Jean emerged from the archive some while later. He was alone, and he carried the grimoire and the two journals with him. He looked himself over in the brighter light of the hall, making sure he was completely decent out of habit. He knew Celezar wouldn't let him leave if he wasn't.

After his time with Celezar, he spent an hour or two reading over the papers and documents shown to him. What he learned was not at all what he thought he would discover. Pursing his lips, he steadily made his way upstairs to his room. He glanced at the books in his hands. In the second book written by his ancestors, he learned something jarring. It changed his entire understanding of his family.

The second book was more of a chronicle telling of events that happened around the time his ancestor Alan was in his later years. He was well-known as a magic-using inhuman hunter, was well-off, and had a family of his own with a daughter and two sons. His wife was a medic named Vivienne, and they had a dog that was often mentioned but not by name. The family lived somewhere in Europe, but the locations' names were foreign to Jean.

During that time, it was told Alan struck a friendship with an inhuman, a demon named Kaju'tta. During the time of their friendship, Alan was killed by an Infernal lord. Kaju'tta mercilessly struck out against the inhuman, and together with the rest of Alan's men, the Infernal fell.

For one hundred years, Kaju'tta remained a friend of the Lowells. The family continued their self-imposed work as inhuman hunters, creating their legacy. Shortly after this time, something unforeseeable occurred. One of his descendants named Millicent fell in love with Kaju'tta, and he with her.

There were some who believed there was nothing wrong with this, as they had many inhuman friends and had fought alongside them in countless battles, wars, and hunts. The other part of the family, led by Millicent's brother, Aeron, believed that was crossing an unsaid line between inherent taint and innate purity.

The whole ordeal divided the family in half, with those who were on the side of Millicent and Kaju'tta and those against consisting of Aeron, inhumans and humans alike. This created the two branches of the Lowell family, those who became descendants of Kaju'tta named the Kajut Lowells, and those who remained "pure".

After reading those passages and entries, Jean had to take a moment to recover. He was at a loss for words. Not only had he known nothing of the other half of his family—as he was raised believing they were the "only" Lowells—but that they were of inhuman blood? It was...

He tried to find the right words within his mind. "Horrifying" initially came to the forefront, of course, but he had to tip-toe around it. It only seemed so because of how he was raised as a member of the "pure" Lowell branch, which evidently downright detested all inhumans in modern time.

He knew the stories of his branch; he grew up listening to such stories. They were of betrayal and danger, trials and murder. Every member of his branch who strayed from "the path", copulated or otherwise consorted with an inhuman, if they did not escape the family, were found and killed.

Briefly, he closed his eyes and sighed.

The journal then said the Kajut Lowells went into hiding, living either in the many inhuman worlds or in sparse places of sanctuary. But if that was true, where were they?

Briefly skimming through the latter pages revealed information about possible locations where the "impure" branch members could be in modern time. This brought a thought to mind.

If Jean were to find members of the branch and ask for their help, it might be a simpler way to find inhuman allies. If they were indeed Lowells, they, too, would have magical blood. This would mean more magic-users, more ways to possibly defend themselves against a devil.

Hobboilen, no.

But possibly Domien.

Reminded of what the devil-spawn did to his friends, Jean rubbed his eyes. He held his hand to his face for a while, exhaling deeply and shakily.

He was tired.

"Then come to bed, love."

He muttered in agreement, lowering his hand to glance at his bed. Celezar sat atop it with his legs crossed. Eating could wait until the next day, a new day. The thought of sleep was far more appealing, in truth.

After taking his toothbrush and toothpaste out of his bag, he entered the bathroom to wash up. Seeing himself in the mirror, he idly ran a finger over his scar out of habit. He caught a glimpse of his mate in the reflection and his hand dropped at the sad expression given to him.

Once done, he returned to the bed and walked into Celezar's open arms. Sighing deeply, he let his eyes close and his body relax.

His mate's voice was soft as he asked, "Are you sure you don't want to eat?"

"Yes. It's alright. Tomorrow is a new day." He did realize how monotone he sounded.

He was effortlessly moved until he was laying supine on the bed. A warm hand stroked the side of his face, and then lowered over his chest. His shirt was unbuttoned, and he made a soft sound when fingers trailed down his scar.

