Asaemon knelt in the garden of the grand hall, where the grass shimmered with a green so vivid it seemed to glow from within, and flowers bloomed in colors more brilliant than any in the human realm.
A faint, gentle melody left his lips, so soft it was almost a whisper. Wherever his song wandered, plants leaned toward him, buds trembling, leaves reaching — life itself seemed to awaken beneath his touch.
His long white hair fell over his shoulders in soft waves, occasionally brushing against the feathers of his folded wings. They were large and pristine, their pure white feathers gleaming in the light of Heaven's ever-shining sun, though they often got in the way of even the simplest tasks.
Asaemon adjusted them with a sigh, careful not to crush the delicate blossoms beneath him.
The garden was quiet, save for the gentle hum of his voice and the occasional rustle of leaves. It was a world of peace, of warmth, of light — everything he had always known.
Yet, even in this perfection, Asaemon sometimes wondered if his heart longed for something he could not name, something beyond the golden walls and endless skies of Heaven.
He straightened, brushing a stray lock of hair from his face, and smiled at a small cluster of flowers that seemed to lean closer to him. "Grow well," he murmured, almost absentmindedly. "Grow strong… live well."
A soft warmth spread from his hands through the garden, gentle but insistent, and the flowers seemed to pulse in response, as if thanking him. To Asaemon, this was happiness — simple, pure, and endless.
But Heaven, for all its beauty, would not keep him safe forever.
that was the his mother had said before she flee, from heaven, from his father, form him...
"Asaemon!"
The voice pulled him from his thoughts, from the gentle hum of the garden. Asaemon looked up from the flowers, eyes meeting the warm, fiery gaze of his friend.
Lunaris' red hair, short and wild, fell around his shoulders as he ran toward Asaemon, wrapping him tightly in an embrace. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Asaemon… I didn't mean for the guards to hear me. I swear! I didn't!" His voice rushed out, tight with grief and regret.
Asaemon held his friend close, feeling the tremble in Lunaris' frame. Yet the words made no sense to him. "Lunaris… what's wrong? What are you talking about?" His golden eyes searched Lunaris' face, wide and innocent.
"I… I was talking to myself," Lunaris stammered, stepping back but keeping his hands on Asaemon's shoulders. "But… two guards overheard me… I said… I said that you were… falling for a human… I didn't mean for them to hear! I swear!"
Asaemon froze, a chill creeping over him. His mind spun. A human? Falling…? He had never—no, he had never even spoken to one, aside from bringing spring to their lands. How could this be?
He turned his gaze toward the far end of the garden and saw them — the two guards, walking toward them with measured steps. Their faces were blank, expressionless, but Asaemon knew that look. It was the look of duty ready to serve judgment.
Something inside him tightened. He had never broken the rules of Heaven. Never. And yet, he felt a sudden, creeping fear — a sense that the very ground beneath him might shift, carrying him toward a fate he could not escape.
Lunaris' eyes met his, wide with guilt. "I… I didn't mean for this… I just wanted to warn you… please… forgive me."
But Asaemon's heart sank. The flowers at his feet seemed to droop slightly, sensing the shadow that now fell across the garden. Somehow… it was his fault. Somehow… this misunderstanding could ruin everything.
The guards approached with steady, unyielding steps, their white armor gleaming even in the soft light of the garden. Asaemon's wings twitched nervously behind him, brushing the petals of the flowers he had just tended. He swallowed, unsure of what words could explain this misunderstanding.
"Asaemon, son of the Heavens," one of the guards began, his voice cold and sharp like a blade. "You have violated the sacred laws of Heaven."
Asaemon blinked, golden eyes wide. "I—I don't understand… What law? What have I done?" His voice was soft, almost trembling.
The guard's gaze didn't waver. "It has been reported… that you, Asaemon, have shown affection and attachment to a mortal human. Such actions are forbidden. Angels are not to bind themselves to humans, nor to meddle in their mortal realm beyond their duties."
Asaemon's heart thumped violently. "But… I—I haven't even met a human!" His words shook, disbelieving, innocent. "I only bring spring… life… to them! I haven't… I haven't done anything wrong!"
