Chapter Text
It hadn't been easy. Fighting with your family was never easy. Losing was even harder.
The Rebellion had been passionate and fought with glorious rage. It had ended rather anticlimactically, though. They'd watched from the lower battlefield as Lucifer and Michael's blades had met and then -
The Fall.
To say that the falling Angels had been shocked was an understatement. To say that they were afraid was a misrepresentation. To say that it felt as if their hearts had been broken by a hot shard of hatred was rather accurate. If you were to ask any one of the fallen afterward how long they had plummeted, they would give varying answers. Time hadn't really decided how it wanted to flow yet, and it seemed as if someone was using that to their advantage to play a very cruel joke on those who'd had the soft sands of Heaven pulled out from under them. For Hastur, he would say he'd fallen for approximately three days before he thought he'd stopped. And by thought, he actually kept falling another three before he was finished. The first jolt that had tricked him was when his ethereal body passed through a cloud of thick heavy smog. Black and ashy it had clouded his vision and choked his lungs. No matter how ethereal one was, breathing in ash was rather uncomfortable. Especially when it was so hot the temperature for it hadn't been invented yet.
The second time, though, he'd actually landed along with several others. One being his close shield mate from above, Ligur, a gentleman at heart but the curses that slipped from Ligur's mouth (later on it would be noted that many of humanities favorite curses had been invented by Ligur) after the fall would make God herself blush. Both of them had landed in the sulfuric lake. And oh it had been painful. Not enough to kill them, but enough for it to burn deep. Deeper than the flesh, deeper than the mind. It was dreadful. The only thing more dreadful than the pain of forcing their bodies to the craggy shore, wings heavy and threatening to drag them down, was the sound. Hell had never been quiet. In the very first second Hell had been created, sound had been infecting it's every nook and cranny. The first sound had been Lucifer realizing what had been done to their fellows, the next sounds were the pain of those aforementioned fellows.
As Hastur and Ligur found themselves on the sharp, black, glassy, shores of their new land they finally tuned into the sounds of the others. Their own pained gasps and whines drowned out by the screams of those who were still falling. Shocked and frightened at the circumstances they'd landed in, or were about to land in. Others in shock and panic, writhing in the lakes acid, feathered wings burning in the liquids they'd landed in. Desperate to grab onto the hands of those with working wings who'd had enough forethought to fly out and rescue their siblings who'd become trapped in the lake. Some had landed on the craggy shore, blood oozing out slow from deep wounds resulting in the impact. Landing on their backs on sharp, rocky points, left gasping with hands still reaching for the closing holes of light above them.
After catching their breaths, Hastur and Ligur set to help those less fortunate than themselves. Their wings were shedding feathers more rapidly than their tears, leaving the two to walk barefoot across the shores. Volcanic glass hadn't been a thing until that day, and with everyone who fell the shore shattered further. Hundreds of sharp, tiny, blades cutting the feet of those walking across it. Nowhere could they find respite, but oh how they all tried. Those with most strength were pushing slabs of stone to form makeshift huts. Some gathered the lost feathers to make places for the injured to lay within said huts.
As for Hastur and his friend they gathered up those too injured to move. Ligur at their heads, and Hastur at their feet, carrying them to the small havens being constructed. Leaving the injured Angels to be cared for by those who had not yet succumbed to the haunted looks they wore. Hardly a word had been spoken between the two as they set out. There was little to say. A grunt of pain, a look that asked for their health, and a shake of the head that kept them moving. Both of them too afraid to ask the question all the fallen were thinking.
What were they now?
They'd yet to come up with the word 'demon' yet, but all the fallen who'd managed to collect themselves had felt something absent in their souls. Some might call it a loss of grace, some might call it the loss of love. But if one were to witness the fallen flying out over a lake of acid to rescue their brethren no matter how much pain they themselves were in, it was clear they hadn't actually lost any love. Well, they'd lost someone's love just not the love they held for each other. Hastur had decided to swallow the thought and keep working. It didn't matter what they'd lost, he had to believe it was worth it. Several who-knows-what-unit-of-time later, though, and that resolve was growing heavier to carry. The falls were far and few between now, and most of the injured had been gathered together in the huts. Little could be done for them, though, they had nothing here. No light to set broken wings by, no clean water to wash wounds suffered in the lake. They only had each other.