He opened his good eye by a slant. A deeply remorseful expression met his gaze on his mate's face, the olive eyes focused on his scar. He slightly frowned, coming to the realization that Celezar would never forgive himself for attacking him. Gently, he took Celezar's hand and pulled him down over his chest.

Celezar emitted a breathy sigh, snuggling against him. He slightly smiled and let his eye close again.

*    *    *

Etheraven didn't come to life until roughly seven in the morning. While he waited for it to awaken, Jean was given the opportunity, a rare one, to doze. He rested comfortably with Celezar, fully dressed and washed for the day, after waking up at his usual time before the sun rose.

"Celezar...you knew I had inhuman family this whole time?" he softly asked.

Celezar shifted atop his chest. "Of course. The Lowells were once well-known for their peaceful dealings with inhumans...until Aeron came along."

Jean sighed heavily. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wanted you to find out here. It felt...appropriate."

He hummed, not entirely sure how he felt about that, but he let it go.

He didn't know what he could do about the inhuman side of his family. He didn't know where they were and, supposedly, no one knew. He would have to ask Majihl, maybe...

"What's the plan for today?" he asked his mate.

"I'll see you at breakfast. Afterward, we need to open your grimoire."

"Will we remain here?" Jean ran his fingers through the auburn locks, his nose hidden in their curls.

"No. There's a place further into the mountains where we can go. We can take horses and shouldn't be too long." There was a pause. "Approximately...two hours."

He didn't understand. "Just to open the grimoire?"

"Well, yes, but you need to learn a few...things."

He knew that tone of voice, and he softly chuckled, kissing into his mate's hair. "What are you planning, Zarryel?"

A shrug was his response, but the accompanying hum was mischievous.

"Very well..."

Once the sun came out, Jean left the hall of bedrooms to travel to the tavern, Arden's House. Apparently, it was the place where all inhuman hunters relaxed, ate, and drank instead of intimidating people in the town eateries. He understood that logic; inhuman hunters, whether themselves inhuman or not, could be a frightening-looking bunch.

The tavern itself was nothing spectacular; it was a simple building made of both stone and wood. The nearby streets were moderately occupied and, per the usual, he was ignored.

When he entered, he was greeted with the sight of a moderately-lit interior and smells of alcohol and food. A few hunters around tables, leaning against walls and overall relaxed filled a decent portion of the interior. They did not look inhuman, but he knew better.

Several eyes landed on him. This time, he was the one who did the ignoring.

A few steps in and, while looking around, he caught sight of a familiar face amongst the patrons. Instead of going for a drink and food, he decided to see if he could find a seat. As he neared his uncle, a one-eyed glance was given to him followed shortly by a smile.

"Jean. I wondered where you went." Nicholae beckoned to the seat across from him.

Beside Nicholae sat Caelum, who waved in greeting.

Jean nodded at him, moving to sit. "I found Celezar. I spoke to him, and he grudgingly agreed to return," he told his uncle.

Nicholae frowned. "Grudgingly, eh? Not that I blame him."

Before Jean could respond, a server with pointy ears approached him. "Can I get you anything?" the man asked with a toothy smile.

Jean blinked up at him. He was considerably tall. "Ah, I'll have some coffee, please. Black."

"Sure. Wave me over when you're ready to order." The server nodded at Caelum, then he walked to the front counter.

Jean looked after him. The man had a tail. It was long and slender, the same color as his skin, and the end was akin to that of a horse's. Jean pursed his lips but kept comments to himself.

"Where is Celezar?" Nicholae asked.

"You called?"

They turned to see the hybrid in question approach the table, seemingly from out of the darkest corner of the tavern. His expression was neutral, if not with a touch of apathy. To Jean's pleasant surprise, he was also wearing a wide-brimmed hat, something Jean hadn't seen him wear in several long months.

Nicholae slightly raised his head. "Celezar. It's been a while."

Celezar made a soft scoffing sound, then he stood near the table with his arms crossed. He briefly looked at Jean. "After breakfast, I have to talk to you."

Jean didn't look at him but gave a small nod. "Alright."

The server came over with Jean's coffee. "Here you are," he said, placing it atop the table before him.

