Chapter Text
He is the perfect artist.
In the beginning, He created the heavens and the earth. Seeing that it was empty, hollow, and dim, He lit up the world and separated it from darkness. He then called the light day and the darkness night.
On the second day, He created the firmament, separating the waters above from the waters below. The waters under the firmament were called water, and the firmament He called Heaven.
On the third day, He created the dry land and called it Earth, along with the great oceans, which are called Sea. He then decorated the dry land with trees and plants that yielded fruits according to their kind, adding vibrant greens to the earth’s blue and brown hues.
On the fourth day, He placed lights in the firmament to divide the day from night, mark signs and seasons, days and years, and to give light on the earth. On this day, He made two great lights – so bright that it is impossible for them to cross paths with each other. The greater light rules the day, while the lesser light rules the night. It was the Sun and the Moon.
On the fifth day, He graced the earth with living creatures: birds that fly across the skies above and fish that swim in the waters below. “Be fruitful and multiply!” He blessed these creatures, filling the sea with fish and sky with birds.
On the sixth day, life continued. He brought forth more living creatures on the earth: animals that live on land – cattle, creeping things, and beasts, each according to its kind. On the same day, He also made a man according to His image and likeness. This man would have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, over cattle, over creeping things, and over all the earth, making him the most intelligent living creature He created.
Adam, the first man on the earth, fell into a deep sleep while He was visiting. Then, He took one of Adam’s ribs and created the first woman, Eve, to be his partner and companion. “Be fruitful and multiply!” His blessing extended to the man and woman. He entrusted his creation to them, giving them responsibility over the earth, before He returned.
And on the seventh day, He rested, content with all He had created, bringing His work to completion.
Who knew that in just six short days, He could sculpt the world from nothingness, shaping void and chaos into light and shadow, earth and sea? With each stroke of His will, He created beauty into existence – trees that would sway with the wind, stars that would guide the lost, and waters that would mirror the heavens.
But neither the sun nor the sea was the pinnacle of His creation; it was the man and the woman, created in His image and likeness, entrusted with His creation.
Yet perfection would not last.
For the earth He created for them was not theirs alone.
In the ethereal realms above, stood the angels, radiant and filled with unwavering loyalty. Meanwhile, in the shadows below, the devil and demons stirred, restless and watching. And upon the earth, their paths would cross, giving rise to a narrative that perhaps even He could not have anticipated.
The angels in heaven, the demons in hell. The angels walk on earth, and the demons rise from the shadows.
🪽
“Wake up, Huang Renjun!”
The sharp clatter of a tray hitting the table made Renjun groan.
Head tucked into his folded arms, he shifted slightly but didn’t bother lifting his head. “Don’t start, Zhong. I’m tired, I barely slept.”
“Well, that’s your fault, isn’t it?” Chenle shot back, sitting down with a huff. “You stayed up all night watching those creepy spiritual documentaries again, didn’t you? Your obsession is ridiculous,” Placing a coffee near his friend.
Renjun finally lifted his head, squinting at Chenle through bleary eyes. “Hey! Don’t make stuff up now. I wasn’t watching that anymore.” His protest sounded weak, even to himself.
“Oh yeah?” Chenle smirked, pointing his spoon at him. “Then what’s your excuse? Let me guess – you were too busy reading about angels and devils?”
Renjun froze for a moment, then groaned. “For your information, I was reading a paper for this elective. Unlike some people.”
“Sure, you were.” Chenle said, taking a bite of his food, “After reading about angels and devils!” He snickered, earning a scowl from Renjun.
What’s the point of arguing? It’s partially true anyway.
Eight years in Catholic school, and he never really paid attention to angels and devils this deeply. Heck, the whole Christian Living subject they are required to take inside those 8 years. But something shifted in summer after graduation. A lingering curiosity that spiraled into a fascination he couldn’t shake.
Now, here he was, barely able to keep his eyes open after binging yet another documentary and articles about celestial myths until dawn.
“Obsession is unhealthy, you know,” Chenle said, now pointing his fork at him. “Next thing you know, you’ve summoned an angel.”
“Or worse, a demon!” He added, his expression turning sour. Renjun didn’t answer. His mind wandered to the strange dream he had the night before – blinding lights, a neighborhood in chaos, and a voice he couldn’t forget: “No… No! Renjun!”
“Renjun,” A smack in his arm wakes him up from the memory of his dream. “Earth to Renjun? Hello?”
He shakes his head lightly to wake himself up. He turned his head to his right and he saw Jaemin, the third person to their little trio. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Ya, Chenle, did he not sleep again last night?” Jaemin, letting out a giggle at his disposition. “You look like shit, Jun. You should stop whatever you are doing at night.”
Chenle squeaked at his friend’s statement, “See! I’m not the only one bothered by this! Jaemin, scold him more for me, please! Renjun, listen to the student nurse! Or a soon-to-be student nurse! My bad.”
