Several years had passed, and Gabriel managed to drop in here and there. The task he had assigned himself was taking far longer than he had expected as he was constantly trying to chase a group down that continued to steal from the Order. He never clued me in about what it could be, but at some points, he would come back and recruit a large batch of novice warriors before heading out again. With how many he took, it should have been to overthrow an entire planet.

  During those years, Antharian continued to find books within the library that helped me grow more powerful. We would occasionally flirt or have personal sessions in the bathhouse, but nothing serious happened. In addition to her, the servants would occasionally ask me for one-on-one sessions where they’d vent about their frustrations with one another or just wanting to share a bed for a night.

  Michael would occasionally drop by, requesting that I check out further areas under our control, but compared to the very first city I went to, they were relatively tame. The issues would range from minor disagreements on guard rotations to a lack of materials to defend in the event of a significant attack properly. Nothing that genuinely required an Angel of my prestige to deal with, but Michael would send me, and in return, he would allow my servants access to areas banned to most servants.

  At some point, Selyse had approached me with a book that I remember seeing when we lived within Gabriel’s castle. While I had a fundamental understanding of Elven, it wasn’t enough to fully converse with an Elf, and I was surprised when a mere human approached me, stating they could read it. She eventually taught me how to read, write, and speak in the language, which further strengthened the relationship I had with Elven-controlled areas of the Order, allowing me to learn so much more about not only their culture but also being able to eavesdrop on them.

  At one point, I had reported to Michael about a rebellion that would have been started in a matter of days had I not said something. While I understood their reasoning, it was my duty to report it. Due to these actions, I had been listed as a temporary Right Hand of Michael too, which gave me access to his castle and those resources at his disposal. For some odd reason, neither Gabriel nor the others had a blacksmith, and they primarily relied on the blacksmiths of the lower regions to gear them.

  It took me a year to master the portal technique, but it made traveling so much faster. In addition to that, I also learned a reviving technique that worked in tandem with my healing capabilities. However, being holed up in the Order for the most part, I hadn’t had a chance to try it out on anyone.

  What surprised me the most was that the gray female servant who never spoke decided to talk to me one night. She had told me that she stopped speaking after she was beaten severely because her previous master disliked her voice and the sounds of her crying late at night when she was younger. So, after that, she had decided to stop talking and told me her name was Neriah. Unfortunately, the rest of them told me their names didn’t matter, and they didn’t mind being referred to whatever I called them.

  Present Day

  To my surprise, I awoke to the sounds of horns blaring. Having never experienced this before, I rushed to the window and quickly opened the shutters. Antharian had come into the room, gently nudging me. I moved over for her to peek, too. Down below, a guard wearing all gold shouted up at us.

  “Master Thadeus, you and your servants, including the one beside you, must report to Michael. Normally, you’d report to Gabriel, but he is far too busy to be here, so you’ll report to Michael instead.” He shouted.

  I looked back at Antharian, who nodded and gathered the rest of the servants. I looked back down at the guard.

  “We will be there shortly.” I shouted back.

  He nodded before flying off in a hurry.

  I was trying to think about what could be happening, as I wasn’t sure what was going on. I started thinking of the possibilities as Antharian returned with the servants. I turned around, looking at them. Each of them, including Antharian, wore elegant-looking clothes. They were probably going to be the best-looking servants in the kingdom, as I ensured my servants were dressed as well as possible during our outings.

  Selyse ran up to me, handing over my shoulder-cape while Elise held my armor. After Antharian assisted me in placing my armor on, I leaned down, handing the shoulder cape back to Selyse so she could put it on me. In exchange, she gave me a huge smile.

  “Very good. I don’t know what is going on, but we’ve been told to report to Michael’s castle. We will follow the standard protocol of the Order to ensure that none of us get in trouble. The Order we walk in will be myself, Antharian, Anatasia, Selyse, Elise and the rest of you can walk in whatever Order you wish to. Please ensure you address others appropriately, bow or kneel when needed, and don’t speak unless spoken to first. I shall do my best to ensure you are left alone, but I cannot make any promises.” I said, ensuring that everyone knew the expectations.

