mandalus :: the city of fates.

[The video turns on by accident, while Castiel is sitting on his bench. It has been some time since he has been able to enjoy his park, and he is doing so now. Well, for the most part. The angel's nose is running and he's doing nothing about it. His eyes are red rimmed, and his skin alternates between pale, flushed, and clammy. He seems to be ignoring all this though, to stare out at the pale expanse of snow across the grass.]

So beautiful, in all this blood.

[Is all the angel murmurs.]

[The camera is set up deliberately, so it can be clearly seen what the angel is doing. He is in fact facing the camera, his blue eyes tight and his jaw lifted up in what his friends would know as 'Pure Angel Stubborn'. He lifts a dagger, carved carefully with the appropriate runes in Enochian, and slices it open. Then he turns, facing the gate around Singer's Salvage, and writes something in his ancient language upon the metal. Then, he lifts his hand, and slaps his bloody hand upon the metal.]

[There is a bright flash of light, and the symbols are gone. And Castiel's hand is healed. He looks back at the camera.] This place is secured, for the safety of the innocent. And there will be more to come.

[Yes, that's right. The angel is declaring Singer's Salvage a safe zone against the Cult. And that was an open invitation to anyone in the city to have the same protection.]

[The video function is turned on the new phone while Castiel was trying to turn on the flashlight function of his phone. You can see the angel's face, frowning, before an 'ah!' expression comes on. Then he turns the light towards what is in front of him -- which from what you can tell in the background is the street where Rumplestilskin's shop was.]

[Yes, you did read that correctly. Was. And since this was the last place the angel felt that kind of power, that is where he is right now.]

[The camera tracks as Castiel goes beneath where the shop was, into a broad cavern. Whoever is on the screen cannot see it, but Castiel can see the root and the stream, flowing items coming in from ... elsewhere.]

[And the look on his face simply says shock.] Oh. Assbutt.

[The video opens up from one of the citizens of Mandalus, recording to the rest of the city. Around them are another set of ruins from the Serpent's last 'temper tantrum', but it looks like massive rebuilding efforts have been well underway. The young woman who owns the phone is babbling on excitedly about, 'Look, look, he's come again to help us!' And the video swerves to Castiel, but not Castiel as you have seen him for some time. The angel is dressed in an eerie familiar suit of what he was wearing when he was General Castiel, of Heaven's army - neat black suit, black tie, and his trenchcoat is put aside on a pile of rubble.]

[He is also easily lifting up giant blocks of cement, putting them on a back of a truck, to clear more wreckage, so they can clear more space. His blue eyes are solemn, and sad, as they unearth another one of the dead, and he tenderly lifts the body and takes it over to a priestess, who seems to be waiting to take care of the body in their fashion. Then he is going right back, helping.]

[How does an angel do penance? By doing the exact opposite of what he had done in committing sins ...]

[The angel purposefully clicks on the video in the Winchester kitchen - where he has carefully drawn angel warding symbols to keep himself inside - and looks at the camera as he pulls off his trenchcoat and suitcoat.] I owe you an apology, Mandalus. I ... lost control during the latest crisis, through no fault of my own. Still, I am perturbed with the ease of which they took me over, and will be seeking a way to ... make myself safer.

[Yes, he is treating himself like a bomb. A bomb that apparently is going to start baking a few cakes and pies, while he has locked himself up.]

I find the news from our 'friends' not to be as much bad ... as intriguing. The Serpent is clearly doing well in intimidation, but not in battle. His minions are - as we can all attest - not as strong as many of us, nor as inventive or intelligent. He has won battles but he is far from winning the war. I believe we are missing something. I believe he is afraid of us - and that fear can be used against him, as he has used that fear against us.

[He cracks eggs as delicately as he was playing a concerto into the bowl, and gently mixes in flour, and milk.] The question is ... what is he so afraid of? We must have something that he does not. The sooner we find this, the sooner we can turn the tide of this war.

[He mixes, then adds vanilla and other ingredients.] I, obviously, cannot leave my enclosure. If someone would be kind enough to bring me materials from the library, I believe it is time to dive back into Mandalus's history.

