The misty, grey, and honestly depressing ceiling of Purgatory suddenly cracked open like a giant zipper being ripped apart. But the light that spilled out wasn't a normal thunderstorm—it was a blinding, pure white and gold "Holy Discipline Lightning Bolt" aimed directly at my beloved Obsidian Palace. The strike was so fast that even Astaroth didn't have time to draw his sword or scream "What the hell!" before it crashed into the balcony marble. It landed exactly where I had been standing just a second before, ruining my perfect pose!
The impact sent a shockwave through the thousand-year-old black marble, making the entire palace tremble. Now, while I am a master of "balancing on six-inch stilettos," this time gravity won, and I found myself falling straight into Astaroth's steel-hard embrace. As grey smoke rose from the crater, a massive sun symbol—Michael's personal seal—was burned into my floor. Seriously, they just gave my house an unauthorized tattoo!
