Rose Garden: Chapter 07

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At the mere age of one hundred, Lady Agatha had ascended to the highest rank of angels: Archangel. She was the envy of all others. Kyle was just one among the countless angels who gazed at her with longing admiration. In all, there were twenty angelic ranks. At the summit stood Lady Agatha, while Kyle belonged to the very lowest.

Though every angel possessed the ability to guide souls to the heavens, other powers varied greatly between individuals. An angel’s strength grew through the love they received from others. The higher the rank, the more they were loved by various forces. Lady Agatha was loved by the skies, the seas, the air, the winds, by all things imaginable and thus possessed overwhelming power. It was whispered that her strength surpassed even that of all previous Archangels.

In contrast, the only love Kyle ever received came from plants, more specifically, from flowers alone. His power was limited to that: he could only make flowers bloom. Yet, roses gave him special affection, and only roses could he grow freely from seed to bloom.

Because he was loved only by flowers and could only make flowers bloom and even then, only roses from seed, his powers were seen as embarrassingly meager by other angels. They scorned him openly, mocking him as someone who barely qualified as an angel. He was endlessly gossiped about: called useless, ridiculed as a mistake. But no matter how hard he tried, he was never able to gain love from anything else. It couldn’t be helped.

Compared to other low-ranking angels, Kyle was picked on far more often. One reason was his extraordinary beauty. An angel’s appearance typically reflected their power, but Kyle possessed a beauty that exceeded his lowly abilities, beauty that rivaled, perhaps even surpassed, that of Lady Agatha herself. This only fueled the jealousy of the higher-ranking angels.

Even when mocked for his weak powers, Kyle endured it all. Even when told outright that his face didn’t match his lowly station, he took pride in that very face. No matter how powerful his tormentors were, none of them were more beautiful than he. That fact gave him comfort. It sustained him.

The bullying grew worse after Kyle despite his meager abilities was chosen as Lady Agatha’s personal attendant. Though it was a direct appointment from Agatha herself, the high-ranking angels hounded him to decline. “It’s beneath her,” they said. “You should step down.” But Kyle ignored them. Overflowing with joy, he accepted Agatha’s offer and moved into her castle. He devoted himself to her daily care, and filled the castle gardens with roses just to please her eyes.

From the beginning, Lady Agatha had never hidden the affection she felt toward Kyle. Wherever she went, she always took him along. She even requested others to treat him as they would treat her. Thanks to that, Kyle received the finest hospitality throughout the heavens equal to that of the Archangel herself. Watching angels of higher rank sometimes even those who had once tormented him bow to him simply because he stood at Agatha’s side filled him with a deep sense of satisfaction. It was proof of how much he was loved.

Under Agatha’s protection, Kyle lived a peaceful life in the castle. But that peace was disturbed after about fifty years, when a frightening rumor reached his ears.

Ever curious and fond of new ideas, Lady Agatha suddenly announced one day that she would initiate an angel recruitment exam. Regardless of species whether human, monster, or beast anyone who desired to become an angel could take the test. It would be a three-part trial, and those who passed would be welcomed as angels.

At first, it was dismissed as mere rumor. But once it became clear she truly intended to go through with it, Heaven was thrown into chaos.

The reason for the uproar was this: the number of angels allowed in Heaven was limited. If humans or even monsters passed the angel selection exam and were permitted to ascend to the heavens, then someone among the angels already residing there would have to be demoted to make room or so the speculation went.

No one knew what happened to angels who were demoted. Perhaps they would be erased before the end of their natural lifespan. Perhaps they’d be cast down to the mortal world. Either way, it was hard to imagine a bright future awaiting them.

While the higher-ranking angels chose to watch in silence, the lower ranks including Kyle were thrown into panic. After all, if someone was going to be demoted, it would surely be one of them. From that point on, the lower angels scrambled to hone their abilities, desperate to raise their standing by even a single tier. Kyle, even with the special status of serving directly under Lady Agatha, could no longer afford to be complacent.

