The heavenly dining hall had settled into a strange rhythm. Plates of celestial food glimmered faintly — meat that steamed with mana-rich aroma, fruits glowing softly with life energy and wine that seemed to refill itself endlessly. The Paladins were beginning to relax, even Nora, who at least tasted her drink without scowling.
Neo, of course, leaned back casually, knife and fork twirling between his fingers as he eyed a perfectly cooked steak. His smile was cool, unconcerned, as though he belonged at the head of this divine banquet.
That was when Vere's guardian angel snapped.
The Lesser Angel of Fate, radiant in golden threads that shifted like weaving timelines, leaned forward, her voice sharp and cold. "You dare lounge so casually in heaven's grace? Show some respect, mortal. Were it not for this… farce, you'd already be rotting in the Pit."
"Decretiel," Vere said slowly."That's a bold statement. Are you sure of this?"
"You can ask the filth himself."The angel sneered disdainfully.
The table stilled. Even Leroy stopped gnawing his bone. Aurora's gentle eyes widened in shock. Adonis frowned, clearly unsettled by the weight of the accusation. Nora barely even blimked. The others exchanged uneasy glances.
"Wait," Rey said with a nervous laugh. "I thought Paladins were supposed to be… you know… paragons of virtue? Good souls, pure hearts and all that?"
Vere nodded faintly, her eyes narrowing. "That has always been the standard of Heaven...so I'm told."
Everyone's gaze turned to Neo, with Vere's angel eyeing him with a smirk as though daring him to deny.
He met Fate's angelic sneer with the same lazy, amused look. Then he cut into his steak with calm precision and replied, tone flat and almost unconcerned.
"That's the world's problem. Not mine. If you guys don't think I belong here, fine. If Fate has complaints, she can shove them down her ass."
Celeste coughed loudly beside him, nearly choking on her own composure. The corners of her lips twitched as she fought to keep her celestial poise. "Keep calm... don't laugh " she whispered to herself, "Keep calm...don't laugh." But her wings trembled faintly with suppressed laughter, her eyes glimmering.
The others stared in shock — no mortal, Paladin or not, no one in existence had ever spoken so bluntly, so openly like that about Fate completely unaware—or unbothered—of the divine wrath it would incur.
Neo lifted his fork, casually spearing a piece of steak, about to take his first bite. "Now, if we're done gossiping about me, I'd really like to—"
The steak vanished.
The entire hall dissolved around them, chairs, food, and warmth shattering into light. Before anyone could protest, they were standing in a colossal chamber — the Hall of the Celestial Council.
It was breathtaking. The room stretched infinitely upward, constellations alive and moving across the domed ceiling spiralling into infinity. Eight thrones of immense size floated in a half-circle, each carved from the elements wielded by the Paladins themselves — flame that burned without consuming as wild as they were tame, shadow deeper than void, crystalline frost that chilled the soul when looked at for too long, raging constructs of compressed tornadoes and others,each more awe inspiring and majestic than the last. The Paladins found themselves at the center, tiny and insignificant compared to the titanic presence of the Pillar Angels.
But the first thing Neo noticed was the glare.
The Angel of Fate herself sat with as much grace as was thought possible, her white-golden robes flowing like divine threads of destiny. Her eyes, pools of cold starlight, seemed to burn holes into Neo's soul. Her voice cut through the chamber like a frozen blade.
"You… How dare you defile this hall with your presence, you filth. You belong in the Pit, not among angels."
The Paladins stiffened. Even their guardian angels flinched. Celeste's wings twitched violently — her stoic mask rolding into slight unease. Neo just… exhaled.
"I didn't ask to be here," he said, shoulders rolling in lazy dismissal. "You summoned me. So stop complaining already and let's get this over with."
The silence that followed was deafening.
And then — laughter.
"Pffft—bwahaha!"