  They all shuffled around in front of me, and once they were lined up and ready to go, I turned around. I opened a portal straight to Micheal’s front gate and took the lead. Once we were all through the portal, it closed behind us and a guard greeted us.

  “Master Thadeus, your servants, and you will follow me. Unfortunately, Master Lord Michael is already gone, but asked me to stay behind to escort you as he figured you may have shown up here” he said, kneeling.

  I nodded back at him, motioning for him to lead the way.

  “Will your human servants be able to keep up?” he asked. “We need to move quickly as it is important.”

  I looked back at Anatasia and Selyse, who were already being picked up by Elise & Antharian.

  The guard nodded. “Very good then. Make haste, Master Thadeus, as we are running late.”

  He took off running with my party in tow. I wish I had known where we were going sooner because I could have opened a portal there instead. We ran all the way from the very edge of Gabriel’s section of the kingdom back all the way to where the Holy Order wall was located. Cherubim leveled angels with four wings and multiple eyes were guarding the doors, and held large spears. They wore white cloth around their bodies, with gold tapestry-like strings hanging from the cloth. In comparison to myself and some of the other taller Angels, they towered over us.

  As we arrived, Michael motioned for me to approach him.

  “Lord Thadeus,” he whispered, “Your servants normally would not be able to follow you into this sacred room, but seeing as you are currently representing Gabriel, it will be allowed this one time. Ensure that they are on their very best behavior as even a minor slip-up on their part will ensure their certain death.”

  He looked back at the door. “Are you ready, Lord Thadeus?”

  I looked back at Antharian and the others before turning my attention back to Michael, bowing.

  “Yes, Lord Master. We are.”

  “Very good, come with me.” He said, shouting at the lower ranks to make way. They quickly moved out of the way as we made our way through the crowd. At one point, we stopped as one in the crowd reached out to grope Antharian, laughing about it.

  “Do you not know who this female is, you idiot?” I shouted so that everyone could hear.

  The shouting caught the attention of not only Michael and the other higher angels but also the Cherubim, and every eye of theirs was now fully focused on us. The Cherubim tapped their spears in unison.

  “Lord Master Thadeus is the protectant of the female reserved for Master Lord Gabriel.” They said in unison.

  I looked up at them, wondering if they would do something. The door slightly opened, revealing another Cherubim in a gold cloth uniform. He slowly stepped out, gently closing the door behind him. He reached out into the air, a spear forming in his hand. His attention now focused on the commotion.

  “Lord Master Thadeus,” he said.

  I kneeled upon being addressed.

  “Stand Lord Master Thadeus, Right Hand of Gabriel. For today, you are temporarily an equal with that of Michael and the others.”

  I stood up, acknowledging his words.

  “Now… The one who touched the reserved one. Who is it?” he said, raising his spear.

  I stepped aside, pointing at the angel who had made a move. He had a look of despair on his face.

  “What do you have to say for yourself, peasant?” he yelled.

  I grabbed the angel by a leather strap on his armor, moving him closer to the Cherubim. The closer he got, the more sweat poured down his face and the more I could hear him whimpering in fear.

  “Speak! You’ve been asked a question by the mighty ones,” I yelled at him.

  He fell to all fours, begging for forgiveness from the Cherubim before crawling over to Antharian and repeating the process with her. At one point, he tried to kiss at her feet, to which she rejected the motion and kicked him away before he came to rest on all fours at my feet. He continued to apologize but never answered them.

  They tapped their spears against the ground again.

  “Lord Master Thadeus, are you satisfied with that ones groveling, or shall we take more extreme measures?”

  I looked again at the young angel in front of me, wondering if I should forgive him. But as I thought about it, I could hear Antharian in my head. During the last few years, we learned about the art of telepathy and would use it to have private conversations while we were out in public. It proved very useful here and there.

