Chapter One: TwentyYears
AN : If you think about dropping all I ask of you is to read 5 chapters before you drop.
Thank you
--
The year was 3050.
Over two centuries ago, an unrelenting storm began. An endless downpour raged from the heavens, flooding entire nations and reshaping the world. Asia, Africa, and Europe were merged into one colossal continent, while North America, South America, Antarctica, and Australia
were forced together into another.
At first, tensions ran high. The formation of these supercontinents led to war, but with no other choice, the world turned to cooperation. And once the continents began working together, technological progress skyrocketed.
This advancement led to the creation of biomechanical implants known as Helix Implants, devices integrated into the human body. All civilians were implanted with Citizen Helixes at birth, which contained identification, personal records, and basic enhancements. But there was another kind, one far more powerful.
The Militant Helix.
Experimental, restricted, and designed for war, these implants granted soldiers superhuman strength, reflexes, and endurance. They were meant only for military use, but on the black market, anything had a price.
Slum District - 8:47 PM
"Azrael, you asshole! That was supposed to be my sale! Rylo should've never taken your dumbass in!"
The voice rang through the dimly lit room. A young man, his pale skin flushed red with anger stood in front of Azrael, fists clenched. His dark eyes burned with frustration, and the veins on his forehead looked ready to burst.
Azrael, completely unbothered, picked his ear with his pinky finger before flicking whatever came off into the air.
"Kiraa... you're always so loud. Keep yelling like that, and your black hair's gonna turn white. And it won't be from old age."
Kira scowled, his arms crossed. He was taller, with a stronger build than Azrael, his long black hair tied up loosely. A few strands of facial hair sat on his chin, making him look older than he probably was.
Azrael, on the other hand, looked his age sixteen. His messy brown hair hung over his sharp eyebrows, his low set brown eyes giving him a naturally uninterested look. His lean build wasn't intimidating, but underneath his clothes, his body was toned.
"Whatever, shithead," Kira grumbled. "Rylo wanted me to tell you not to miss dinner. Says he has something important to talk about probably a new job."
Azrael sighed, running a hand through his hair. His expression twisted into mild annoyance.
"Another job? So soon? You'd think the old geezer would give us a break."
Kira frowned, his face suddenly more serious.
"For such a smart kid, you're awfully dumb. We gotta do what we have to do to keep the bills paid. Otherwise, an Enforcer's gonna kick the damn door down."
Azrael glanced around at the run-down hideout they called home. The brick walls were coated in grime, cheap weapons lay scattered across tables, and the dim, flickering lights barely kept the room illuminated.
Even a dump like this needs bills to stay afloat…
Azrael exhaled and gave in. "Alright, fine. I'm taking a walk. I'll be back by dinner."
As he reached for the rusted, ring-handled door, Kira spoke up again.
"Azrael... aren't you forgetting something?"
Azrael turned as Kira grabbed a small dagger from the table, pointing it downward before tossing it to him. Without another word, Kira pushed open the door and walked out, leaving Azrael standing there, gripping the blade.
This wasn't just any dagger.
The Nyx Dagger
The Nyx Dagger was a creation of Nyx Corporation, a weapons manufacturer founded in 3036. They specialized in military-grade arms, but some of their products managed to slip into the black market.
The blade itself was forged from high-frequency Noctilite, a nearly indestructible metal discovered deep beneath the ruins of the old world. Unlike other metals, Noctilite could self-repair, was hyper-dense, and had the ability to absorb and store kinetic energy. The edge of the dagger would glow different colors depending on its charge.
The carbon fiber hilt was fitted with haptic feedback, adjusting perfectly to the user's grip. Additional features included electroshock capabilities, hidden injectors, and smart-link connectivity.
It was a weapon built for silent kills and brutal efficiency.
--
Azrael stepped outside, stretching his arms as he took in the night air.
Immediately, he regretted it.
The stench of rot and smog hit him like a punch to the gut. He covered his nose, cursing himself for expecting anything different.
Hell, if anything, the air in this place makes me want to puke.
The neon lights of the city flickered and reflected onto his face, splashing him with a bunch of colors red, blue, pink, purple, orange. Despite the beautiful glow, the world beneath it was filthy.
Buildings crumbled from neglect, trash bags piled high in alleyways, and the streets were littered with broken bottles, rusted scrap, and signs long forgotten. The slums never changed.
