Everything had been black and void for almost as long as he could remember. There were brief memories of a massive battle that he could remember, returning to his stilled mind now and again in bursts. Strange creatures.. Ones he had never seen before but felt, somehow, familiar.. He remembered the compulsion of duty, he remembered leading the fight as much as he could. He remembered the driving need to protect the Realm and his Mistress and then.. Well. This.. This nothingness.. It was strange to feel. To think. To have memories or a driving need for anything.. Before that battle he found that everything else was blank, too. He now and then pondered what it all meant, but admittedly 'thoughts' in general were rather overwhelming- and he eventually returned to the blank nothingness or the loud, violent memories of the fight.

As it was, it meant that when suddenly his body was overcome with various feelings that this, too, was overpowering. He gasped air into his lungs and blinked eyes he barely remembered having against sudden brightness and felt wind on his skin and in his hair and smelled the air and everything clinging to it that he couldn't even place the origin of.. He felt.. strange. Incomplete and somehow more complete than he'd ever been all at once. It was astounding, and terrifying, and exciting all at the same time and, as his strange new eyes adjusted to the brightness and the sight around him, they came to rest on the small woman before him. His mistress.

Instinctively, he dropped to his knees, attempting a formal salute that was engrained into him and then struggling sharply when he found he didn't know how to complete it. It ended with himself looking down at his two hands and some baser instinct arguing that he didn't have enough of them to complete his attempted action. As such, he looked back up to Light in confusion. He'd never seen her before, but he knew who she was from aura alone. From the compulsion to serve, from the engrained devotion.

She looked desolate. It instantly unnerved him.

"Your name will be Michael." She announced, her voice broken and weary. Dutifully, he nodded. "You have been awoken for orders."

"Whatever Your Radiance needs of me, I shall do." He vowed with a nod. Without the proper limbs for the proper salute, Michael took to a second show of deference and loyalty that seemed to come naturally to him- seeing him lowed himself to one knee and bow his head forward.

"Someone has been taken from me." She announced, though her composure heavily cracked as she said it, her voice breaking and her tone shivered around the edges. It was enough for Michael to risk looking back towards her in concern. Once again he drank in how fragile she looked. not at all what he might have expected her to look like.. If he'd expected anything at all. Tears streamed and stained her cheeks, her lips quivered, her shoulders sagged and her gaze was full of nothing but sadness and desperation. Behind her, the Overrealm lay in ruin. This battle he remembered in vivid flashed now and again.. Had that only just happened..? She didn't seem in a solid enough state for him to dare ask. "Someone -very- important has been taken from me.." She continued, Despite her short pause in attempt to regain her composure, she seemed even more desolate than before, her voice whimpering and more tears escaping her eyes and, eventually, she collapsed to her knees before Michael's knelt position, sending a shock of surprise through him. "I need.. You have to get him back.." She continued, her voice entirely pleading, now. "He has to come back..! You have to go rescue him.. please..!" She implored, breaking into cracking sobs as she hugged an arm around herself, her other hand lifting to cover her mouth as she tried, and harshly failed, to contain herself.

"My Lady.." Michael faltered, impulsively but cautiously reaching out a hand to her arm. he wasn't entirely sure why.. To steady her? To comfort her? Motives were still quite the mystery to him and this odd newfound sense of 'choice'. This 'choice' caused a reaction rapidfire, Light suddenly sprang forward and clung to him, collapsing into heaving sobs and whimpers against his chest, within the chest-twisting sounds he was emitting, he could vaguely make out a whimpered word 'please' now and then. Frowning, another impulsive decision saw him link an arm around her back. "Of course, Your Radiance. Anything you need." He assured, his tone low and soothing as he could as she cried, broken, against him.

~~

once again Michael gasped as he awoke. This time, it was blinding darkness that surrounded him, leaving him instinctively fumbling his hands before him, patting along the ground for a moment. Only for a moment, however, before the searing, all-encompassing pain wracked his system. Crying out in agony, Michael rolled over, assuring that his back - absolutely ablaze with burning pain- was off of the harsh jagged ground. Shuttering breaths struggled to enter his lungs as his fingers curled against the pitch black stones beneath him, his body instinctively shivering in its agony and only succeeding ins ending sharp shocks of pain through his system with every movement.