  “Master… I’d like for him to be executed if that is okay with you.”

  I looked down at the young angel, motioning for Antharian and them to back up. I looked back at the Cherubim, making a slashing motion at my neck.

  “Very well. Let this be a lesson to everyone here. Take a good look at those who are with him and look closely at Gabriel’s property he protects. If any of you touch his servants without his permission, he has our blessing to execute you on the spot. Those of you who touch Gabriel’s property will be executed automatically.”

  He took his spear and quickly impaled the young angel, bringing the angel closer to him.

  “You have betrayed the order, young one.”

  The other took their spears, ramming it through his head and chest. Their spears started to glow blue, and the body dissipated into thin air.

  “Let this be a lesson to the rest of you.” He shouted.

  “Thank you,” I heard in my mind.

  “Now that is over, Master Lord Thadeus along with your servants, Gabriel’s female and Michael, please come in at once as we’re waiting for you both to enter.” The lead Cherubim said.

  Michael, I, Antharian and the Servants rushed to the door which opened enough for us to get in. Upon entering, I saw a human-looking man standing in the middle of the room. As I went to walk forward, a different guard with silver armor and a sun emblem embedded on it motioned for me to go left.

  “You will see your name on a stool. Your servants will have to either sit on the ground against the wall or stand. I’ll leave that up to you,” he quietly said.

  As we walked, I could see that there was a one-way field. Whoever was in the center of the main room couldn’t see in, but we could see him. After a few moments of stumbling around and checking chairs, I discovered that we had our own section. There was a seat for myself, Antharian, and the Servants. As we went into the bench, Michael stopped.

  “Thadeus, this is important, so when asked a question, respond quickly and briefly. These ones directly report to the big man. If you screw this up, you’ll either be executed yourself or you’ll be reassigned no matter what. Now isn’t the time, nor place, to be defiant at all.” He said quietly, emphasizing the last part.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Yes, Master.” I said, bowing.

  “Very good…”

  Michael walked away before eventually sitting down in his area.

  Antharian, Anatasia, and Selyse sat to my left while the rest sat behind me. As I sat there for a moment, I realized I should be sitting more in the middle, so I had Anatasia switch with me, which still allowed Antharian to be in the middle.

  Other than random footsteps here and there, the room was silent. The man in the middle of the room was more visible from where I was sitting. He was tall, with shoulder-length hair, and wore a white robe and sandals. He was standing at a podium, patiently waiting for whatever it was I was there for as well.

  After what felt like an eternity, a light appeared further left of where I was sitting. An angel wearing a loose white robe with golden streaks running down his sleeves donned a cross dangling from his neck.

  “Thank you, everyone, for being here; before you stands a Man from Earth that prayed to a higher power daily in order to get our attention. Our creator decided to send a small team to retrieve this man to see what exactly he wanted. So an emergency session was called where the four of you could ask questions to determine his end goal and if this would benefit the Holy Kingdom and the Order as a whole. However, in place of Gabriel, his right hand will be in session as Gabriel is far too busy recovering lost assets and leading our brave soldiers into battle.” His voice echoed throughout the chamber.

  “Now, tell us a bit about yourself human.”

  A light appeared from the ceiling, highlighting the man. His skin appeared to be much darker than that of Selyse, Anatasia, and the other humans I had seen. He was semi-brown in color and had heavy facial hair. It almost looked like he had laid out in the sun for a bit.

  “Thank you, merciful beings, for blessing me with your generosity and time to stand before you all to speak. I had a dream awhile back, suggesting I should pray to reach out in order to spread the Holy Order’s influence to the people on my planet. We’re a young people, but we are suffering. Our water sources are drying up, our food is scarce, and we experience hardship. But if you’re able to help me, I’ll pay it forward by ensuring that more and more people of Earth look to the Lord of Creation and his Angels for guidance.” He explained.

  “Very well. Before we take your request to our creator, I’ll allow the guardians of the Order to ask you any questions.”

