Absolution

6: Pride

Azrael

The next moment I knew is that my hand is on Lucifer's neck as I drag him out from the nightmare, and now we are brawling on the mud. Zehel severed the nightmare from the girl's soul and now they returned her back to the real world safely.

The rain soaks my shirt and now it clings to my body, makes me harder to move. I want to tear this damn cloth now.

We are both panting, catching our breath, "I didn't know that you are this formidable, Azrael. You could even be par with Michael." Lucifer states, while wiping the blood from the side of his lips. Where I punched him earlier, he didn't expect me to be that fast so I caught him off guard.

And it really feels good to punch this bastard's face. So damn good. If only I have my knife with me, I could have slashed his face to leave a mark on him.

I snickered, "Because you love underestimating everybody, asshat."

He snarls and charged at me again like a mad bull, resulting that we both fell on the ground making the mud splatter on his wings. He tried to punch me but I dodged his fist, I head batted him, he groaned as he clutch his bleeding forehead. I stood up, staggering and charging at him again, but this time he kicked me on the shin losing my balance. Making me fall on one knee.

But when he was about to kick me again, I caught his ankle and pushes him off me. He landed on the mud face first, while I walked towards him and I was about to hurl his face on the mud. When a strong arm wrapped around my neck, pulling me away from Lucifer's coughing form.

I couldn't breathe because of how the arm is blocking my air path, it has a strong grip and I felt that another demonic presence appeared. I am certain that this is the male demon, my form is being dragged away harshly that makes my feet scraping on the mud.

I squirm on his tight grip but I remember I have an elbow to use, so I elbow him to the stomach making him lose his grip on me. But damnation, Lucifer grabbed my wings resulting for me to scream in agony and pulling me by my shirt and bringing my face closer to him.

He curled his fist and smacks me, "Damn you Azrael." Smack! "Damn you and your reapers." Smack! "You ruined everything." Smack! He's smacking my face so hard that I could even see stars, but I didn't gave up that easy. When he was about to smack me again, I caught his fist and I punched him hard on the eyes, giving him a huge black eye. The devil fell on his knees, holding his injured eye.

Fuck yes, he is canonically beautiful but by giving him a black eye makes me proud of myself.

"Father, on your back!" I whirled around to see the demon raised his sword to stab me but I dodged it and gave him a jaw breaking kick on the jaw. He fell on the mud groaning in pain and his white hair's being stained by the mud.

I recognized the voice of the speaker, and just when I was about to call him, Profeis went out from the shadows. Making his lavender hair, and amethyst eyes looking unearthly strange against the fallen world's sunlight.

It is raining but Uriel's sun didn't waver, what a weird world it is.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed. Our enemies are now back on their feet, looking much angrier this time. My eyes went to the figure beside Lucifer, the demon almost resembles Hecate by the white hair but this one is much paler and he have jagged scar on his neck.

Profeis whispers on me, "That is the demon, Ose. He is known to be the demon of insanity, we investigate about the suicidal deaths and Freis concluded that he is the one causing all the teenagers harm themselves. Resulting in suicides and inevitable death. Along with his accomplice, the demon witch Hecate."

I clenched my jaw so hard that I could even feel that my teeth almost breaking. Profeis handed my knives back to me and now I feel that my strength's back on me. I twirl my knives on my hands and throwing it on Lucifer's shoulder, making him screech in pain. I smirked and charged at him, but the demon's standing on my way again.

However, a huge scythed blocked Ose's way to me and now a smirking Profeis is facing the snarling demon.

"Isn't unfair when you two are helping each other to defeat my father? It means that he is strong enough to take the two of you, and you are weak not to be able to bring him down." Profeis inspects his nails, while his left foot is stepping on the scythe's blade.

Ose smirks "Step back, reaper. You have no place in this battle, you are just an instrument." bringing out a huge sword behind him. Profeis lifts up his scythe, and twirls it making a huge gust of wind. He is now attacking the demon and now they are almost a blur, with only the sound of their weapons clashing with each other.

My attention's back to Lucifer who's about to slash me on the back, but I sidestepped him and bringing my knife to cover my face against his sword.

Lucifer put much weight this time, and making me fell on one knee against the dirt. I gritted my teeth and pushed him back hardly, making him stagger on his feet.

I stands up and tries to slash him on the wing, but he punched me on the gut. Making me reeled away and stabbing him on the foot. The devil let out a bloodcurdling scream on the air, while I pressed the blade harder this time and twisted it resulting Lucifer to punch me again.

But he became weak, and his punch didn't hurt anymore. I yanked the blade from his foot and he cried out in agony slumping on the ground, I am celebrating internally of being able to hurt the devil this much. I couldn't help the pride surging in my veins, so I am almost in par with Gabriel now or even Michael.

