The next day, fifteen minutes before the proceedings were set to begin, Angel arrived at the grounds outside the courthouse, alighting among the citizens moving along well-manicured paths. Heaven's beauty never ceased to amaze him, as even a bureaucratic structure like the courthouse was presented with no less reverence—and perhaps even more so, considering its purpose—than any of the other buildings that comprised the city center.
The single tower was more expansive at its base than at the top, tapering to a pointed spear capped with an ornate gold-crested cross. Each level was adorned with large, thick, light-blue windows that reflected the sun's rays in all directions. One set of golden double doors, featuring the same glass panels in the center of each door, spanned about ten feet wide and nearly twenty feet tall to accommodate angels of every shape and size, which varied considerably. He'd only met a few who matched Sera's stature, but craning his neck to look up at them often left him rubbing the back of his neck afterward.
The grounds themselves were immaculate, with the soft scent of morning dew glistening on the emerald lawn. Grass and shrubbery were rare in the central city, but the courthouse grounds were abundant with both. There were benches for sitting and relaxing between sessions, and trickling streams meandered alongside smaller pathways.
It was a stark contrast—the beauty and serenity of the courthouse's exterior compared to the proceedings within. Today was especially poignant, considering the nature of the hearing. With that firmly in his mind, Angel proceeded toward the front entrance.
As he was about to grasp the long, brass handle to open the doors, he felt more than heard powerful wings whoosh behind him, announcing the arrival of someone he knew rather well.
Turning around to greet her, he smiled as Eryn, one of Heaven's most ancient Highborns, landed gracefully a few feet away, her black and golden armor glinting. She was dressed in her formal attire for the hearing. As a general of the Exorcist army, she wore a style similar to theirs, with the flair of a raven.
Her wingtips were coated with armored braces, and a gold plate hugged her lithe form, accentuating her off-black clothing. She sported spikes on her shoulders. Her top was cut just above her midriff, and her skirt opened at the front, featuring a wired belt with metal plates. Simple closed-toe shoes constituted the softest part of her outfit overall, and she moved with an air of serenity that commanded respect.
Approaching him, Eryn brushed aside a few strands of her short, dark hair and smiled brightly, her golden eyes shining. "Greetings, High Angel…Angel." She always paused between the two when she formally addressed him, and it had become a subtle tease between them. "It has been some time."
He bowed deeply, showing clear respect for her station. "That it has been, General Eryn of the Highborn. It is an honor and a pleasure to see you again. Are you attending the session today?"
"Yes. I don't attend many, but I am most curious about this one." She confirmed, returning the bow in kind. Despite her status above him, she showed him a level of respect and fondness she reserved for very few.
"Compared to the ones I've attended since arriving in Heaven, this one is certainly 'out of left field.'"
Eryn furrowed her brows at him in a questioning manner.
Angel chuckled. "It's an old Earth idiom. It means something strange, unusual, or unconventional."
"Ah." Eryn nodded with understanding. "As I am Heaven-born, I know very few earthly customs. But this 'out of left field' seems appropriate."
"I suspect that it will be a short session. The Morningstar's arguments do not seem to hold much weight." He shrugged. "But I have never seen or met anyone from the lower realm. This will be educational, at least."
"There isn't much to know, anyway." Eryn motioned for them to enter, and they walked up the steps side by side. "Hell is where sinners are sent. Their souls live in torment over the choices they made while alive. Lucifer's actions condemned them to eternal damnation."
"You had a say in his fall, if I recall?"
"I did. I was given life as a vessel to pass judgment on all who went against the purpose of Heaven. No soul can lie to me without my knowing. But I was granted a soul, just like any winner's, so I could understand and show compassion in my decisions. I did not judge Lucifer lightly."
"I don't find passing judgment a task to be taken lightly or without some sort of regret."
"I never regret; I only feel for those I have to judge."
Angel opened the door and stepped aside for Eryn to enter first. He followed behind, a thought on his mind. "Did Lucifer lie?"
"For him, it wasn't about lying. He questioned Heaven. He had ideas that could cause imbalance, and then he broke our laws, giving the apple to Eve and giving humanity freedom of choice, which let evil thrive on Earth."