  The man nodded.

  “Very well. Lord Michael, do you have any questions for this Earth human?”

  Michael remained silent for a bit before answering.

  “Human, how is it that you plan to spread the word of our creator to your people?” he asked.

  The man leaned against the podium, placing his fist under his head and staring off into space. After a few moments of silence, he finally responded.

  “Lord Michael, if provided the tools, does your kind know what to do with them?”

  “That’s a silly question, Human. Of course they do.”

  “If you provide me with the tools, the message you wish for me to spread, I can use those tools to spread the word of the all-mighty creator, and the Holy Kingdom will be able to spread its influences to a faraway land.”

  “Very well. I have no further questions for him,” Michael said.

  “Very well, Lord Michael. The right hand of Gabriel, what question do you have for the Human?”

  I looked at Antharian and Selyse, unsure what to ask as I did not expect to be here. Antharian shrugged at me. Selyse quietly approached me and whispered in my ear of something to ask.

  “Human, I wish to know something about Earth before I ask my question, if I may.”

  “Of course, Lord Angel, ask away.”

  “Are there females on Earth?”

  “Yes, there are.”

  “How do the people of Earth treat female humans?”

  “It depends, Lord Angel, on what they do. There are a lot of witches and other unclean females on Earth, which is part of why I’m here. I want to help ensure that humanity as a whole on Earth can thrive. It is why I’m here.”

  “Hmm. No further questions.”

  “Lord Michael, do you have any follow up questions to that of Gabriel’s right hand asked?”

  “No, I do not.” He said, sounding as if he wanted to pursue the line of questioning further but also didn’t want to be here either.

  “Very well. Do either of you have questions?”

  The other Arch’s in attendance did not even say a word. I had started to wonder if none of us wanted to be here and just wanted to get this done and over with as quickly as possible. Other than Michael, I was the only one to ask more than a single question and I wasn’t sure I quite understood the answer.

  “Very well, Holy Guard, please take this man to his quarters. We will talk with you later, human. As for Michael, Gabriel’s Right hand, and you other two, I want you to remain where you are. If any of you have servants with you, please have them duck down or sit against the wall out of sight, " the high-ranking angel said.

  Without having to say anything, Anatasia grabbed at everyone, moving them out of the bench seats and sitting against the wall. As that happened, several guards approached the man, leading him out of the door. As he exited, we heard horns blaring again. Whoever this man was, it appeared he was getting the VIP treatment from the Order.

  Once the doors closed, the one-way field dropped, allowing us to see the entire room. On the other side, the other two higher-ranked Angels sat there, their faces hidden by the cloaks they wore.

  “To be clear…” the angel with the white and gold robes started with, “Out of all of you to ask important questions, only the Hand of Gabriel thought to ask important questions. Lord Thadeus, what prompted you, of all people, to ask that question?”

  I looked in his direction, standing up, knowing I was going to have to bullshit my way out of this.

  “My lord, I don’t know what you mean. I was asking a question that would help us understand the importance of this to him. We don’t face these same issues with the females within the Order as they are property of ours. If the Humans of Earth also could keep women under control like how we do here, then the females of Earth will eventually understand that Males reign supreme, and they will no longer do such disgusting acts or act demonic.” I said, feeling all the dirty looks from behind me.

  “Hmm. Interesting Lord Thadeus. I was under the impression that your servants were far more than servants from what I have heard, but after that, you have restored the Order's confidence within you again. We will send an updated document to you later to ensure that you have more access to areas you didn’t before, including information on the whereabouts of your master.”

  “Thank you, Master.” I said, bowing.

  “Very well, you may all leave now as we have nothing more to discuss.” He said, smacking a gavel.

  I stood up, scared to look behind me after what I had said, and slowly turned towards Antharian and the others. Antharian rolled her eyes at me. They all stood up, reforming the line and following me to the door. As we reached it, it was opened from the outside. I stepped out slowly and was looked at by the lead Cherubim.

