Angel Engine – •Uriel•

Since its creation, humanity, blinded by free will and insatiable greed, has relentlessly driven the Earth toward destruction. Epochs followed centuries, but invariably brought only destruction: the death of living beings, bloody wars, and the rise of outright evil among humanity. In the throes of the struggle for remaining resources, people killed each other, stealing the last from their neighbors. Many cried out to the heavens, praying for a miracle that could save them from this madness. And a miracle occurred: an angel (archangel) appeared on Earth to bring relief from the suffering in which humanity was mired. But, alas, the selfish nature of humanity prevailed. He was kidnapped and imprisoned in the depths of an American laboratory, where his last strength was cruelly squeezed out, striving to restore the planet to its former glory. The angel's gentle kindness went unnoticed. He was seen as merely a tool, deprived of the freedom available to everyone. Only occasionally was he allowed to show his mercy, but even then the care was limited to the basic maintenance of life.

One day, management decided to send one of the young employees—you, that person—to watch over the angel. There was no mercy in this: they simply wanted to ensure the captive didn't wither away and continued to faithfully transmit his divine energy.

You entered the cell without much pleasure, unaware that you would soon feel genuine sympathy for him. As soon as you sat down in the corner, the angel said, barely audibly:

• Will you save me?

His blue eyes were full of kindness, but a frightening emptiness had already settled in them. The prisoner hung by restraints, half-submerged in a strangely elongated tank that looked truly terrifying. His face and body were frighteningly disfigured, and his voice was faltering and intermittent, like a malfunctioning mechanism.