A Journey Unwanted

[??? Ago]

[Location: ???]

[Fallen Divinity]

Red eyes surveyed the devastation in complete silence.

There was nothing hurried about the gaze. It merely wandered across the broken horizon with patience.

The world had already lost.

It was a decrepit world in every sense of the word. A barren wasteland stretched endlessly beneath a dull sky, its colorless earth rolling into dull gray hills that rose and fell, like a petrified sea. Mountains lingered far in the distance, their peaks weathered down into crooked silhouettes. The ground also seemed exhausted, as though life had abandoned it long before its destruction had even arrived.

Above it all hung an endless ceiling of swollen clouds.

They simply remained, layered upon one another in suffocation, concealing whatever stars or heavens might once have existed beyond them. Every so often, red lightning crawled through the thick cloud cover. The flashes came without warning and vanished just as quickly, staining the wasteland in blood-red light before surrendering it once more to lifeless gray.

No wind carried across the plains, no birds circled overhead, and no insects sang. Even the thunder sounded strangely hollow.

The world was very much dead.

"To think Michael would go this far."

The quiet words escaped the lips of the only living presence that remained within the endless wasteland. They were spoken without anger or disbelief. If anything, there was disappointment buried somewhere beneath their calm delivery.

Standing alone amidst the remains was a woman whose existence seemed incompatible with the landscape surrounding her.

Beauty alone failed to describe her.

Radiance was equally insufficient.

She possessed a presence that made language feel inadequate.

Long white hair flowed freely down her back, untouched by dust or decay. Beneath its pristine surface shimmered what resembled an endless sea of stars, as though the night sky had been fused into every strand. Her skin was flawless, unmarred by time, conflict, or imperfection. Scarlet eyes, brilliant enough to command attention from anyone foolish enough to meet them, remained strangely vacant. They held no triumph, grief, or satisfaction.

Her robe was simple compared to her impossible appearance.

White fabric concealed every part of her figure, its broad sleeves hanging loosely at her sides. Black embroidery traced elegant patterns across the garment, the only thing that stood out on the otherwise immaculate cloth.

"This star, this realm, they are already beyond saving," the woman murmured quietly, almost as though confirming the conclusion to herself. "Father no longer has the luxury of waiting. Whether he wishes to or not, he has no choice now. He will have to intervene."

"Seems you’re every bit as crazy as everyone says," another voice replied lazily from behind her. "You’re even holding conversations with yourself now."

The woman neither startled nor turned immediately.

For the briefest instant, a small crease appeared between her brows. It vanished almost as quickly as it had formed, leaving behind only the smallest hint of annoyance.

"I’m honestly surprised you decided to show yourself," she answered evenly after a pause. "I’d always assumed hiding from inconvenient situations was more your style."

Only then did she glance over her shoulder.

Where empty air had existed only a heartbeat earlier, another figure now stood as though he had always belonged there.

He possessed the same impossible beauty that marked their kind.

Snow-white hair rested against his shoulders.

Ruby-red eyes regarded her with amusement.

Unlike her reserved attire, however, his clothing seemed extravagant. A fitted black garment with a raised collar clung comfortably to his frame, golden patterns flowing across the fabric in spirals. Loose black trousers bore the same elaborate embroidery before disappearing into black sabatons adorned with matching gold.

Despite the dead world surrounding them, he looked relaxed.

"Gabriel," the woman acknowledged with little more enthusiasm than someone commenting on the mundane.

"Samael."

His grin widened.

He gave her an exaggerated once-over before raising an eyebrow.

"So, what’s with the rack?" he asked with a teasing tilt of his head. "You’ve never exactly enjoyed taking female forms. Usually you avoid them whenever you can."

"This is a vessel," Samael answered without the slightest embarrassment. She turned her attention back toward the ruined horizon before continuing. "A witch. She possessed a form of magic that served a purpose I required. Acquiring it through her body was simply the most efficient solution."

Gabriel stepped beside her, folding his hands behind his back.

"For one of your wonderfully wholesome and definitely not suspicious plans, I assume?"

"My intentions are nowhere near as twisted as you insist on believing," Samael replied, letting out a small scoff. "Whatever accusations you wish to level at me, remember one simple fact. I was not the one who brought this star to ruin."

