The chamber was silent except for the hum of machines, the glow of monitors reflecting off polished steel. Ernest's eyes scanned Metatron, his expression calm, almost curious, as if he were studying a particularly fragile experiment.
"What is the difference between you and angels?" Ernest asked. His tone was deceptively casual. "What makes you human, glorified in Heaven?"
Metatron's gaze was steady, unwavering, his aura bright but tempered by reason. "Humans, when glorified, receive perfected, immortal, and incorruptible bodies. They feel no sickness, no pain, no death. Their minds are perfected. They understand truth fully, though they remain distinct from God. They may have abilities beyond earthly limits, but all their power flows from God. They retain full free will. They choose to love and serve freely. Their obedience is voluntary, not automatic."
He stepped closer. "Angels, by contrast, exist mostly as spiritual beings. They may take physical forms, but they are not born of human experience. They possess great knowledge and innate power, but many are limited by their purpose to serve God's will. Some fell, yes, but most exist to act. Their obedience is inherent, not chosen."
Ernest tilted his head, a slow smirk forming. "So humans are special because you can choose. You can decide. Angels are just… instruments." He laughed softly. "And you? You are one of these glorified humans. You hold the highest title, the crown of authority. Do you know what that means?"
"It means nothing without righteousness," Metatron replied firmly. "Power without wisdom or love is empty. Evil is a flaw. That is why Lucifer envies humanity. He sees what we are capable of and he resents it. He tempted Adam and Eve because he thought humans would fail. They did fall, but that does not diminish what humans can become when aligned with God's will."
Ernest's grin widened. "So he was right. Humans fall easily. That is what makes them entertaining. That is what makes them… mine." He paused, studying Metatron's eyes for any flicker of doubt. "Do you understand? I will erase evil. Scientifically. I will remove flaw, remove choice that leads to suffering. Perfect humans, perfectly obedient. Heaven without rebellion. Humans… as I define them."
Metatron's fists clenched. "You will not touch them. You will not destroy free will. You cannot define humanity. Your mind is brilliant, but it is flawed in its understanding. Evil is not just destruction. It is part of growth, of choice, of life."
Ernest tilted his head. "Flawed? I am precise. I do not act on emotion. I do not fail. I am not like you. I will not hesitate. And where is Ryan?"
"Ryan is not here," Metatron replied. "He must live. Your obsession with control will lead to ruin."
Ernest's eyes narrowed. "If he does not live now, war will begin. Everything you believe in, every system, every human, every divine law, it will crumble. And it will be my design."
Metatron's voice dropped, hard and cold. "Where is Ryan?"
Ernest did not answer. Instead, he activated a console, and the screens around them flickered. On every monitor, live footage played: a fallen angel attacking an innocent man in the streets, chaos erupting, people screaming.
Metatron's heart sank as he saw the scene. Without hesitation, he seized the man, lifting into the sky. The wind rushed past him, the city shrinking below, and he demanded again. "Where is Ryan?"
Before Ernest could respond, a figure struck Metatron from the side with a speed that was almost impossible. Lucifer himself had arrived, his form dark and radiant at once, the sky twisting in his presence.
"Why does God love humans so much?" Lucifer said, voice like steel and flame. "Humans should be animals. Animals do not question morality. They do not aspire. They exist to make humans feel joy, companionship. They are not favored. But humans… humans are privileged. They are flawed, yes, but God calls them His image. Why? One among trillions. Why this one?"
Metatron kept his focus. "Because humans have choice. Because humans are the highest creation. Because humans reflect God's glory in a way angels cannot."
Lucifer laughed, a sound both melodic and terrifying. "Highest creation, yes. But it makes them vulnerable. So fragile, so prone to pain. And yet, they believe themselves to be deserving. Do you see why I envy them? Do you see why I must test them? Their glory is a weapon that can wound even God's angels."