On the far right throne, sprawled sideways like a man on a couch, was Avon, the Angel of Chaos. His throne wasn't neat or majestic in the Divine sense like the others. It was terrifying in a whole other, devastating way, it existed—or unexisted—as a swirling storm of broken stars and floating fragments of stone, shifting and reassembling endlessly in a pattern that seemed to unravel the very fabric of existence around it. Avon himself wore a black-and-gold suit, his snow white hair wild. His signature black crown hung low as always over his eyes, yet it didn't stop the Paladins from feeling his terrifying gaze on them. He grinned like a wolf. Feral and wild.
"Classic Neo," Avon chuckled, flicking a glowing marble of Disruption between his fingers. "Beautiful. I knew I picked the right brat."
Fate's aura flared, sharp as a thousand razors. "You would dare mock this council, Avon? You would taint the role of Paladin with this damned creature—"
This caused the others to back away a bit from Neo, lest they be caught up in the crossfire.q
"Creature? That's rude, even for you." Avon interrupted, stretching lazily. "He's my Chaos Paladin and Soul's too, thank you very much. So could you stop yelling, you're scaring the kids."
Celeste's brow twitched as she muttered under her breath, "This guy... He's even worse than Neo."
Neo smirked at her. "At least he's actually doing his job, isn't he?"
She barely suppressed a snort.
Before the two angels could tear each other apart, another voice rang out. Calm, commanding, radiant.
"Enough."
The throne at the center glowed with purest light. From it descended Luminier, the Light of Beginning— Adonis's Pillar Angel. He was a towering figure of radiant gold, robes flowing like sunlight over marble, a halo of purest Gold blazing behind him. His voice filled the chamber like a hymn.
"Paladins," Luxarion intoned, "you stand here today before the Celestial Council. We are the Pillars of Eternity, the embodiments of the elements that shape creation and maintain Order."
As he spoke, the other thrones revealed their occupants one by one:
Gladiorel, The Herald of Severance. His aura was sharp and lethal, splitting the air around him. His gaze cut through all, making the Paladins feel bare before him.
Ignivar, The Spark of Eternum — a warlord wreathed in eternal fire, eyes like twin suns. His laughter was thunder, his aura wild, mirroring Leroy's manic energy.
Aurelia, The Bloom of Life — gentle as a meadow in spring, her body clothed in vines and blossoms, her smile radiant. Aurora stared at her with awe.
Aquilios, The Eon Gale— tall and thin, robes forever billowing, his form half-transparent as though carried by a breeze. He grd faintly, eyes playful like Rey's.
Umbrael, The Shadow of Eternity — silent and imposing, cloaked in void, eyes twin embers in an endless abyss. Roner gave a faint nod at his pillar, as if acknowledging kinship of shadow.
Glacivane, the Eternal Frost— crystalline and regal, her very voice like frozen bells, cold and piercing. Her figure seemed carved from Celestial Ice. Nora's frosty composure mirrored her perfectly.
Caeliora, The Keeper of Soul's Light. Her figure was at once both human and divine, evolving a deep sense of familiarity and peace. Her wings drifted in the cosmic breeze, not of bright, sharp feathers but veins of purest soul flame. Her eyes, pools of soft multicolored light glowed warmly as she gazed upon the Paladins as a mother would her children. Her eyes settled on Neo, not in judgement like the others, but with a quiet understanding and sympathy.
Moirael, the Hand of Fate — rigid, robed in threads of light and shadow, her golden gaze locked on Neo with deep loathing. Her wings, veins of Fate of infinite realities twitched at every moment, faltered slightly in rage at Neo's presence.The chamber bent to her disapproval.
And finally, lounging on his ever-shifting throne of broken stars and laughter—
Avon, The Primordial Chaos. His signature large black crown tilted towards Neo in amused aknowlegement. His aura distorted reality around him, volatile and dangerous. Carefree, mocking, yet dangerously sharp, his aura radiated defiance against the very essence of Order.
Luminier raised his hand, light washing over the chamber. "Together, we are the Celestial Council. And you — Paladins — are summoned for your first briefing."
Neo tilted his head, lips quirking in a smile that was both amused and unbothered. "Well then. Let's hear it."
Fate's glare sharpened, Avon smirked wider, and the air between them crackled with the promise of chaos to come.
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Sorry guys, fell asleep on the job yesterday. I'll be adding a bonus chapter in the night today for compensation.