The angel who was kicked out of heaven.

He felt himself shrink in the face of the mighty arch angel. “You’re not a real angel.” Galadriel told him, with disgust and disappointment in his face. “You’re just a fake.”

“Your ignorance, your folly is unbecoming of someone meant to assist Him” the arch angel continued. “You failed to protect the people. Their harm is because of you.”

Andras did not know what to say. Galadriel was right. As an angel, he should show more wisdom. He should know better. He should have been able to protect them.

After the conversation with the arch angel, Andras knew he had not the face or pride to show himself in the land of the angels anymore. He felt dirty, and he felt like a disservice to the clouds, to the skies, and even to the earth below. So Andras did the only rational thing in his mind and let himself fall down to Earth. Where he was meant to be.

The Torment was a dark grey fog that came once a month to the people of Akasia. There was no escaping the Torment. It came from the west and at first, felt like a small pressure. When the fog grew thicker, so did our pain. It was not physical pain, no, it was more mental. People become anxious. They started to lose hope. They gave up on projects and relationships. They lost their point and purpose.

So too did Sebastian. Sebastian was a born and bred adventurer, just packed and prepared to go on his journey to the West. Sebastian wanted to know where the Torment came from and why it haunted his town. But halfway through the dark clouds, he started to wonder. What was the point? What could he possibly hope to do about such overwhelming sadness? He thought about his friends and family members in town. They had not wanted him to go. He knew that they just worried about him, but their words still stung. “It’s a fool’s quest.” they said. “You’re just going to give up half-way as you always do.” “Why can’t you give up on this idiocy and just focus on something more safe?”

It was then that he saw something glister in the sky.

When Andras fell, the fog retreated, leaving a circle around him. The clouds seemed wary of the angel, like he was the danger, not them. Sebastian ran to the fallen angel, full of curiosity and fright. Was he dead? No. The winged creature moved. Sebastian took a step back, part of him felt like running away, but looking back at the dark clouds, he decided to stay.

Andras rose slowly, feeling pain all over his body. The pain is punishment for your failures, he told himself. Still, no amount of pain could distract him from his shame. His mood dark as a cloud, but somehow, he told himself he had a duty to stand. A duty to meet his new fate on earth. That fate was currently staring at him with big blue eyes.

“Who are you?” Sebastian asked. Andras looked at the boy. “Andras” came the answer. The angel seemed not to ask for his name, but he offered it anyways. “I’m Sebastian!”

Andras seemed little interested in the boy and instead looked around him, the thick fog clouded his movements. I am suppsed to go somewhere, he felt, but where? Andras shook the thought out of his head. Still today, he was plagued by delusions of grandeur. Purpose? He had no purpose. He was a failure.

Sebastian was not phased by the angels disinterest. “Have you come to guide me to the west?” the boy asked. This could not be a coincidence, he thought. “I need to find the source of the torment. Will you help me find it?” The angel lifted his head at that, nodding. He let the boy guide him as they ventured to the end of the torment. Sebastian wondered what the angel was thinking – who he was. But he knew he would get little answers if he asked, so he decided not even to try.

The two walked, one with slow, big steps, one with quick, small steps, still at the same pace. The angel seemed lost in thought. Sebastian decided to distract him. “Do you know what they call a fat unicorn?” he asked. “No, what?” Andras asked. “A Rhinosaur!” the boy laughed.

Andras stared at him, but with the faintest hint of smile. The joke had been a success. “Do you know why all the mammoths died out?” he asked again. He didn’t wait for the answer this time. “Because there weren’t any daddoths!”

So the journey progressed, the boys humor seemingly as endless as the misty darkness of the torment. The clouds had grown bolder and bolder over time, and now tickled the two carefully. Sebastian walked close to the angel, feeling the touch of the mist challenge his newly regained courage. Why had I decided on this mission again? he thought to himself, frustrated by his own curiosity. The clouds began slowly encroaching on his feet, climbing up his legs, gently weighing down his arms… Andras fought away the mist from the boy.

They could not see where they were going anymore, the clouds blocking their sight in all directions. It so happened then, that they came to a ravine. Sebastian felt his hope drift away at the sight of the massive chasm. The boy fell to the ground, disheartened.

Andras knew then, exactly what the boy wanted. He wanted to get across that chasm. But as a failed angel, Andras had access to little Prayer Magic. A true angel would be able to summon a bridge so they could both cross in comfort. He cursed himself for his weakness, and did his best, feeling the prayer of the boy, and felt a rope come to life in his hand. He made the rope stretch to the end of the ledge.

Sebastian stared at Andras, amazed by the magic. “This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.” he said “How did you do that?”

“It was nothing.” Andras said, disappointed that he could not summon a bridge. The boy and the angel climbed the rope, and he felt Sebastian pray that the rope would hold for the both of them. Andras used all his willpower to make sure it did.

Sebastian reached the end and let go of the rope with a cheer, his palms sweaty from the climb. “Clouds!”, the boy cursed, “My palms hurt”, he complained, and Andras felt a sting of disappointment at exposing the boy to such a reckless climb. But he also felt relief that they had both made it to the other side.

At the other side of the chasm, through the thick mist, they saw the faint outlines of some tall object. A tower? Sebastian thought. They walked, steps heavy, through the thick chasm. Rationally, Sebastian knew he should feel excited to be so close to the end, but the effect of the mist made him anything but rational. His steps felt heavy and forced. Andras saw the boy had become more and more discouraged.

He blamed himself for allowing the boy to go on this reckless mission. He didn’t even know where they were going or why. As the boy doubted their final destination, so did he. And Andras felt responsible for letting the mission go on so far. He noticed that the boys temper grew short and his jokes were gone. A silence had emerged between the two. Did Sebastian blame him now, that they were lost god knows where, perhaps forever stuck in the mist?