Which is where we find Hastur and Ligur now. Leaning heavily on each other, wings curling around their bodies as they marched the shores. Looking for any they'd missed as things calmed down. Or calmed down as much as they could. A few Angels were flying out far over the lake, checking for distant shores, or islands where their fellows might have landed. The shore was craggy and dotted by large, black, hunks of obsidian that could easily hide one too injured to crawl into view. Both he and Ligur ignored the cuts on their feet as they searched, taking care to check around ever large stone, every rock that might conceal one of their own. Together they reached the end of the shore, farthest from where the huts had been constructed, the land was far less broken here - but sharper. Long stretches of the volcanic rock, lined by sharp, menacing edges. Hastur and Ligur moved slower, as they approached another hunk of rock to check behind. They couldn't afford to slip. But, oh, did the shore want them to slip. Hastur's feet, bloody and throbbing, kept threatening to slip against the rock. Blood slick against the smooth surface, threatening to drop him against the knife-like stone or into the acid they walked aside. He couldn't be more thankful that Ligur was with him, helping hold him up as they made it to the rock.
Exhaustion wasn't something the two not-quite-Angels had experienced before. But Hastur and Ligur were quickly learning it was a dreadful feeling. Both of them carefully leaning against the rock they'd come so far to investigate just to try and find some relief. Of course, though, the rock was dreadfully hot to the touch. Only burning their skin as they tried, futilely, to get some respite amongst all the chaos. They met each other's eyes, both not having the courage to tell the other what had become of the feature. It was a brief moment they shared, somewhat distraught they'd come so far for nothing, but it was a brief moment of comfort. A comfort found within each other, something that someone couldn't take away no matter how they tried. Hastur took Ligur's arm around his shoulder and they started off, to head back.
It was as they began to move, though, did he notice something among the sea of black surrounding them. Hastur put one hand on Ligur's chest, to stop them from moving as gently as he could. Eyes squinting to look more appraisingly at the area behind the rock. Among the black, an impossible black there was a color he'd not expected. A jolt of fear shot through his heart at the thought of what would have happened had he not taken a second look.
"What is it?", Ligur whispered, the other's voice still hoarse from so many mouthfuls of sulfur.
"Someone's there."
Ligur turned to look. Both of them heading to the almost invisible body among the glass. Their robe was blackened, perhaps burned by the cloud of smog, and their wings just as dark. It seemed this one had the unfortunate luck of landing halfway between the acid and the shore, one of those pitch wings was twisted in a rather uncomfortable position and their legs coated in burns from the acid. A small trail of fallen feathers lined the ground from the edge of the lake to where the Angel had collapsed now. What had caught Hastur's attention enough to take a second look, though, was the tangled mess of red curls the fallen Angel had.
Approaching their collapsed form, Hastur slowly began to recognize them. One of the Angels that more or less just sat and listened to Lucifer in the early days of the rebellion. Listening, asking questions on occasion, but not quite as passionate as some of the others. Hastur was almost a little shocked to see them among the fallen, he hadn't been sure they'd properly joined the rebellion. Now at their side, he and Ligur knelt before them.
With a gentle hand, Hastur made to rouse the fallen, "Hey. C'mon mate, are you awake?"
He truly hoped they were, his arms were aching, tired from the numerous fallen he'd carried to the sanctuary. After a few solemn moments of silence, Hastur was sure they'd have to carry this poor soul(?) as well. Ligur sighed and they moved to take the fallen up into their arms, stopping short when the redhead finally twitched. Movements slow and lethargic, as the fallen pushed themselves up. Hands straining against the sharp ground, but eventually, they were able to turn enough to meet Hastur's eyes. At that moment, Hastur almost wished that they had been unconscious, though. As something finally clicked in his mind.