The second guard stepped forward, hand raised, his voice sharper, colder. "Witnesses have confirmed your… confession. You admit to feelings for a human? That is a direct transgression of Heaven's will. Such attachment endangers the purity of the angelic order."
Asaemon's wings fluttered nervously, brushing the edge of a nearby flower bed. The petals quivered as though they, too, sensed the weight of the accusation. Attachment? Confession? He had said nothing! Nothing at all! This is a mistake… a misunderstanding…
Lunaris' hands trembled at his side, and he pressed them together as though in prayer. "It's not true!" he cried. "He hasn't—he hasn't done anything wrong! I—I didn't mean for the guards to hear what I said… please… please, they're mistaken!"
But the guards' faces remained unmoved. They were unwavering, the embodiment of Heaven's strict law.
"One cannot dispute what has been witnessed," the first guard said, his tone final. "Heaven's judgment is absolute."
Asaemon's wings drooped slightly, the light in his eyes dimming with fear and confusion. "J-judgment…?" he whispered. "I… I didn't—"
The second guard cut him off, voice cold and commanding. "You will be taken to the Court of Celestials. There, your deeds will be examined, and Heaven shall determine the appropriate punishment for your transgression. Do not resist."
Asaemon shook his head, heart pounding so hard it hurt. "I… I swear… I haven't—please! Please! I didn't break any rules!" His hands shook, fingers brushing against the soft petals of a nearby rose. The blooms trembled under his touch, responding to the panic that now coursed through him.
But Lunaris' hand clamped briefly on his shoulder, trembling. "Asaemon… I… I'm sorry… it's my fault… I never meant—"
"No!" Asaemon cried, turning toward his friend. His voice cracked. "It's not your fault, Lunaris! I didn't… I didn't do anything wrong! They're… they're mistaken!"
The guards, unflinching, stepped forward. One hand grasped his wrist, the other gently but firmly pressing against the middle of his back. Asaemon's wings flared instinctively, a sudden burst of energy almost knocking the guards back, but their grip was iron-strong, unyielding.
"You will not escape, Asaemon," the first guard said, voice steady, unshaken by Asaemon's protests or flares of angelic power. "Your transgression has been reported. Heaven demands obedience. You will come with us willingly, or you shall be restrained by force."
Asaemon's golden eyes glimmered with tears. "I… I can't… I haven't—please… please believe me!"
The second guard's expression softened… slightly, only for a heartbeat. "It is not for us to believe. It is for Heaven to decide."
The words struck Asaemon like a blade. His knees buckled beneath him, the ground suddenly feeling impossibly distant. His wings drooped further, feathers brushing the soft earth. He felt… small. Fragile. For the first time in his life, the weight of being an angel — of being perfect, of being expected to follow every law — pressed down on him like chains of stone.
Lunaris grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. "I… I didn't mean for this… I swear! Please… hold on… don't let them take you…"
Asaemon's eyes met his friend's, searching desperately for a solution that didn't exist. There was none. Not here. Not in the garden, not in Heaven. He was trapped by misunderstanding, by rules, by the cold gaze of duty.
And then, as the guards guided him away, the wind seemed to whisper through the garden, the petals trembling in silent farewell. The flowers he had nurtured with love and care bent toward him, brushing his legs as though begging him to stay… to survive.
The path to the Court of Celestials was bright, bathed in the golden light of Heaven, but to Asaemon it felt like walking toward the abyss. Every step heavier than the last, his wings drooped farther, and his heart ached with confusion, fear, and helplessness.
Somewhere deep within, a small voice whispered, I don't belong here…
And that whisper, unheeded by Heaven, would mark the beginning of a fall that no angel could escape — a fall that would take him from the warmth of Heaven's gardens to the cold, cruel realm of demons.
Asaemon's hands trembled at his sides. He had never imagined that one misunderstanding — one innocent word overheard — could unravel the life he had always known. And yet, as the golden halls of Heaven receded behind him, he felt the first stirrings of a world he had never seen, a world of shadow and fire… and a king who would claim him in ways he could not yet understand.
The garden faded from view, but its life lingered in his soul, trembling with every beat of his heart. Asaemon's wings shivered as he took his final step into uncertainty… into the realm where light could not protect him.