Like the rest of the lower angels, Kyle began working on developing his powers. But no matter how deeply he reached out with his heart, nothing beyond flowers responded to his love. Eventually, it began to feel like a pointless struggle. He gave up before long.

And so, the angel selection exams began. Kyle prayed daily from the corner of the garden: Please, let no one pass. When the results of the first trial were announced, and only five applicants had passed, he let out a sigh of relief. But that relief was quickly replaced by new anxiety. In other words, five people had passed. If all five were accepted as angels, it would be disastrous. The second exam followed and only one person made it through.

Kyle was reassured. Even with his limited powers, he had never considered himself the very lowest among the countless angels. So even when he heard that the sole remaining applicant was expected to pass the final exam, he didn’t worry too much.

But just before the final trial, a rumor began to circulate: If the applicant passes and is accepted as an angel, the first to be demoted will be Kyle. At first, he dismissed it as spiteful gossip spread by high-ranking angels jealous of his position beside Agatha. But when he overheard even the angels who had once been kind to him repeating the same rumor, Kyle felt like the ground beneath him might give way.

“I heard one of the applicants is likely to pass the exam,” Kyle said casually during tea time, as he poured a fragrant cup of rose tea for Lady Agatha.

Lady Agatha brushed her silk-like hair back with a graceful motion and smiled at him.

“We won’t know for certain until the final exam is over,” she replied.

“I see…”

Even after he had finished serving tea, Kyle remained rooted in her study. He couldn’t bring himself to leave not without asking the most important question: If the applicant passes, will someone be demoted from angelhood? And… will that someone be me?

“They must be incredibly talented to make it all the way through the second exam,” he said, only to prolong the conversation.

“Yes,” Agatha nodded. “Talented, certainly but also deeply faithful.”

For Lady Agatha to offer such praise, the applicant must be someone truly extraordinary. Kyle’s heart sank. It felt more and more certain that he would be the one demoted. But he couldn’t bear the thought of Agatha seeing how close he was to tears, so he bit his lip hard to keep them from falling.

Then, unaware of the storm in Kyle’s heart, Agatha leaned in with a cheerful smile and said, “Shall I tell you a little secret, just for you?”

Kyle blinked. Agatha looked into his face with childlike delight.

“The one who passed the second exam… is a demon.”

Kyle’s mouth fell open in stunned silence.

Agatha chuckled softly, fufu.

“I knew you’d be surprised. Only I and the archangels know about this, so you mustn’t tell anyone until the results are officially announced,” Agatha said. “Well, technically he’s only half-demon his blood is mixed with that of a human.”

Kyle stared at his trembling fingertips.

“A demon becoming an angel… Would God truly permit such a thing?”

At his words, Lady Agatha looked genuinely surprised.

“I’ve never once done anything for which I needed to beg God’s forgiveness,” she said. “Why shouldn’t there be a demon angel? If he wants to become one, and he has the strength, I’ll gladly welcome him. Kyle, you’re the one speaking nonsense.”

Flushing red, Kyle turned his face away and fled from Agatha’s study. He crouched at the foot of his favorite rosebush, Little Mum, in the corner of the garden and began to cry. As his tears fell, they seemed to echo his sorrow soft pink petals fluttered down one by one.

A demon, someone Lady Agatha approves of. That demon would almost certainly pass the exam and be welcomed into Heaven. And he Kyle would be...

Just thinking about it filled him with sadness, frustration, and fresh tears that wouldn’t stop falling. He’d been born an angel, raised as one, and believed with all his heart that he’d remain an angel forever. To have that taken from him now what would he even be left with? He didn’t want to live in misery. And more than anything, he didn’t want to leave the side of the one he loved: Lady Agatha. Unable to find a way to fight the turning gears of fate, all he could do was weep for the miserable version of himself that he saw looming ahead.

Even though Kyle had told no one, the rumor that the only candidate to pass the second exam was a demon somehow spread across all of Heaven like wildfire. And with it came a twist an unknown detail Kyle hadn’t heard before.

