Celest raised his head, his bloodshot eyes piercing his interlocutor. "What is it?"
"Nearly 24 kilometers, starting from the border with Alderbaran, have been completely destroyed."
Celest narrowed his eyes. "So, Alderbaran has finally decided to take action?"
"We cannot confirm that, no one has been able to provide any information about what's happening over there."
Celest sprang to his feet. "Well, I'll go there myself, after reporting to Archangel Uriel."
Without wasting a second, he grabbed his cloak and left the office in long strides, heading towards Uriel's residence. He found Uriel easily, the archangel was peacefully watering his indoor garden, surrounded by plants.
"Master! Alderbaran has started moving. Give me permission, and I'll launch an offensive without delay!"
Uriel, without interrupting his gesture, replied calmly, "Ah... You're still as impetuous, Celest. You remind me a bit of your mother."
He observed a flower attentively before adding, "If it's her, then it's not your fight."
Celest, taken aback, opened his mouth to retort, but was suddenly distracted by a strange phenomenon. The sky darkened abruptly, as if covered by a veil of dark mist.
Uriel's eyebrows furrowed as a red moon suddenly appeared in the sky. Then, the rain began to fall, a rain of blood.
"What does this mean, Master?" Celest asked, worried.
"It's not Alderbaran," Uriel replied in a grave voice.
"Then... who?" Celest insisted.
Uriel remained silent for a moment. He felt a force, a law emanating not from a person but from the world itself. He knew this sensation.
"Ashkharsh..." he murmured, swallowing hard at the thought of what it implied.
Celest looked at him, troubled. "Who could use such a disturbing technique?"
Uriel, after a long hesitation, turned to Celest, his gaze filled with gravity. "Celest, listen carefully. Call Luciel, Tzakiel, Raphaël, and Morael immediately. Propose a truce to the demons, and mobilize the army. As for me, I'll request an audience with my uncle to gain the support of his army."
Celest nodded, still perplexed. "Why all this, Master?"
Uriel hesitated one last time before murmuring, almost reluctantly, "I'm afraid your father is back..."
***
The sky was dark, veiled by a relentless purple rain, covering everything in its path. Each drop seemed to weigh like a tear laden with curses, and as they touched the ground, they infiltrated, devouring the earth and turning the vegetation black and dead. The buildings, once imposing, were now reduced to ashes and ruins, victims of this toxic rain. The river had become a reddish liquid vein, carrying lifeless bodies.
The inhabitants, unable to take shelter or flee, had perished, their bodies lying in the red mud. The children, the elders, the warriors, no one was spared by this devastation. The air had become heavy, almost unbreathable, saturated with the metallic and nauseating smell of blood. A putrid stench clung to the nostrils, a mix of iron, rotten flesh, and soiled earth. The ambient temperature contrasted strangely with this blood tide: the air was icy, as if death itself had decided to cool this agonizing world.
...
As far as the eye could see, a sea of blood stretched, gently undulating in the cold wind. The horizon was an intense crimson, an infernal red that seemed to devour the daylight. Above this scene of carnage, a celestial army stood in formation, billions of angels with their wings majestically unfurled, each feather immaculately white, forming a tapestry of light. But the purity of these beings contrasted with the horror that surrounded them. They were all Origin 5, among the most powerful of their kind, yet even they seemed hesitant in the face of the grotesque scene playing out below them.
At the head of this army, Uriel, the archangel of judgment, stood with an imposing posture. By his side were Tzakiel and Morael. Raphaël stood slightly behind, his long blue hair floating in the breeze. Ezekiel, ever calm and thoughtful, remained vigilant, while Celest scanned the horizon with silent gravity.
Standing next to Uriel was Luciel MorningStar, heiress to the throne of the Elysians of the South, a radiant beauty. Her long golden hair shimmered under the dull glow of this ravaged world, falling gracefully over her shoulders and harmonizing with the light silver armor she wore. Every curve of her face was divine perfection, but it was the symbol of the golden flame on her forehead and her beauty mark, subtly placed on her left cheek, that made her unique, adding to her charm.
Her piercing golden eyes, like those of a falcon, fixed on the gigantic red orb floating in the distance. A malevolent aura emanated from this organic egg, its black veins pulsing slowly like a beating heart, projecting an energy so unwholesome that it would drive even an Origin 5 mad.
Luciel gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, ready to draw it at any moment. The atmosphere was heavy with tension, each angel silent, their breath held in the face of the abomination before them. The only audible sound was the icy wind blowing over the sea of blood below.
The silence, heavy and oppressive, enveloped the scene as the soldiers observed, immobile and wary. Uriel motioned for three soldiers to advance towards the orb.
"Uriel, it's useless to send them. We're better off waiting," Luciel declared, her calm tone contrasting with her cousin's order.
"Waiting? No one knows what will come out of it, Luciel," he retorted, his voice full of tension. He knew that the energy emanating from this organic entity was so corrupt that it even eroded the most resilient minds, but he was even more afraid of what could emerge from this morbid shell.
Raphaël, observing the scene with a weary eye, sighed, "If only you had finished the job properly."
The reproach hit home. Uriel clenched his fists, but before he could respond, Tzakiel shook his head in disdain, "You should have foreseen that Alderbaran would interfere. Good thing you're not the heir. Zero foresight."
Uriel remained silent, his jaw clenched. Ezekiel, amused by the strained expression of his fellow soldiers, couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Guys, focus on the objective," Luciel intervened.