"Thank you." It smelled fresh. He took a deep inhale, and caught Caelum making a face.

"Black coffee. Ugh. You enjoy your hot bean juice."

Scoffing, Jean took a delightful sip of the hot liquid.

Celezar looked back at him and Nicholae. "What do you make of Etheraven?"

"It's not what I expected," Nicholae admitted, and Jean nodded in agreement. "From what little we saw, it seems to be an ordinary township."

"But you don't trust that, do you?"

Looking him in the eye, Nicholae seemed slightly amused. "I can't speak for Jean, but in my case, I've seen my share of dead ringers. This isn't one." He finished his own coffee. "No, I'm merely curious."

"You do seem to be taking this mighty easily. Both of you," Celezar commented.

Jean again remained silent, shrugging, whereas Nicholae gave a lopsided smile.

Celezar narrowed an eye, but the corner of his mouth slightly raised. "Fine. Keep your secrets."

"When do we leave?" Nicholae asked Jean.

"Maybe around early afternoon." Jean took another sip of his drink in thought. "Or sooner. For now, let's meet in the Hall's foyer at 1200 hours."

"Aye."

Caelum sighed before standing. "Well, folks, I am off. I must finish my studies."

"What are you learning, if I may ask?" said Nicholae.

"Magic."

"You're of magical blood?"

Light blond locks swayed. "No. But hallows are adaptive." He smiled at Nicholae's impressed nod. "Good to meet you two."

"Likewise."

"Before you leave, do you know where Alister is?" Jean asked.

Caelum moved around the table. "No, actually. I wonder where he is, myself. If possible, I'll have him meet you at 1200 hours."

"Alright. Thank you."

Nodding, Caelum gave Celezar a peculiar look. "Be nice."

Celezar shoved him. "Oh, shut up."

The younger man laughed as he walked towards the exit.

After a quiet breakfast, Celezar led Jean to the stables not far from and behind the tavern. They borrowed horses and began a trot down the direct path to the exit on the opposite side of the haven. Jean felt his uncle's eyes on him as they left. He knew what the unseen look was for. Despite everything, Nicholae was just a bit worried to leave him alone with Celezar. It probably had nothing to do with trust on their side but rather a sort of understanding that Celezar might not trust them.

For just a moment, Jean wished he could tell his uncle the truth of the situation.

The large wooden doors opened as they approached. As no one was there on the inside and those on the outside were a distance away, Jean figured Celezar opened the door with his power. Or other. Telekinesis, most likely.

He glanced back to see the doors to the haven close, then looked forward. "I didn't bring the grimoire with me."

"That's fine. I can manifest it."

He smiled at the joviality in his mate's voice. He wondered if it was because they had actually spent more time together since they arrived in Etheraven. That was certainly why he felt better. Freer. Happier.

He caught Celezar's smile, and he softly hummed but remained otherwise quiet.

They traveled peacefully down a path near the edge of a cliff leading into the larger mountains. After a short while leading in a trot, Celezar urged his horse into a gallop. Jean blinked after him, then did the same.

It wasn't long before they were side-to-side, smiles on their faces. This was familiar to Jean. They did little things like this, simply enjoying each other's presence and having their own sort of fun.

Because they were galloping, however, their horses brought them to their destination sooner than Jean liked. The path they took to arrive cut through a small cluster of trees behind them. It was open enough that the trees didn't seem stifling.

Celezar dismounted from his horse. "You can let the horses roam."

Landing on the grass as he climbed off his horse, Jean gave a glance at it, then let the reins go. He looked around, nodding in appreciation. The trees surrounding the area were sparse enough that there was considerable distance between them. The mountain backdrop against the blue sky of spring was refreshing, inspiring.

He let his eyes close as a breeze whisked his hair about. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his thoughts.

An arm wrapped around him. "This would be a good time to tell you why I got your family's grimoire." The book manifested in Celezar's free hand. "One of the most powerful spells taught to your family is the one to summon."

Glancing back at the book, Jean's brows furrowed. "Summon?"

"Yes. But not just anything." There was a smile in Celezar's voice. "Elevates."

Jean turned in Celezar's grasp. "Elevates," he dumbly repeated, staring into the green orbs. "As in...the divine creatures of Paradiso?" he breathed.