“Don’t let the anxiety win” Sebastian told himself, pushing himself forward. The tower still far in the distance, merely a silhouette. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him, he thought. What if he was walking forward towards nothing? What if it was just a big rock? At times it felt as if the shadow was moving. He tried his best to imagine the future. Maybe he would discover treasure, maybe he would find magic, maybe he would… Distracted by thoughts of possibilities, he let himself dream up the most farfetched ideas.

Andras was surprised to see something light on the boy, amidst all the heaviness. If the boy can smile, then so should I, he decided, resolute. He forced his biggest, widest smile possible and marched onwards.

Sebastian stared at the mad wizard. Why was he making that bizarre grimace? He decided to ignore it and to keep going. He realised then that there was something beautiful about this dark mist and how it spun across the sky, black lines dancing, like it was alive with dancing fairies. It was not that the mist itself was beautiful, no, what was beautiful was the flowers, the trees, and its resistance against this looming, heavy force. Nature stood tall no matter what happened. The Torment could not break its spirit. And neither could it break him.

Andras stopped, looking pale. There was a strange noise coming from the distance.

“That is no tower.” he said, aghast.

Sebastian stopped and looked, realising what the hulking contours in the distance resembled. It was a massive giant.

The two stood like that, frozen in position. Then the giant entered into a crazed rage. Swinging wildly around him with his big club, the giant hit the ground, rocks, and anything in his vicinity. Massive clouds sprung up around him, the same dark mist as they were surrounded with. They realised then that the giant was the source of this agony.

“Beautiful moon!” He wailed. “Why did you leave me?” He shouted to the sky. He stomped with his foot, and the two adventurers felt the earth shake underneath their feet. They looked up and indeed, there was no moon to be seen. Around the giant, the dark torment had gotten thicker and thicker, now, it was as if there was almost a sinister energy to it, pain mixed with rage. It was clear that the giant was the source of their problems.

It was Andras then, that was uncharacteristically bold. He went up to the giant, and had to shout to get its attention. “Oh giant above! Why are you sad? Why are you creating such heavy torment?”

The giant looked down at the angel with distrustful eyes.

“Who are you?” he bellowed to the small fly below him. “Have you come to mock me in my heartbreak?” or, he added, with fury in his voice, “Are you the one that took the midnight princess away from me?”

“I am here for the black mist. Your pain is spread far and wide. It is affecting cities and villages many miles away from here. Is there anything I can do to help you?” Andras offered.

“So you’ve come to kill me. Put me out of my misery, have you?” He took a firm grip around his club. “First you take my wife, and now you come for me.” He said, with an accusatory tone, rage in his eyes.

“No, I—” But there was no time to finish that sentence. The giant struck with his club, and Andras had little time to form a defensive bubble. Prayer magic served little purpose in conflict. This magic was specialised in resolving prayers, and was not meant to be used for harm.

The defensive bubble barely resisted the impact of the massive force of the giant, and he felt the shockwave as it pushed him to the ground. The giant was frustrated, thinking he missed, he decided to strike one more time. This time Andras did not have time to get a bubble up. It was then that Sebastian grabbed him, dragging the angel to his feet, and quickly pulling him away.

“Quick, make a wish!” Andras shouted to Sebastian. Sebastian decided not to question Andras and said “I wish that we can get away from here.” Andras picked up the wish and shaped its force to a form. The two blinked out of existence, appearing ten meter further away, dazzled and surprised.

“Uh, sorry..” Andras said “My magic is not that powerful.” The giant looked confused, but after looking around, he spotted them and started running. At least, the spell had bought them some time. “Make a new wish!” Andras yelled. Sebastian tried to think of another wish, maybe something more realistic would help?” “I wish that the Giant dropped his club!” he said back.

Andras took the wish, feeling its intent and shaping it. When conjuring the spell, absolute focus was necessary. This was not a situation where he could easily focus. But Andras let the spell form and the giant club turned mushy, like a marshmallow. The giant dropped it in surprise. Sebastian cheered. “You have to let the giant make a wish!” he exclaimed. Andras was surprised, but did what Sebastian said.

Andras took the moment of surprise and made a step forward to the giant.

“Giant, what do you wish for?”

The giant answered “I just want her to come back to me.”

Andras knew everything depended on this moment. So the angel took the wish in his hands, and put all focus and concentration into the spell. The angel focused on the intent of the giant, feeling what the giant wanted as if it was its own wish. In Andras hand, a pair of over-sized glasses appeared. Had the spell failed? Andras put on the glasses. They didn’t work. Andras looked around desperately, hoping for some reaction. Seeing nothing, despair came over him. Another failure. Another disappointment.

“These glasses are useless!” Andras said, disheartened. This was why the angel had been kicked out of heaven. Prayer magic came from understanding people and their innermost wants and knowing how to grant their wishes. Andras did not understand people.

“No, they work!” Sebastian said, still with hope in his eyes. “Try it again!”

Andras tried to calm down his thoughts and anxiety, putting on the glasses again. He looked around, seeing nothing different. Suddenly, Andras stopped at the moon, staring confused. Had that always been there? When he put on the glasses, the moon was there. When he took off the glasses, the moon was gone. That was it!

In that moment of clarity, his wings grew back. Andras felt excitement was hover his entire body. The angel had its wings back. And he used them well, lifting from the ground, with the glasses in hand.

“She’s back!” he exclaimed, relief washing over him. A smile came over him. “You came back, princess.”

“Never leave again.” he said. He started laughing, like a maniac, Sebastian thought. But the mist started to retreat and the darkness began to fade. They felt immediately lighter. The giant had his moon back.