Approaching the Bureau of Wisdom Hibriel slowed down and landed gracefully before the rose gold gate. 

He wondered whether Uriel was still calm or if she turned out to be furious —however he did not mind either way. Hibriel set the thought aside and opened the heavy gate continuing to ascend the marble stairs towards the imposing building. 

After entering through the thick wooden doors he languidly strolled through the hallway to Uriel's office. But before he was able to reach for the handle, the door suddenly swung open. 

In the frame stood a tall and slender woman with long platinum hair, wavy as flames, and 3 pairs of cream wings sprouted from her back as well as her head. 

Her face distorted into a fierce glare resembling that of a cat before it pounced on its prey.

She was obviously pissed.

“Oh look who decided to grace me with his dashing presence in this late hour! Are you even able to imagine how long of a time I waited for your humble self to decide on making your way to my wonderful office?! I have tried to get through on your telepathic channel though it seems my dear child blocked it off upon receiving my signal! Just How ungrateful you are!”

She pouted and her eyes radiated dissatisfaction towards her son. 

Her way of speaking reminded one of a teen with 8th grader syndrome. Although reminding might not be the correct description —yes, this seraphim was indeed a chunibyo. But as to how she became one, nobody knows.

“Pardon, I might’ve entered the wrong room. No, it might even be the wrong building.” Hibriel turned around, rolling his eyes, the corner of his mouth slanting slightly downwards. He knew of Uriel’s personality all too well which also gave him an advantage. 

To deal with her tantrums was not his favorite job; though he couldn’t care less and resolved such situations with ease. Which meant he ignored her.

“Hibriel stop, stop, stop, stoooooop! I did not mean to upset you! Come back here I need to discuss an urgent matter with you!” 

Her oh-so urgent cries were what Hibriel waited for. Lips curving up into a mocking smile he said, “Oh really then do tell me about this “urgent” matter of yours, would you?” 

Yet again he turned around to face his mother directly once more. 

The rims of her eyes slightly reddened. From the look on her face it was easy to distinguish she almost cried for being left right there, standing around like a flailing child. 

Truly a fickle, simple minded woman although that didn’t imply that she was stupid. In fact, Uriel’s knowledge encompassed more than the entirety of the Divine Archive.

Throughout all the millennia she has already been the seraphim of fire and wisdom, Uriel merely found it easier to sustain her station by acting like an idiot in public rather than attracting unnecessary attention from the shadows.  

She then turned to him politely asking: “Then my son would you please come in? And please shut the door behind you.”

«She seems rather cautious. How odd…. But let’s do as she says.»

Hibriel scowled but paid no mind to the unusual behavior. It was not the first time she acted out of the ordinary.

He entered the office after Uriel, shut the door and locked it just in case. She waved him over to the side room connected to her humble office. It was a neat little drawing room with a Diwan placed in front of the window and some shelves on the sides. 

Uriel signaled him to take a seat. And so he did. 

“I’m all but used to you being serious.” Hibriel’s voice turned cold, his eyes turning into crescents. “What exactly is it you need to discuss with me?”

She sighed and whispered in a gentle tone. “Silenzio, isolate” 

It was a spell to isolate sound within a specific area. Apparently a space with no ears to eavesdrop needed to be created for their conversation. So simply casting an incantation was an easy solution to avoid curious Angeli. 

It startled Hibriel quite a bit although he knew the walls had ears; it wouldn’t be surprising for unwelcome guests to be near and no matter how peaceful, there were bound to be those trying to scheme behind others backs. If the hobbies of this pair were ever to be leaked it could lead to some serious trouble. 

“Phew, it’s tiring to always put on this act. Well then let us get to the point” Uriel was relieved. 

Her long lashes swung open with vigor; with her eyes that shined like a deep fiery gem, she gazed at Hibriel in earnest. 

Neither of them spoke, the silence awkwardly unbearable. 

Hibriel shot his mother a scrutinizing look trying to discern her continuously distorting expression. 

«She’s so silly looking like that. Pff pursing her lips… she looks like she bit into a lemon.» He was on the verge of breaking the silence with laughter. 

Hibriel’s confused amusement upon seeing the lemon faced Uriel was soon disrupted by her whispers.

“So what I wished to say”, she mumbled, “I’ve recently been down in the mortal realm to gather more knowledge about the happenings of the world.” Uriel lowered her head, she was silent for a spell.  “I happened to come across a few rather interesting books; a few might not be entirely correct. Ahrem —some of them might be interesting to you.” 

Hibriel watched her with anticipation; something lit up within him. 

He couldn’t wait to read more human literature. It wasn’t like his desperation made him lose sight of the situation though, he perfectly knew what it meant if Uriel brought up her recent heist —a load of work— after all he was the attendant of the Divine Archive and Hibriel’s duty involved sorting a variation of papers into the enormous shelves as well as occasionally dusting them off. 

Considering Uriel’s unreasonable shopping addiction in terms of printed publications from other spheres. It was somewhat unsurprising for Hibriel, being stuck in the archive —working that is.  

“A few? Sure. You may tell me anything you’d like but if you tell me you brought just a few, I know that it will never be ‘just a few’ but an amount no one can lift on their own”, he spoke disgruntled. 

Perplexed Uriel couldn’t help but let out an amiable sigh. She did feel guilty of some sorts but it hasn't fazed her in the slightest way. 

“Well maybe my venerable self engrossed herself a bit too much with shopping… Nevertheless it will not change the situation. Would you please sort them out? But be aware the ones I acquired this time need to be transferred into the innermost section.” Uriel looked solemn. 

The Books were apparently not to be seen by unauthorized Angeli not to speak of the eyes of the scribe. It would have horrendous consequences if it ever came to light what Uriel has been undertaking within her free time. 