Renjun lets out a loud sigh. “Please, I’m already short on sleep. I don’t want to hear anything anymore! Besides, we’re finally seeing each other after a month, cut me some slack.”
He’s guilty. It’s all true. He’s guilty because it’s all true. But does he really need to hear this every time they get a chance to talk? From the messages to in-person? He’s nearing the end of it all.
Jaemin frowns upon hearing Renjun’s frustrated reply. “Hey, hey! Okay, we’re only kidding. I’m sorry, Junnie, for teasing you like that,” he says, massaging Renjun’s shoulder. “But seriously speaking, Junnie, don’t spend your sleeping hours on things like that anymore. You don’t want to summon a demon, no?” He chuckled.
“Chenle already said that. I know, I know.” Renjun rolls his eyes.
“No, but seriously Junnie, why and since when are you so obsessed with angels?” Chenle’s voice avoided the awkward air. Jaemin moved his body a little closer to the table, anticipating Renjun’s answer.
Renjun stirred the warm coffee with the spoon, “I’m not obsessed with them.”
“You literally texted ‘I feel like they’re watching over me’ last week.”
“I was joking!”
“You sent me a picture of you crying after watching a documentary.”
“I cry over little things! I literally cry over cute dog videos,” He rolled his eyes.
“Renjun, you literally have soft bound books related to celestial creatures,” Chenle persisted.
Jaemin chuckles, “You do! I saw your shelf full of it in your bedroom,” which made Renjun turn to him, feeling betrayed. “You said I should buy them when we’re on a book sale!”
“Yes, I did! And it’s cute!” Jaemin said, still smiling. “You asked me if you should buy it and I said yes.”
Chenle cackled. “See? What’s the point of denying? Even Jaemin has seen it!”
“I hate both of you,” Renjun rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee. “Hey, big head! Have you finished eating? I still need to pick up some of Mama’s flowers from the supplier at 4. It’s almost 3:30, my time is not always free, you know.” He shifts his body to face Chenle.
“Almost done! Can I come with you? I need to kill some time because I don’t wanna go home early.” His friend says which earned a hum from Renjun.
“Let’s go! I’ll come with you too!” Jaemin inserted.
“You sure? You’re not busy?” Renjun asks the brown-haired boy.
“Hmm, no. I already finished tasks in my study schedule so I’m technically free for today,” He replied gladly to the shorter. “And besides, I miss your grandma too. I haven’t visited her for a long time since my shift switched to night!” Jaemin added.
“If you insist. Did you bring your car with you, though? I’m only driving the old truck.” Renjun asks embarrassingly to his friend. Not that you could blame him. Jaemin had a more comfortable upbringing, after all.
“No, I didn’t. Are you worried? Don’t be! We’ve been friends for so long, Jun! It’s okay, I’m fine with everything.” Jaemin re-assures his overthinking friend.
“Eh… okay, you’ll drive then!”
“Which key should I use?” Chenle shouts while Renjun was counting the baskets sitting at the back of the truck. “Ah, found it!”
“Where do I put this?” He shouts again.
“Put it under the table, Le! Mama will also count it later when she gets home.” Renjun answers. “Jaem, can you put these white roses under the table as well? I just finished counting this one,” He said, grunting while lifting the basket from the trunk.
Minutes have passed and they finished unloading the basket of flowers they got from their supplier. They all gather in the living room with two electric fans on and are facing the three of them, drinking an ice cold cola as a reward to their tiring work.
“So… we’ll just wait for your grandma now, right?” Chenle, while chewing a chunk of ice from the drink. “Yeah, I’ll wait for her now. You guys can go home if you’re tired already, we’ve done so much today!” Renjun stood up from the sofa.
While picking up the cups on the table, his grandma enters their house. “Aha! I knew it, my grandsons are here!” She said with an open arms, ready to embrace Jaemin and Chenle.
“I’m here too, ma. I’m your real grandson!” Renjun jokes.
“Have you guys eaten? Good thing I bought a lot since I had a feeling you two will be here too,” She said, putting the bucket of chicken on the coffee table of the living room. “Jun, go set up the table so we could eat.” She commanded.
“Urgh! Go say it to your other grandsons!” He rolls his eyes jokingly again to his mama.
“You’re so whiny! I’ll help you set the table up so Jaemin and Grandma can catch up.” Chenle finally sat up and went to the kitchen with him.
🪽
The dawn has come again for Renjun.
Technically, he has finished all his tasks for the day including sending his two friends home and his advance reading for his upcoming semester. His only dilemma tonight was between sleeping early or watching an American series about angels and demons.
“Well, another episode wouldn’t hurt, right?” The words slipped out his mouth nonchalantly as his fingers moved, almost pressing the ‘next episode’ button like a reflex.
But then, with a tired sigh, he added, “No, I should probably skip today.”
Annoyed with himself, he set the laptop and phone down on his side table. As if the decision were final, he laid back in his bed, burying his head under the pillow in an attempt to sleep – and to block out the guilty thoughts.
