Ch. 3- Trouble in Paradise
Setting: Heaven - The Grand Celestial Assembly
A sound not heard in millennia tore through the golden streets of Heaven.
The Horn of Joshua.
Its deep, earth-shaking blast sent tremors rippling across the celestial realm, shaking the foundations of the Eternal Palace. The skies darkened momentarily, the clouds parting in the wake of its divine echo.
Angels, cherubim, and seraphim rushed frantically from all corners of the celestial kingdom, their radiant wings shimmering as they gathered in the Grand Auditorium—a massive, radiant amphitheater reserved for only the most crucial of divine proclamations.
Among them, a young blonde-haired angel with soft blue eyes walked calmly, her curiosity piqued.
"I wonder what this is all about," she mused, stepping into the ever-growing assembly of angels.
Beside her, a brunette angel, seated to her right, leaned in. "It must be important. The Horn of Joshua has only ever been used once before in history."
The murmurs and whispers faded when a towering figure emerged at the front of the stage.
His presence alone commanded silence.
Archangel Michael.
The very name struck awe into those present. The strongest warrior of Heaven, the right hand of God himself, stood tall, his golden armor glistening under the celestial light. His expression was unreadable, but his piercing gaze scanned the crowd with intensity.
---
Michael's voice boomed, carrying authority. "Is everyone present?"
A moment of silence followed.
Then, the brunette angel beside Shison gasped.
"Oh my… That's the Archangel Michael! This really is serious!"
Michael's golden eyes narrowed as he continued.
"The reason I've called all of you here today is because the Holy Sword Durandal is missing."
A hushed silence fell over the assembly.
Gasps. Murmurs. Shock.
Michael's sharp gaze swept across the angels. "If anyone knows its whereabouts, come forward immediately."
The crowd remained still—until a calm, almost playful voice broke the silence.
"I know who has it."
All eyes turned to the speaker.
There, among the gathered angels, stood Uriel, his signature smirk plastered across his face, his red eyes glinting with amusement.
Michael's brows furrowed deeply, irritation flashing across his expression. "Uriel, if this is one of your pranks, I swear—"
Uriel merely shrugged, his smirk widening. "Come now, brother. Haven't you figured it out yet?"
Michael clenched his fists. "Enough with the games, Uriel! Tell us who has it!"
Uriel sighed dramatically before lazily gesturing toward the crowd. "Look around, Michael. This was a mandatory meeting for all angels, was it not?"
Michael's gaze swept across the assembly once more.
Then, realization hit him.
One angel was missing.
The murmuring intensified.
"Yes! It must be Hikaru!" cried an angel from the crowd.
Another sneered. "I never liked him anyway. Always acting like he was better than us."
The tension in the room grew thick as Michael turned toward a specific angel—the blonde-haired girl from earlier.
"Shison, where is your brother, Hikaru?"
Shison's blue eyes widened, fear creeping into her features. "It wasn't him! I promise! He'd never do something like this—at least, not without a good reason!"
Michael held up his hand, silencing the murmurs. "Under Father's command, we are to retrieve Durandal immediately. As long as Hikaru remains ignorant of angels needing a vessel, he should be easy to find."
Michael's gaze hardened. "All of you are dismissed—except Uriel and Shison."
---
As the hall emptied, only three remained.
Uriel.
Michael.
Shison.
The blonde-haired angel tensed, shifting uncomfortably under the stares of the two archangels.
Uriel chuckled darkly, his smirk never fading. "Well, Hikaru won't just hand it back without a fight, Michael."
Michael's expression remained cold. "I know. Father has given us permission to use any means necessary to retrieve Durandal."
Uriel's smile widened.
He took a step closer to Shison.
"Sorry, but your luck just ran out, little tease."
Shison instinctively took a step back. "N-No… Stay away!"
Uriel's eyes gleamed with sadistic amusement as he grabbed her wrist, yanking her toward him.
Michael, uninterested, waved his hand dismissively. "Just hurry up and be done with it. All I care about is the damn sword."
Shison's struggles grew frantic. "No! Please!"
But Michael did not turn back. He was already walking away.
---
Shison was thrown into a cold, dark chamber, far removed from the light of Heaven.
The once radiant walls of gold had been replaced with chains of divine energy, pulsing with raw celestial power.
Uriel stood in front of her, his smirk unchanging.
"Tell me where your brother is."
Shison said nothing.
He sighed. "Fine. Let's do this the hard way."
He raised a hand.
Pain.
It ripped through her body like a thousand burning knives, every fiber of her being writhing in agony.
She screamed, her wings shaking violently.
Uriel chuckled, tilting his head. "Poor thing. You angels of light… so fragile, so pure. I wonder how long that purity will last."
The pain subsided just enough for her to breathe again.
Shison's voice was hoarse, but firm. "I won't tell you anything."
Uriel's expression darkened. "We'll see."
---
Each day, Uriel would come.
Burning her wings.
Shackling her wrists with divine chains.
Forcing her to kneel before him as he tormented her mind.
"You can end this, you know," he would whisper. "Just tell me where Hikaru is."
But she never did.
Even as her body weakened.
Even as her once brilliant wings began to fade.
Uriel grew frustrated. "You're stronger than I thought, Shison."
She glared at him through her pain. "Go to hell."
Uriel smirked. "Oh, sweetheart… we're already halfway there."
For weeks, Shison was kept hidden in an undisclosed location.
Her once radiant form had grown frail.
Her once unshakable faith had crumbled.
Uriel's torment had broken her spirit, but not her will.
No matter how much pain he inflicted, no matter how many times he tried to break her, she never spoke Hikaru's location.
And that infuriated him.
One day, Uriel and Michael returned to her cell.
Michael's face remained bored, but Uriel's smirk held something new this time—a glint of finality.
"Well, since nothing else has worked," Uriel mused, his tone dripping with mock pity, "there's only one thing left to do."
Shison's heart pounded.
"Take your innocence," Uriel smirked.
Uriel began to unfasten his belt.
Shison's eyes widened in horror.
"No… Please! I beg you!" she cried, desperation lacing her voice.
Uriel ignored her pleas.
He took a step forward.
Then—
Everything went black.
---
The lights in the cell flickered violently, casting wild shadows against the stone walls.
Then—
A scream.
A loud thud.
Silence.
Michael whirled around, eyes narrowing. "What was that?!"
His gaze landed on the scene before him—and his breath caught.
Uriel lay motionless on the floor, his body lifeless.
And standing above him…
Shison.
Michael's own celestial sword clutched in her trembling hands, its blade drenched in blood.
Her wings began to darken.
Michael's voice was barely a whisper. "Shison… what have you done?"
---
End Credit Scene: The Birth of the Fallen
Shison stood in eerie silence, staring at the blood dripping from the blade.
Then, slowly, a smile crept onto her lips.
"This power is magnificent."
She lifted the sword, licking Uriel's blood off the blade.
Michael watched in horror. "Shison… What have you done?!"
Then, he saw it.
Her wings—once pure and white—had begun to darken.
The transformation had begun.
"For the grave sin of killing another angel," Michael intoned, "you will be cast out of Heaven."
The ground beneath Shison cracked violently.
A dark portal opened beneath her feet.
She began to fall.
In a final act of defiance, she grabbed Michael's sword, pulling it down with her.
Michael's eyes widened in fury. "No!"
His precious weapon—his gift from Father—gone.
As she disappeared into the abyss, Michael fell to his knees, his expression unreadable.
Then, slowly, he rose.
His golden eyes glowed ominously.
"I hope you find your brother before we do, Shison."
With that, he turned away, arms folded behind his back, already preparing for the hunt.