The Angelic Realm was a sanctuary of divine light and order, but for Liam, it had always been a gilded cage. He grew up in the temple, an orphaned boy with no memory of his parents or the life he might have had before. From the moment he could remember, the priests had whispered about his uniqueness, the raw power that radiated from him even as a child. They called him a blessing, a gift from the divine—but their words never reached his heart. For Liam, the temple was a cold, sterile place where his life was not his own.
Angel of Death* that's what prophecy called him when he first laid his foot in the temple of the Angelic Realm, a being of unparalleled purity and unimaginable power. His abilities made him revered, but they also isolated him. The priests treated him as a tool, a source of energy to be tapped into for their rituals and dominion over others. All they could see was an orphan angel that they found on the streets with immense power. They couldn't see the fear and innocence in his eyes. They spoke of his potential with awe, but their actions spoke of greed. Liam was not a child to them. He was a means to an end.
Liam's childhood was a series of long, lonely days, spent in endless training and draining rituals. While other angelic children played in the fields of light or studied the arts of song and flight, Liam was confined to the temple's inner sanctum. The priests pushed him beyond his limits, demanding more power, more miracles, more proof that he was worthy of his title. They told him it was his duty, that he existed for the greater good of the realm. But what about his own happiness? His own desires? Those questions remained unanswered.
The temple walls were his prison, and the heavy, ornate robes they dressed him in felt more like chains than symbols of honor. He rarely saw the sun, his days consumed by the oppressive glow of the temple's sacred flames. Even the other orphans, children who might have been his friends, were kept at a distance. The priests didn't want anyone "distracting" him from his purpose.
And yet, despite their attempts to isolate him, Liam found ways to connect. When the priests weren't watching, he would slip away to the lower levels of the temple, where the other orphaned children lived. He shared their meager meals, listened to their stories, and comforted them when they cried. They became his family—the brothers and sisters he had never known. Liam's heart ached for them, for the lives they had been denied, and he vowed to make things better. He used his influence to fight for their rights, to demand they be treated with kindness and respect. It was the one thing that gave his life meaning.
But everything changed on Liam's 18th birthday. He had always known the Test Mate Ritual was coming, but he had never truly understood what it would mean for him. As he touched the ritual stone, the energy that surged through him was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was overwhelming, suffocating, and when it was over, he was left trembling and breathless. The priests stared at him in shock, their faces pale.
Liam didn't understand. He had heard of angels being bonded to one mate—a perfect, divine match—but he was fated to two mates. It was unheard of. And when the priests explained what it meant, his heart sank. His mates weren't angels. They were demons. Demon Kings who ruled the great empire of demons.
The priests, once so controlling and dismissive, now hovered around him constantly, their eyes gleaming with greed. They didn't care about his happiness or his fear. The priests intended to use that to their advantage.
The Angelic Court convened immediately, desperate to find a way to keep Liam. But their motivations were far from pure. They didn't care about his happiness or his safety. All they saw was the power he represented, the influence they would lose if he were taken to the Demon Realm. They argued and schemed, throwing every law and loophole they could think of at the Demon Kings.
But Elijah and Maximilian were relentless. They had not come to negotiate; they had come to claim what was rightfully theirs. When the court refused to back down, the Demon Kings made their power known.
When they couldn't think of anything else, they decided to use the army against the two kings to stop them. But with a single, devastating strike, they decimated half of the army. The ground was littered with the bodies of soldiers, their blood staining the pristine white stone.
Liam watched in horror as the kings moved like shadows, the thick air around them deadly. They were unstoppable, untouchable. Liam's heart sank. There was no way to protect him.
Liam stood alone in the center of the hall, his wings trembling. He felt like the ground had been ripped out from under him, like the world was collapsing around him. He had fought so hard to protect the children, to give them a better future, and now it was all slipping away. His life, his dreams—everything was gone.
As the Demon Kings approached, Liam's heart raced. He wanted to scream, to beg them to let him stay, but the words caught in his throat. They didn't care about him. All they wanted was his power, his body. And he was powerless to stop them.
Elijah reached out, his hand brushing against Liam's cheek. "Don't fight it," he said softly, though his tone carried an edge. "This is your fate."
Liam closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.
The world seemed to be coming to an end for him. His heart felt heavy.
After the ritual, Elijah turned to Maximilian. "The revolt of the barbarians has reached critical levels," he said, his voice low and commanding. "I must leave for war."
Maximilian nodded, his amber eyes unwavering. "I understand. I will return to my castle and prepare things there."
And so, with one last lingering look at Liam, Elijah left, his form dissolving into shadows as he departed for the battlefield. Maximilian, too, turned and walked away, his presence fading into the distance as he headed toward his kingdom, leaving Liam to grapple with his fate.
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Elijah and Maximilian had been feeling uneasy for the past few days, a strange pull in the air that neither of them could ignore. They knew that their mates were out there, somewhere in the world, but a deep, unsettling feeling told them that their mate's presence was drawing closer. The sensation was undeniable, and both demons suspected that their mate might be from the Angelic Realm.
On the day of Liam's 18th birthday, Elijah and Maximilian found themselves at the Temple of the Angelic Realm, attending to political affairs that demanded their attention. It was supposed to be just another routine visit, but the tension in the air only seemed to intensify as the day wore on.
When Liam, standing before the holy stone, touched it, an electric surge of energy coursed through the temple. The air thickened, and both Elijah and Maximilian felt it—the undeniable connection. Their hearts raced in synchrony as they realized the truth: their mate was here, in the very heart of the Angelic Realm.
Rushing to the main hall, they finally laid eyes on Liam. The sight of him left them both stunned. He stood there, bathed in a gentle glow, a figure of pure beauty and ethereal grace. His beauty was otherworldly, his presence both calming and electrifying at the same time. But what shocked them even more was the realization that not only had they both found their mate, but they shared him. Their mate wasn't just any angel—he was the rarest, the Angel of Death, an incredibly powerful and revered being in the Angelic Realm.
Elijah and Maximilian exchanged a look of disbelief and longing. They had never expected to share a mate, especially not one as rare and pure as Liam. His power, beauty, and innocence were unmatched, and both demons felt an overwhelming urge to claim him. They had to own that rare power, to possess the beauty that stood before them. The desire surged within them, and with it, a realization—Liam, their mate, was a treasure they would stop at nothing to have. The future held unsolvable puzzle...