D A M N A T I O N

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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."

Calvin looked as though he was about to speak. His eyes had the world's worth of reasoning in them, calculations and assumptions swirling in those irises of azure but when the time was ripe and his lips had parted to make way for the words, he was interrupted.

"There is no way out of this place."

The voice caused all four of the fallen angels to turn on their heels, searching for the speaker. By his sides, Dimitri's fists clenched, eager and ready to attack if needed. Though they were not trained to be violent, they were sure forced to be in the last few hours.

Wilhelm was the first to spot him. His blood red eyes narrowed, the scarlet burning bright and bold. The gold that laced the color gleamed when it caught the light of flames that danced nearby. When his lips turned downwards into a nasty sneer, his voice echoed that irritation.

"Lucifer," he spat. Betrayal was the root of his venomous tone. "How dare you show your face in front of us! How dare you show your face at all!"

The once-archangel raised his palms in surrender, a coy smile playing on his face. The electricity that danced in his eyes reminded Dimitri of a storm, of lightning that split the sky right in the middle of a summer day when it was least expected. Yet, there was no doubt that there was an icy cool that came with it.

"I have only created a world in which I could call my own and my people that I could adore. The Almighty did the same once upon a time. Why are you four condemning me for it now?" Lucifer prodded.

His words spiked painfully into Dimitri's skin, inserting doubt into his flesh. Shaking his head violently in disagreement, Dimitri took a brave step forward.

"You've damned us all!" His voice was hoarse, still raw from his own screams of pain that had haunted his ears. Even though his back was still merciless, the anger was just enough to make him forget. Just enough.

"No," Lucifer rebutted immediately with a click of his tongue. "I've created a different world, a better world, for you all to live in. My loyal subjects have transformed into beings of pure immortality, unable to be killed by swords and meaningless weapons. The blessing placed upon this land has allowed them to be this way."

"A curse, you mean," Fabian corrected.

"No. A gift."

"The look like monsters! Like... like..." Wilhelm struggled to find his words, hesitating for a second more than he should've.

"Demons?" Lucifer supplied for him. "They are my demons. My fallen angels. My precious subjects that will remain blindly loyal to me until the end of their lives. As long as the blessing continues to gift the people of my new world, we will be an unstoppable force of nature."

Although Lucifer's eyes sparkled with maniacal vision, Dimitri saw sadness in them. He could not place what it was that he saw exactly but Fabian, who stood by Dimitri's right, shifted uncomfortably.

He knew. He understood.

"This domain is the ruination of others. You've already caused the deaths of so many of our brothers and sisters. How many more are you willing to take to reach your goals?" Calvin roared, boiling rage causing the blood vessels that ran beneath his skin to slightly pop out.

"I am willing to sacrifice everything," Lucifer answered in a heartbeat.

"For a useless place like this? For a location that no one else will ever see the glory of? Which ancestral plane do you think you belong on, Lucifer? The one of delusion?" Wilhelm rebutted.

The smirk that curved the corners of Lucifer's lips were frightful. It caused Dimitri's blood to chill, a sudden frost covering his skin and causing goosebumps to form even with the intense heat of his surroundings.

Lucifer took a step closer, light dancing in his eyes like he had just witnessed the beginning of life and how the world was created. His lips parted, the air around them growing thicker with tension as he forcefully created suspense. Then, he spoke in a voice so low that Dimitri had to strain his ears to hear them.

"I belong in Hell."

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