"So you're the ones that sang last night?"

"Yes and no, my gentle little griff."

"What's that supposed to mean? You can't exactly mumble a song that reaches that far, also what's with the nickname?"

"Well it wasn't just us that were singing, the land itself was singing with us. Regarding the nickname however… I just think it suits you. Inside of you I see a gentle soul, one who loves her children deeply, and would do anything to protect them."

Lifting a hand to stroke her from the top of her head, down her neck, I look into her eyes.

"And that is why you're my gentle little griff."

Didn't think it was possible for a creature to blush through one's feathers, guess I was wrong. Letting out a forced cough, she regained her composure.

"Still, that doesn't make me yours…" that tail tells me otherwise, little one. "Anyway, how can the land sing? And what's a soul?"

"Heh, well my. gentle. little. griff." Punctuating each word with a boop to her beak just to tease her. "In regards to the land itself, it was made by my lord, every rock, every tree, every life, all were blessed by my lord. The only exception being those blighted by the devil's hands, so-called demons, little better vermin who prey on all that is good in this world. However, as I was saying, I am the first to bring my lord's word here," Using my telekinesis, I floated over a leather-bound bible from a bookshelf. "and as it says in the Holy Bible. 'If my followers were to be silenced, then the very stones themselves would break forth with praises.'"

I paused as I looked through the window at the early night sky as my smile grew wider. "Although evidently, the land must've been bereft of faith for so long that not even the stars could contain their joy."

Turning my sight back to Leona however, she was more astounded over the book if anything as she stared at it.

"Do you like it?" I asked, getting a silent nod in return.

"I made it myself, although it's just a copy of the original work made millennia ago. I take it that books are rare here?"

"Rarer than rare, they're practically unheard of outside the halls of the councils."

Thinking it over, I made a quick decision as to what to do to remedy this.

"Well, would you like to have mine?"

The reaction was immediate as she tensed up and gawked at me, her mouth opening and closing several times. This continued till I booped her beak again, finally getting some words out of her.

"Wha-what?! But this is priceless, even if it is a copy! Why would you just give it away to someone that you barely even know? That you practically just met?"

Giving off a chuckle and getting a glare in return, I continued to pet her.

"Heh, well my gentle little griff, first off, I already know you, or rather, I know enough." I said before switching off the lights, getting a little yelp from Leona as we were surrounded by darkness, with the only light coming from the windows.

"Wha-what's going on?!"

"Shhh, my gentle little griff. Let me show you."

Reaching out my hand, I cupped her cheek within it as I closed my eyes and focused. Gradually, I felt a warmth within my heart, ever increasing, ever soothing. I knew I was done by the time I heard a quiet gasp from Leona. Opening my eyes, I saw her face lit up as if by pale moonlight, yet the moon was covered by clouds, and the light came nought from the sky. Looking down I saw my incorporeal mass moving around inside me, twisting and turning in a dance.

"You asked about souls before, this is mine, without it, I am but flesh. Each and every one of us has one, every animal, every plant. Yet to us, God's children, he has given us the gift of an immortal soul, one not blighted by death."

Looking back at Leona, I saw how in awe she was at everything. I could not blame her, it wasn't until I died when I learned how to reveal myself, my true self. It was to lay yourself bare before another person, to show everything to them, and be judged.

"...it's beautiful…"

"Thank you, my gentle little griff." I said, holding down my urge to hug her at the compliment. I let go of her cheek, and gradually let my soul return to its normal state before turning the light back on.

"You too, are beautiful. Inside of you lies a light, akin to a candle, yet it does not run out and does not burn. I'd see that candle light a fire, everlasting and everloving."

I paused as I floated over the bible, still glowing within my telekinetic grasp, and placed it upon her plumage.

"That is why I give you this book, after all, she who asks, receives."

…

With his legs kicked up on the railings and reins within his hands, Mark looked out at a starless night. It was everything yet nothing like he was expecting the corporeal world to be like. He had been told tales by his father, sure, but this? This was something else entirely. New sights, sure, but he had seen them already through art and pictures and the like, though they didn't hold a candle to the real thing. No, no, that wasn't it. The truly thing was the sensations. The smell of pines, the tingling feeling of snowflakes upon his skin, the automatic squinting of his eyes as snow fell near them. This was all new, and yet, instead of feeling discomfort or fear, he felt a great curiosity within him. What more could be out there? He wondered.

