Bri stepped forward, holding her hand down in front of Orifiel. Malak watched her do so, knowing the truth of the matter didn’t matter. The fact that dealing with Orifiel would be so much more difficult than any of the other messengers, no matter how cooperative he would try to be, did not matter. Bri would persist as she always had.

While the wait before her next words was not the same, the rest of the action felt so familiar. As if they had fallen only yesterday.

“My name’s Bri. I’m here to help you.”

Orifiel would no longer be able to see the past as he once did, the fall had begun the process and soon enough all of what made Orifiel a messenger would have drained away. Those pupils began to focus on Bri’s hand, then upon her face.

“Malak?” His voice was quiet.

Malak’s tone lost the ever-present edge. “We are here to help you.”

Orifiel took her hand.