“They say the one who passed is a half-demon, half-human,” someone said. “But he’s supposedly the illegitimate son of Kesba, the Demon King’s fifteenth son. Can you believe it? Someone with the Demon King’s blood entering Heaven it’s unthinkable. What on earth is Lady Agatha thinking?”

Kyle had heard the comment when he brought tea to the guest room where high-ranking angels waited to be granted audience with Agatha. One of the older, more veteran angels older even than Agatha herself was speaking loudly, far too loudly for it to be just gossip.

“Perhaps Lady Agatha’s taste for these outlandish ideas is because the level of angels in Heaven has declined over the years. There are so many low-powered angels now unthinkable in the past. Not that I’m naming names, of course…”

The jab couldn’t have been more direct.

Kyle bit his lip but maintained his dignity as he exited the guest room. Yet the laughter that burst out behind him the moment he stepped outside sliced deep into his trembling heart.

He fled into the rose garden and wept quietly. He was humiliated, and even more ashamed that he hadn’t been able to reply. But no matter how hard he tried, his powers would never amount to more than making flowers bloom. He could accept being mocked, if only he could at least protect the life he had now. He longed for it desperately.

And then fate smiled upon him.

It was announced that the final stage of the angelic exam would be held at the “Rose Castle.” Kyle caught a glimpse of the examinee as he arrived, from a corner of the garden. The man had long black hair and eyes like polished obsidian, an intelligent, composed figure cloaked in something subtly sinister. A humanoid demon.

While the examinee waited in the guest room for Agatha to begin the exam, Kyle of his own volition, unprompted by anyone brought tea to him.

When Kyle entered, the demon seated in the corner immediately looked up, startled. His eyes went wide with surprise, and in seconds, his cheeks were tinged with red. Kyle assumed, of course, that it was due to his own beauty.

“Here you are,” he said, setting down the tea with a practiced grace.

“Thank you very much,” the demon replied.

Kyle didn’t leave right away after serving him. He lingered, letting his gaze roam brazen and cold from head to toe across the trembling demon, who clutched his teacup with unsteady fingers. This black, wicked creature, he thought.

“Um…” The demon spoke up hesitantly, and Kyle responded with a confident smile, showing off his proud face.

“For the exam, you should answer ‘no’ to everything.”

The demon’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I’m on your side, after all.”

But Kyle had never been on his side. He knew nothing about the content of the exam. He’d only said what he had in the hope of confusing the demon, or getting him to believe it and make a mistake. He wanted the demon to fail.

The next day, good news came. The demon had failed the exam. Kyle heard the rumor while walking in the rose garden, high-ranking angels chatting idly as they strolled.

He barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before he was summoned to Lady Agatha’s study that same day. There, Agatha herself declared, “You are to descend to the surface for one year of training.”

Though she called it “training,” it was nothing but punishment in disguise.

“Why are you sending me to the surface now, after all this time?”

Kyle pressed her, but Agatha, seated in her large wingback chair, rested her cheek on her hand and let out a short sigh.

“I don’t entirely fault you for your feelings,” she began. “I, too, was uneasy about inviting a being from another race into this world. But I pushed through that unease because I wanted something that could shake up the complacent tranquility of Heaven. And in fact, this initiative has produced real results, angels who previously had only one or two abilities have pushed themselves to gain more through rigorous training. But you, Kyle… you were different. You simply lamented your lack of ability.”

The words struck home, and Kyle was left speechless.

“I want to save those who believe. That is my desire. I fully intended to pass him in the final exam. That last test it was just a formality. There was only one question. ‘Do you believe in God?’ When I asked, he hesitated, and then answered ‘no.’ I had no choice but to fail him.

“His behavior seemed strange, so I asked what had happened. He said that before the exam, a very beautiful angel with golden hair and green eyes had given him the answer. That was you, Kyle.”

Kyle turned pale. That one small comment he’d made, that offhanded attempt to sabotage the demon, had reached Agatha in the worst possible way.

