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It had begun a few short o, when he was suels were privileged to visit During that unprecedented encounter, snowflakes had begun to fall fron of his Deity’s cold displeasure And the Deity’s words, though softly spoken, had been just as biting as the snowfall

Apparently, Zacharel’s "severe detache" during his battles with deed, Zacharel had chosen to slay his enemy at the expense of innocent human life Of course, such behavior was "unacceptable"

He’d apologized, even though he wasn’t sorry for his actions, only that he had angered the one being with the power to destroy him In truth, he did not understand the appeal--or usefulness--of the hu all they did was for love

Love Zacharel sneered As iflove Not even Zacharel knew Hadrenial had--but Zacharel wasn’t thinking about hi, his Deity had told hi, for his Deity could see into the dark mire of his chest, where his heart should beat with es and immortality and banish you to the earth, where you will not be able to see the deht theht them, you cannot kill the humans around the the fallen andof the sort Zacharel lived for killing deht theain he’d voiced his contrition

You have apologized to the Heavenly High Council for this very cried your ways Even still,reco you’ve suffered, they hoped that in tiain you’ve failed to do as the Council has asked, and no longer can they turn a blind eye to your transgressions Now I her power--and your deeds reflect poorly on me

In thathis way out of his sentence And he’d been right

Words are so easily spoken, as you’ve proven, the Deity had continued, but so rarely are they backed up with action Now you will carry the physical expression of et this day

As you wish, he’d replied

But, Zacharel…do not doubt that worse awaits you should you disobey ain

He’d thanked his Deity for the chance to do better and he had meant it--until his very next battle He had hurt and killed ht or mercy, because they had hurt and killed Ivar, one of the Deity’s Elite Seven A warrior of unith and ability

The fact that Zacharel’s actions had been in the naeance hadn’t h was to decide how to handle such a situation, and as He was the higher power Zacharel’s Deity answered to, His as law Zacharel should have displayed patience

The following day, the Deity had again summoned him

He’d hoped that, despite what he’d done, he would be chosen as the next Elite, but instead he learned he had earned another punishment "Worse," he discovered, was exactly that

For one year, Zacharel would lead an arels just like him The ones no one else wanted under their conment: to teach them the respect that he himself had yet to demonstrate--for the Deity, for the sanctity of human life And to ensure that he took his responsibility seriously, he alone would bear the consequences of his warriors’ actions

If any of his angels killed a huht

At the end of the year, if Zacharel’s good deeds outweighed the bad, he and all of his angels would be allowed to stay in the heavens If the bad outweighed the good, he and all of his angels would lose their wings and their place in the sky

Clearly, Zacharel hadhouse This way, he could rid the heavens of every thorn in his side in one fell swoop, and none on his Council could call hiiven them a year’s worth of chances to redeem themselves

So here Zacharel and his ar chores far beneath their skill level For thea way to free de those ere inificant battle

Tonight h only their third round of combat--and each one had ended worse than the last No arding his orders They flipped hihed in his face

He did not understand them This year was their last chance, too They had just as much to lose Shouldn’t they seek his favor?

"Now?" Thane asked eagerly, his voice more smoke than substance Once upon a time, his throat had been slit…and slit and slit until scars had become a permanent necklace