1 Prologue: A Conversation in Paradise

The gentle wind rustled his light gray feathers, carrying away the sigh upon his lips. The sun was setting, yet he had only finished half of the tasks slated for the day. Nevertheless, he took a moment of respite, enjoying the sight of the rose bush garden surrounding him. The dying sun rays kissed his pale skin. It felt pleasant, in contrast to the chilly breeze. Pattering away to a mellow beat, the fountain calmed his mind.

Yet serenity was never meant to last. With furrowed brows, the angel in the white business suit turned his attention to the glass tablet screen in his hands.

"Maybe I can push this appointment for another day... ah, no, that won't do... I have a lunch date with this other company executive. What about this one?" He muttered while helplessly trying to cram meetings from one fully-packed day to the next.

This was nothing new. From the very first day at Gabriel Corporation, his work mainly consisted of doing everything his boss was supposed to do. And because he hated business meetings the most, this poor assistant had to attend them as well. Naturally, on top of all the organizing.

"Ugh!"

Some days, it was fun to have such a workload. Today wasn't such a day. He began quietly cursing at his boss.

"Stupid moron of a half-angel! If you despise work this much, maybe just let me take over! Just stay on The Surface and play with your fucking escorts!"

Speaking out these words felt liberating. He really should stop bottling up his emotions.

One satisfied sigh later, the angel put the tablet down and gazed at the colorful sky. He could make out the first stars in the purple night. No matter where he went, the sunset seemed the prettiest on Gabriel Corporation's rooftop. No wonder it was one of the tallest buildings up here in The Heaven.

He sighed again. "Be more cunning!" Is what his mentor would say. Set a few traps and let him stumble. Whisper dumb ideas. Just like the security firm his boss was trying to establish. His lips curved to a smile.

"You fool. How can you have such blind faith in me?"

Once that idiot failed, once all the money was spent, surely Mr. Gabriel would entrust his company to more capable hands?

The wind slightly picked up, undoing the dark ribbon that neatly tied his long brown hair. It took off with the accessory, ere the angel noticed.

"Ah!" He nearly dropped his device as he reached out to reclaim the ribbon. Sadly, this endeavor failed, so all he could do was watch the piece get carried away.

"Diligent as always, aren't we, Samael?" A winged silhouette landed before the angel, easily catching what he had lost. Basking right before the setting sun, Samael squinted at the figure that slowly approached him to hand his ribbon back. Alas, all he could see was a shadow whose contours were illuminated by the fire in the sky.

"Sir!" Suddenly, it dawned on him who this stranger might be. The angel stood up and hurriedly looked at his phone with a panicked look. His eyes widened as he turned to look at his guest, tucking the phone away and putting the tablet aside. "I'm incredibly sorry, Sir, I hadn't noticed the time, I-"

The other angel shook his head. "No need for apologies. I know how busy you are. After all, I have been watching you for a long time." As if to underline his words, he stretched out his feather wings again, revealing he possessed two pairs, the upper one significantly smaller than the lower. They shone unnaturally white, as if they were their own light source.

Without being offered a seat, he sat down next to Samael, pointing at the free space next to him.

"Come, have a seat, my friend," the shadow said. Samael accepted the invitation. "So, how are things going?"

"Everything is going according to your plan, Sir," Samael replied, tying his hair back together to a ponytail.

"Everything is going according to your plan," the other corrected. He pointed at his head, "I merely planted the seed."

Samael smiled coyly. "Nevertheless, Sir, as you undoubtedly will have read from the news, he has launched his own firm to rival Pride Securities."

"Hahaha, very good, very good! Soon he will crash and burn. Nobody stands a chance against that succubus."

"I agree, Sir. He has tried to acquire clients outside our contact list, but most companies already have a contract in place and do not intend to switch."

The shadow rustled, retrieving a large box from the inside of his suit. "Here. This is if something does not go according to plan."

Samael took the gift out of his mentor's hands. Anticipating its contents, he opened it with trembling hands. Inside lay the hilt of a dagger on a bed of finest blue silk. Ancient Enochian letters were etched all around the silver grip. "But Sir!"

"Take it. It's always good to have a backup plan."

He gingerly picked up the hilt, then gripped it tightly. Within moments, the letters began to glow. A blade of light emerged from it, pulsating in a bright blue tone.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes, Sir," Samael replied, the blade reflecting in his mesmerized eyes. Finally, after a long while, he loosened his grip. The letters stopped glowing, and the light disappeared. "But how did you get this, Sir? This is usually only available to executors."

"Who are you talking to, Samael," he scoffed and adjusted the sleeve of his suit. His fingers lingered on the golden cufflinks shaped like his wings. "Of course, I can easily get my hands on an executioner's blade. I'm surprised that you seem more alarmed at me obtaining this weapon as opposed to the... medicine I gave you last week."

"Ah." The angel with one pair of wings bashfully looked away. "Let's... let's not talk about that, Sir."

"Ho, embarrassed? Even though that part was wholly your idea." The angel leaned in closer to Samael, forcing him to dodge his advances.

"..."

"Anyway." Returning to business mode, the angel sat back upright again. "I merely wanted to hand over this gift to you. It was crafted for an executor, but she died before receiving it, so it's not registered anywhere." The angel winked, then got up. He extended his magnificent white wings. "I bid you adieu, and good luck on your endeavors! We shall meet again next week same time. I expect to see much progress."

"Yes, Sir!" Out of courtesy, Samael got up and waved the man goodbye as he took up into the sky and flew away. By the time he was gone, the night had claimed most of the sky. It was a moonless night.

"Time to get back to work," he muttered to himself, grabbing his tablet and heading towards the exit of this paradise.

The black limousine drove up to a mansion in the middle of the countryside. The building was surrounded by acres of meadows dotted with small groups of trees. Domesticated albino deer looked up in alarm, but quickly returned to their grazing once the car came to a halt. The megalopolis loomed at the horizon like a world-spanning serpent, hungry to devour the peaceful green landscape at any moment.

A middle-aged man with ash-blond hair and eyes as golden as the setting sun walked out to greet his visitor. He straightened his fitted black suit with satin lapels. The double-wing cuff links on his shirt sleeve reflected the sunlight, glittering brightly. Surprisingly, he did not wear any concealing device, putting his two pairs of luminescent white wings on full display.

"Gabriel! It's so good to see you!" He happily exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "How long has it been? A couple of centuries?" Shaking his wings to lose old feathers, the angel approached the older man with open arms. An elderly human with Asian features stood at the entrance door and watched his master. His gray hair was kept short and neat. His black eyes proved he had seen many things, both pleasant and unpleasant.

"So it seems," Gabriel responded to the enthusiastic angel slowly while he was helped out of the limousine by the chauffeur. "And, to be honest, I had wished you wouldn't have invited me for another game. I'm slowly growing tired of this, Lucifer."

"I promise, it'll be fun this time," Lucifer replied with a wink. "But come inside first." He was about to turn around and lead the way, but decided to add, "and drop that disguise here."

Gabriel smiled weakly before his frail body grew to become an energetic-looking young man. His golden locks reached down to his waist. He switched off his device, revealing that he naturally possessed not one but two pairs of wings as well.

Lucifer thought his friend was truly beautiful. Even after so many millennia of knowing each other, he could not get enough of his looks. Lingering on for one long moment, Lucifer sighed. "That's much better. Shu Long," he said, looking at the man at the door. "You may prepare us some tea now. Use the 'good' porcelain."

"Very well, Sir." Shu Long bowed and walked away.

Lucifer shifted his attention to his friend again. "Come, let's not tarry. The game is waiting."