The Forgotten Celestial (Hazbin hotel AU)

Chapter 17: Betrayal and Redemption

The world around me felt distant, a blur of noise and chaos as the **extermination** raged on. Sinners screamed, the clash of weapons filled the air, and the sky above was a swirling storm of darkness. My heart pounded in my chest, but I couldn’t let them see. Not Adam, not Lute—none of them could know the conflict waging inside me.

When **Adam** descended, his eyes locked on mine, I knew my moment had come. His cold, expectant gaze bore into me, sending a silent command: *Do it.*

I nodded, my face betraying nothing but cold resolve, though inside, I was crumbling. He couldn’t know what was happening to me. No one could.

The fight around us intensified, and my opportunity came as I saw **Charlie**, her focus locked on fighting the exterminators. She was fierce, powerful, fighting to protect the hotel, her friends—her vision of redemption for Hell. And here I was, about to destroy it all.

My steps were slow, calculated, as I approached her from behind. Each footfall felt like a nail being driven into my heart. I hated myself for this, for betraying her, for betraying all of them.

When I got close enough, I whispered, barely audible over the chaos, “I’m sorry…”

And then I **stabbed her**.

Her body tensed, her eyes wide in shock as she turned to face me. “Y/N… why?”

Her voice was broken, full of pain and confusion. She couldn’t understand it. I had spent months beside her, becoming her friend, someone she trusted. And now, I was the one driving a knife into her back.

Everything froze. The fight continued around us, but it felt like time stopped in that moment. **Vaggie** turned, her eyes locking on the scene, and her face twisted in pure rage. “You… YOU!” she screamed, rushing towards me as Charlie collapsed to the ground.

I couldn’t meet **Charlie’s** gaze. I couldn’t bear to see the hurt in her eyes, the betrayal. My heart screamed for me to say something, anything to explain. But all I could do was stare at the blood on my hands—blood that wasn’t meant to truly kill her. **The secret barrier** I’d placed on her would keep her alive, but no one could know that, not even her.

As I stood there, cold and silent, **Vaggie** reached me, fury blazing in her eyes. “How could you?!” she spat, her hands trembling as she drew her spear. “You were like a sister to us! To **Charlie**!”

I kept my face emotionless, but inside, it felt like a thousand knives were ripping through me. "This is who I am," I said, my voice flat, betraying no emotion. "I am the commander of the **Exorcists**. This was always my mission." My words cut through the air, cold and heartless.

**Lucifer** appeared in a burst of flames, his eyes sharp as they took in the scene. He stared at me, then at **Charlie**, then back at me. His gaze was intense, calculating. “So this is what it’s come to,” he said slowly, his voice laced with danger. "You were sent here to destroy us all, weren’t you?"

I clenched my fists, my face still unreadable, though I could feel **Alastor's** eyes on me too, piercing, as if he had always known the truth but had waited for this moment. I felt his disappointment, his anger, but also something else—something protective, like he wanted to shield me from this fallout. But there was no shielding me now.

I stood taller, letting my true form reveal itself—**the Commander of Heaven's Exorcists**, wings glowing with divine light, armor shimmering with celestial power. I was no longer just Y/N, the friend they thought they knew. I was their enemy.

**Charlie** gasped, her voice trembling. “Was any of it real? Was everything just a lie?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, willing myself not to break in front of her. “Yes,” I said, my voice colder than ice. “It was all part of my mission.”

But it was a lie. **Every word was a lie**, and I could feel the weight of it crushing me. I couldn’t look at her, at any of them. My heart ached with regret, but I buried it deep, where no one could see. This was what I was trained for—**no emotions, no attachments.**

Vaggie’s rage boiled over as she raised her spear. “You betrayed us, and for that, you deserve to die!”

She lunged, her spear aimed straight at my chest. **I didn’t move.**

I deserved this. I deserved worse.

The spear pierced through me, the cold steel cutting deep, but I didn’t flinch. **Blood dripped from my wound**, the pain sharp, but it was nothing compared to the agony inside. The spearhead emerged from my back, slick with my blood, and Vaggie pulled it free, readying for another strike.

I looked up at her, my voice weak, but steady. “I’m sorry.”

She didn’t care. I couldn’t blame her.

Suddenly, **Alastor** stepped between us, his smile gone, replaced by something far more dangerous. “That’s enough,” he said, his voice low and commanding. His eyes flickered to me, his gaze unreadable.

Vaggie hesitated but lowered her spear, though her eyes never left mine. “You’ll pay for this,” she hissed.

I nodded, accepting whatever fate awaited me. **I deserved it all**.

But deep inside, I knew I wasn’t the cold commander they thought I was. And that truth—that hidden, painful truth—was what hurt the most.

As I stood there, bleeding and broken, I realized that no matter how much I tried to deny it, **I cared about them**. They weren’t just part of my mission—they were the family I never had.

And now, I had lost them forever.