Gabriel strode through the camp with renewed energy, his boots sinking slightly into the damp earth. The storm above had not let up and lightning still flashing uncontrolably across the dark sky, casting eerie shadows over the towering tents of the Archangels’ command.
But for the first ti in hours, he felt a sense of relief because he had received news that the scouts had survived.
He didn’t know what they had found beyond the Black Wall but at least they were alive and they were bringing back information. That alone was cause for hope. If they can bring sothing useful to the other factions, maybe they will be able to ease the animosity between them.
A small smile tugged at his lips as he approached Uriel’s tent. This was good news, wasn’t it? After everything they finally had sothing solid to work with.
The Celestials, the Demons, even Belial himself — none of them had any idea what lay beyond that cursed Wall. But now, he and Uriel would. They could share information with them but they will be deciding how much they would share.
He pushed the tent flap aside and stepped in.
Then, his smile faded.
Uriel stood in the center of the room, rigid, her wings tucked close to her back. Her head was lowered slightly, golden hair cascading over her shoulder, but her gaze was fixed on the ground.
The flickering lanterns around the tent cast deep shadows across her face accentuating the tension in her jaw and the way her fingers twitched at her sides.
She definitely had heard the news from Elsa and thinking about sothing that not entirely good.
Gabriel frowned. "You heard the news from Elsa?"
"I did," Uriel murmured.
She didn’t look at him.
Gabriel stepped closer, his expression shifting from curiosity to concern. "So why don’t you look happy?"
Uriel remained silent for a mont. Then with a slow breath she finally raised her eyes to et him.
Her face looked troubled.
Gabriel’s stomach twisted. This was not the reaction of soone who had just received good news.
Uriel’s lips pressed into a thin line before she spoke. "Because, Gabriel... I don’t know, I think sothing is wrong."
"What do you an?" Gabriel asked.
"I don’t know... I just have a bad feeling about this," Uriel murmured with uncertainty. "They lost contact for so long, and then suddenly Elsa’s communication were cos back sounding completely at ease, saying everything is fine, like nothing even happened."
Uriel’s expression remained tense, her gaze flickering toward the lantern light dancing against the silk walls of her tent.
Gabriel sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Maybe it’s nothing, Uriel," he said, trying to reassure her. "They really just found sothing useful, and nothing bad happened. That’s why Elsa sounded so lighthearted."
"Maybe..." Uriel muttered. But her voice still lacked conviction.
Gabriel studied her carefully. It wasn’t like her to dwell on vague feelings.
He placed a hand on her shoulder, his grip firm but steady.
"Uriel," he said softly, "it’s going to be alright. We finally got sothing we want. And from there, we’ll figure out how to destroy that Wall."
Uriel exhaled slowly. Then, at last, she t his gaze. There was hesitation, but after a mont, she nodded. "Right. I hope so."
Still, as Gabriel let go of her shoulder, he noticed how her fingers twitched once more at her side.
She wasn’t convinced.
And that lingering doubt, that shadow of uncertainty, planted a small seed of unease within him as well. Is everything really goingg to be alright?
---
The storm outside had worsened. The winds roared like an angry beast now, and the sky flashed with relentless streaks of lightning that sothing striking to the ground as well.
As Gabriel exited Uriel’s tent, his wings ruffled instinctively against the cold air, and he glanced toward the distant horizon. At the Black Wall.
Even from here, it lood like a scar upon reality itself, twisting the air around it. Gabriel narrowed his eyes. Sothing about it indded felt different now.
The unnatural distortions seed stronger and more unstable. Had it always looked like this?
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside. No, he was just letting Uriel’s paranoia get to him.
The scouts would return soon. They had survive and had found sothing. That was all that mattered.
Gabriel exhaled sharply, stepping back toward his own tent.
For the first ti since hearing the report, the relief he had felt earlier had begun to slip away.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion suddenly ripped through the air.
Gabriel spun around just in ti to see a burst of dark energy erupt from the Black Wall. The shockwave rolled across the battlefield, sending dust and debris flying.
The unnatural black creatures that had been prowling at the Wall’s base collapsed all at once, their twisted bodies convulsing before they went completely still.
For a single tense mont silence reigned. Then the Celestial and Demon armies reacted.
Weapons were drawn, wings unfurled, and battle formations shifted as both sides braced for the unknown.
Gabriel’s own forces mirrored the response, gripping their weapons with wary anticipation. Even Uriel had moved to his side, her expression tense as she scanned the distant horizon.
Sothing was coming and he was sure of it.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the point where the explosion had originated. At first, there was nothing but the swirling black mist that always clung to the Wall. But then... There!
Faint, almost imperceptible at first, a cluster of glowing auras erged from the darkness. They flickered like dying embers against the obsidian backdrop, but Gabriel could see them moving, pushing forward.
Uriel sucked in a sharp breath beside him.
"You see it too," she murmured.
Gabriel gave a tight nod. No one else had reacted yet. The other factions — Celestial, Demon, and even their own soldiers — were still scanning the battlefield, unaware of what was slipping through the Wall’s threshold.
Only he and Uriel could see them.
The scouts.They were coming out of the Wall.
---
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