The deafening howling lasted for minutes before Dante’s vocals wheezed to emit only mere dry sputters. He had shattered his vocal cords after crying aloud to his limits. Dante noticed a sweet thick liquid within his mouth, He spat it onto the floor.

Blood.

His throat bled profusely.

A pair of pale hands pressed themselves against Dante’s back and gradually suppressed the fallen Seraphim’s consciousness. Dante struggled to resist against the hypnosis but Chris motioned for him not to.

“Your descent to the mortal realm is going to be a painful one. I think you would prefer not to be conscious when it happens.”

Dante swallowed and nodded. He closed his eyes and after a period of silence, he opened them once again. “Chris.” He croaked. “Can I ever return to heaven again?”

“No. You know it, Dante. The moment you lose your halo, you can never return. Regardless of how much power you might wield, to force an ascend without a halo would plunge you into the depths of a misty maze which barricades heaven from the mortal realm.”

The Seraphim companion by Chris’ side spoke abruptly. “Dante.”

Dante looked to the Seraphim guard.

“Listen to me. Do not force an ascend.” The guard smiled briefly before the grin was wiped and he continued coldly. “I’ve admired you since I was newly-born. You were my idol, so don’t die. There’s a way to return.” He gathered the halo shards from the floor into his hands. “I will release these with you into the mortal realm. Gather them and return. Perhaps, the Lord will have forgiven you already by the time you piece together your halo.”

A glint of hope glittered within Dante’s eyes.

“Why are you telling him this?” Chris snapped. “You will get us into trouble!”

The Seraphim guard shrugged. “You have to go now. The halo’s effects on you have ran out.”

Dante nodded and whispered almost inaudibly. “Thank you.” The fallen Seraphim struggled to bring himself onto his feet. Yet when he seemed to have accomplished this feat, the floor of heaven liquefied and Dante sank right through the ground. Without his halo, heaven can no longer support his weight.

“Good-goodbye, my Lord.” Dante tumbled through the eighteen levels of heaven and descended swiftly and awkwardly to the mortal realm. A moist drop of tear ran down his chin. “My – my Lord, was I really in the … wrong?”