Italy Trevi Fountain, 12:00 AM,
Gabriel's investigations were fruitless. She couldn't find any trace of her father on Earth and was starting to feel desperate as she didn't know where to look anymore. He had left the Silver City decades ago and had not been seen on Earth, so where could he possibly be? She couldn't give up on him, not only because she already claimed to her siblings that she would look for God and find him, but also because she felt that the world needed his return to restore balance in the chaos slowly settling in. Desperate, she decided to call her damned sibling, Lucifer Morningstar to ask him if their father was not hiding in Hell. She speculated that Hell would be the last place people would be looking for God and hoped that her hypothesis was the right one.
It took Lucifer some time to reply to his sister because he had not expected one of his siblings to reach out and be so blunt that they needed him. He also wasn't sure it wasn't a trick to lure him out of Hell and do away with him. The message came from Gabriel, and he remembered fondly his sister and knew that she wasn't the one to trick others, so he relaxed and he gave her Rendez-vous in Italy, at the Trevi Fountain. Gabriel arrived first and anxiously waited for her sibling to show up. She was wearing an elegant thin-strapped ankle-length black dress with black stilettos and had braided her hair into one single braid that reached her calves. She had put on a leather jacket because the weather was a little bit chilly and stood before the fountain.
"It's been such a long time, sister." -Lucifer's booming voice sent a shiver down the archangel's spine. She didn't turn around as to not bring attention to them and simply smiled to herself-
"It has been." -She simply said, before she felt his presence near her frame.-
Lucifer's meat suit pick was not surprising in the least. He was a very tall and gorgeous black man who sported a popular haircut humans called "a fade'". He was sharply dressed, with a long and fitted leather coat, a three-piece black suit with black leather shoes. His tie and handkerchief were white to add some color to his whole look. Gabriel cocked her head to the left so she could have a good look at her brother. Despite the glamour that could give the illusion of his eyes being brown, they were a magnificent purple color, akin to the most precious amethyst. It was bright and warm and a confirmation for Gabriel that it was indeed her brother who had joined her before the fountain.
"Let's cut through pleasantries, shall we, sister? I would like to know why you reached out to me. You said it had something to do with Father."
"Yes. I think you have noticed that our Father is nowhere to be found. He left the Silver City and I've combed through the mortal realm over and over again and he's not there. I was wondering if... by any chance, you've seen him in your realm?"
"In Hell? Why would he hide in Hell? I hope you're not accusing me of hiding our father!" -He said, his voice hinting at bubbling anger. Gabriel shook her head and outstretched her arm to hold onto Lucifer's left arm-
"No! No! I'm not accusing you of anything, brother. I was wondering if you felt his absence and if you suspected anything. I am at my rope's end and I don't know where to look!"
Lucifer furrowed his brows but didn't move his arm away from her. Instead, he decided to study his sister as she was talking to him. Gabriel always used to be so bubbly and happy. She was the messenger of God after all and the only one who could claim to be the closest to the Creator. He could see how distraught she was simply by looking at her eyes. Those eyes, red as rubies, used to shine brightly when she was still acting as the messenger for their father. Today their light was dim and dull. He noticed the strain on her face and the exhaustion atypical of his sister. He noticed the tremors in her voice and the fear of seeing her only clue to finding their father, leaving because she didn't express herself the right way. Gabriel never judged him for his fall. She was the only sibling who seemed to understand him in a way the others couldn't. perhaps she knew something the others didn't. She still looked at him like she would her brother, regardless of his status as a fallen angel and the king of Hell. So he decided to remain by her side, at least until he could give her a satisfying answer.
"I have noticed something was amiss but I couldn't imagine it was because Father had left the Silver City. Who has been in charge since he left?"
"Michael has. Raphaël can't oppose him so he goes along with whatever our brother wants to do. Uriel, well... you know our brother. He is rather silent and discreet. I'm the only one who voiced my concerns and opposed Michael, to no avail. I left the Silver City."
"You left? Gabby, what exactly are you trying to do? Opposing Michael? He's not going to accept it and let you go away with it. You might as well be labeled an enemy of Heaven."
"Not yet. He still wants me back. He doesn't understand why I'm not on board with his ideas but I told him. We're not meant to rule over humans. We're meant to serve them and to serve our Father. He might be gone, but his will has always been for us to help humans, not rule them. I told him that I would find Father and know the real reason for his departure."
"It is an ambitious task, sister, and a huge risk you took opposing Michael. If...You need shelter, you can find one in Hell. I would see to it that you're safe. Regarding Father, I haven't noticed his presence in Hell. I see why you thought he could have hidden himself in my realm. After all, who would have been looking there for our dad. Yet, you forgot that he can't keep a low profile wherever he is. He surely would have made his presence known to me. I apologize for not telling you what you wanted to hear."
He felt a pang in his heart as the face of his sister started to slowly show her disappointment. Her only lead was now dead and she didn't know where to look at. Lucifer scratched his beard as he was now thinking about their father's whereabouts and he started to consider several options. If their father had left the Silver City and couldn't be found on Earth then maybe he simply wasn't in the mortal realm. If he wasn't in Hell, there could only be another place.
"I will search Hell, this time to find our father. There still could be a chance he's hiding very well and I have not paid attention. However, there is a chance I would not find him there. Fear not, sister, for there is another place you haven't searched at. perhaps, Father is in Purgatory."
As soon as he mentioned it, Gabriel's face lit up and quickly took on a horrified expression. Why would their father stay in Purgatory? She had never been there herself, but she heard her siblings talk about it. Purgatory changed depending on who entered it. It could be a big empty grey place or it could be something more familiar where the soul was stuck until it figured out their unfinished business and came to terms with it. Why would the creator willingly go there? Gabriel didn't remember her father as being prone to martyrdom. She didn't remember him as being willing to sacrifice his freedom and perhaps sanity and lock himself in a place she believed was worse than Hell. But it was a lead and it could very well be true.
"Please, brother, search for Father in Hell. I can't imagine him willingly going to Purgatory. I can't even begin to imagine what it could imply or if I could eventually convince him to leave this place to return home. I am... scared that you might be right, so please, please, Lucfier, Search for him in Hell."
"I will. You have my word. In the meantime, you have to brace yourself for whatever comes next. I will keep in touch with you, be careful because I am certain Michael would not give up on you so easily. Please, be careful."
She nodded and gently grabbed his large hand with hers. Gabriel's guts were telling her that something sinister was coming and that she better be ready to hear it. A lot of things didn't make sense to her for now but she was determined to find their father. She felt that God had to return if he wanted to save his precious creations and prevent chaos from happening. She felt that she was racing against the clock and deep down, she knew that Michael would never take the risk to let her walk freely on Earth and convince mankind to rebel against angels. She was the messenger of God after all, and the one humans would turn to in times of need. She knew she couldn't return home until she got a hold of their father and therefore intended to remain careful, including with her brother Raphaël. Lucifer looked at her with a warm gaze before he bent forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. He decided that he would look after his sister and would do his best to find their father. perhaps all of this was in vain but he was willing to take the risk just like she did. And with a slow nod, he vanished in a black smoke, returning to Hell so he could start looking for their father. Gabriel was left behind, worried sick about what was to come but determined to get to the bottom of that situation.
TBC
