They looked into the reflecting pool's shimmering waters and watched, somewhat puzzled at the beings they saw. They were puzzled at the long forgotten places of worship, at the odd machines they used to do labor, the stone and glass pillars they filed in and out of, all of these things seemed odd to the pair of celestial beings who watched unnoticed.

Their brows furrowed as they pondered over these odd, lesser beings.

A figure turned to another clad in silks that covered her toned and ageless body as well as revealed her shapely thighs and a small amount of cleavage. Her green eyes locked onto the only other soul in the room. She moved a lock of vibrant green hair from her vision, brow furrowed as her white wings flapped briefly as if she were an agitated bird and bounced upon her lyric sandal clad toes.

"They lack proper temples and those that we've seen seem so unkempt, so lonely and empty, how do they pay tribute to their creators Isiria?"

The target of her gaze was taller, clad in the darkest blue of silks and a little more revealing, at her hip rested a sheathed Gladius and her feet were glad in sandals, the straps wrapped to just below her knees. A golden circlet rested on her head, partially obscured by her mahogany toned hair and her own blue and white hued wings rested against her back.

She looked upon the scene for a moment more Isiria waved her hand over the pool and, a frown crossed her full lips as the pool reflected a horrible conflict between the mortals, machines and weapons of war stormed across a blighted landscape and the dead littered the once fertile land in scores on both sides.

"They do not because they've forgotten the creators they should worship, young Ciara," she tapped a foot impatiently, her eyes narrowed and a slender finger tapped her chin as if she were a general looking over a tactical map.

"Yet we are expressly forbidden from guiding this particular world to the light," the taller one said with unhidden bitterness in her voice.

The smaller woman sighed sadly as she witnessed the same scene and looked to her friend a wince coursed through her body as she saw flames, heard screams...

"The eternal pair has forbidden us, their soldiers and messengers from interfering it is a saddening decree," Isiria sighed and hid a barely contained tone of irritation before she continued.

Ciara began to open her mouth, but the larger woman cut her off.

"It shows a lack of ambition and a willingness to protect those who do not know better, a lack of care for the clueless mortals of the planes, the power of the cosmos and they do nothing with it. A pity I lack a portion of their power," the voice was bitter, maybe even jealous.

Ciara's eyes widened a hand to her mouth, "You must not say such things, and they know best do they not?"

Isiria pursed her lips and turned sharply on her heel with the practiced ease of a conditioned soldier, "Perhaps and perhaps not...come this scene disturbs me and you have duties to tend to."

The two walked away, Isiria paused to take one last glance, her thoughts darkening, "Even if they are wrong in waiting....the fear of the heavens will put these poor souls back on the righteous path."

--------

Time passed since the reflecting pool had shown Ciara the images of those without guidance, and the war she'd seen. There were times the young celestial had wished she were more like her elder, Isiria a guardian of the realms, with the power to protect those that worshipped the eternal pair and looked to her and her kind for counsel, able to traverse those realms under their divine guidance. But the rule was to never directly interfere unless the need was dire.

"I bet Isiria is somewhere within the realms, protecting someone or felling some great evil," Ciara sighed as she wiggled her toes in a plush cushion as she began her studies and looked over an ancient tome that hovered before her.

"But that isn't my path, a soldier. I'm a messenger, a healer...well hopefully someday should the eternal pair feel I am worthy of the honor."

A soft voice echoed in one of her pointed ears as if right next to her, the tone firm yet matronly.

"Ciara"

The young celestial jumped a bit and panicked as she looked about her dwelling, "Y..yes?"

"It is the all mother, she of the eternal pair. I have a task of utmost importance to you," the voice continued as the room faded from view only to be replaced by a shimmering field of lights upon an empty, black expanse. Ciara expanded her wings and flapped them gently as she floated there in the void.

"There is one who has disobeyed our decree, they have visited a mortal plane and exerted their own whims upon their agency. We task you young one with their retrieval," the voice lost some of its matronly charm and was now hard, cold.

"But, who is this being who would violate your word and why me I am not of the sword nor a messenger, how can I..., "Ciara began to protest, she had little experience within the realms the gods held sway in. But before she could protest her form was surrounded by a circle of runes and her body faded from view and barely had time to let out a surprised yelp as her body faded from view, as she coursed through a column of light with sparkly motes and runes, realization hit her.

"Isiria, no...."