"Oh you poor thing!" A feminine gasp rose form the darkness, setting Michael on edge. He'd lived through enough battles by now that he was deeply uncomfortable with anyone seeing him in pain. It was dangerous to show weakness. It was an absolutely dreadful choice to seem vulnerable. As such, he pushed himself up from the ground, summoning his weapon to his hand.. Though his Halberd felt distinctly different in his grip, now.. There was no time to waste on it, however, and he couldn't have inspected it in such pitch blackness, anyhow. Wincing sharply at the unrelenting agony spreading from his back, Michael flailed his weapon at the darkness, insisting he was ready for a fight if need be. "I won't hurt you!" The unseen woman quickly assured. "I'm here to help.. That must feel so very dreadful.." She mused, tone full of sympathy.

Suddenly, there was light. not the kind Michael was used to. Flames. Flames void of all color, pure white and flickers of grey erupted in a wide circle around him, seeing him jump- and said jump resulting in an unintentional yelp of pain. His focus shifted, however, as someone moved through the flames to approach him within this burning circle. A dark temptress. Perfection in appearance but corrupted and wrong in spirit.

He instinctively knew who she was. Through aura alone. Aiming his weapon in her direction, assuring she stay back from him, he could see that it had felt different in his hand because it had been warped into a scythe. There was no time to dwell on that now, however.

"Stay back!" He demanded sharply. "You're meant to be dead. My Lady Light did away with you ages ago!"

"She thought she did.. Primitivus thought it best that she continue to think so, to prevent war between the Overrealm and Underrealm.." Estra explained gently. She didn't seem overly bothered by Michael pointing his weapon towards her, but she did keep a berth from it. "Please.. Let me take a look at your wounds.." She tried.

"Don't touch me." He snapped, unwavering in his glare towards her and keeping his weapon up despite the growing increase in pain it was sending burning through him.

~~

Her Radiance had left the Overrealm. It had fallen to Michael to relay her orders, and while it was an honor to have her trust in such a way, he couldn't help the growing concern for her state. She seemed always to be sad. Always aching for this man, Gabriel, who had been stolen away from her. It tugged sharply at his heartstrings to see her this way, and he had tried often to cheer her up. Around his duties- relaying orders, commanding her armies, leading expeditions into the Underrealm to try to fight through the fallen heretics and traitors- he had even taken to asking Mortals for advice, now and then. Such advice varied, and was rather hit or miss with its usefulness.

One Man had suggested something called 'whiskey' was his go-to source for emotional pain relief. A strange liquid made from fermented food that smelled awful and tasted even worse.. But he'd been willing to try anything. And Light too, it seemed, as she partook without argument when he'd brought her a bottle. It had seemed to help for a time. She had even smiled and shared a few laughs with him as he kept careful watch over her.. But inevitably it lead down the same path their meetings always took. She spoke of Gabriel with fondness that turned into sadness that turned into inconsolable crying.. Michael had decided this was not the way to help her through her pain.

Another Mortal had suggested stimulation. Going out, meeting people, seeing beautiful sights and not thinking about the pain in question for a while. This too had gone well, at first. Light was hesitant to leave the shack on the beach she had crafted, but he did eventually gently coax her into it. They had gone to a nearby Mortal town, tried a few curious food items, watched the people who lived there.. Though it seemed all it took was seeing a young couple, devoted to each other and happy, to ruin her mood again. Jealousy of their love and being separated so harshly from her own.. He didn't want to expose her to the pain of witnessing what had been stolen from her again and so he had stopped trying to coax her out to socialize.