“What you did… what you did to that examinee was foolish,” Agatha said, “but even your foolishness is part of what I find endearing about you. Still, I can’t overlook it. What you did to that demon was clearly a sin. He believed what you told him, and because of that, he lied in a sacred exam and was punished with failure. But Kyle, you must also be punished.

“I want you to descend to the surface for one year and reflect on who you are, on what it means to be you. I don’t intend to strip you of your title as an angel, and when your ‘training’ is done, I plan to welcome you back to this house.”

“But Lady Agatha, he’s a demon! When we find demons, we purify them! Why am I being punished over something I did to a mere demon?”

Kyle’s true feelings spilled out before he could stop them. Agatha’s lashes lowered, her expression filled with quiet sorrow.

“Have you really forgotten something so important, Kyle? It’s our mission to save souls who believe.”

There was no way to oppose the words of Archangel Agatha. Though he couldn’t accept it, Kyle was cast down to the surface.

Though he had been sent to the surface, Kyle hadn’t been given any particular task only told to undergo “training.” Still, he thought he should at least show Lady Agatha some sign of good faith and began doing the only thing he could: making flowers bloom, just as he had in Heaven.

Rather than wandering from place to place, he settled down in a small church on the outskirts of a village. If he’d chosen one of the grand churches in town, there was a risk of encountering angels on inspection tours. Not knowing how he was being talked about in Heaven, he had no desire to run into another angel right now.

That spring through summer the year Kyle came to the surface the flowers bloomed in twice their usual numbers around the village church. Their beauty soothed the hearts of the church’s visitors. Kyle threw himself into the work of making flowers bloom, but even as he did, he couldn’t bring himself to accept what had happened.

He knew deceiving someone was a sin. Even he understood that much. But his target had been a demon. Why should he be punished so harshly for telling a tiny lie to a demon? He couldn’t accept it, and Lady Agatha’s judgment felt far too severe.

With those doubts still gnawing at him, Kyle waited out the long days of his one-year sentence. At the end of autumn, while dozing on the roof of the church, he was awakened by a sudden beam of bright light descending from the heavens. It was a spotlight of divine brilliance, the unmistakable sign of an angel’s descent. A high-ranking angel had come for an inspection.

Knowing the inspection wouldn’t stop at the church but would also cover the surrounding villages, Kyle fled as far as he could. While looking for a place unlikely to be visited, he found himself near the edge of a forest said to be inhabited by monsters. Surely even the inspectors wouldn’t come this far. He settled onto the branch of a massive tree at the forest’s edge and lay down.

Even if he escaped the inspector, his presence would still linger at the church. A high-ranking angel would probably sense that and figure out where he’d gone. Still, he didn’t want to see their faces or hear their condescending remarks.

Lying there, drowsiness crept in again. He gave in to it, leaning against the branch and closing his eyes. In the warm sunlight, he began to dream of the days when he had lived peacefully in Lady Agatha’s castle.

Suddenly, the rustling sound of branches stirred him awake. Maybe it was just the wind. He opened his eyes slightly but immediately, every hair on his body stood on end.

What is this… this awful feeling? Wrapping his arms tightly around his shoulders, he looked toward the forest. A foul, evil scent was wafting from that direction. Maybe being this close to the monster’s forest was affecting him. The sun had already dipped far toward the west, surely the inspecting angel had returned by now. He should go back to the church. Kyle spread his folded wings wide.

At that exact moment, something grabbed the tip of his right wing. He couldn’t move. Thinking he’d snagged it on a branch, Kyle looked back and let out a startled cry at the black shadow behind him.

Perched on the branch just above where he had been lying was a demon. Enormous black wings, clawed fingers like a beast’s, lips slightly parted to reveal sharp fangs. And eyes that glinted like a cat’s, burning with a wild gleam.

It wasn’t the first time Kyle had seen a demon. Most of them he could purify without much trouble. But the aura radiating from this one was completely different from anything he’d encountered before. This one is strong. His instincts screamed it.

“I have something to ask you.”

The voice was low and resonant. Kyle trembled uncontrollably. This might be… a demon of the Demon King’s family. If so, there was no chance of winning in a fight.

