The quiet that followed wasn't comfortable. Everyone just stood there, looking at each other like they'd run out of road and hadn't noticed until now.
Ariel broke first. "So what? We stand here until someone volunteers? Because that's clearly working."
Nobody answered her.
Michael kept his eyes on Lucifer. "You have something to say. Say it."
"I'm thinking."
"About what?"
"About how we got here." Lucifer glanced at the throne, at the stone serpent still sitting there. "Five of us standing around trying to figure out who's least important. That's the trial. That's the great test."
Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck. "When you put it like that, it sounds stupid."
"Maybe it is stupid." Exousia's voice was quiet. "Maybe that's the point."
The chamber didn't change this time. No dissolving walls, no dramatic shift. Just a voice.
Bariel.
"I'm sorry."
Everyone looked up. He wasn't visible, but his voice filled the space like he was standing right there.
