The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 359: Fallen

Chapter 359: Fallen

For hours, Rain sat silently in his cage. A cage that slowly drained the mana of its occupant, ensuring that his already low level of mana would take weeks to recover if he remained inside.

For a time, he could hear Cassiel and Auric, just outside the door and indistinct, talking with each other. But then things grew silent.

He still felt the compulsion, the constant flow of mana anchored just outside the door where Auric stood watch.

Silent enough for him to think. And remember.

The looks on the villagers’ faces.

An old couple in their shelter, who hadn’t watched the exchange. How they called out when he appeared, thinking he was there to save them. Their faces when they realized he’d come to them with his sword in hand, drenched in blood.

Everyone else had tried to beg, or escape, or fight... He remembered the flash of weak spells, claws, makeshift weapons, and cooking blades... bodies with their backs to him and those that stood defiant to the end... all falling beneath Torrent.

Their dead faces haunted him, missing horns that the Executioners he’d thought of as friends and comrades for the last two years had harvested from them. They stared out from the darkness at him in woeful, wrathful, or fearful accusation.

Without orders, he couldn’t do more than sit and weep silently, part of him wishing he could mentally corner himself through those orders into having his heart stop. But even compulsion couldn’t overcome the body’s automatic functions. And the strength of Auric’s compulsion had been enough that even pain had failed to break through.

He spent hours alternating between his guilt and thoughts of how to die. How to kill Auric and those who’d laughed with him. And about how much of a dangerous fool he was.

Some time after he was thrown in the cage, the door hissed open.

"Stand, traitor," Auric ordered.

So it’s ’traitor’ now... Rain thought as his body obeyed.

The twins entered the room, and Auric followed after. "Keep him under compulsion. Alternate if you must, but make sure he cannot move, speak, or even look at anyone."

""Yes Auric,"" the twins said at the same time.

"I’m going to bed. Come get me if something happens."

So much for standing guard himself... Rainier thought. He must’ve made arrangements the moment Cassiel was out of the way.

Rain watched as the twins entered. Auric waited until just after they approached to walk past the door, yawning. At some point, he’d gotten his black eye healed. Perhaps by Cassiel.

The twins regarded Rain with disappointed faces.

"You left us high and dry for a week," Variel said accusingly.

"That wasn’t very nice," Bariel finished for his brother.

Unable to respond, Rain just stared straight ahead. The image of them whispering in Auric’s ears refused to leave his mind as they continued to chatter inanely at him.

The moment Auric dropped the compulsion link, he shuddered where he stood, blinking before he glared at them.

"Why did you do it?" Rain asked.

"Do what?" Bariel scowled.

"Oh look, he’s mad," Variel giggled. There was a look of almost sadistic glee in his eyes. A strange contrast to his brother, who just looked annoyed.

Rain walked up to the bars of the cage. "What did you tell Auric?"

"I said we should help you get revenge on the demons. And Var said you ought to do it yourself. But what does it matter? They were just demons," Bariel crossed his arms.

"They were people!" Rain shouted. "Civilians!"

"There’s no such thing as demon civilians," Variel shot back, leaning in. "Looks like Auric was right and you went soft in the head."

Rain reached through the cage and grabbed Variel by the throat.

"Let go of him!" Bariel shouted, and then "Let go of my brother!"

Rain was so enraged he almost felt like he could defy the compulsion. But the moment he thought this, the command slammed into place and he let Variel go.

"Fucking asshole!" Variel coughed, slamming one hand into the cage in anger.

A moment later, Rain punched him in the nose, exploding blood down his face and sending him sprawling on the ground.

"Var!" Bariel called out, before rounding on Rain. "Kneel!" he shouted, and Rain knelt, before he added, "Stay where you are! Don’t speak. Don’t even look at anyone!"

Once the compulsion settled in, he helped his brother up.

"He broke my nose!" Variel whined, his voice distorted by blood.

"We’ll get you fixed up," Bariel said, shooting a glare at Rain. "I can’t believe we used to like you," he snarled before he led his brother outside and up the hall.

The compulsion stayed up for what felt like hours, even when the door hissed open again, from out of Rain’s line of sight.

"Rain..." Cassiel’s voice sounded hoarse. "Look at me."

He couldn’t. Part of him didn’t want to. He didn’t want to know if she pitied or despised him.

