Chapter 646: Tolling Bells-III

No explanation can seem to go through either Michael or the rest of the angels. They were too taken by their anger that the reasoning Elise gave sounded more like an excuse given by a thief that had caught red handed. In this case it was a murderer. The only witness they could have to help them was Gabriel himself who knew the culprit that had wounded him but currently the angel was out of lights. 

"Elise, stand back," she heard Ian saying and did what he said with a faint nod. 

"The judgement given by Heaven is unfair. Now I see why my uncle had decided to leave that place," Ian saw Michael frowning deeper. The church member who had heard the blast didn't came as if the explosion held no importance when it should have been a great incident to them. The answer to this must lies with the angels, thought Ian. Seeing how bold they were to fly using their large signature white wings. It would mean they had prepared something.

"No further explanation is needed for this, Ian White," answered another angel from behind Michael. 

Ian was familiar with the voice but not only him, Elise had also heard the voice before for many times. She looked to see the white silver hair and his eyes that was covered with the white ribbon. "Heaven," she called the angel's name. Why was he there? With the rest of the angels?

"I might not have the eyes like everyone else in this ground but I have been present during that time where you had torn Gabriel's wings," Heaven said that had both Ian and Elise to look at him as though he had grown to heads. 

"That's not true," Elise stopped Heaven from lying. What had made the man lied? For all she had known, they had a good relationship and Heaven wasn't one to lie like he did now. 

"Silence!" Michael stopped Elise's words against with his stern words. In the same time, Elise heard Gabriel's voice squirming and turn to tend Gabriel. She noticed his arm where a black line had appeared and it had stemmed all over to his elbow.

"Ian," she called for him and Ian who had turned his head when noticing his wife moved pulled his eyebrows. This wasn't looking great. Michael then ordered his armies of angel to stride forward to attack. 

"Elise, the mirror," Ian instructed in a hurry and Elise who had also thought the same pulled out her hand for a mirror of her size to appear when she touched the air. "Go first," Ian told her and with no time to waste, Elise had entered the mirror, disappearing completely from the place before Ian threw the last two men inside the mirror. 

"Don't you dear escape, demon!" Michael screamed in rage, throwing his spear and Ian managed to dodge it.

"You're not less of a grumpy old man compared to Satan. I'm sure you can get along well together," and saying this words, Ian entered the mirror which disappeared by breaking in pieces. Before the shards touched the ground, it had turned into nothing. 

Michael wasn't pleased at how his two most wanted people had escaped his clutches. He turned to the angels when at that time, Raphael fell forward, unconscious. Michael's eyebrows furrowed at this. "Raphael had been the closest friend to Gabriel. He must be in shock. Bring him to his room and tend him, Uriel."

Heaven didn't say anything but nodded.

"What was the weapon Ian White had used to tear Gabriel's wings?" Michael's questioned sounded calm when in truth uttering the question had taken him everything he had with his jaw clenched. 

"His hands," Heaven answered without the slightest hesitation as if he had made his mind on what to say and even reiterated in his mind. "Why the question?" 

"So I can repay what he had done to Gabriel," Michael replied ominously an left using his wings. 

Both Elise and Ian appeared in Hell in a blink of an eye. As Elise had arrived first, she waited for Ian who came in not less than half a minute after her along with Dalton and Gabriel who was unconscious. The location where the other end of the teleporting mirror was in a room where there had been a bed prepared and Malphas, who was waiting anxiously as he was told to stay back in the castle. 

Upon seeing Elise, Malphas stood up. He was confused with how in haste Elise was before jumping on his spot when two more men emerged from the mirror. Elise quickly looked at him for assistance, "Help me bring them to the bed and call for my father."

"I'm here," Leviathan's words came as the door opened. He had noticed his daughter's presence back in the castle but didn't expect to see Gabriel who collapsed on the ground. "Bring them to bed quickly Malphas."

"Yes sire!" Malphas went to pick up the two men without needing any assistance.

"What happened?" Leviathan questioned Elise while his eyes were still looking at Gabriel and marching away to tend the archangel.

"We have been used as a scapegoat," replied Ian who came the last to the room. "Heaven betrayed us. Do you think you know what plagued Gabriel?"

"It's a poison. I can work out on it but nothing is decisive until we know how much the poison spread all over his body," Leviathan checked on Gabriel pulse and ordered Malphas to bring him a few objects. "What do you mea by Heaven betraying you two?"

"Apollyon wanted me to kill him while he disguised Gabriel to his appearance. Hadn't it been for Elise and if I was still the same man who was blinded by rage hundred of years ago, his plan would succeed. He knew what to do to manipulate and control people around him," Ian said as Elise seconded his words. 

Elise added the explanation, "Both Michael and the rest of the angels seem to believe we were the one who harmed Gabriel. They chased us and handed a one-sided punishment to Ian. How is Gabriel?" If Gabriel woke up, Elise knew the misunderstanding between them and Heaven could be resolved quickly. The last thing she wanted was to fight with Heaven of cause a war.

Leviathan's eyebrows knitted tight as he continue to feel Gabriel's pulse with his fingers pressed on the angel's wrists. "He's not looking good. Apollyon is an ancient being and his poison is of the same age of him."

"That means you don't have the antidote?" Elise questioned and her father shook his head. 

"I know how but we would need a few plants from the underground. I will see Caroline. As this isn't an object she should agree to the request." 

Elise sighed a relief breath. Everything had occurred too quickly for her to follow and while they had vacate to a saver place, they were still under the threat of being accused as the person who had harmed Gabriel, the archangel. It was Elise's fast time to be in such position where no one wanted to listen to her and she learned how horrific it had felt. 

In time a bell tolled that alarmed Elise, Leviathan, and Ian as well as Malphas who had arrived back to the room. Orias then dashed from behind Malphas into the room, "Your majesty! An urgent incident had occurred. It… it is the duke." 

"Lucifer?" Ian narrowed his eyes, "What happened to him." His red eyes then saw how frantic Orias was before he shook his sign cuing the terrible occurrence.