The angel’s voice echoed in the gallery. Kyle gritted his teeth, refusing to give him an answer.“Speak, human.” The angel’s grasp on his arm tightened, he pushed his wrist up. A sharp pain jolted through his arm.“Why do you care?!” He hissed. He couldn’t tell him it was Azazel’s doing. He had to keep the Fallen Angel out of it. If the Celestial Plane found out about him, this would end badly for both of them.“Dark Amber is rare,” The Angel stood up, pulling him up on his feet as well. “Too rare for a mortal to have so much of it.” He caught forced the young man to face him, and caught his other wrist.. “Who branded you, mortal?”Kyle gritted his teeth. “I don’t know.” He lied, hoping this angel didn’

Once the angels were gone, the young mean sighed a quiet breath of relief. Their short, but precise conversation had hşm thinking. Why was Azazel named the traitor? Was it really him they were talking about?He couldn’t be sure. From what he knew about the Celestial Plane – which admittedly wasn’t much at all – there were more than a few angels who had left this plane, and sought refuge elsewhere. The two angels he overheard could be talking about any one of the escaped, fallen angels. But then again, what were the chances of one of them coming back to the Celestial Plane with ill intent at the same time as Azazel and Kyle had?Once a few short moments passed in silence, Kyle continued climbing the stairs. He paused for a few seconds at the top of the stairs, and listened carefully for any sounds, any signs of life. Once he was satisfied with the silence, he

The four winged Fallen Angel stretched his wings wide open, then leapt into the air with shocking speed. He met the descending angels halfway in the air, and as his blade met with that of the four winged angel, a loud, clear clang echoed in the air. The echo faded a moment later, immediately followed by the sounds of metal hitting metal, over and over again. As Azazel held his ground against the dozen or so angels attacking him from all sides, the four winged angel flew further up blade in hand, and pointed his weapon down, towards Azazel. Kyle bit his lips. Azazel had no weapons. He stopped the blades aiming for him with spells – solidifying the air and countering the strikes with that. As ingenious and useful that ability was, it certainly left him at a disadvantage against his enemies. And that disadvantage soon began to show itself by way of the Fallen Angel slowly losing ground, being forced to retreat. Every beat of his wings carried him back and down. His normally calm face t

His ears soon began to ring. Each step he climbed made the pressure wrong. Each step was a challenge. It felt like his legs were leaden. He felt sluggish, with little energy to waste on anything but taking one more step.He wanted to give up. He wanted to sit down, and let the pressure subside. Let the ringing in his ears stop. A short break, he told himself over and over again while his gaze remained fixed on the Fallen Angel’s back.He showed no sign of stopping. He climbed the stairs slowly, but deliberately. Each step he took was filled with confidence. His wings slowly began to glow with an ethereal light as they reached the halfway point.Soon, the layer of clouds blocking the sky began to scatter. Rays of blinding white sunlight pierced the clouds, illuminating the palace below for a split second before the shadow of something large blocked their path.“Hurry,” The Fallen Angel’s voice reached his ears. It was but a whisper,

Azazel folded his wings and dove down into the city streets. Beams of light, unnatural gusts of wind, and ethereal tendrils chased them as the Fallen Angel masterfully navigated the narrow pathways between the tall, weird buildings.Kyle clenched his fists as beams of light hit the rooftops, sending pieces of roof tiles, and building blocks flying. The white ethereal tendrils chased Azazel, but the Fallen Angel was too fast for them.Kyle’s gaze remained fixed on the skies above. The layer of clouds had almost completely scattered, replaced by a sea of wings and eyes, all watching him and Azazel.Even from so far away, these beings were gigantic.“I can’t fly us over the white sea like this.” Azazel hissed as he beat his wings, and took a sharp turn left, narrowly missing a building corner. That name corner shattered not a moment later as beams of light hit it without pause. “I’ll need to go below.”“Below? Below where?” Kyle asked, trying to contain his nausea. He had completely lost