[Location: Seventh Heaven]

[Third Person's POV]

The seraphic chamber bathed in gold and alabaster light—vast, echoing, and almost painfully pure. Rows of radiant pillars shimmered like liquid crystal as feathered wings brushed gently against the air, every movement accompanied by a faint chiming sound, as though heaven itself resonated with each step.

Gabriel ran at the centre—barefoot, robe of dawn-white silk glimmering with faint blue hues, her hair a soft cascade of gold that seemed to drink the light. Her wide azure eyes blinked innocently as she tilted her head toward the towering figure seated upon the throne.

"Father?" she repeated, voice as soft as falling snow. "Is my grandnephew hurt? I… I want to see him."

"Oh~ Brother! Did father leave you to handle work again? Hehe~"

Michael sighed from the adjacent dais, his armour glinting like molten sunlight. "Gabriel… this is not playtime," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're supposed to be overseeing the prayers of the Seventh Choir, not running barefoot through the Hall of Judgment."

Gabriel blinked, utterly unbothered. "But, Brother, prayers are boring. Everyone keeps saying the same thing—'oh please forgive us'—and it just loops! Like, forever!" She waved her arms dramatically, her sleeves fluttering. "Besides, I heard something about Dominic! I wanna see him!"

The Archangel of War groaned. "You're not supposed to even say that name out loud up here."

"Why not?" Gabriel tilted her head. "He's family, right? Brother Helel's side and all that—though I don't really understand how that works." Her brow scrunched in concentration as if trying to solve divine math. "But he sounds nice! Or maybe scary. Or both!"

Michael's wings twitched. "He's complicated."

Gabriel clasped her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels, her halo dimming slightly as she frowned. "Everyone keeps saying that… 'complicated,' 'forbidden,' 'dangerous'—it's like you all read the same script." Her voice turned almost pouty. "I just want to help. If he's hurt, I can heal him!"

"That's not how it works, Gabriel," Michael said firmly. "You can't just descend into the Mortal Nexus or the Lower Realms whenever your heart feels soft. Do you know what kind of ripple your descent causes?"

"Um…" She blinked again, thinking. "Pretty?"

"Apocalyptic!" Michael barked.

Gabriel's lips formed a little 'o'. "Oh. That's… less pretty."

Sigh~

"Just know this, you, Gabriel, can't simply flutter down to the Mortal Plane because you feel sorry for a demon," Michael said, rubbing his temple as if her presence alone gave him a divine migraine.

"But he's not just a demon!" she protested, puffing her cheeks. "He's… he's Dominic! Half of him is from brother Helel's light, right? That means he's part-angel! Part-family!"

"That's precisely the problem," Michael countered, his voice low, wings flexing once, the golden feathers cutting through the light like blades. "He carries the bloodline of Morningstar, Gabriel. You know what that means. Every heartbeat of his is a contradiction that Heaven itself can feel."

Gabriel tilted her head, blinking innocently. "A contradiction? Like… warm ice?"

Michael exhaled through his nose. "Yes. Exactly like warm ice. Impossible. Dangerous."

She tapped her chin with one delicate finger, eyes wandering toward the massive golden gate that sealed the Hall's far end. "Still sounds kinda cute."

"Gabriel!" Michael's voice thundered, echoing across the marble expanse. Choirs above paused mid-hymn. Several cherubs scattered in fright.

She winced, ducking slightly. "Eep—sorry, Brother! I didn't mean to make the walls shout back!"

He sighed again. "You never mean to, but you always do."

There was a long pause before she spoke again, softer this time. "Brother… I just don't understand. Why do we act like he's gone forever? The reports say his essence flickered again. That means he's alive, right?"

Sigh~

"I hoped too, but father has all but confirmed that brother Helel is gone. I know the details, but he was erased, not even recorded in the Eternal Ledger. His essence… vanished from the cycles, leaving only echoes.

Gabriel's small hands clenched together, her knuckles paling. "But… if he's really gone… why do I feel him? Like… a little tug in my chest every time someone mentions Dominic?" Her voice quivered, innocence colliding with confusion. "It's… weird. And sad. And… important!"

Michael ran a hand down his face, exasperation barely concealing worry. "Gabriel, what you feel isn't something the Seventh Heaven can fully comprehend. That tug… it's the Morningstar blood, the remnants of Helel's light, mingled with… something else. Something older, stranger. Dominic is… complicated beyond measure."

Gabriel's eyes widened. "Complicated again? That's my favorite kind!" She spun slightly on her heel, golden hair catching the light. "So… maybe I should go see him. If he's alive, even a little, maybe I can help him remember! Or at least hug him!"

