Jester and I walked without purpose—two wretched creatures drifting across the surface like we didn't belong to this world or the one beneath it.
Eventually, the silence broke.
"Where were you all this time?" I asked.
He stretched lazily, as if the question entertained him.
"Preparing for the war," he said. "Speaking of it… how's the underground?"
The sunset bled across the sky like a dying beast.
"Well," I said, "Gluttony and Envy went to Hell for some business. No idea what. The others stayed."
Jester smirked—a knowing, wicked curl.
"Just as I predicted…"
I frowned. "What does that even mean?"
He lit a cigarette, the smoke curling upward like a grin taking shape.
"Lust, Gluttony, and Envy rule Hell whenever Lucifer disappears. If all of them left, then Lucifer's busy with something far bigger than ruling Hell."He laughed softly."That means we may actually survive."
His version of hope was always twisted.
I asked politely—surprising even myself:
"Then explain something for me. Who are the nine figures I keep seeing in my dreams?"
He didn't pause.
"After Adam—the first man—died, his lineage split. Those who resisted Lucifer became Heaven's Apostles. God's wrath made flesh."
I nodded.
"And the ones who didn't resist him?"
Jester's smirk sharpened.
"Then they became Fallen Humans. Or Overlords. Your mother was the only one at the time strong enough to earn the title—the Sin of Corruption."
So she was even older and filthier than I imagined.
"I see…"
I shoved my hands into my torn pockets."Anywhere specific you want to go?"
His grin widened like a wound.
"I'm glad you asked."
He clapped his hands.
I opened my eyes in a forsaken bar.
Red and black lights bled across the walls.Demons laughed like hyenas.Mortals gambled away decades of their lifespans with stupid smiles.Couples made out with no shame.Sinners drank and roared and drowned their lives in noise.
For the first time in a long while, I felt… something.
Jester pushed open a glass door."Come on."
The deeper we walked, the bigger the bar seemed.Reality bent for sin.
Jester pointed toward a tall, broad-shouldered man with golden hair and a burn scar under his jaw.
Pride.
Sitting beside him was Lust—radiant, dangerous, composed.
Jester dragged me forward by the hand.
They waved.
Pride grinned."Fancy seeing you, Jester. And… Corruption? Sorry, forgot your name."
Lust elbowed him."It's Sammail, moron. Sit down."
I hesitated only until Jester winked.Then I sat.
Seeing Pride and Lust together reminded me of my dream—how they clung to each other like a twisted, married couple.Cute. None of my business.
"So," Lust asked, "what brings you two here?"
"Visiting graves," Jester said casually. "And you?"
They answered together:
"Nothing."
Their cheeks flushed.
Jester and I burst into laughter.Then the two of them joined in.
Pride eyed my hair with suspicion.
"You look different. What happened to it?"
I answered calmly:
"I ate my mother's soul and killed my stepbrother."
Silence.
Pride and Lust blinked.
Jester patted my back dramatically."Very specific, Sammail… though let's not mention I manipulated you into any of that."
The awkwardness thickened.
Lust whispered,"You two are close. Jester hasn't been this lively since your mother died."
Pride muttered,"Rude."
I waved it off."Don't worry. I killed her anyway."
Conversation resumed. Drinks flowed.For a moment, the world pretended to be normal.
Then they entered.
Two presences sliced through the bar—angelic light so bright it burned my eyes.
Everyone stopped.
The first angel:A tall woman with white hair and cold blue eyes. Beauty wrapped in holiness—suffocating.
The second:A short blond man with venom-green eyes and a grin so smug I wanted to tear it off his face.
Pride's gentle smile vanished.Something monstrous surfaced beneath his skin.
Jester smirked.Lust tensed.
The woman glared at us.
"So these are the ones who killed the lost son?"
I raised my hand like answering roll call."Guilty."
Jester laughed like a madman.
Her face twisted with hatred.
"Heaven ordered us to annihilate every demon and fallen human we see."She summoned a glowing angelic blade."So who dies first?"
The four of us exchanged looks.
Then burst into laughter.
Who declares war on an entire bar full of demons—and FOUR of the strongest fallen?
The blond angel stepped forward proudly.
"You haven't realized who's standing before you, have you?"He pointed at Pride."He is Avarius—the apostle who fell because of her seduction."His eyes slid to Lust."I don't know how anyone falls for a filthy bitch like that.."
Heat erupted instantly.
Jester smirked, delighted.Lust's eyes sharpened with murderous hunger.Pride stood up slowly.
His presence crushed the air—a golden, divine monster forged from arrogance and wrath.
"Insulting me is one thing…" Pride said softly,"…but insulting the woman I love?"
The angel scoffed.
"You think any of you can—"
Pride grabbed his skull mid-sentence.
Squeezed.
The angel screamed—bones cracking violently.
The girl lunged toward Pride—
—but couldn't even scratch him.
The blond angel's head exploded in Pride's hand, showering the floor in holy blood.
The woman collapsed, trembling, sobbing like a dying animal.
Pride turned toward her next—
his golden eyes glowing with holy ecstasy.