Ciara's thoughts raced, why would Isiria do such a forbidden thing? For her to show herself to mortals unasked was a grave sin, interference to their will and choice. Her kind only made themselves known when sought.

Her appearance into the mortal realm was heralded by a flash of honey hued light. She was left disoriented by it all as she gave a balancing flap of her wings which caused a light gust of wind to wash over the disturbingly non-descript landscape, her feet landing lightly on an odd shaped grey patch with a noise akin to brittle snow that barely registered in her pointed ears.

What she saw confused her, she remembered the world, the buildings and the peoples, but all she saw with her eyes were rolling plains and mossy beds and small trickles of water.

She grimaced as she felt some grit between the ball of her foot and the edge of her lyric sandal, in annoyance she ground her foot into the earth beneath her and sighed as the gritty feel left, a quick wiggle of her toes dislodged some of the more stubborn remains.

"Is this the right plane?" she took a few steps towards an odd growth along the ground, it was odd and  seemed out of place with nature perhaps some fungal growth no they seemed like stone or crystal like in design, but she couldn't worry about that curiosity, she needed to find Isiria.

She let out a long, slow breath and focused her senses and reached out for Isiria's presence as a soft white glow enveloped her and wafted across the land like barely visible smoke. What hit her was a wave of terror, hundred upon thousands screaming, crying....dying.

The feeling was omnipresent and as she looked around she could see gouges in the land itself, some traversing through the small, uneven stone like patches of growth and in some places deep, thin scars as if made by some form of blade. Where she saw scars, she saw charred land and could feel the divine energies of one of her own.

She felt in moments what had happened and the feeling of dread and fear was indescribable even to one of divine origin.

The voices and emotions she felt as she concentrated magnified tenfold and twisted her stomach in knots. Screams silenced, visions of the sun being blotted, mothers held children beneath on oncoming shadow. Husbands stood in front of their wives as if to ward off the threat, then nothing but the cacophonous sound of stone beneath them being shattered as the form that blotted out the sun rolled forward.

The horrible sound of buildings as they shattered and  crumbled  filled her mind as they fell upon the fleeing masses, burying them under tons of stone and steel, statues crafted by artists were reduced to dust beneath the rolling object.

The sick sound of crushed bone and organ were vivid and painful as if she were there as the offending object from the heavens continued on to crush the lives of those helpless to stop its advance, then as suddenly as it had started it stopped and the only sound was a dull rumble as the ground shuddered and quaked, then became still.

Those souls left alive wished they weren't as the moans of the dying echoed across the now tight confines that were slowly being compacted into the shattered Earth.

A wave of terror was still almost omnipresent within the souls she could feel, but with the unknown object settling above them a brief lining of relief and hope filled them and some rays of light slipped through what seemed to be cracks at the far end of the sand toned object. Then the shaking started again, not as vicious as before but enough to signal the end for those beneath the object.

The already ruined buildings were tossed and wedged between these "cracks" and ground to powder before the cracks of light vanished and a vacuum of wind scattered the remains of both building and mortal to the winds, those that remained soon fell or slid into a deep canyon left by the offending, unknown objects passing with the odd scent of Earth and sweat.

Despite the sick feeling that coursed through her body down to the depth of her very soul, Ciara pressed on and sought out anything that could help her own consciousness briefly linked with that of a dying mortal within that horrific area of woe.

As the poor being's vision faded and she could hear the life blood flow from it, it stared at her form and the grey and black stained soles of Ciara's sandals and heel then faded.

It was her, she looked behind her, to where she'd appeared and felt her throat tighten, and where she'd landed was nothing more than a pair of massive, shapely footprints.

"W..What have I done," she shrieked through choked sobs and almost crashed to the ground, but stopped herself as she noticed another patch of grey beneath her.

So many dead, because of her. She wondered how many more had perished as she looked to
the landscape of scars and scorch marks, many more of the grey patches bore deep footprint shaped craters and her senses told her that the infinitesimally small mortals here had tried to fight, had tried to resist. With each glimpse she could sense Isiria's passing.

"Why....why would she do this...and..and what have I done...." was all she could murmur as she stood and took flight in an attempt to avoid bring more sorrow to these broken creatures.

"If I did this with nothing but my unforgivable carelessness....w..what could Isiria have done willfully?"

