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Drethiel had been walking back to the Silver Scale, when he heard nearby footsteps come to a halt, and turned in their direction. Upon seeing the tall, winged panther, he stared wide-eyed. For a moment, a sharp pain tore through his mind, like a splitting headache. He may have ditched his old body in the nick of time, but seeing as how he had stayed in it for so long... some form of "connection" had built up in it. As a result, the sight of a large, animalistic being brought thoughts of ravenous werewolves upon him. Panicking at first, he fumbled to form an iceball, but then stopped himself - the beast was lavender, with jade eyes. Ashen. So this is her true form? He looked her up and down, marveling at just how tall she really was in that form. Her wings, slightly damaged where they attached to her, confirmed that indeed it was the Silver Scale leader he knew. Smiling, he jumped up and flew over, landing softly in front of her. He reached up to pet her fur, which was pleasantly soft. "This is rather impressive, Ashen." He ran his fingers along the silver runes, watching how they shimmered in the light, and creating a light frost to enhance the glimmer. "Not to mention the runes..." His eyes followed them and studied them, attempting to decipher what they meant. It had been a long time since he was familiar with runes.

"My apologies if I looked startled earlier. I thought I was seeing things." He stated. Dreth paused for a moment then - he sensed something nearby - several things to be exact. It had been a long, long time since he felt the presence of fresh souls, and he barely resisted the urge to lick his lips. "Did you save your casualties for me, Ashen?" He looked up deviously into her eyes, and smirked. "How very kind. It'll do this miserable old body good." Rubbing his lower back as if almost on cue, he groaned. "Rook's body took this so much easier..." He grumbled under his breath and winced.

Feeling the nuzzle of the panther on his back, Drethiel waved his hand as if to dismiss his pain. "It's nothing. This body was already achey when I moved into it. While this one does have it's drawbacks, I hope it will serve its purpose." He moved to Ashen's side, and leapt up, climbing onto her back with ease. Her plush fur made a comfortable place to sit, but he decided to lie down on his stomach, draping his hands briefly over her sides before running his hands through the lavender coat again. Hearing her purr was oddly relaxing, and he had to admit - his legs hadn't hurt this much in a long time. Rook's mother wasn't the most healthy woman around. In fact, she had always been frail, having a lightly plump layer of fat and minimal muscle mass. Many complications would arise from taking this woman's body, it seemed.

"Ashen, would you be terribly offended if I asked you to carry me back to the Silver Scale?" He asked her, an amused tone to his voice. "I'm not sure how much more walking these old bones can take today."

Drethiel laughed a little when Ashen licked his hand, and appreciated the support she gave with her wings. Getting comfortable and listening to her rumbling growls, he watched Wildgard pass by in his vision. "Rook's mother, Lilith, was a plain, ordinary lady. Just a single mother, living alone in a quiet and peaceful village. Though her body is a good 37 years old, with it's share of injuries and issues, her soul was sweet with a sediment of ferocity." He stopped talking for a moment, remembering the Lilith he knew long ago.

"She was much like Rook when she was younger, but as she aged, she masked her vigor with a calm demeanor, and used it sparingly. By the time I had reached her and took her place in the body, she didn't know what hit her. I've the feeling she was ignorant to a lot of things in this world, actually..." Dreth let out a yawn, and then buried his face in Ashen's fur. "What I'm trying to say is, there's nothing all too special about this one. I chose her merely out of spite for Rook, and will admit it truthfully." As they approached home, Dreth could feel the ebb and flow of the souls even more prominently, and found himself swaying back and forth slightly in sync with the movement.

Upon arriving by the corpses, Drethiel gave Ashen a light pet on the wings as a token of thanks - for both the souls, and her formidable landing job. "My, my. Look at these fine specimens!" He exclaimed as he strolled towards the vessels. In his eyes, they radiated a soft and pleasant glow. Which... was odd. The inner light of a recently deceased body usually wasn't this strong and prominent. For a split second, he wondered if Ashen could see it too. Sensing was one thing. Seeing was another.

