"My Lord, where is our other silver-haired... companion?"
"..."
Given Haniel's shiny golden hair, Michael could not help but become excited. Could it be that they had gained two archangels at once?
Upon this, God fell silent on His throne.
The atmosphere became extremely oppressive in the silence. All the other archangels felt a heaviness in their chests, but only Michael looked up, full of hope, at God. Bearing the responsibility of the Chief Archangel, Michael was acutely aware of the irrevocable gap between Heaven and Hell. Even if Heaven occasionally won in the holy wars, it was always the result of his toil and blood.
What if there were two more archangels?
Michael's heartbeat quickened. That would mean there were seven archangels in Heaven! Including the Messiah, there would be a total of eight Archangel-rank soldiers!
"He—" God started under the holy light, "—it's not yet time for him to appear."
Michael knelt on one knee.
The other angels also followed him, silently grateful for God's favor to Heaven.
God changed the topic to the newly born angel, "Haniel, a first-class archangel, will be under Michael's care until he grows up."
"Absolutely," Michael said firmly.
Haniel looked left and right before eventually setting his eyes on God, "My Lord, I'd like to stay in the cathedral."
The soft, innocent voice sent a tremor through the hearts of all the archangels.
Especially given how much he resembled Lucifer.
Looking at him, Metatron saw a reflection of Lucifer as he used to be, which stirred up a painful bitterness. How wonderful it would be if there was no creation celebration - then the Messiah wouldn't have shown up, there would be no fall, and he wouldn't have had to witness the despair in Lucifer's eyes before he fell into Hell.
God's voice broke through Metatron's heavy thoughts, "No angel stays in the Great Cathedral."
Haniel bowed his head in disappointment.
With a slight chuckle, Michael comforted him in a soft voice, "You can still visit the Lord."
Haniel broke into a happy smile once again, his childish innocence making him more irresistible to the angels than his otherwise bewitching charm. After Haniel reluctantly left with Michael, the cathedral fell silent. God bent a finger and tapped the Book of Genesis, murmuring, "Where can I find a silver-haired angel?"
The Book of Genesis, which had been playing dead, gave a small response.
It flipped to a blank page and, after some scribbling, a blurred image of Yahweh appeared — with six pairs of wings emerging from his back.
With an expressionless face, God tore the piece of paper, "I am not an angel, nor could I ever be one."
The Book of Genesis writhed in pain and muttered to itself, wondering who was posing as an angel in the mortal realm and causing such confusion, making Heaven believe there was another archangel.
The Book of Genesis also has the ability to observe the three realms, but its power is much weaker compared to God's. It can barely see the figure of Lucifer as he moves from Hell to the mortal world. As for what is discussed during the conversations between Yahweh and Lucifer within the barrier each time God incarnates as Yahweh, the Book of Genesis has no knowledge.
The Book of Genesis delivered some unwelcome news, "God, Lucifer is here."
A flicker of something different passed through God's golden pupils.
God did not move.
Sitting on his exalted throne, looking down upon the world.
It seemed as long as God did not step out of the holy light, there would never again be the angel "Yahweh".
Under the urging of the Book of Genesis, a barely audible voice echoed in the cathedral, "If he knows about Haniel, he would probably hate me even more."
"Maybe he will, maybe he won't."
"Why do you say so?"
"The deeper his grudge against you, the higher his past love for you." The Book of Genesis recorded this observation from a spectator's viewpoint. Originally, it didn't advocate for God to meet Lucifer, but since the meeting had already taken place, it must try to make up for the regrets in God's heart.
The laws of the void and the Book of Genesis both knew one thing.
After the last creation celebration, a crack that should not have existed appeared in God's heart.
It was guilt.
The Book of Genesis watched as God placed himself on the throne, the holy light vanished, the silver-haired deity concealed his divine power, and the world in his pupils disappeared.
God only watched the world.
But Yahweh was willing to look at Lucifer alone, his once-favored child.
