Sariel walked the open plains, her eyes distant, fixed on the shifting tapestry of the clouds. The sight pulled her back to the pristine, blinding light of the Heavenly Courts—to a time when she walked beside the one being she truly trusted: her brother.
In the gardens of Paradise, they had played as children. She remembered hiding from him, laughing soundlessly behind the thick foliage of a Celestial tree.
"He won't find me here," she thought, leaning against the bark. "He thinks he can outwit me. I might as well eat. This chasing has made me starving."
A moment later, a voice, stern but laced with affection, cut through the quiet.
"Sariel! If you don't climb down this instant, I will come up and drag you myself! Get down here. You are late for your training."
"I won't!" she called back. "I'd rather rest and eat! Their training is tiresome, and I don't need it. I'm the best fighter we have; no one can defeat me, except you."
Raziel sighed, his tone softening. "We know your combat prowess, Sister. But the Lord demands your spirit be strengthened for your descent to Earth. You must not be weak."
Raziel's words pierced her levity. She slid down the trunk, landing softly before him.
"Will you not come with me, Brother?" she asked, a rare vulnerability in her voice. "The others are all corrupted now. I trust none of them. I need you by my side on the ground."
"I wish I could, but I cannot leave my post yet," he replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Be patient. I will follow you to Earth as soon as I am able."
"The Lord told me He would give me this unparalleled weapon to help the Guardians," she confided, touching her wrist. "But I worry about His intent. I know these Watchers, Raziel. They cannot be trusted with such power."
"You are the best judge of character among us," Raziel reminded her. "But why not let them proceed? Let us see what they do with the weapon's power. If they transgress the law you create for them, you will be the one to pronounce judgment and wield the full force of the punishment."
Sariel smiled, a true, bright smile of recognition. "You always think so clearly, Brother. That is why we understand each other so well; our minds work as one. I will give you the last fragment of the weapon when you arrive on Earth. You will be its keeper."
Raziel chuckled. "You might regret that decision. When we are together again, I will fill your ears with so much scolding you'll wish you stayed in Heaven. You know how you hate my sermons."
"The important thing is we are together," Sariel said, her eyes shining with the memory. "I'll just cover my ears."
She smiled again, recalling Raziel—her true confidant, the only one who truly understood her willful spirit.
In the present, Sariel stood by a tall window in the reclaimed palace. A silent, somber presence solidified beside her: Azrael, the Angel of Death.
"Sariel," Azrael's voice resonated, cold and ancient. "I am sent by the Lord to deliver a warning."
Sariel turned, her expression expectant. Azrael delivered his prophecy, its words chilling her soul, and then vanished.
Sariel immediately summoned her two most loyal warriors, Red and Caius.
"There is something you must know about what is coming," she stated, skipping any preamble.
"What is it, Sariel?" Red asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
The bracelet on her wrist began to glow and float, trailing faint white smoke. Its power was mesmerizing, its beauty lethal. Sariel drew a blade across her palm, coating the Chains of Guardians in her own blood.
The bracelet ruptured, separating into five distinct, smaller bracelets.
"Strings of Convoy: the Keeper of Souls. Strings of Keepers: Control. Strings of Defenders: Strength. Chains of Sentry: Healer. And the Silver Chains of Protector: Power." Sariel named them, her voice firm. "These are the tools meant to aid the Guardians on Earth, but they are also your potential death. The Chains will only obey me, as their power is bound to my spirit. They have a consciousness that answers only to me. This secret must never be known by any other Guardian."
She handed them out. "Caius, you will safeguard the Chains of Sentry. Red, you will take the Strings of Defenders. I also command you to deliver the Silver Chains of Protectors to my brother, Raziel, when he arrives. He will be its keeper."
"Sariel, why not fight these traitors?" Red pleaded, his eyes reflecting the glow of the fragments.
"My Chains will poison their hearts and minds, drawing them toward the darkness," Sariel answered, a chilling resolve setting in. "I would rather see them suffer and endure this torturous life, gradually destroyed by the weapons they crave. You must leave the two Guardians who wished to return to Heaven, but take the rest of our loyalists with you."