"Mm hm."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Celezar's smile faded. "It's...dangerous," he admitted. "Attempting to summon Elevates can be...deadly. Fatal." His grasp around Jean tightened

Jean understood. "But if anything could face against the Entity, it would be Elevates, yes?"

"Yes."

"Then I have to try." He held out a hand. Softly, Celezar sighed and handed it over. Jean pulled Sieg from his belt and gave it to him. "Cut my hand."

There was some hesitance, but Celezar obeyed, moving his hand to swiftly cut across Jean's palm.

Wincing slightly, Jean made a fist and held his hand over the lock's small hole. The blood dripped down, but it didn't go inside. He was going to try again when the blood began to move towards the hole on its own, as if magnetized. Once several drops went inside, the book emitted a glowing, pale blue color.

"Say odo," said Celezar.

"Odo," Jean repeated. There was a clicking sound, and the lock clasp fell open. The book suddenly felt much heavier, and he had to grasp it with both hands. "What...?"

"It's full of knowledge, Jean. Pretty heavy stuff," Celezar chuckled.

Rolling his eyes upwards, Jean smiled. He lowered to the ground and placed the book upon the grass. Celezar lowered with him, letting him go, and sat beside him. Jean opened the book, and handwritten text greeted him. However, to his disappointment, the entire book was written in a language he could not read.

He frowned, gently turning through the thin, pristine pages. "I can't read any of this..."

"I can."

The book was immediately handed to Celezar, who took it and flipped through pages with surprising ease. "Hmm...no...no...no...Oh, interesting. But no...no," he muttered, as if trying to find something.

Jean waited, watching the pages flip by. There were pictures and manuscripts, directions and lists. He wished he could read it. What little he could understand were mostly the spell symbols. He even saw a glimpse of the teleportation sigil that allowed Artie to teleport back from encountering Domien and Hobboilen. That indicated at least one thing. Once upon a time, the language was known to his family. With Celezar's help, maybe he could learn it again.

"Ah, here we are." Celezar showed the book to him. The left page showed an image of a sort of angelic being, followed by sections separated by lines. "Elevate summoning. I can read the words and you can repeat them."

"What is the name of this language, anyway?"

"Enochian."

Nearly choking on air, Jean sputtered, "Enochian! That language is as dead as...!"

Amused, his mate rested his chin on a propped-up hand. "No, actually. It's not dead at all. Magic-users are merely the only humans who normally use it and have since dwindled. Otherwise, it's a common inhuman language."

"You must teach it to me."

"And I will." Leaning forward, Celezar stole a swift kiss. Returning his attention to the book, he pointed to a passage. "We'll start with the simplest of the Elevates from the Third Sphere and work our way up."

Jean looked concerned. "Do I have to do anything special before we start?"

"Believe it or not, no. Not for you. But you will need this." Celezar handed him what seemed to be a golden feather. Glancing at him from his peripheral, he smiled. "It was inside the book. Your family is naturally aligned with Light. That helps plenty."

"Mating with you doesn't change that, right?"

"You insult me."

Chuckling, Jean returned the kiss before grinning. "Well, you are part-devil."

"Ha ha." Celezar waved him away. "Now, go stand over there."

Jean patted his leg before standing up and moved further into the field. He then turned to face his mate. "Ready."

"Alright, then..." Celezar straightened his back, holding the book in his lap. "Hold the feather up and repeat after me: Gil etharzi."

Excitement flowed through Jean just hearing the word. He lifted the feather. "Gil etharzi."

What felt like a jolt of electricity passed through his body. The sensation was slightly painful, and then elation overcame him. Light emanated from above him, shining, golden. It was blinding, and yet, did not blind him. Warmth spread through his body, and he felt as though he was lifting from the ground.

And then, there was nothing.

"Jean?"

His body was jostled, causing him to blink. Celezar sat worriedly beside him, and he was supine on the ground. A floaty sensation prevented him from rightening himself, so he stayed on the ground. "Okay...What happened?" he breathed.

Celezar cracked a smile. "You thought this was going to be easy, eh?" He stood and held out his hand for Jean to take.

Taking it, Jean slowly sat upright, then moved to his feet. But he was wobbly, and nearly fell over, it not for the strong arms that kept him up. "I feel intoxicated," he groaned, placing a hand on his head.