Renjun’s eyes shut closed as his mind wandered, the weight of the day pressing down on him. He lay still, his thoughts drifting aimlessly as he questioned what his sleep would bring. Would it be a dreamless, empty void, like the countless nights before? Or would it be yet another restless nightmare?
Growing up, Renjun never really experienced having dreams. Whenever he slept, it was always pitch black – no images, no sounds, no dreams whatsoever. However, strangely enough, only a week before his fixation on the heavenly realms began, he had his first-ever dream. No, not a dream – a nightmare.
In it, there was a boy, standing in front of him. Slightly taller than him with a slender build, his silhouette was unnervingly vivid.
The afternoon sun stood high across the sky, casting a warm, golden light over everything it touched. The breeze was gentle, soft against his skin as it made the trees and grass dance, whispering through the leaves. There was a quietness that lingered in the air, like a calm before a storm, waiting for something to break the silence.
Renjun, a young teenager in the dream, more or less 14 years old, wore a deep frown and his head bowed low. The first thing he saw was a pair of brown loafers. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he lifted his gaze. The boy stood tall, dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt, neatly pressed khaki trousers, and an ivy cap that sits perfectly on the top of his head.
But there was no face.
And body?
Standing in front of him was a boy, seemingly around his age, dressed in a complete outfit. But where his face should have been, there was only light – a blinding, radiant light that seemed form the boy’s entire body.
His presence was as unsettling as it was familiar; like something out of a forgotten memory.
“There you are,” the boy muttered.
It can speak!
Renjun tilts his head out of confusion, his brows knitting together. And then, the world seemed to stop.
The trees that once danced with the wind slowed – as if the time itself is gradually freezing.
Everything around them stilled along with the time, but the boy did not.
Reaching out his hand – the light that forms a hand – the boy said, “Come with me. I know a place where we can hide.” His voice was calm yet urgent. “Hurry, Renjun!”
Before Renjun could even process the moment, he reached out and grasped the boy’s hand.
The second their hands met, the world around them shifted. The warm, golden light of the afternoon vanished as if it had never existed. The sky, once a clear blue, darkened into a heavy blackness, swallowing the light whole.
The once green fields also shifted to shadowed streets. The vibrant blades of grass that swayed gently in the breeze were now replaced by cold, barren pavement. The trees that had stood tall, casting shadow over him just a moment earlier, were now twisted in blocked houses.
The once peaceful afternoon, filled with the soft chirping of the birds and the rustle of leaves, was now consumed by a heavy silence, broken only by the sound of their footsteps. They ran – ran and ran – through the deserted streets of the city.
Renjun’s breath came quick and uneven, his heart pounding in his chest. The air is thick with a stifling silence, the city seemed to be watching over them. Its vacant windows are like lifeless eyes, devoid of life. The boy leading him glanced back at him and suddenly stopped for a while.
“Are you tired? Let’s hide behind these barrels first. We haven’t lost them yet, they must be here somewhere.” the boy suggested, his voice laced with concern, but urgent.
Without hesitation, they both crouched behind the barrels. Renjun closed his eyes, still catching his breath, trying to calm his heart and the pounding in his ears.
But when he opened them – it was morning.
The world he is in has shifted again. The whispers came from the people who were disturbed in their houses, and the air felt heavy, suffocating. Two bodies sprawled before him, both drenched in blood.
He looked around frantically, searching for the boy who had just been with him just moments earlier – but he was gone.
Renjun swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he peeked through the gaps between the barrels. His eyes scanned the bodies sprawled on the ground, lifeless and unmoving.
It was him! He breathily whispered to himself, his voice shaky with disbelief.
His gaze shifted on the other body laying just above the boy he was with earlier. His breath caught, his chest tightening as his eyes widened in shock.
The other person… was him.
Panic clawed in Renjun’s throat, causing him to tumble back a little and send his palm to his lips. The world spun around him, while his breathing grew shallow and uneven.
“No… no, this can’t be happening,” he choked out, pinching his arm hard, desperate to wake himself up.
But the nightmare wouldn’t end.
He closes his eyes again, hard, hoping this nightmare would end. As he opened his eyes again, it was pitch black.
“I see I have found you again,” a voice echoed in his right, cold and almost haunting.
Renjun froze, his body going rigid as the words continued to echo in his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to turn around, not yet. Something in the tone – familiar yet foreign – sent a chill creeping down his spine.
The air thickened around him, suffocating, as if time itself had stopped to watch.
“I’ll see you around, my favorite being,” the voice echoed again, laced with a mocking snicker. “For now, I’ll simply watch over you. Brace yourself, though – your guilt is about to hunt you… again.”
The voice let out a laugh that resonated throughout the entire space, each echo digging deeper into his bones, until Renjun was left gasping for breath.
He jolted awake with a gasp in his throat from the suffocation. The sensation from the dream lingered, it was heavy, cold, but warm at the same time, but the dream was starting to slip through his fingers like sand between glass.
It was not the first time it happened.
And it would not be the last.