He flared his white wings wide and flapped them violently. Caught off guard, the demon faltered, loosening his grip just enough for Kyle to break free. Flapping desperately, he shot straight toward the church. Churches were cursed ground to demons. If he could just get there, he’d be safe.

The high-ranking angels he’d prayed would go home he now begged from the bottom of his heart to still be there. Please, let them still be at the church. Please, save me.

He was looking straight ahead as he flew, yet still slammed into something at full speed. He lifted his head and screamed because the thing blocking his path was the very same demon who had been chasing after him.

The demon’s clawed hand seized his shoulder.

“Get away from me, you filthy demon!”

Kyle twisted his arm free and tried to fly again only to find his wings wouldn’t move. No wonder: the demon’s fingers were tightly gripping each of them.

“No no, no!”

Panicked, he struggled wildly. The demon held him tightly and dove, plummeting from the sky to the ground. When they landed, Kyle was flat on his back with the demon looming over him, pinning him down.

“Why did you run? I only said I had something to ask.”

“I have nothing to say to a demon!”

“Don’t you know who I am?”

Before Kyle’s eyes, the demon’s form began to change shifting into something more human. Kyle’s breath caught. The black eyes and black hair belonged to the demon who had taken the final angel trial at Lady Agatha’s castle. During the test, he must have used magic to conceal his true appearance.

Even as fear pounded in his chest, Kyle sneered.

“The examinee from back then?”

The demon nodded. And now that he looked more human, Kyle’s fear receded just slightly.

“Why did you lie to me back then?”

The demon stared at him with earnest eyes.

“I heard… if you hadn’t lied, I would’ve passed the trial. Why…?”

He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t confess that the reason he had lied was because if that demon passed, Kyle might have been demoted. He didn’t want to say it. Not out loud.

Pressing his thin lips together, Kyle shoved the demon off of him. The demon withdrew without resistance. Maybe he only looked strong but wasn’t actually that powerful.

If he was just a weak demon, then all that panicked running Kyle had done seemed ridiculous. He stood up proudly and brushed away the dead grass tangled in his hair.

“Think about it rationally. A demon trying to become an angel? That’s what’s absurd here. I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s a good thing you didn’t become an angel. Someone as wicked as you has no place among us. I did what was right.”

Regardless of the reason he’d lied, Kyle believed this from the bottom of his heart.

“I didn’t choose to be born like this.”

The demon frowned and looked down.

“You were born this way what does it matter? If you were born a demon, then live like one. Stick to your demon life. The heavens don’t need your kind. It’s a nuisance for someone like you to show up there.”

Kyle had never known how satisfying it could feel to say exactly what he thought. As a low-ranking angel, he hadn’t been allowed to talk back or voice opinions in Heaven. But with this demon, he stood on higher ground. He was in the right.

“Know your place and go back to the forest.”

He left those words behind with satisfaction and turned on his heel. But fingers, stubborn and unrelenting, caught his arm.

“Enough of this ”

When Kyle looked back, what met his eyes were cat-like pupils. The demon was glaring at him with eyes like a predator’s.

“Is your appearance really that important?”

The low voice echoed right by his ear.

“You, who were lucky enough to be born an angel are you really going to say that to someone like me, who wasn’t even allowed to be born human?”

He wasn’t in the wrong. And yet, something about the situation made Kyle uncomfortable. He didn’t want to get entangled with this demon any longer, and snapped irritably.

“You’re a demon. I’m sure your heart is black to the core. Stop making excuses and live out your miserable life underground like a proper demon!”

The demon’s eyes widened. His expression of shock slowly slowly twisted into a grin. A terrifyingly wicked grin.

“...Once, I heard a monster say that an angel’s power resides in their wings. So if you want to kill an angel, aim for the wings first.”

The demon’s clawed hands gripped Kyle’s wings.

“Let’s see if an angel can still be an angel… once those wings are gone.”

The demon leapt at him before Kyle could even think of running. His cheek hit the earth, black soil smearing his skin. His face said to be one of the most beautiful in all of Heaven was now dirty… And just as he thought that, a bolt of agony shot through his wing.

