CHAPTER 1

TRANSCENDENT

The Birth of An Angel

“Let there be light!”

Suddenly a ray of light appears in the middle of solemn air. Deep inside the garden where all kinds of flowers bloom and all kinds of trees grow on the ethereal ground of peridot-green grasses. A breath of soul fills the sphere of light. A sparkling form made of light spread its supposed to be wings, as 70.000 white feathers are attached upon it. Among the sacred silence, prayers are whispered toward the enchantment of the newborn angel. Every white angels in the white heaven sing their gratitude to The One and Only Almighty. Even their melody is heard up to the front Gate of White Heaven, fly across the rainbow bridge, blowed by the breeze to the front Gate of Black Heaven.

“A White Angel has born. Let us pray for the gratitude of this wonderful miracle,” proclaimed a white angel as he does his duty as the Heaven’s Messenger.

The Messenger of Heaven plays the harp in the middle of a meadow, a place under the Rainbow Bridge between the White Heaven and the Black Heaven.

Bless the infinite happiness of heaven. Bless the angels and all of their miracles. Bless the Great Power beyond it.

Meanwhile after the creation moment,

“Wake up, o dear newborn angel,” said a White Angel with a bright smile and a pair of Pearl eyes.

The newborn angel opens his light-brown Hessonite eyes. Like Cinnamon Stones. He sees thousands of White Angels greet him with blessings and prayers.

“Welcome to life. Your name is Dio. You are a white angel and this place is the White Heaven.”

“My name is Michael. I am the leader of white angels.”

The white angel Dio smiles. He prays a gratitude for the life that has been given to him. That everything seems so flawless in his sight. That every particles of life contains the mighty spirit. As every feathers on his wings absorbs and reflects the light, Dio sings a hymn. A rhapsody of heaven.

As soon as the news about the birth of a white angel is spread among the heavens, Michael takes Dio around the White Heaven and introduce him to every white angels.

At the edge of Fountain of Heaven, Michael sits Dio on a bench made of gold.

“I will tell you everything you need to know. I will guide you upon your every steps.”

“I want to know what I am created for. Everything that I should do.”

“I bless you with the Knowledge of Angel, so you can understand your lifeguide.”

“Then I want to know what I shouldn’t do.”

“We are the white angels. We live inside the White Heaven. We can go outside the White Heaven and we can get down to the Earth to give blessings to humans. But, we can’t go to a place named the Black Heaven.”

“What is that place?”

“The Black Heaven is a place where the black angels live. They are angels like us but not like us. As vice versa, the black angels can’t go to the White Heaven. We are not allowed to be there, and they are not allowed to be here.”

“Why?”

 “Because we were made of light, so we can’t go inside a place that was made of shadows. Black angels were made of shadows. Shadows are supposed to live inside the shadows, lights live among the lights.”

“What do black angels do?”

“They are taking souls.”

“Human’s souls?”

“Every living creature’s soul. They are the angels of death.”

“We may talk with them?”

“We work together with them. They human’s souls to the Heaven and the Hell, and we receive the human’s souls in front of the Gate of White Heaven.”

“Then how do white angels and black angels plan a cooperation?”

“There is a neutral place for us to hold a General Assembly. A meadow between the White Heaven and the Black Heaven under the Rainbow Bridge. The Medius Meadow.”

“What do angels do in the Medius Meadow?”

Michael’s pearl eyes are glimmering.

“The judgement,” he said.

Sparkling angel

I believe

You are my saviour

In my time of need

---

The Death of A Human

In a world called Earth. A soulless body is lying on the cold ground of an alley. A knife is stabbed to his chest. Blood flows over his body.

Near the dead body, there is a tall man sitting and crying. There is a mysterious voice comes from nowhere.

“I am sorry for the pain.”

The man is confused. The man sees a dark figure in the alley. A silhouette. Someone with black wings.

“Who.. Who is that? W-what has happened to me?”, asked the man.

“Park Chanyeol, your life has ended. May I take your soul to rest in peace,” said the dark figure with a cold look on his face.

“B-but… I can’t die now. I can’t leave Baekhyun alone. Baekhyun is sick!” the man is flustered.

“There is nothing you can do now. You are dead now.”

The dark figure touches Chanyeol’s head to relieve the pain. Chanyeol is scared. But the fear falls off by the mourning. Tears are falling from his eyes. Chanyeol screams his anger.

“That thief! He stole my money and stabbed me!”

Sobbing in agony.

“He stole my money! I… I sold my left kidney to get the money. The money is to buy medicines for Baekhyun. Baekhyun needs me. I can’t leave him alone.”

Chanyeol shakes. He is still shocked when he realizes that he has died. He is just a transparent being when he fails to touch his own dead body. Even his tears are ethereal. He can’t be seen by humans anymore, even by Baekhyun. He feels so desperate as he falls. But the dark figure catches him. He doesn’t have any idea why this dark figure is the only one who can see and touch him. The dark figure embraces Chanyeol with his black wings as his hands wipe the tears on Chanyeol’s face.

“There is nothing you can do now, Park Chanyeol. Heaven is calling. Let me take you there to soothe your pain away. There is nothing you can do anymore in this world.”

Chanyeol stares deeply at the dark figure.

“Are you…. an angel?”

The dark figure has a cold face but a something in his eyes is warming his heart, Chanyeol thinks.

“I am the black angel,” he said in a deep tone, “I am responsible to take your soul. Now close your eyes.”

Chanyeol’s eyes are helplessly closed and he lose his consciousness.

The Black Angel takes Chanyeol’s soul above the clouds, above the universe.

