Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Rebellion

Linus immediately woke up from his unconsciousness. He was surprised when he found something different. Nothing is white and it seems that he is not the old angel who would just look down to observe people's lives. He saw things that he saw people live with. He looked at his hands, and feet, and felt his own body. When he saw a mirror, he immediately looked into it and found himself in a different body.

"Who are you?" Linus asked in front of the mirror, asking his reflection of himself.

"Linus! You're awake!" His best friend Jacob immediately appeared by his side.

But unlike him, he can see that Jacob is a soul with wings in his eyes. It's not like he used to look at Jacob's appearance as if it was normal for him.

"Who is this in this mirror? Why is he imitating my actions?" Linus asked as he pointed to the mirror.

Jacob just showed a fake smile to his friend. "You are already a human, Linus. This is the punishment imposed on you by Lord Rasmus. Apparently, you have already been suspended from missions because of what you did. These are always the punishments, right? You remember what you did---"

"But I don't want this!" Linus immediately shouted then walked to look around the place where he was.

He landed in a room that looked like an office. When he looked at the table, there was a name on it attached to a metal stand next to the laptop. Linus Castellano.

"Is it my name?" Linus asked.

"Yes, your full name is Linus Castellano. Don't all angels only have the first name? Since you are already a human, Lord Rasmus gave you a name in this world. He said you will still come back for being an angel when your punishment has been lifted. That’s why to be kind for now." explained Jacob who still followed him.

Linus felt a fury he had never felt before. "I don't want this! Where is Lord Rasmus?" Linus shouted and he almost caught his breath because of that.

Jacob was surprised. He saw the black circles in Linus' eyes turn shallow red suddenly. He became nervous about what he saw.

"I know now that you're human... you have feelings that you can't help like being mad. Just think that he did this as a fair punishment for angels who make mistakes in missions. You did too much and this is the severity of your punishment. Calm down first." Jacob said calmly but the anger that Linus felt still did not subside.

He clenched his fist. He cannot accept that he is now a human. Humans are bathed in sins every day. His emotions are mixed that he can't explain.

"Understand your fate, Linus. Nothing will happen if you only get carried away by what has been done to you and get very angry." Jacob said.

Linus just sighed deeply. "I can still accomplish the missions, right? Even though I'm like this now."

Jacob nodded. "Yes, you can still talk to all the angels even though you're here in the world. Don't worry, I'll always be with you and I won't leave you here. I'll guide you until you can return to your old form."

Jacob also feels something strange and he doesn't want that to happen to his friend. When he saw the red in Linus' eyes, he became worried. He only hears stories from other angels about what happened afterward to the angels who were punished before as Linus did. He is nervous because these are unacceptable changes.

"I'm going to walk outside first. Don't you have a mission today? Why are you here talking to me?" Linus asked Jacob and only then did it sink into him that he actually had a current mission. Angels' missions to guide humans in the world are also never finished.

"Just call my name and I'll hear you. I'll come to you right away to accompany you in everything you do and ask me a favor anytime, okay?" Jacob said and Linus just nodded.

Jacob disappeared while Linus left the house he was in. Lord Rasmus provided him with a house to sleep and there were clothes inside. The house pieces of equipment were completed so that he can still live normally. He appreciated that because the Lord was still very good to him even though he had sinned. But there is still a part of him that is angry at the punishment that was done to him. And he couldn't get rid of that anger.

When he got out of the house, he saw what seemed to be a bright sky and people around him who kept walking. Someone was talking, laughing, arguing, and cars were moving in front of him.

"This is indeed the world of humans," Linus said and seemed to understand what he came into.

He started walking while observing human actions. He... secretly hates humans while he's watching them from above. They are just wasting the life they have on earth. They did nothing but do worldly things.

"Didn't I say that we are your boss? Why? Don't you understand that? Do you want to get hurt?"

Linus froze when he heard a guy's voice. It turned out that he had reached a part of the place where there were no people who walks in. A narrow passageway far from the crowded hallway.

He looked where the voice came from and saw four guys standing while a guy with glasses was in front of the four. The guy in glasses seems in pain because he is holding his stomach. Linus's eyes widened when he saw what the guys did next. They kicked the guy with glasses till he was pushed onto the pavement.

Linus's eyes turned red and he thought of nothing else but to get those four guys away from the guy with glasses.

