[Sarah]

“Sev,” Raziel spoke before they entered the portal. His arm was stretched to catch his master but Sevastion stopped upon hearing his name. The Demon lord turned with a raised brow. Raziel stood fast. He knew his master wanted to get out to Evelon, collect whatever information Annabelle desired and then head to Aldrect. They’d been caught up in Hell for a long time and Raziel knew his master missed Zli immensely. Still, Raziel was nervous.

[Sarah]

“What is it?” Sevastion prompted. He valued what Raziel had to say and he valued a little caution given what was happening. At the same time, he had a thin timetable to do as his mother asked and still disobey her. The guards around the portal were Annabelle’s most trusted, even over her sons. They would be listening in, but Raziel surely knew that. Even as they made themselves appear busy Sevastion knew they would not let anything go unnoticed.

[Sarah]

“I’m a little concerned about my Grace corrupting,” Raziel admitted. He wasn’t Seraphim. He was an archangel with different gods than any other creature he knew. Different chiefly in that he was created by only one god. There were several pantheons in existence, some of the gods within them even existed. Raziel was not from a pantheon – he was from a singularity. His essence was something nearly unknowable. Even in his expansive knowledge Raziel was wary.

[Sarah]

“You’ll be fine Arc,” Sevastion said. Few knew Raziel’s true name or heritage. It was a little important the Demons thought he was just another Seraph. The nickname wasn’t subtle, but it was fitting. Raziel was the most powerful Seraph of an age and equating him to a mythical celestial being kept many prying minds’ attention elsewhere. It also kept Sevastion’s reputation from spiraling out of control. He’d bested an Archangel in battle. That didn’t happen to anyone.

[Sarah]

“Fine,” Raziel said. He was clearly not happy with Sevastion’s empty assurance, but he was giving up the fight. They stepped through the portal.

Going from what was essentially colorblindness in red to true colorblindness was off-putting. Raziel thought it would be more off putting than having the full range of colors taken. Initially Raziel couldn’t even tell what was wrong. The red of Hell was still on the fringes of his eyes and he had to concentrate to see through the resonating haze.

[Sarah]

The other side of the portal was ruins. Sevastion knew they’d once been an important part of some religion, but the exact nature was lost to him. The holy place had been abandoned and left to rot and that was the extent of what Sevastion needed to know about the place. He was a bit curious as to why Annabelle had decided to send them there. It was his understanding that the whole of Evelon was infected with colorlessness.

[Sarah]

“Feel anything?” Sevastion asked Raziel. If the Angle was feeling anything drawing on his Grace, then Sevastion would want to know.

“No,” Raziel replied. He was crouched, inspecting some plant or another. He looked disturbed and that had Sevastion on edge. Raziel never worried about anything. He literally had every answer. Sevastion scanned the old ruins and his eyes struggled to accept the world was shades of grey. Red seemed at the edge of his vision all the while.

[Sarah]

“None of Annabelle’s forces have news,” Sevastion mused to himself. From what little he’d been briefed on it was clear this lack of color was an utter mystery. There where whispers, of course, about who might be responsible. A few fingers were pointed at Annabelle. Sevastion couldn’t figure out what advantage stealing color had. He couldn’t imagine people were that put out by the change. It was strange, but it wasn’t debilitating. Zli had reported strange Seraphim activity, but Sevastion doubted the vaults had anything to do with this.

[Sarah]

“There’s nothing useful to us here,” Raziel reported. His ability to extend his awareness was invaluable to Sevastion. Sev was one of the few royally blooded celestials to lack the ability. It had made Raziel wonder who his mother might be…

“Let’s go then,” Sevastion was prompting. Raziel seemed to shake himself out of whatever path his thoughts had gone down. The sooner they could get to Aldrect the better. Sevastion hadn’t seen Zli in far too long and knowing Zli the time apart only meant trouble.

[Sarah]

“How would you like to proceed?” Raziel asked. They could both fly, but it was not Sevastion’s favorite way to get around. He preferred shifting planes of existence. Raziel had never understood that. There was a considerable danger in walking planes even for celestials.

“Annabelle keeps transportation nearby,” Sevastion said and began towards where he knew the cars were kept. They weren’t lucky enough to expect live transport but Sev could drive well enough. Aldrect was not that far a drive from Lya Pointa anyway.

[Color Harvested]