Countless bodies shambled out of the forest, it seemed as if they were just appearing from behind the trees. No matter how many of them Zadkiel burned with his weakened, divine fire they still kept getting back up and shuffling towards him. Zadkiel could feel the eye he took from Albert burning a hole through his hand. The angel knew he could not hold something like this and effectively fight but he also knew letting it go was not an option.

  “Get it together!” Michael screamed as he flew in from above, slamming into the ground where the enemy was gathering the most. Parts of their bodies shot in all directions. With a thrust of his flaming sword, Michael cut all the remaining bodies in half.

  “The altar…” Zadkiel began to say before he was cut off from the screams of the bodies. It wasn’t a typical scream that was made out of anger but rather a scream of a crowd who was on the edge of tears.

  The bodies that were burnt to a crisp from Zadkiel’s judgment, began to regrow their lost skin and peel themselves off the ground. The bodies that had been sliced to bits from Michael’s strength, began to be stitched back together by red vines.

  Michael screams echoed as he began to fly around the forest, like lightning he sliced through everything in his path. Zadkiel began to gather what energy he could and erupted, sending purple flames out in all directions, turning everything to ash.

  But the bodies kept getting up, continuing their mindless march towards the angels. The angels were bleeding and exhausted.

  This is the moment Michael realized his divine strength had no power here. His swings used to solve any problem he came across, his swing ended wars, killed countless would-be gods, but now they only made the moment worse. This is the moment Zadkiel realized his judgment that would cause mortals, demons, and even angels to be frozen with fear has no weight here anymore.

  Michael sword began to slow down. The weight and meaning that once propelled it forward, making it able to cut through anything effortlessly, had completely faded.

  Zadkiel opened his hand so he could look at the eye he took from Albert. It stared, unblinking, at Zadkiel’s soul. The voice that the angels knew as god’s guidance was only a whisper for Zadkiel now and it was only telling him one thing. ‘Run.’

  “We need to go.” Zadkiel said as he grabbed Michael by the hand and started to ascend. The shambling hoard watched as the pair flew away, their bodies began to shake violently. Moments later, bones and flesh erupted from the bodies, taking shape of wings so the chase could continue.

  The giant red spheres that littered the sky seemed to grow a mind as they began shifting in the sky trying to block the angels path. The countless, ever-shifting bodies lurched out of the orbs taking forms of the countless victims the forest had claimed.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Michael ripped his hand free from Zadkiel and spun around to meet the threat head on. When Michael raised his burning sword up towards the red orb he realized the flame from his sword was almost out, for the first time he questioned if he should even swing his blade. The orb flew past Michael and went straight for his brother.

  Zadkiel’s scream caused Michael to break free from his doubts just in time to see the orb touch one of Zadkiel’s wings causing it to evaporate like it were ice left in the sun. The angels heart broke as he saw his brother lose part of what made him divine.

  With part of his divine power extinguished the angel couldn’t keep himself up right anymore. The bodies of children were crawling over each other, trying to free themselves from this orb to grab a hold of Zadkiel to steal what remained of his holy light.

  Michael’s sword was the thing that dragged him forward. His sword cut the red orb clean in half. Tears filled Michael’s eyes as he realized he was failing at what he was created to do, protect everyone.

  Zadkiel was plummeting towards the ground and for a moment this is where he thought he belonged for he had failed everyone. It was an archangels job to stop all evil from spreading and yet here it was in the shape of an eye, burying itself into the angels skin. The eye slithered under the angels skin until it burst out of the angels forehead. The angel was turning into an instrument for evil and he could do nothing about it.

  Suddenly the wind stopped rushing past the free falling angel. Once Zadkiel opened his eyes he expected the worst, but what he saw gave him just a sliver of hope. Michael stood there holding him, reminding Zadkiel why Michael was called ‘The Hope of All’.

  The falling angel heard but a whisper, a voice from their father with one last command of his solider before he would allow him to perish. Zadkiel wished he couldn’t hear anymore, he wished everything could go back to before their lord had gone to sleep. He only wished for his father to return.

  “I’m sorry brother. Do not blame yourself, for this is his wish.” Zadkiel said with tears filling his eyes. The air around the two angels was suddenly compressed as if something massive had set its gaze on them. The sky began to tremble and even the forest had to turn its ever watching gaze to see, for the first time in a long time, a miracle unfold.

  Zadkiel’s body began to tremble and his wings began to glow bright that it began to burn the bodies that were chasing the angels. But rather than run and hide, the pursuers bathed in the light. A shockwave so massive it uprooted every tree around them, pushed everything away from the angels and for just a moment Michael realized the gaze that had found them was their lord.

  For just a moment the forest was quiet, the demons and creatures of the forest alike all stood in awe, watching as an angel lost his wings. Not one person dared to cheer in triumph, not because they feared Michael’s wrath but rather they felt sorrow and respect for the greatest sacrifice an archangel could make. The act of an angel giving its power back.

  “No… No!” Michael screamed as his brother laid weakened in his arms. The angel knew there was no way to undo this but he will stop at nothing to bring his brother back to his former glory.

  Zadkiel gave a half smile, the best he could muster and stared deep into his brother’s eyes. At that moment Michael knew exactly what Zadkiel was thinking about, a fond memory shared between the two that gave them strength but now it only served as a reminder of what will never be anymore. At the moment Michael realized he was never standing on his own, Zadkiel had always been the one right behind him holding him higher.

  “He had one last message for you brother.” Zadkiel said placing his hand upon Michael’s cheek. The angel began to cry as he saw all of Zadkiel’s wings turn to ash.

  Michael looked up to see a figure made of compressed light floating where the sun should be. This figure pointed at where the red moon was setting and as Michael’s sword grew brighter he understood what this meant. With renewed vigor he knew what had to happen next.

  The trees began to pick themselves up and began to plant themselves once more. The bodies that once sought after the angels, seemed to all agree at once to give up. They landed carefully on the forest floor and became one with the trees once more.

  The air quaked under Michael’s wings, the clouds began to circle around the angel who held his burning sword in one hand and his fallen brother in his other. “It will be done father.” The words fell somewhat monotoned as Michael left a trail of white-hot flames in his wake as he headed to where the red moon set.