  “Master Angel, you possess the skill to portal yourself back, yes?” He asked

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Very good; thank you for your time here today, and continue to do what you do.”

  He stepped back, going to the bottom of the stairs. I opened a portal that would allow my party to head back to the Garden Tower. As it opened, I heard Michael yell out for me.

  “Selyse, take them back. I’ll remain here.” I quietly said to her.

  She bowed, lightly shoving everyone through the portal. Once they had all gone through, I gave it an extra second before closing it.

  “Lord Thadeus, thank you for waiting.”

  I turned, kneeling. “It is my pleasure, Lord Master Michael.”

  “Stand. You’re basically one of us, whether Gabriel wants to admit it.” He said, sounding as if he was a proud father. “Oh, right. Here, the Holy Order has told me to give this to you.” He said, handing me a round tube-like object.

  “Thank you, Lord Michael."

  “Hey, before you go, do you think you could open a portal to my castle for me?”

  “Sure.” I chuckled, opening a portal for him.

  He nodded, taking off through the portal before I closed it once I thought he had time to walk out of it.

  I waited for a few extra seconds, expecting someone else to call my name. After a brief wait, nobody said anything to me, so I opened a portal and took myself back to the Garden. Upon arrival, Selyse bowed at me. After the portal closed though, her whole attitude changed.

  “Ugh, Master, I hated that. You didn’t mean what you said, did you?” she asked, sounding sad.

  I looked at her, placing my hand atop her head.

  “No, Selyse, but I did say we all had to remain in character, and well… that even counts for me.”

  She smiled at me, grabbed my hand, and led me inside, accidentally slamming the door behind us.

  Antharian came down the stairs, slowly walking towards me with a look on her face that scared me. Her eyes pierced my soul, and I felt she was mad. As she got closer, she raised her hand in the air before slapping me across my cheek.

  “You idiot. I know you were trying to be in character, but did you have to ask that?! Did you think to yourself: ‘What would Gabriel say in this situation?’ and just go with the first thing you asked? Do you have any idea what is going to happen to the poor women of Earth if the influence of the Holy Order has anything to do with that?!” she yelled.

  I stood there, unsure how to respond, knowing full well that I potentially played far too well as my role.

  I looked away from Antharian, ashamed of what I helped potentially released on Earth all because I was trying to play the part of Gabriel’s hand. My cheek was lightly throbbing; the amount of force behind that slap must have been something Antharian had kept repressed for who knows how long. Selyse was slowly backing away up the stairs, not wanting to be involved in this.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Antharian raising her hand towards me again, but instead of a slap, she wrapped her arms around me, hugging me.

  “My lord, I apologize. I should not have struck you like that. I’ll accept whatever punishment you decide is appropriate. She said, legging go and kneeling with her head facing the floor.

  “Eh, you’re fine. I deserved it.” I said softly.

  She raised her head, making eye contact.

  “Huh?”

  “Stand Antharian, I deserved it. There will be no punishment.”

  She started to stand but noticed the tube Michael had given me and grabbed it from my hands.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “Oh, something Michael gave to me. The Order said there’d be documents allowing us to go to more places, get an idea about Gabriel’s whereabouts and what he is doing, and who knows what else.”

  She returned it to me before smiling and retreating up the stairs herself. I looked at the fire, wondering if it was real at this point as I had never seen any actual source of fuel for it. It was generating a light heat, so I decided maybe I wouldn’t question it and just go up to my floor as well. As I went to step onto a stair, there was a knock at the door. I walked back to the door and opened it. To my surprise, it was Michael.

  “Lord Michael, what brings you here?” I asked, surprised to see him.

  “I’m curious as to how you are living here. I’ve been told that you haven’t requested anything from any of the castle shops since you lived in his castle.”

  I looked at him, confused. Did he have suspicions about Antharian and I?

  “Of course, of course. Follow me. I’m up on the second floor.” I said.

  As we slowly descended the stairs, I used telepathy to contact Antharian.

