When Lucius stepped through the portal, fresh and cold air, so typical for high terrain, immediately filled his nostrils. There were no walls around him, for this was the top of the fortress. Instead, marble columns were holding the roof. Everything, from the floor and the aforementioned columns to the very roof of the building, was made out of white marble. Angels were quite fond of Greek and Roman architecture, and they incorporated their elements into their own buildings whenever they could. Lucius didn't have time to examine his surroundings more because he was approached by a few guards carrying halberds made out of light. When they came in front of him, they kneeled and greeted him.
"Welcome, Lucius, the Hell Purger! We are honoured by your presence. Our commander is waiting for you." they said it with their heads down.
Lucius was shocked by the fact that somebody felt the need to kneel before him. This was beyond weird to him. He realised that, to a regular angel, he was probably something unusual and glorious. After all, Hell Purgers barely existed anymore, and their reputation was legendary, but Lucius not only felt that this was highly undeserved since he was still a beginner and probably more inexperienced than all of the soldiers in this fortress, but he also thought that being honoured like this really didn't have a lot in common with the humility he was expected to nurture in his soul. He felt no authority over them and wanted none either.
Also, why do they know about his arrival? Is he so predictable that the master expected him to choose the mission instead of resting? A small smile appeared on Lucius's face. He was truly blessed to have the master in his life. But then his face became serious, and he approached the two angels kneeling in front of him.
"Stand up." he said calmly while offering them his hands.
A bit confused by his behaviour, the guards accepted his hands and stood up.
"Please, let this be the first and last time that you kneeled before me. If anyone should kneel in front of somebody, it should be me in front of you. You have spent many years serving Elysium by defending it from the demons, while I only recently began my service. So, please, no more kneeling. Not now and not in the future. You can freely share this with your comrades, so they too know what not to do. And now, please lead me to your commander. It would be quite rude to keep him waiting, don't you agree?"
"Yes, sir! Follow us, sir!"
Despite their professionalism and training, it was obvious that they found his behaviour to be unusual, but whether they appreciated him or just thought he was weird, he couldn't know. Instead, he followed them down the long stairs.
As they began descending, Lucius could finally examine the huge fortress that sprawled in front of him. The whole fortress was actually built on a mountain, and its numerous parts were on different levels. However, something caught Lucius's attention more than the fortress itself and made him feel uneasy, for behind the lowest level of the fortress, where its battlements stood, there was nothing, just sky and clouds. But the sky and clouds were not what troubled Lucius. It was the darkness. The darkness simply began at one point, like a great wall of night. It was disturbing. Unnatural. It was the border between Elysium and hell and the clearest sign of evil, which ruled from that point onwards. Just looking at it was horrible, and it filled Lucius's heart with despair. This made him respect the soldiers who were on duty here even more, and he already had very big respect for them.
Lucius's journey to the commander, his master's old friend Nicholas, wasn't long. They quickly descended to the level of the fortress, where the biggest building of all stood, and it was obviously the command center. Along the way, many angels saluted him or kneeled, and he had to control himself not to repeat to all of them what he had already said to his guides. It would be a lot of repeating and thus a lot of lost time, and he would surely end up looking like an eccentric fool who ignores the usual customs, so he instead chose to rely on the guards telling others of his opinion about that kind of formal greeting.
Because of all of the unwanted attention he was receiving, he was glad when he finally made it to the commander's office, which was accessed from the courtyard of the command center. The guards knocked at the door, announced him, and then a resolute and loud male voice told him to come in, and so he did, as the guards remained outside, closing the door behind him.
The room was quite comfy and, unexpectedly, a bit dark for the room of an angel. Not that angels hated the darkness per se; it's just that most of them preferred being in the light rather than in the dark. In this room, the only sources of light were those coming from the candles placed around the room, which gave the room a somewhat secretive atmosphere.
That secretive atmosphere almost instantly disappeared without a trace when Nicholas approached to greet him and introduce himself. He was a big, loud, and surprisingly joyful person. He had short grey hair, and just by looking at him, it was clear that you were looking at a man who had survived countless encounters with demons. You could see it in his eyes, but more easily on his face, which definitely looked tired and old and featured a big scar. After they introduced themselves, Nicholas offered him a chair, and they both sat down to talk.
"So, you're the diamond that Albert was busy cutting for all these years?" Nicholas said, examining him with a smile on his face.
"Not to disrespect my master, but even though he did his best, there is still a lot of cutting I have to do myself if I want to shine like a diamond." replied Lucius, also with a smile on his face, but a little bit ashamed, because everybody here thought (or at least pretended) that he's something special.
Hearing Lucius's words, Nicholas heartily laughed, which confused Lucius a bit because he didn't think he said anything funny at all.
"Pardon me, Lucius, but it's just so like him to teach you to speak like that. I have never seen you before. Anyone could have arrived here and told me he was Albert's apprentice, but now that you said what you said, I know for sure. He was always like that, you know? Even in his youth. So serious, quiet, wise, and humble. Almost completely different from myself. It was quite a wonder that we became friends in the first place, but somehow it happened, and even though he is a Hell Purger and I'm not, we fought side by side in many battles and even saved each other's lives, though he's got a definite lead in that department."
"It's fine. Tell me… What was he like as a fighter?"
"One of the finest warriors I have ever seen. He was quick, precise, strong, and merciless. He would cut through a legion of demons with his lightsword as easily as if he were cutting through a block of cheese with a knife. They say all the Hell Purgers are as strong and capable as that, but he was the only one I had the honour of fighting with and calling friend, so I'm probably biassed," answered Nicholas with a grin on his face.
"I see. Then there's a long, long road ahead of me if I want to be as good as he was."
"Undoubtedly… Though, I have to admit, I would very much like to see what you're capable of, if I get the chance, that is."
"Well, that's why I'm here." said Lucius, willing to fulfil Nicholas's wish.
"But I must admit that I don't know why you are here, Lucius. I was just told I was going to be visited by a Hell Purger, and that's the only thing I know. To be honest, when Albert told me that, I was expecting him to come instead of you. We haven't seen each other in years, and I would very much like to talk with him about everything and anything for a good few hours." Nicholas said, with a visible melancholy in his eyes.
"I am sorry if I am a disappointment to you. Master Albert said that he doesn't want to interfere with my mission and that he will visit you soon. As for the reason for my arrival, I thought you knew. Master Albert said that you have been facing some troubles lately, so I came here to see if I could somehow help you deal with them."
"Of course you are not a disappointment, Lucius; it's just that an old friend looks forward to a visit from an old friend. Nothing more. As for my troubles… Well… I don't think there's much to be done concerning that, but… My goodness, I'm terribly sorry! You must feel like being in a crypt here with so little light." said Nicholas, who suddenly remembered that his room is not the brightest place ever.
"It is a bit dark here, I must admit."
"Yes, I like it like this. I come here to calm my nerves a bit, think, and pray, so that's the reason for the lack of light. Tell you what? Why don't I take you for a tour of the fortress, and we'll talk about those troubles I've lately been having along the way?"
"Sounds good to me."
"Then let's go." said Nicholas, and they both stood up and went out of the room. As they were leaving, Nicholas snapped his fingers, and the flames on the candles went out, leaving the room in complete darkness.