The ruins trembled under the weight of the figure that emerged. The fallen seraph's wings dragged behind him, once white but now scorched black, feathers dripping ash. His chains rattled with each step, burning runes etched into the links that bound him. Yet despite the ruin clinging to him, a terrible majesty radiated from his form.
Maxwell's breath caught in his throat. He eyes glimmered with tears and crimson fire alike. "Father…"
The seraph's gaze softened when it fell upon him. The red glow dimmed, revealing traces of what once was — sorrow, longing, love. "My son. My blood. I knew you would come."
Gabby stood rigid, her golden sword raised, wings flared in defiance. Her voice cracked like a whip. "Stay back, Maxwell! That is no longer the angel who loved your mother. He is bound to Samael's will!"
The seraph's eyes flickered toward her, his expression tightening. "You dare speak to me, daughter of the Host? You, who would leave me in chains for eternity?"
Anthony clutched his crucifix, his hands shaking. "God have mercy… he still bears the grace of a seraph, but it is twisted. Maxwell, he is dangerous."
But Maxwell stepped forward, drawn by the gravity of blood. "No. He's still my father. I can see it. I can feel it."
The seraph knelt, chains dragging across the broken stones, his vast form lowering until his shadow engulfed Maxwell. He raised a scarred hand, fingers trembling as though afraid to touch him. "You are more than I dared hope, Maxwell. My strength lives in you. My love for your mother lives in you." His hand finally cupped Maxwell's cheek, warm despite the fire that burned within him. "But you are shackled, just as I was. The angels would keep you chained to their laws, their false light. I can free you."
Gabby's voice broke with fury. "No!" She strode forward, sword blazing. "Maxwell, he is not free — he is Samael's mouthpiece! Can you not feel the corruption dripping from him?"
The seraph's chains rattled violently, his eyes flashing crimson. "Silence, angel!" His voice boomed like thunder, and the ground split at his roar. "I am no puppet! I am his equal! Samael seeks to end the tyranny of the Host, and I—" He stopped, as if the chains constricted, choking him mid-sentence. He staggered, clutching them, his wings thrashing against unseen bonds.
Maxwell reached for him instinctively. "Father!"
But Gabby caught Maxwell's wrist, her grip iron. "Look at him! He can't even finish his own words without Samael's leash jerking tight. Is that freedom? Is that who you'd follow?"
Maxwell's eyes burned with conflict. His heart screamed to believe, to trust, but his mind echoed her words. The seraph's body trembled violently, chains glowing hotter, sparks flying as if they resisted even his movements.
The seraph's voice broke into a guttural growl. "Maxwell… I beg you. Break my chains. You have the power — the shards call to you because you are my son. Together, we could end this war. Father and son, unbound."
Anthony stepped forward, desperation in his eyes. "Maxwell, listen to me! If you free him, Samael will walk through those chains with him! You will not be liberating your father — you will be unleashing Samael upon the world!"
The storm raged within Maxwell, his body trembling. His sword glowed faint silver in one hand, his veins faintly red in the other. His father's face — broken, pleading. Gabby's eyes — fierce, steady. Anthony's voice — frantic, afraid.
He whispered, "What if I can't save him?"
Gabby's hand pressed to his heart again. "Then you fight for the world he left behind. For your mother. For all of us."
The seraph roared, chains snapping taut as Samael's laughter erupted across the ruins like thunder.
Maxwell raised his sword, torn between blood and destiny, the world itself waiting on his choice.