It wasn’t long before Setkura had decided that Sentinel was to blame for Time becoming fragile on Earth. Her “brother” always stuck his nose in her business, bringing his emotions with him and trying to save the lives of those she had to be rid of, usually because of such atrocious excuses as  “that person had a family, and it would be sad to see him/her having to leave them behind”. That was the main problem with Sentinel Setkura always thought - he let his emotions rule him sometimes, and so he could occasionally get in the way of others’ work. He was the Life-Giver and was meant to breathe life into those that weren’t supposed to die yet - an Angel of Second Chance some had dubbed him - but that didn’t mean that he could go saving those that were meant to die; those that she was supposed to go after to keep the Balance from toppling over. Often Setkura found herself wishing he would remember that from time to time.

Sentinel’s Temple stood in pride of place in one of Heaven’s busiest areas, and it had come as quite a shock for the Angels nearest to the Temple to see Setkura just appear upon the steps out of thin air along with her deathly cold aura. All of a sudden, the area didn’t want to be so popular anymore - many of the Angels were finding themselves trying to get as far away as Setkura as quickly as possible; many of Heaven’s inhabitants found a great dislike to the Slayer for the Dead, not because of what she did as a general job but because her mere presence was enough to send Goosebumps popping up all over their bodies…and her eyes…her eyes that seemed to be looking straight into the existence of the person and not at the person.

Not that Setkura cared - then again; she wouldn’t have been able to care even if she tried.

In her own time, she walked up the steep steps to the Temple entrance and walked through the marble archway that served as a door. An entrance, as every Angel knew, that was forever open to anyone who needed Sentinel’s help. The Temple itself was nothing more than a grand hallway, completely white and airy, with but a few pillars here and there as decoration. Windows were dotted upon the walls every-so-often, bringing light into the room and at the far end, opposite the archway, stood two seats - both looked like simple thrones. Upon one of them sat a young woman, idly looking out through a window with glazed eyes. She awoke with a start from her daydreams as she heard the approaching steps and smiled benevolently at the visitor. She was Tamara, the Angel of Children, and Sentinel’s lover.

“Dear Setkura!” She exclaimed, jumping from her throne and running up to greet Setkura with arms wide open. Tightly, as though she was an old friend that she had not seen in years, Tamara embraced the Slayer; though she wished she hadn’t a second later as Setkura’s coldness rushed through her, making her shiver to the bone.

Setkura just stood stock-still, unsure of what the Angel was doing to her.

“I am here to speak to Sentinel.” Setkura spoke, peeling Tamara from herself.

Tamara smiled lopsidedly, her green eyes twinkling with slight apology. She began to fidget on the spot, running her fingers through her wavy blonde hair in a nervous manner.
“You know usually I’d go and get him for you, but Sentinel is really busy with something of some importance, so I’m afraid you’ll either have to wait a long while or…” Tamara gulped and turned to look away from Setkura, unable to stare into them deep, lifeless eyes, “leave.”

“No.” Setkura said simply. She unsheathed her sword and pressing the hilt to Tamara’s powdered cheek, forced her brother’s lover to face her. Tamara winced, her eyes kept averting to the naked blade so close to her flesh. “I wish to speak to Sentinel this instant, therefore you shall get him for me. And tell him that what I want to discuss with him is much more important than whatever he’s currently doing.”

With a small defeated whimper, Tamara backed away and bolted out the Temple hall through a small door behind the thrones. Setkura waited until she was out of sight before she sheathed her sword once again and stood quietly, awaiting the arrival of her brother - all the while the events of what she had seen in that little town racing through her mind like a video stuck playing on a loop.

It didn’t take long before Tamara re-appeared with Sentinel striding behind her; robes of crimson billowing like clouds about his legs. He whispered something in her ear before gently planting a kiss on her soft cheek, and Tamara disappeared once again leaving the siblings alone.

“It has been a while, Setkura.” Sentinel said, bowing graciously for his sister. He smiled at her as she bowed back, perhaps to the only person she’d ever do such a thing to. It had always struck many an Angel as astonishing to find the both of these Spirits as siblings since no two beings could ever have been more different - Setkura, short and deathly with soulless eyes and a voice that could put the dead to sleep; and Sentinel, tall and handsome, long white hair framing a delicate face and eyes that could picture all the emotions of the world at the same time.

“Yes, time - that was precisely what I came to talk to you about.” Said Setkura, straightening up from the bow.

Sentinel laughed lightly and pushed a few strands of hair behind his ear; it was always strictly business whenever Setkura paid a visit, it was never for a cup of tea and a “how are you?”.

“What about it?” He asked.

“It’s becoming frail. Time is becoming fragile and will continue to do so until it finally breaks. I have seen its strands; it’s weak. Do you not remember the last time Time broke?”

Once again, Sentinel laughed but suppressed it quickly as soon as he looked into his sister’s eyes. With something close to a sigh, he floated over to his throne and sat down upon it casually, not daring to take his eyes off Setkura. He thought over what she had told him before he spoke.

“When Time last broke, the Archangels had to make you.” He said simply after a moment’s silence.