Sighing at the endless darkness, he looked down and gazed at the sight before him as Adolpus let out a snort. Forest all around him, sometimes broken by small streams that ran down from higher ground, or the occasional fallen tree they'd have to go around.

"Welp, at least the white is familiar." He muttered to himself as patted off the snow that had built up on his legs.

Closing his eyes, he hummed to himself as one of his vices made itself known. Restlessness. He had to find something to relieve his boredom, although he was busy with holding the reins so how could he possibl-

"Oh… right." He suddenly said as he facepalmed. "Fuckin idiot."

Looking to his right, he found his backpack still where he left it, only difference being the layer of snow built up on top of it. Lifting his fingers up, it helped him concentrate his telekinesis to shake it off of it's snowy exterior.

With the backpack relatively bereft of show, he lifted it over to rest right beside him. He then opened it and picked up an enormous sparkling diamond out of it's small compartment.

With it within his golden glow, he looked over to his left and brushed off his bulge in the white sheet of snow covering the seat. Beneath it, the golden glow lit up a sheathed longsword that slowly floated over to rest on his lap.

Unsheathing it, a true masterpiece laid in front of him. It was one of many gifts upon his departure, supposedly being made by the same swordsmith that had crafted the famous Joyeuse. Inscriptions of prayers covered nearly its entire blade with the exception of the edges. Using faith as it's source of power, it was an artifact of untold martial power. Only weakness was that it's cut was so strong that only diamond could work to sharpen it.

Picking it up within his right hand, he kissed the hilt and reached out his hand to look upon its entire length in reverence.

"Let us hope that you'll never be used my dear, but if blood is to be spilled, protect me as I shall protect you."

A gust of wind blew across the area for just a second, enough for one to miss a smaller whisper that was swept away with the snow.

"Yes, my master."

…

Sitting on a small veranda sticking out on the back of the carriage, an angel rested her wings upon the backs of three little balls of feather and fur. Having rested before, they all were wide awake as they watched the wheels of the carriage leave an ever expanding trail through the blanket of white that covered the ground.

"And since then, we've been travelling from city to city, together as family." Lucia finished up as she recounted the story of her and her siblings' journey with Leona.

Silence reigned for a couple seconds as Helena reigned in her pity. She didn't want to pity them, they're too strong for such a thing.

Holding little Fiddie in her arms, she gave him a tiny little kiss on his forehead, making him giggle and pushed his paws against in a vain effort to make her stop. Smiling down at him she finally broke the silence.

"I know how dark it might seem at times. Yet through all that despair, that darkness, the Lord has given you a light."

Little Lucia let out a small scoff at such a notion, what light? There was misery day in and day out for all her lifetime since her home had been lost. Every day she had to watch as her mother desperately fended off both the cold and starvation for survival. Every day she had to shiver beneath her blanket as howling winds tore through the air, only the forests offered some respite, but they were infested by monsters.

"Yeah sure, Helena. Starvation, freezing and possible death on a daily basis is such a delight."

Shaking her head, Helena calmly replied.

"It is not the misery of daily living I speak of, it's family. Throughout it all, if you did not have family, would you have survived?"

Lucia opened her mouth to speak but closed it again as she thought it over. Helena however, still felt her doubt.

"The uncertainty makes you uncomfortable?" She said as she looked down at the griffon with a serious expression upon her face. "Then let me remove it for you."

The three kids only looked on in confusion as she said this.

"Close your eyes little ones."

Although still confused, the three of them followed along as they didn't wanna question her with how her mood switched upon Lucia's accusations.

And so as their eyelids closed and darkness enveloped their eyes, a small light appeared in their vision. Distant and cold however, they thought of it as nothing more than a blur left from the snow. The notion was quickly dispelled from then however as suddenly the light expanded, and suddenly their entire world lit up in colour as they found themselves standing up.

