Heaven and Hell

FIFTEEN

D A M N A T I O N

———

THE WORLD AS the four angels knew it was chaos. When the had awoken after falling through a pit of darkness, they awoke to a sea of red. It was a realm in which Dimitri could never imagine before. In fact, the pain that was carved into his back could not even measure to the misery that he witnessed before his eyes.

Monsters dwelled in these lands. He watched as his prior brothers and sisters slowly transform, their bodies mutating horrifically into a demon that had skins of scarlet and eyes that were black like an abyss. When one clawed its way towards them, Dimitri flinched, jumping back into the wary arms of his companion.

"What in the world?" Wilhelm asked, his voice shaking.

It was then did Dimitri notice he was accompanied by his closest friends— his brothers. He had not even realized that fact due to his delirious state. Now that his mind was clearer, vision no longer blurred, he was able to register the events happening to him to their fullest potential.

"This is the ruin of Heaven," Calvin murmured. He ran a hand through his curly white hair, tousling up the locks even further in frustration. "It is almost hard to believe these... creatures were angels."

The red beings snarled, bearing their sharp teeth at the four brothers before clambering away into the fire that raged beyond. In a distance, in the same direction in which the red-skinned creature had ran towards, was a castle that stood on the top of a cliff. It overlooked a sea of red, a daring bold sunset cast in the background like a warning.

Dimitri's eyes followed Calvin's shaking fingers which were pointed in the direction of the castle. It was built with black stones, rimmed with gargoyles that protected the soaring turrets and creeping emerald vines that climbed the structure. Thunder rumbled through the skies as a crack of lightning split the world into two separate halves. It helped to darken the shadow that was cast over the castle, making Dimitri suck in a breath through his teeth.

"Damnation." Dimitri was struck with realization. "This is the damnation that the Almighty spoke of."

The understanding that linked all four fallen angels were instantaneous. They stood to their full heights slowly, each surveying their surroundings with a new sort of wariness that rivaled the battle that took place in Heaven just moments before. The truth of the matter was that they were stuck in a foreign land with equally alien beings. Nothing was close to what they understood or have come to know in their years alive.

Taking one good look at his three companions, Dimitri released a shaky breath. His memory was hazy and all he could remember was death and death and death. He couldn't even remember the names of those who died and yet, he could see all of their faces. They clicked in his memory, slotting themselves in between the cracks and imperfections like they had been made to belong there.

He studied his friends, the same few angels that he had allied himself with ever since he was created. Questions flooded in his mind, racing to the tip of his tongue and yet he could not seem to speak them. Each time he tried, he was interrupted by a crashing boom that reverberated through the entire realm, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

Luckily, he did not have to. Fabian's lips parted, his inquisitive nature bringing forth the questions that Dimitri could not seem to ask.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Fabian asked, his coal eyes observing the scene, jaw clenched tightly with fierce determination. "Every second we remain in these lands is a second nearer to our own demise."