Her eyes and cheeks still wet with tears, she forced herself to put aside her misdeed as she realized if Isiria were to continue whatever misguided crusade drove her. As she fluttered by she could see ruin everywhere, the grey patches which she now knew to be cities were either nothing more than scorch marks on the land or cratered masses with few survivors or those in their last throes of death, this was not how the divine were to act, this was not how one who gives hope should carry themselves.

She came across a larger expanse of the mortals dwelling a pair of discarded sandals
unlaced and tossed into the far end of the city. Ciara could make out flames and faint wisps of smoke where the footwear had skidded and landed deep furrows showed her the path they took. Rage filled her at the cruelty, but she pushed it down, anger would not save these beings...

At the east end of the tiny city lay a mountain range that the young celestial could sit upon and she settled down on the outskirts, a faint crunch of the ground forcefully ignored for now as a winged shadow sailed over her and landed by it with a earth-shaking rumble.

Isiria sat upon one of the taller peaks, the ancient stone crumbled like dried leaves and cast an avalanche beneath her as she looked to her friend with an eerie, warm smile and her bared toes dug into the portion of the city beneath her.

"Welcome to the beginning of my new realm little one," the taller celestial said coolly as she looked Ciara over.

"I was wondering when the Eternal pair would send someone after me," the celestial continued as she crossed one shapely leg over the other.

The sick feeling welled up inside green-haired woman again, Isiria was someone she looked up to, strove to become like and here she was  harming those who could never in their wildest dreams defend themselves nor had they done anything to incur her wrath.

She could only dream of the horrors she'd laid upon these tiny beings.

Ciara opened her mouth, eyes wet but before she could ask the question, Isiria beat her to it.

"Why? Why not, I understand why these lost sheep were ignored by our lord and lady, they do not deserve their attentions," she drug her toe across a small section and smiled at the screams.

"They simply do not care; these beings would be like ants to us and those who call upon us, barely worth the energy of the gods. Pathetic really," she smiled coldly.

She spat on the ground, a flood of saliva flowed over the battered city, "But I can change them, when I came here. I was going to simply offer their divine guidance, but the savages attacked me," the brown haired woman had a wild look in her eyes.

"It was then I realized that those who would attack the servants of the gods were not worth their protection, or mercy. But I saw potential, I saw a way to guide them into the light, by force," she paused to look at her young friend.

"Once they see how pathetic in the grand scheme of things they are, they'd flock to me, they'd worship me and with their power fueling me I'd become an equal of the eternal pair and show them how to truly guide the cosmos along a better path!"

Ciara shook her head, a hand reached out to the mad angel, but she dare not move, "No, that isn't the way. Worship, devotion should never be gained by force!"

Isiria tsked, "I do this for the good of these lost souls, and from there the rest of the cosmos dear Ciara," she gave her an even stare.

"I know why you're here, but can you stop me, knowing what lies at both our feet?"

The smaller female looked down to the city, probably full of people still confused as to what had happened, and why there were being punished.

To run for help would doom these beings, as well as give Isiria power to continue her mad quest. to fight would end in more lives lost, families broken, and blood on her hands.

"Hard decision isn't it; you could join me in my new rule. You could enjoy a portion of the power I share, to choose who does what, who goes where. No more tomes, no more doing what the eternals say," she slapped her foot down playfully on a portion of the city, Ciara's psyche was nearly overwhelmed with the feeling of so many lives silenced on a whim.

The mahogany haired woman grinned as she dug her foot under the city as if it were beach sand and kicked it at her former friend as if it were water from a creek; t hat was all it took for Ciara. Whatever she did would end in the deaths of many at her feet, but to sit and do nothing was far worse.

Isiria took on a look of genuine surprise as she heard a vicious flap of a pair of wings as the smaller woman suddenly rushed across the sky towards her, the hurricane force from the wings blew roofs from the miniscule houses and their small vehicles and frail bodies were scattered to the four winds as Ciara collided with her former friend and with a resounding crack of stone destroyed the mountain she sat on as they went through it and into an low lying valley forest that was not but the size of the densest moss to the two.

Still off guard, Isiria reached for her sword, only to have it knocked away by a white feathered wing, the blade flew end over end to imbed in the now shattered mountain range as the two still rolled and tussled for dominance, the smaller Ciara a fury of clawing nails and punches.