Ernest stepped back, arms folding, watching both. "Thank you, Lucifer. Your wisdom is… appreciated." His smile was cold, calculating, every movement precise. "I will not waste what I have learned today. I will refine it. I will enhance it. Humans are clever, resilient, but so simple to manipulate. I have perfected the process. Ryan, Sophia, every mind I touch will bend to understanding. They will serve the purpose of evolution itself. They will become tools of perfection."
Lucifer tilted his head, amused. "You are wicked, Ernest, and brilliant. You walk on the knife's edge between chaos and order, but do not mistake cunning for omnipotence. Humans will always surprise you. That is their charm, their beauty, their weakness."
Ernest's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Then I will create the next stage. Sophia's AI will be perfected. Ryan's mind replicated and expanded. Everyone who resists, anyone who questions, they will become models for improvement. My network will spread. Every system, every grid, every mind, every soul touched and improved. They will thank me. They will serve me. And they will not even know it."
Azazel appeared in the shadows, chuckling softly. "While humans fight demons and beasts, you are here perfecting madness. And it is brilliant."
Ernest nodded. "I am methodical. I am precise. I do not fear consequences because every action is calculated. Every failure has been planned for. Every variable accounted for. That is the mind of a true genius, the mind of one who reshapes humanity according to vision, not morality."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "The angels and demons will watch. Some will intervene, some will hide. I want to see how far your intellect can bend reality before it snaps. I do not interfere. I observe. And I take note. Your actions amuse me, Ernest."
Ernest laughed softly, a sound stripped of warmth, replaced with calculation. "I understand perfectly. Observation without interference. That suits me. I will operate in the shadows and the light, building, refining, creating systems, AI, minds, control. The world will not resist. I will make it so. Humans will thank me for it, even as I break them. Every rule, every law, every moral compass will bend to reason. Free will is an illusion when perfection can be engineered."
Lucifer spread his wings, a shadow across the sky. "Then let us see. Let us see if the highest human, the perfected mind, can truly reshape a world built on chaos, weakness, and hope. You will not be stopped easily, Ernest. And yet, the game is yours to play. Watch carefully. Learn. The outcome will be… fascinating."
Ernest's eyes glinted. "Then I begin immediately. Every mind, every system, every hidden corner. Ryan will be the foundation. Sophia will be the rival. Every human who thinks themselves free will will soon see the architecture of their existence reshaped by reason, by science, by perfection. Even those in poverty, in despair, they will be instruments of progress. AI will infiltrate, replicate, expand. The premium network will control secrets, monitor corruption, and enforce obedience. Humanity itself will not know its own chains until it sings my praise willingly."
Azazel shook his head in awe. "You are ruthless, yet brilliant. To manipulate humanity with such precision, using both reward and fear. They will never know the difference. And yet, you will have power beyond any angel, beyond any demon, beyond even God's observation."
Ernest's laugh echoed, cold and precise. "Power is not enough. Understanding is. Control without insight is useless. I am not here to dominate, to destroy. I am here to perfect. To refine. To prove that human will, twisted by design, can achieve what no angel, demon, or god has yet comprehended. Ryan will be the template. Sophia will test the variables. Others will serve as the experimental cohort. The world will become a laboratory. The human soul is malleable, its mind replicable. And all of it, under my direction, will become a model of perfection."
Lucifer inclined his head, amused and calculating. "Then let the experiment begin. Let the humans dance, let them falter, let them believe they are free. Observe their folly, and refine your design. I will watch, and the outcome will be… illuminating."
Ernest turned away, eyes scanning the horizon, already plotting the next stage. AI updates, surveillance, psychological manipulations, and secretive operations would unfold in tandem. He would bend every mind, infiltrate every network, and ensure that no one escaped his vision. Every human touched would think themselves independent, yet every choice would be subtly guided, calculated, and perfected.
And as the sun set over the horizon, casting long shadows across the broken and beautiful world, Ernest laughed once more. His mind was clear. His purpose was precise. And the war of minds, unseen, unfought, and unstoppable, had begun.