The sound of blaring horns and weeping filled the grand hall, as thousands of wi nged creatures were lead

in by armored guards. The shackles that chained them to gether, clanged gently as the prisoners shuffled forward, in rows of 10. Yet, at the front of the pack were three convicts, their wrists and ankles chained toge ther, their wings tightly pinned back. The group was lead to a stop in front of a set of cracked marble stairs, stained with the spilled blood of the fallen an d injured. At the top of the stairs sat five winged creatures, their statures re gal despite all of the havoc that had befallen them. The creature sitting in the middle raised his hand, and a deathly silence engulf ed the hall. The crowd waited with bated breath for the great ones sitting atop the platform to speak. The leader, seated in the center of the five roved his ey es over the three creations standing in front of the rows. Their eyes were sharp and critical, as they judged the various expressions of the three. The captive to the left, largest in girth, held his head up high, his stance exu ding a confidence despite his current predicament. The wiry one, standing in the middle with hair of rust, kept his head bowed though a smirk of self satisfacti on stained his face. The last, stared defiantly at the ones before him, his eyes filled with contempt and disgust. These three created an atmosphere that was st ifling to all those around them; the sheer power emitted from them was awe inspi ring. The leader looked at each of his associates and finally opened its mouth to spea k. "The situation for which we meet, is one of grave actions with even graver conse quences. The actions that took place last eve are ones that will forever stain t he history of our great nation. The souls before me have committed acts that are blasphemous to the One above us, the One we serve." At that, the being to the r ight gave a snort of disgust, which in turn snapped the leaders' eyes to him. "S ilence! You are in no position to pass such judgemental noises. Today, all of th ose shackled before us shall be condemned without pardon." Cheers of elation eru pted in the hall, making the crowd's satisfaction known. "Silence, once more my brethren. There should not be voices of joy at a damnatio n. It is a somber moment for us and our corrupted kin." One of the creatures seated high on the platform spoke, his tone cold and unforg iving, "The 1000 beings before me: you have committed blasphemous actions within the chamber of the One above. You have started a rebellion, tainting the sancti ty of our souls. Blood of our brothers has been shed, and tears of despair have been spilled; the Circle of Jophiel upon which we sit has been soiled with the t races of your betrayals. Now is the time of your judgements, which have already been made. The beings behind the leaders of this rebellion; you are condemned fo r your treacherous happenings and for following the ones who have strayed from t he path of guardianship. You have a choice ahead of you: you will either toil ai mlessly in the chambers below the realm of mortals, or you may relinquish your p owers and join the lives of the ones we protect. Choose wisely, as there will be no turning back." finishing his punishment, the creatures of whom he spoke, were encompassed in bl inding light, the sound of their chains quaking violently until the only thing l eft in their wake were the very things that had bonded them together. The leaders returned their attentions to the creatures left standing before the m, disappointed by the lack of remorse upon their visages. "Feel you no remorse for the lives you have destroyed? Has the darkness of the o ne below corrupted your very souls and derailed you from the path of righteousne ss?" This from a female member of the leaders, her voice thick with unveiled dis gust. The words burst from the creature on the right. His e "Hah! Righteousness you say? yes burned in fury, aghast that they could expect remorse from him. There IS no rig

hteousness in the paths that have been assigned to us! You ask us to spare our l ives for the disgusting abominations below us? For what purpose? I have spent my share of time in their dwellings and I have observed that these things are spit eful and devilish by nature. Yet you foolishly turn a blind eye in favour of lay ing down the very souls of which you say we have destroyed. If anyone has put th ese souls in danger, tis' not my brothers or I. It is the very beings that stand here and beseech for our remorse." These words spat from his being, his anger m aking the blood in his veins boil. He felt no remorse for what he had done, and he would gladly rebel against the Prime Leaders once more, if only to punish the m for agreeing to this life of servitude. "THAT IS ENOUGH," the Middle Prime Leader bellowed, reassuming control. These words of hate which you so gladly spew are demonstrative of the poison that has seepe d throughout your body. Stand there and pass no judgement on us, Turned One, for tis not us that has made you this way." The angered captive opened his mouth the speak only to be interrupted by his eld er brother, who had remained silent throughout their trial. "Quiet now little br other. Your anger, although justified, is not becoming." The elder brother turne d to the Prime Elders. "I tire of the nonsense that has been brought forth, and I humbly ask that we proceed with the events for which we gathered." "Ever the p olite one, brother, tis rather boring," the wiry convict said. His voice held hu mor, but it had no effect on the sobriety of the moment. The Prime Leader in the middle seemed to tire of the prolonged event and spoke, his voice final. "Alas, the time has come for the damnation of these souls. He turned to the Prime Leader to his left, who held a scroll in his hand. The Prime Leader on the left broke t he seal and spoke. "Zephyr Petrova, Niklaus Petrova and Amos Petrova, I condemn thee-" "Hold on a moment!" a voice shouted from outside the arena; A light blue headed being emerged from the crowd, and went to stand beside the three chained creatur es. Brother, what are you doing here? Asked the largest one, his voice in a controlled , hushed tone. "What is it, child? Your insolence will not be tolerated!" The fe male Prime Leader said sternly. "I formally ask that I be condemned alongside my brothers" he stated. Collected gasps rippled through the crowd and a cry of despair sounded. "Cristovo my son! What are you doing! Cease this nonsense at once and return to my side!" a female shouted, trying to get to her son. "Cristovo, what pray tell are you doing? Ret urn to mother at once." "Oh hush now Zephyr. You are my brothers and I shall not leave your side." "These turns of events are highly undignified! What shame you have brought upon your family s name! It shall forever be forsaken from nobility and pride." The left Prime Leader declared. Once more, the middle Prime Leader raised his hand and s ilence fell upon the masses. "Alas, your wish shall be granted young one, if only to rid us of your family's disgrace. Zephyr Pertrova, Niklaus Petrova, Amos Petrova and Cristovo Petrova yo u are all condemned for leading the rebellion of which many of our brethren have fallen. You are condemned for instigating the spill of blood that has left our souls in pain. You are condemned for tarnishing the sacredness of the Circle of Jophiel. You are sentenced to toil in the chambers below, with shackles upon you r limbs and pins within your wings. Your powers shall be repressed and you shall remain in the chambers of darkness for 10 centuries. Your sentences start now, and never may you return to the sanction of the One above us" With that, all five Leaders raised their right palms and chanted the words of bi nding and disgrace. Chains of spikes replaced the previous chains around the pri soners' bodies, and holy fires swallowed their entities. Cries of joy could not drown out the cries of pain, and the smell of burning flesh and wings as the fou r angels burned within the fires of damnation.