Rare and lusciously gorgeous, the Lilim, the Tempters, the Daughters of Lilith are the jewels in Hell's crown. Even rarer, but radiating a divine Beauty that their demonic sisters can never match, the redeemed Bright Lilim serve Heaven of their own free will, one and all. Never has the Seraphim Council of Heaven seen fit to honor a Bright Daughter with the high rank of Archangel; never has a Lilim climbed so far as to merit the title of Demon Princess from her infernal master Lucifer - at least, as far as we know. Surely the Seraphim Council would speak the truth on such a matter, if it spoke at all; and Lucifer may have granted such a rank, but he isn't saying. For this is the story...
It began, as so many things do, with conflict. A Malakite of Fire is tasked with punishing the cruel, and in general they do it with passion and righteousness. But this Malakite - speak not the name, he has suffered enough - found in himself a disturbing trait. It was no demon-seed, for the Malakim do not Fall. Rather, facing down the human wretches he had been ordered to show God's Fire, he found Mercy. More and more often, pity stayed a hand supposed to punish. In him Dissonance grew, and one day he was Outcast. Humiliated and Discordant, he fled his post and sought refuge in the world, trying desperately to reconcile the natures within him.
But Heaven brooks no traitors, and Gabriel tolerates no disobedience. Judgment sent after him one of its implacable Triads, and Gabriel, wanting nothing to do with those who had so quickly judged her, sent out her own Leila to hunt the fugitive.
Leila had been born a Lilim, created in Hell. Long, long ago, she had met the Archangel Gabriel, and sought redemption. Gabriel had burned the taint of evil from her, and a new victory for Heaven had been achieved. For centuries since, Leila had served with dedication and a grateful joy. Now she willingly went into the world to bring back the Malakite to her adopted Mother's judgment.
Hell had not been idle either. Even as Asmodeus sent out minions to find and destroy an easy target, Kronos had pondered. Mercy was, to his mind, a rather Heavenly trait. And yet two old enemies, Gabriel and Dominic, found common ground in punishing it. There might be an opportunity here.... so he summoned Terye.
Terye was a Lilim herself, old and Distinguished in Kronos' service. Her wiles had trapped many humans onto the path to their Fate, and more than one angel in her time. She had a talent for finding the place in a soul that was weak to temptation, and breaking down the will of her target until he fell into the clutches of sin. He ordered her, "Enter the fray. Do not seek the Malakite, but rather the Triad that Judgment has sent. Show them the flaw they seek to punish. Weave doubt into their hearts, that they should deal so harshly with one who upholds a 'noble virtue.'" Gladly she went forth to take up the challenge of corrupting the most self-righteous of their foes.
Thus was wrought a struggle for many consciences. The Triad of Judgment faced some of the demons of Asmodeus, and defeated them. As they did so, aided by Terye in disguise as a Soldier of God, speaking only truth lest the Seraph find her out, wormed her way into their thoughts, sowing thoughts of God's own Mercy, asking the Cherub if his unprotective attunement bothered his nature, working Judgment's Malakite on whether he would strike so swiftly himself, without mercy when they faced his Choirmate. Leila found her target, defended him against threats from Hell, and hid him - for a moment - from Judgment's anger. But she needed no Terye to disturb her mind on the matter of the Malakite's true flaw.
And one day, finally, all things came to their head. Leila faced the Triad, target in tow, Terye standing by as a human Soldier and pulling strings on the minds of angels, the servants of the Game swarming about, purposes crossed and double-crossed. Of this momentous hour, none of the participants have ever spoken. Massive disturbance, Songs of Thunder and Songs of Shields and yet more surrounded by an injured Symphony, blocked events from the view of those who might have seen, and from those who would look back through Time to see what might have been there. Superiors may see, but if so they do not tell.
So it was that, on a day when Dominic's wrath at the continuing failure of his servants was acute and his ire at Gabriel for thwarting his Triad particularly visible, the Celestial Tribunal was amazed at the sight of Leila, known as a Servitor of the disliked Gabriel, boldly entering the Spires. Not only did she bear a new aspect. Not only did she bring the Malakite - now stripped of all Dissonance and Discord, and claiming to have learned truly that mercy to the cruel is no mercy to their victims. Not only did she bring a Calabite formerly of the Game - humbly seeking service with Heaven. Most amazing was the Seraph with her, attesting to the true repentance of both the Malakite and the Calabite - the new Seraph, Heart in Leila's hand, resonating with the Word that Leila now bore - Redemption.
That day Leila reported her mission complete. She witnessed the attempt at Redeeming the Calabite, and sorrowed at its failure. She reported to the Cathedral of Fire, leaving a message for her beloved Archangel that no others have read. She sought Yves in his Library, and spoke with him on the symbiosis of Destiny and Redemption. The angels of the Library still speak wonderingly of the obeisance she made, accepted with a nod by Yves, before she exited the Library to her new Cathedral to begin life serving her Word.
Do not think that Terye failed utterly, though. The Malakite of Judgment was bitterly damaged celestially, hesitant where he should have been ready to fight. The Seraph of Judgment, killed in vessel, was in Trauma. And the Cherub had renounced Judgment utterly, angrily swearing that Heaven did not know what it was doing, that he had never been a real Cherub anyway, that none of Judgment's Cherubim were true to their natures. A new Djinn had been born. His Heart - his new, demonic Heart - flickered in Terye's hand, attesting to her true status as the Lilim Princess of Defilement.
When she returned to Hell, she immediately began to lay plans for carving herself a new Principality, but Kronos would have none of it. He came upon the new Princess, and a battle of wills began that echoed throughout Hell. Kronos threw his Word upon Terye's, applied his will to the service she had owed him, sought to sublimate her to his desires. Terye fought back with the arrogance of youth and new power, defiling Kronos' efforts to depths of decay and despair that imprinted itself on the very stone about them, twisting it to shapes that twisted the mind in turn towards evil. Ultimately, though, the ancient Kronos was victorious, and in the very midst of her new Principality(surrounded on all sides by, and only accessible from, Kronos' Archive), in sight of all manner of demon, the Princess of Defilement was forced to kneel and swear service to the Prince of Fate -- an arrangement which has shocked every last Prince in Hell, that such a thing could happen. Kronos only accepted her oath, and has seemed to leave her to her own devices... but they all wonder.
Two beings maybe something greater than angel or demon; two beings maybe something less, or only different; all opposing, or supporting, or serving, and what swirl of events will this new mandala shine upon?