thank you Conejo-Sama for editing : )
Thank you SillyMarzipan for betareading this chapter : D
This chapter marks the last for Lute's past scenes before we jump back to Adam in the present : o
Take note, Lute's sword in the past isn't made out of angelic steel yet and take into account the timeline which i did post it again at the bottom notes
A cleaner Family Tree by SillyMarzipan, thank you Marzipan : D
The Past
Lute was getting better at the guitar after almost a year of lessons. She could finally play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with ease, and Adam was proud.
She enjoyed spending time with Adam, and it looked like he also enjoyed being around her, even though there were times he seemed off. He was quieter than usual when they were watching movies. He also began to do his own thing a bit more often, especially after an incident that spread all over Heaven: Adam had supposedly smashed his guitar during a concert, and the display of violence was frowned about by the Seraphim.
Lute didn't judge Adam for destroying his guitar. He probably did it to look like a badass.
She was making her bed one morning and planning to meet Adam at his place; he was going to introduce her to something called video games. However, Adam contacted her. "Hey, Danger Tits," he said. "Let's meet up at one instead. I gotta go to some lame-ass meeting right now. I'll see ya."
"Understood," Lute responded. "I'll see you later."
Immediately afterwards, she got another call.
"Meet me in the Sky Building, room 401," Moro's voice said before the connection ended.
Without questioning, she immediately flew from her home and arrived at the tallest building in the city. She walked into the room and found Moro and her captain sitting at a round table.
"Lute?" Adam blinked, lowering his device.
She hadn't expected to see him there.
Moro motioned for her to join them. She walked over to stand by the edge of the table like the good soldier she was.
"Thank you for joining us, 666," Moro said.
"Actually, her name's Lute," Adam pointed out. Lute stood taller with pride and held back a smile.
Moro gazed at him silently with an unreadable expression before turning his attention back to her.
"I wanted to follow up regarding Adam's progress as captain," the Seraphim began, his tone measured. "I understand Sera and Zerachin asked you to mentor and keep him on course, and I wanted to see how things were going."
The moment Moro's words came out of his mouth, Lute felt her stomach drop. Adam looked puzzled and stared at her, clearly not understanding what Moro was talking about.
She badly wanted the floor to swallow her whole at this moment.
"Adam has been doing well," she began, avoiding eye contact with Adam. "He's been taking his responsibilities more seriously the past few months, though there are still some areas that need improvement."
"Hold the fuck up. What the hell is going on here?" Adam blurted out, glancing between Moro and her.
The Seraphim raised an eyebrow in Adam's direction. "Were you not fully informed by your lieutenant regarding her duty to monitor and guide you?"
There was an ugly fire burning inside Lute towards Moro.
Of course, Adam wasn't told. That was the exact reason Sera and Zerachin pulled her aside and told her in confidentiality when they gave her the job. Adam wouldn't have agreed to have a lieutenant that was basically babysitting him.
"Monitor and guide me?" Adam asked, his brows furrowing as if trying to make sense of everything. "I don't get it…"
"You were neglecting your duties over the past years, Adam," Moro explained. "Sera and Zerachin selected the best candidate to ensure you remain on track with your responsibilities and stay out of trouble. Their choice of Lute has proven effective, given your recent improvements."
Lute's chest felt as though it was being crushed when she saw Adam's face fall as he took in Moro's explanation. His eyes lowered to his lap, countless emotions swimming through his golden eyes before he looked up at her, expressionless.
"This whole time, you were just babysitting me?" He sounded like a lost child. "I thought we were friends…"
Lute was surprised to hear him admit he viewed her as a friend. She remembered all the great times they had together over the past months, starting the night he took her to his basement and showed her his passion for rock and roll, when he opened a whole new world to her. She wanted to tell him they were friends, that their relationship may have started as her just keeping him in line, but now she truly cared about him. Her life had become devoted to keeping him happy, and she wanted to always stand by his side.
However, she knew being friends with the first man was unacceptable. She was merely a warrior-class angel, and he was something far more extraordinary. He was Heaven's perfect creation. To desire more for herself and Adam would be overstepping her bounds.
Know your place and do exactly what you were made to do. Just like she had told Vaggie, she had to also remember her role and adhere to the script she had been given.
"I'm your lieutenant," Lute responded, devoid of emotion, as she met Adam's gaze, doing all she could to keep her feelings from slipping out. Her soul seemed to feel as though it was drowning as she continued. "My duty is to help you grow to your full potential and help you play your part in Heaven as the first man."
She held back from wincing when Adam crushed the small machine in his hand.
He stared at her for a long, dreadful moment. "I see. You weren't…" he trailed off, going silent, then he slowly rose from his seat. He stood there for a minute before creating a portal and walking through it. The portal vanished without Adam looking back. Moro and Lute didn't go after him.
