Arcadia, a large, powerful kingdom at the edges of Judah.
So prosperous and wealthy is the kingdom that many of its neighboring kingdoms are envious, and they would have long since attacked Arcadia for its riches—if Arcadia isn't as mighty as it is wealthy. Arcadia's outstanding military might deters others from attacking it.
The problem with Arcadia, however, is the rampant sinful activities of its inhabitants. Every inch of the kingdom is plagued by sin, which makes the kingdom an eyesore to the Almighty. So, He sends a message to warn the king of Arcadia.
- - -
In the throne room of Arcadia's castle, the king is lavishing in decadence—a usual occurrence—when suddenly, a bright light engulfs the room.
When the light clears, an angel of the Lord stands there.
This angel has fiery red hair and dazzling blue eyes. He has a white halo and four beautiful wings. He wears simple white robes, and a soft glow emanates from his fair skin.
This is the Archangel, the messenger of Heaven—Gabriel.
"Listen well, oh king of Arcadia. The Almighty has seen your immoral ways and has seen the sinful nature of your people. He sent me here to warn you. To warn you to cease your sinful actions and change your ways—else He shall lay waste to this kingdom and all who inhabit it," the messenger says solemnly.
"I know nothing of this god you speak of, but the sorcery which brought you here had better save you. Otherwise, I'll mount those wings on my wall!" the Arcadian king yells.
His guards quickly brandish their weapons at Gabriel, who sighs at the king's response.
"Your ignorance and stubbornness shall be your undoing."
And with a flap of his wings, Gabriel vanishes in a flash of light—leaving behind a confused and angry king.
- - -
Up above in the skies of the Earth, Gabriel flies.
He would usually return straight to Heaven after delivering a message, but today, he decides to enjoy the scenery the world has to offer. He flies above verdant forests, deep valleys, high mountain ranges, and vast deserts.
"The Earth is truly a spectacular place... and so are the humans. It's a shame they are tainted with such sins," he says sadly.
"Is it really a shame, though?" a charming, feminine voice says.
Alarm bells ring in Gabriel's mind as a dark barrier in the shape of a dome materializes and covers a multiple-mile radius.
Gabriel turns around to the source of the voice.
Before him stands a beautiful woman. She has ebony-black hair that falls past her shoulders, a slender waist, and enticing hips all the way to her feet. She has skin as pale as moonlight and curves that would tempt the most celibate of men. She wears a sleeveless black gown that displays her fair, slender arms and hugs her proportions in all the right places.
Her most striking features are her supple red lips and blood-red eyes.
"After all, the more these humans sin, the happier, stronger, and better fed we demons are," says the woman, her voice smoother than velvet and sweeter than honey.
Gabriel's eyebrows furrow.
"To what do I owe the displeasure of meeting you, oh Queen of Hell?" Gabriel says.
This woman is Lilith, Queen of Hell, Bride of the Devil, and Mother of Demons.
Lilith laughs at Gabriel's response.
"My, my! After all I heard about you being the politest little thing. Do all angels have a way with words like you do?" Lilith says with an evil grin.
"What happened to you?" Gabriel asks her sadly.
"Why, I simply became a better version of myself," Lilith says before raising a dainty hand and snapping her fingers—summoning forth a horde of nightmarish monsters.
"I've heard a lot of things about you, Gabriel. I hope you don't disappoint," says Lilith with a smirk, her hair billowing in the wind as she flies higher to observe the upcoming battle.
"I can't wait to taste angelic flesh!" "His aura is so pure, I can't wait to corrupt it," the demons say amongst themselves as they charge toward Gabriel.
"Angelic flesh? All you heathens shall taste is my angelic might!" says Gabriel.
He lifts a hand up, and a massive orb of light, as big as a house, forms above his palm. Then it explodes in a brilliant flash, bathing everything within the mile-wide dome in a dazzling shade of golden light.
When the light clears, all the demons are gone—leaving only Lilith and Gabriel within the barrier.
Gabriel smirks at Lilith, as if to say 'Was that your best?'
But before he can utter a word, a horrible pain overtakes his senses, and he starts to lose consciousness.
That's when he realizes that those demons carry curses that attack anyone who slays them—and his arrogance has led him to slay them all at once.
As he fades out of consciousness, he sees Lilith smirking down at him.
"Lilith, you sly..." he mutters, then everything goes black.
- - -
Hell—a dark, evil, and twisted realm full of suffering and hatred.
It is like a horrible reflection of Heaven. Its size is infinite as well, and its structures are arranged and built in a way that eerily resembles the Divine Realm.
Hell is divided into nine dimensions—one for each deadly sin—and three dedicated to the suffering of sinful human souls.
In the realm of Pride, ruled by Lucifer and his Queen, sits a grim-looking castle: Castle Morningstar. It stands tall and proud in the center of Pride, and its dark, brimstone walls house all sorts of evils.
Within the castle walls, in its lowest depths, is a dungeon—and in this dungeon, Gabriel is imprisoned.
His ever-bright glow seems dampened by the atmosphere… or maybe it is just his foul mood. He has just regained consciousness and is cursing himself for his arrogance.
"Oh? A visitor? And one from Heaven at that? We don't get those very often," a smooth, soothing voice says.
Gabriel turns his attention outside his prison cell, where a figure materializes out of the shadows.
The first thing Gabriel notices is the figure's pitch-black eyes—void of any irises or pupils, which seem to suck in all the light around them.
Then he notices the rest of his appearance, which can only be described as… sinfully handsome. He has long, golden-brown hair that falls past his shoulders, a smooth, compacted muscular frame, and he is taller than most men.
His face alone can tempt most women and men, and his devious but charming smirk hints at a seductive personality.
'Whatever is it now?' Gabriel thinks.
