Hello, Brother

"I just can't seem to get it right man, WHY CAN'T I JUST FLY STRAIGHT!" Derrick screamed as he levitated on air, his wings flapping nonstop to keep him that way. He flew higher and higher until a gust of wind blew him away from his goal.

"Dammit." Derrick muttered to himself in annoyance. After several unsuccessful attempts at flying he decided to descend to get some rest. He landed gently on the ground and sat up against a tree, letting out another heavy sigh. He ran his hands through his hair and stared at the sky for a few minutes before he heard someone approach him quietly.

"Hey dude," Greed said with an amused smirk on his face.

"Greed! Hey bro!" Derrick beamed at the demon sitting next to him and threw his arms around him. Greed chuckled awkwardly and hugged him back. "What are you doing here?"

Greed pulled back slightly so he could see Derrick's eyes. "Just checking in to see how you holdin' up."

"I'm holding up alright, just trying to figure out why I can't fly straight, I guess." He shrugged.

Greed nodded slowly, unsure of what exactly to say. "Well uh… you're alright, remember. No pressure."

"Yeah but…" he trailed off.

"No buts man! You got this bro. Just focus really hard on not crashing." He clapped his shoulder lightly and stood up, brushing imaginary dust off his pants. He looked over at Derrick who was still leaning up against the tree.

"Alright, I've gotta get going man. See ya later dude!" With that, he turned and walked off, leaving a confused Derrick alone with his thoughts.

After two hours of laying on the ground in the shade of a nearby tree and staring blankly into space, Derrick decided that walking would help him think. So he stood up and began to walk aimlessly around the forest. He didn't know where he was going or what he was looking for, all he knew is that he needed to move.

He walked for about half an hour before he came across a small clearing. It wasn't much, just a patch of grass surrounded by trees. "Oh, perfect." He said as he made his way over and plopped down onto the grass. He laid there for quite awhile, watching clouds drift above him. Eventually, he drifted off into sleep.

When Derrick woke up, sunlight was streaming through the branches and dusting everything with gold. He groaned and stretched before rolling over onto his stomach, burying his face into the soft dirt beneath him. As he got up, he stretched again and felt every single bone in his body crackle in protest. He shook his head once as he sprouted his wings, hoping to find make an improvement on his flying before sundown.

As he took off, he noticed something in the distance. There, nestled among the trees, was a shining red light . Curious now, he approached it, noticing how it seemed to be floating gently. When he got closer, he saw that it looked like a sun, except instead of being in one place, it spun wildly like a top, making strange noises every time it moved.

Without thinking, he dove towards it. He watched closely for any signs of danger while also hoping not to fall. His instincts told him that this might be important, so he focused on it instead of the danger that was almost upon him. As he tried to touch it , it disappeared and then appeared right in front of him. The sudden appearance startled him, causing him to take off backwards and bump into a tree. He fell on his ass, the wind knocked out of him. He stared in shock at the sun in front of him, unable to process what had just happened. Then, slowly, as if moving underwater, he pushed himself to standing.

When he finally looked up and was able to see properly, he realized he was face to face with an angel. One of those majestic ones with long black wings. He held his breath and looked at it, afraid to move or speak. This must be some sort of dream, he thought.

A loud voice broke through his thoughts. "HELLO BROTHER!". It spoke in a booming voice and filled the area with joyous laughter. He couldn't even form words at the sound of it and had no idea how he was supposed to respond.

The angel stepped forward and held its hand out. "Allow me to introduce myself!" He paused briefly, as if waiting for an answer. When none came, he continued. "My name is Azrael. It seems that your wings are not responding, may I help?"

"Wings?" Derrick repeated in disbelief. He shook his head quickly and looked behind him. "Umm… sure,"

Azrael smiled kindly at him before reaching out again with his arm and lifting him into the air. "It appears that they haven't developed enough to use yet, but we mustn't delay our plans."

"Wait, I still don't know who you are man..." Derrick trailed off.

"Do forgive my rude behavior, it seems you're in no position to ask questions. Now, follow my lead." Azrael flew off to another direction and Derrick was left alone in his thoughts for a moment.

He wondered what the hell was going on, as far as he knew, he hadn' t asked anyone for assistance, let alone a mysterious angel in the middle of nowhere. As he took off after Azrael again, he noticed a building on the edge of the trees. As he drew closer, it became evident that the structure was built to resemble a huge tower; however, the base was missing from the top, making the shape oddly asymmetrical.

Azrael suddenly stopped in the middle of the path. "That was an interesting encounter indeed," he murmured, turning to look at Derrick. "I apologize for my rudeness earlier, I tend to do that sometimes. I suppose you must have had similar experiences when your powers manifested?"

"Uh.. yeah." Derrick replied cautiously.

Azrael smiled again and gestured to the entrance to the tower. "Where are we?" Derrick asked curiously. The inside of the tower looked nothing like the outside, which didn't surprise him given the fact that it was created by an angel.

"Follow me please, I will explain along the way," he answered. "If you're ready…"

Derrick followed Azrael into the tower, wondering what he was getting himself into. "Where are we?" Derrick asked as he looked around, waiting for an ambush. "Isn't it obvious? We're in the Lord's domain."

