ES
EN
SVPeace had ended.
The Kingdom of Shadows grew day after day.
Every angel who had followed Lucifer swore loyalty to a new king.
No one called him Lucero now.
No one called him brother.
Every head bowed before a single name:
Lucifer.
Seated on his throne of broken swords, he watched the black lake that showed him the Father's Dominions.
He was not hunting a battle.
He was hunting an opening.
And at last he found one.
Two squadrons of Guardians swept the borders of Heaven.
The first was led by Aster, captain and right hand of Tarus.
A giant of stone and light, known for his strength and unbroken loyalty.
The second was commanded by Lior, right hand of Leo.
Wherever he arrived, hope returned even to the most devastated worlds.
Lucifer smiled.
—If I want to break my brothers… first I must break what they love most.
He rose from the throne.
Before him stood his generals:
Hate.
Caelum.
And hundreds of fallen angels.
—Today we will not conquer Heaven.
He paused.
—Today we steal their hope.
Meanwhile, Aster and Lior escorted a caravan of lesser angels carrying the first seeds of the Tree of Life toward a newly created world.
Everything seemed calm.
Until the universe went dark.
An immense black rift tore open in space.
From it poured hundreds of fallen angels.
Black flames lit the void.
Aster raised his enormous hammer.
—Defensive formation!
Lior drew his sword of light.
—Protect the seeds!
The clash was instant.
Heaven's first battle had begun.
Light and darkness collided like two storms.
Swords shook the stars.
Shields of light crashed against spears of shadow.
For hours, neither side gave ground.
Until Lucifer appeared.
He descended slowly from the dark sky.
His black wings covered the battlefield like an eclipse.
Everyone went still.
Aster stepped forward.
—You will not pass.
Lucifer smiled.
—I have not come for the seeds.
He paused.
—I have come for you.
Lior struck first.
His sword cut the air with impossible speed.
Lucifer stopped it with one hand.
Black flame wrapped the blade.
In an instant, Lior's sword lost all its radiance.
Aster brought his hammer down with everything he had.
The impact split a nearby mountain.
But Lucifer raised his other hand.
The rock hung in the air.
Then he shattered it.
The explosion hurled both captains several kilometers away.
Dozens of black chains burst from the ground and coiled around Aster and Lior.
The harder they fought, the stronger the chains became.
—Hold on! —Aster cried—. Do not listen to his lies!
Lucifer descended before them.
He set a hand on each of their chests.
The chains drank their light.
Both captains screamed.
The entire battlefield heard that scream.
When Tarus and Leo arrived with reinforcements, it was already too late.
They found only the ruined field.
The seeds of the Tree of Life remained intact.
But their friends were gone.
Leo fell to his knees.
—Lior!
His voice vanished into the silence.
Tarus clenched his fists.
Never before had he felt such helplessness.
Nerea picked a white feather from the ground.
It belonged to Lior.
It still held a faint glow, but it was beginning to darken.
Far from there, in the Kingdom of Shadows, Aster and Lior woke chained before Lucifer's throne.
They were not wounded.
But neither could they feel the Father's light.
Lucifer came down the steps slowly.
—Welcome.
Neither answered.
Aster spat on the ground.
—I will never serve a traitor.
Lior raised his head.
—The Father will come for us.
Lucifer smiled.
—I do not want you to serve me.
He stepped closer.
—I want you to doubt.
His eyes locked on the two captains.
—Because the strongest heart… can also break.
THE CORRUPTION
The days passed.
Aster and Lior remained chained in the depths of Lucifer's fortress.
They were not beaten.
They were not tortured.
That would have hardened their spirits.
Lucifer wanted something far more dangerous.
He wanted to break their faith.
Every day he showed them images of the Celestial Kingdom.
They saw Tarus searching for them without rest.
They saw Leo blaming himself for arriving too late.
They saw Nerea weeping for them.
And above all…
they saw Agnis.
Always training.
Always harder.
Always colder.
One morning, Lucifer descended to their cells.
—Do you know what is most curious about light?
Neither answered.
—A single small shadow is enough to make it doubt itself.