There were a few other Mortal suggestions he'd tried. Finding a hobby, trying and failing at painting or cooking or gardening as had been suggested to him. D'naar seemed to enjoy singing and dancing for a while, within the comfort of her beach home, but any fleeting joy she seemed to feel was short lived and often the night reverted to her long talks about the man she lost, again. Another Mortal had suggested sweets. They claimed there was no sadness that a pint of 'iced cream' couldn't salve and so he'd brought some. He'd also brought cookies, cakes, chocolates.. Whenever he did she at least gave him a little smile and a thank you.. And the next time he arrived to see her said sweets would always be gone so he assumed she'd eaten them.. Though he wasn't entirely sure if it was truly helping or not. Still, at least those brief moments of smiling were worth the trouble of bringing something every time he returned to her, now.

Michael didn't mind listening. Listening seemed to help the most. D'naar would talk, and she would cry, and it would be entirely heartbreaking to witness, but after she'd gotten it out of her system she seemed a bit more amenable to have a gentle smile, or a demure chuckle, or even a suggestion, herself, of something they could do. As such, this was his failsafe. This and bringing her sweets, of course.

~~

"I know you've likely heard many dreadful things about me.." Estra tried, taking a few steps- not forward or back, but to the side, looking like she was attempting to circle him, Michael shifted, wincing sharply through gritted teeth as he kept his weapon aimed towards her. "You lot.. The ones she put into stasis.. You only remember the fight that happened after she thought she killed me, right?" She continued despite Michael keeping his guard up. "The only things you know about me is what she told you? Or the rumours that have spread about me?"

"You are darkness incarnate." Michael huffed. "Corruption and temptation. Sin." He spat the word like it sickened him, seeing Estra frown.

"'Sin' is simply what D'naar calls it. I call it freedom. No judgment, no rules.." She paused, seemingly glancing over his shoulder towards his agonized back. "No unjust punishment.." She added, returning her gaze to his. "I allow my followers-"

"The traitors!"

"Your cousins. Your former siblings and comrades.." Estra revised. "I allow them to live as they please. I take them in after D'naar has deemed them unfit. After she's thrown them away or tried to kill them.. I offer refuge and safety to express themselves and an opportunity to take advantage of choice and free will.. I know it is a lot different from what you're used to.. but Different doesn't always mean bad.. It just means different." She shrugged with a soft little smile, attempting to calm his hostility. She took another few steps to the side, continuing her slow circle around him that small bit more. Again he turned to keep his weapon pointed at her, but his arm was visibly shaking from the pain that keeping his arm lifted so long was pulsing through him.

~~

She had made a suggestion one night.. Well.. She hadn't -verbally- made a suggestion, but it was a suggestion nonetheless. After she'd talked herself into crying.. And after she'd cried herself into that calmness after.. After they'd sat on the couch, her leaning against his chest and him stroking her hair as he'd discovered soothed her that bit more.. She had expressed her gratitude for his devotion- to which he of course assured her was an honor and a pleasure. That he would have things no other way than remaining devoted in his duties and his desire to make her feel better. She had moved from her place sitting at his side to settle herself into his lap. Rather unorthodox, and it made him oddly nervous in ways he couldn't entirely explain, but it seemed to bring her further comfort and so he certainly wouldn't move her aside again. Some strange, somewhat selfish part of himself hadn't wanted to move her, anyhow, despite it seeming like he was overstepping some boundary that he shouldn't cross. They had remained this way for a while, continuing their idle talks of nothingness among sprits of talking about deeper things. At some point she'd tilted her head up from its place resting on his shoulder to look at him, and in turn he'd tilted his down to look at her. There was a moment when her gaze met his with such intensity of emotion, and he knew that dutifully he should avert his gaze but found himself incapable. Her hand had lifted to his face, the strokes of her fingers over his skin sending electric thrills through his system somewhere between anxious and entirely delightful. Compulsion and strange swells of emotion saw him curl his wings around her, subconsciously shielding her form the world and everything that had gone wrong in her life-- as he had grown so incredibly desperate to do. To relieve her pain and bring about those addictive smiles and rare giggles that uplifted his entire soul and brightened the world around them. Within this feathered cocoon her hand at his face had moved to the back of his neck, using such gentle urging to wordlessly request he lean his face closer to hers- her eyes flickered closed and she had pressed her achingly soft lips to his and the night had progressed into the single-most delightful experience that Michael had ever known. not only for his own experience, the thrilling sensations and deeply delightful feeling of it all.. But for that time that they spent, joined together in such a wonderful and perhaps inappropriate way- she'd seemed so happy. She'd seemed to enjoy herself. To forget all her troubles and let go of her tensions and in the time afterwards she had fallen asleep so delicately and peacefully curled against his side.

