"This is ridiculous," I mutter, pacing in frustration, my boots scraping against the uneven pavement. The cold night air presses against my skin, but it’s nothing compared to the ice in my chest.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMdzVPnl8M
I’ve done nothing wrong. Nothing. And yet, here I am—cast down, thrown from the heavens like a discarded relic.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9PzSf3TnI
I pause, clenching my fists. I am not like the Devil or his wretched demons—those parasites that slither through human lives, feeding on misery. I despise them. Especially him.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2IbO20pIQ
He thinks he owns this world, manipulating everything to his liking. Twisting fate, corrupting souls, playing king.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PoGUGC8XW
I know he’s coming. It’s inevitable. He can’t resist moments like this. It’s his favorite kind of entertainment. I’ve seen the way his face lights up when he hears of the misery of others, that insufferable grin like he’s won some grand victory.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcRkGk2MD5
I exhale sharply, trying to still my thoughts. None of that matters right now. What matters is that I have nowhere to go.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzXtT1Lgdk
I start walking, my steps aimless, the city’s glow stretching endlessly before me. Towering glass buildings reflect the neon lights, people drift between streets, lost in their own little worlds. The scent of rain lingers in the air, mixing with the aromas of food stalls and coffee shops.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMe9NDKcT7
At least God hasn’t stripped me of my powers.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHwhtpv2eo
I can still do anything I want.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEc2uIP8aUq
A flick of my fingers, and I disappear from sight, my presence cloaked in invisibility. The humans remain oblivious, laughing, drinking, living. Free will. The one gift I never truly had.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCauUuWLRn
I stop outside a café, its warm light spilling onto the wet pavement. Inside, people chat over steaming mugs, lost in their trivial, fleeting joys.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8v6ZTTKNFN
I watch them for a long moment, feeling something foreign settle in my chest. Jealousy? Resentment? Regret?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjJ6y8n7YO
"Not anymore," I whisper to myself, my voice barely audible over the hum of the city. I’m not bound by God’s will anymore.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1pC0D3moG
A soft chuckle breaks the stillness behind me.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxMFPrL6se
"Not anymore," a voice echoes.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzotcDUWrb
I go rigid.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3LrbOeyyG
I don’t need to turn around to know who it is. His presence is unmistakable—smooth, unwavering, steeped in sin like the finest of wines.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TWI5sUfKU
Slowly, I turn, my expression already set in stone. And there he is.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAeTCS97EK
Lucifer.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOHcbxvhsi
Dressed in dark, tailored perfection, standing with an ease that borders on arrogance. That damn smirk playing on his lips, those eyes gleaming with mischief.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1yyTe8WOf
"Oh, it’s you," I say, my voice dripping with disdain.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyd5JKUH9I
He shrugs, unfazed. "Told you I’d be here."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6I0TobM7a
I roll my eyes, pushing past him. I don’t want to deal with him. Not now.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxkkmwol1D
But, of course, he follows.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxq09j5IC1j
"Why the hostility?" he asks lightly, like this is all some joke to him.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnLX0b1AOu
"Because you’re ignorant. Arrogant," I snap, turning to glare at him. "And you think you’re better than everyone else."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvnXNKs6yT
His grin widens. "God did say I was His most misunderstood creation."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzAk4uNJEK
I scoff. "Misunderstood? That’s rich."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7kIsGsiQM
Lucifer chuckles, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Well, everyone has their reputation, don’t they?"13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxH3VawI6wB
I don’t respond. I keep walking, determined to put distance between us, but he doesn’t take the hint.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LANj7iHut
"At least tell me your name," he presses, matching my pace effortlessly.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81tT45mZ1X
I keep my lips sealed.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6eY6NK4WD
"Alright, let’s start with introductions, then," he says, overly dramatic. "I’m the Devil. And you are?"13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrswuXNgoc
I stop. Damn him.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Wf0baUkXE
Curiosity gnaws at me despite myself. I turn to face him, expecting mockery, but instead, I see something else in his expression—a strange sincerity. An odd politeness. Like he’s trying too hard.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcZ0N6qcGY
He extends his hand.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvIUF1sDUi
I hesitate.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡko0kgUZ7Bs
What does he want? Why is he being so nice?13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavgRzL7YY4
