Zabriel?

As is widely known.

There are two things within the Imperium that are absolutely taboo and must not be mentioned. The first of these is that the First Legion, the Dark Angels, "have no" secret.

But anyone familiar with the "Dark Angels" legion knows that these Caliban devils claim they have no secrets, but in reality, they're just making things up.

If there were no secrets, would there be such a fuss?

The origins and birth of Fallen Angel are shrouded in extremely complex historical relationships, which cannot be explained in just a few words.

But one thing is certain.

Daring to publicly reveal one's identity as a Fallen Angel, the outcome is undoubtedly telling the other party that there is no other way but to either kill oneself or to kill the other.

After all, given the nature of the Dark Angels' Inner Circle demonic witnesses, if this news were to leak out, they would absolutely spare no expense to eliminate everyone who knew about it, and then bring that Fallen Angel back to make him repent under their "iron fist."

However, Alvin, who deliberately revealed the other party's identity, did not expect one thing.

He had assumed that after he exposed the Fallen Angel's identity, the angel would not hesitate to kill him to ensure that his identity would not be revealed.

In reality, Alvin remained on guard for a long time, but the other party still made no move and continued to cut up pieces of the beast's meat.

This made the wary Alvin look somewhat ridiculous.

Only after all this was done did the other person put down the knife, scoop a bowl of meat from the large pot, and slowly walk towards him.

This doesn't look like they're about to take action!

Alvin was getting annoyed. He'd seen the Dark Angels, enraged after his identity was exposed, try to kill him.

That's how Ollsen was back then.

But—his calmness, even his apparent indifference, was truly strange!

The other person was holding a bowl of meat soup, seemingly unconcerned. Alvin, who was wary, sat down next to him without saying a word, drinking the meat soup with a layer of oil floating on it from the worn wooden bowl.

"You"

Alvin was a little confused about what this Fallen Angel was up to.

"Once you've finished drinking, leave quickly."

The other person kept repeating the same sentence, seemingly completely unconcerned about the consequences of his identity being exposed.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll expose your identity when I get back?" Alvin became interested, staring at him meaningfully. "You should know better than I how alluring Fallen Angel is to Dark Angels, right?"

Those lunatics dared to break into Commorragh, let alone this place."

"Are you done talking?"

The Fallen Angel took a few sips, finished the broth, and then calmly gazed at him.

In those weathered eyes, Alvin saw no fear or anger, only deep weariness and a faint trace of guilt.

Why don't you kill me?

Alvin stared directly at him. "As Fallen Angel, you should know what will happen to you if you don't kill me here, once the information is leaked."

However, these words caused a strange look to appear on the Fallen Angel's face. He stared at Alvin for a long time before slowly saying, "If I could kill you, I wouldn't have saved you in the first place."

"What's the meaning?"

Alvin was confused by that statement.

"This forest is the most dangerous area on this planet," the Fallen Angel replied, seemingly ignoring the question. "The place where you fell unconscious is located deep within this forest, remote and safe, but—"—if not by chance, even hundreds of years from now, no one will be able to find your location.

"What does this have to do with what you're saying?"

Alvin blinked and asked, puzzled.

"Yes." The Fallen Angel nodded, recalling the scene. "I would regularly go into the forest to hunt large wild animals to provide the tribe with food, fur, and other resources, but on the day I rescued you—I encountered a Kzalo, which is a small herbivore here."

At this point, the Fallen Angel looked at him meaningfully. "I originally intended to shoot it dead with an arrow, but—it seemed to have anticipated the path of my arrow."

"Then what?"

Alvin's interest was piqued.

"The first time, I thought it was an accident," the Fallen Angel said slowly. "But then, the second, the third, and even the tenth time, every single arrow I shot was dodged by it. Don't you think that's a miracle?"

Alvin silently agreed.

Although the exact identity of this Fallen Angel is still unclear, as Space Marine, their reflexes...

Almost all of these are within milliseconds. Shooting down a herbivore is a piece of cake, let alone a large, ferocious beast!

For a small herbivore to dodge arrows fired by interstellar warriors Second Company —what else could it be but a miracle?

The Fallen Angel continued, "I felt something strange, like some kind of guidance, so I followed that Kzalo, crossing ravines all the way, and finally found you, severely injured, under a tree."

"That tree is the only plant in this forest that can collect rainwater, and its sap is very nutritious."

"And you, you lay beneath that tree, its sap nourishing your body and providing shelter from wild beasts."

"I was able to find you because of a 'miracle'."

The Fallen Angel held the worn wooden bowl, his gaze unfocused, as if lost in memories. "I'm thinking, perhaps this is a proclamation from the Emperor, that he led me to you, and that you—perhaps—are the key to freeing us from the curse."

"All that you just said was to test me, to see if I would kill you, right?"

He sighed and said, "The way I found you is only one reason, but there's a second reason: you're a Psyker, right? And quite dangerous at that. I don't know if I can kill you, but..."

At this point, he suddenly looked at those who had lost all hope of survival, a complex mix of emotions and pity in his eyes. "I don't want to drag them into this. If we go to war with you, their location will be exposed, and there may be many more casualties. I've been here for a long time; they call me the 'Guardian.'"

He slowly put down the wooden bowl and said softly, "But I am not the guardian. I am just a wandering, shameful Cursed One. They say I saved them, but the one who is truly redeemed—that should be me."

Because of them, my panic, anxiety, and anger gradually subsided.

The Fallen Angel slowly rose and looked at Alvin: "You asked me if I'm afraid of them? My answer is yes and no."

"I fear I will not find redemption, I fear I will be misunderstood and die, I fear I will betray this armor, betray the blood in my veins."

But I'm not afraid.

"What happened back then is long gone, but even if we go back, we can't escape it. We're always burdened by humiliation and curses. These things—it's time to put an end to them."

He turned to Alvin: "I won't force you to keep my secret, but please consider these people."

"Since I saved your life, please help me conceal their existence. As for me, after you leave, I will find another place to wait for my brothers, to wait for their arrival."

Alvin remained silent for a long time.

Then, he finished the bowl of mediocre broth and said casually, "May I ask your name?"

The Fallen Angel hesitated for a few seconds, then said bitterly, "Zabriel, a shameful traitor, you need not remember my name."

Wait, Zabriel?!

The name sounded somewhat familiar to Alvin.

He seemed to have heard of this somewhere before; it seemed to be a highly renowned Dark Angels, and there was something important that was closely related to him.

What was it again?