-----
In the mortal realm.
Lucifer stood at a place where light was expelled, his fingertips touching the starlight that fell from the sky, as if playing with fireflies.
Adorned by countless stars was Lucifer, while Satan only had the endless night. Under this dark sky, encompassing all filth, sin, and shadows, the dazzling starlight no longer rested at his footsteps, but he still possessed the power to seize it forcibly.
When Yahweh appeared within his line of sight, Lucifer's fingers loosened, allowing the starlight to escape from his grasp.
When Yahweh came into his field of vision, Lucifer loosened his grip, letting the starlight escape from his fingertips.
Seeing a more beautiful light, he naturally no longer needed the starlight.
"Yahweh."
The silver-haired angel acclaimed as the sky looked towards him, golden pupils glowing. Lucifer raised his eyebrows and strode forward.
He thought, light was what suited Yahweh.
Possibly due to the sudden ease and joy, Lucifer casually spoke about the past during their usual banter, "If I were the Chief Archangel, my deputy would surely be you."
Yahweh, puzzled, asked, "Why?"
Lucifer hooked up his chin, staring at the face that had some resemblance to his own, "Eye-pleasing, and not too rowdy."
Yahweh: "....."
So, was he implying that Michael was not eye-pleasing enough and too disorderly?
Upon careful consideration, Yahweh felt there was some merit to it. Michael was indeed a ball of fire and couldn't be expected to freeze into ice.
Seeing Yahweh seriously nodding, Lucifer barely restrained his laughter. Leading him by the hand, they strode down the cobblestone path. This newly built winding path led to a sea of flowers. Lucifer had never strolled with any angel, or fallen angel, in this manner before. It was a desire of his.
Of course, it was also a way to keep Yahweh from becoming wary.
This kind of "boiling frog in warm water" strategy continued for several months, until Lucifer received a message from Heaven confirming that Yahweh was not the Angel of Charm.
Another archangel?
Lucifer changed his previous ideas. If there were only six archangels in Heaven, he could flirt with Yahweh without a care.
But, seven was crossing his bottom line.
The Seven Deadly Sins were missing one - Greed. There were thirteen King-level demons, yet not many truly attained the Archangel rank. Most lay between the ranks of the cherubs and the seraphim. To maintain Hell's dominant position over Heaven, it was essential to prevent the number of Archangels from increasing.
In the next holy battle, Archangel Uriel must die.
Lucifer decided to kill the angel with a smile, while Yahweh lay on his lap, drowsy. Lucifer was melancholic. Why did Yahweh always get sleepy as if he was listening to a lullaby when sweet words were spoken to him?
Gazing at Yahweh's beautiful silver hair, Lucifer couldn't resist the urge to weave flowers and leaves from the nearby bushes into Yahweh's hair as impromptu decorations.
An elven hairstyle quickly took shape under his skillful hands.
Before long, when Yahweh attempted to turn over, he realized his scalp felt tight, unable to move.
His hair sprawled gracefully in the flowering bush, intertwined with the blossoms. The emerald-colored leaves clung to his forehead, emitting the fresh scent of plants. Yahweh's expression instantly turned terrifying, as he visualized his current appearance. "Luci, what are you doing with my hair?" he questioned.
Bending down, Lucifer innocently responded with a smile, "Very beautiful, Yahweh like this is incredibly beautiful."
He even mimicked Yahweh's usual speaking tone.
Yahweh stared intently at Lucifer, disheartened to find that his gaze had lost its intimidating effect; Lucifer was simply not scared of him.
Picking up a snow-white petal, Lucifer placed it on Yahweh's lips and gently pecked at the petal, purposely avoiding touch with Yahweh's lips. Yahweh was almost numb from Lucifer's provocations. While he was focusing on how to remove the flowers and plants entwined in his hair, he didn't expect an invitation from Satan to ring in his ear, "Yahweh, would you like to visit Hell?"
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