He had found himself a new addiction, most certainly. And it only made it that much better when she seemed eager to repeat the event again upon his visits from thereon out.

~~

"I'm -not- a traitor. I'm not one of your Heathens. I serve Her Radiance." Michael insisted firmly, though his voice was slightly cracked around the edges due to the searing pain over his back.

"I never said you were.." Estra tried, continuing her carefully measured circle around him, each time watching the winces that crossed his features, the slight droop to the arm holding his weapon as the pain started to overpower his need for a fight. "Were you given a name..?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Mi.. Micha.." He struggled as he continued to rotate his stance to face her, faltering against the pain that was only growing in intensity as he refused to relax his muscles.

"Mika?" She repeated. "Well.. Mika.." She continued. "As you say I am this ancient 'evil' being.. Light's 'corrupted' sister.. Older and more powerful than you could imagine.. if I did mean to do you harm, wouldn't I have done it by now? Do you think your weapon could have truly stopped me?" There was a slight falter, for the briefest of moments, as he acknowledged the truth of her statements.

"I would go fighting." He insisted. "For My Lady."

"Mika..." Estra frowned softly. "Do you.. remember how you got here..?"

~~

Michael had grown even more determined. The more time he spent with his radiant Lady Light, the more compelled he was to truly solve her problems. Sure, their ties together were always pleasant, and it was a heady feeling of pride to know that he could assuage her sadness for a few hours at a time.. But that wasn't good enough. She meant -everything- to him. Somehow even more than she had before. He -needed- to make her happy. Permanently happy. It was a sharp sting that he couldn't quite explain to himself to think of bringing Gabriel back to her.. But it was what she needed. From the moment she had awoken him from stasis. This century later she was still waiting. He was failing her. He -refused- to fail her. Gabriel was what she wanted.. What she -needed- to find that true, permanent happiness. And Mika was more determined than ever to deliver him to her.

Unfortunately, his kin didn't feel the same.. The Underrealm had proven to be a truly monstrous place to traverse. The Demons, as the traitors had grown to be called.. They were truly horrendous individuals now. Ruthless and bloodthirsty. Absolute beasts. Forces being sent into the Underrealm on this rescue mission rarely returned. They were almost entirely obliterated. As such, Michael was having to awaken more and more Archangels from stasis. D'naar insisted that if groups of ten weren't enough- send groups of twenty. thirty. Fifty or more.. Most were slaughtered in the most brutal, awful ways.. Some were captured to be tortured in unimaginable ways. The few that returned were growing bitter. Jaded to their duties. They didn't want to return to the Underrealm to end up like their fellows, and in truth Michael couldn't blame them.. But it was what they Lady Light demanded and they had little choice in the matter.

And then the spitefulness began.. The hatred for their absent Lady. They spoke horribly of her. Wished her the same fates and tortures suffered by their comrades who had fallen, below. They were angry and they were rebellious and they were vengeful. More and More Michael found he had to resort to extreme measures to keep them in line. Harsh punishments. It was only just barely working. He'd discovered that some were fleeing their posts and their duties. That some were heading off on missions to the Underrealm only to jinx their direction and flee into the Mortal Realm. Some were even discussing joining the Underrealm. Saying that being corrupted was better than being 'fodder'.. The Overrealm was turning into an angry mob, growing larger each time more were awoken from stasis and the deflectors and rebels were 'catching them up' and recruiting them before they could even see battle or fulfill duties.

A group had risen up against him, eventually. Demanded to know where Lady Light was hiding. Demanded to know how to get to her. It had resulted in a fight. A brawl between Michael and his most loyal few.. Very few.. and the rebels. They insisted that Her Radiance had to be killed. That if they awoke the remaining Archangels from stasis, they could overpower her. Take over. Michaels team only barely beat them back, and with several casualties..