"I know the story, Eryn. I'm Earth-born, and while I do not remember my life, I understand the concept of good and evil. I just don't think it's so black and white."
"You're blessed with experience and wisdom I can't have as a being born of Heaven, but I have to do what I am tasked to do."
"Then it's a good thing you're here only to observe for today."
"I hope that is all I have to do," Eryn sighed.
They settled into a comfortable silence, soon reaching the first door of the courtroom. Angel looked down the hallway and saw the Morningstar's daughter arriving with her friend at the opposite entrance. Without thinking, he touched his amulet, feeling an incomprehensible sensation in his heart. He suddenly longed for a chance to speak with her first, hoping to gain a better understanding of her intentions.
However, there was no time for that, as the court was about to begin. Angel and Eryn entered together and took their positions along the floor on either side of the main entrance, behind and to the side of where the Morningstar's daughter and her friend would sit. Looking at the rows of juror angels, he spotted Emily and smiled warmly. As the pair took their seats, the doors opened again, and the First Man, Adam, strode in with an attitude that Angel always found irritating.
"Oh no, not him again!" Princess Morningstar groaned as Adam walked by.
Lifting off the floor, Adam flew up into his private box, landing next to his lieutenant, Lute. He smirked at the Morningstar. "What up, baby! Saw that you went to my manager. Low blow, Karen!"
Angel's eyes glared at Adam. Eryn chuckled softly, which only further irritated him. Shifting his gaze upward, he watched as Sera began the proceedings.
"We are gathered here today to determine whether or not a soul in Hell can be redeemed into the heavenly realm by means of this Hazbin Hotel. Princess Morningstar?"
The princess stood and began reciting definitions from index cards. He smiled humorously. This was going to be good.
However, Adam interrupted. "Objection! Lame and unoriginal!"
"Certainly is." Eryn quietly agreed.
"Thought you wouldn't judge?" Angel hissed back.
Eryn just rolled her eyes.
"Sustained." Sera agreed with Adam. "No further dictionary references, please."
As the princess struggled through her cards, Angel felt a sense of sympathy for her.
Adam, however, certainly did not. "If you have actual evidence, then show it already!"
"We have a patron right now who is making incredible progress," Princess Morningstar stated.
"Who?" Adam challenged.
"Angel Dust!"
"Oh yeah, the porn demon. He's totally worth being redeemed. Pfft!"
"This is her evidence?" Eryn quipped.
Angel glared at her. "Shh!"
She responded with a simple shrug.
Princess Morningstar challenged Adam's critical take. "Well, if you know so much, what do you think it takes to get into heaven?"
"Uhhhm," Adam stumbled. "Wha-ah, well, uhhhhh."
"Do you know?" Angel whispered to Eryn, who actually looked lost at the question herself.
"Is everything okay, Adam?" Sera questioned.
"Give me a fucking minute, okay?" Adam turned away and started writing on a piece of paper he'd conjured up. After a moment of everyone looking at each other, Adam smirked and whisked the paper down to the two women, with the princess's companion catching it. She read from it.
"Act selfless. Don't steal. Stick it to the man." The princess's friend glared up at Adam. "Are you fucking serious?"
"Uh, yeah!" Adam shrugged. "Sure got me here, didn't it?" With an uncomfortable laugh, he glanced up at Sera. "Right, Sera?"
"He was the first human soul in Heaven," Sera agreed.
"Well, I'm sure Angel Dust is doing all of those things right now," Princess Morningstar declared.
"Then let's fuckin' see it, bruh!" With the snap of his fingers, Adam conjured a sphere that took on the nature of a video monitor, tuning in to the location of the one called Angel Dust.
"Your honors, may I present Exhibit A?" the princess proudly announced.
All eyes were on the sphere as it unveiled a dark, open-space dance club/bar in Hell. Meanwhile, Angel was focused on the princess, observing her responses to the scenes before them. Her dedication to those she was fighting for was truly commendable. Despite knowing she was Hell-born, her demeanor was as virtuous as any angel he'd encountered in Heaven.