Azrael gave him a slight nod as he led him to another room. A massive window covered one side of the wall facing the outside world. Derrick was struck with awe at the sight of the garden before him. "Wait a minute... Lord's domai... is this Heaven?!"

Azrael laughed. "Yes, although I prefer the term 'domain', yes."

"But wait! I need a moment to take it all in!" He exclaimed. Derrick closed his eyes for a second and breathed deeply, taking in the scent of flowers and soil. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at Azrael. "Why am I here?" Derrick asked quietly

Azrael looked at Derrick curiously and leaned forward. "To be perfectly frank, I do not know either," he said seriously.

"Then why did you bring me here?" Derrick questioned.

"Because you need guidance, of course!"

"But why? What's the purpose?"

"You will understand soon enough. Do not worry, we'll find the answers." Azrael smiled reassuringly before disappearing.

"Great," Derrick sighed. "More mysteries to solve,"

With that, he entered the next room.

It was decorated with paintings and tapestries depicting angels and demons. Derrick couldn't tell if they were real or not, because it was hard for him to tell the difference between fantasy paint and reality.

A couple of moments passed and De when a door appeared in front of him and revealed itself. After hesitantly stepping into the doorway, his surroundings shifted and he found himself standing in a vast expanse of white and green. The ceiling was high and the walls seemed to glow. There were large glass windows everywhere, revealing a beautiful view of the garden below. "What am I supposed to do here?" Derrick said as he got frustrated. He sat down and buried his face in his hands.

He heard a quiet chuckle come from somewhere beside him. Startled, Derrick jumped slightly and looked over at his left. There, on the other side of the room was Azrael. He wore dark blue robes decorated with various patches of red. "What exactly is your aim man?" Derrick said as he raised his hands in exasperation.

"Don't worry brother, you'll find out shortly enough. But first, you need to eat. You'll need the energy. It's been many years since your last meal." He motioned with his hand for Derrick to follow him. "I am NOT your brother! Why do you keep calling me that?!" Derrick said getting annoyed. "You have it in you, the angel's grace... "Azrael paused to give Derrick a short stare as he continued. "You may be a full on demon prince but you're also part angel."

"I'm not a part angel," Derrick snapped. He didn't want to think of himself as an angel, but it was true. "And besides, I'm not really interested in becoming a part angel, thank you very much." He stood up angrily. "How do you think your body has withstood the full force of your transformation? Or the full on tank blasts from Michael?" Azrael asked as he folded his hands.

"What?" Derrick looked puzzled.

"A mere human would've burnt to ashes, from your blood turning to lava, wings coming out of your back with no severe injuries, need I say more?" he explained.

"No way..." Derrick muttered. How could he possibly be half angel? He would've known, right? That must be why he calls me 'brother'?

Suddenly, a loud bang interrupted his train of thought. It sounded like something heavy hitting the floor, causing all the portraits and bookshelves to shake as well. They both turned their attention to the source of the noise, watching as a figure fell to the ground, groaning. "About time, been trying to get to you for ages." The figure rose to its feet and looked up towards the balcony. Derrick froze as he realised who had fallen to the ground... Lucifer.

"You're not welcome here brother," Azrael said firmly.

"Oh, come now! Don't be so mean Azrael. Give your friend a chance to catch his breath." Lucifer said as he dusted his pants and got himself a seat. Azrael shot him a stern glare. "Relax Azrael, I'm not here to cause harm." Lucifer looked straight at Derrick and waved. "And hello there, nice to meet you. I believe we've met?"

Derrick glared at him suspiciously. "Nice meeting you too, sir Satan." He replied sarcastically. Lucifer chuckled softly.

"Please, call me Lucifer. I'm pretty sure we're past formalities." "Lucifer why are you here? I can feel your filth stain this place by the minute." Azrael said with frustration in his voice.

Lucifer ignored him and began walking across the room until he reached the center, where he slowly lifted his hand and began summoning black flames to surround him. Derrick backed away slightly from the fire, his heart pounding. "Now brother, what do you say? Is this what I think it is?" He asked excitedly.

Azrael rolled his eyes impatiently. "I have told you before that this is unnecessary."

"So then why aren't you stopping me?" Lucifer responded in annoyance.

As he finished speaking, Lucifer abruptly stopped summoning the flames to reveal a familiar golden sword sitting on the ground, held tightly in his grasp. "You like it? It's a weapon of my own, I call it... The Lance of Lucifer." He said proudly, holding up the blade. "After all, you were always better than me at wielding the sword." He grinned mischievously as he charged towards Azrael.

He lunged forward with his sword, slashing through the air. Azrael easily dodged and brought his foot up to kick Lucifer square in the jaw, sending him crashing against the opposite side of the room. Derrick watched in amazement as Lucifer struggled to regain his balance, eventually managing it. He stood slowly, dusting his robes.

"Well, that was fun," Lucifer said sarcastically. "I've had enough of your meagre parlor tricks. Goodbye brother." Azrael said as he made disappear in a flash of light.