"Then let's go, you can lead me to the base."
Liliana nodded her head at him, a great amount of steam emitting from her body reverting her back to a birdform.
Her pinkish and lilac bird perched itself upon his shoulder, its wonky eyes surveying the surrounding area watching for threats or witnesses.
Ratella cupped the bloody mess of a man in his arms leaving his clothes and arms stained scarlet fresh blood still dripping from his corpse.
Thrusting himself up into the skies overlooking the whole battlefield, a platoon of angels were quickly approaching the site of their battle.
Too late to see anything but if they delayed their battle any longer the body count would have increased exceptionally.
A large installation of troops nestled in a charred castle eventually reared its head out of the barren wasteland littered with corpses. Its state is dire but still providing a stable and reliable defensive position for Kathoros.
Thankfully the castle was mostly intact, the walls charred pitch black and a few collapsed sections of the walls being patched with quickly improvised barricades.
However the surrounding area which seemed to be town had been completely razed and flattened to the ground.
Ratella softly landed outside the gates of the castle so as not to startle anyone by landing directly in their home.
Noises of notching arrows and the drawstring of crossbrows filled the surrounding area. His appearance was anything but welcome.
The bloody corpse of Temperance alarming the men nestled within the walls.
Ratella waited for the men to speak before opening his mouth lightly tapping upon the gate.
Liliana at his shoulder looking rather bored at the soldier's attitude to a visitor.
"Identity yourself!" shouted one of many soldiers, his voice hoarse and a tinge of anxiety laced within.
"I am Ratella Evergarden, fourth Seraphim. This man in my hands is the virtue of Temperance slain in the heat of battle!" declared Ratella, his declaration was met with the shocked shouts of the soldiers and the barking of orders.
"Open the gate, no one else has six wings in Kathoros." ordered a stern voice raising all the soldiers into action, the gates soon opened revealing an expansive castle filled with soldiers armed to the teeth.
Weapons raised and in search of a conflict pointed towards Ratella's way despite their superior's orders.
Ratella stepped forward into the valley of spears pointed at his nape. The corpse is still lying in his hands on full display to Temperance's former friends.
Their reaction was only natural to a grieving friend, Ratella understood but he didn't care for it getting on his nerves slightly.
"Lower your spears, I am not your enemy." ordered Ratella but the soldiers did not listen, only raising them higher in defiance of his words.
Ratella placed Temperance on the floor and stepped backwards deciding his continued holding of their friend to be only escalating the situation.
A couple of the soldiers immediately forget all of their hostility running to their comrade's side shaking and slapping his deformed face begging for his survival.
Temperance would obviously not wake with the hundreds fatal injuries Liliana had dished out to him but grief and sorrow blinded their sense of reason.
"No! Serian you can't die now, think about your son! You're supposed to be one of the strongest virtues, you're not allowed to die!" a belligerent woman exclaimed through laboured breaths and rivers of tears flooding down her face onto the corpse below.
"Serian, we were supposed to get drinks together today. You can't be dead, this isn't you, no it's just a mistake." said a man in his late thirties tears dripping from his eyes in spite of his calm tone.
His calm mental demeanor didn't last long before crumbling.
He knew this was Serian and that realization crushed his spirit. His face twisting into an putrid state of pure unbridled sorrow pounding upon Serian's chest begging for his survival.
"Boy! Where did you find him?"
"In a deserted area of the battlefield from the air I spotted a bloody corpse impaled upon several hundred blades. I pried his corpse from the blades leaving his body in the best state I could manage but I didn't do a good enough job. I'm truly sorry for your loss. I just couldn't leave an angel displayed in such a horrific manner." said Ratella lying through his teeth.
Nothing about his statement was true, only poison twisting the narrative surrounding Serian's death.
"How did you know he was the virtue of Temperance?" asked the man, his speculation and suspicion falling upon Ratella.
"His remaining semi intact wing bears the marking of Temperance and you don't see many angels with unblemished pure white wings."
The surrounding area of the castle's front ground had become polluted with soldiers all intrigued to see what was going on.
Some wore faces of disgust, terror or blatant indifference in the face of their dead comrade. The trials of war showed some of their behavior.
"Disperse immediately and return to your positions!" a thunderous voice silenced all the mummers and whispers surrounding Ratella.
The soldiers all complied with the mysterious man's voice returning to their position around the castle. The crowd soon faded away leaving only Ratella and the grief stricken people clutching Serian's body.
Upon the balcony overlooking the castle stood a man adorned in full plate armor with two radiant white wings affixed to his back.
Silver eyes peered into Ratella's, his eyes looked clear and transparent appearing to be blind but he could tell that he was anything but.
The man drifted down to the ground, the metal surrounding his body clanking together.
"Serian Vulcan is hereby pronounced deceased in the field of battle. He will be buried with the rest of the fallen." declared the man, cold indifference oozing from his mouth.
"What! But you can't be sure this is actually him!" shouted the woman clutching his body defending it from the assumed commander of the castle.
"This is a mistake! The boy just mistook Serian for a common footsoldier."
"No mere foot soldier meets this kind of end impaled to ribbons. The "boy" was correct, his wings bear the mark of Temperance meaning the corpse you clutch is indeed Serian."
The two clutching his body released their grip realising the truth, all light leaving their eyes in the absence of their dear friend. A cold depressive state overcoming their once joyful minds.
"This "Boy" you speak of is not just a boy but one of the four Seraphim. You'll do good to remember that."
The two did not answer their commander, picking up the body and walking off towards the presumed burial site where rank doesn't play a factor. All being equal in death.
"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Ratella Evergarden. I am Lucian Valentine, virtue of discipline and commander of this castle."
"Its nice to meet you too. I wished the circumstances were better but I'm sure we'll be good friends."
"Come with me, we'll discuss all that needs to be."