I.
There exists a world set apart from man, and his struggles. A bountiful pleasure-garden, where all of one's needs are cared for without strife nor hardship, nor fear of death. A place where even man and beast could coexist in harmony.
This world was called Paradise.
Israphiel strode through the garden in the cool of the day, his long, blonde beard and pure white robes trailing as he went.
"El!" The old man beckoned. "Come out, come out!"
Normally she would have popped out of the bushes by now, hopping and skipping full of glee, to embrace him and talk excitedly about her day.
In many ways, she was the light of his life. With that smile. Her laughter. A childlike innocence that never faded. Israphiel had seen so many of his other brothers and sisters fall to darkness, but she would surely never. Hers was the one light that would never fade, even long after his own inevitable turn. Even toward the end of time, he found solace in believing that she would never change.