"I imagine so. You tried to pull an Elevate from their realm into this one." Celezar patted his side. "Try again. Try fixing on the sensation, this time." Once Jean was able to stand without falling over, Celezar moved away.

"What was it?"

Celezar sat with the book. "Gil etharzi."

Exhaling, Jean raised the feather once more. "Gil etharzi."

This time, when the sensation of rising came to him, he tried to mentally ground himself. For only a moment, he felt himself back on the ground. But in the next, the world wobbled and waned before it went dark again.

The warmth faded. The elation left him, replaced with emptiness.

"Jean?"

He opened his eyes. He was back on the ground. Huffing, he moved to sit upright, looking into Celezar's slightly amused eyes. "Again."

For at least an hour, this went on. Grounding was the hardest bit, as he had to reach out to something he could not feel and attempt to pull it to him. Idly, as he failed summoning an Elevate for the umpteenth time, Jean wondered what the Elevate—or Elevates, if there were many—were thinking about this.

When he voiced this concern to Celezar, taking a break on the grass, the hybrid waved a hand. "Don't worry. It's not like they're being tugged back and forth. You haven't seen them, yet, so none of them actually entered this realm. They can probably sense someone is trying to summon them, though."

"That's not a problem, is it?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I imagine it isn't. Not everyone was able to summon an Elevate on their first attempt."

Humming with interest, Jean looked over the book as it sat between them. "Who could?"

"Very powerful magic-users. Even the youngest of them can summon an Elevate on the first try. None from the higher Spheres, mind you, but probably the Third." Celezar stared off, as if in thought. "We don't have to push it, today. It's your first time."

"Absolutely not. I must push myself, Celezar. I need to summon at least one." Jean stood, then walked further into the field again. He turned around and held up a finger. "Just one."

"And then what?"

"Then, I've a bone to pick with you."

Slanting his eyes, the hybrid leaned back on his hands, stretching his long legs out before him. "Very well, Jeanie-boy."

Returning the expression, Jean smiled before looking up to the sky. He decided to do something different, this time. Taking two fingers from a single hand, he made a circle in the air before him, then signed a sigil in the center that was used for teleportation. "Gil etharzi."

A thrum of energy went through his body first. Light began to shine upon him, and he remained calm as the warmth spread through him. When the floating sensation overcame him, he held the symbol before him, then took the feather and threw it upwards. It shot like a knife to the light, twinkling before disappearing.

Gradually, a being came into view from the light.

The figure was humanoid, roughly ten to twelve feet tall and with a wingspan twice its size. Every inch of it was white with traces and embroideries of gold, it bore white, marble-like skin, and glowing, golden eyes shining from the eyeholes of a beaklike mask. A gleaming golden halo hovered atop its head, and it carried a golden staff with a corona around its tip. Its body was mostly indiscernible, as it wore a simple white tunic that hid even its feet. It did, however, have four fingers instead of five.

Feeling lightheaded, Jean repositioned his feet for better stability, but he remained standing. He swallowed as he watched the being lower to the ground mere feet from him. The sensation of its presence was different from that of Hobboilen's or even Celezar's in his inhuman form. He felt exhilarated.

"Son of Alan. You have done well to summon me. I sense within you the desire to overcome the threat that is the First Child of Samhain." It somberly shook its head. "I cannot aid you, for I am unable to overwhelm such a foe."

Having figured this, Jean nodded. "I intend to summon the most powerful of the Elevates that I can."

It raised its head and inclined it at him. "Cherubim of the First Sphere. You shall become a powerful summoner. Such power lies in your blood." It raised its staff, looking to the sky. "We, Angels of the Third Sphere, bless you with our presence."

Jean watched as the Elevate flapped its wings. A powerful gust of wind gathered, blowing grass and leaves and golden feathers about them. He shielded his eyes, and the sound of wings flapping reached his ears. When he looked back as the wind settled, the light and the Elevate were gone.

He looked around. The horses were calm, continuing to graze some distance away. Celezar sat nearer to them under a tree, looking to the sky.

"Well." Lowering his head, the hybrid smiled at him. "You've summoned your first Elevate, love. Congratulations."