[He pauses, looking around.] ...I, apparently, am also selling cakes and pies from home. Please let me know if you want something specific. I have much time on my hands, and little to do. And ... I could use my friends, now. Thank you.

Private to Jo
[He hestitates, before making his voice firm.] I would like you to come and see me, but I do not believe it is safe.

Private to Elizabeth
We ...should talk. About what we should to remember the one we both ... cared for. When you re ready, Regina Glorianna.

Private to Dean
I would like to speak to you, Dean. About the future. About what I must do.

[At first, you only hear the screams.

There are a lot of 'No no NO!'s, and some, 'SERPENT, STRIKE DOWN THIS -'. Then you hear the sound of flesh rendering, of blood splattering against the wall. You hear bones breaking and the sounds of the dying. And then you hear the soft 'heh heh heh' of someone laughing - laughing as if it was the funniest thing they had ever heard. Hilarious to see the suffering. Then it was suddenly choked off - and a gasp of pain - ]


[Then Castiel's voice, soft and tortured.] ... oh no. no. not again. not again. father, please, not again.

[His face swims into view, splattered with blood, and all around him is a scene of absolutely carnage. Deep underground, cultists lie dead, three deep. Castiel's gaze is desperate, and you can see the black moving under his skin.] Please, please, someone has to kill me. Now. Before they escape again. I cannot allow --

[He stops, suddenly, tilting his head. Then he abruptly disappears. And the phone shuts off.]

[The camera angle is strange, when it turns on. It's clearly from ground level, looking up, and there's a sideview of the angel. Tall city walls stand on three sides, and there's the hum of an angel blade hissing in the night air. There's the quiet and angry chuff of a number of horses.]

[And Castiel's voice - angry and gruff.] I do not sleep, creatures. You will find you cannot follow me.

[Silence followed in this stand-off ... before the Nightmares charged. And Castiel screamed, as he was swept from view.]

[..Then silence once more.]

[When the angel turned on his camera, he is sitting on his bench, his trenchcoat lying across his lap, and he looks down at it with the faintest look of disgust, before he looks at the phone in his hand with a sheepish look on his face.]

I ...deeply apologize for my behavior over the past week. It seems I was ... not myself and may have ... acted in a way that was ... foolish. [Another grimace, faint, but there.] I am now myself. I will be back in business tomorrow. Tonight - I have ...things to attend to.

[A quiet mutter] ... like finding a fully stocked place of spirits.

[The angel is sitting on his bench, when the video feed clicks on, hands folded together as if in prayer around the device. He looks sad - a sorrow that rests in his eyes is all too familiar, even if there has been no tears shed. He looked this way when he lost Dean and Sam. Now, he gets to live this all over again...]

[Which is why he is here, now. He swallows, noticeably, before he looks into the feed.] You ... You ...gods here. Please. Please bring her back. You have brought back so many and she - she has had such a short life to begin with. She deserves her chance, here. To grow old. I will not ask for me - I will never ask for me - but ... for her.

[He drops his head, a little, looking to the ground.] Please.


[And then he turns off the feed, abruptly.]

[The video feed that clicks on is shaky and it's just someone holding up a camera in the middle of the Serpent-torn residential district. There are screams piercing the air, and bodies are lying on the ground. Buildings lying wide open. There are people scrambling, trying to dig people out, stauch the bleeding of their friends, their loved ones, perfect strangers.]

Oh ... oh please ... please someone help us ... help .. us ...

[And that is when the angel appears - and from his bleak expression some of those with the wounded cover them in fear, and others stop what they're doing to watch him warily. He says nothing, just looks around with eyes that are empty of emotion and then he opens his arms wide and screams something to the sky in Enochian. Only Gabriel would be able to hear his one-word promise to the Serpent. Death.]

[Then shadows stretched from Castiel's back as he held his arms wide, and his eyes glowed a pure white - white as a flame - white as fire - and around him people gasped in surprise - a gasp that rippled throughout the Residential District - as wounds closed, bones re-knit themselves, and internal organs slid back into place.]

