The great marble hall of Heaven’s tribunal shimmered with a cold, divine light. Pillars of gold rose to the domed ceiling, etched with the histories of angels who had served faithfully since creation. But today, those same walls seemed to lean inward, watching in judgment.
At the center stood Adam—his once immaculate robes torn and singed, his wings still dusted with ash from the Extermination. Iron bindings of celestial make locked his arms behind his back. The glow that had always surrounded him flickered, dimmed.
Before them, three Morningstar Thrones—archangels of pure radiance—presided over the trial. Their light was blinding, their voices layered with the echo of eternity so they could not be identified.
“Adam, First Man of Heaven,” the central Throne intoned, “and Lute, you stand accused of excessive zeal, destruction without mercy, and the slaughter of souls beyond decree. You have turned Heaven’s light into fire.”
Adam raised his head, not fooled by the light and voice disguise. His jaw was set, his eyes hollow. “Hi Michael! We followed orders,” he said. “We did what we were created to do—cleanse that shithole.”
A murmur rippled through the gallery of seraphs and dominions. Some looked away. Others stared with unyielding disdain.
“Orders do not absolve cruelty,” the leftmost Throne replied. “The Extermination was to be swift. You prolonged it. You took pleasure in it.”
Adam flinched, not at the words—but because he knew it was true and now he was pretty sure he was so very fucked.
The Thrones conferred, their glow shifting, the language of light rippling through the air. Then came the sentence.
“Adam and Lute of the Exorcist Unit,” said the central Throne, “you are hereby stripped of rank and cast from Heaven. Your wings shall burn to cinder as you fall.”
The words echoed like thunder in Adam’s chest.
“No—no, wait!” His voice cracked, raw with desperation. He stumbled forward, his chains clinking. “If you must cast someone down—take me. But not her. Lute was under my command. She only followed orders! It was me!”