Ciara was launched skyward as Isiria pushed with both feet and sent her into the city the smaller celestial had tried desperately to avoid, horror crossed her face as she sailed end over end to land face first onto the city proper, the sound of faint screams and the feel of their microscopic buildings bursting against her skin something she'd never forget. It was at this time she could make out the victims in this, or the remains of them.

"N..no different than us," she felt the lump return to her throat. "No...stop her now...mourn later" she snarled as she pushed herself to her feet and charged at the rising form of Isiria, and with a faint caught her with a buffet of her wings, stunning her and sending her staggering to the ruined ground.

It wasn't over though, Ciara grabbed the discarded Gladius and with a fury she'd never known she sat on Isiria's back and pummeled her with the hilt of the weapon over and over until the larger woman didn't move.

She raised the blade, ready to finish the fight, "So many dead because of your foolish ambitions, so...many," she let the blade clatter from her tired hands as she looked to the landscape now a slurry of browns and grays, her own body covered with the dirt and ruins of the city and forest. With a hesitant look behind her she saw the shattered mountains and the ruins of the once majestic peaks as the still crumbled down into the area she'd tried to spare.

"N..no no more death," she didn't even move from the unconscious form of her former friend as she wailed, long and sorrowful.

Tears flowed from her eyes like twin waterfalls as she buried her face in her soiled hands, the gritty feel of destroyed homes and mortals unfelt as she did so.

"Child, you did a hard sorrowful thing this day," a familiar voice cooed in motherly tones as a warm hand squeezed Ciara's shoulder.

"What does it matter? So many died because of my carelessness and because of Isiria, I'm no better than her," the small celestial's wings slumped as she let out a shuddering sob.

"But had you not stopped her, how many would suffer. I promise you those gone by this act will return as one of the Eternal pair I swear this to you."

Ciara turned her head to look into the silver eyes of a statuesque raven haired woman, her skin the tone of blackest night. Behind her a male of equal height and similar look waved his hands, and she could feel life return to those areas injured by her fight.

"While we are unable to return all to life for reasons you'll understand in time, we can offer their souls peace," the male said coolly, not turning to address the young Ciara.

Ciara ignored everything pas the announcement of revival for those slain, the small celestial looked upon the land, noticing it was not healed as its inhabitants were and a puzzled look came to her face, "W..why not heal their homes?"

"It is a reminder to you on what greed and ambition can bring," the woman said as she gently hugged the still shocked Ciara.

"But...why do this if none are permitted here, why punish those who had no way to know?"

"It is not a lesson to them," the male said as he stepped beside his identical mate, his footsteps left no mark upon the land as he waved a hand and Isiria slowly shimmered from view.

"It is for you....guardian Ciara."

She looked on in disbelief, "G..Guardian?"

The silver haired woman nodded, "Yes. This realm has long been watched, but with this we feel we can no longer ignore how defenseless it is, or how corrupt it could become.

"We task you with its guidance and nurturing. The people of this world have potential for good or evil and we feel you are best to watch over them as they heal and recover, the task was to fall to Isiria, but you see what she's wrought and she will be gravely punished for this betrayal," the female continued as she pulled Ciara gently to her feet.

The male nodded, face emotionless, "Surely you can manage such a task for such a hurt child of a world?"

Ciara nodded, uncertain but determined, "I..I swear I'll see to it they are cared for with all that my heart can give."

The eternal pair nodded in approval, and offer the rarest of smiles to the small woman as they vanish, "We know you will, guide them as you would yourself...Guardian Ciara."

She was left alone, the wind blowing over her tired, dirty form and she could feel eyes upon her, some fearful, other curious.

"No one will harm you again," she said quietly as she looked to the ruined landscape through blinding tears.

"I promise you."

In the heavens the beings known as the Eternal pair watched from the reflecting pool, unnoticed.

"We could have intervened earlier my heart," the male said with arms crossed over his chest.

"Indeed, but Ciara would have learned nothing of loss, of consequence. It would make her a poor goddess when the time comes," the ebony complexioned female replied.

"It would have made the creation of the world and the trial she just endured meaningless my lord and lady, no knowledge of the worth of life would make poor qualities in a future goddess of compassion," Isiria said as she walked and kneeled before them.

"True enough guardian Isiria, you played your role well. We've one last task of you I fear," the male half of the Eternal pair said.

"We wish you to return to the world, and watch over her, guide her from the shadows."

"It will be done your grace," Isiria said as the three watched the pool and the young guardian aid in righting the blighted landscape.