She walked around to his front, and he turned his head away. Then his whole body when she tried to follow, all while remaining in the same place as ordered.

"Rain, don’t... don’t do this. I’m trying to help. But I need to understand why you hurt Variel. Why you attacked Auric..."

What about the people I killed? Rain thought. What about the blood on my hands? He wanted to scream it. To challenge her and discover if she’d even been told the truth.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to... I shouldn’t have compelled you back then. It’s my fault this happened. And as your leader, I deserve the blame for this. And even so, Auric’s trying to help both of us."

For all the thoughts in his head, Rain could only remain silent, his body shuddering involuntarily as the adrenaline of his confrontation with the twins continued to wear off, leaving a hollow tiredness in its wake.

"Would you please say something?" she asked. "Rain... please. I know I didn’t listen before, but I want to hear your side."

Silence was all the answer he could give. Wherever Bariel had gone, he was spending the mana to keep it active.

"I won’t compel you... again... but if you don’t answer, how can I defend you?"

For once, Rain wished she would compel him.

He remained silent.

"I thought I knew you..." her voice cracked. "Why are you acting like this?"

At that moment, the door hissed open.

"There you are," Auric said. "I went looking for you after Bariel came to find me."

"I thought you said you’d protect him," Cassiel frowned.

"Fighting him earlier was more tiring than I anticipated. I did the responsible thing and turned him over for the twins to watch... I thought by now whatever poison the demons used would be out of his system."

Auric lifted a hand and snapped his fingers at Rain. "Are you in there?" he asked, faking concern, before turning to Cassie. "I doubt he even knows what he did or where he is."

Murderous thoughts filled Rain’s mind.

This close to the cage, he heard the whisper of Auric’s hand through Cassiel’s hair.

"Come to bed with me. I know it’s been a rough couple of days..."

"I’m not in the mood for anything, Auric."

"I wouldn’t expect you to be. But just having you there would put my mind at ease. We should leave the interrogations to the justiciary."

"What?" Cassiel pulled his hand away.

"Even under the influence of poison, he still struck a superior officer. Two, actually. There are protocols that must be followed to verify whether or not he should be considered fallen. You know this."

"He wasn’t in his right mind! We should wait for the poison to clear first-"

"I’ve seen such proceedings before. I’m sure it’ll be quick and painless. He’ll be exonerated. Perhaps even waiting for us when we return to Heaven."

The lies spilling forth from Auric Victoriam’s mouth stoked Rain’s anger, but with his adrenaline exhausted, he felt himself start to sink into despair as Cassiel sighed and responded.

"I guess... If you say so."

Auric smiled. "Will you come with me to my room? We both need to be fresh and ready when my uncle arrives tomorrow. Or today, I guess."

After a long pause, during which Cassie stared at Rain’s back, she answered. "Fine."

The sounds of their footsteps and the hiss of the door were followed by silence. And then darkness as the twins arrived to take back their posts, shutting off the lights and leaving him staring into nothing.

No matter how tired he felt, the active compulsion would not let Rain sleep.

His mind drifted in the timeless dark, from wrath to guilt and shame.

And the crying, hateful faces of the dead.

*

And after an eternity with the dead, Rain heard a pair of voices walking up the hall before the door opened and a set of guards entered along with Bariel; before his visitors became known as they continued their conversation.

"The horn was enough to secure some additional interest in future expeditions, so it hasn’t gone to waste," Vinam Victoriam, the Son of Heaven, High Seraphim, and leader of the Executioners told his nephew.

"Will we be sent to chase the dragon? Telemetry said it made landfall in west Areth. If we hurry -" Auric’s tone was deferential.

"Sadly the Executioners are spread to thin to deal with one titan crossing the ocean. And telemetry is busy investigating another anomaly over the Lakelands. We’ll leave the matter to the beastkin," Vinam sighed, and Rain sensed the man’s gaze on his back. "Besides, we still have all the resources we need."

Vinam turned and nodded to Bariel. Rain’s mind and body sagged as the compulsion was released a moment later.

Rain turned, trying to gather the will to tell the truth as quickly as he could. But before he could speak, Vinam said two words.

"Obey me."

A new compulsion settled over him, and there wasn’t a single moment where he felt he could resist.

"Stand," Vinam ordered. "Look at me."

Rain stood. He looked.

At a smiling, uncaring angel with blazing red hair and black raiment.

"Hello Rainier."