Judge of Hell

One of the most respected and feared archangels, Gabriel earned his reputation through power and efficiency.

Regardless of the task given, Gabriel would always perform it quickly and decisively, earning him the title of Judge of Hell after dethroning Minos and ending the Lust renaissance.

Despite answering to the Council, he is far more popular and beloved among angels due to his radiant personality and active nature, especially compared to the Council that strictly follows and upholds the dogma of the Faith.

Apostate of Hate

Having twice clashed with the machine and lost, Gabriel realized he had been mistaken. The strong fire that burned inside him was not hatred at all, but passion.

Gabriel had never before known the joy of a struggle, of coming face-to-face with an opponent of equal or greater measure. Though he had lost twice, each loss only further grew his desire to overcome.

Up until now, he had only done what was expected of him, but now for the first time he had found something he himself wanted. Not even the fast encroaching End of Hell mattered to him anymore.

Still, having come to realize the horrors he had committed in God's name, he felt a great guilt. Though he could not undo what he had done, Gabriel knew he had to make things right, and headed to Hell for the last time.

Act I

Disgrace. Humiliation. Unseemly and unwelcome at the feet of The Council. Their eyes ablaze with bitter resentment, glaring through Gabriel's wounds of body and soul, bore outward for all to see.

"Has this one abandoned the way of our creator?" "It is unworthy of its Holy Light." "The Father's Light is indomitable." "This one sees fit to squander it."

Their words resonated in Gabriel's limbs, coursing through as lightning upon wire, a searing hiss that would strike lessers deaf and blind. The Holy Light within him, an unstoppable storm of divine fury. Insurmountable for mere Objects. This he knew.

"Holy Council, my devotion to our creator is absolute. I have never strayed from the will of The Father, but a machine-"

"You dare imply the might of The Father could be shaken by mere objects?"

"Impossible." "Heresy." "Unspeakable." "Heresy." "Heresy." "Silence."

"Your treachery will not be tolerated. As punishment, The Father's Light shall be severed from your body. You have 24 hours before the last of its embers die out."

"And you with them." "Prove your loyalty." "Unmake your mistakes."

As the Light was ripped from his being, Gabriel's screams were silenced in the hiss of gospel in praise of God. A boiling anguish to which even the fires of Hell could not compare. Through the blaze of torment a single burning hatred was forged anew.

If the machines seek blood, he would give it freely;

and with such fury, even metal will bleed.

Act II

Silence. Introspection. How many had he killed? Had he ever thought to count? How much cruelty did he embody… and to what end? How many did he condemn to hell and who did it benefit..?

Two defeats at the hands of the machine had changed Gabriel. The world of the once supposed Will of God was now shattered and only he was left to put the pieces back together. They collected before the light of a dying fire that fresh fuel couldn’t sustain, this new light showing the truth to Gabriel:

The pieces never fit together to begin with.

The supposed Council of "the people" who boasted a God that wasn't there. Gone. Vanished. The Council still chased after the light of God's fire, their memory of its words and will grown twisted and warped, and the rest of the aimless masses of Heaven follow their footsteps. The angels still act in The Father's name but His kingdom has changed.

Now the fire was dying, sputtering out as the heat failed to gain purchase. Gabriel looked upon the embers with a perfect clarity. He drew his blade and held it in contrast to the dying light.

In its reflection he saw a weapon reborn, no longer wielded by the will of another, but his own. He knew words alone would never sway the masses. He chose to do something drastic.

Death stains the auditorium. The littered corpses of the once mighty council now strewn against its surfaces, their last gasps of life dripping down the dissident blade of Gabriel's sword.

The last councilor, now backed up to a wall, scrambles for words between panicked breaths as death approaches with measured steps.

"W-wait! Y-you can't do this! Our status forbids it! This is treason, heresy, murder! We are the supreme authority, our law commands you!"

"You command nothing. Your words hold no power over me, or anyone else. Lest you truly believe you can talk my blade back into its sheath."

"B-but the people are on our side! The citizens of Heaven know that we are just!"

"The masses only follow you out of fear and desperation. I will show them there is nothing to be afraid of, for there is no species nor origin, vested rank or holy status that will stop the sharp edge of a sword.

We all bleed the same blood, and the cushions of your thrones have made you weak and impotent."

"P-please, Gabriel, see reason! The council follows the will of The Father! You seek to go against our creato-"

"Face it, brother. God is dead. The fire is gone. You're chasing phantoms."

Gabriel's silhouette now towers over the councilor, his shadow cast upon a soon lifeless corpse.

He raises his sword for the final cut as the crying mess on the floor stammers out its final feeble argument.

"B-b-but the Father's light! Without me you cannot hope to reconnect with it! I-i-if you kill me, you'll be dead in a matter of hours!"

...

"I know."

A clean, silent cut glides through the councilor's neck, severing his spine with elegance and ease. His head falls onto the marble floor, the rest of his body following soon after.

Bereft of status but brimming with purpose, Gabriel gave a final message to the angels amassed at the gates of the auditorium before leaving Heaven for the very last time.

His arm outstretched, without a word, the people saw.

In the silence the message rang out to the far ends of the cosmos.

• Providence: “After Gabriel's final message, Heaven has once again been thrown into the brink of turmoil, and in order to avoid escalation into civil war, the fastest of the lesser angels, Providences, have been sent to find him and bring him back. Due to the urgency of the mission, they have been allowed to keep their sight when venturing into Hell…”


• Power: “Much like the other archangels, Gabriel had a radiance that inspired many followers, the most numerous of which were the Powers, who acted as his disciples… While Heaven's tastes began to trend towards ornateness and decoration, Gabriel stuck with the simpler old style of armor as a sign of discipline. Though Powers initially followed suit, in his absence in having become the Judge of Hell, their standards gradually slipped and they adopted the vanity of their peers…”


• Virtue: “... There Virtues use heavenly fire to punish sinners who aren't acting out their punishment, in order to not waste Gabriel's time with minor offences and fluctuations…”


• Ferryman: “... As the influx of souls has ended with the death of mankind, the Ferrymen have lost their purpose and now wander around aimlessly, hoping that the angels would grant them passage into Heaven, despite Gabriel being the only one who cares about their efforts.”


• Idol: “The Idols did not originally look divine, but were painstakingly carved to such shapes by Ferrymen who collected them during travels across the layers of Hell. This was done as both an act of compassion and as a tribute to angels, particularly Gabriel, whom Ferrymen believe to have similarly granted them mercy…”


• Minos Prime: “... Gabriel, the brightest of the angels, was sent to kill Minos. The king, rather than fight back, tried to reason with him, but Gabriel mercilessly struck him down without listening…”


• Sisyphus Prime: “... It was all for naught, however, as Sisyphus' charisma and drive had made his warriors dependent on his radiance and guidance. Although he did not know why yet, Gabriel recognised this flaw, having experienced it first hand, and ordered a focused assault to take down the king. He unsheathed his swords for the first time since time immemorial and beheaded Sisyphus, displaying his head for all to see. The morale of Sisyphus' army was broken and the rest of the war was little more than a formality without their shining beacon….”


• Flesh Prison: “Flesh Prison is an uncategorized organism created by the angels to imprison Minos' soul after he was slain by Gabriel…”


• Leviathan: "The heart, which houses the souls of the Sullen in endless anguish as their flesh, veins and nerves writhe and mutate, attempted to escape its body, but Gabriel struck it down with his divine spears, pinning it back onto its head, unable to move."