As he walked, a booming voice called out from the side.
"Ay, Azrael! Where you headed?"
A massive man stumbled toward him. Bald, covered in tattoos, with arms the size of tree trunks. He had to weigh at least 260 pounds.
Azrael immediately knew he wasn't getting out of this conversation.
"Look, a new batch of weapons came in! This time, I think you'll actually be interested."
Azrael kept walking, pretending not to hear. But the man, Tony matched his pace, still talking.
"I got a pistol, a—"
"Is it military grade?" Azrael interrupted.
Tony hesitated. "W-Well, not exactly. I mean, it's damn near impossible to get that level of firepower. You know they're called military grade because you have to be in the military to use 'em, right?"
Azrael sighed. "Tony, you're cool and all, but if it isn't military grade, don't bother. Nine times out of ten, I won't be interested."
Tony kept rambling, but before he could finish his sentence, they arrived at The Gate of Division.
The gate was massive fifty feet high, stretching across the city like a cold, metallic scar. Its titanium surface pulsed with a faint blue glow, the result of pulse-reactive energy conduits. Electromagnetic barriers lined the structure, designed to incinerate anyone foolish enough to breach it without clearance.
An Enforcer Sentinel, in obsidian black armor, stepped forward. His visor glowed cold blue, scanning Azrael up and down.
Wordlessly, the Enforcer lifted a scanning tablet, a soft humming noise filling the air as it swept across Azrael's face.
BEEP.
"Your neck," the Enforcer ordered.
Azrael tilted his head, allowing the scanner to pass over his Citizen Helix implant.
BEEP.
The Sentinel nodded. "You're all clear. Be back before curfew."
With that, he stepped aside.
Azrael walked through the gates, leaving Tony behind.
Before vanishing into the crowded city streets, Tony called after him.
"Don't forget about the new batch, kid! You might change your mind!"
Azrael barely heard him.
The other side of the gate was a different world.
As Azrael stepped through, the contrast was jarring.
It was like all the trash, filth, and decay had been deliberately dumped on the other side of the wall. Over here, everything was immaculate as if the rich refused to let even a single speck of dust settle on their streets.
The air smelled different. No more suffocating smog, no lingering stench of garbage. Instead, the scent of freshly baked bread, expensive colognes, and purified air filled his lungs.
The streets were alive with activity. Self driving cars gliding silently along the roads. Above, floating highways carried hovering vehicles, their engines humming softly as they zipped between towering skyscrapers. Massive holographic billboards flickered to life, displaying ads for luxury brands, cybernetic enhancements, and elite entertainment venues.
Azrael's eyes turned to the sidewalks, where people walked with an air of confidence no, arrogance. Unlike the ragged figures in the slums, these citizens wore polished outfits, their clothes embedded with nanofiber tech that adjusted temperature and self cleaned on the go. Many had augmented limbs, glowing neural implants.
Towering skyscrapers of glass and steel reached into the sky, their surfaces displaying digital news updates and corporate propaganda. Restaurants lined the streets, their transparent walls showcasing gourmet meals prepared by robotic chefs. Automated drones hovered in the air, delivering packages to penthouse apartments and high end businesses.
This wasn't just a different district. It was a different world.
Azrael shoved his hands into his pockets, eyes scanning the scene.
Honestly, everything over here is so different.
Not that he didn't already know that.
He had crossed this gate dozens of times, and yet, every time, it still hit him. The rich lived in their perfect, artificial paradise while the poor rotted away on the other side of the wall.
And no matter how much technology advanced, that would never change.
Azrael walked through the city until he reached a convenience store. The bright light reflected off his face, and a neon lit sign sat in the window, glowing 'OPEN 24/7' in bold, flashing letters.
The automatic door slid open as he approached. A couple of people around his age walked out, in conversation.
"I was thinking we should go see that movie. I heard Amir's acting in it," the male said as they stepped outside.
"Really? Maybe we should. If he's in it, it's bound to be good." The female beside him nodded, her gaze never leaving his.
Azrael watched them for a second.
Must be nice… Having someone. Being able to go anywhere, anytime, without being hassled by robotic freaks.
Shaking off the thought, he stepped inside.