[In contrast, blood started to trickle from the angel's eyes, from the angel's mouth, from his nose and finally from his ears. He let out another strangled cry that could have be 'Jo', before he collapsed to the ground.]

[The video turns on to a blood smear, and a soldier wearing the Serpent's uniform looking panicked. He is running, and around him are other foosteps, fellow soldiers who are fleeing as quicly as he is. From around him, are frightened whispers.]

Where the hell is it?

How should I know? Just keep fucking running!

Did you see what it did to the lieutenant? It burned his eyes out! Burned them clear out of his skull!

Shut up - shut up all of you - do you want to end up like the poor bastards behind -

[The soldier abruptly stops - as do all of them, as sudden yells and moans of terror can be heard. The camera swings upwards to show Castiel.

... A Castiel without a trenchcoat, once more. A Castiel whose white's shirt is soaked through with blood, and whose eyes blaze blue fire. A Castiel who thunders.]

There will be none left behind. [And the angel moves forward - faster than anyone would think is possible - and the soldier drops the camera and screams. The camera falls to the ground as the soldiers begin to fly in and out of view, dozens of feet above the ground, and there is flashes of bright blue light. More screams, then silence.]

[Just the sound of footsteps, moving through the carnage. Until they stop. A bloody hand reaches down, and pulls the camera up. Castiel looks into the video, sorrow and wrath mixing together in his face.]

Dean Winchester is dead. He was killed by the Serpent's Army. So I am returning the favor - and killing every last one of them. [He looks around, and then looks back at the camera.] So my advice to you - O'Serpents Army, and all their ... sympathizers - is just this.

Run, Little Bitches. Run For Your Lives.

[And the feed abruptly turns off.]

[When the camera clicks on, it is obvious that the view is from someone else's phone. A young man's face, covered with early acne appeared, and his eyes gleamed black before he grinned at the camera in an ugly way.] Now we're gonna have some fun -- you two got him?

[The camera swerves as two young man drag a dirty figure up and pin him against the wall. Dressed in the tattered remains of a trenchcoat, and hospital pajamas. The young men's eyes flash black before turning to normal, as they turn towards their friend. One of them speaks, nervously.] Hurry up man, before it wakes up!

Fffft, easy Sebastian. The angel's out for the count. [The one with the camera lifted up the dirty man's head, gripping him by his dark hair. The dirty man's features, even coated with grime and blood, are utterly familiar. Yes, it is Castiel.] So we're gonna cut him open like a melon, and see what angel tastes like.

[The other two demons laughed, and Sebastian hissed at the camera.] Hey, you see this, hunters? We're gonna have your angel raw. And there ain't nothing you Winchester c-

[At the name, the angel's eyes popped open. Blue eyes that were momentarily confused narrowed in absolutely rage as he took in his attackers. A voice that rumbled like rocks down a mountain emerged from inbetween his cracked lips] You dare? You dare!

[The camera started to veer backwards - but not before the angel braced his body against the wall and using the two demons holding him for leverage, kicked the demon holding the camera across the alley. There was a crunch of bone and brick, as the camera slid down in the demon's grip. The view was now askew, as the angel threw one demon into another, and then stepped up to them with a warrior's ferocity - throwing one up the alley and twisting around to burn out Sebastian.]

[He glowered down the alleyway, the shadows of his wings flaring across the brick wall. He disappeared, and a scream of 'No, no, Nooooooooooo!' followed with another sound of 'whoooooosh' as the demon left it's host body off screen.]

[The camera slid further, just enough to see the fear on its owner's face as the angel strode over to him and slammed his hand into the creature's forehead. The demon's skull lit up as if Castiel had put a firecracker into his brain.]

[The angel stood up straight, the wings starting to fade, as he looked back and forth down the alleyway. He frowned for a moment, tilting his head as he whispered.] ... Mandalus?

[Something in his expression shifts from faint disbelief to hope, before he made a quiet noise, and clutched his chest. He breathed out, as he fell to his knees.] ... Ah. I seem to have over-exerted myself...

[And that is when the feed times out.]