The two walked through the grand doors decorated in the colours of the sun, golden accents lining the corridor to the single room at its end.
The golden doors opened on their arrival, and two guards, dressed in crimson and orange suits, swiftly opened them upon they heard them. In the room was a bar and a lounge; the smell of smoke and alcohol filled the room.
There were three people in total, excluding the doormen, two wearing stern and serious expressions, with the other smoking a cigar lazily on the couch. The two serious men stood at her rear, their eyes never leaving the two as they sat on the free couch.
They were dressed in suits similar to those of the doormen. However, their designs were more elaborate, and a complex insignia was stitched into them, differing in design but similar to each other.
Four wings of crimson and orange shook themselves, knocking into the two men, inviting grunted expressions to appear; a couple of stray feathers fell from the wings. The two men picked up the feathers and put them into separate bags filled with similar colours.
A mane of scarlet draped down to the Dominion's shoulders, streaks of orange and yellows running through it. The Dominion's amber eyes gleamed with curiosity and admiration at the new arrivals. One of her canines pointed out through her broad smile.
"Bahaha! You two are the most interesting champions we've ever had. No one in the history of the Divine Arena has made so many challengers forfeit after their first match. And don't forget the wingless fury beheading everyone in her path. How can a wingless be so powerful? It was thought impossible, but it now seems everyone's mindset on wingless angels has been changed."
"My Lady, you shouldn't keep so plainly with guests, especially one of the Seraphim."
Ratella poured himself a glass of whiskey from the table, catching the glare of the blonde-haired man with the same amber eyes as Seraphina at her right. The man at her left was reprimanding her, unaware that speaking without permission would be more disrespectful to a high-ranking official. Such a rant definitely wouldn't be approved of by Michael.
At her left was the replica of the Dominion, but in a male form, although their personalities were vastly different.
The twin of Seraphina was most likely her brother Caelum Vulcan, but the eyesore at her right was still a mystery to the duo.
"Where is Memaru?"
"The little forsaken dragon cub? He's over there in that little fluffy bed. He waddled over there when he had enough of the fights. He hasn't moved, he's probably asleep."
"Thank you for taking care of him. I hope Ratella's slip of murderous intent didn't do Memaru any harm."
"No, he's fine. I took his advice and wrapped him in one of my wings for the first couple of fights, so he was unaffected by the slip of intent."
Olivia walked over to the fluffy bed near the bar filled with all sorts of rare alcohols, receiving the cub nestling him into her chest.
His sleepiness persisted through the disruption, only waking briefly before going limp again.
Ratella sipped on the whiskey in his glass, looking towards the two men behind her before locking eyes with Seraphina.
"The sheer amount of murderous intent you released on that poor angel even startled me for a moment. You must be quite the troubled person."
"No. That was merely a test to see the effects of my intent on an unguarded body. I have no true hatred for any angels or devils. I'm only performing my duty as one of the four Seraphim."
Seraphina discarded the cigar in her hand, flicking it to the floor, its flavour gone. She picked up a new one from the bucket next to her, filled to the brim with fresh cigars, and a small fireball appeared at her fingertip, lighting the cigar.
"I have a proposal for both of you. Ratella may be a Seraphim, but he is still unaffiliated, belonging to no military order. With your combined might, we can beat back any attempts for this citadel's head."
"You want us to become affiliated with your military order then?"
"Yes. Join the Luminous Wardens, and to sweeten the deal, I'll give you both the position of captain. No one would dare question my decision, even with their prejudice for wingless angels."
"My Lady! These people can't be trusted; an angel who kills with intent as a test isn't an angel at all. You should know these two will only invite trouble into the wardens!" protested the blonde man, stressing his point to Seraphina, practically shouting into her ear. His face was laced with concern and panic.
"Silence! I shall not repeat myself. Your protests border on blasphemy. Remember who you are speaking to."
The blonde man didn't respond to the woman retreating to his position, a particular tone of defeat and worry running across his eyes.
"Why should we join? I'm sure you have the might to defend this citadel, judging by the walls alone."
"We don't have to be frank. There have been whispers of a new order of Devils ranking above Sins in Faravos; these are new rumours originating from around two months ago."
Ratella looked at Olivia for a moment, and she shrugged her shoulders completely in the dark at the new order of Devils formed in Faravos. She stayed silent, saying little, leaving the conversation to Ratella.
She didn't care much about the Wardens, but she also wasn't opposed to joining them; the result would be the same either way in her mind.
"A new order? We've heard no such rumours. Could you fill us in?"
"The Heralds of the Apocalypse, an order of twelve Devils serving the Horsemen of War, Famine, and Pestilence. Each has four under their control; seats organise their ranks. The first seat is the strongest, with the twelfth being the weakest."
"We have not had any information on why the Horsemen of Death were excluded from this order; whether the Horsemen are dead or just declined the offer is still unknown."
Samael held up four fingers symbolising the ranks within the Abyssal Dukes. The Horsemen of War held control of seats one to four, Horsemen of Famine holding control of five to eight, with Pestilence taking the rest.
Olivia scowled at the news; she obviously wasn't kept in the loop when it didn't revolve around death or Nuit.
Ratella wasn't thrilled to hear the news, either, as he had been completely left out of the loop. Liliana hadn't spoken a word of this mysterious order she was forming right next to him.
He instinctively bit his tongue, unnerved, and a sliver of anger ran through his mind; the metallic taste of divinity soon flooded his senses, knocking him out of his daze.
"These reports aren't excellent; they come from a few of the turncoats embedded in Faravos' military, so we can't exactly say if they are truthful. The twelve Abyssal Dukes have had extensive surgeries performed on them, forcefully implanting high amounts of divinity into their bodies."
"We have heard that Horsemen of Pestilence have been making potions and specialized diseases to strengthen them further," said Samael, his voice breaking with each word. The growing worry of the enemies' newfound power weighs on his mind.
"You see, we can't be sure that this citadel will hold out when faced with the new threats. If even one of them rivals me in a battle, this citadel is doomed. I can't protect everyone when fighting at my best."
Olivia's anger was overflowing into her aura; the malice coming off her was becoming suffocating to the lower angels in the room. The doormen swiftly exited, sensing their own safety to be in jeopardy.
"Please excuse me. Ratella, I'll follow whatever decision you make."