Heaven...my kingdom...my home.
Long have I wished to return...and yet I cannot.
For now, allow me to tell you of the many changes it had undergone after the disappearance of my grandson, Stygian.
---
A few months after Stygian vanished, panic spread through Heaven like a fever. The angels worried endlessly that their saint would never return.
It was in this climate of fear that Lute — Adam's second-in-command — made her move. She gathered every exterminator loyal to her and marched straight to the Head Seraphim.
Her argument was simple and deliberate: the demons had taken the prince. Perhaps they had even killed him. And if they had done it to seize power from their own leader...Heaven could be next.
Sera was skeptical. The idea that Hell would turn on their own ruler and declare war on Heaven was not something she had ever seriously considered. And yet, with everything so uncertain, she could not simply dismiss it either.
Despite the dire circumstances, she decided to consult with the other leaders before making any decisions.
Lute left the meeting without what she wanted. But she was satisfied nonetheless — because this was only the beginning.
She needed Heaven to see Hell as the enemy once more. The crowned prince's disappearance had already suspended the exterminations indefinitely. Now she just needed to fan the flames a little further.
As she made her way back toward the barracks, she stopped.
There was Adam. Holding hands with Celestia.
*Filth.*
Lute had watched him change ever since that woman came into his life. He no longer visited the barracks. He no longer stopped by the bar for a cold beer after a long day. Instead, he spent his time helping the people of Heaven, keeping morale steady, being *present.*
She couldn't believe it.
The man she loved had been taken from her...and there was nothing she could do about it.
Worse still — he looked happy. *Genuinely* happy. Happier than he had ever looked when they were—
She didn't finish the thought.
Wings unfurling, Lute launched herself into the sky and made for the barracks. She needed to clear her head. She needed to focus on what mattered.
The exterminations had to continue. She would make sure of it.
---
Emily — the Seraphim of Joy — had one purpose: to bring laughter and light to all who lived in Heaven.
Lately, that purpose felt impossibly heavy.
Stygian had promised her a date once. A simple thing, a small thing — but she had held onto it. And now he was gone, and the promise had gone with him.
As if that weren't enough, Lady Floof — the Radiance — had fallen silent. Her body lay in suspended animation, alive but completely still, as though the world had simply...paused for her.
Normally, Emily would have gone to her. Talked to her, sat with her, tried to help. But Heaven needed her right now — needed her steady and smiling and sure.
So that was what she would be.
For Heaven. For Lady Floof. For her sister. And for the man she hoped, one day, to call her husband.
---
Nighttime had settled over Heaven, and its denizens were drifting to sleep — immortal as they were, rest was still something they needed.
All except Adam.
He was walking home after a full day with Celestia, feeling lighter than he had in years, when a golden scroll materialized in the air before him. He caught it, unrolled it, and read.
Sera wanted to meet. Tonight. About the exterminations and Hell.
He had known this conversation was coming.
Celestia had changed something in him — he couldn't deny that. He still didn't have much love for demons, and Lucifer was...Lucifer. But if Hell could produce someone as warm and genuine as Celestia, then maybe he had been wrong about some things.
Maybe Hell wasn't entirely what he'd made it out to be.
He tucked the scroll away and flew toward Sera's office.
---
"Sup, Sera. Bit late for a meeting." Adam said as he stepped inside.
"Good evening to you too, Adam." Sera replied, her expression solemn. "I think you already know what this is about."
"The exterminations," Adam said. Not a question.
"I don't know yet." Sera exhaled slowly. "What if Lute is right? What if Hell truly did kill the prince? Is resuming the exterminations really the wrong move?"
Adam was quiet for a moment.
"Sera...I know I'm the last person you'd expect to argue against them. But I don't think the exterminations are necessary anymore."
Sera looked at him. "You're serious."
"Yeah. I am." He leaned back against the wall, searching for the words. "Since Celestia...I don't know. That hate I carried around for so long, those grudges I held onto — I look at them now and I can't even explain why they mattered so much. I can't even..." He shook his head. "I'm not saying I have all the answers. I'm just saying — do what's right. Not just for Heaven. For everyone. Even Hell."
The room was quiet.
Then Sera smiled — slow and genuine — and walked toward him, pulling him into a warm hug.
"I am so proud of you, Adam. I never thought I'd live to see you become the voice of reason."
"...Thanks, Sera." He hugged back, giving her a few stiff, uncertain pats on the shoulder.
When she stepped back, she wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye.
"I'll speak with the elders. But I promise you — the exterminations will be permanently discontinued."
"Thank you, Sera."
He said his goodbyes and flew home, and the moment he walked through his door he dropped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling.
The place was quiet. Still.
*Too still.*
*...Maybe I should ask Celestia if I can move in with her. I'll bring it up tomorrow.*