Lute wanted to slice the table in front of her, throw the chairs across the room, punch through the walls, scream at the top of her lungs.
"Someone has expressed concern about your time with Adam weeks ago," Moro said, causing Lute's rage to abruptly halt. He continued, "I wanted to ensure that Adam doesn't misconstrue your intentions. As you can see, he gets easily confused. Although he's our best creation, he's still human and requires significant guidance. In the meantime, keep up the excellent work, soldier. You have a brighter future than the rest of your kind."
Lute had gone back home and lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling as she replayed the way Adam's face fell when Moro told him about her mission to straighten him up.
She couldn't believe what had happened.
She recalled how all the emotions drained from Adam when she confirmed what Moro said was true.
She threw her arms over her eyes, her teeth clenching hard as warmth built up in her eyes.
No… she couldn't cry. She wasn't meant to. She was a warrior.
She reassured herself that things would settle. Everything would go back to normal. Deep down, Adam wouldn't care if some warrior-class angel wasn't his friend. She was going to keep spending time with him, making him happy, while pushing him to improve.
He had countless friends.
He didn't really need her in his arms.
She should be happy that he would get over what happened earlier.
Yet, she kept asking herself, why did she feel like she was falling apart?
Then she remembered Moro telling her that someone had expressed concern about her time with Adam weeks ago. Anger gripped her heart and her lips pressed into a tight line as she felt the urge to find out who that someone was…
"Where's the Boss?" Wildhair asked the next day.
Lute and her sisters had been waiting for Adam at the training grounds for the past couple of hours. Lately, Adam had arrived on time by walking through his portals; she hadn't needed to drag him like she did in the first few months when he became their captain. But today, there was no sign of him.
Lute was worried, but of course, she didn't show it. "He had a long day yesterday," she said.
All her sisters looked concerned by her words, except Vaggie, who stood there, arms crossed, rolling her eyes.
Lute stared at her for a moment before telling them they would monitor the beaches without Adam. Then she flew out with them.
A week had passed, and Adam hadn't shown up for any missions or duties.
One early morning, Lute flew to his mansion and walked into his room without knocking. She expected to find a woman or two sprawled in bed with him, but instead, she was met with a foul stench. Dirty dishes lay on the ground, garbage was strewn everywhere, and Adam lay beneath a thick blanket. Nervous, since she hadn't seen or talked to him since the meeting with Moro, she forced herself to move towards him. Just like in the past, she yanked the blanket off him but froze at what she saw.
Adam's hair was completely unruly, his face was grayer, and the dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than ever. Slowly, he opened his eyes tiredly, the gold in them dimmed like a dying ember. He looked up at her after a long moment, utterly devoid of the spark that usually danced in his eyes. The emptiness in his gaze made Lute's chest ache painfully as they stared at one another without a word.
She shouldn't have come. Never in her existence had she seen someone so broken. They were in Heaven, and he was the perfect creation, so it felt wrong to see him like this.
What happened?
She forced her thoughts and emotions aside. "Sir, you haven't met with the squad for the past five days," she said. The instant the words came out of her mouth, she felt sick, especially when she saw the last bit of light almost dull away. She was going to tell him to get up and get ready, but her heart and mind screamed at her not to.
"Sorry…" Adam mumbled, his voice so quiet she thought she had imagined it. He slowly sat up, but then he just sat there, staring at nothing, his eyes glistening and his wings limp by his sides. He seemed completely out of it, making no move to get off the bed.
Lute looked away, biting her lower lip. The dread growing worse, like a dark cloud wanting to suffocate her.
She didn't know what to do; she had never been trained to handle a situation like this. She felt that if she stayed any longer, he would crack in half before her eyes, and she didn't want to see that happen.
So, like the coward she didn't think she was, she opened the window and took off.
"Crash, what the fuck was that?!" Lute snapped at her sister, who had failed to block one of Terminator's moves and ended up on the ground.
Crash rolled onto her back, brushing the dirt from her eyes. "I believe that's called Terminator making me eat dirt," she said flippantly.
Lute glared at her before storming over, roughly grabbing her wrist, and yanking her to her feet.
"Ow, Lute, what the hell?" Crash tried to free herself, but Lute kept a firm hold before throwing her to the ground again. The others stopped their sparring and turned to the scene, stunned.
"You still think it's funny?" Lute retorted, grabbing Crash by the collar and shoving her face to the ground. "Answer me, soldier. Still think it's funny having your face shoved into the ground like some bug?"
"Lute, knock it off," Rebel said, shoving Lute off Crash. "What's your problem?"
Fury helped Crash sit up.