At the end of it, Michael only had two subordinates he knew he could truly rely on..

Something had to be done..

~~

"I was.. It is my duty to be here.. I.." Michael struggled, searching back through the blanket of fog in his mind as Estra continued her slow circle around him. He was starting to fumble keeping up with her, and his weapon dropped lower with each movement. His recollection of events certainly wasn't aided by the agony burning over his entire back- like he had been brutally skinned.

"You would never have gotten this far into the Underrealm on your own, Mika.." Estra tried, her tone gentle. She wasn't trying to be cruel in her attempt to jog his memory. Pausing, Mika looked at the surroundings. High, dark walls of black stone and a rugged ground to match. Overpowering shadows saturating the very air, itself, such that the only things he could truly see were what Estra's white flames illuminated around them. There was seemingly no ceiling, but there certainly wasn't a sky above them, either.. Just more blackness.. Eternal blackness.

"I-I.. I'm here to.." He faltered, pausing in his attempts to keep his weapon pointed at Estra as he was distracted in looking around. As such, she was finally able to circle far enough around him to get a look at his bloody, scorched mess of a back. The sight saw her frown deeply with sympathy, and burn with outrage at her sister.

"Mika.. Wil you let me heal you..?" She tried gently, earning his attention back. Judgment and anger was no longer the prominent expression on his features. He seemed confused.. Perhaps nervous.

"Heal.. What..?" He tried quietly, allowing his arm to finally relax, the sharply curved blade resting against the black stone ground.

~~

Michael eventually -had- to alert Lady Light to the goings-on. he hated the idea of causing her stress.. But things were growing out of control and he wasn't sure what he should do to contain them. How to protect her from the beings that were supposed to be duty bound to serve her.

She had seemed worryingly unbothered. She was a powerful Goddess. No matter how many of them tried to rise up against her, she could defeat them with a wave of her hand. He hated to argue.. But it felt prudent to share what knowledge he'd learned of the Underrealm. That Demons had created hierarchies within its levels. That each 'circle', as they were called, had a powerful leader at it's head. That the legions each Lord commanded were massive. That the Demons had bred almost out of control since their fall and that they had grown into bloodthirsty beasts. That parents would slaughter their own young. That the young who were allowed to grow often killed their parents. That these Lords, with their massive power advantage over their subordinates, were regularly attacked by the masses. That the lesser Demons could outnumber the stronger ones and take them down..

To put his mind at ease, Lady Light had made the decision to finally return to the Overrealm. Though this had the opposite effect. Michael had witnessed the Archangel's rage and burning hatred that had grown for their Mistress. He had been attacked, himself, solely because he knew where to find her. She was about to present herself straight to their doorstep. He was suddenly faced with the most impossible of decisions. He was duty-bound to defer to her judgment. To listen to her orders. To not step out of line and do something she hadn't expressly told him to do.

And yet, he worried if he did nothing, as she was asking him to do.. If he allowed her to walk into the den of bloodthirsty rebels.. He couldn't bare the thought of losing her. It ripped him to pieces merely thinking about it.. And the Tri-Realms -needed- her to survive. If she didn't, Darkness would take over. These beastly 'Demons' would rule.

He asked one more night. A pit of dread and guilt already twisting his gut. One more night for the two of them to be alone together.. And time for him to return to the Overrealm to prepare it for her arrival. Some stroke of luck.. perhaps even compassion or caring for him, saw her agree. One more night to make her happy..

Before he knew she would likely despise him forever.

Her survival would always be more important than his personal feelings.

~~

"You are.. very badly burned, Mika." Estra announced carefully. "There is a lot of blood and I don't know the extent of the damage yet, but.." She faltered, seemingly second guessing herself on something. "Allow me to heal you? Please?" She tried. With his weapon resting on the ground, Estra moved forward. He didn't move to stop her this time. His brow was furrowed, he was only half-focused on Estra as she approached him. He was still wracking his mind trying to remember the not-too distant past and what had happened. Was it not-too-distant..? He'd discovered he'd been in stasis for a few centuries and there had been no way to tell time there..