“Exactly - and I was a last resort! But the reason why they made me…the reason being that the Balance was completely destroyed because Mortals found a way of cheating Death - Time and Matter became broken; and the four Realms became weak. Angels found themselves on Earth, Daemons in Heaven, and bits of Limbo floating in pieces everywhere. We almost lost Earth entirely, and Hell tried to attack upon Heaven once they realised how weak her walls were.” Setkura explained, creeping over to the thrones. Sentinel watched her with a quirked brow. “And I believe that it is going to happen again.”

Sentinel’s brow furrowed and he looked down at her with concern. Again? No, it couldn’t happen again. It just couldn’t. Heaven had done all it could within its power to keep Time and Matter the way it should be - they couldn’t afford another tip of Balance’s scales; it could practically signal the end for every Realm. He bit his bottom lip hard until the pure white streak that ran down the middle was stained red with his blood. No, Setkura must’ve been mistaken - it wasn’t possible for anyone to destroy Time…not after the last scare, at least.

“Firstly, that would be impossible - you do an excellent job of chasing down the Mortals who should’ve died but hadn’t for some reason or other.” Sentinel assured. “And secondly, why are you telling me this? Setkura, I’m the Life-Giver…Time doesn’t fall under my domain.”

The Temple fell into complete silence for a minute or two, save for the sound of Setkura’s boots against the tiled floor as she walked to stand right in front of her sitting brother. She looked him right into the pupils and watched him recoil under her gaze slightly - she knew he felt it too, the same feeling that everyone got when she looked at them…that feeling that she could see more of them than just their appearance.

“I believe you have something to do with the fragility of Time, brother.” She said finally. She waited a few moments for her words to sink into his mind, and they did indeed sink in with the surging heat of shock. Sentinel sat with his mouth suddenly wide open, and his hands grasping the arms of his throne with a strength that could’ve tattooed the flesh with the seat’s carvings. His nostrils flared a little; his eyes suddenly glowing with a certain anger by being blamed for something he hadn’t done, hadn’t even known was happening.

“Excuse me?!” Sentinel said loudly, the grip on the arms tightening as he tried to keep his calm in front of his sister.

“You always do this to me, Sentinel. You always pity those who leave behind families, pity those who have not even seen their tenth birthday, pity those who have always lived a life of good while those who sin live to be old. You always pity every single human that’s just about to die - and that is where your greatest fault lies, for then you try to save them by breathing Life back into them. You destroy the Balance; and you make my work a lot more difficult.” Said the Slayer, bowing her head so that her face was right in Sentinel’s own. “You know that I speak the truth. What did you do yesterday in that small town that cost the lives of at least ten people?”

Suddenly, in a flurry of robes and hair, Sentinel stood up, still holding his sister’s gaze within his own. Anger, something he was not used to feeling, coursed through his body like electricity, sparking up an unused temper that was suddenly dying to escape and let rip on the Slayer for the Dead. He tilted his head to one side and looked her up and down.

“I don’t think you know what you’ve just said, do you?” He said slowly, as realisation dawned upon him. Setkura’s words echoed in his ears as though she was repeating them over and over to him, loudly and clearly, and it was them words that proved his innocence. “Think about what you’ve just said!”

Setkura did as she was told. And then did it again. At first, she couldn’t see anything wrong with what she had just said, but it wasn’t long before the reality of her own words hit her. Her eyes widened, but only very slightly.

Cost the lives of at least ten people.

People had died, and that one boy who “caused” the accident had almost died too - had Sentinel been there at the time, he would’ve saved them all, brought new life to them. He wouldn’t have let so many innocent people slip away like that; that was not how Sentinel worked. He wasn’t to blame. But there was still something bothering Setkura, like a thorn in her mind.

“So you didn’t cause the deaths.” She said at last after a good deal of thought.

“Of course I didn’t!” Sentinel exclaimed. He sat back down and looked at her with loving concern.

“But the Mortals - they all died. No one was to die in that town that day, which means that you weren’t there to do your job - you didn’t breathe your Life into them Humans. So that means Time is screwed up either because something had on purposely killed them Mortals when no one was to die, or you didn’t show up to save them and made Time frail by your absence.” Setkura said. Her head tilted from one side to the other as though she was trying to ponder which reason sounded more feasible.

“Why, I’ve never heard such absurdity in all my years!” He retorted; his eyes narrowed dangerously. Sentinel couldn’t believe his ears - his sister was accusing him of a very serious crime. “As are you, I stand and work under the order of Lord Azrael, and he did not tell me to breathe someone to Life yesterday in any town, anywhere on Earth. Some blithering Mortal who probably took an accidental step away from his Path of Fate probably caused the fragility in the fabric of Time, which you felt! Go speak about this to Azrael, you’re accusations have nothing to do with me!”

Sentinel waved a hand impatiently in the air as though swatting an annoying fly and stood up once again; he had heard more than enough, and for the first time ever he wished for nothing more than to dismiss his own sister from his sights and Temple as soon as possible. He had much more important business to attend to anyway.

Emotions, thought Setkura, it’s good to know that I myself don’t have them. They seem to do nothing but get in the way of rational thinking. She blinked slowly and stared at the Life-Giver for a few seconds before she turned sharply and began to march down the hall, leaving.

“Very well.” She said, her voice just a few decimals high enough to be called a call. “But, I must correct you - it’s not a Mortal doing this, but an ethereal being…”