The moment he entered, the air smelled clean too clean, purified oxygen, exotic fruits, fresh coffee, and imported food. The temperature was perfect, not too cold, not too warm, as if the store adjusted itself to perfection.
Beneath his feet, the floor was oddly soft, made from self cleaning nanomaterial that absorbed dirt the second it was tracked in. Subtle music played in the background, blending with the faint hum of refrigeration units and holographic displays.
A smooth, synthetic voice greeted him.
[Welcome, customer. Today's specials have been curated to your preferences.]
Azrael barely paid attention, too busy taking everything in.
Even though he had crossed to this side of the city multiple times, he had never stepped into this particular store. The technology was still a new to him.
Instead of traditional shelves, holographic projections hovered in the air, allowing for instant product switching. He reached out, swiping through virtual displays, watching items flicker and change at his fingertips.
He stopped on a bag of chips. A robotic arm materialized from the counter, assembling itself from tiny, shifting parts before smoothly handing him the real product.
Huh. Fancy.
He moved toward the freezer aisle. Unlike the grimy, frost-covered glass cases from the slums, these had no glass at all—just transparent nano-panels that instantly shifted products into view as he approached.
Azrael grabbed a carbonated beverage, feeling the cold mist swirl around his fingers as the pod seamlessly dispensed it.
There was no cashier just a red light scanning his face the moment he approached the exit. The total instantly flashed on the register.
A holographic screen appeared:
[Would you like to round up your purchase to support the Venus Colonization Project?]
Azrael barely glanced at it before tapping NO.
The text on the screen shifted.
[Payment received. Thank you for your purchase. Come again.]
With that, the doors slid open, and he stepped back onto the streets.
The moment Azrael walked out, three guys nearly ran him over.
"The game starts in five minutes! It's already 9:50!" the first one yelled as they dashed past.
"No, no! We're gonna miss it! How could you let us forget?!" the second shouted in panic.
"Wait ME?! I didn't even want to watch the damn game!" the third snapped.
Azrael barely had time to process what happened.
They almost killed me! These shitheads don't care about anyone but—
Wait.
9:50?!
His eyes widened.
Shit.
He had promised to be early for dinner.
He had ten minutes.
Or it would be his head.
Without hesitation, Azrael took off at full speed, weaving through the crowded streets.
HORNNN
Azrael dodged a speeding vehicle and, after sprinting through the dark streets, he finally saw it: up ahead the gate.
He reached the gate, where a few guards stood watch. They scanned every passerby, but barely gave him a second glance he wasn't important enough to stop.
The moment he crossed, everything shifted. The neon glow vanished, replaced by a cheap, dim light some bulbs flickered while others lay completely dead. The aroma of fresh coffee and imported goods was gone, supplanted by the stench of oil, rust, and rotting food.
Buildings loomed tightly together, their crumbling facades splattered with graffiti, while broken holoscreens displayed half functional ads, their AI voices glitching in and out. In the distance, a scuffle erupted shouts, a bottle shattering, and the frantic sound of running footsteps.
Home sweet home, Azrael thought wryly as he melted into an alley.
He ended up in front of a large, metal building. The heavy door, thick, marked its entrance. Azrael sighed, then knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock... knock...
After a moment of silence, he lifted his hand and set it by his side as the door swung open, revealing a familiar face a big, buff, bald man with brown skin.
"They're waiting for you in the dining room," the man said gruffly.
"Yeah, thanks," Azrael replied.
Inside, he followed the narrow, dim hallway and turned left. The noise grew louder, clinking dishes, and the murmur of conversation. Entering the kitchen, he found three people gathered at a table: Kira, Rylo, and Torben.
Rylo, an older man despite his youthful-sounding name, sat at the head of the table. Thin and frail with receding white hair and a cane at his side, standing about 5'3" or 5'4".
Torben, the same age as Azrael, was noticeably on the heavier side, with orange hair and a knack for diving into his food, smacking and chewing loudly.
Kira, with a look of disgust, glared at Torben as he continued eating.
Azrael took the only empty chair and sat down.
"You're late," Rylo said.
"Yeah, I lost track of time my bad," Azrael replied, shrugging.
Torben interjected, "You know, this food is awfully good. I mean, I say that every time, but I actually mean it this time!"
Kira snapped, "Ew, you pig. You eat like a hog you don't have to make a show of it!"
