Just Out of Reach

Chapter 2

Axel's Pov:

I walk through the barren hallways of the palace. Hearing the distant scream of the damned souls fated to be tortured for the rest of the after life. This would be my last day with my father, Lucifer himself. After I meet with him and bid my farewells, I travel to paradise. Where my mother lives.

"Excited to get out of this place?" I hear a smug voice behind me.

I turn around and see my twin brother, Leo. He's only a couple minutes older than me, but he is insanely fucking tall; plus we don't even look like twins. He glides over to me, standing before me like he was superior. I stare into his eyes. Then I notice the family painting on the wall. Leo looks at it as well and let out a chuckle. I smile a bit. Leo took on mother's looks; bright blue eyes, pale as snow, and a slim structure. I however took on my father's, after he turned into the devil. Horns and everything, but somehow I still had wings. Not wings like a vultures but like a doves. But I have been compared to that of a corpse. No warmth in my skin what so ever.

"Yeah, I'm excited to leave this hellhole and all of it's seven rings," replying to his question.

Leo nods, looking away from the painting and waiting for me to follow him to the throne room. I finally look away and walk with him. The servants open the gates and there we see; the ruler of hell himself. He targets us, signaling we come forward.

"Are you ready?" he says in his gruff and deep voice.

We both nod and then suddenly it fades to black.

-a good timeskip-

Suddenly I feel almost comforted. Not at the fact that I'm in paradise but the fact that I'm with mother again after eons of being in the underworld. Apparently time goes slower in the underworld, helps with the torture. But I'm pretty sure that it's slower in the wrath ring. Lucifer lives in the pride ring. The metropolis of hell.

"WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!"

"AH-WHAT THE FUCK!?"

Jumping out of my bed, I see Leo and his stupid messy bed hair. After being proud of the fact, he scared my soul back to hell, Leo continues to stare at me.

"What ya dreaming about~?"

"I was dreaming about chopping off your damn wings and then have mother disown you," I snap at him.

Leo laughs and then leave my room without closing the door. I fucking hate that bastard. Or maybe that was just me being grumpy about waking up. I'm not much of a morning person, more of a night owl. I put on a shirt and head to the dinning hall. Unlike father, mother lives in a secluded part of paradise. She works as a care giver for the younger souls, sometimes me and Leo would help out. Although I do get pity stares for looking more like a fucking demon. Some angels are just fucking assholes in disguises. I reach the dining hall and see mother and Leo eating their breakfast.

"Good morning Axel, how was your sleep?" mother asks me.

"It was good," I say back.

"I have been wondering if you guys would like to help me in the care center."

"Of course," Leo says

I nod with him. There actually wasn't much to do in paradise, it was more of relaxing and having simple pleasure. Although there are the guards and the archangels. They protect paradise from being hellhole number two. Mother takes note of the agreement between us and then takes off, leaving us alone to our own thoughts. Since I don't like the silence, I too leave Leo to his own device. Maybe so that I have a head start on different things instead of chores. He let's me get away with a lot of stuff; except one time.

You see, you need special permission to go to the mortal realm. Being a little kid, curiosity got the best of me. So it was only natural that I would sneak out.

-Past Tense-

"Axel you can't go to the human world!"

"Come on! It might be fun!"

Leo looks away, debating with himself. However I'm already using my little knowledge of magic to manifest myself into the human world. Leo was still thinking, although I'm be honest: I'm surprised that he didn't already tell mom about what was going to happen.

"Axel NO!"

I hear him yell from behind me, by now it was already too late. I didn't realize that magic can have effects.

I was in pain. Being ingulfed in eternal flame as the manifestation began it's course. I could hear my own screams for help as I have forgotten about believing in the manifestation. I have stayed in there for what seemed like forever. Some my skin was burning. Halfway through the process and it has already started to burn some of my face. Suddenly everything went black. That last I could hear were my mother screaming and Leo trying to keep my spiritual being alive.

I suddenly wake up and in a different world. I could sense movement and then a kid, came out of the tall flowers.

"Hello," they say.

I didn't speak. I was too terrified. I guess she caught on to the fact she found a being out of her understanding injured. I couldn't move, everything was painful.

"Let's get you patched up," they say as she carried me onto her back and to a little cottage in the middle of the flower fields.

I had one of the best and worse times of my life when I was with them. After all of that I still had to go home. I couldn't make myself seen to the public. They would hunt me down. Father was the one to come get me, he gave me a stern warning and then I was back in the after life; hell specifically.

Present tense-

I was getting ready when I look in the mirror. Touching the scars on my face. I wasn't burned that badly but to a kid that would have been traumatizing. I've learned to control my powers, but I was also knew how to do things in secret. I could sense my brother behind me, with his damn poker face.

"Don't blame yourself, I checked on the person. They are doing just fine," Leo tells me.

"You went to see her?" I reply.

"Of course, I know when my brother misses someone,".

I stand there flustered, what was I supposed to do?! He just caught me red handed. Leo snickers and walks out the door. Not forgetting to tell me about the care center. I pack my things in a satchel and head out the door.

Using my wings to fly, I see mother carrying and caring for the kids. Dropping down beside her, I say hello and walk to the front. I could feel eyes all over me.

What was their name?

I begin to feel frustrated. Then suddenly it hits me.

Faun.