“Gyaaah!”

It was a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. Like having his body torn apart while still alive. He thrashed violently, limbs flailing. But the torment didn’t end with a single strike. The unbearable pain came again. And again.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaa!”

With the sickening sound of bone snapping, searing pain exploded through his back. In that instant, the strength drained from his body like melting wax. Trembling uncontrollably, Kyle lay face-down on the ground. Gritting his teeth through the pain, he raised his dirtied face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two wings, his own.

He reached with a trembling hand to touch his back. But the shape that should have been there was gone. The fingers that came away were soaked in red.

“No… no, this can’t be happening… it’s not true…”

He saw the demon, bloodied wings in hand, devouring them.

“Noooooooo!”

Kyle clutched his head in both hands and screamed. A wingless angel loses all of their power likely forever.

“Stop it! Stop! Please, I’m begging you don’t eat them. Don’t eat my wings…”

Crawling, he dragged himself toward the demon. But with a single kick of his taloned feet, the demon floated upward, landing on the branch of a massive tree. There, he sat and calmly munched on the tattered remains of Kyle’s wings.

One soft feather brushed Kyle’s tear-streaked cheek. White and crimson feathers fluttered down from above, and he could only stare, blankly.

At some point, the demon vanished.

Collapsing in the grass, Kyle cried until he had no more tears to shed. A chill wind bit at his cheek, and his body shivered violently. He had never felt such cold. It was terrifying. He wanted warmth. He tried to stand but crumpled back down at once. His body, which had always felt weightless, was suddenly heavier than lead.

There was no way he could walk upright. On all fours like a beast, he began crawling. The sight was so pitiful, the tears he thought had dried up began to fall again. Partway along the path, he found a branch as tall as he was and used it as a walking stick, staggering onward.

From the far end of the trail, a young girl approached. She wore a green skirt and had red hair. Kyle felt like she was staring straight at him and that struck him as strange. Angels could cast a spell to remain invisible to humans. He had cast the spell. So why was she looking at him as if she could see him?

“Excuse me… you there…”

When they came face to face, the girl looked at him with eyes full of mercy.

And in that moment, Kyle realized with horror: she could see him. The basic spell, the most fundamental of all angelic magic was no longer working. He couldn’t even make himself disappear.

“You look terribly injured are you all right? May I offer you my shoulder?”

After sobbing without shame, Kyle leaned on the kind-hearted young woman’s shoulder and made his way to the church. It was a place deeply familiar to him, and the priest’s face was one he knew well but to the priest, Kyle was nothing more than a wounded stranger.

Thanks to the priest’s generosity, he was given shelter at the church. The priest’s wife applied medicinal herbs to his damaged back and wrapped it with clean bandages. As soon as she finished treating him, he was led to a bed but it was narrow and smelled of dust.

Even lying down, sleep would not come. Worse yet, his stomach began to rumble in an unfamiliar, uncomfortable way, leaving him irritable. It took a long time before he realized the strange sensation was hunger. Kyle had never experienced hunger before.

Unable to endure it, he swallowed his pride and asked the priest and his wife if they could spare him some food. But the modest meal he received in exchange for his dignity did little to fill the gnawing void in his belly. With his empty plate before him, Kyle cried himself to sleep.

And then in the dead of night, he awoke to a stench so vile it felt like his nose might fall off. Something was glowing around the bed. Why is something glowing inside the room…? He frowned. Then moonlight streamed through the curtainless window and illuminated the source of the light.

Kyle let out a choked scream.

What had been glowing… were the eyes of monsters.

The eyes of the creatures that lived in the forest. Dozens, no, countless pairs of them encircled the bed. Not a single one had a face he could bear to look at. One looked like a twisted version of a dog. Another like a grotesque cross between a cat and a rat. Each of them reeked of rot, and they were creeping closer, inch by inch.