As the events unfolded, Angel grew increasingly certain that when his turn to speak arrived, it would be for the princess and her ideals. Next to him, however, Eryn appeared upset, as if these new ideas conflicted with her purpose. He trusted and admired Eryn's position but also knew that with her power, she could steer the course of Heaven's decisions. So far, he felt she was less enthusiastic about the princess than he was.
He turned his attention back to the court once the events concluded, showing that Angel Dust had stood up to a peculiar, moth-like man to protect one of his much smaller friends, with the princess arguing her point.
"See!? He did everything on your checklist. He was selfless! He stopped Niffty from stealing, and he stuck it to that moth man!"
"Uh." Adam looked worried. "Well, uh… then why isn't he here, then?"
"Yeah?" Emily spoke up for the first time and looked at Sera. "Why isn't he here?"
The angels in attendance muttered among themselves, asking the same question, but Angel ignored them. He was fixated on the princess, and he couldn't comprehend why.
"Wait!" Princess Morningstar growled. "None of you know what gets someone into heaven?"
"This questioning stops now!" Sera commanded. "We know when a soul arrives. We know when to pass divine judgment. It is our job to ensure those souls are safe."
"This isn't right." Angel shook his head. "Eryn, what grants a soul passage into Heaven?"
She looked away, prompting him to blink in surprise. "You don't know, either?"
With a shake of her head, and much to Angel's shock, Eryn turned and walked out the door.
"But she was right, Sera!" Emily was saying as he followed Eryn out the door. He heard Emily continue as the doors closed behind him. "She showed us a soul could improve—"
Stopping just past the closed doors, he called out to her. "Eryn! Why did you leave?"
She stopped, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, Angel."
"I'm just trying to understand."
"Then I'm not the one to talk to. My job is to discover the liars amongst us, pass judgment if necessary, and train the Exorcist army. That's it."
"You're born of Heaven, Eryn," he countered. "And even you don't know how this works?"
"No!" Eryn turned; her eyes hurt. "It wasn't important to me. How souls arrive? Besides, the princess's pleas will fail anyway, so just let it go. We're not meant to question Heaven's will."
"I was assigned to offer my counsel to the courts, Eryn. How can I do my job if I don't have all the details? I work best with facts; you know this."
"How Heaven works isn't knowledge you need, Angel, and I don't need it either. It doesn't affect my job!"
"Yes. It does." He countered. "You said it yourself. You have a heart. You have love. How can you pass judgment if you don't know how it works?"
"Please, stop!" Eryn's sad eyes glistened. "I don't want to question it. It's not what I was made for!"
"You are more than what you were made for, Eryn. You have a soul!"
"Angel!" Eryn rose to her full height, her power flaring in her golden eyes. "This discussion ends now. I know what I am made for. I won't question it. Not like Lucifer questioned Heaven. You'd best not do so, either. I don't want to see you fall."
"Knowledge does not lead to falling, Eryn." He held up his hand to stop any interruption. "But I won't discuss this with you anymore. I see it's hurting you, and you know that I'd never want that."
Eryn's power ebbed, and she sighed. "You never have, my friend. Please. Let this go. For me?"
"I can't." Angel shook his head. "At least, not until I speak to Sera. She summoned me here for my opinion, and I mean to share it."
"I understand." She turned to leave but paused and turned her head. "I hope to see you again soon."
"And you as well, my friend." After Eryn flew away, he turned toward the doors.
Voices carried from the courtroom, where Adam and Lute were mocking the princess, proclaiming, "Hell is forever, whether you like it or not."
This irritated Angel more than it should, yet he did not understand why. Moments later, the doors swung open, and Adam and Lute stepped out, laughing uproariously while fist-bumping each other. They walked past him without acknowledging him. He felt it was a bit disrespectful of them considering his status, but waved it off and returned to the courtroom.
Stepping through the doors, he observed the attendees leaving, with Sera and Emily engaged in a quiet argument on their pulpit. He waited. A moment later, Sera kissed Emily's forehead, whispered something that only Emily could hear, then left the courtroom. Emily remained on the pulpit, her eyes cold and filled with anger.