"Father, I am sorry but Ose got away." Profeis said, interrupting my thoughts. I nod to him, "It's alright, and I can manage on my own now. You can go back to your brothers." he bows his head and disappears. I

I snatched a feather from my wings, and as I threw it in the air a black shirt materializes out of whim. I caught it before it reaches the ground, and wear it before bringing up the devil to his feet.

He truly is weakened by the ordeal earlier, "Fuck you, Azrael." he hissed. I leered at him, "I'd rather fuck Cassiel, so no thanks Lucifer." and we disappeared in a flash of gray light.

Bringing the devil back to his abode.

---
Cassiel

One week passed and now we are back of monitoring the girl, she seems to be fine but Azrael's behavior bothers me. He almost neglect his mission and now he's always on the run-- hunting demons. Since we cannot hurt the demons surrounding the girl, he settled on hunting our fallen brethren.

But once I asked him what he's up to, he always answer me with a smug look 'For information'. Sadly, I am starting to doubt him.

If he come back, I will make sure to ask him a couple of questions.

Later that day, he came back looking so proud and he held his chin high while he throw his shoulders back. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Where have you been?" I asked, in all of seriousness. But 'Death' just sat beside me with ease while tossing the knife in the air.

He just shrugged, "Nothing in particular." "Where did you go, Az?" I asked again, my temper is slipping away.

He smirked, "I killed tons of demon, Cas. I feel so powerful." he chuckles. I smacked him on the nape "What the fuck are you doing? Get back to your senses, Az. You haven't finish your mission yet." I hissed.

But he just stared at me, with his vacant stare, "I will finish this mission, because I feel so powerful that I could even defeat any horde right now." he grinned.

I shake my head, "What happened to Lucifer?" I already have a suspicion in my mind, I remembered what happened to Raphael after he defeated Asmodeus.

He grinned widely "I kicked his ass, Cas. I could be par with Michael now!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms proudly.

Oh no.

I pulled him closer on his collar, "Do you know what you have done? You just let yourself succumbed to pride."

He remove my hand on his shirt, "I know what I have done and I am stronger than that." he states. I shake my head while gritting my teeth in annoyance "Then stop being so proud! You are becoming like Lucifer."

"You cannot tell me what to do, Cas. And now I realize, I am indeed powerful. I am the angel of death. I could even kill anybody in just a snap of my fingers and damn it I have been so lenient enough to leave all my enemies alive." he said, looking cold.

I blink few times, to process what he just said, "Bring my friend back, you are not the Azrael that I know." I said, slowly.

He frowned, "I am still the Azrael you knew, Cas. The one who is with you when you are raising Uriel. I am still your best friend." he tried to touch me, but I dodge his hand and I stand up.

"Stay away, you are not Azrael. Bring him back. Now." my eyes are trained on his face, losing all my emotions to each word I said.

He stands up too, looming on me since he is taller "I couldn't believe you are the one who doesn't know me yet, Cassiel. And yet you call yourself my best friend."

I punched him on the gut, making him grunt "Don't ever try to put the blame on me, imbecile. Don't ever dare to change the situation. Your arrogant ass should learn his lesson." I pushed him off me, which sent him spiraling on the ground.

I landed next to him, and picked him up on the collar, "Say you are back to your senses, Az. I don't want to hate you. You are the closest friend I have." I am almost out of options, feeling the frustration bubbling up on my chest.

My disappointment came crashing in when he brushed off my hand on his collar, with his dark eyes staring coldly at my sky blue ones.

"You know what, if you cannot understand me. We should end this fiasco, you go back to Heaven and I will finish my task. And moreover, let me tell you something." his words are like daggers in my heart. Hoping that this is just a bad dream but sadly, this is the reality.

"I don't need a friend like you, Cas. You just boss around and you always asking me whatever stuff I do like you are my goddamn mom. No Cassiel, you are not my boss and Michael is only my boss because he is powerful. And you?" he points a finger at me, "You are just nothing, but a lesser archangel. If we stick together, I cannot benefit on you. So you better return back to Heaven and get your ass out of here."

When he started to turned his back on me, I am being stoned to where I was standing. Expecting him to come back and apologize to everything he said, but he didn't.

Instead, with a heavy heart I also turned my back on him and walk in a separate direction. The sky begin to rain, sympathizing to what I am feeling right now.

I spread my wings weakly and for one last time, I looked back at him. But he's long gone now, and he went off somewhere that I shouldn't bother to know.

I flapped my sky blue wings and took off, heading straight back to paradise. While flying, I couldn't help the bitter laugh escaped from my mouth, so all this time he sick of me and looking for an opportunity to spite me.

Now I understand, it is just me in this cruel world.

At least, the rain helps me to conceal my tears and my pain from believing I have a friend. But in reality, I was always alone.
---

A/N: I know, it should come to this. Ouch. :(