Failled the Order

On that silent night, Azrael's heart beat rapidly. He looked around in the dim light, searching for answers. But he found none. "What should I do?" he murmured under the moonlight.

Vita, who had been silent until now, glanced at him. Azrael tightened his grip on his scythe. "Is she going to attack me?" he wondered.

After a moment of blankly staring at Azrael, she turned away, leaving him puzzled. "What? Where is she going?" he thought as he quietly followed her, careful to stay hidden. He tucked the glowing jewel, so she wouldnt she him right now.

As he followed her, the path became more familiar. "Wait… this leads to…"

After a while, they arrived at the hospital. Azrael took cover behind a nearby building, watching as Vita flew to the second floor—a floor he knew well. "That room… Don’t tell me she’s…"

Curious and uncertain, Azrael glided up to the second floor. He watched silently as the quiet night filled with the piercing cry of a newborn baby, echoing through the halls. The baby had finally arrived on Earth.

The mother, who had become a Vita earlier, now smiled tenderly. She held her newborn as though it were the most precious thing in existence. The doctor, visibly relieved, sighed as their work came to an end.

Azrael looked down, torn between gratitude and sorrow. He had protected the unborn child and its mother, allowing a new family to embrace their happiness. But his senior, Sariel, who had brought him here, was now gone.

"I'm so sorry, Senior. I never expected to complete my task like this. I wish you could have seen this view…" He glanced at the family, basking in their joy. "The kind of view that makes my heart feel alive."

Despite the sorrow, Azrael let a small smile show before turning around. He lifted his scythe and sent a flash of light into the sky. "They say an angel's grave is in the stars, that we return to light. Farewell, Senior!"

"WHAT FAREWELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" A voice suddenly shook the night sky, jolting Azrael.

Startled, he looked around. "What was that? It sounded… like a woman?"

"I'm right here, you idiot!" shouted the voice. Azrael turned to see a woman with an angry expression standing on a building to the southwest.

She gripped her staff tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her water wings, a shade of brown like muddy water, identified her as a Cherubim. Recognition dawned on Azrael. "Lina…"

"SO YOU FINALLY RECOGNIZE ME, YOU FOOL? WHO ELSE WOULD BE READY TO KILL YOU?" Lina flew closer, and Azrael instinctively backed away in surprise.

Azrael hesitated, piecing together why she might be so angry. "Is this… about Sariel?"

"You say his name so easily!" Lina spat, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back tears. "After you KILLED HIM?"

"I… I didn’t kill him…" Azrael replied weakly, but the words felt hollow against his guilt.

"See? Silence IS an admission of guilt!" Lina yelled, pulling out her staff as she prepared to strike.

"Wait!" A familiar voice called out, gripping Lina’s hand just in time. Azrael turned and recognized the voice immediately. "You shouldn’t let your emotions cloud your judgment, Senior!"

“Elara?” Lina’s anger flared, but she tried to pull away from Elara’s grip. “Don’t stop me! I can’t forgive him!”

“Control your emotions, or you will turn into the demon,” Elara warned, tightening her hold on Lina’s hands.

Lina, still visibly shaken, looked into Elara's eyes, searching for understanding. After a tense moment, she lowered her staff with a sigh. "I think you're right. I don’t want to become a demon…”

Azrael exhaled in relief, but Elara fixed him with a sharp, steely gaze. “Don’t relax just yet—you’re in a lot of trouble.”

“What? How… how do you know about my failure here?” Azrael stammered.

“Of course, we got a notification from Heaven,” Elara replied, recalling the alarm that had stunned everyone earlier.

*

Earlier that day at the Cherubim headquarters…

Elara was busy sorting through stacks of documents. She had barely settled into her new role, and already the workload felt overwhelming. Every task assigned to an angel needed careful attention, and her head spun from the sheer volume of responsibilities.

“What…? How am I supposed to know who’s suited for which mission?” she murmured, clutching the papers.

Lina approached, offering her a glass of water. “Calm down! You can look at the mission records—they usually list the past assignments each angel has completed. Find something similar to match their experience.”

Elara took the water with a grateful nod, though her mind was still racing. “But… what about the newcomers?”

“Newcomers usually go out with a senior for training and intern,” Lina replied, taking a sip of her own water. “If they show a high success rate, we’ll trust them with more responsibilities. Take your friend, for instance.”

“You mean Azrael? I don’t know… He’s a bit clumsy at times,” Elara said, her worry slipping through.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s with Sariel, one of the most talented angels around. He almost became one of the top angels, so they should be fine.”

Just then, the piercing sound of an alarm echoed through the hall. Elara jumped up, her heart pounding. “Senior… isn’t that the alarm for a failed mission?”