Looking around they found Helena standing in front of them with her back turned towards them. Looking further still they took note of their surroundings. They were in an absolutely massive building, bigger than any they've seen before. More surprising however was that this enormous architectural wonder had mainly only one room, a giant hall that stretched on for over a hundred meters. On the sides of said hall lay enormous pillars holding up the place, with windows plastered over with giant boards.

Yet for all this grandiose design, the place felt… abandoned? Not a single being besides them was in sight and feeling of the place felt… wrong. Their reasoning came true as their ears came into focus and they heard the familiar sounds of howling winds outside.

"Follow me little ones"

They heard from Helena as she started to walk forward. Not wanting to be left behind, they followed. Doing so, they felt the ground, it was covered in light frost and ice cold. Pushing through however they grew weary as they spotted the remains of a fire, only ashes remaining and end fuel being used up. A familiar sight upon the paths of the forests, yet one which spoke of a horrid sight that might be nearby.

Suddenly Helena stopped and the three little ones, so scared now that they had begun hiding behind her, immediately bumped into her. Picking themselves up however, they looked at what she had stopped for… and their hearts dropped at the sight.

There before them on what looked like to them as a giant table made out of iron and ebony, laid a frozen corpse. Not one of drakar origin however, neither griffon nor wolf either, but a man. What looked like a disheveled boy to the three of them, yet to Helena, it was someone entirely different.

Walking up to it, Helena then kneeled down and cupped his cheek as stray tears fell from her cheek. She stroked his hair and gave him a single kiss on his forehead before trying to calm herself. Turning around she faced the trio in front of her.

"This, little ones, is what happens to those without family."

"Who-who is he?" Illarion managed to get out as her voice echoed throughout the building.

"This is an orphan." She began as both Fiddie and Illarion looked at the corpse with a new light.

"This is a child of 19." She continued as she began covering herself with her wings, a trait she has earned when sad or nervous in her younger years.

"He went through all you've gone through and more. The cold? Took his leg. The hunger? Killed him. The monsters? Tried to flay him!"

She was practically weeping now as she looked down at the mean and with a hitched breath she finished.

"This is my father…"

The trio only looked on in silence, with matted streaks of tears running down their cheeks from Helena's grief. She knelt down beside the man, knowing he's still alive in the new world, yet still grieving over the sheer amount of pain that went through his soul in his old life.

Lucia took the first step forward, and the others followed. Slowly making their way towards the angel they climbed under the wall of feathers and hugged her, trying to soothe her despite the confusion over Elijah.

What felt like ten minutes had passed before they managed to calm her down. Her face no longer holding the serious or grieving expression of before, now just a solemn acceptance.

"Thank you…" She whispered as she embraced them in arms before lifting up her feathers, revealing a white plain that invaded their eyes.

They all woke up with gasps as they collected themselves from what they had just experienced. They were all in the same place as they had been before the vision, with Helena looking out into a night sky bereft of stars.

"Wha-what was that place?" Fiddie asked after the sound of the crunching of snow beneath the carriage becoming too unnerving.

"Cologne cathedral. It is a church, a house of God."

"What happened to it?"

"It was abandoned, like half the continent was. The cold became too unbearable, to the point where no hearth could warm neither one's soul nor heart…"

Silence remained amongst the trio as she continued retelling the story of what had happened to Europe and rest of the world.

"Back to the cathedral however, it is also my father's grave."

"But how?" Illarion asked. "I saw your father just a couple hours ago and that boy looks nothing like him, ignoring the fact that he's alive and the boy is dead.

"He rose again, just like Jesus, however he would find no solace living in the frozen hellscape where no amount of repair could be done to heal what had been done. So God sent him on a mission, to spread the faith of the good lord on this world, to be a shepherd to its many folk. That being so, he sent him many gifts to help him along his way. One of them being his corporeal form, being changed from a starving little orphan boy, to a man with a family to watch over."

She finished up with a smile on her face as she remembered her childhood, remembered that despite all the misery, for Elijah, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The trio looked on and was about to say something before a knock was heard on the veranda door.

"Helena? Kids?" The muffled voice of Elijah was heard before the door creaked open to reveal him standing before them, with Leona just behind him.