Kyle trembled on the bed, back pressed to the wall. One of the dog-like monsters grabbed his foot. He kicked it away and leapt down to the floor. But he only managed a few steps before the creatures closed in around him.

“N-no! No! Stay away!”

Dozens of monsters seized him and dragged him outside. They swung him like a rag doll through the darkness, down the path, and into the forest. The pain was so intense he screamed again and again but he never lost consciousness.

Tossed onto the soft grass, Kyle pushed himself up, every joint in his body aching. And then he froze.

All around him, the hideous creatures had gathered in a circle. Their grotesque faces turned toward him, tongues wetly flicking the air in unison. Then, as if on cue, they broke into a chorus like a broken violin screeching in disharmony.

“Angel meat… angel meat…”

“Angel meat is delicious…”

“Delicious, delicious…”

“It’s been so long. A hundred years, maybe? I want to eat it. I want to eat it…”

Kyle hugged his knees to his chest, curling up as small as he could. He shook uncontrollably, unable to make a sound. The monsters drew closer and closer.

He couldn’t take it anymore. With a cry stifled in his throat, he sprang to his feet and lunged toward the wall of creatures, hoping he might burst through by sheer momentum.

But it was a futile plan. One of the monsters caught him effortlessly. The stench it breathed into his face made his nose twist, and its slimy green tongue slid across his cheek.

“Hiiiii!”

The more terrified he became, the more delighted the monsters seemed. Their green tongues flicked out, writhing toward him eagerly.

“Help… help me… someone, help me…”

Looking up to the heavens for help, Kyle spotted the silhouette of the demon who had taken not just his wings, but all his strength, perched on a branch of the great tree bathed in moonlight. The word despair burned itself into his chest. The demon had come to watch him be killed to revel in the sight of a fallen angel being devoured in disgrace.

One of the monsters grabbed at Kyle’s clothes. He shook it off violently, tearing the fabric and exposing his shoulder. As he curled in on himself, shielding what he could, another claw came from behind and yanked at him in the opposite direction. The monsters delighted in tormenting him slowly. Bit by bit, as they clawed and tore, his clothes were stripped away until Kyle, scratched and bruised, was laid bare before their grotesque eyes.

“Never seen an angel that looked so delicious. Let’s eat him. Let’s eat.”

“I call dibs on the legs.”

“I want the head.”

“I’m taking the right arm.”

Claws like sickles latched onto his leg. They didn’t play like a cat pawing at prey these talons dug deep with deliberate savagery.

A gaping maw lunged for his foot. Kyle tried to jerk it away, but not in time. It bit down, ripping off a small chunk of flesh at the ankle.

“GyaaaaAAAHHH!”

Kyle screamed. Then, thrashing like a rabid animal, he howled.

“Someone help me! Help me! HELP ME !”

A massive shadow blotted out the moonlight. The demon stepped forward, and in an instant, Kyle was tossed onto the grass. The creatures that had tormented him scattered back like waves receding from shore, cowering in the demon’s presence.

The demon reached toward him with those clawed hands. This is it, Kyle thought. He’s going to eat me whole… not even leave my bones…

But the moment he was touched, his body grew weightless. The demon had lifted him into his arms and they rose into the sky.

“Demon, demon! Give us the angel back!”

The monsters roared from below in chorus.

“Give him back! It’s unfair to eat him alone!”

“Selfish! Selfish!”

“Give him back, give him back!”

If I’m going to be eaten, Kyle thought, I’d rather be torn apart by those things below. This demon… he’s the reason for everything. All my misery.

Thrashing wildly in the demon’s arms, Kyle kicked and flailed.

“Ah…!”

With a startled cry, the demon’s grip loosened. Kyle plummeted headfirst.

But just before he struck the earth, the demon caught him again, swooping upward into the sky.

“Kill me!” Kyle shouted at the top of his lungs. “As if I’d let you fill your belly with me! I… I…”

Tears poured down his cheeks. And as he cried, Kyle’s consciousness finally gave out.

The fear and exhaustion were too much. His mind surrendered first, slipping away into a world of oblivion where he could finally feel nothing at all.

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