A strong wind blew, causing the four men to fly away and their bodies hit the wall. That caused their body and head to be severely bruised. Their blood also splattered on the pavement afterward. The eyes of the guy in the glasses widened and then ran away quickly.

Linus couldn't believe what happened. His eyes have an effect on his surroundings as if he has power in the human world.

"You killed four people, Linus."

Linus turned to the man who spoke and recoiled in fear when he saw that it was Lord Rasmus.

"I hope that while you are suspended from doing missions, you will reflect on the mistake you made. But you just did worse, now that you are in the human world."

Linus shook his head. "I didn't like the emotions I'm feeling now. I get angry too much and it affects the people around me. It's not me who made it! The devil made me do it!"

His scream was followed by loud thunder in the sky. Light rain followed until it became stronger. Linus could feel the coldness of the water but he kept looking at Lord Rasmus.

"I thought... a God like you is a forgiving one. A lord who can accept all angels and humans even if they had sinned. Why did you do this to me? This is not what I deserve!" Linus shouted but the Lord just remained standing in front of him.

In less than a few minutes, Lord Rasmus suddenly disappeared.

"Lord Rasmus! Lord Rasmus!" Linus immediately called for the Lord to return to his presence but he heard nothing but the force of the rain.

He felt like he was going crazy at the thought. He doesn't want this life. He did not deserve to descend into the human world because he was an angel.

"You are now a demon who belongs to us."

Linus' hair stood on end when he heard that husky voice. Behind him, he saw a puff of smoke but with red eyes. It has two horns and a long tail. A demon.

"You still have to kill a lot. I will make you my disciple if your Lord does not want to accept you. Do you want to get out of this life? If so, just obey everything I commanded." that smoke said playfully until it disappeared from his sight.

He became dizzy and weak. He closed his eyes for a few seconds.... and opened them again to find himself inside the house that Lord Rasmus had given him to live in. He was an extraordinary human brought to earth. What he wants to happen…. happens around him, sees things that ordinary people don't see, and can go wherever he wants.

A great temptation was offered to him by a demon who appeared to him. He thought that was a good offer. If Lord Rasmus can't accept him, it's better to be a demon. He can do whatever he wants and is not dictated to by others.

"You're right. Just join us and you'll have a happier life." The demon whispers to him. Little by little, his eyes are getting red and he feels like something is growing on his forehead.

"Linus! Linus, what happened to you?"

He immediately looked for the source of that voice and found Jacob. His eyes widened as he looked at him.

"I've killed, Jacob... men... there's blood..." Linus said to Jacob. Even so, he still wanted to be true to his friend.

"Have you ever seen yourself in the mirror?" Jacob asked.

"Why?" Linus asked and tried to move closer to his friend but he immediately moved away from him. He wondered…. then went to his room to face the mirror.

And there, he saw himself. He had two horns, red eyes, and a black smokey shadow behind him.

"Demon... I'm a demon now." Linus said fearfully.

Jacob hissed. "Why did you do that? You just committed a sin and you committed another one? Now that you are human, you have feelings or emotions that will overcome your heart. This includes anger that you cannot control because you just newly experienced it. But you are still different from ordinary people, you became an angel and this was the only punishment for you. You have power on earth that only people like you can do. But when you use that power in a bad way and it caused harm to other people..."

Linus laughed heartily. "I'm going to become a demon, right? There's a demon who whispered to me that I can do what I want to do. There's no one who will stop me. Lord Rasmus won't accept me but the demons will accept me and I'll become one of them ---"

"Linus, can you hear yourself? You are here in the human world not to enjoy yourself but to accept the punishment for the sin you have committed! Lord Rasmus accepts us all and you knew it from the beginning!" Jacob shouted.

"But he doesn't forgive me right away! I'm in trouble as soon as I open my eyes in this life! I don't want this, Jacob! I don't fit in here but Lord Rasmus makes me feel like I do! So it should be…. I'm going to enjoy it and do what I want to do! I don't care if people die because of me because I just want to do what I want!" Linus shouted.

Jacob shook his head. "There are consequences in the direction you choose in your life, Linus. It's worst than your punishment. You don't know... you don't know what you're talking about. I'm here to help you but I can only do that if you help yourself too. Not only that you will become a demon but heaven will curse you and you will suffer while you are here in the human world."

A cursed demon, that was the fate of Linus because his heart screamed for nothing but rebellion against the punishment imposed on him by Lord Rasmus.