been quite punctual. Even had she not stopped once or twice to chat with Tenebrael, she probably wouldn’t have made it in time to gather up the supplies.

“Be careful,” Tenebrael said, warning heavy in her voice. She offered a slight nod toward the cursed sword. “That one is dangerous.”

“I know. I know what it is. I need to talk to them. If you’ve got things you need to do… You’re answering your phone, right?”

“Should be able to.”

“Good. Then we can continue this later. Unless there were other pressing matters we needed to talk about now?” There probably were. It had been a long time since she had held a proper conversation with Tenebrael. But she had asked about the major topics. Irulon, the Astral Authority, and the demons. Maybe later she would even discover what happened to that group of people.

“I am pleased to say that I don’t have any pressing emergencies. Nothing as large as the Astral Authority, anyway. There are things I need to do, however. I’ll stop by again tonight. Maybe tomorrow if you look busy. Hope your own emergencies aren’t too bad.”

Pressing her lips together, Alyssa nodded. A moment after, Tenebrael burst into feathers, vanishing from sight. Taking a deep breath, she looked forward and raised a hand in greeting. “Volta. Sorry for my tardiness. There were assassins and all kinds of nonsense last night.”