"Gabriel!" Michael's voice cracked between frustration and fear. "You cannot! Do you have any idea the consequences of an Archangel descending on a mortal—and a demon prince at that? One with the Morningstar lineage?"

"Um… apocalyptic?" Gabriel guessed, tilting her head innocently.

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Exactly. And worse. Far worse than apocalyptic. You could tear the nexus apart. The mortal plane, Hell, even the balance of the celestial hierarchy—it would all shatter like glass under your wings."

Gabriel's azure eyes blinked, wide and naive. "Oh… that's… not cute at all. Maybe I should… just ask nicely?" Her tiny hands folded in prayer, halo wiggling uncertainly above her head.

"'Ask nicely' won't work here!" Michael snapped, though the edge in his voice softened. His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, conflicted between duty and understanding.

"You're too compassionate, Gabriel. Too naive. And that's… why I fear for you. You could fall easily, almost adorable. "I can be smart when I need to!"

Michael's wings flexed, golden feathers stirring the air like a warning. "Smart… yes, but intelligence alone won't save you. Awareness, discipline, control—these are what keep angels from becoming catastrophes. You have none of those when it comes to Dominic Morningstar."

Gabriel blinked, tilting her head with that innocent curiosity that made every archangel in the chamber simultaneously want to smile and groan. "Oh… so I need a plan, huh? A smart plan! Okay… um… step one: be gentle. Step two: say nice things. Step three: Maybe bring cookies? Angels like cookies, right?"

"Gabriel!" Michael groaned, throwing his hands into the air. "No. Absolutely not cookies. No, no, no! Do not—I repeat—do not descend to the Mortal Nexus under the guise of pastries. That will end in catastrophic—"

"—Oh, right," she interrupted, twirling a finger in the air, "so no cookies. Got it. I can… maybe just hug him then?"

"NO! Absolutely not, under no circumstances would you hug him!" Michael barked again, his wings flaring slightly as if to punctuate his point. "Do you even understand the implications? The sheer… aetheric shock of an Archangel touching a Morningstar-blooded demon prince? It would be like lightning striking a volcano! Do you want to destroy everything you see below just because you feel… sentimental?"

Gabriel blinked, tilting her head in that way that made her look simultaneously innocent and utterly clueless. "Um… maybe?" she offered, the word drifting softly like a feather caught in a breeze. "But… it's okay, right? I'm not scary. And I just want to make him smile! That's… really important."

Michael groaned again, sinking onto his dais, golden feathers rustling in exasperation. "Gabriel, sometimes I wonder if you're sentient or just a walking disaster wrapped in light."

Gabriel giggled, spinning on the spot, her halo wobbling dangerously. "Sentient! Definitely sentient! I can even do math sometimes. Like… uh… one plus one is… two! See? Smart!" She held up two fingers proudly.

Michael buried his face in his hands, muttering something about the apocalypse being inevitable if she ever left Seventh Heaven. "You… you're going to be the end of me," he whispered. "Or worse… of the mortal plane."

Gabriel crouched slightly, tilting her head with an innocent frown. "I… I just want to help Dominic. I can't not try, right? Family first, rules second, worries… third?" Her voice wobbled slightly, but her blue eyes shone with the unwavering conviction of the naïve.

Michael peeked through his fingers, wings drooping. "Family first… yes, I suppose. But rules exist for a reason, Gabriel. And the thing you want to do… the thing you feel is noble… could unravel eons of balance. I cannot… allow it."

Gabriel's lips pouted slightly, the gesture softening her entire expression. "I guess… maybe I can… watch from afar? Like… spy, but nice spying! And then… when he smiles, I'll know he's okay!" She clasped her hands, bouncing slightly on her toes in excitement.

Michael exhaled slowly, realizing arguing with her was like trying to cage sunlight. "Fine… watch from afar. But no touching. No descending. No interacting. Understand?" His voice was firm, but there was an unmistakable undertone of reluctant affection for her exuberant innocence.

"Okay!" Gabriel chirped, spinning in a tiny circle, halo tilting dangerously. "I promise! I'll just… float and smile and maybe… send him a little… light! Like… invisible warm hugs!" She beamed, completely oblivious to how catastrophic such an act might be.

Michael groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose again. "I can't even…" He muttered, watching her dash toward the balcony, wings fluttering with reckless glee. "One day, Gabriel… one day, your kindness will either save the universe… or break it."

***

Stone me, I can take it!

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