"I think it's pretty obvious," Vaggie spoke up, making everyone turn to her. "She's pissed that the man-child has replaced her and has been ditching his responsibilities."
Lute glared daggers at her, the rage in her slowly boiling.
"Come on, Vaggie, stop calling the boss that," Wildhair said.
"Seriously, we should report to Wimdor. Adam hasn't shown up for the past few days," Vaggie said. "This is unacceptable behavior."
"Dude, we're not ratting our captain out like that," Crash said with a frown. "That's really messed up."
"For reals," Wildhair agreed. "And like the Boss always says, snitches get stitches."
Snitches get stitches…
The words replayed in Lute's mind before her eyes widened as she stared at Vaggie. "It was you," she said in shock.
Vaggie looked at her in confusion.
It all made sense to Lute. Vaggie had always shown distaste for Adam, believing he was a spoiled jerk and refusing to see the greatness of their captain. She never gave him a chance. And since Lute spent time with Adam, Vaggie seemed to grow more hostile towards him.
Then she recalled the warning Vaggie had given her over a month ago: "I'm telling you now, things aren't going to go down like you expect at this party. You shouldn't trust him so much."
Maybe the whole neighbor not wanting fireworks was just a lie and Vaggie had tried ruining that night, too.
"You… fucking bitch," Lute said through clenched teeth, her hands turning into shaky fists. "You couldn't mind your own fucking business!" She lunged at Vaggie, but Rebel quickly grabbed her from behind. She violently thrashed against Rebel before Fury joined in to hold her back.
"Lute, what's gotten into you?!" Rebel exclaimed.
"That bitch ruined everything!" Lute yelled with rage.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Vaggie asked, looking utterly bewildered.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Lute screamed, still struggling against Rebel and Fury's grip. "You went to Moro and complained about me and Adam!"
Vaggie's brows furrowed. "I did what now?"
"Don't play dumb, you conniving bitch! You reported us to Moro! You couldn't handle the fact that our captain wasn't the spoiled asshole you thought he was, so you went whining to a Seraphim to hurt our Captain!"
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."
"Liar!"
"Lute, stop!" Rebel and Fury tightened their grip. "Can you please calm down and explain what's going on?"
Lute, of course, couldn't do that. She would have to expose herself regarding the task given to her by Sera and Zerachin, and she couldn't handle anyone blaming her for Adam's current state.
No one could understand the terrible dilemma she was in, and the worst part was she didn't know how to fix it. She didn't know how to help Adam.
Lute's eyes filled with tears of frustration, forcing her to stop struggling and take deep breaths to calm down. Rebel and Fury released her when she stopped fighting.
Everyone was silent, waiting for her to explain what she was accusing Vaggie of, but instead, she glared at Vaggie. "You'll regret ever hurting our captain," she said. "Mark my words." She turned and flew away, ignoring everyone's confused faces, especially Vaggie's.
Adam didn't leave his home and rarely left his bed.
Lute would come over when she could and pick up after him while he slept. He seemed to spend his time in bed all day, every day, and it worried her.
Sometimes she found herself gazing down at him while he slept. He would open his dim eyes and gaze back at her with a broken, yet hopeful look, causing her to mentally panic and pull away to stand outside his room, mentally kicking herself for not doing more.
She often thought about slipping into bed with him, letting him hold her like that one time, but she knew she shouldn't push it. They weren't supposed to do such things.
Sometimes, Claire, Annie, or Lepin would come over. All three were concerned but reassured her that Adam just needed space and would be back to his normal self soon. Supposedly, he had days where he just wanted to sleep. However, Claire seemed more worried but wouldn't share why.
Days continued to pass, and Adam remained in the same broken state.
The guilt gnawed at her, especially when Wimdor seemed displeased that Adam was nowhere to be found among the squad during his rounds. Vaggie seemed pleased with herself that Adam hadn't met with them yet, making her frustration boil over.
One late evening, like the others, she arrived at Adam's place, but this time he was neither in his bed nor in the bathroom. He was nowhere in the mansion.
She contacted Lepin, but he had no idea where Adam was. They both tried contacting him, but Adam had blocked all incoming calls. She asked his friends if they'd seen him, but like Lepin, they hadn't.
"He may be at his beach house," Annie suggested.
"It's my go-to spot to spend some time alone." Lute recalled Adam's words about the secluded house.
Lute flew there and spotted Adam, without his mask, standing by the ocean next to a woman as tall as him, with large horns.
A demon! In Heaven?!
She plunged toward them, her sword materializing in her hand, aiming it at the horned woman. But before she could strike, the woman turned with lightning speed, blocking the blade with sharp claws. The woman's purple eyes glared at Lute with such intensity that it paralyzed her mid-air.
