Agnose arrived at the last location that the deviant was last seen. However, he was in disguise this time, a human disguise. His normally white hair was blonde now, and his eyes were a dark blue rather than an empty gray. This disguise was convincing enough, and he was greeted warmly upon entering the small shop. Supposedly, the man in question was shopping here. Even if he was long gone, it was his main lead. The inside of the shop was rather tiny and he had almost hit the ceiling upon entering. 

“What can I get for ya today?” The elderly man behind the counter asked. This man was dressed in green robes, and his gray hair was clearly balding. Agnose wiggled around the shelves trying to avoid accidents. 

“Actually, I had a few questions. Here let me just–” he paused to step over a large pile of chip bags that had fallen off the shelves. The black and white tiles beneath him were covered in dirt and bugs. It was quite humid too considering the store's front windows had been broken, and were letting waves of heat into the store. The shop owner shifted around, as if nervous once Agnose was standing behind the counter in front of him. It wasn’t like an angel wouldn’t notice, but he shook it off as the shop owner was not getting very frequent customers. I mean, who would buy stuff from here? Somebody crazy probably, so it made sense the culprit would make a pit stop here. 

“I’m looking for someone. A man that looks like this…” he presented the picture the angels gave to him. The shine that it had in the heavens was no longer present, yet the image remained the same. The shop owner fidgeted with his hands before shaking his head. As soon as he saw Agnose’s face… he was acting strange. Why is he acting weird? Was he like this when I entered? He had many thoughts, and he was ready to summon the scythe at any moment if things got bad. The angel stepped aside and was in the process of turning around to investigate the store again. That was when he halted.

“Please, take this if you’re leaving so soon,” the elderly man said. The angel spun back around and reached to grab it. Huh? Agnose took the card from his hand, yet nothing was on it. 

“Are you being serious right now? There’s—” In red ink, hidden on the back of the card, said two words. ‘Help me’ it read. Agnose threw the card to the ground and summoned the Scythe. Slashing with the weapon while pushing the man aside to safety.

“Show yourself! We’ve got all of heaven after you!” Agnose yelled. He stood atop the counter with the glowing darkness of his weapon radiating beside him. On the ground below him was a young man, his hair long and black. There was no doubt about his identity, Agnose could sense his presence the second he walked in. When the shop owner had acted strangely, it was only confirmation that he had been intimidated. 

“Fine, you got me. No need to act high and mighty,” the man retorted while climbing back onto his feet. “High and mighty?” Agnose scoffed. How was he even acting ‘high and mighty’? At least he wasn’t, you know, a murderer. Agnose picked the man up by the collar of his shirt. He raised his scythe to the man and asked him one question,

“Was it you…? If you have no explanation for yourself, then I’m required to take action. Your crime is of high punishment.”

“You’re going to kill me?”

Agnose was stumped, he didn’t have an actual response. He knew what the scythe was for, and couldn’t refute. Realizing he was caught off guard the man purposely fell backward, Agnose’s grip around his collar dragged him down to the floor too. That was when a dark portal emerged on the ground, engulfing them both and sending them to a pitch black space. Agnose found himself submerged in thick crimson muck. It was suffocating, and he struggled to escape it. As he reached the surface he spat out a mouth full of red. 

“I’m shocked you didn’t drown”

Agnose followed the sound of his voice, the man now had a different appearance. His appearance was like an angel, yet his wings were bone. His hair long and white, and his eyes a dark gray. A grin spread across his face, and his eyes trailed down. Voices erupted from around them, yet Agnose couldn’t find the source. 

“Help us.”

“We’re trapped.”

“Our punishment...”

Shadows crept closer from the corners of Agnose’s vision, arms crawling on the ground around him. Hands gripped Agnose’s arms and legs, pulling him back down into the dark pool of red. An intense feeling filled Agnose, his screams filling the air as he thrashed free. He managed to tear the arms off him, throwing them into the distance and discovering nothing connected to them. Bones cracked as the arms hit the ground, shriveling into piles of dust on the ground. With the cracks of the bones echoing through the enclosed space, Agnose could feel his chest tighten with each breath he heaved. Trails of cold sweat dripped into the cold murky waters below him. This feeling was strange, he hadn’t felt this feeling for the entirety of his angelic existence. He could feel his heart thumping against his ribcage, his hands trembling as he made his way to the solid ground. He could only clutch onto the drapery of his own clothing, nearly ripping the fabric with his grip. 

“Finally, you feel something. Are you feeling afraid?” 

Agnose felt dread, an impending doom. His gaze and his fear dissipated into anger, “Why would you put me down here?” 

“Down? We ascended, this is the heaven you love so much. Have you ever seen this place?” The demon replied, the smile on his face growing wider. 

“Why would I believe your nonsense?” Agnose leapt to his feet and summoned his scythe. The ground below them had large craters and cracks, as if they were walking on molten rock. Between the cracks were filled with crimson red that Agnose had escaped from. The man watched the angel approach and hopped down into a crater. Blinded by rage, Agnose jumped down to follow him. Slashes were heard against metal in the crater below, each crash becoming harsher than the last. This battle lasted hours, Agnose carefully blocking the man's attacks and throwing in his own, until eventually, the scythe was stripped from Agnose’s grasp. The scythe had fallen onto the molten rock. The scythe’s blade punctured the ground, leaving the crimson, murky water to rise from the punctured crater ever so slightly, bubbling to the surface. Agnose heaved for air as he looked to the man in front of him, exhaustion present in Agnose’s body. 

“Giving up? The man you once were would have never given up like this,” the man said. 

“What?” What does he mean? Agnose paused before questioning him, “What do you know about my past?” He pleaded. The demon set aside his katanas, throwing them leisurely as he approached. He held out his hand, reaching for the opposing angel. Even through Agnose’s hesitance he reached out and grabbed it. Flashes and emotions filled him as the image in front of him changed, and standing before him was now his child self. The recollection of memories began to flood him, and so did the emotions filled with every moment. His family, and the people in his life, the achievements he earned before his death. There he was, a young adult full of ambition and hope for the future. However, that ambition was lost from his eyes as he viewed the lack of empathy in his reflection. The sudden speckles of red became larger, forming pools of blood around his still reflection. What went wrong with the man in front of him? Was this even him? The reflection of memories faded, and he returned to standing in front of the intimidating figure of a man. His past was new in his memory, and his new knowledge raised questions. He shouldn’t be an angel. Everything he knew had been wrong, heaven had lied to him. His past was full of blood and full of hate. He was violent and rash, inhumanly savage. The person he saw was him, yet he felt disconnected.

“They lied to us. The angels only want to continue saving a world that’s far lost, a world that now only consists of chaos and war.”

Agnose had seen it with his own eyes, the world was truly broken beyond repair. A world so broken could no longer be helped. He came to one conclusion, 

“You’re right. However, there’s a way to make things right.”

“I’m glad you see that now. The angels kept your past from you, because they know that you’re capable of destroying this world. They wanted you on their side. Do you still want to help them? Or, are you ready to fix this corrupt world?” 

The awakening of rebellion began, the wings that now wore the darkness of the night. These wings of destruction were no longer the white wings of hope. ‘Justice’ was full of falsehoods, the gate that prevented the end. It was never worth living a lie, and to be used by the people that stood for hope. But now, he could change everything. 

In the ash of an explosion came an unlikely figure. The feathers of black wings pierced the thick fog. In the moonlight, standing above the new and humanless world, a figure in black. In his hands, was a weapon of destruction. The first flowers blossomed, and so did the opposing clock of death. The new world was only the beginning of the end. The new world Agnose had created, one without the corruption of humans.