  “Antharian… ensure that you and the girls are decent. Michael is here and wants to inspect our living conditions.”

  “Oh… Okay, uhh, take your time.” She replied, sounding a bit worried.

  I walked him up to the second floor.

  “The door on the left here is the room I’ve been sleeping in. Then across the hall, my servants stay in those rooms, then here is my study/library.” I said as if I was giving him a tour of my home.

  He peered into my room first.

  “Oh, did I interrupt something?” he asked.

  I peered into the room and saw both Selyse and Anatasia spread out and naked on the bed.

  “Oh, no… it’s… fine,” I said.

  I stepped back as he closed the door.

  “That’s fine. You have all day. Okay, so you really sleep down here?”

  I looked at him, not understanding where he was coming from.

  “You really don’t know?” he asked, shocked.

  “No, Master, I had no clue.”

  “Master Thadeus… you’ve been sleeping on the servant’s level. The bed you have been sleeping in is supposed to be for your head servant. The roof is the garden, the sixth floor is for VIPs, the fifth is your floor, the fourth is where the bathhouse is and is considered to be a shared floor, then the third and second floors are for your servants, and the first floor is the entrance where one would have guests.”

  I continued looking at him, dumbfounded. I had never known this until now, and we had been in this place for almost 300 years now, maybe a bit longer. He shook his head.

  “Ahh, Thadeus, you’re an odd one indeed. Sleeping in a servant’s bed. Ah well. Anyways, glad I came to check on you because clearly Gabriel just placed you here yourself with no instructions or guidance. Ah well. Anyways, I’m going back to my castle.” He said, chuckling.

  “Michael, allow me to portal you home.”

  He looked at me again.

  “I’ll be all right. Sometimes walking and enjoying the scenery is nice, no matter how many thousands of years pass.”

  He made his way downstairs, letting himself out. I watched from the window as he slowly walked away, admiring the view of the lower kingdom momentarily before flying off toward his castle.

  I opened the door to the room I had been sleeping in to find Selyse and Anatasia casually talking and quietly laughing amongst themselves. I walked in, causing them to hop off the bed and come running up to me, where they both gave a smile. I bent down, grabbing Selyse’s hand.

  “So, this is technically your room. My room is further up in the tower.”

  “I know. I figured that out the first night; I thought you just really enjoyed my company and wanted to sleep in the same bed,” she giggled, looking a bit shy.

  I chuckled. It turns out they knew, too, but didn’t say anything. I was not upset at the situation, but I found it rather humorous. However, I was somewhat curious as to what the room I was supposed to be in would be like. I let go of Selyse before returning to the hall to check the room I was meant to inhabit. I made my way to the fifth floor, unsure how I could miss this, when I last went up past there and was on my way to investigate the issue with Antharian.

  The floor itself had a wooden floor and two metal doors with a silver outer lining. Above one of the doors, a metal sign with “Master Thadeus” hung from the ceiling. The handle to that specific door was gold, with a blue line down the handle. The door further down showed no signs of being unique.

  I opened the door to my room to reveal a similar-sized bed, a large table, an empty bookshelf, a single window, two wooden chairs, a weapons rack, and a mannequin for armor. I was surprised by how spacious this room was compared to the previous one. I walked over to the bed, as it seemed different somehow. As I placed my hand on it, I instantly knew it wasn’t made from the same material as all the other beds I had slept on.

  Typically, the beds in the kingdom were made from straw. Those at the very bottom of the chain would sleep on the ground, sometimes without straw. As you moved up, you would be given a small place with a bed. But the bed would be softly packed straw, with a thin blanket acting as a sheet. But it turned out that if you were whatever I was considered, you got a firm bed of an unknown material along with a pillow that felt amazing to the touch.

  I sat on the bed, surprised at how comfortable the bed was. It was as if I was sitting on a cloud, but unable to fall through. I slowly leaned back, laying sideways on the bed. I closed my eyes, with the intent of closing my eyes for a few moments, but I fell asleep instead.