01

Jeonghan's hair trails behind him in a cascade of shimmering obsidian, the ends brushing the hem of his garments with every step he takes. They are white by contrast, inlaid with scintillating silver thread; in his fingers he dangles a loosely clutched harp. His eyes meet Lucifer's as they pass each other in the halls, each angel the representative of Venus in the light of day and night. The path they walk spans the heavens, and the angel sits among the host of his brethren and plucks the first gentle notes to usher in the dusk.

"King of Heaven, Creator of all,
Hallowed be Thy Name..."

The others take up the chorus, the sound of praise swelling and lulling in a manner not unlike the peaceful churning of the deepest oceans. They continue like this until the next morn, but as his gaze connects with Lucifer's again, he sees the mild dissatisfaction he feels within reflected in the other's orbs. Is this all there is for me?

02

The ruler of all realms bears a pulchritude that beggars all description. Jeonghan has never quite been able to handle looking Him directly in the face, but he sees the frown that He directs to the angel at his side. Lucifer's eyes are burning suns that compels - demands - all of one's attention.

As Jeonghan kneels before the King, he believes that it is easier to gift loyalty to one whose face is arrogantly magnificent, rather than one whose countenance is humbling, belittling, degrading.

"Lucifer."
The voice of their Lord rumbles throughout the throne room, vast as the very skies and as commanding as thunder.

"My Lord." The answering cadence is gentle rain, but it sneers the title and instigates Michael's ire.

"You dare mock our Creator?"
He is quelled by God's hand, but his sword is already drawn and his body is two strides closer to the throne.

"Kneel." Comes the command, but Lucifer does not heed it.

"Treachery!"
The court ignores Michael's declaration, but the very atmosphere is beset with unspoken agreement; all except for that which surrounds those already prostrated before the throne.

"Phosphorous, you forget your place. The voice with which you have been blessed, incomparable to all others; the position you have been granted, second only to myself; the body which houses your spirit, all have been given to you by the Father. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. You have sinned on this day, you and your strays; iniquity cannot be allowed to reside within Heaven's Gates."

The angels that stand commence their song, but it is terrible in its crescendo and promises holy reparation.

"Do I exist only to sing your praises? What of the Earth's beauty? What of the Sun, the Moon, the stars? You have created them all, but they are not all You. You have made me an individual, but where is my individuality?"

Jeonghan stands and draws his own weapon, the fires of the blade roaring as it connects with Michael's - the warrior having attempted to smite Lucifer where he stood.

 "Holy fire will burn the scourge,
The lands tremble with God's Might."

Jeonghan cries out as his back is slashed by Azrael, both wings lost. From its place sprouts buds as black as his hair. They are pushed back to the very edge of Heaven, Lucifer's fury matched equally by the righteous anger of Michael. Both his wings are also as dark as night.

Then they are falling, falling; the choir watches them fall, God coming to stand in the middle as their song echoes into the void.

"Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts
the Earth will be filled with His Glory."

Jeonghan closes his eyes.

03

Dust clings to Jeonghan's lips. He parts them to curse, but the wind causes his thick hair to smack into his face and he is left sputtering instead. Coy, feminine giggles meet his ear - he turns to send Lilith a scathing glance even as he plucks the strands off his tongue.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. I offered to cut it."

"I don't want your hands anywhere near me."

He doesn't hate her, not really; but she annoys him. Her voice is thick like syrup, always heavy with insinuation...and she always interrupts his thoughts by groping whatever part of him she could reach. She pouts her full lips and shifts closer, purposefully trailing the tips of her fingers along the ridge of his collarbone.

"Don't be like that," She coos, pale green eyes dancing with mischief, "Loosen up a little."

He is about to tell her where exactly she could shove that suggestion, but more laughter sounds on their right. Lucifer staggers over to the trio of Fallen, draping his arm over Lilith and tugging her (blessedly, Jeonghan thinks) to himself.

Jeonghan looks at the garden the chief daemon left. Through it, four rivers run, full with fish and pristine waters. Beasts can be seen amidst the foliage, but he does not see anything in particular that could inspire such hilarity. He quirks an eyebrow before voicing the question that they are all thinking.

"What have you done?" That stops the chuckling immediately. Leviathan wakes from his half doze and gives the other three his full attention.

"He has created another woman." Lilith stiffens beneath Lucifer's hand, but he only smirks as if this amuses him further. "She is nothing like you."

This finally pulls a laugh from Jeonghan as well; it is her turn to frown at him disapprovingly.
"She must have been a step in the right direction, then." Leviathan snorts before he steers the conversation back to its proper course.

 "Are they immortal beings like ourselves?"

"They were," Lucifer's grinning now, "But no longer. They are sustained by the fruit trees in that garden, and there is one that grants them eternal life. But there is another tree that represents knowledge - they were forbidden to eat from that."

"He is ridiculing us," Leviathan remarks, but Lucifer continues smugly on.

"Let us see what He does now."

Dusk descends on the party. All is still for scant seconds, then the full moon tinges blood red. Stars plummet from the inky sky, trailing behind one gargantuan meteor. This lands within the garden, the smaller of the assembly alighting around its perimeters. From the craters emerge three angels - one is Michael, who appears to instruct the two to follow after their Sire. Then his head twists and he watches them.

"I really don't like that guy." Leviathan grumbles.

The image of the archangel flickers before he's suddenly upon them, aristocratic features imperious and his sword out.

"I do not know why He lets you linger upon the face of the Earth. Though I wish to dispose the realms of your putrid existence, he has instead instructed me to give you this."

Lucifer takes a key from Michael's proffered hand, expression hard. Michael smiles, a terrible sight if there ever was one.

"Follow the course of the river Pishon. At its end stands the gates to your new home. He hopes that it is to your liking." And with a snicker, he vanishes.

"Couldn't we just not do what he says?" Lilith begins, but the land gives a sudden lurch beneath their feet and the sound of thundering hooves meet their ears. They are only given the chance to draw their swords and run, as all the animals ever created stampede in their direction.

They take to the skies, Jeonghan and Leviathan brandishing their weapons to cut a swathe through shrieking birds and creatures, only the trail of Pishon and the garden visible from the height. Their bodies are assuaged and pushed against their efforts in the direction Michael instructed them. Jeonghan sees the angel sentries escorting two people out of the garden, and more forming a circle around the massive tree in its centre.

Lilith screams and swings her sword - Jeonghan's nose crinkles as his head suddenly feels lighter. Short strands of hair wisp around his face, the ends brushing the tops of his shoulders.

"Uh...oops?"

Jeonghan resolves that, when their feet touch the ground once again, he will kill her.

04