Although no birds seemed to be present, the distinct sound of chirping could be heard throughout the garden while the melodic water sounds of the lake accompanied them. It was peaceful and still, including the single person that stood propped up against one of the many decorative columns lining the area; his coppery hair being tousled by the light breeze that rolled about. Even though his gaze appeared to show no thought, one could easily tell that he was content, occasionally glancing upward whenever a stray leaf would catch his attention before settling on the surface of the water.
Each day had felt increasingly longer as the unending peace carried on without any sign of faltering. Time gradually became warped as the same routine was executed and the difference between days and years was blurred. When would something happen? When would something hesitate? When would it end? It seemed the time was surprisingly near.
"Was wondering where you ended up." The copper haired male turns his attention to the one who spoke, watching the other man's careful strides towards him. "Iofiel was more than a little upset by your disappearance," he adds, a vibrant purple gaze meeting warm brown.
"Iofiel isn't the best of company to me," comes the honest answer, his expression unchanging.
"So stiff, Nathaniel. It's completely fine to have friends," the newcomer states, clasping a hand on his partner's shoulder. "Actually, please get friends, because you are top tier boring."
A sigh comes from Nathaniel. "Wow thanks, Tristian. How very kind of you to say so, oh great observant brother of mine." Tristian's ashen blonde hair falls in front of his eyes as he chuckles, a hand over his mouth as he attempts to muffle the sound. "Plus, I was fairly certain you were more interested in Iofiel's company than I ever would be."
Tristian scoffs and reaches down to pluck a pebble from beside the lake, looking it over for a moment. Nathaniel watches in silence as his brother pulls his arm back just before pitching the pebble across the surface of the lake; the both of them watching as the pebble skips a few times before sinking with little to no sound. A strange silence falls between them as they stare out at the water, almost as if the both of them were unsure of how to speak suddenly.
However, Nathaniel was watching his younger brother with suspicion. He could sense that the blonde wanted to discuss something with him, but with the prolonged silence in the air, Nathaniel could see no good from the approaching subject. Tristian had always been upfront about his thoughts, so this time was obviously unnerving.
"Don't you ever think about the humans, Nathaniel?" is what comes out of Tristian after quite some time. "About what we do for them or about how small they are?"
"... You know that I do not care to ponder over the existence of humans, so what are you getting at?" Nathaniel replies with an air of caution.
Another pause. Tristian turns away from the lake to face Nathaniel this time, wanting to see his reaction. "I mean, have you ever thought about the fact that they have no true proof that we exist and improve their lives every day? Or how we could possibly change that?" Nathaniel says nothing, only wincing for the briefest of moments upon realizing what his brother is trying to discuss. "What if I told you that I've finally grasped the reasoning between souls that ascend and those that move on? With that answer alone, I'll be able to take down the divide between our worlds so that we may take our true place amongst the humans. To be admired and praised. Worshipped even. Wouldn't that be wonderful, Nathaniel?"
It took some time for Nathaniel to process what was just said to him, thanks to the utter shock that had just frozen him to the spot. The elder male stands up straight and walks past Tristian before stopping at the edge of the lake, letting more uncomfortable silence settle between them. "You know my answer to that," Nathaniel says, glancing over his shoulder, "Which means I really do not need to tell you that the subject shouldn't be mentioned again."
The obvious pain that shone across Tristian's eyes was enough to make Nathaniel feel on guard. "So are you telling me that you will listen no further?" Tristian inquires with a dark tone laced within his words.
"No, I will not," Nathaniel says firmly. The tension in the air thickens as they stare at one another, waiting for the other to make even the slightest bit of movement.
Humans and well... Angels, both exist in practically the same space of time. It would be easier to say that angels live on top of the human world, or in a mirror dimension with only a wall dividing the two. The same ease could be said about if one were to forcibly attempt to travel into the conjoining world, thus shattering the mirror and separating the connection. Despite this, there are those who can travel to and from the mortal world. They are most commonly known as guardian angels; those that watch over the timeline of the mortal world and briefly intervene in order to help it not only thrive, but to improve as a whole. One could ponder over whether or not to allow the humans to continue forth on their own and take every step without even the smallest of guidance, but it would be accurate to compare them to a toddler learning how to walk with no one to tell them which foot follows the next or how to cross the threshold without tripping on it.
Needless to say, angels do not keep the humans from tripping from time to time so that they may learn from their mistakes and pick themselves back up to continue forward once again. Angels are present to offer a helping hand in minor situations, such as a stumble or a wobble. Despite all the help that the angels provide, they do not ask for thanks in return, nor do they announce their presence to gain such reward. Their reward is watching the humans grow over time. Obviously not all of them share the same sentiment on the matter.
"I expected some form of support from you, older brother," Tristian says rather bitterly, almost like that of a pouting child.
"This is my support, brother," is what Nathaniel chooses to say, "The humans may not have proof that we exist, but that does not keep them from having their faith or their every day hope that someone is watching over them. They have their religions and they have their love. They need no evidence of our existence and you should know that. We keep the balance between our worlds so that they can continue to have a world." The air around them was stifling and the birds had long since stopped their songs of peace, with the occasional ripple across the lake from their rising emotions. Tristian shifts his weight on his feet and Nathaniel's shoulders tense in response, still waiting for the outburst the older brother knew was coming.
"That's exactly why I want to pursue this. It's because we do so much to keep that balance that I believe we all deserve proper recognition for the work we do for such low beings that don't even know we're right above their heads." Tristian's tone was gradually becoming more and more spiteful the longer he spoke, showing off the true reason as to why he decided to research such a subject. It was obvious to Nathaniel that recognition wasn't what Tristian truly wanted as his end goal, even if his younger brother couldn't see it for himself.
Nathaniel's hand twitches before he rakes it through his hair, trying to calm himself down in case something worse were to come out of his mouth. "Tristian, I see why you feel this way, but pursuing this won't end well for any of us. Please just drop this."
That was when Nathaniel became aware of the wind swirling about in the area. It was subtle, but even so, it felt as if it was trying to pull him into the lake's unknown abyss. However, it wasn't nearly as strange as Tristian's sudden shift in demeanor as he abruptly comes off as calm and relaxed. "Have you heard much about how our siblings are able to travel to and from the mortal world, Nathaniel?" The older brother slowly shakes his head. "Well, I'll admit that I thought it was from just about anywhere in our world that they were able to travel at a moment's notice, but that's not quite right. They're actually only able to travel through various portals, or gateways, so to speak. Mirror-like doorways, ironically."
Tristian takes a few steps towards Nathaniel to close the gap and sets his hand on his older brother's shoulder once again, slightly tightening his grip. "You say that their faith is enough. That their indirect love is all we need in order to live out our immortal lives as their protectors... Perhaps you should go find some proof of that," Tristian hisses into Nathaniel's ear before harshly shoving him into the lake, not giving his older brother enough time to react before his body is fully submerged in the water that attempts to crush his entire being the further he sinks into the darkness.
