Michael charged into the house. He knew what he would find there before he’d kicked down the door. Lucifer didn’t disappoint him.

Raphael lay in the middle of the floor. His green wings had been torn off and nailed onto the wall. Red streaks of blood ran down the wall and formed a puddle on the floor. Raphael looked up at Michael and weakly smiled. Michael knelt beside him and pulled Raphael into his arms.

“You came,” Raphael whispered with a faint smile.

“Of course I came.” Michael’s tears fell onto Raphael’s cheeks. He cried for both of them.

“He’s still here.”

Michael looked up in time to see Lucifer grab Jophiel from behind. The wings came away easily with a heavy wet tearing sound. Jophiel screamed and fell to his knees. Gabriel drew his sword and swung it towards Lucifer’s head, but the blade was knocked aside by the large black horns. Lucifer laughed and tossed Jophiel’s wings at Zadiel. She screamed and batted them away; giving Lucifer the time he needed to take hold of her by the throat.

Zadiel looked at Lucifer calmly.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Lucifer asked her.

“Angels have nothing to fear in death,” she whispered, looking towards Michael. Her violet eyes reminded him of all the love and warmth that was within the universe.

“Please, put her down,” Michael said.

“You will fall,” Lucifer said as he tossed Zadiel to the floor.

Michael pushed Raphael away from him and lurched to his feet, but he was too slow. Lucifer reached down and took hold of Zadiel’s wings. He tore them away, swinging his arms out in a wide arc with his newest treasures. Blood sprayed the room, raining across Michael’s face. Michael surged forward and crashed into Lucifer, pushing him back against the wall. Blue feathers showered behind him, leaving his wings mostly bare. Michael wrapped his red hands around Lucifer’s throat.

“Why?!” Michael screamed in his face. “You were the Right Hand of God! You were the brightest amongst the Angels!”

“I still am the Right Hand,” Lucifer whispered, bringing his face close to Michael’s ear. “And I served God when I created you.”

“Me?” Michael’s grip tightened.

Gabriel laid a gentle hand on Michael’s shoulder. “Don’t kill him.”

Michael screamed wordlessly into Lucifer’s face.

Gabriel locked the chains around Lucifer’s wrists and ankles.

“Let me bind him,” Gabriel said, holding the chain up to be clasped around Lucifer’s neck.

Michael let his hands fall away and Gabriel locked the chains in place.

“You know nothing,” Lucifer said.

“I know that you threw it all away. God gave you everything! And you took it and did this –“ Michael gestured to the broken angels laying on the floor around him.

“How do you think Adam would choose if there was no Darkness to stand against the Light?” Lucifer asked.

“No, this is not what God wanted,” Michael said.

“You are now the Wrath of God, Michael; the Destroying Angel that cuts away the Darkness so that the Light might create.” Lucifer laughed.

Michael grabbed Gabriel’s sword and raised it above his head.

“Like you I can choose!” Michael swung the sword and smashed it down at Lucifer’s feet. The earth crumbled and fell away. Lucifer fell into the Darkness. His laugh echoed up towards them long after they could no longer see him.

Michael fell to his knees at the edge of the pit and whispered “I choose the Light.”

Blue feathers sprung up along the edges of Michael’s wings, covering most of the leathery ugliness of his anger.

Gabriel gently touched Michael on the shoulder and said “Looks like even the deepest wounds can heal.”