"Sariel, don't do this!" Caius cried, falling to his knees. "We cannot abandon you! Why won't we fight? Their forces here are weak; they are no match for us!"
"Your task now is only to escape with these Chains," Sariel commanded.
"What about the Chains of Guardians?" Red asked, his voice shaking. "Will it remain with your body?"
"The Chains of Guardians is useless without my spirit; it has no life of its own, unlike its branches," Sariel explained. "My consciousness is its life force. It must remain with me. Even if they seize it, they cannot use it. I have also created false Chains to be given to the two treacherous Watchers who have long plotted my downfall."
"Sariel! Don't sacrifice your life for us!" Caius wept, clutching the floor. "We can never repay you!"
He looked desperately at Red. "Red! Stop her! Don't let her do this!"
"Caius, I know your fear, but this is what I must do," Sariel said, her gaze steady. "I need to teach them a lesson. You are my good and faithful warrior, and what I do is for all of you, for the future of the Guardians."
Suddenly, Sariel reached out and seized Caius's spirit. The man went utterly still, his eyes turning blazing red, his long hair white as driven snow.
"Minister Caius," Sariel intoned. "You will obey every command of Superior Grandmaster Red. You will never leave his side. Be a faithful Guardian to him, as you were faithful to me. Until we meet again, my friend."
She transferred Caius's spirit into Red, who watched in disbelief.
"You, my loyal warriors, will become the Ministers," Sariel declared. "You shall be the Ministers of the Ministry Sector, for you alone will be able to punish your fellow Guardians. And I, the only one who can punish you, shall be called Grandminister."
"Red, save the Chains. This is my last order to you. Do not worry for me; I will return to this world, no matter what happens, and I will reclaim you, my warriors."
Tears streamed down Red's face as he knelt. "If they harm you, it will not just be punishment we bring upon them—we will be their death! We will bring endless war upon them, I swear it before you, Sariel!"
The Chains in Red's hand pulsed, responding to the incandescent fury of his grief. Sariel's own tears finally fell as she looked at her two faithful companions.
"Darkness will be our ally," Red vowed, tightening his grip until his hand bled, the blood dripping onto the Chains and the earth. "Every spirit we capture will be payment for what they do to you. These Ministers will find no rest in their hatred and vengeance. We are bound by deep loyalty to you, I swear it!"
Warriors who shared Red's deep loyalty gathered in the shadows. Their eyes glowed red; their hair turned white and crimson, lengthening as their forms changed. They amassed in the Grand Hall.
Sariel stepped forward, standing before the large assembly.
"Our fellowship of Guardians is restored to order, and our ranks are swelled by new brethren. New warriors, you must know: we have a single purpose—to defend the mortals against the Outcast. You are the Watchers of the Earth, and from this day forth, we shall all be called Guardians. These laws are the Codes you must obey."
Remiel and Herus exchanged glances, their hands already moving toward their concealed weapons.
"Because your abilities are varied, the Guardians will be divided into Sectors, or groups," Sariel announced. "The Seekers Sector will be led by Superior Grandmaster Hector, who will be the keeper of the Strings of Convoy. You will hunt the Outcast and search for artifacts that could be used for evil, removing them from mortal sight."
Remiel watched, stunned, as Sariel handed out fragments of her powerful bracelet.
"The Keepers Sector will be led by my esteemed brother, Superior Grandmaster Remiel, the keeper of the Strings of Keepers. You will safeguard the artifacts that might cause strife among mortals or be used for evil by the Outcast."
Sariel offered them a serene smile as she gave them the false Chains.
"The Knights Sector will be led by Superior Grandmaster Herus, one of my finest warriors. He will safeguard the Strings of Defenders. You will be the protectors and defenders of the Guardians."
Herus bowed low, receiving his Chain and a smile from Sariel.
"The Healers Sector will be led by Superior Grandmaster Andrel, another of my loyal warriors. He will safeguard the Chains of Sentry. They will heal and protect the Guardians."
The four men now held the Chains.
