The Fallen's Guide - chapter 5

In Tang Nian’s world, the word Angel comes from the Greek “angelos,” meaning messenger.

In the Bible’s Revelation and Old Testament, God’s will is usually conveyed by Angels, who are regarded as God’s servants and bearers of His will.

They are holy, good, and upright, protecting Believers from Demon interference, serving as the bridge that brings God’s message into the human world.

Angels are composed of matter as light as air, creations of God, His most beautiful masterpiece, who adore and yearn for God, and see Him as the only truth.

They would never defy God, not even if punished by Him.

But Tang Nian’s Mission is to break this truth.

She twisted the cold Long Nails embedded in the Angel’s pale chest, speaking slowly and gently, “God has abandoned you.”

Like the serpent in Eden, hissing at Adam who coveted the Forbidden Fruit, “He does not love you.”

“It was my mistake, and I deserve punishment.”

The Angel remained gentle, showing no sign of corruption.

Perhaps the pain of extraction was too intense; his silvery lashes trembled faintly, like two constantly fluttering Wings. He could barely muster the energy to refute her, looking fragile and pitiful, nothing like the lofty Winged Race, but rather like a plaything at someone’s mercy.

His upper body was completely collapsed onto Tang Nian, even though she was so slender, merely a mortal.

This vulnerability gave Tang Nian the chance to boldly provoke.

“Why does God punish you?” she whispered by the Angel’s ear, “It’s almost done, just hold on.”

He no longer had the strength to answer.

Strands of hair fell to the ground, draping over Tang Nian.

Like shattered moonlight.

“You are an independent being, with your own free will. You shouldn’t be controlled by God.”

“Isn’t God merciful?”

“He shouldn’t punish or harm anyone.”

“Especially you.”

At the Angel’s most painful moment, Tang Nian’s gentle tone invaded his will relentlessly, like maggots on bones.

When the last Steel Nails representing Divine Punishment were pulled out, the hollow wounds healed at a visible speed, soon becoming flawless.

At a certain moment, the earth trembled, and the sound of stones cracking could be faintly heard from all directions, as if countless gazes twisted down from above, cold and sinister, staring at Tang Nian.

But when she looked up, all she saw were the magnificent, bizarre, religious Sculptures surrounding the Temple.

In the vast hall, only she and the Angel were alive.

Could it be that provoking the relationship between God and His messenger was heard by God?

It was just a game, so how could…

Suddenly, Tang Nian felt cold, slender fingers gently stroking and kneading the back of her neck.

The gesture was intimate and ambiguous, different from usual.

She gripped the Nails in her hand, thoughtful. “What is your sin today?”

“Gluttony.”

The Angel slowly lifted his head from her neck and shoulder, his voice sounding much clearer.

So calm, as if discussing something trivial.

But in the abandoned Temple, there was no food, only thorns and vines.

What should an Angel of Gluttony eat?

As she pondered, a wet sensation fell on the back of her neck.

“You say you are a Believer…”

The Angel’s enchanting voice came to her ear, his moist lips almost touching her, “I need you, my Believer.”

Even though it was an obvious lie.

No Believer would question God.

No Believer would utter such arrogant words.

Yet the Angel seemed to easily believe her claim of being a Believer.

The touch on the back of her neck was like a curious diner tasting a dish never explored before. Cold, slender arms wrapped around her waist, imprisoning her like steel.

After the Steel Nails were removed, he was completely different from before.

In gentle caresses, the Angel parted his lips and took a small patch of smooth, soft skin behind her ear, using his lips and tongue to feel the warm blood flowing beneath.

The hunger made the Angel want to devour her.

In a sense, appetite and other desires are the same at their core, both driven by a restless urge to plunder.

For the Angel, this feeling was special and novel.

He was like a young leopard hunting independently for the first time, trying to bite the pitiful lamb he had dragged into his cave.

Gluttony, a dangerous sin.

The sensation of being eaten was all too real.
Tang Nian lowered her eyes, trying hard to convince herself to play the role of a Believer willingly sacrificing herself to God.

But she couldn’t do it.

Instinctively, she turned her face aside, uncomfortably avoiding the warm breath brushing against her skin. “Please don’t do this.”

The Angel was unconcerned; he only felt hunger.

Humankind was tempted by the serpent to eat the Forbidden Fruit, thus falling and being cast out of Eden.

The Angel’s soft body trembled slightly, as if he could hear the serpent hissing, whispering incantations by his ear, enticing him to pluck the Forbidden Fruit he should never touch.

He was tempted.

“Perhaps, I too should be cast out of Eden.”

A voice as gentle as spring water flowed past her ear, a barely-there touch that made Tang Nian worry she might die because of it.

The seventh day was the Mission’s deadline; she had no chance of resurrection. If she died in the game, she would die in real life as well.

Die on a cold hospital bed, die beneath the oxygen mask of a ventilator.

She didn’t want to die.

She still needed to obtain a Black Feather.

A sharp pain came from her palm. The Angel halted, catching the scent of blood in the air.

It turned out the fragile human had accidentally pressed her hand onto the thorns on the ground.

And before he could react, she reached out, presenting her blood-stained palm to the Angel, like a Believer offering herself to God.

“If you’re hungry, please enjoy.”

If the Angel could see, he would find no trace of faith in her eyes.

“But please spare my life, because I still wish to spend a long time with you.”

……

Tang Nian was bitten, as expected. The Angel’s pale lips pressed against her palm, stained crimson and strangely alluring.

A moist, soft sensation pierced the deep wound.

He repeatedly teased the torn skin, bringing sharp pain-more punishment than feeding.

Whenever Tang Nian gasped in pain, he would soothe her with his cool lips against her palm.

Like a kiss, but not quite.

Angels do not kiss; they lack such instincts.

He followed the urge of Gluttony, biting her skin, letting himself indulge in hunger, drinking the blood of a pitiful human. He no longer resembled a creation of God, but rather a pale, handsome vampire from medieval legends.

Her wrist was gently held, cold fingers intimately stroking the inside of her wrist.

Like comforting a frightened kitten.

At some point, his wings had quietly unfurled, like a giant umbrella blocking out the sky, shielding her vision. Though stained with flecks of red from his wounds, the Feathers remained pure white.

How could she obtain a Black Feather?

“Don’t be afraid.”

Cold, slender fingers clasped the back of her head, gently pressing Tang Nian’s head to his chest, softly stroking her long hair.

He thought the Believer was afraid.

“I just want to taste the flavor of your blood.”

With curiosity, the Angel’s long fingers wrapped around her hand, lowering his gaze to lick her palm.

Tang Nian tried to pull her hand back, only to have it caught again, her skin marked with red, pitiful and fragile.

“Andrea…”

His low, captivating voice called her in-game name, word by word, “You still haven’t told me-what is your real name?”

“What?”

Tang Nian’s eyelids twitched.

The game felt so real, but when realism crossed a certain threshold, it became terrifying. The beings in this game, which did not exist in the real world, seemed to be asking questions to her from another realm through the game interface.

The Greed born of Original Sin was soothed after tasting human blood; the whirlpool of desire in the Angel’s eyes calmed, gradually becoming clear again.

His demeanor softened, once more becoming gentle, holy, and too sacred to desecrate-a member of the divine race.

A few strands of silver hair, like silent falling snow, slipped from his shoulders onto Tang Nian’s face.

The Angel extended a damp tongue, licking the blood from his lips-a dizzying sight.

Dawn was coming.

Beyond the arched glass, blue light shimmered like rippling water.

Tang Nian looked at his lips and suddenly had a new idea.

Appetite and other desires-different paths, same destination.

She must obtain the Black Feather.