"...Evangeline," I finally say, taking his hand reluctantly.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHuLrbjN3d
His fingers are warm, steady. His smile widens just enough to make me regret saying anything at all.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNZMNBVD1H
"Evangeline," he repeats, savoring the name like a secret. "A pretty name for a pretty lady."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZl3dIobVWk
I stiffen. "Lady?"13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMQSyANmPA
The Devil’s grin widens, his dark eyes gleaming with something dangerously close to amusement as he looks at me. Like I’m some kind of puzzle he’s enjoying putting together.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TmZnE4gKJ
"Is that so?" I say, folding my arms, my voice laced with sarcasm. "Because I’ve never been called a ‘lady’ before—especially by someone like you."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HX0MiMjHU
He shrugs, completely unfazed, as if the entire conversation is nothing more than an idle amusement for him.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BrJuhj09f
"Well, I’m just speaking the truth, Evangeline. After all, it’s not every day that an angel gets sent down here. A bit of a change in scenery, huh?"13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhow5SuRSZ
I roll my eyes and keep walking, determined to ignore him, but it’s impossible to ignore the way his presence lingers, pressing against me like a shadow I can’t shake. My thoughts race. I’m not sure what’s worse—the fact that I’ve been banished or the fact that I’m stuck with him, walking through a world I don’t belong to.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PM0JkM5tz
"You really think you can just stroll around here like everything’s normal? Like you belong?" I scoff.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIZ2Glltdg
"Oh, I know I belong," he replies smoothly, his voice too confident, too certain, like the weight of the world has never touched him. "Unlike you, who’s clearly still trying to figure out where you stand. It’s kind of cute."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CUoJ1XYiJ
I stop dead in my tracks, turning sharply to face him, my wings fluttering in agitation. Anger burns through me like wildfire.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1fNfwSKMs
"Cute?" I growl, my eyes flashing. "You think this is cute?"13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurbLnNIGpu
He smirks. That insufferable, knowing smirk. He’s enjoying this. Enjoying me.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiEZcT5Ybg
"Well, you’re new to this whole ‘fallen’ thing, aren’t you?" he says, tilting his head slightly. "I figured you could use someone to show you the ropes. I mean, you’re going to need all the help you can get in a world like this."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzYa2Dxv84
I grit my teeth, my fists clenching at my sides, but I say nothing. Because as much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. I don’t know where to go, don’t know where I stand, don’t even know who I am anymore.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgW6plYF0Z
And he knows that.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBsKAccntg
He’s watching me carefully, studying me like he’s waiting for me to realize something. Waiting for me to admit something.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOjF9xwXo8
I take a step closer, lowering my voice. "You’re not what I expected." I hesitate, but curiosity gets the best of me. "Then again, I’ve only ever heard about you in whispers from other angels. Never met you face-to-face."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgbW6M3SMs
He lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "Bet I’ve been painted as the villain, huh?" His tone is mocking, feigning offense. But beneath it, there’s something else. Something too subtle to name.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiRfRiAC1i
"You were cast down for defying God," I remind him. "What else would you be?"13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkirvOgZsw9
His smirk lingers, but there’s something unreadable in his eyes now. "I’m just misunderstood, really."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9AwkFAeSs
I scoff, but there’s something almost playful in the way I do it. "Misunderstood? Fine."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADbnainrrC
He shrugs again, slipping his hands into his pockets, and it infuriates me how effortlessly casual he is. Like none of this matters to him. 13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wdNuCNtAn
"What can I say?" he muses. "Everyone loves a good villain story. Besides, I think we might get along better than you think."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFKfO7Ha7N
I narrow my eyes at him, refusing to let him get under my skin. Even though, deep down, I already know he has.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShXpZ3xiJm
"I doubt that," I mutter under my breath, looking away.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXlpRCpHLa
But he catches it. Of course, he does.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2pVxMgV8x
His smile deepens, that knowing glint in his gaze growing even stronger. "You know, I’m not as bad as you’ve been told."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjrNr2TSOf
I let out a dry laugh. "Prove it."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqeAr2ejAc
His grin doesn’t falter. "Maybe I will."13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCe0cF5SZuy
And just like that, we keep walking, the tension between us thick, shifting into something neither of us understands yet.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTVBAwXIBQ
Neither of us knows if we’re enemies, allies… or something else entirely.13Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxf50n1jKC
Penana
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