The Exiled Angel

Chapter 4

DEVIAN

I chuckled under my breath as exited the house for the second time. 'Mr. Angelos.' So, she remembered my surname too, huh? Delightful. She looked so terrified at first, it was almost entertaining to watch her. Her hazel eyes were bright with alarm when she thought I was going to eat her. Eat her. Hades above and below. Did I really look so much like a human-eating beast? Or was there some other meaning to that? A smirk creeped up my lips.

I took a deep breath. Enough. I needed to focus on the work at hand. The debt payed, I was free of all distractions. No more Sephanie Travers' to sidetrack me.

I was on a mission. I closed my eyes and reminisced the whole scenario for about a hundred and seventh time.

"Devian Angelos, we need you to come with us."

"I'm afraid I cannot come with you, sir, since I was assigned day-long duty at the gate this very morning."

There was a smirk on his face when he spoke.

"I'm impressed, Angelos. What an outrageous deed you've committed and still you question your higher authorities? What courage."

"Pardon? May I know what deed you're speaking of?"

The guardian angel's question was not answered. Rather, the officer barked an order and the guards behind him, lunged forward and grabbed him by the arms and pushed him to his knees. The officer walked forward till his feet were level with his forcefully bowed head.

"Minors shouldn't question, Angelos. Know that. For your own good. Bring him!"

Dragged all the way, despite his protests, he was taken to the throne-room of one of God's highest delegate, the Hamlat al arsh. Hamlat interrogated for the interruption.

The officer spoke with malice on his face, poorly concealed behind a professional look of an official.

"Your decency, I, Anton Philippus, have brought to you a conspirator against His Holiness's grand scheme, an adversary of His Righteous Creeds. This angel, who doesn't deserve to be called one, has trespassed his limits and corrupted the attributes of a true herald of His Holiness."

The Hamlat raised an eyebrow.

"Explain yourself, Officer Philippus. Who is this and what may his disgraceful act be?"

The malice on his face grew.

"Your decency, this trifling named Devian Angelos..." he spat the name like it was something bitter ".... has furtively involved himself with my wife."

There was an uproar in the assembly of angels in the symposium but a louder pandemonium broke loose in the hostage's mind.

"You see, Your decency, I'd like this minor punished not only for obsessing with my spouse sexually but also because he is an ignominy to the angels' nation and a dishonor to His Holiness."

Tried. Tried to defend himself against the accusation.

"Y-your decency...this is falsehood. Your decency, I pledge upon His Holiness's Throne, do not mistrust my chastity-"

Another chaos upon his vow on God's Sovereignty. There was a look of absolute rage on the Hamlat's face as he stood up.

"It is not in my authority to take the life of any creation of His Holiness but if had it been, I swear I would've sentenced you to death for such immorality!"

"Your decency, I request you to believe me, I haven't committed any such immorality. You must believe me- "

Officer Anton stood up, his face contorted in fake rage.

"Why, you debauched creature, you think I'm lying!? Why, Your decency, would I stain my spouse's chasteness?! Would anyone do such an illicit act?! My!"

"Officer speaks right, Angelos. You shall be punished!"

"No, I shan't!! I shall not be disciplined for something I have not done! If this 'officer' of yours is so truthful, why not take this matter to God's Court?!"

There were murmurs among the crowd and the Hamlat seemed to consider his but Anton spoke instantly.

"God's Court?! That would be insanity, Your decency, to take such a sinful being in front of His Holiness and defame the purity of Angels in front of Him. You, Angelos, shall be disciplined right here and now by His decency."

Nobody paid any more attention to the defenses. Thrown to the Cauldron of the Eternal Flame, wrists and ankles tied to sweltering manacles and the cauldron brimmed with liquid fire. Screams and cries overlooked. Pleas unheard and useless. His majestic pair of wings, once strong and lithe, once the pride and dignity of his, incinerated and charred, leaving nothing but singed bones on his scorched back. Then, heaved back out of the Cauldron to His so-called decency and tossed at the floor, the failing spirit of the accused angel. His body was blistered and scalded, his hair slightly burned but his aura tortured most and reduced to ashes, destroyed. He lay there on his knees, his upper body bare and injuries visible. His supposedly decency rose from his seat and approached with God's blade in hand, grabbed the burnt body's hair and jerked his head back.

"You shall be an exemplar to all the other angels out there. A paradigm of the outcome of those who insult His Holiness and His delegates. Officer?"

He turns to Anton.

"It is your privilege to chastise this evildoer. Remember, you must only wound him and not kill him promptly since that would be equal to taking his life. Thus, I only allow you to lacerate his body and leave the rest to His Holiness. Life and death are in His Hand only."

Anton took the blade and leered at the angel he had successfully victimized. He raised God's Blade over his head and with a single strike, he slashed it across the angel's bare chest. There was a moment's lull. The angel gasped and gagged on his own blood as life began gushing out through the abysmal gash. Agony seared throughout his entire body and aura. He fell sideways on to the floor and kicked and jerked in excruciating pain. Mercilessly grabbed by the hair, he was dragged and hauled out of Heaven and into the earth. But as the blood had seeped out of his body at the palace's floor, vengeance had slithered in through the very wound.

On the earth, in a strangely quiet land, he lay there bleeding. But retaliation doesn't let one die in peace. He wasn't going to die. No. He struggled and got up, summoned his deteriorating powers and tried to heal himself but could only heal his charred skin. So, he dressed himself in dark clothes to blend into the surroundings and he stumbled and staggered on in spite of the pain. He walked on for God knows how long when he tripped and leaned on a light pole to steady himself. He strained to divert his notice from the agony and keep his mind sane. There was a click and a soft, concerned voice.

"Excuse me? Are you hurt?"

He snapped his eyes open. Sephanie Travers. She was another sign that God was on his side. He would avenge himself at all costs. He was accused of illegal sexual relations with an officer's spouse. Fuck it. Mistrusted his innocence, stained his character, hadn't they? What did it matter what he did to his 'chasteness' now? He inhaled deeply. Yes. What did it matter whether he chose to shut away love and lust from his life because he was accused of it or chose to have Miss Sephanie Travers all to himself the next time he met her, which he hadn't really given a thought before but now it didn't seem so out of line. He smiled to himself. Surely, he wouldn't deny himself what he desired or who he desired because of a lame allegation.