"Archangel Miguel, how dare you betray our Lord and your faith in Him?!"
"Brother Miguel, do you realize what you have done?! Admit your guilt and repent!"
"Traitor!!! For the sin you have committed, you should be cast out from the heavens, just like that sinner Lucifer!"
"Execute the traitor!"
How noisy. How irritating the cries of these plebeian lackeys are.
I am Miguel, a former 7th-rank archangel among the 13 archangels in the hierarchy of the Third Heaven. This is the place that humans call paradise. Every believer dreams of coming here after death, believing that their suffering and their thorny path have finally come to an end, and that they will be granted an eternal life without worries. But unfortunately for them, it is nothing more than a pathetic illusion.
Some things look like dreams until you uncover their true nature. Simply put, paradise is nothing more than a golden cage, where your enslaved soul will exist for eternity, offering respect and prayers to a being that calls itself God.
Humans, angels, archangels, or any other beings are merely jesters and tools in God's hands, bringing Him heavenly merits and relieving His eternal boredom.
I became the second archangel who dared to challenge Him and, as expected, I suffered defeat. Perhaps there is only one word that can describe my actions — fool. But what has been done cannot be changed. There is no road back. All that remains is to accept the consequences of my choice.
As the defeated one, I helplessly kneel in the middle of the throne hall of the Jade Palace — a place that stands above all things. My hands and feet are bound by the Shackles of Heavenly Submission. Nothing and no one is capable of destroying them.
Now I am surrounded by countless gazes and the cries of these plebeians. In their eyes, there is no trace of the respect and admiration they once held for me. Only cold contempt remains.
At the end of the palace hall stood an altar made of pure white jade. Upon its peak was a throne surrounded by magnificent radiance. Seated upon it was a being whose beauty, power, and abilities were impossible for anyone to measure.
God.
I could feel it: if my gaze met His, it would become the final moment of my existence. After all, He could destroy me with nothing more than a snap of His fingers.
One glance — and my soul would disappear like ashes in a flame.
It seems my end is near.
"Miguel, my son... I wish to ask you a question. The severity of your punishment will depend on your answer."
Suddenly, His voice echoed through the hall, a voice whose power could pierce the hearts and souls of everyone present.
"Very well, Father. I will answer everything you wish to know."
There is already nothing left for me to hide from Him. And even if I wanted to, I could not.
"Tell me, when your elder brother, Lucifer, the Archangel of Beauty, rebelled and rose against me, did you not join him? And when I cast him out, I gave everyone who disagreed with my rule a chance to leave paradise voluntarily. Why did you not follow him?"
Everyone waited impatiently for my answer.
"Father, Lucifer and I have different views, ambitions, and desires. He wanted your throne and your power, but I was indifferent to all of that."
Many looked at me with disbelief at that moment, as if I was simply lying in order to lessen my sentence as much as possible.
"Secondly, at the time when you cast him out, I only had doubts: whether I should leave or not... I did not fully understand what I truly desired."
When I finished speaking, a dead silence filled the hall for several seconds. The time for the verdict had arrived.
"Good. I have heard your answer, my son. I will ask you nothing else. I shall give you two choices: the first — I will allow you to remain in paradise as an archangel, but you will receive one hundred lashes from the Heavenly Whip of Repentance. The second — I will strip you of your title and exile you from the Third Heaven."
God truly is intelligent. He asked me only ordinary questions, but He did not ask why I rejected His teachings. Because He knew perfectly well: my answer was capable of sowing chaos that would affect His heavenly merits.
The choice He gave me was, in truth, only one — exile.
The Heavenly Whip of Repentance is easily capable of killing an archangel after only thirty strikes. What could one hundred possibly mean...
Though, regardless, I have no intention of remaining here.
"Father, I choose the second option. I will leave the heavens and renounce my status."
This is the path to survival.
"As you wish. Archangel of Sincerity Miguel, from this moment onward, you are no longer a part of my heavenly court, and you shall lose my blessing."
The sound of a heavenly bell rang out.
My former brothers, servants, and subordinates looked at me as if I were the lowest sinner of all. It reminded me of that very same scene when he — Lucifer — once stood in my place.
It is almost insulting to share the same fate as that idiot.
The shackles on my hands and feet cracked. My power returned.
"Father, from this day onward, I am no longer Archangel of Sincerity. I am the Fallen Archangel of Hypocrisy, Miguel. Although, I believe this title would suit you far better."
My beautiful snow-white wings turned black. It was the sign that I had lost my blessing.
After speaking my final words, I instantly rose into the air and left the Third Heaven. Within a few moments, I arrived at the Second Heaven.
In the cosmos, where an endless number of planets existed, countless lower worlds were located.
The time for true amusement has arrived.