The Divine Archive.

Shelf after shelf lined the halls, creating narrow paths all over; books and scrolls stored at every corner one faced. Deep within this skyline of information, a hidden entry, the size of a mousehole appeared, the light it exuded alluring. The innermost section — the library of secrecy. 

Not everyone was allowed to enter, that has not only been a rule instituted by Uriel but the library itself. Its gate recognized only a few and thus only appeared for those few. It really had its own will.

Hibriel approached the gate at a leisurely pace along a mountain made of volumes of inked paper Uriel dumped onto him. He stretched his hand towards the faint light; the tip of his long slender fingers touched the tiny gate and the glow dispersed forming a door perfectly sized for an Angeli to enter. He stepped into the illusionary door, slowly getting swallowed by the dim radiance. 

The moment his long lashes opened, another space took form. Bookcases and cabinets were arranged around the center in a circular pattern; the room looked like a tulip in full bloom. 

Most books stored along the wooden frames contained non-fiction — history, science, confidential documents of the heavenly realm all were present. Though the outer petals amassed some fiction from the mortal realms; stories of imagination, of fantasy and on how humans depicted Angeli within their mind. 

The volumes Hibriel got dumped with this time around, scattered through every possible genre sectioned within the library. He was bound to run around the whole room.

«Now then…shall I get started?»

Places like these which sparked his flame of  hunger for all the knowledge of mankind were his true elysium. 

His face lit up with anticipation, a glint of crazed craving hidden beneath. Salvia collected inside his mouth, he swallowed. 

Hibriel started his work right away and browsed through all the novels, magazines and files that had yet to be sorted. He gently caressed the covers reading over every single title — every single word etched itself into his memory. 

A book on the scenery of the mortal realm passed through his hands, he stopped for a spell. His heart churned, a slight gasp escaping his pink lips. 

Hibriel opened the book, flipping through page after page. The book did not only include detailed descriptions of the different places but also images, like paintings that visualized scenery like reality —however they were far more detailed. 

He stopped in his tracks brushing over a picture of a small town with fields of pink Japanese camellia. 

The longing to witness this view with his own retinas was barely bearable. 

Shaking his head Hibriel closed this book and sighed. 

The mortal sphere, even if quite ordinary, was a truly beautiful sight even within paintings. Many who never saw it in their lives were struck with a sense of awe when they first laid eyes upon the countless skylines; it did not matter if it was a mirage or the genuine article. Regardless, only the Angeli from Barachil’s guardian department could descend legally — though, only on rare occasions they were allowed to travel. So there was no chance for Hibriel himself to fulfill his dream of seeing and living in the mortal realm. 

He set the book aside and shoved it into its corresponding shelf. Turning his attention towards work once more.  

——(o)——

After some hours he finally managed to dissolve the glacier made of books. It was already late afternoon. 

Hibriel’s stomach rumbled, high time he finally ate lunch. Taking one of the novels ,whose contents were pure fiction and storing it inside his pocket, he made his way to the cafeteria at Maducare hall. 

Standing before the hall was a brown haired Angeli. Hibriel approached him. 

“Ezekiel, it's you. Long time no see!” 

“It has been a while, old friend!” Ezekiel had a smile in his gentle willow eyes. 

Standing from afar you could clearly see that compared to Hibriel, Ezekiel was quite short. Though most Angeli were shorter or had a similar height to Hibriel. 

They both entered Maducare hall to eat lunch together. 

Whilst Ezekiel found a table and settled on an empty seat, Hibriel ordered their food. He decided on mixed salad and brought 2 bowls back to their table. 

Angeli actually did not have a need to consume because their bodies were immortal, allowing them to live practically forever. Nevertheless some still enjoyed eating; maybe that was a side effect of being reborn as a plumis cornu? After all, souls, once the body died, returned to the cycle of reincarnation and some things from life’s prior might just have engraved themselves on the soul itself. 

Hibriel seated himself next to Ezekiel. They dug into Their salads and started eating. 

“Say Ezekiel, you work as a guardian right?”, Hibriel asked. 

“I do, but most of the time I just sit in my office watching the human assigned to me. Why do you ask suddenly?” 

Hibriel was unsure as to how much he should tell him —better safe than sorry!

“Oh… I was only curious. I mean it’s only you guardian Angeli that are allowed such close contact to the mortal realm.” He gazed at Ezekiel from the corner of his eyes. 

Ezekiel in turn smiled half lidded. 

“You are quite a sly bookworm I must say”, he chuckled, “but unfortunately I am unable to tell you more.” 

“Well, you got me there. I guess you just know me too well, Ezekiel.” 

Ezekiel responded: “You’re just easy to read when it comes to your interests.”

Hibriel sighed resignedly and quit his attempts to holler information from his friend; they continued the idle chit chat for a while longer before finishing their meal. 

“It was nice chatting with you for a change. I hope to see you again soon Hibriel!” Ezekiel waived after Hibriel as he saw him spreading his wings. 

Hibriel looked back for a moment, smilingly he said: “See you Ezekiel!” 

He slammed his feathers downwards lifting him up into the air gracefully. With a gentle breeze accompanying him, Hibriel departed.

Silently Ezekiel stared after him, the smile faded, his face turning solemn.  «Please, Hibriel, don’t do anything stupid… something you might regret later…»