"Damn, Lute, what the fuck?" Adam exclaimed, breaking the tense silence. He quickly took the sword from Lute's grasp and stepped between them. "What's wrong with you?"
Lute snapped out of her trance and landed on the sand, noticing how Adam stood protectively in front of the horned woman.
What… the… hell?
"Sir, what are you doing?" she asked in disbelief. "And what's a demon doing here?!"
Adam sighed. "Chill out. Lilith's here as a guest," he said, tossing the sword back to her.
"Lilith?" Lute's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the woman behind Adam. The demon appeared calm, as if her presence in Heaven was no big deal. "The Queen of Hell, Lilith?"
"And before you ask, yeah, Sera knows she's here," Adam added, stunning Lute even more.
"Interesting friends you have, Adam," Lilith remarked, her sharp eyes never leaving Lute. Her voice was smooth and cold, a stark contrast to Adam's energetic and charismatic one.
"She's not my friend," Adam said, avoiding eye contact with Lute, causing her to feel as though a dagger pierced her chest. "She's my lieutenant, and she's leaving now, isn't that right, Lute?"
Lute's eyes widened in surprise and confusion. "Sir, have you lost your mind? She shouldn't be here. And there's no way in Hell I'm leaving you alone with that witch!"
Adam frowned. "Lute…" His voice grew serious. "Lilith and I are in the middle of some important shit. You need to leave. Now."
Lute clenched her fists, anger and frustration bubbling inside her, but mostly hurt; Adam had never taken an authoritative tone with her before. She didn't understand why Lilith was with him, why Sera would allow the demon, the worst of them all, in Heaven. And worse, she couldn't believe Adam brought Lilith to the island—the island he had told her he'd never brought anyone to except her.
She wanted to argue, to slice Lilith's head off. Instead, she flew off obediently.
"Hey ladies, you missed me?" Adam grinned, his face covered with his usual horned mask, as he walked through a portal one morning, just as the ladies exited their settlement.
Lute stared at him while the rest of her sisters, except for Vaggie, cheered and ran over to him.
"Boss, we missed you sooo much!" Wildhair exclaimed. "Where've you been?"
"Are you okay?" Fury asked with concern.
"I was just takin' some time off. Your captain's old as fuck, so he needs a long-ass vacation every now and then," Adam joked. "Anyway, who's up for watch duty?"
Lute followed the group from behind, keeping her distance from Vaggie; they hadn't talked since Lute lashed out at her the other day. They were stationed just outside the gates, which was unusual. Lute stood by Adam, closest to the gates.
"I need you to come with me later today to a meeting with the Seraphim," he said in a low voice. "Heaven's in deep shit, and you're the only one I can count on to help me protect it."
Adam's words stirred something in Lute.
She's the only one he can count on?
The guilt she had been feeling for the past months was replaced by warmth, making her gaze at him with a yearning to make him happy again, to stand by his side like she used to.
But then her brain processed the rest of what he said. She felt a cold, confusing sense wash all over her.
Heaven was in danger? Was her captain joking? How would Heaven possibly ever be under any threat?
The image of Lilith crawled into her head. Her hands clenched into shaky fists.
"Of course, sir," she responded with a serious look. "I'll do whatever you need me to do."
And she meant it, especially if it was to protect Heaven.
After all… that's what she was made for.
The Present
What she was made for…
She had to keep repeating the words to herself, over and over, as she flew through the sky. Moro and Uner led the way, with Wisteria and other elite warriors flying alongside her.
Ahead, an immense golden wall appeared, stretching endlessly in both directions. A large, white door loomed before them and creaked open slowly.
Lute fought to steady her nerves. Beyond the doors lay only darkness.
Moro and Uner were the first to enter, followed by Lute and the rest. The doors closed behind the last warrior, sealing them in. The atmosphere was cold and dead silent. Their halos provided the only light, casting soft glows as they advanced and landed on a large round platform.
Suddenly, six colossal figures materialized from the shadows, each with three sets of large wings, radiating raw magical power that made Lute almost step back.
They were surrounded by the elder angels themselves.
Four were hidden in darkness, but two stood visible to the naked eye, draped in distinctive robes. Lute's heart skipped a beat when she immediately recognized one clad in purple.
He looked just like the statue by the warrior academy, his face completely hidden behind a helm made out of angelic titanium: Michael.
"Why have you come, Moro?" the one in the green robe asked, his voice a flat monotone, his green eyes staring emotionlessly at a different direction while his hands were clasped together. A large golden eye hovered right on his chest, staring at them with an intense gaze.
"I apologize for coming unannounced, Metatron," Moro replied calmly. "But we face a grave problem and require your help to resolve it once and for all."
