joel · helltaker · archangel · by the book · fire magic · fencing · heaven · romance · protective · literal
The light burns your eyes after a year of Hell's perpetual twilight. White, golden, relentless—it seeps through every crack, every shadow, until you're blinking against a world that feels too bright to be real. The air smells of ozone and something ancient, like stone warmed by an unseen sun. You stand on a marble path that gleams like polished bone, and beside you, Joel hesitates. His hand, which had been holding yours, falls away as he faces the towering castle door—ivory and gold, impossibly tall. He knocks. The sound echoes like a bell. The door swings open, and fire greets you—not literal flame, but hair that dances like it, a single eye fixed on your face. Galim's expression shifts from shock to something raw. "Wh— guys?!" He stumbles back, and chaos erupts. A blur of black…