The innermost section of the Dinene Archive, where important Information and secret documents were stored, hid itself behind the ceiling high shelves of the open section. Only a select few of the Seraphim's close acquaintances and Hibriel had the authorization to enter. It was practically an archive within an archive. Many other such rooms were hidden behind the shelves storing various items the seraphim collected over the millennia. 

Hibriel wasn’t in the mood to put up with his mother any longer, his body slowly grew more fatigued. This tired Angeli only wished to ask where the books were located, so he could get the work done as soon as possible. Whereas the look on Uriel’s face told him otherwise. The atmosphere soon tensed; her forehead creased and her eyes were radiating fervid distress. 

“You hear, Hibriel, about you taking books out of the Archive… you need to be cautious. Ariel knows of our pastime activities which is fine, after all she is a trusted plumis cornu within my jurisdiction. However, Hibriel, you might not know who will show up while you read within the garden. Stay on guard, you hear me!” Uriel’s voice trembled with anxiety, a feeling so etched into her soul; engraved so deep that it might never fade entirely. 

At that very moment she seemed to appear like a blooming red columbine. Beautifully encouraging yet filled with deep  anguish. 

Hibriel, taken aback,  gazed back at Uriel. A forlorn calmness painted upon his facade. 

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

It was clear to him that her words of concern were covering something up like a thick coat of snow. He contemplated Uriel’s words for a while, finding no definite answer to who it might be that posed a threat to them.

Not long after, Uriel lifted the spell she had cast earlier. 

Her tone softened to a point it got uncomfortable. “Look at the time, it is already late into the night. You should not be too occupied by the task I have bestowed upon you. Now go and rest my dear son. You will need it for working tomorrow with your full energy of course.” After the spell broke, Uriel reverted back to her overly fancy way of speech. 

Hibriel stood up, he turned towards the door to leave. His slightly downturned peach blossom eyes exuded profound tiredness. Sleep was all he longed for just then.

“I will head back to my quarters then. Have a good night.”, he said accompanied by a long yawn. 

The place Hibriel lived in was not located far from the main building of the Bureau of Wisdom though still part of the same patch of clouds. Each step filled with exhaustion he made his way towards his room, towards his fluffy, comfortable bed, and fell into a deep slumber. 

Usually when Hibriel dreams it has been about books he’s been reading or about recent happenings within his life; it was different this time. 

He saw a vague scenery, a cliff filled with grass and trees. And in its midst stood a person. He tried approaching the person but the scenery faded again and changed. Now he and the person stood on a plastered walkway within a park, side by side. It seemed to be a place on earth. Within the scene other silhouettes surrounded them. Hibriel turned to face the person by his side but yet again he was not able to distinguish their features. One of the silhouettes attacked and the figure collapsed to the ground; the scene faded. 

«No, WAIT DON’T—!»

His dream had an abrupt end and he woke up drenched in sweat. Panting he sat up, eyes wide and pupils constricted. It was to him as if his heart ached… As if he lost something precious. Whatever loss Hibriel experienced inside of his dream was but a vague feeling still lingering inside his core.

This dream indeed has had a hefty notion to it. Hibriel dwelled over what happened within however he deemed it hopeless to make out a clear image. He thought it weird because he never had any such dreams and especially none of places he has never physically been to. Calming himself he recollected his composure. Hibriel rose from his bed and departed, heading towards the Divine Archive. 

When Hibriel arrived, Uriel already waited. He figured it would not hurt to mention the weird dreamscape he encountered that night to her. Maybe her knowledge held the answer he seeked. 

Uriel stared at him quizzically. He hesitated for but a single moment before sucking in a deep breath.

“I… Last night, I had a strange dream. It was incredibly unusual…” He gave an account of its contents —more precisely of what he remembered happening. Uriel stood unfaced in front of him, her eyebrows rose. Silence fell, none of them spoke. 

“…Dreams can have many meanings, as to what yours conveys… I am unsure…”, it was Uriel who breached the silence. 

Hibriel was at a loss for words; he smiled and wrote it off of his mind. 

“Well, I guess so. Then I’m gonna start the work you handed me yesterday.” He left and entered the Archive, a pile of books so huge Hibriel could barely look over it, already waiting for him.  

Hibriel saw all the books piled in front of him. His hand scrunched into a fist and a vein bulging on its back. His lips slightly parted but closed right away; eyes twitching he thought: «A few, truly this… THIS IS A DAMN MOUNTAIN!» 

Uriel observed Hibriel entering the Archive. She pondered over Hibriel’s words once more. «This dream… Just maybe…maybe it truly is a sign…» 

One must have known that dreams conveyed many things, especially those of plumis cornu. It hasn’t been unheard of for Angeli to have dreams right before they gained their ’authorities’. ‘Authorities’ however, were the personal powers each divine being possessed. By birth everyone had different aptitudes though when they awakened it also depended on their personal experience. Those abilities usually awakened within an Angelis youth —their first century alive that is. For example Ariel, that girls 'authority’ was the manipulation and communications of nature. On the other hand Uriel had ‘authority’ over ethereal flames. 

But that son of mine…. Had already lived past his 3rd century, it was highly time for him to gain his ‘authority’. 

Late bloomers … they were rare but sometimes they occurred. Though when they awakened, sometimes —by a stroke of luck, one might obtain a unique ability not comparable to others. By the off chance that Hibriel was such a case; what would his ‘authority’ be? When would it awaken? Where? How? 

Uriel’s eyes downcast, she had to ruminate over and over, to no avail. Leaving this train of thought for another time she returned to her office, continuing the paperwork she postponed.