"And who might you be?" he says dryly.
"I didn't think you'd have a faulty memory, Gabriel. Have you already forgotten me? Your closest friend? That's hurtful," the figure says with fake hurt.
Gabriel, confused, takes a closer look—and that's when the figure overlaps with another in his memory.
The figure of...
"You!" Gabriel screams as white-hot anger overtakes him.
His figure glows brighter as he transforms into his full angelic form. His halo becomes a crown of golden fire above his head. He grows extra pairs of eyes—two smaller ones on the sides of each eye. He becomes taller, and his wings grow larger, with eyes all over their rims.
He charges at the bars of his cell, attempting to rip them off the wall—but as soon as he holds them, a dark energy jolts him and engulfs his entire figure.
Gabriel screams in pain as the dark energy burns through him, forcing him back to his usual form.
The figure outside the cell laughs, and Gabriel glares at him.
"You always found pleasure in my pain, didn't you, Lumiel?" Gabriel says in a venomous tone. The figure before him has changed. Now it resembles Lumiel, his old friend. But now, his eyes are pitch black voids, with no pupils or irises, just empty blackness.
"Oh, don't be dramatic! You know that's not true. But even you have to admit, that was funny. Sad, but still funny," Lumiel says.
"And point of correction—it's Asmodeus now," he adds.
"Oh, how brilliant! You went from one of Heaven's brightest to the Sin of Lust! I'm so proud," Gabriel says sarcastically.
Asmodeus laughs at that. "Well, someone's bitter."
"Really? I haven't the faintest idea why!" yells Gabriel.
Asmodeus shakes his head and dissolves into smoke, which passes through the cell bars and reforms back into him inside the jail.
Gabriel, still recovering from the earlier shock, looks at him warily.
Asmodeus takes a closer look at Gabriel—and that's when he sees a certain flower pinned to Gabriel's chest.
A look of surprise flashes across his face before an unknown emotion briefly overtakes him, which he quickly masks.
Asmodeus sighs. "Gabriel, you sentimental little..." He sighs again and kneels beside a still-wary Gabriel, who attempts to shift away from him.
"Oh, calm down! If I wanted to hurt you, I already would have," Asmodeus says.
He places a hand on Gabriel's forehead and tilts his head up, making Gabriel stare into his eyes. Asmodeus smirks and takes his hand off—and when he does, Gabriel feels better.
"I drained all the demonic energy rampaging inside you. Demonic energy is as toxic to angels as angelic energy is to demons."
Asmodeus answers Gabriel's confusion.
"I know it doesn't count as an apology... but I hope it can serve as a start," he says as he straightens the flower on Gabriel's chest.
Gabriel just looks at him wordlessly.
Asmodeus smiles and vanishes in a cloud of smoke, leaving Gabriel with his thoughts.
---
Outside Castle Morningstar, at the edges of Pride—millions of miles away from the castle—a golden portal opens in the sky.
Out of this portal flies a six-winged angel.
The moment he emerges, the entire atmosphere shifts, and the entirety of Pride seems to tremble.
The angel wears fine white armor with golden patterns and has a sword strapped to his hip. He has shoulder-length golden hair, piercing blue eyes, and handsome features. He has a bulky, muscular frame and is a giant among men.
The angel glances in the direction of the castle—and with a flap of his wings, he flies toward it at massive speeds.
It doesn't take him long to arrive, but an army of millions of demons stands before him.
"Urgh. How disgusting," the angel says and draws his sword.
The action alone strikes fear into the demonic horde.
But before they can do anything else, the angel is already past them—standing at the entrance of the castle.
As for the millions of demons? They are already scattered limbs painting the hellish landscape.
With a wave of the angel's hand, the gates to the castle and the barrier around it burst apart, allowing access to the castle.
As he flies in, several powerful dragons stand in his way.
The angel glares coldly at them.
---
Deep within the castle itself, a small demon can be seen running through the halls.
This demon has the height of a small child, the head and feet of a goat, the torso of a human, and the wings of a bat on his back.
The demon arrives before the doors to a very specific room, guarded by demon guards.
The guards attempt to stop him, but he quickly maneuvers past them and bursts into the room.
"Mistress! Mistress Lilith! W-we're under attack! The castle is being sieged by the Seraph Michael! He's already slain millions of our ranks! Mistress, what do we do?" the tiny demon blurts out in panic.
Across the room, Lilith sits before a vanity mirror.
She now has long, snow-white hair, piercing blue eyes, and horns made of clear crystal wrapped around her head. She wears what seems to be a bathrobe, which hugs her hourglass figure snugly as she brushes her hair.
"What can we do? The only person strong enough to contend against Michael is the Devil himself—who is not here at the moment," Lilith says calmly, not even moving her gaze away from the mirror.
"But Mistress! Are we to just let him rampage in our territory? Can't we do... anything!?" the tiny demon yells.
Lilith frowns in annoyance.
"Unless you wish to face him yourself, then I suggest you shut your mouth. If you can do something about it, then do so. If not..."
She pauses, places down her brush, stands up, and walks over to the demon—who backs away in fear. She does this until the tiny demon steps out of the room.
"...then don't interrupt me or barge into my room again."
With that, she slams the doors closed.
The tiny demon, still in shock, runs.
He has decided to abandon the castle, seeing it as a lost cause. But just as he steps into the inner courtyard, the head of a dragon flies over from the outer courtyard and lands before him with a thud.
The demon watches in horror as a six-winged angel flies over from the outer courtyard, easily bypassing the flight-restriction spells cast over the castle.
"Oh, another pest," the angel says coldly as he lifts his blade, aiming to strike.
"You know, it's rude to just barge into someone's home and kill their servants."
A voice sounds out.
Michael pauses.