You, the Reader, are dead. Not to worry, though, because you made it to Heaven! What does the afterlife have in store for you when you volunteer to go to Hell to help a princess make her dreams a reality? Shenanigans, probably.
First fic publishe...
Well, that's not entirely true; you'd occasionally speculated when you were alive. After you died, however, you'd forgotten all about Hell and any thoughts you had about the place. Must come with the territory of being accepted into Heaven, you think. Nothing unpleasant had ever crossed your mind while inside its ethereal gates, that's just how Heaven operates.
Now that you're no longer /in/ Heaven, however, that blissful ignorance is gone.
What you see below you as you're escorted by a couple of older angels to your destination absolutely breaks your heart. Much like Heaven, Hell appears to be a city, or a collection of cities. But where Heaven has the atmosphere of a safe, pleasant neighborhood, Hell is more like a combination of the Vegas strip and city slums.
As you approach Hell's capitol, you spot more angels coming up to meet you. You falter in your flight. Normally you would be more than happy to greet your winged brethren, but something seems very... wrong with them. As they draw nearer, you're able to see clearly what it is.
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Each and every one of the angels flying up from the city is covered in blood, and carrying weapons equally covered in blood. They all wear masks. Your stomach drops. Exorcists.
You'd been told about them just before you left for your mission, but seeing them in person puts things in a whole new perspective.
It's such an alien sight, dainty, graceful angels, covered head to toe in gore, some shaking bits of bloody flesh from their feathers. Looking to the streets below, you can see the broken bodies of the creatures the blood belonged to, and a deep sadness overcomes you.
One of them stops before you to ask what you're doing out here, cleaning a sword as he does so. His mask alarms you such that you're stunned into silence, and one of the older angels escorting you has to answer for you.
"They've come on a mission, Michael."
//This is Michael?!// The archangel looks so unfamiliar and sinister , you never would have recognized him on your own.
"Is that so? A mortal angel as young as they?" You flinch as Michael gestures to you. His blood-spattered mask holds a wide, face-splitting grin, and it glitches occasionally. It's disconcerting.
"It is God's will" is your escort's reply.
That's all Michael needed to hear to accept your presence. "Well, far be it from me to question the Lord's will," he responds, sheathing the clean sword. He places a hand firmly on your shoulder, "Good luck, young one, and be careful. Demons aren't to be trusted."
"O-of course. Thank you," you say, dipping your head to him.
The other angels soon return to Heaven, leaving you alone to begin your mission. Find the Princess, help her with her hotel.
First order of business: landing discreetly.
Before you'd left, you'd been blessed with the ability to disguise yourself and instructed to do your best to blend in with the denizens of hell. As such, you need to enter in a manner that would seem normal.
The normal way to enter Hell is to fall into Hell.
It is with this in mind that you tuck in your wings, and dive into a freefall.
And immediately regret every decision you've ever made.