"H.. how long have I been here..?" He asked quietly, uneasily.

"I sensed your presence not long ago." Estra answered, finally reaching him and giving him what she hoped was an assuring look before she moved around to his back, beginning soft shadow-mending spells over him. Michael wasn't a simple-minded fellow.. He knew that shadow-mending -should- hurt him.. And yet..

"..Long enough to become corrupted..?" He muttered.

"Corruption isn't -entirely- based around the time period you're here.." Estra carefully explained. "It has a lot to do with.. intent.. As well.."

"My intent is to serve my Lady." Mika tried.

"It wasn't -your- intent I was referring to.." Estra frowned.

~~

He didn't feel good about what he'd done. But he did feel it had been necessary.

Her Radiance may hate him.. She might never forgive him.. But surely she could see he was acting in her best interest? Surely she would understand.. Right..?

He looked down to his hands, coated in glistening golden blood. He briefly thought he should at least clean himself before Light's arrival-- before the decision was sharply taken away from him as he felt her aura return to the Realm.

Apparently, her intent was to address the problem directly. She had unfortunately appeared here on this very spot. On this blood-stained land. He heard an audible, horrified gasp from behind him, and inwardly winced as he turned to face his Mistress.

"They would have killed you.." He tried, faltering as he noted just how repelled she looked, her gaze dropping over the blood covering his hands and splattering his armor. "I.. There were to many of them and.." Michael struggled, a slight crack at the edge of his tone betraying his fears on how she might respond. Before him, Light's attention had moved past him, to the corpses, the broken pods of solidified Light where her Archangels in Stasis had been. He couldn't risk them being awakened only to attack Her Radiance.

"What have you done..?" D'naar breathed, tears welling in her eyes and streaming over her cheeks, further twisting that knife of fear and guilt through Michael's gut.

"I.."

"What have you done!?" She screamed at him, seeing him flinch as she turned her devastated glare on him.

~~

"Mika you have.." Estra faltered, hesitant. It earned her a quick look from him over his shoulder. There was a silent beat in which he seemed to catch on. His eyes widened and his brows furrowed as he moved away from her, twisting a touch in attempt to see further over his back.

"Where are they!?" He gasped, pausing a moment in his frantic search to, seemingly, attempt to summon something. Estra gasped, reaching a hand forward to stop him, but he'd already cried out in pain and stumbled a touch.

"You have Light Cauterization." She announced quickly. "Burning Light embedded in your wounds.. I can't fully heal them with Shadow-Mending and.. It'll just burn away further if I try.." She paused a moment, reluctant. "You can't.. The wings you try to summon now would be made of Shadow.. The burns will get worse.."

"They're.. Gone.." Mika summarized, pained and defeated. His weapon finally dropped from his hand, clattering to the ground and echoing on the stone walls surrounding them. "She.. Burned off my wings and threw me away.." He continued, quiet, on shaking breath. "That's how I got here.."

"..Yes.." Estra nodded sadly. There was a long moment of silence, then.. A few moment sin which Mika clearly used to compose himself before he could fall to pieces. There was a definite note of tears in his eyes as he finally looked up from the floor tor regard Estra again.

"Can I see him?" He requested quietly. "Gabriel.. Can I see him?"

"I.." Estra sighed. "I mean.. I don't think.."

"Please." Mika implored, his voice cracking and seeing Estra softly flinch. "I spent so long trying to find him for her.. Trying to reach this place.. It was my entire waking life. From the moment I gained consciousness, please I.." He struggled, taking a heavily shaking breath and clearing his throat against the cracks in his voice. "Please.." He continued once he'd caught control of himself again. "I just want to see how impossible it all was.. How fucking futile my life has been.. please.."

Another moment of silence, in which Estra clearly debated with herself whether or not she should do this. In truth, there wasn't -really- any harm Mika could do to Gabriel.. And she could certainly stop him if he tried anything.. In the end she sighted, giving a nod.

