FAREWELL AT THE DOCKS
Morning mist curled around the quays of Kael Thalor as Lord Varell, Lady Cecilia, the city lord's mistress, and Genevieve his daughter stood beside the gangplank. They watched as Velmora, Eryk, and their small lesser demon entourage prepared to depart on a sleek, onyx-hulled vessel.
Lord Varell stepped forward, voice thick: "My Lady… this voyage it is long. Would you allow my daughter to accompany you? For her education… her future."
Eryk stuttered, heart pounding. She's coming with us? His gaze darted to Genevieve, bright-eyed and hopeful.
He turned to Velmora. "My lady may she?"
Velmora studied him for a moment. This boy's heart is fragile. Then she nodded coolly. "She may come. Four times the company is not an issue."
A ripple went through the assembled nobles. Some murmured, offering their own daughters for the journey; Velmora waved off their petitions with a single gesture: "Too many for one ship."
The onlookers watched as four lesser demons, disguised as stevedores, loaded grain and supplies. The anchor lifted, the sails unfurled, and Velmora stepped aboard, Eryk and Genevieve at her side. Lord Varell sniffed back tears. "Godspeed."
Velmora inclined her head. "We depart now." The ship slid away from the dock, gliding into open water.
THE ANGELIC INVESTIGATION IN MORTAL GUISE
Meanwhile, miles north…
Two cloaked figures men to the naked eye approached the desecrated ruins of Nareth's Hollow, moving with unearthly grace despite their heavy boots and weatherworn cloaks. These were Exorcist Legion Commanders, representatives of the Celestial Council, but to mortals, they appeared as elite holy envoys.
In truth, Seraphiel and Aelwin were angels in mortal disguise, as no unblessed human mind could endure the brilliance of their celestial forms. Only the Cardinals in the Holy Land were privy to their true nature, and even they spoke of it only in whispers.
The two surveyed the village in silence. Scorched ground, dried sigils, broken stone everything bore the signs of powerful abyssal tampering.
Seraphiel knelt beside a blood-blackened summoning circle, his gloved hand tracing its burnt edges. "Lower Abyss runes," he muttered. "Refined, but raw this wasn't the work of amateurs."
Aelwin stood nearby, his hood pulled forward. "Five bodies disturbed. Graves robbed clean, and the stench of summoning lingers even now."
Despite their human appearances, the purity of their divine essence caused subtle shifts around them grass subtly straightened, tainted soil recoiled, and ash drifted unnaturally in still air.
The pair moved like ghosts from memory to memory, piecing together the infernal ritual. They left the ruined village by dusk, following what residual essence they could trace eastward.
RETURN TO THE PORT CITY
The disguised angels arrived in Kael Thalor the following night. Entering the city quietly, they walked directly to the Holy Detachment's chapel, where the port city's priest had waited anxiously after receiving their summons.
The priest bowed deeply. Though the two looked like hardened warriors, clad in holy silver-trimmed armor beneath travel cloaks, he knew what they truly were. Exorcist Legionnaires divine agents, second only to the Cardinals.
"It's an honor… to receive you both," the priest said, voice low with reverence. "I've… been awaiting your judgment."
Seraphiel nodded. "We are here only to see. Speak what you know."
The priest recounted everything: Velmora's sudden arrival, her high-born presence, the noble boy, the banquet, the audience… and her inscrutable calm. "She never raised her voice. She spoke as if the city was hers from the moment she stepped through the gate."
"Her origins?" Aelwin asked.
"Unknown," the priest admitted. "But I've… I've had scouts investigate the boy's village. They should return soon."
The angels did not respond immediately, their eyes scanning not just the priest, but the room itself sensing echoes of corruption, faint traces of the demonic energy Velmora had left behind.
"She may not be the summoner," Seraphiel finally said. "But she is no lesser being. Whoever that boy is, he matters now."
The priest frowned. "You believe she's a noble demon sent to manipulate the region through the child?"
"Possibly," Seraphiel said, though he concealed the celestial certainty building in his chest. "But for now, we do not interfere. The Heavenly Hosts have not yet given final guidance."
"Just watch?" the priest asked, confused.
"For now," Aelwin confirmed. "You'll know when intervention is required."
As they exited the chapel and disappeared into the city's deeper streets, cloaked in mortal form, the whispers began to stir nobles murmuring of new holy visitors, unaware they had walked beside true angels.
Meanwhile, from far offshore, Velmora stood on the deck, her sharp crimson eyes narrowing.
The spiders hidden within Kael Thalor's chapel relayed everything: the priest's report, the disguised angels' questions, their careful tread across holy grounds.
She exhaled slowly. "They're not fools. The angels are watching."
Her lips curled slightly. "Let them. It's all going exactly to plan."
She turned away and prepared her next report to Diablo, who was awaiting word as he continued to consolidate his armies in the abyss.
SUPREME COUNCIL: ABYSS WAR ROOM
In the black-forged citadel of Woe, Malgus the Primordial Demon gazed at the living map of the multiverse. Lilith hovered beside him, alongside Belgorash and Thorne.
A soft glow blinked in one corner: Kael Thalor fleet inbound. Eryk & Empress-class demon.
He nodded. "The boy and Velmora advance our influence. The angels are sending their pawns… good. That keeps them occupied."
He turned to the council. "How is the army's reorganization?"
Lilith answered, voice steady: "Half the territorial armies are active. A quarter on recruitment and retraining grounds. The reserve units remain for local consolidation."
Malgus stroked his chin. "We need three full legions complete and ready. If the angels escalate, we send emboldened puppets with Velmora. If the cult kingdom pledges fealty…"
He paused, eyes fiery. "We will strike the moment the angels show their hand."
Thorne spoke quietly: "Legions will be ready in two weeks."
Malgus nodded. "Then we await. Let the boy speak, the angels meddle, Kethmar scheme… All roads lead to war and in war, the strongest prevail."