I ride the soft wind into your world

I go right next to you

You asked so innocently where I came from

so I answered that it is a secret

Because if we just walk together like this

Wherever we go, it will be paradise

As your guardian angel,

I will block out that strong wind

Even if everyone turns their back against you

On hard days,

If I could be the person who will wipe away your tears

Wherever we go, it will be heaven

---

The Afterlife

Everything is white.

After the judgment of the good deeds and the bad deeds at the Medius Meadow, Chanyeol is decided to get into the heaven. The black angel brings Chanyeol to the front Gate of White Heaven. Surrounded by white clouds and white mist, they face the Guardian of White Heaven’s Gate.

“Park Chanyeol,” said the black angel. “My responsibility towards your soul has accomplished.”

He speaks to the Guardian, “Now my dear friend Lu, please take this innocent soul.”

A white angel with a pair of beautiful blue Sapphire eyes and a fair face guards the gate.

 “Bless you, Kai. I just want to introduce a newborn white angel to you. He will receive the human’s souls taken by you to be taken into the White Heaven.”

As the white angel Lu opens the gate, another white angel comes out.

There is a breeze.

This is not the first time Kai is being introduced to a newborn angel. He remembers when he first met a newborn black angel who is a guardian of Black Heaven’s Gate now. But this is the first time he meets a newborn white angel. He can smell the soul is still fresh and pure. The light is radiating from his bright being. He feels like as if he gazes to the sun. The big light-brown eyes made of Cinnamon Stone are mesmerizing. He almost forget that he brings a human’s soul.

“My name is Dio,” said the white angel with a shy harmonious voice, “I receive the human’s souls to be taken to the White Heaven. What is your name dear black angel?”

“My name is Kai. Welcome to this heavenly life, o newborn white angel. May your soul always be blessed.”

Dio feels somewhat terrifying and astonishing aura from Kai. This is the first time he meets a black angel. He never realizes that a shadow-being can be so adorable. He realizes his eyes are getting wider when he stares at Kai’s eyes. The deep burgundy-red Garnet eyes shine a glance as if a piercing dagger.

“I pray for your blessings too, black angel. So, what is the name of this human that you bring?”

“Ah… My name is Park Chanyeol,” answered the human.

“Welcome to the White Heaven, dear innocent soul. Bless all of your good deeds on Earth so that you can be received to heaven. You will rest here in peace.”

The black angel Kai releases Chanyeol to enter the White Heaven. Dio takes Chanyeol’s hands as he gently pull Chanyeol into the white paradise.

“Dio…,” said Kai.

“What bothers you dear black angel?”

“Soothe his pain away. Please. He had suffered a lot. May you bless his soul to be relieved and peace his heart into the bliss.”

Dio smiles, as he makes sure he won’t disappont anyone.

“I will.”

“I will lift his life’s pain and wash his soul. Thank you for your eternal kindness, dear black angel.”

Kai smirks.

“Kai.”

“My name is Kai.”

“Thank you very much Kai,” as Dio finishes his words, he accompanies Chanyeol in the White Heaven and disappear from sight.

Chanyeol turns his face to look on the black angel.

“Goodbye dear black angel Kai.”

Chanyeol still feels so confuse about everything.

Kai replies him with a compassionate bless.

“Goodbye Park Chanyeol. May your sadness disappears and never comes back.”

Apart, the realm of White Heaven seems so faraway for Kai. He never wants to know before. But now he is pushing down his curiosity deep inside his mind.

The white angel Lu closes the Gate of White Heaven.

“You are very kind to give such care to human’s soul, Kai,” said Lu.

Kai spread his black wings, “that is part of my duty. I take their souls. I have responsibility to their souls.”

Lu’s sapphire eyes are sparkling. He sees a slight blush on Kai’s cheek but Kai hides it by his glorious black wings.

“Send my greetings to the other black angels. Bless all of you in the Black Heaven.”

“See you later, Lu. Send my greetings to Michael.” Kai leaves the Gate of White Heaven.

Kai flies back to where he lives, The Black Heaven. Waiting for another tasks for him to handle. Waiting for another list of human’s souls he has to take. Sometimes, another creatures’ souls. He has taken countless souls. He almost numbed his heart. But that was before he took Chanyeol’s kind soul that had a really strong will to live just to save another’s life. He feels sorry for Chanyeol, that he couldn’t stay alive for the human named Baekhyun. He feels sorry for Baekhyun whoever he is. Silently, he feels heaven is such a most beautiful place when he met Dio. He never felt like that before. For him, heaven was just a calm place, because all he sees is black and white. But now, he feels as if he wants to protect something he himself can’t have. Something so faraway. Something too bright he can’t open his eyes against it.

You are more dazzling than Michael

Who can ever oppose you?

I won’t forgive anyone who does

Just like the first person

to step on Eden

Every day, I will only go toward you

and trust you with my heart

---

~ Author's note:

Thank you for reading~ I hope all of you like the story. I will update soon.

Thank you so much to Anita @purpleflos for being my beta. ^^

For additional notice, angels in this story are genderless. But I use "he/his/him" just to generalize them.

~ Spoiler:

Angels' eyes are made of gemstones. I use some EXO members' birthstones as the reference, but some are made up by me.

Kai's eyes: deep burgundy red Garnet

Dio's eyes: light-brown Garnet, also known as Cinnamon Stone or Hessonite

Michael's eyes: white Pearl

Kris' eyes: yellow Topaz

Lay's eyes: purple Tourmaline

Xiu's eyes: Aquamarine

Lu's eyes: blue Sapphire

Reo's eyes: white Diamond

Tao's eyes: green Emerald

Chanyeol's, Baekhyun's and Jongdae's eyes are normal human's eyes.

Black angels are colorblind but they can see the colors of angel's eyes and differentiate the gemstones.

I made a music playlist as the BGM of the story: http://8tracks.com/altair-vega/heavenly-agony