- Death, Raphael, Uriel -
"What is this about, [Hunter]?" Uriel asked with shifting eyes.
"Him," Death pointed at Raphael. "He dies here and now, by my hands."
"Saliel convinced you?" Raphael said with disappointment. "That vile liar has even managed to deceive you?"
Death looked to Uriel. "No words to defend your brother?"
"Brother is misguided," Uriel said. "He has convinced himself of evils that don't exist. Our father told us that we should decide on merit whether we believe Saliel's words and not simply on his magic."
Raphael added, "And the poor justice-seeker has blinded himself to the REAL truth."
While Raphael spoke, Death wondered how he would get around Uriel. He couldn't risk killing the archangel in the process. He played along with Raphael's words while searching for an opening.
"You asked me if I thought this was a game," Raphael said. "I understood on that day that you were not to be tricked or used. Can you really say that Saliel thinks the same?"
Death took a step forward causing Uriel to raise his arms. Uriel pointed one of his palms at Death while keeping the other ready to track Death's blinks.
"Saliel has never lied to me," Death spoke with a tinge of anger. "Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer vouched for the quality of Saliel's character, while also commenting on his unfortunate lack of tact."
"Michael will vouch for any of his brothers and sisters," Raphael argued. "Gabriel and Saliel have worked together for a long enough time to call Gabriel's judgment into question. Lucifer...well, he's just agreeing with whatever Michael says."
Death felt something welling up inside him. As he clenched his hands in anger, the murmurings of the crowd silenced.
"ENOUGH!" Death shouted.
Members of the crowd started running away. Those who stayed were either frozen in fear or fascination.
"You know what I think?" Death took a step forward.
Uriel fired a bolt at Death's feet. Death didn't react or respond to Uriel.
"I think," Death took another step, "that when I spared you that day you realized something. You realized how FRAIL!" he took another step. "YOU TRULY ARE!"
Raphael struggled to find his words. Being stared down by Death, being choked by Death, while horrifying in their own rights, were all within some amount of expectation. Death's anger, the [Hunter] showing such strong emotion, set off a deep fear in Raphael that caused his legs to fail. As Raphael slumped to the floor, Uriel couldn't help his own slight paralysis.
Uriel looked at Raphael and then back to Death. "Is this really what you want, [Hunter]? To appear like a vengeful shadow that strikes down any it has deemed monstrous? Where does it end? Do you truly believe it's just for you to act as if you're an unquestionable executioner?"
Death entered his hunter form. ["Do you want to know why I believe Saliel? Why I trust his words over Raphael's? Because if you'll remember, Saliel has never once hidden his thoughts of me."]
Raphael mustered enough courage to speak, "Saliel fears you! He knows that if you kill me, Uriel will be involved and the result will most likely make you an enemy of the angels!"
["He fears me because he believes me evil,"] Death admitted. ["And you know what? He's right. I am the necessary evil that exists to strike down monsters like you."]
"KILL HIM!" one female voice screamed.
Death and Uriel looked over at the woman, unsure of who she was referring to. As Death looked at Raphael, he knew who the woman was screaming about.
["Explain,"] Death pointed at the woman while looking at Raphael.
"She was planted here by Saliel," Raphael pleaded. "He must have known that you would hesi-"
Death blinked so that he was next to Raphael. ["Up."]
Raphael stood up slowly. Uriel was hesitating to speak. Death spoke to Uriel.
["You tell me which you think is more believable: That Saliel convinced a human woman to lie to me, or that Raphael, one of the most 'convincing' humans your kind has ever met, is truly the monster Saliel warned us he was?"]
Uriel wasn't moving. Whether it was a fear or agreement, he lowered his arms.
"S-s-saliel warned them about you too," Raphael stammered.
["And that,"] Death punched his hand through Raphael's chest, grabbing Raphael's heart in the process, ["is why I know he's right about you!"] he crushed the heart and pulled his hand out of Raphael's corpse. ["I just should've followed that instinct sooner."]
As Raphael's corpse hit the stage, the woman who had screamed ran up and spat on the corpse, crying while she did.
Death left his hunter form and turned his back to Uriel. "If you continue to believe that only good defeats evil, you won't live long enough to make this world better."
- Death and Sali -
(Sometime after Death killed Raphael)
As news of Raphael's public execution spread, angels were scrambling to keep things under control. Despite how frustrated some angels were with Death, there were those that had gained a newfound respect. As time passed and more of Raphael's sins were uncovered, Death's image started to change among the citizens of Purgatory.
Death sat at a table in the middle of a garden. He was wearing a purple cloak that had been given to him as a gift by one of the angels. A woman approached the table and sat down across from Death.
"I assume you're Sali?" Death said.
"I am," Sali responded. "I'm glad I can finally thank you more personally for what you did that day."
"Don't worship me," Death was blunt. "I know humans are quick to do that when they see displays of power or kindness."
Sali laughed, "You know, I would have worshipped a dead tree if it fell on that monster, but that's not what I'm here for. That image of you, your hand clean through that bastard's body, has brought me more peace than such a thing ever should. Thank you."
Death sighed, "You should thank Saliel for convincing me to correct my mistake."
"That's what my name is for," Sali grinned. "Raph--the monster, used to call me by my old...when he..."
"You don't have to justify anything to me," Death assured. "I will say though, don't let Saliel's response to your name diminish your happiness."
"I'm thankful for his coldness, actually," Sali said. "It's more comforting knowing that someone like him, and someone like you, are looking after the wellness of Purgatory."
- Saliel and Lucifer -
(Before Death killed Raphael)
Saliel was speaking with a brown-eyed Lucifer. Lucifer was wearing a white robe and scanning the pages of a book as he spoke with Saliel.
"You still believe the [Hunter] might hesitate?"
"Unfortunately," Saliel said. "It's because of Uriel. Raphael keeps Brother close at all times."
Lucifer sighed, "Uriel is more strength than sense. Why not have one of Raphael's victims confront Raphael at the same time the [Hunter] is? You could reverse the negative of Uriel's gullibility to your advantage."
"I'm not good with humans," Saliel admitted. "Even gathering the information that I did to find out the truth behind Raphael's sins was done with the help of Gabriel. Humans know me as the [Judge]. They fear me, and with good reason."
"Gabriel is away right now," Lucifer mumbled. "We have no idea when he'll be back, and the others aren't keen to support you in this, especially given brother Raphael has shown his support for the human..." he closed his book. "I'll help you. Give me a list of names and descriptions of the victims and I'll see if I can't convince at least one of them to help."
"Why would you help me?" Saliel questioned. "I'm grateful, but I don't understand why you've been on my side during all of this. Michael and Gabriel I understand, though Michael doesn't truly count, but you?"
"I..." Lucifer hesitated, "Do not agree..." he clenched his jaw, "with Father's decision in regards to your abilities."
Saliel's eyes went wide. "You...you disagree..." he covered his mouth with his hand as if forcing words back down.
"Do you want my help or not?" Lucifer asked.
Saliel didn't remove his hand from his mouth and slowly nodded "yes".
"Alright then," Lucifer sighed. "If I can convince one of the victims, don't tell the [Hunter] ahead of time. The [Hunter's] reaction needs to be one of genuine surprise so that Raphael can't convince Uriel that it's some kind of scheme."