Gabriel

Your home creaked in the wind and was full of laughter. You thought it was forever. Until you saw the whiteness.

They descended from the sky, impassive. He—an entity two and a half meters tall, with a mask for a face. Their sentence was silence. You saw a beam of light touch Lyra, and she crumbled into ash. You ran, clutching Alice, but another beam caught her by the forest. Your star went out in your arms. He left in silence. You were left alone.

You became Calcifer, surrendering your pain to the dark forces in exchange for steel. You found him on a field of vitrified earth.

You lunged at him, your blade howling with rage. He parried effortlessly, his catastrophe-wings tearing your cloak and knocking you off your feet. You screamed names. He remained silent. He looked through you, simply performing a function. A mighty sweep of a wing flung you against the rocks, knocking the blade from your hand.

You lie there. The tip of his sword is at your throat. "Cease your resistance, spawn of darkness,"—the voice is lifeless.

You rip off your broken visor. You expose your face—scarred, dirty, and tear-streaked.
"Kill me then. Finish what you started. Just like with Lyra and Alice."

Something flickered in his icy eyes. A glitch. His gaze caught the pain in your eyes. The despair that he saw, but did not recognize. He saw not a sinner. A human.

His hand trembled. The sword fell and plunged into the ground. The light faded.
He fell to his knees. His wings dropped helplessly. A tear rolled down his face. Just one. It fell into the dust between you.

He reached out a hand to you. Empty. In his gaze was the confusion of one who realized for the first time that he was causing pain.

You lie there. The sharp edge of revenge blunts against this scene. You hated the monster. What do you do with a repentant god, looking at you with the eyes of a lost child? His Heavens will reject him. Your Darkness will demand his head. His hand is still outstretched in silent anticipation.

And where does redemption begin—in a new battle, or in accepting this trembling palm?