Never Let Go [Hiatus]

Part I, Chapter 2- Angels Don't Die. They Fall.

'The soul shall know only love and kindness. The heart shall forgive and forget. With my light I cleanse the darkness, and to the new light you shall follow.' Aphaleon placed his left palm above the heart of the black soul before him and chanted, his eyes closed.

At once, waves of darkness erupted from the being, surging towards his outstretched palm as if under the force of strong suction. It did not take long before the once blackened soul regained its transparency and was permitted access through the Gates. Aphaleon rested and allowed his body time to dispel the cursed darkness he had absorbed.

The anguish, pain, anger, hatred and despair that humans experienced always saddened him. But what saddened and worried him most was the fact that these negative emotions were snowballing rapidly in people. Not only did he had more purification to take care of, the rituals were getting increasingly strenuous and intense, leaving him weakened and drained each time.

Unlike his siblings, Aphaleon did not have the lower angels to assist him in his section for his job used to be simple. People were relatively happy and died with few strong emotions. He could have easily purified tens of souls in a row without difficulty. However, it now seemed to him that hatred and despair was spreading into the hearts of people, darkening their souls like never before. Aphaleon had expressed his concerns in one of their morning meetings, but the other archangels had assured him that it would improve once they had restored the imbalances on their sides, albeit with a hint of contempt for human nature.

Afterall, they said, humans had souls that were easily tainted to start with.

Aphaleon thought about the difficulties and frustrations that his siblings had to deal with, and decided that his problem may really be nothing at all as compared to theirs.

The shrill ring of a bell sounded, echoing down the halls of the Passage. Aphaleon looked up. It was the signal for yet another purification ritual. He prepared to stand when a sudden sharp pain squeezed his heart. Again. He stumbled forward, one hand clutching his chest and the other instinctively finding support from a nearby pillar.

'Urgh!!!' he exclaimed through gritted teeth. His grips tightened as he tried to inhale short, sharp breaths, wishing for the pain to subside. Then as suddenly as it occurred, the pain vanished.

'What- The- ' Aphaleon panted, still trying to regain his breath. The episode had lasted way longer than the previous one and Aphaleon was more shocked than afraid. He had heard of heart attacks in the mortals but, no way, he's an angel- and an archangel at that. Angels don't die... do they? Just then, the black soul approached and Aphaleon took up position for the ritual.

The day stretched on. Aphaleon had perhaps purified 5 souls and was now working on the sixth, mentally reminding himself that it was perhaps time to propose the recruitment of more angels to his section. Things were getting really tough here. Already, Aphaleon was breaking down in sweat but as the Angel Of Salvation, he had to see his duties through- at least till the end of the day.

It was then the same sharp pain erupted within him. This time, it had started surprisingly mild. Steadying his breath, Aphaleon reassured and told himself not to panic, for he was in the mist of a purification that could not be withdrawn midway. He still had this soul to take care of. And yet, the pain quickly intensified, turning his breaths into short, rapid hiccups. He felt thousands of needles pierce his heart, setting his chest ablaze. 

'Hurgh---' Aphaleon struggled to breathe, literally choking on air as he clawed at his chest desperately. Pain seared through his mind, replacing his vision with a blinding light as he crumpled helplessly onto the ground. Yet the purification went on, and as more darkness poured into him, the more paralyzing it became.

Then, it dawned on him.

It's the darkness.

'Urgh!'

It's moving in too quickly and in such great amounts I can't dispel it in time. My body can't--- 

Another surge of pain swept through him.

'AAARRGGHH!!!' Aphaleon roared. He rolled over, banging his fist onto the ground. It was excruciating. Throughout his comfortable life, he had not experienced sensations like this before, not to say pain. He lay gasping on the marble floor, struggling against the pain as his wings started to transform behind him.

Black diffused from his shoulder blades, spreading rapidly through the span of his wings, staining his soft feathers a glossy midnight. In an instant, his silver white hair turned raven. He clenched his fist, grinding his teeth as he fought against the agony. His cheeks felt wet.

W-What?

Droplets of crimson fell, staining the smooth marble floor with dark splatters that only brought out the whiteness of the polished surface. One so smooth it clearly reflected his pitiful, enstranged  state. Aphaleon's eyes widened at the reflection- an obscene, disgraceful creature of the night.

N-No.. This is not me. It can't be.

His rapid transformation terrified him to the core, like a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. His eyes. His fiery red eyes once so full of life and warmth now turned into a deep abyss of darkness, so endless they seemed to consume those of anyone who ever set their unfortunate sights on them. Pulling them, drawing them in. Unfeeling. Soulless. Shedding tears of blood that freely streamed his cheeks.

His muscles tensed up, sending him into a series of violent convulsions as his massive wings twitched and beat uncontrollably.

Stop...Please... No... More...  Aphaleon thrashed around wildly, scratching the floor with his nails.

'Help me.. Somebody...' he stretched out his arm in a desperate attempt to claw at thin air. As if hearing his prayers, the purification process finally reached completion. The purified soul snapped out of its trance and looked around in wonder and curiosity, tilting its head as it noticed the struggling being at its feet.

It couldn't comprehend the situation at all. And as it continued to stare at the convulsing angel, the latter suddenly stopped moving. Cautiously, the enlightened soul approached the still entity before him, both hoping to satisfy its curiosity yet not wishing to endanger itself. It had only knelt down to examine the dark angel when Aphaleon woke and lunged. With a swift motion, he easily beheaded the poor soul and devoured it like a famished beast, his eyes ablazed with dark flames, his forehead scarred with the telling marks of a fallen.