Rylo laughed softly. "Calm down, everyone. It's called dinner for a reason."
After a few minutes of eating, Azrael slammed his fork down.
"Why are we sitting here like one big family? If you've got a job, just tell us what we need to do so we can get it over with!" he demanded, his voice edged with anger.
"Ungrateful bastard!" Kira shot back.
Rylo held up a hand. "Alright, alright. Let's get to it."
Rylo begin to explain, "We all know who runs this side of the city though I don't know his name. He hired us for this job and paid half up front. This could set us up for years."
"So if he paid half, why don't we just keep the money and run?" Azrael asked
Torben smirked, "Wait, Azrael, I never thought about that. You're smart, man."
Kira cut in, "It's not that simple. He runs the whole underworld. He's feared, and he's got people."
A voice from Azrael snapped, "Then why doesn't he just send his people to grab the item?"
Kira bellowed, "Shut the hell up and listen to the old man!"
After a brief silence, Rylo continued, "He or possibly she wants us to steal an implant. I assume it's a high grade military implant. It's simple: I'll give you the chip, just slide it in, and all the information will be revealed."
Rylo wiped his face with a napkin, then revealed three chips, handing one each to Azrael, Kira, and Torben. Rising from his chair, he left the room.
Kira, tucking the chip into his pocket, said, "I suggest we use the chip. We start the job tomorrow."
Azrael said, "Yeah, whatever. After I take my cut, I'm out. You won't see me around here again."
Azrael gathered his things and left the room, navigating the grimy hallways until he reached his own small room. Sitting on his bed, he opened his hand to reveal the chip. With a tilt of his head, he inserted it into his neck. Almost immediately, his eyes began to glow blue, and the details of the job flowed into his mind.
Operation: Retrieve Implant
Short Summary of the Goal:
The operation's objective is to retrieve the implant from an abandoned facility and return it to the buyer. The implant is placed in a facility deemed unguarded everyone assumes it's abandoned and ready for demolition.
The chip read more information, then popped out, and Azrael's eyes returned to normal.
"After this, I'll leave for sure no matter what. I can't stay in this shit hole rotting my life away."
Azrael's thoughts lingered on the chip's final beep as sleep began to pull him under. The weight of the day had finally caught up to him, and his eyelids fluttered closed.
Hours passed in restless fragments, the kind of sleep that was heavy yet light at the same time. He dreamed, though the details slipped away as the steady hum of his alarm clock pierced the quiet darkness. The day had dragged on without incident.
When he finally opened his eyes, the room was darker than he remembered it was now full night. Glancing at the clock, he noted the time: 11:45 PM.
Azrael rose from his bed as the dim glow of the city's neon skyline seeped through the cracked blinds, casting jagged streaks of blue and red across the floor. Rubbing his face to shake off the remnants of sleep, he grabbed his jacket from the chair beside him.
A sharp knock came at the door three taps, a pause, then one more: the signal.
He opened the door to find Kira and Torben waiting in the dimly lit hallway. Kira, dressed in a dark, fitted outfit.
"Took you long enough."
Torben, taller and bulkier, leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed.
Rolling his eyes, Azrael stepped out and closed the door behind him.
"Shut up and move. The implant isn't going to retrieve itself." He said annoyed.
The streets were nearly almost empty at this hour, aside from the occasional flicker of a passing drone or the distant hum of a patrol bot. The three of them moved swiftly through the shadows. Their transport a repurposed cargo hauler waited two blocks away beneath a rusted overpass.
As they climbed inside, Rylo's voice crackled over the comms from a safe house across the city
"Alright, listen up. I've got eyes on the facility no movement, no heat signatures. Looks like they did abandon the place."
Azrael pulled his mask up over his mouth. "Then let's get this over with."
They drove in silence until, at last, the abandoned structure came into view. Its skeletal remains were half buried beneath layers of rust and graffiti, and cracked windows reflected the city's artificial glow. The entrance was blocked by a twisted metal gate, long broken and left ajar.
Kira slipped in first, moving silently. Azrael and Torben followed, carefully stepping over debris and shattered glass. The air inside was stale, thick with mildew and oil. Dim lights flickered along the corridors, casting eerie shadows.