You see once upon a time, Hastur had beautiful, long, silken hair. Hair the color of flax but softer than some wings. It wasn't long after they'd dragged themselves out of the sulfur, though, did he notice that it was all gone now. Not a single lock or strand of it left. Insult to injury it seemed. Even Lucifer seemed to have been given the same treatment. The light that had once surrounded them replaced by a dreadful aura of shadow. He'd almost not recognized them as they marched across the grounds giving commands to those well enough to hear them. And now this Angel, this Angel whose name he'd never quite remembered but who had had eyes bright and full of love. Almost glowing they had been when they were above, a color that was indescribable but familiar all the same. Now... now they were a sickly yellow, with pupils slit vertically at the center. It was chilling to behold. Hastur didn't wish to be the one to break the news to the one before him. And if the way Ligur's hand tightened against Hastur's smoldering robes, he wasn't alone in that thought.
"You alright mate?", Hastur said, swallowing their surprise, "can you stand?"
The other Angel looked about them owlishly. Taking in the well, hellish, surroundings they'd landed in.
"What happened?" was all they asked.
"We're. Not quite sure yet. Everyone is here, though."
"Everyone?"
"From the rebellion at least. We're gathering together, further up on the shore. Let's go over together."
The redhead's eyes looked upwards. Body twisting to look to the smog above them. Hastur felt nauseous watching how their wing twisted with the effort. How were they not in debilitating pain?
"This isn't Heaven, is it?"
"No. It's not", Ligur answered this time, "But it's ours. We just need to make it work."
"... why'd this happen?"
Hastur held back a sigh. Always with the questions, this one. He was starting to remember that. One of the reasons they must have started hanging about with Lucifer must have been that their rebellious leader actually answered them. Unlike Michael, and especially unlike Gabriel who'd always just sent the other on their way without an answer. Now was not the time for questions, though.
"C'mon, let's join the others. Lucifer will tell us soon what has happened."
He nodded to Ligur, and together they took the redhead by the arms, heaving them upwards. To their credit, the redhead hardly grunted, not letting the extent of their pain be advertised further.
What he said next, though, almost stopped them in their tracks, "What do we do now?"
What indeed? Hastur looked across the ruined fields of black glass and ash. The cries had quieted down, the falling had almost stopped. Whispers echoed over the landscape, as they all asked the same question or variations of it. He hardly knew the answer, Ligur didn't either. This was all so very new in a world that hadn't had anything new in a long time. So Hastur said what the could.
"We stay together."
It was a resolved enough statement. And with it, they marched on towards the gathered fallen. Of all things, the redhead that he and Ligur had found needed that wing set properly. Less it heals backward and broken.
"Who are you again?"
"Hastur. Don't think we worked together much upstairs", upstairs, what a way to speak of it he thought, "Different projects."
"Ligur. Same here. Worked with Hastur a lot. A lot of stars in the making. Who're you?"
There was a drawn-out moment of silence before the redhead spoke again, "Stars... loved those. I helped with the nebulas."
Hastur just nodded silently. Ligur seemed less inclined to leave that there.
"The nebulas were good. I knew someone over in galaxies. Prick, he was, but the nebulas were always gorgeous. You got a name then?"
Another moment of silence and then -
"Not sure yet."
Hastur and Ligur shared a look. Always a strange one this Angel had been.
"We've got time to figure it out", was all Hastur said.
Their conversation fell away at that point. It was a long walk back to the sloppy structures that had been erected, and it appeared that Lucifer was getting ready to address them all. There would be more time later. Always more time. For now, Hastur and Ligur just walked as gently as they could. Biting their tongue against the pain in their feet, and the shame that hung over all the fallen. Together with a redheaded Angel who wasn't quite yet sure of what to call themselves hung between them, and they just walked. Hastur imagined it could be worse. It could always be far worse. But it was fine for right now. They were all together.