Lina looked equally bewildered. “Failed? That almost never happens…” Around them, other Cherubim scrambled to check their records, their expressions shifting to fear and uncertainty as they speculated over which mission had gone wrong.

A commanding figure entered the room—a tall Cherubim with wings of pure turquoise green, her hair adorned with a delicate crown. Everyone knew her on sight: Tiana, the vice-captain of the Cherubim order.

“A mission has failed,” she announced, her voice carrying over the gathered Cherubim.

“What kind of mission could possibly fail?” Elara whispered to Lina.

“Probably one from the lower angel orders… they tend to have higher failure rates,” Lina whispered back, trying to guess.

Tiana continued, her tone grave. “The mission that failed was assigned to the Archangel order.”

The entire room fell silent, shock flashing across every face. It was unheard of for a mission assigned to the powerful Archangels to fail. But Elara’s heart beat faster, a sense of foreboding building within her.

Tiana took a deep breath before announcing the final, devastating news. “The mission on Earth, in the city of Dubai, has failed. A battle against a powerful Vita… And…” Tiana hesitated, her eyes closing briefly. “One Archangel named Sariel has fallen.”

The shock rippled through the room, Cherubim covering their mouths and exchanging horrified looks. Elara felt her heart drop as she realized the truth, looking over to Lina.

“Senior, is that…” she began, but her voice trailed off when she saw the horror and disbelief on Lina’s face. Lina was breathing heavily, her expression twisted in grief.

“Whoever assigned that mission… should go to Earth and…” Tiana started, but before she could finish, Lina had already bolted, her wings carrying her swiftly through an open window.

“Senior, wait!” Elara called, rushing after her. She knew Lina felt a responsibility to see this through—and she, too, was worried about Azrael.

*

Under the pale moonlight, Lina stood, her face twisted in anger and grief as she glared at Azrael. “You murderer… You must be the one who killed him…” Her words dripped with resentment, and disbelief clouded her eyes.

Azrael froze, unable to respond. A part of him knew Sariel’s death was his fault, yet he struggled with the weight of her accusation. Am I really the one who killed him?

“No, he didn’t kill him.” Elara spoke up softly, placing a calming hand on Lina’s shoulder. “If Azrael had taken Sariel’s life himself, he would already have become a demon.”

Azrael turned to Elara, puzzled. “What… what does that mean?”

Elara sighed, her gaze steady as she looked back at him. “You know, if an angel betrays their duty and acts purely on their own will, they lose their holiness… and become a demon. Just like… Lucifer.”

“Lucifer…” Azrael echoed, his voice trailing. Though he didn’t know the name well, something about it resonated strangely within him.

“Don’t speak that name!” Lina snapped, her eyes flashing toward Elara. She took a steadying breath before turning back to Azrael, a trace of bitterness still in her voice. “Both of them are came from the Archangel order… Maybe he’ll end up like him.”

“No, Senior! Don’t even joke about that!” Elara’s face paled as she looked between Lina and Azrael, alarmed.

“Then we must prevent it from happening,” Lina said firmly, raising her staff. “Azrael, you must purify yourself. Rio Barro!” She commanded, summoning torrents of muddy water that spiraled from her staff and surged toward Azrael.

The churning water engulfed Azrael, taking his breath and his strength as he struggled to stay afloat. Lina’s technique mirrored the star-shield of Sariel’s he’d seen in battle, but far more unforgiving. His strength finally waned, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

“Hmph,” Azrael muttered, out of breath. Elara watching Azrael sink into the depths with horro eyes. But Elara’s face was stricken with worry as she glanced at her senior.

“Senior… this wasn’t necessary.” She watched Azrael trapped in the bubble of water, still struggling to understand why Lina had gone so far.

Lina’s hardened expression softened, and a tear slipped down her cheek. “If he had done his duty… maybe Sariel would still be alive,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Wiping away her tears, she lifted her head. “Besides… it’s easier to bring him back this way.”

They hoisted the unconscious Azrael, encased in Lina’s water bubble, and returned to the waiting Thrones transport, ready to depart for the Celestial Realm.

But they weren’t alone. Watching from a distance, a figure stood cloaked in shadow, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk. “It seems my experiment is succeeding,” he murmured, his eyes fixed on the limp form of Azrael. “He’s grown stronger. Keep rising, child. Soon, the Celestial Realm will be mine… as it was meant to be.”

The stranger clenched his fist, revealing the tattered, half-formed wings on his left side, while a creature with a human face and a mane like a lion approached him. “It’s time to return to the underworld, Lord Lucifer.”

Lucifer turned with a smile, his glass-like wings glimmering in the dark. The fallen angel was ready to rise once again. “I’ll prove to God that I am the greatest being He ever created.”

As he vanished into the night, the plan set in motion, only one question lingered: How would it unfold? Only God know.