Smoke on the horizon and black clouds that were reaching to where the city was. This was the first they saw. The allied forces had marched as fast as they could but the cavalry could wait no longer, they had gone on ahead. Still what they saw on the horrizon, it looked like even they would be too late.

The cavalry captain whipped everyone into gallop when they saw the increasing ammount of smoke on the horiaon. They would be there for the angels. They would save them or at least die trying to. 

The cavalry raced over several hills untill they finally got a clear view of the city. The once proud floating city was now on the ground, its towers, were no longer standing upright and several had fallen over. And to make matters worse, there was no sign of resistance, no sign of combat.

cavalry captain: "lancers take point! we will ride through the enemy lines and try to reach the palace, if there is any angel still alive we will find them there! Leave none of these bastards alive in our path. For Gaia, for the earth!"

cavalry men: "for gaia!"

The lancers lowered their lances and formed a triangle and stormed down the hill with the rest of the cavalry men following closely behind. To the cavalry men surprise there wasn't realy an army waiting for them all there was left in the city where undead thralls. The lowest of the lowest of undead. They were taking the city appart, brick by brick, trying to make it dissapear.

This made the push into the city very easy but it also spread unease under the men, it spread the fear of them being too late which caused them to ride towards the palace with a murdering pace. 

They only encountered empty streets on their way towards the palace, there were no bodies, no living angels, nothing but buildings on fire, buildings that thralls where breaking down and empty streets. 

The Cavalry managed to reach the palace just before their horses where getting dangerously close to being ride to death. The horseback spearmen entered the palace without taking orders to do so and rushed towards the altar in the hopes of finding angels there, huddled in a last bid of deviance.

The captain managed to join the spearmen and kicked open the doors to the altar room but all that they found was the archangel himself sitting on the throne. His eyes were empty and his chest was not moving.

Captain: "Lord Archangel we have come to save you and your people."

The archangel looked up and sighed and empty sigh. 

Arastiël: "you are too late captain, the only reason I am talking to you know is due to the deathbringer ressurecting me as an undead so I could scare you all off. unfortunatly for him he can't controll our race, even in death we escape his grasp. I am the only one left in this city who can talk to you, the rest. Everyone is gone. I am sory captain."

The captain fell to his knees and tear welled up in his eyes: "We rode and marched as fast as we could, yet we are still too late. We are still."

Arastiël: "Calm down captain, I saw what had to happen, I saw what had to come to pass. If you had saved us as you had planned, then. then this world would fall into his grasp. Please captain, if you could fullfill one last wish."

the captain rose to his feet: "anything."

Arastiël: "Release me from this state of undeath and take me to the human capital. Once we leave this city it will be protected by a shield and one day. Well that is for the future, for now. Release me, please. Don't let me linger any longer in this form."

The captain grabbed his sword and walked up to the archangel: "may you rest in peace, Archangel Arastiël, last of the angels." And fullfilled the last request of the last angel.

Captain: "Cleanse the demons and undead from this city and prepare, prepare our depature. We shall carry him home, we shall give him a place to rest among our ancestors."

So it was said and so it was done, the thralls were purged from the city by the cavalry and when they finally left Light's Rest, a new energy bariër appeared. It didnt just shield it from possible new assaults it also made the city invissible. The city was save, for right now it wasnt a top priority, destroying all the resistance agaist the global rule of the deathbringer was more important to him. So invissible it would lie in wait for the day the bariër would dissapear.

The cavalry managed to reach the rest of the army by night, the army first wanted to celebrate but when they saw the singular casket the cavalry was bringing with them and the solemn faces the cavalry men had. They knew what had happened. The camp became deathly silent and everyone took off their helmets as the casket passed them.

The army would rendezvous with the fleet in the coming week and sail home towards the capital of the human kingdom. 

A great celebration occured as the army entered through the gates of the capital city. Humans, elves and dwarves where drinking and partying but when they saw the solumn procession with the singular casket the marrymaking would stop. the sounds of celebration slowly turned into the sound of mourning. 

the human king waited for the army together with the elven and dwarven kings, they heard how celebration went to mourning and when they saw the sad faces, it was all clear. The mission had failed.

human king: "welcome home captain, general. Only one casket, only. Was it really that late. Was the hour that dark."

the captain and general could only nod.

The human kind led a small portion of the procession to the graves of the human kings and ordered the archangel to be set with his ancestors. So that at least he would enjoy this last place of honour. 

Outside people where mourning, it seemed like the light itself had died this very day. like the sun wouldn't rise anymore. It was said that upon that day the light had fallen and its wings had been broken.