"Hi dad!/Hello Elijah!" The group answered as Elijah looked at their faces with a scrutinising expression.

"Mmm… Helena you didn't tell them any scary stories did you?

"Eheh… not exactly? It had a happy ending at least?" Helena replied as she sat down Fiddie to rest between Illarion's forelegs before scratching herself behind the head.

Elijah raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak but as he caught on he just let out an 'oh.'

"Silly little Helena," he began as he walked towards them, "you need to stop worrying over the past, I was but a boy back then, i could barely handle myself." He paused as he reached out a hand and ruffled her hair. "Besides I got such a wonderful daughter to take care of me now, haha!"

This got a snicker from the little ones as Helena pouted and fixed her hair. Leona, having stayed behind until now, stepped forward to look out at the landscape of the forest. Elijah too glanced at the sight before reaching out his hand to Helena, getting a confused expression in return before she took the hand and rose whilst tucking her wings in.

"Do you know what always cheered me up when I was out amongst the abandoned buildings, in those dark times?" He asked as he led her out to the railing before letting both of them lean on it, looking out at the forest.

"Umm… faith in God?" She asked with a pause.

"Mmm… yes, that was one of the things. However when fear took my heart, and I was left in the dark there was one more thing I'd do than pray. I'd sing."

This got a smile out of Helena as she too always loved to sing.

"Say Helena, do you remember that song I taught you when I spoke of the adventures we'd have in this world?"

Nodding in return with a grin on her face, they both joined their hands as an ethereal intertwined them. When they did, the sound of a variety of instruments broke forth through thin air. Helena and Elijah then reached out with their free hands and out of them formed a blue glow, almost liquid in nature that stretched out like vines to cover the area around the veranda.

"There will come a warrior with a mighty sword, he will build your city up, oh lei oh lai o lord" Helena began as the blue strands of liquid light morphed into a man bearing a sword.

"Oh lei oh lai oh lei oh lord, he will build your city up, oh lei oh lai o lord." Elijah joined in, and whilst they sang in unison, the warrior pointed his sword to the sky. As is if on command, the outline of a castle then appeared from a nearby strand before the warrior bursted into a cloud of thousands of luminescent blue snowflakes.

"There will come a poet, whose weapon is her word, she will save you with her tongue, oh lei oh lai o lord." Helena sang alone once again as another couple of strands took the form of a woman with a book within her grasp.

"Oh lei oh lai oh lei oh lord, she will save you with her tongue, oh lei oh lai o lord." They both sang in unison as the woman of light held her book forward and from the highest tower in the castle rose a cross. From the cross, more strands of light poured out, before the woman too exploded in a hail of light.

"There will come a ruler whose brow is laid in thorn, smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei oh lai o lord." Helena sang as the light from the cross morphed into a man with a crown upon his head who stood at the foot of the castle. The small snowflakes of light then coalesced at his sides, with the woman and warrior standing at each.

"Oh lei oh lai oh lei oh lord, smeared with oil like David's boy, oh lei oh lai o lord." The duo sang once more as the king lifted a cross within his hand before the pair continued, singing in unison.

"Oh lei oh lai oh lei o lord, they will lead the people forth, oh lei oh lai o" As they sang this, the remaining strands curled in on themselves before flying over to the castle and forming a massive crowd, who kneeled in front of the trio. Yet as they finished the verse, the castle, the cross, the trio and the people all burst forth in brilliant light, before reshaping once more into strands which arched in incredible patterns before the veranda.

Elijah and Helena continued to sing, repeating the words 'oh lei oh lai' as the patterns morphed into various actions. From the warrior facing down a stag, to the poet reading in front of a crowd of uncountable creatures of different sorts, to finally the ruler embracing them both upon an Isle of light, with crosses at every height.

As they sang, the children joined in, then Leona too joined in and as the the final part came, the distant voice of Mark could be heard from behind them.

And so it was that amongst a sea of darkness, a single candlelight was lit.

Author's Note

Wanted to make Chapter 10 a little special so here you go. Next chapter will have a little time skip to get plot rolling btw.