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The sound of steel dancing on marble resonated around me, deafening in the silence of the holy room. My sword had flown from my hands before I could even think, the world tunneling into only what was in front of me - Him. The atmosphere made my vision go red and dark, it made my thoughts incoherent. I furrowed my brow, barred my teeth, and knelt, my eyes staying on His. Submissive, but not polite. Malleable, yet irate.
“My son,” His voice echoed in my mind, I bit my tongue until I could swear I tasted blood, “what have you done?”
“Nothing, father.” My voice was hollow, my lie not gaining any traction in the air.
“...We will try again.” He sighed, taking a step towards me, his light blinding me. My mind told me to look away, but I stood my ground, staring into His burning eyes as He glowered at me. “What have you done, Luke?”
"Nothing untoward, father.”
“You have sinned.” His voice was matter-of-fact, positive of his accusation. My eyes strayed from His for a second, a mistake I couldn’t stop fast enough. I felt the air shift, His words engraving themselves into my skull. “You have defiled the soul I gifted you with.”
“I have done no such thing, father-”
“You will not lie to me, child.” Sharper than my sword laying next to me, His voice embedded itself into my body. I glanced back up to Him, trying to control my breathing as He stared at me, daring me to respond.
“I... I’m-”
“I would choose your next words wisely, Luke.”
I swallowed thickly, stopping in my tracks. What could I say to Him to change His mind? Even if I managed to get my words out, to properly articulate myself under His unwavering glare, would He even listen? Probably not. I took a deep breath. “I am sorry, father. Please forgive me, it will not happen again.”
“ Are you sorry? Do you even know what you have done? Are you just saying that to pacify me?”
“I am deeply sorry, father. I have sinned, but I promise that I had good intentions-” Shit, I shouldn’t have said that.
“‘Good intentions’?” He shone brighter, His agitation clear in the air. “What could possibly be ‘good’ about sin? You have tarnished your soul, Luke.”
Sputtering slightly, I looked just to the right of His eyes, not being able to look directly at Him while I struggled to recover my thoughts. “I was simply testing the demons, my Lord. Those vile creatures - they tempt us angels so often - I only thought it was logical to attempt the same on them.” Sweat dripped down my brow as I held my breath.
“You thought copying demons was the right thing to do?”
"Not- not necessarily, father, just that- that-”
"‘That’?”
Fuck. Shit. Come on. “That it might work, you know, damn them further, guarantee their place outside of our realm. Torture them more, of course. This was for their punishment, father, not for my enjoyment.”
The silence that enveloped the room while He considered what I had said was strangling me, restricting me, holding my breath in my throat. I gulped inaudibly, making a mental effort to not pray for Him to let me go.
“That is not your job, Luke.”
“I know, father, I apologize for stepping out of line, it won’t happen again.”
Silence again. I heard my sweat drop to the floor in front of me. At least, I thought it was my sweat, and hoped it wasn’t me crying in front of God. I felt Him sigh, felt His heat release me as He stepped away. My shoulders dropped slightly, relieved to have distance between us again.
“If you do anything other than your job again, my son-”
“I won’t, I promise.”
“-You will not like the outcome.”
“I am sure, father, it won’t happen again.”
He turned from me, finally leaving me cast in shadow. I let my head fall, catching my breath.
“You are free to go.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” I quickly reached over to grab my sword, finding the rough grip comforting. Just as swiftly, I unfurled my wings and sprinted out of the room, pushing into the air the moment I passed the entrance.
My breathing was unruly, making my flying unsteady. Subconsciously, I knew I should land somewhere to catch my breath, to reorganize my thoughts, but I couldn’t, I had to leave, to go. I had to get anywhere other than where the light and the eyes and the words would burn me to the bone. Shutting my eyes tight, I let out a silent scream as I nosedived, knowing the one place I could find solace was where the light wouldn’t be able to reach me.