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Chapter 7 — City of Ashes
The night after the fire was silent.
No cries. No whispers.
Just the soft hiss of embers devouring what remained of Kael's world.
He walked alone through the wreckage of his town — barefoot, blood-soaked, the glow of his red angel wings faint behind him like a dying flame. His shadow stretched across the smoking ruins, distorted by the firelight. The air reeked of burnt earth and regret.
He didn't cry anymore. The tears had dried up with his mother's heartbeat.
Only her lullaby echoed faintly in his mind.
> "My little star… always choose the light…"
But the Devil's voice was louder.
> "The light abandoned you, boy. The heavens did nothing. But I…"
"I gave you power."
Kael's fist clenched until blood dripped between his fingers. "You made me a monster."
> "No," the Devil whispered, his voice curling like smoke. "I freed you."
The words slithered through Kael's thoughts, cold and poisonous. His steps grew heavier as if the ground itself wanted to swallow him. Then, somewhere beyond the horizon, he saw it — a faint red glow pulsing like a heartbeat against the black sky.
"The City of Ashes," the voice murmured.
"Your next path begins there."
Kael didn't remember walking. Only that the world blurred — trees became silhouettes, rivers turned to veins of fire, and the wind carried faint cries. When he finally reached the gates, the city was already dead.
Tall stone walls crumbled beneath the weight of time. The streets were rivers of black sand, and the buildings stood like skeletal tombs, whispering stories of souls who had burned for their sins. Red mist coiled through the alleys, thick with the stench of sulfur.
Kael stepped through the gate. His boots sank into ash that felt almost… warm.
The crosses in his vision — those strange lights only he could see — began to flicker.
White for the innocent.
Red for the damned.
But here, everything glowed orange — souls neither pure nor wicked, trapped between judgment and damnation.
A voice echoed from the darkness ahead.
> "Another one walks into the fire."
Kael turned sharply. From the swirling mist emerged a figure — tall, draped in tattered black robes that clung to a skeletal frame. His wings were burned, feathers turned to charcoal, bones visible through the holes. Two flaming eyes stared out from beneath his hood.
Kael's instincts screamed danger.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
> "Azrael," the figure rasped. "The First Punisher. The one who bore the Devil's mark before you."
Kael froze. "You… served him too?"
> "I was him," Azrael said, his voice echoing like broken bells. "Until the power consumed my soul."
He stepped closer, dragging a long, black scythe that hummed with ancient fire. "And now I walk this wasteland, warning fools like you to turn back."
Kael's wings flared — red light slicing through the darkness. "I can't go back."
> "Then you'll die as I did," Azrael hissed.
The ground split open. Fire erupted beneath their feet, and a thousand burning hands reached out from the ash, clawing at Kael's legs. He swung his arm, summoning flames that roared to life and burned the specters to nothing.
But Azrael was already upon him.
Their scythes clashed — steel against inferno. The impact sent shockwaves that shattered nearby ruins. Kael's blade caught fire, tracing arcs of crimson light as he struck again and again.
"You think you can carry that curse?" Azrael thundered. "You think you can keep your soul?"
Kael snarled, his wings spreading wide. "I don't care about my soul!"
He lunged forward, striking with fury born of heartbreak. Their blades locked, and for an instant, Kael saw his reflection in Azrael's burning eyes — not a boy, not a savior, but a demon wearing human skin.
Then Azrael smiled, sad and knowing.
"You're already gone."
He vanished into mist, leaving only his voice.
> "When the Devil calls, you'll answer. Just as I did."
Kael stood alone amid the flames, chest heaving, his mind spinning. The sky above the city turned blood red. The Devil's laughter rolled through the clouds like thunder.
> "Well done, my Punisher," the voice purred.
"You've slain your teacher. Now you are free."
Kael dropped to his knees, his wings flickering weakly. "Why do you keep doing this to me?"
> "Because you asked for her life," the Devil replied. "And I gave you mine instead."
The ground trembled, and from the ashes rose spectral shapes — men, women, children — all the lost souls of the city. They circled Kael, whispering his name like a prayer and a curse. Their words blended into a haunting chorus.
> "Punisher… Punisher… child of flame…"
Kael looked up, eyes glowing red through his tears.
"I will punish them all," he vowed. "Every demon. Every liar. Every soul that hides behind darkness."
> "And the light?" the Devil teased. "What of them?"
Kael's gaze hardened.
"If they stand in my way…" he whispered, his wings bursting into crimson flame.
"…then I'll burn the heavens too."
The city erupted in light. Ash turned to glass.
And from its ruins rose a new legend —
The Punisher, the boy with red angel wings and the heart of hellfire.
> The Devil smiled, unseen among the smoke.
"My true Punisher," he whispered, "has finally awakened."
TO BE CONTINUED