Where Angels Fear to Tread

"You don't have to do this."

"Funny. Imperius said the exact opposite."

Kayle kept her eyes on the portal. The same type of portal that Morgana had used to travel into the world of Runeterra. The same type of portal that the fallen angel's sister would head through. The same portal that would close, and remain closed, until she returned to the High Heavens with Morgana's head. Attachment to the body not being required.

"Listen to me Kayle."

And not a portal that had enough energy to carry more than one angel through it. Not right now at least. And even as Tyrael prattled on behind her, Kayle kept her gaze forward on the swirling vortex, its blue light reflecting off her golden armour. Morgana was somewhere on the other side. And to her, that was all that mattered.

"I know how you might feel about Morgana, but-"

"You don't," Kayle snapped.

It was clear the Archangel of Justice wasn't about to give up. He came before her – not standing in the way entirely, Kayle knew that if she marched into the portal when it became stable enough for transport, Tyrael wouldn't try and stop her. But until then, she knew he'd try to talk her out of it. This quest for "vengeance" as he put it.

"Kayle, I-"

"Don't," she snapped. "There's nothing you can say that will make me change my mind."

"And if you don't let me speak, how do you know I don't have the words already?"

Kayle glanced back towards the High Heavens. The only other angels present were the summoners, and if they had any opinion on the matter, they weren't voicing it. There'd been enough pomp and circumstance the day before, but now, not a single member of the Angiris Council was present bar Tyrael himself.

"Morgana betrayed us," Kayle declared eventually, returning her gaze to the archangel before her. "She betrayed me. Betrayal demands justice. As the Judicator, it is my duty to deal that justice."

"And as the Archangel of Justice, it is my duty to ensure that justice is met." Tyrael stepped forward. "You wear a helm Kayle, but you're easier to read than you think."

"Don't test me Tyrael."

"If Morgana wasn't your sister, would you have accepted this task?"

"I'm warning you…"

"If Morgana wasn't kin, would you have not petitioned the Angiris Council for more aid? One angel is as powerful as another, and at least Morgana knows where her motives lie."

"Don't you dare," Kayle whispered. "Don't you dare use her name as if she has the right to still bear it."

"As the Judicator, you are the judge of Heaven. But judgement does not always guarantee justice."

Kayle snapped.

With a roar, she slammed herself into Tyrael. The two angels went flying into one of the walls of the chamber. If the summoners reacted, Kayle didn't see. All her gaze was on that on the angel before her.

"She is my sister!" she yelled, punching the angel across his cheek, despite it having no effect. "My kin! My burden! My duty! My-"

Tyrael grabbed her fist with one hand. With the other, he grabbed her neck. Choking, Kayle brought her free hand to the archangel's wrist, but it was no good. His grip was as firm as that of Imperius, and as unchanging as Itherael himself.

"I know how you feel," Tyrael said. "I felt the same way when Inarius betrayed us."

"Then…you understand…"

"I understand that you're hurt. That you want vengeance. I understand what you do not however, that vengeance and justice are not the same thing."

And with that he dropped her. Kayle choked, gasping for breath. The summoners kept standing there. As did the archangel before her.

Inarius. In a way, it had all begun with Inarius, she reflected. Inarius had taken the Worldstone. Inarius had created Sanctuary, given rise to Man through the interbreeding of angels and demons, and Inarius, the fallen angel, now resided in Hell, getting what he deserved for his transgressions. It was word of Inarius's defiance that had prompted Morgana to rebellion in the first place. Inarius was their rallying cry, their ideal, their perversion of the natural order. And it was Inarius to whom Tyrael had been the closest.

"Why?" Kayle asked. "Why you, of all angels? Why is it you that stands before me?"

"Because I let justice pervert itself once," Tyrael said. "When I stood aside and let Mephisto take Inarius. I traded the life of one of my own for the lives of Man."

"And you regret it?" Kayle whispered. "I know what happened in that vote Tyrael. I know where your priorities lie."

"If there was no choice, yes, I would choose the many. But I never considered there an alternative Kayle. That wasn't justice. It wasn't even vengeance. When it came to my brother, I stood aside and let others deal out justice or judgement for me."

Kaybe rose to her feet. "Brother." She couldn't remember the last time Tyrael referred to Inarius by that term. Not that he was a literal brother in the same way Morgana was her literal sister, but…

"The portal is ready."

Both angels turned. The portal shone. The summoner angels remained. Their gazes impassive. Their voices impassive. Their judgement absent.

"Unless you have anything more to say…" Kayle began, turning her gaze back to Tyrael. "I'm leaving. And you can't stop me."

"I won't stop you. But I will ask you this – when you find your sister. When you come to blows, as I fear will be inevitable. Will it be justice you seek, or vengeance?"

"Just step aside Tyrael," Kayle murmured. "You've shown yourself to be good at that in the past."

She didn't wait for a response. She began walking. Armour clanking. Her wings closed in down her spine. Her sword in hand. Her mind, entirely on the portal. Apart from one thing. One thing that remained even as she first entered.

Will it be justice you seek, or vengeance?

And entering the portal, departing from the High Heavens, Kayle the Judicator realized that she didn't know.