"And the fifth Sector, the most vital and highest of all Guardian Sectors, is the Ministry Sector." Sariel paused, letting the significance land. "My personal warriors, who alone may punish all of you, will be the Ministers. And I, the only one who may punish them, shall be called Grandminister."
Remiel reacted with bitter irony. "Grandminister—a fine name for the death of the Guardians on Earth. I still don't know why you spared me, Sariel. But I am grateful, because now I can fulfill my purpose."
They raised their blades, pointing them at her. Hector used the power of his false Chain, and Sariel was instantly forced to her knees. Remiel immediately ripped the Chains from Hector's hand.
"Your heart and soul truly will never change, Remiel," Sariel noted, her voice flat.
"And I didn't anticipate your swift fall! You are weak because you are in a mortal body!" Remiel sneered. "We are not your warriors anymore, Sariel. We will never submit to you again!"
Remiel unleashed a blast of powerful energy from his hand, aiming it at the banner bearing the Guardian Codes. Yet, the banner neither burned nor vanished; a powerful, invisible force shielded it.
"I may be in a mortal body," Sariel said, "but every Guardian on this soil is bound by my curse."
"Burn her now, Remiel!" Herus urged, fear creeping into his voice. "I know what Sariel is capable of!"
"Are you certain you know my capabilities, Herus?" Sariel smiled, and Herus recoiled, terrified by the look in her eyes.
Sariel was swiftly bound to a large wooden post, surrounded by kindling for the pyre. On a distant mountain, Red and Caius watched with their fellow loyalists. Red remembered Sariel's final words before he left the room:
"Red, will you still recognize me when I return to the world?"
"Sariel, since the day you descended from the Lord's side to train with us, I could never forget you. My loyalty remains absolute. I will wait for your return to this Earth."
"Raziel will arrive soon and learn of this. Promise me you will seek me out and defend me. This mortal body will burn, and when I return, it will be unable to hold my true power. Can you do this for me?"
Red, weeping, had nodded, forced to obey his commander's final, terrible order.
"Do not return to Earth, Sariel!" Remiel screamed from the palace courtyard below. "No matter how many times you come back, I will burn you and reduce you to ash again, just like those you punished!"
Sariel met his curse with a final, serene smile. "I will ensure that only your blood will pay for the sins you have committed on this Earth, Remiel."
Remiel's Chain grew scalding hot at her spoken oath.
Andrel shouted in confusion. "Remiel, Red and Caius are not among her warriors! And the rest of their cohort is gone! They have all escaped!"
"Why would Sariel's warriors flee?" Hector wondered. "Why abandon her? Why didn't they fight?"
"Sariel has a plan we do not yet comprehend," Remiel snarled. "Burn her to ash! The Grandminister must be erased from this world!"
The pyre was lit. Sariel screamed as the flames consumed her. High on the mountain, her loyalists' hearts broke.
"We will avenge you, Sariel. We will avenge you!" Red vowed.
They vanished into the shadows.
In the palace, Remiel was presented with Sariel's ashes. He held the urn and the Chains of Guardians.
"We will be the most powerful beings on Earth with these weapons!" Hector declared, drunk with hubris. "We will rule this world! All its treasures will be ours! We shall reign supreme!"
"You are a fool, Hector," Herus corrected, his voice hollow. "Sariel has outwitted us again. Because of the Codes, we cannot do what we wish. She was right; every Guardian is bound by her curse."
"Why are some Chains not working? Especially the one Sariel held?" Andrel asked.
"We must know more about these Chains, and only Sariel's most loyal warriors know the secrets," Remiel decided. "Find them! We must understand the Chains' true power."
"The Chains are powerful; you saw what they could do," Herus argued. "You burned Sariel. If the Chains were bound to her spirit, their power must have vanished with her life. Except for the fragments we hold now."
They looked down at the bracelets on their own wrists.
"No one is to know about the Chains of Guardians," Remiel commanded. "Forbid all questioning about it. And from this moment, the Grandminister's warriors—especially Red and Caius—are the enemies of the Guardians. Everyone must be taught that we saved the Guardians from the evil Grandminister. She will be universally hated, and no one may ever speak her name!"
Every Guardian submitted to Remiel's new authority.
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