Rylo's voice returned: "The lab where the implant is stored should be at the end of the east wing an old security vault. You've got about fifteen minutes before a patrol drone passes by."
"Plenty of time," Torben muttered, gripping a piece of chicken he'd grabbed earlier.
They advanced through empty offices and rusting terminals until they reached a reinforced door. Azrael knelt by the keypad, brushing off a layer of dust. "Rylo, override the lock," he said.
After a brief pause, a beep echoed through the hallway, and the door slid open with a groan, revealing a white chamber. In the center, atop a rusted surgical table, laid the implant encased in a reinforced glass container.
Azrael stepped forward cautiously, scanning for traps or hidden defenses. Kira followed, his eyes narrowing.
"This is too easy," he murmured.
Torben grunted, "Let's not jinx it."
With steady hands, Azrael carefully lifted the case. The moment his fingers touched it, a faint hum pulsed through his hand a reaction from the implant. His heart pounded.
"Got it," he said, turning to leave.
But as he clutched the implant, something strange happened. His hand began to glow, and before he could react, the implant leaped from his grasp. It shot upward with such velocity that blood spattered from his hand.
"I-Is that the implant? It's moving?!" Kira shouted.
Torben dropped the food from his grasp and pulled out a firearm.
"What the hell is happening?" he yelled.
The implant darted erratically around the room, bouncing off walls with impossible speed. It then paused, hanging from one wall as if clinging there, before suddenly shooting out. It flung itself onto Kira, then jumped onto Torben, and finally landed back on Azrael. Desperately, Azrael tried to dislodge it, but it began to crawl up his torso, then on his neck homing in on the area where his Citizen Helix was implanted. It plunged downward and started spinning at a fast pace.
"What the hell!!!" Azrael yelled as it dug into his neck.
"GET IT THE HELL OFF, HURRY!"
Kira and Torben sprinted toward him. They had one goal to stop the implant from burrowing further. But when they reached him, the gash left behind was empty, as if the wound had never existed. Suddenly, everything went black. Azrael collapsed.
…
Darkness. A vast void engulfed him.
"Where am I?!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the emptiness.
A chilling, distorted voice whispered,
"Die… You'll die… I'll kill you, kill you, kill you over and over!"
The entity's menace filled him, and it felt as though every breath was being sucked away. Struggling for air, Azrael's world narrowed to nothing but black.
Then, abruptly, he awoke in an unfamiliar room. His head throbbed, and sweat dripped down his face. Torben hovered nearby, covering his mouth.
"Shhh!" Torben hissed.
"Where are we? What happened?" Azrael demanded, scanning the room with bleary eyes.
Torben sat, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath.
"We're in a safe house. That implant started moving, attached to you, and burrowed in your neck. When we rushed to help, the wound… it just disappeared. You passed out. All that was left was a black dot."
Azrael pressed his hand to his forehead, memories flooding back.
"I see… but that still doesn't explain why we're here."
Torben ran a hand through his hair, his voice trembling. "Since we were hired and paid half up front to bring back the implant, our contact said if we fail, they'd hunt us down. So, we had no choice but to run. Rylo wants me to watch over you. We can't leave this place; there are eyes everywhere in the city looking for us."
A heavy silence fell over the room as Azrael absorbed the news.
"So the old geezer wasn't joking when he said this person runs the city" he murmured.
Torben sighed bitterly. "Yeah, and now my life is ruined. The food, the gigs we'll never be hired for another job. If we step out of this safe house, we'll be targets." He cursed under his breath.
Torben… You were the only one who understood me. I won't let you die, and we're not staying locked up here forever. Azrael thought.
"I'm getting some rest. We'll need it. You should try to sleep too, Torben."
"I can't. My job is to watch over you, and if I sleep, you'll just sneak out," Torben replied.
Azrael smirked slightly. "Fine, do what you want. Just think if they find us, we'll have to fight. You wouldn't want to be sleep deprived in a fight, would you?"
Azrael shifted his gaze to the wall where his Nyx Dagger hung. After a moment, he slowly closed his eyes.
Fifty minutes passed. Azrael began snoring softly, Torben, checked on him every few minutes.
Azrael , his eyes blinking open. He glanced to his left nothing and to his right, Torben slept soundly in a nearby chair.