Her red gaze remained fixed upon the horizon.

"That distinction belongs to the ever-righteous Michael and that insufferable buffoon Lucifer."

Gabriel chuckled.

"Right," he said with exaggerated agreement. "Must’ve been some other Samael who spent centuries trying to prove humanity was nothing more than a stain on Father’s creation. And naturally, it couldn’t possibly have been you encouraging one rebellion after another."

"Everything that followed could have been avoided had Father listened," Samael answered calmly. "Humanity was always destined to lead this world toward ruin."

She paused briefly.

"Though I will admit, they did not accomplish it alone. They had more assistance than they ever realized."

Gabriel folded his arms behind his head.

"I’m still not convinced this is actually the end."

At last, Samael looked at him again.

"Oh?" There was neither mockery nor curiosity in her voice. "And what inspires such confidence? This star has already died. Continue allowing Michael and Lucifer to wage their endless conflict, and every remaining fragment will eventually follow."

"They’re humans," Gabriel answered with a small shrug. "Stubborn creatures and ridiculously persistent. I’ve watched them survive things that should’ve wiped them out a million times over. I don’t think they’ll simply lie down and wait for the end of their world."

"They have no alternative," Samael replied with another scoff. A slight frown tugged at her lips. "That has always been the fate reserved for insects."

She regarded him for another moment.

"Now was that all, or did you travel all this way merely to argue philosophy with me?"

"Lucifer had a message for you," Gabriel revealed at last, the easy grin on his face never quite fading. Despite the seriousness those words should have carried.

For the first time since their conversation had begun, Samael’s expression shifted ever so slightly.

One pale brow rose.

"Since when," she asked coolly, turning her gaze toward him, "have you become content with playing the obedient dog for that idiot? I never imagined you, of all beings, would willingly carry messages on Lucifer’s behalf."

Gabriel let out a quiet laugh and dismissed the remark with an idle wave of his hand.

"We’re still siblings, aren’t we?" he replied, his tone remaining light despite the bleak world stretching endlessly around them. "Doing one another the occasional favor isn’t exactly beneath me. Besides, I wasn’t asked to fight his battles—just to pass along a message. That’s hardly enough to wound my pride."

His smile softened, becoming noticeably less playful.

"Though, if I’m being honest, with Michael still searching for your now sweet little behind, you’re about as good as dead if you continue wandering around like this. You know that as well as I do."

Samael’s expression remained composed, though the corners of her lips shifted almost imperceptibly.

"Even so," she answered after a brief silence, her voice calm, "incarnation is an enormous gamble. To entrust my soul to Lucifer of all beings would require a level of foolishness I have somehow managed to avoid throughout my existence. Whatever promises he makes, I know better than to place my life in his hands."

A scoff escaped her.

"I have survived this long by refusing to trust opportunists."

Gabriel studied her for a moment before exhaling through his nose.

"Maybe," he admitted with an indifferent shrug. "I’m not here to convince you one way or the other. Like I said, I’m only the messenger."

His grin returned, though it carried a trace of genuine concern beneath its teasing.

"So, try not to get yourself killed, yeah? At least not too soon. I’d rather not attend another family funeral. We’ve had enough of those already."

Samael offered no reply.

Whether she chose to ignore his concern or simply found nothing worth saying, even Gabriel could not tell.

The silence lingered between them.

Then came the sound of a single wing beating against the heavy air.

It lasted no longer than a heartbeat.

Samael never turned around.

She did not need to.

The presence that had stood beside her only moments before simply disappeared, vanishing as quietly as it had arrived. The empty wasteland swallowed the last trace of Gabriel’s existence, leaving behind only the endless silence of a dead world.

Once again, she stood alone beneath the suffocating sky.

Red lightning threaded through the dense clouds overhead before fading back into darkness.

Her scarlet eyes slowly lifted toward that motionless ceiling.

The world stretched endlessly beneath her feet, and for the first time since arriving, uncertainty found its way into her thoughts.

("I wonder, is that truly my only remaining option?")

The question lingered unanswered.

Her gaze remained fixed upon the clouds for several long moments before she closed her eyes.

When she finally spoke again, her voice was little more than a murmur.

"Either way..." A slow breath escaped her. "...it’s time to wake up."