Dantalion felt separated - out of his realm. He possessed a defiance that was ungodly.
"Dantalion, this is your birthright," the archangel Gabriel pronounced.
"Why can I not be archangel like the others?" Dantalion began flooding Gabriel with questions.
"Thou art still young. You shall learn," Gabriel assured him, eyeing the boy.
"Why are thy not seraphim?" Dantalion again questioned Gabriel.
"Tis of thy choosing to become archangel, to oversee the guardians of our dominion," Gabriel smiled.
"I see what you can do, shape-shifting in the mortal realm. When will it be my time?" His restless eyes pierced through Gabriel's.
"Dantalion, guardians play the most important role, thou art messengers and closest of our order to mankind," he reminded him.
"When will I be allowed to enter the mortal realm?" young Dantalion persisted.
"Some day, but for now, thy must learn the purpose of guardian. To protect mankind."
"Protect from whom?"
"Protect from the seven mortal sins…do thou know what they are?" Gabriel tested him.
"I know them, he beamed. Lust, envy, sloth, greed, wrath, gluttony and pride are the sins of man," young Dantalion replied.
"They are not just the sins of man, Dantalion, they are the sins we obey within the third heaven as well. Does thou know of your brother's transgression?" Gabriel asked him. Dantalion was unaware what would befall one of his brother angels of the third heaven.
"Our brother, Satan, has fallen into sin. The brightest of stars, he tests the integrity of man and challenges our merciful Lord God. Pride will bring down his fall," Gabriel lamented.
"Can we be merciful?" Dantalion asked.
"Only God decides our immortal fate and the fate of man," the archangel dictated.
Satan sat before the celestial order, a strange aura looming about him. Young Dantalion watched as Satan was stripped of his rank and title, his brilliance cast to pitch. His fall from grace forced the young guardian to question the grace of God. Angels who sinned were condemned as demons. Only with the passing of two ages could the fallen reclaim their salvation. Thoughts of mortality grew stronger for Dantalion and the heaven he loved turned from paradise to prison.
Dantalion felt robbed of his young life, and for every mortal he saved, became more distant from his original purpose. Ten seasons had passed and he never quite belonged with any of the angelic orders. Each mortal soul that called unto him, he heard. Each had different cause to call upon him, and each time a fragment of mortal suffering found its way into his immortal heart. His soul was pure, though the others saw his desire to be a part of the mortal realm something much more.