Dawnbreaker felt alive in his hand.

Not metaphorically alive—literally, genuinely animate with consciousness that had been waiting eons for this reunion. The moment Azrael's fingers closed around the familiar grip, he could feel the weapon's awareness pressing against his mind like a long-lost friend desperate to share everything that had happened during their separation.

The blade itself was not as he remembered. Where once it had been pure silver-white steel that blazed with divine ...