Quietly, Azrael slipped from the bed and walked to where his dagger hung. He picked it up, gripping it tightly before concealing it once more. He crept toward the door, opened it slowly, and slipped out.
The layout of the slum district was all too familiar, and soon he found his way out of the building. Pausing only once to glance back at the dark, oppressive structure, he set off toward the gate this time, to cross into the other district.
As he walked, something felt off. No shouting, no scuffles, no familiar figures loitering in dark corners. Even Tony, who usually waited to pester him, was nowhere in sight.
At last, Azrael reached the gate. The only soul in sight was an Enforcer Sentinel. The officer approached, raising a scanning tablet.
"Your neck," the Sentinel intoned mechanically.
For a moment, Azrael hesitated
"Right, I spaced out," he muttered, then tilted his head.
The Enforcer scanned his implant.
[ERROR.]
The scanner beeped again.
"Did you mess with your chip? Remove it? Attempt a jailbreak?"
"You're coming with me."
Azrael backed away slowly. The Enforcer's mouth stretched into a grotesque grin, and something dark and viscous began to ooze from within. An unknown, shadowy figure—its many teeth unnaturally large climbed out slowly.
"TWENTY YEARS IS ALL I'LL GIVE YOU—YOUR BODY AND SOUL WILL BE MINE TO DEVOUR!" it shrieked.
Frozen in terror, Azrael spun and bolted, sprinting through the night as the sirens blared.
Within moments, his face appeared on every screen in the district. Enforcers ran after him, their orders echoing. Lucky for Azrael, he knew these slums like the back of his hand. Ducking into alleys and leaping over obstacles, he finally found a hiding spot behind a crumbling wall with a narrow hole.
Panting, he pressed himself against the wall, scanning the area. Six armed figures blocked the exit they weren't Enforcers but the goons Torben had warned about.
"Yeah, we found him. He was chased by the Enforcers this sneaky bastard got away, but we tracked him," one goon said over a phone.
Another asked, "So, we just kill him and bring his body back?"
A distorted voice on the line replied, "No leave him alive."
The goon in the middle barked, "Hold him down!"
Before Azrael could react, the goons surged forward. They grabbed him roughly, pinning him down so tightly he could barely move.
…
Suddenly, a surge of power welled up inside him a force he consciously tapped into. Without thinking, he bit one of his captors. The startled goon yelled and released Azrael's arm, then swung wildly at another. With a swift, brutal motion, Azrael landed a blow that sent the attacker's head crashing to the ground. Blood sprayed like a fountain. In the chaos, Azrael grabbed another goon by the neck and hoisted him into the air.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?! DOES HE HAVE A MILITARY IMPLANT?! JUST KILL HIM AND BRING HIS BODY BACK!" The person on the other line said
Azrael squeezed harder until the goon's neck gave way, blood splattering everywhere. One by one, the remaining goons charged but a single punch here, a swing of his dagger there, and soon every attacker laid dead motionless.
Panting, covered in blood, Azrael stared in shock at what he'd done. "What the hell happened?!"
From the far corner, a towering figure with long red hair and muscles like tree trunks walked forward. The massive man bent down, picking up the blood soaked phone.
"You said we were allowed to kill him, so I'll try to bring him back in one piece," he said, then hung up and dropped the phone.
His eyes gleamed as he added, "So you have a military implant, huh? Looks like it's B-tier, maybe high A. Sad, you won't live long enough to learn control."
Azrael's heart pounded as he sensed the man's intent. With a grim set to his jaw, he unconcealed his Nyx Dagger. The giant charged, launching a powerful punch. Azrael ducked and staggered to the right.
What the hell? I never knew I could dodge like that, he thought.
But before he could recover, the brute lunged again this time with a barrage of punches. Azrael managed to evade some, but several strikes landed hard, tearing at his skin and ripping his clothes. When the onslaught finally stopped, Azrael crumpled to the ground, bloodied and battered.
The giant stepped forward, his voice cold and mocking, "I expected more than this."
He continued to walk closer and closer, but Azrael, fueled by instinct and desperation, leaped up, swinging his dagger in a wild motion.
Is this how I'm going to die?
The giant easily sidestepped, countering by putting Azrael in a chokehold. Azrael struggled, but the strength difference was insurmountable. With a brutal shove, the giant hurled him against a wall, then lifted his foot and sent it crashing toward Azrael's face.