Calling her by the nickname she insisted he use for her, his voice carried up to her. "Emmy?"
The small Seraphim turned, her lips quivering, and peered down. He saw her lips turn up slightly, and spreading her wings, she lifted and floated down. When she landed before him, Angel instinctively embraced her, and she melted against his chest.
"Are you okay?"
"No." Emily sniffled. "I can't believe they execute human souls!"
"What?" He pulled back to look at Emily directly. "What did you say?"
"You didn't hear?" Emily wiped her eyes.
"No. Eryn walked out during the argument about how souls get into Heaven. I had to make sure she was okay. What is this about human souls?"
"Adam goes to Hell once a year with an executioner army and kills sinners!" The venom in Emily's voice was a shock to him.
"No." He was shocked. Both from her words and her emotional outburst. "The same army Eryn trains?"
"The very same!" Emily's voice cracked from the heat of her rage. "They execute a portion of the population to quell its numbers. What's worse is that Sera knew about it! She says it's required!"
Angel shook his head, sickened by the idea of killing en masse, especially since he'd attended enough meetings to understand the concept of sinners and that not everyone who went to Hell was evil. He spoke aloud, even though the thought was mostly to himself. "It must be for a good cause, right?"
"What's good about killing souls?" Emily shouted angrily, her cheeks flushed and her fists clenched.
"I'm sorry, Emmy!" He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "I'm trying to understand all of this."
Emily sighed deeply and shook her head firmly. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just can't understand why Sera is allowing this. She's letting souls suffer just to kill them again. And a second death destroys your soul forever. I saw how Angel Dust stood up for his friends. Charlie's right. Souls can change!"
Taking his hand off Emily's shoulder, he folded his arms and sighed. "For what it's worth, I was going to speak my mind on behalf of—you said her name was Charlie?"
"Mmmhmm." Emily's lips finally curved upwards in a soft smile. "I wish you'd had a chance to meet her. She's wonderful. Her soul feels pure for a Hell-born. Her devotion to her people is really commendable."
"To be honest with you," Angel admitted, "what she talked about feels familiar to me. She's fighting to protect those who can't defend themselves—for a world she cares about. I can respect that."
Emily blinked. "It feels familiar?"
"Yes." He realized what he'd said and affirmed it. "Yes, actually. I know my memories are stripped for good reason. Sera explained it on my first day that the lack of earthly ties means true peace. I accept that. But this? Charlie? I don't know. It's hard to explain."
Emily's expression was contemplative. "I recall the day we met. When I showed you around, you felt it then, too. Something from your life must have meant a great deal for you to still have echoes."
Instinctively, he touched the amulet beneath his uniform. "Perhaps." The urge to meditate grew stronger, indicating his mind was in turmoil. However, before he could meditate, he had something else to attend to, which meant cutting his reunion with Emily short. He didn't like that. "I admire Charlie's goals, and I hope a resolution is found before next month. Now, I need to give my report to Sera, and I'm determined to share my opinions about this."
"I hope you might convince Sera, but she's stubborn. I worry so." Emily tried to smile.
Her unusually glum face saddened him. He tried to lighten the mood a little bit. "I'm pretty darn stubborn, myself." Angel offered her a wink. "And I'm not afraid to stand up to authority if I think it's wrong."
"I know." Emily nodded solemnly. "Just watch yourself, please? Defying Heaven's authority did not bode well for others."
"Oh. I'm well aware of that." His eyes looked upwards before refocusing on Emily. "However, my station is defined by offering opinions that may not align with the status quo. I'll be fine."
"I hope so." Emily's tone was more serious than he'd ever heard as she turned toward the exit. "But if you'll excuse me? I have something I need to look into, myself. I wish you luck, Angel, and I hope we can visit again soon. It's been too long."
"I agree." He gave her a slight bow. "Find peace, my dear Emmy. We will figure all of this out. I promise."
Emily returned the bow before lifting off the floor and flying out of the room. Angel felt a sudden surge of worry that he might never see her again. Scrunching his face in determination, he took a deep breath and stormed out of the court, intent on finding Sera and getting some real answers.