He raised his hand.
The black lake appeared before them.
In its waters they saw Agnis training alone.
Her sword no longer shone with its former intensity.
Lucifer smiled.
—She believes justice will save Heaven.
Agnis's image kept moving across the dark waters.
—I am only going to prove to her that it will never be enough.
Days later, the four siblings received a message.
A rift of darkness opened in the middle of the Celestial Hall.
From it fell a sword.
It was Lior's sword.
Broken in two.
Upon the blade, a single phrase written in black fire:
«You did not arrive in time.»
Leo took the sword with trembling hands.
—No…
He stared at the two halves.
—No…
Tarus smashed his fist into the floor.
The columns of the hall shook.
Nerea started to cry.
Agnis remained motionless.
Inside her, the guilt woke again.
The next day, another portal opened.
This time Aster's shield appeared.
Covered in cracks.
Upon it, a new phrase:
«The next will be another.»
Fear spread through the celestial armies.
Angels looked to their commanders for answers.
But not even the four Guardians knew what to do.
In the Kingdom of Shadows, Lucifer smiled.
—They have already begun to distrust.
Hate bowed his head.
—But they still stand united.
Lucifer slowly shook his head.
—For now.
Later, Lucifer returned to Aster and Lior.
They were still resisting.
They were still refusing to serve.
Lucifer did not try to force them.
He only set a hand on each of their brows.
Shadows seeped slowly into their memories.
They relived every defeat.
Every mistake.
Every companion they could not save.
Every wrong decision.
Guilt mixed with the darkness.
When Lucifer withdrew his hand…
their eyes were still the same.
But deep within them…
a small shadow had appeared.
That was all he needed.
The next day, a celestial patrol was attacked.
When Tarus reached the place, he saw something impossible.
Aster was there.
His wings blackened, holding several angels by the throat.
—Aster!
The former captain slowly raised his head.
For an instant, he seemed to recognize him.
His eyes trembled.
—Stay away…
His voice broke.
—Before I…
He did not finish the sentence.
A shadow ran through his body.
And he attacked.
Tarus did not raise his hammer.
He could not strike the one who had been like a brother.
Aster brought him down with a single blow.
Then he vanished into the shadows.
At the other end of the Celestial Kingdom, Leo found Lior.
He was wounded.
Confused.
As if he fought something inside himself.
—Lior!
Leo ran toward him.
But as he drew near, Lior's sword cut the air and stopped a few centimeters from his chest.
The captain's hands trembled.
—Run…
He lowered his gaze.
—I can't…
He swallowed.
—I can't control it…
Then his eyes darkened again.
He attacked with a fury he had never known.
Leo only defended himself.
He refused to wound his friend.
At last Lior fled wrapped in shadows.
The four siblings gathered again before the Father.
The silence weighed more than any word.
Agnis was the first to speak.
—We should have finished Lucifer when we had the chance.
Leo looked up.
—He is still our brother!
—He is no longer our brother! —Agnis answered—. Look at what he is doing!
Her voice cracked with rage.
—And how many will die while we wait?
Leo answered calmly.
—There is always hope.
Agnis struck the floor with her sword.
—Hope saved no one!
The hall fell silent.
Even she was startled by her own words.
The fire of her sword faltered.
The blue flame lost its intensity.
For the first time since her creation, a stretch of the steel stood without fire.
Small embers fell to the floor.
And went out.
Nerea watched the sword with concern.
—Agnis…
She looked at the embers.
—Your flame…
Agnis slowly lowered her gaze.
She did not answer.
Far from there, Lucifer watched the black lake.
In its waters he saw the first embers die.
He smiled.
—It has begun.
Hate studied the image.
—Her fire is going out.
Lucifer nodded slowly.
—Not because she is losing her power.
His smile vanished.
—But because she is losing her peace.
He watched Agnis again.
—Justice without love ends by consuming the one who wields it.
A pause.
—And when the last blue flame disappears…
His eyes shone.
—Agnis will believe she is fighting for the Father.
The black lake grew darker.
Lucifer smiled.
—Without realizing…
He paused one last time.
—She will be fighting for me.