Hazbin Hotel: A Sinister Redemption

Chapter 15 A House Divided

In the radiant halls of Heaven, an uneasy tension lingered. The Council of Archangels, resplendent in their celestial forms, gathered around the grand, circular table that floated in the endless white expanse. At the head of the table sat Adam, his imposing figure framed by ethereal light. Opposite him was Sera, the Head Seraphim, whose serene expression masked her mounting frustration.

“This is unprecedented,” Sera began, her voice calm yet edged with steel. “God has not intervened directly since the creation. Why now? And for whom? A sinner drenched in rebellion and the daughter of Lucifer himself? It defies all logic.”

Adam leaned forward, gripping the arms of his golden throne. “It is not intervention,” he spat, his voice sharp. “It is anomaly. A ripple, perhaps—a distortion in the grand design. Nothing more.”

A murmur rippled through the council. Sera arched an elegant brow. “And what of the Exterminators slain in the process? Do you dismiss that as a mere ripple as well?”

Adam’s jaw tightened. “The Exterminators are tools. Instruments of divine will. Their destruction, while regrettable, is inconsequential in the greater scheme.”

“And yet,” Sera pressed, her wings unfurling slightly, “this ‘ripple’ as you call it, acted with intent. It struck down our agents, defended sinners, and left a message none of us can ignore.”

The room fell silent. Behind Sera, a younger angel whispered to another, “What if it wasn’t a ripple? What if... He’s returned?”

Adam slammed a fist on the table, the sound reverberating through the chamber. “Enough of this heresy! God left us to steward His creation. He entrusted us with the duty to purge sin and maintain order. Speculation serves no purpose.”

Sera folded her hands, her composure unbroken. “Speculation or not, the damned will notice. Already, Hell stirs with unrest. Alastor’s return is causing ripples of its own, and now this. The exterminations were meant to suppress rebellion, not incite questions about Heaven’s authority.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed. “And that is why they must remain secret. If the damned learn that the exterminations are more frequent than we admit, or that our power is being questioned, chaos will consume both realms.”

One of the archangels, a warrior clad in blinding armor, leaned forward. “What do we tell the Exterminators? They are growing restless, Adam. Their blind obedience wavers when they face what seems to be divine opposition.”

Adam rose, his form towering. “We tell them nothing. They serve, as they always have. As for the sinners—ensure that word of this ‘intervention’ does not spread. If it requires more exterminations to keep them in line, so be it.”

Sera stood as well, her gaze piercing. “And what of Sinister and Charlie? They were the ones aided by this intervention. Do you not think their survival—and the events surrounding it—deserve further scrutiny?”

Adam hesitated, then spoke with calculated precision. “Sinister is a relic of a bygone era—a corrupted soul clinging to illusions of righteousness. And Charlie... She is a mere child playing at redemption, unaware of the futility of her task. Neither of them poses a true threat.”

Sera’s wings flared. “You underestimate them, Adam. They survived what should have been impossible. If this continues, they may become more than an anomaly—they could become a reckoning.”

The council erupted into debate, voices clashing like thunder in the heavenly expanse.

---

Far below, in the dim light of Hell, Sinister stood in the ruins of a cathedral, his thoughts a storm. He stared at the broken altar, his fingers brushing against the charred remnants of scripture.

“The holy figure,” he murmured to himself. “Why would it help me? Why would it... kill angels?”

Charlie, standing nearby, looked at him with curiosity and concern. “Maybe it wasn’t just helping you,” she offered. “Maybe it saw something worth saving in all of us.”

Sinister shook his head. “No. It was precise. Intentional. The Exterminators are angels, Charlie. Instruments of Heaven. For something holy to strike them down—it defies everything I once believed.”

Charlie crossed her arms, gazing at the crumbled ceiling. “You think Heaven’s perfect? It’s not. Maybe this is their way of saying they’ve been wrong too.”

Sinister turned to her, his eyes hard. “I’ve seen what wrong looks like, Charlie. This isn’t just Heaven making mistakes. This is... something else. And if God truly has returned, then what does that mean for any of us?”

Charlie smiled faintly, a glimmer of hope in her expression. “Maybe it means there’s still a chance for redemption—for both of us.”

Sinister said nothing, but his grip on the shattered scripture tightened. Somewhere deep within him, the faintest ember of faith flickered. Yet, as he looked at the ruined cross above, his doubts loomed larger than ever.