"Alright.." She agreed, lifting a hand to open a swirling black portal. "He's through here.." She said, offering Mika a wary smile before heaving through the gateway. Mika moved forward, faltering only momentarily before he walked through, too. Estra said nothing as Mika saw her again, taking a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before he followed her gentle gesture to look forward.

Mika's eyes widened in surprise, looking at the man before him. In what seemed to be the absolute darkest and deepest reaches of the Underrealm, there he was. There he finally was.. Completely strung up and tangled in masses of chains. his head hung uncomfortably forward in enforced slumber. his one side entirely ravaged and burned enough that there was a hole showing his ribcage.. Strung up and imprisoned alone in the darkness past all his bloodthirsty protectors.

Estra tensed as Mika moved forward towards Gabriel, though she tried to sate herself that he seemed dumbfounded and curious rather than motivated towards hostility. Getting closer, Mika could see that Gabriel's ribcage wasn't the only thing marred. His face was half burned, as well. His wings were corrupted to dark feathers and wrapped painfully tightly in their own set of chains.

Primitivus really hadn't fallen short with this punishment, had he..

Mika took an extra moment, looking along the length of the chains, periodically looking back to Gabriel, himself, before in a flash she resummoned his weapon. Sharply, he swung it against the chains, and Estra gasped, rushing forward to stop him- though he managed a few more swings- all futile, before she could grab hold of his arm.

"What are you doing!?" Estra gasped, before wincing as Mika sharply turned, elbowing her off of his arm before returning to his efforts to break the chains.

"if I bring him back she'll forgive me!" He insisted, swinging his scythe rather crazed, utterly determined despite it being obvious it had no real effect on the chains other than the sharp clash of metal that reverberated through the pit.

"What!?" Estra gasped, jumping back to her feet again and attempting to catch his arm once more. "You're -not- bringing him back to her just so she can finish him off! Even if you -could- break the chains, I wouldn't allow it!" She insisted sharply, managing to hook herself onto his elbow and tug him back to prevent his swings at the chains. Snarling, Mika's attention only shifted to Estra' herself. Spinning around, he swung his scythe at her directly, slashing a few incredibly viscous times. Luckily, Estra reacted quickly enough to make herself intangible, seeing the weapon pass through her without doing any harm.

"She doesn't want to kill him!" Mika snapped, quickly realizing his swings against Estra were ineffective, and determinedly returning to the equally as ineffective attempts to break Gabriel's many chains.

"What the Fel else could she want with him, then?" Estra huffed, incredulous.

"She's in love with him!" Mika announced through huffs of effort. "He's the only thing she's every wanted or talked about for over a century!" To this, Estra seemed stunned, her attention moving from the almost frantic man before her to the one who was still and bound in immovable chains. "If I give him back to her she'll forgive me! She'll reinstate me! She has to!!"

"Mika.." Estra faltered, stepping forward and trying to stop him once more. "Look. Look at what you're doing. You can't break these.."

"I have to!"

"You -can't-.. I've tried so many times before. it's impossible." She tried, managing to once again catch Mika's arm. This time, he seemed to pause, if only to catch his breath, as he looked over the chains. Not one single scratch on them for all his efforts. "Primitivus made these chains impenetrable.. He's either trapped here forever or it will wear off whenever The Creator deemed it 'long enough'.."

"But.." Mika faltered, still breathless. "But I have to.. I have to take him back to her.."

"Why?" Estra huffed, frowning. "So he can be one of her slaves again? So -you- can be..?" She shook her head. "You both deserve better than that.. -Everyone- deserves better than that.."

"He's.. He's everything she ever wanted.." Mika frowned, watching Gabriel's still form with no small amount of defeat to his tone and demeanor, his scythe dropping to rest against thr ground once more- though Estra didn't seem to take this as her que to release Mika's arm.

"Then why did she send him away..?" Estra asked curiously, tilting her head.

"She told me he was 'stolen'.." Mika explained with a brief, weak shrug of his shoulders. "And the duty she set upon me was to rescue him.." He paused, returning his attention to Estra. "I have to bring him back to her.."

"No, you don't -have- to do anything.. not anymore." Estra assured. "Just.. forget about her.. I'll take care of you, now." She said, offering him a smile.