Various whispers filled the courtroom as the angels awaited their gods’ verdict on the accused. Somewhere in the noise, he heard cries that undoubtedly were that of his mother. His heart ached on her behalf, not only had she lost his father, but now she was losing her youngest son, too. In every way, he had failed her. He could have prevented this easily if he had just obeyed her all those years ago. To quit while he was ahead. While she extended rare grace to him. ... But he was hardheaded; he refused to do better. And as a result, here he was, facing the brutal consequences of his actions.

  He stood there in his white suit, frozen, in the center of the courtroom. The Seven Virtues, towering gods dressed in long flowing robes, looked down upon him with a level of disdain he didn’t know was possible. Their judgement only made him feel smaller and unworthy. His pristine wings echoed the thought of worthlessness, doing their best to shield him from the deserved malice of his Makers. His eyes fell to the marble flooring, which was so sickeningly clean, his petrified face reflected at him. The presence of his halo just above him almost mocking.

  Even the ground on which he stood was pure and unsullied in this holy place.

  “...Ruhiel Avner, throughout your existence here in Heaven, you have done nothing but proven yourself to be an agent of Sloth and of Wrath. In doing so, you have failed to represent any of the Holy Virtues. And are no more useful than that of a lowly demon, working against us and all that we stand for.” Virtue Diligence’s voice, loud and thunderous, declared without hesitation. “Thus, we see that your exterior matches that of your rotted soul. You demon, unworthy of redemption.”

  A hand belonging to Virtue Temperance reached down toward the halo atop Ruhiel’s head. What was a large and ever-present part of his being since birth was something so small to that of a God’s. The item, made of the toughest material Heaven had to offer, sat in the palm of his hand like a ring before he crushed it with frightening ease.

  Not a second later, Ruhiel could register nothing but searing pain. His nervous system put into overdrive across every inch of his body. In mere moments, he had collapsed to the floor, his screams reverberating around the courtroom. Ruhiel understood all too well the consequences of removing and destroying an angel’s halo. But witnessing is so much more different from experiencing it for yourself.

  First thing was his head; it felt as if it were a fruit getting squeezed. Threatening to, but never committing to burst, despite how much of relief that mercy would be at this point. Droplets of white blood fell to the floor, gradually increasing in frequency. Horns growing in at a rate that should kill one from the shock to the system, but instead rewarded him with a headache in the first stages of setting in.

  The wings, once as clean as anything else, began to feel tender and ache all over. Some feathers fell, while others darkened and darkened still until those wings were no longer white, but black as coal. Pain in his jaw let him know that his teeth were next to change. Growing sharper and taking up more space than before. Ruhiel could only claw at the ground and writhe during it all.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  He grew a tail, and his ears became pointed and long. All par for the course as he had seen done unto many an unworthy angel that found themselves in the position he was in now. However, one thing that occurred that was completely new to him was...

  The pain behind his eyes... and it wasn’t just from tears from the borderline mind-melting torture he was going through. There was... a pressure... and then soon enough his vision went black, but the pain persisted. ...He hadn’t fallen unconscious. Not at all. Something happened to his sight; he couldn’t see...!

  It took several seconds of blind fear for a blink in particular to result in his sight returning to him. Ruhiel could only assume that he was in the clear now, and he dared to look up at his gods. Only he did not see their faces. No matter how many times he blinked away the blood that had gotten in his eye, he could not see their faces. Instead, pain assaulted him, like staring directly into the sun. Their greatness shined too bright for him to make out any expressions.

  “F-Forgive me... Forgive me, p-please. My Virtues. I am sorry.” The newly fallen angel groveled and begged, despite the burning from his fried vocal cords. He knew that it was too late to go back, and still he pleaded futilely to be shown even a shred of mercy. It wasn’t fair; from the moment his candle was lit, he was dealt blow after devastating blow. From the beginning, Ruhiel tried only to do his best with what he was given. And here they were before him, about to snuff out what little light he had left.

  Before he could speak again, Virtue Diligence’s voice rang out. “You are hereby banished from our holy gates. Never to return. From this day forward, your name shall not be uttered within our community, nor shall you ever be referenced. And may the entirety of Heaven forget you and the transgressions you committed against it.”

  The other six Virtues began speaking under their breath in unison, as the marble flooring beneath Ruhiel started to give way. Frantically, the fallen angel ignored the silent cries of his aching muscles and scrambled away from the growing hole. A hole that revealed an endless sea of blue awaiting his eventual fall.

  He tried to delay the inevitable. Backing away until he was flush against the magical force-field that prevented him from interacting with all those who were witnessing his trial today. With his wings too tired to stretch out in attempts to fly away though, he was quickly running out of options.

  The edge drew closer and closer.

  And with the last bit of ground he had to stand on, Ruhiel couldn’t help but turn to his mother. The fear of death clear on his face, and a look of pure anguish on hers.

  And he fell.

  There was a moment of silence as his brain struggled to process everything, before he once again let out a terrified scream. Immediately, the shift from what he once called home to this new setting was stark and contrasting. The air was chilly as the wind rushed past him and he flailed. Desperate to and right himself, to force his wings even to allow for gliding, to no avail.

  Worse yet, despite the adrenaline and horror of his situation. He felt his eyes begin to grow uncontrollably heavy, a feeling he knew all too well. Before he knew it, he had lost consciousness.

  And his body hit the water.