Yet, these bodies all certainly were the hosts of humans past. Some old, some young, and one seemingly unlikely victim who looked as if he could punch a hole through a wall with ease. Dreth's eyes trailed from each of them, studying not their limp limbs, but the pulsating waves of light and energy. It wasn't the fact that they were recently struck down, it wasn't the fact that they weren't anything but human - there was just something about this experience that felt so familiar, and so... welcoming. Nostalgic.

"This..." he spoke softly, his eyes never leaving the white glow amidst the corpses. Yes, this is how it used to be. In reality, there was nothing peculiar about this situation at all. The pulsing of a soul's dormant energy was a common sight for angels. In fact, it was the nature of things. Different wavelengths were not uncommon, but in fact a means of identification. If one could see the difference in wavelengths, then it was most likely that they could also see a slightly colored tint within the light.

The anticipation was killing him, and he wanted to begin the purification. "I wonder..." he continued quietly. There was an old method of collecting souls as an angel. Said method was a privilege that Dreth had lost long ago, but he saw no harm in attempting it for old time's sake. With one last glance at Ashen, he gave a sly smirk and began. Closing his eyes, he whispered a short prayer under his breath. The words felt foreign on his traitorous tongue, but he soon held out his hands, relaxed with palms facing upward. Immersed in his own concentration, and inaudible incantation, he curled the fingers on his right hand into a slow, gentle fist. Soon, he had done the same with the other. What he had expected to happen was to open his eyes to a foolish attempt, but upon opening his eyes, they widened and he nearly broke form.

In front of him, as if pulled inward lightly on strings, were the five souls, pulsing calmly. His mouth hung open and his brows knit in confusion, but he relied on his intuition and memory to keep his ceremony on the roll. Gulping once, he moved his hands rapidly outwards, then brought them back in around the group of souls, condensing them into a tight knit ball of light. What would seem bright to a passerby then grew brighter. Drethiel's pale blue eyes shimmered, and he smiled gleefully as the energy in front of him spiraled and spun, pushing out all negativity back into the world. At the end of the purification, the souls separated once more, shining brighter and cleaner than before. He looked up into the sky, towards the clouds and beyond. Would it work? He pondered. There was no guarantee that these individuals would reach the heavens safely - not while he was in exile. I came over here to keep them safe myself. Up above is no place for me. In that moment, he grasped the souls from behind, and brought his hands toward his chest, pushing them to his angelic core for safekeeping. Drethiel shivered, and let out a pleased sigh.

"It...worked. It really worked!" He turned to Ashen excitedly. "What I just did has not been performed on my behalf for centuries. Ashen, I don't know what this means." Dreth seemed giddy and befuddled and awestruck all at once. "Was my exile a temporary sentence? Or is this my doing?" He asked himself. Either way, this was a sure sign that Drethiel's power was returning to him at last, and he hoped he would see even more improvement in the near future.

Drethiel laughed quietly and ran his hands through Ashen's fur, feeling a burst of happiness and satisfaction hit him from the reaping of souls. When she licked his cheek a high pitched sound came out of him, and he was taken aback from the shrill voice the body had produced. Nevertheless, he continued talking as if nothing happened.

"My thanks to you, Ashen. I hope we can continue this kind of arrangement. Perhaps..." He thought aloud. "...perhaps in due time, human souls won't be my limit." His smile widened, with a touch of manic desire.

"Woah, there!" Dreth exclaimed shakily as he fell to the ground. His eyes were wide, not with fear, but with confusion. This was a side of Ashen that... quite frankly, he didn't know existed. As she rolled around like a cheerful kitten, he found it hard to imagine that this same being was the one that would readily kill when effected by her curses.

He sat up and smirked, though still a bit dumbfounded, and sent a layer of frost shivering up over her belly. Perhaps a break like this wasn't too bad at all, however human of him it may have been to indulge in something so tame and carefree.