"Zafiekl!"
Ratella had woken up about an hour ago, resolving all the issues regarding his hygiene just before heading to Zafikel's library. He wandered the endless halls filled with all sorts of guarded knowledge, looking for his soon-to-be teacher of the wonders this world holds.
His searches had turned up fruitlessly, with no trace of the man. Ratella considered that he had disregarded his duty to teach him and fled Divinations' Rest. Although, probably judging by his attitude the day prior, he severely doubted that he would actually flee.
"Zafikel!" shouted Ratella, pushing every ounce of power into his voice. The echo lasted a few moments, bouncing off the many bookshelves before dissipating, being replaced by shallow footsteps and the sound of clanking chains.
"If you don't shut up, you'll burst a blood vessel!" snapped Zafkiel, looking sleepy, rubbing his eyes as he walked over to the boy.
Zafkiel's wings carried various objects, including a book and a broom—two items that caught Ratella's attention. As he walked, he dusted the floor with the broom while reading the book, his remaining eye following the words across the pages.
"How do you do that and why?" asked Ratella, pointing towards the wings, utterly confused at why an angel would use their wings in such an unchivalrous manner.
"Because it's convenient and I can multitask. As for why, well, it's just a skill I inherited from the Primordial Light, I suppose. I doubt you'll be able to do it; your wings are more suited for war, mirroring Luna's."
Ratella's wings fluttered awake after being mentioned, stretching upwards and depositing some stray feathers onto Zafikel's floor.
"Hey! Pick those up, I don't want my floor turning lilac."
Ratella gave a couple of gestures of apology before rushing to pick the feathers up and stuffing them in his pockets.
"Come on, let's get started."
Wasting no time, Zafkiel hurried off to a corner of the library, where a table and chairs were present, with many books lining the table. Ratella eventually struggled to keep up with the impatient man running after him.
One of Zafikel's wings slammed a book down in front of the seated boy, banishing whatever sleepiness still loomed in his mind.
Its title read as follows:
The Harmonic Choir Heavenly Song
"Read it, you can read, right?"
Ratella nodded, flicking the book open. A growing sense of confusion comes over him at his supposed teacher's actions of non-intervention in his studies.
"I thought you were going to teach me?"
"Just read the books I give you, and then we'll discuss their content when you've read them."
"You're pretty boring, aren't you?"
"Stop giving me lip and get to studying," spat Zafkiel, his cheeks reddening with anger at the boy's words, inviting a slight chuckle to leave Ratella's throat, only incurring more of the man's fury.
"I am your elder, so you must listen to me."
"Yeah, I can tell."
"You little -"
Zafkiel withdrew himself before he would do something he most likely regretted to the boy. Ratella calmed his laughter at the man's behaviour and sank his attention into the expansive book resting in front of him.
Ratella devoured the 300-page book in just a couple of hours, absorbing every word. Although Zafikel hadn't specified what the book was about, he guessed after a couple of pages.
It wasn't the most exciting book in the world, but Ratella thoroughly enjoyed it. Its content being completely foreign to the once common boy, making every word bring on an unbridled ecstasy to flood his brain.
The book's topic was the law of Kathoros, and while most of it was boring, a few sections stood out to the boy, reminding him of the previous day's events, which he had tried to bury deep in his mind, not wanting to think back on them.
The law of this world was as you would expect for a kingdom valuing loyalty and shunning criminal and inconsiderate acts.
The sections of law were categorised as strings.
Harmonic Song's String 98: No angel is to speak falsehood or slander in hope of bringing unrest and harm to the citizens of Kathoros. Knowingly or not.
Harmonic Song's String 1: The surface world designated "Earth" mustn't be inferred with, and no angel is permitted to cross the border between Kathoros and Earth.
Harmonic Song's String 74: The current Seraphic Imperator's competency must be evaluated by an independent party every millennium.
Harmonic Song's String 2: Heresy is punishable by death; all angels must be devoted to God.
Harmonic Song's String 5: Going against the Choir in any manner, whether that be physical or otherwise, is unacceptable and will be met with execution.
Harmonic Song's String 102: Any divine armaments found must be turned into the choir. The choir will always make the final decision on whether or not you are allowed to keep the armament.
Harmonic Song's String 143: Any Fallen or Devilkind must be reported to the Choir or dispatched by the witnesses' hand if able. Not reporting the Fallen or Devilkind will result in imminent execution and being deemed a Fallen.
That was about all the laws of Kathoros that interested Ratella; the others only confused the boy about property laws and other minor laws, which bored him completely.
His mind was wary after reading the book, laying it down on the table, unaware of its rightful place in the endless library. He went to search for Zafikel following the sound of clanking metal.
A familiar six-winged stood in the middle of two bookshelves, inspecting the condition of his many books.
"I finished the book."
"Already? Seems I underestimated you, here's three more."
"I'd rather you teach me."
"After you've read those three, I'll teach you a couple of things about this world, okay?"
"Alright, it's a deal then," stated Ratella, putting his hand out in search of a handshake, confirming their deal. Zafkiel redundantly reciprocated the gesture.
His three wings appeared, each holding a book at least double the size of the previous one. With no warning, they dumped them into his outstretched arms.
"Can you at least tell me what they're about first?"
"One about Edicts, another is about Fallen and Devilkind, and the other is on the structure of the Choir."
Ratella hauled the books back to his secluded corner of the library, settling into the comfy armchair, ready to inspect every inch of these books.
His mind quietened and calmed, his spirit taking solace in the silence, until heavy footsteps shattered his newfound peace, sending a cold shiver through him.
"It's training time, leave the books there and come on," shouted Luna. In Ratella's mind, he thought he had at least a couple more hours before Luna's training. His miscalculation had now incurred the ire of his newfound mentor.