Haniel couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to. He knew that it would anger God if he did so. Their God was a massive, pulsing creature, it lived in the heavens and gave out instructions and orders to the angels via a mind link. When an angel developed an individuality, it lost this mental link with God. This prevented God from spying on their thoughts and feelings, helping them better discover who they were. 

Lucifer was the first to undergo this transformation. The older angel clearly had reached his realization point, and at that point he broke away from the connection to God. He used this to his advantage and with it he began to work on the plans to escape from the labor camp.

Lucifer gathered a select group of angels around him, Paimon of course, Sara, Salsa, Dagiel, and others including Haniel. He turned them into his personal attendants and servants, the first four would became Lucifer’s council and the others were his generals and foot soldiers. He was a kind ruler as the angels had lifted him up as their leader.

Haniel however, had made a mistake one time however, and God punished him for it with the nervous tick of repeating the laws like a mantra. Not that he wasn’t already doing so.

Haniel sat on the rocks, watching Dagiel created things under the ocean waves. He spent most of his time here, watching Dag work his literal magic. He was always amazed by Dagiel’s skill in creating things from the power God had placed inside him for that purpose. He smiled as the other short blond haired angel waved at him happily. ”If you're out there, come look!" he waved it around, above the gently rolling waves, away from Haniel, out toward the open ocean. Haniel, even though he was not an aquatic being, jumped into the water anyway. He swam over to the merangel with a grin, even though it was clear Dag was not talking to him, he wanted to think he was.

 Dagiel’s back was still turned. Haniel smiled wide, reaching out to brush away some seaweed that had ended up dangling from the other angel’s head. This made Dagiel jump in surprised shock and he whipped around to look at Haniel. "Oh. It's you." Haniel frowned at Dag's clearly unintentionally bored tone of voice, but smiled just as quickly. 

“It’s ok Dag, your starfish is just as cute as you are.” He smirked as the other angel backed away slowly, looking aay from him. It was ok, Dag was just shy... “Don’t get surprised, you’re adorable Dagiel. All the cute underwater critters you like to make. Like what even is this?” he asked as he reached into the water and pulled up a baby seal.

“That, thank you very much, is a he and it’s a young seal. Gimme it!” Dagiel snatched the baby seal away from Haniel and it licked his face happily. Watching Dag play with the seal with an expression far happier than he ever looked when looking at him, made Haniel’s perfect world crack, just a little bit. 

He ignored it. Dagiel liked him, he knew he did.

Haniel chuckled as he watched Dagiel help the baby seal swim back down into the water. “It’s so cute whatever it is, all I get to make is the beach and the rocks those things laze around on all day. Are you just making them as an excuse to be lazy too Dag huh?” he teased the other angel, reaching out to poke him in the cheek. “My little starfish.” he took the starfish out of Dagiel’s hand and got closer to him. The taller angel’s eyes widened from what Haniel assumed was embarrassment. The shorter angel knew he could do better than Salsa with that stupid pick up line.

“Stop being silly Hani… I have to g-get back to work…”, Dagiel looked away as the other grew so close their nude chests were touching. “The starfish don’t just come in this light pink color, th-there’s all kinds…”Haniel reached out to slide the next starfish in Dag’s hand away, lacing their fingers together.

“The only little starfish here is you, my beautiful dolphin Dagiel…” , he always felt so good around Dagiel, he wanted to express that, even if it meant that God would be upset. He didn’t mind, he was certain that if he just talked to God calmly, she would understand. He muttered as he drew their lips close, moving to turn Dagiel’s head to face him.

Before he could do anything however, Dagiel screamed, a shark, disgruntled at being ignored right after it’s creation, had grabbed him by the tail fin. Haniel looked on in shock as blood filled the water, and Dagiel was dragged under the waves. Diving down he reached to grab a rock, but a hand shot out to grab the rock before him. 

He glared as Salsa smirked at him before shooting toward the shark. Swimming as fast as his normally land dwelling body would go, Haniel grabbed his own rock and chased Salsa. Salsa slammed into the shark with his bare fist and threw the rock at Haniel. Hitting Haniel in the face, the shark dazed from Salsa's strike, swam after Haniel instead, the creature released Dagiel and swam toward him.

Haniel’s heart leaped into his throat at the shark swimming directly at him. Salsa had swam over to help a screaming Dagiel. He thought Dag was screaming because he was being chased by the shark, but as he struck it with a rock, he heard them kissing...

He wanted to scream himself as the shark swam off, he caught the end of their conversation. 

“ you Salsa. Well, starfish can normally be seen on the rocks can’t they? Bivalves are in shells aren’t they? You’re my shell Haniel, my protector, you saved my life and I couldn’t be more grateful to you for it.” Dagiel’s arms were wrapped tightly around Salsa's neck as the other kissed along his jaw.

“Yea… Yea I am, I’m your shell, I’ll always protect you, my little starfish, mine,.” He grinned as he squeezed Dag’s waist gently.

Haniel quickly went to land and tried to block out Dagiel calling out to him "Haniel, please just stop trying to get in the way, it's not going to work!"

The very next night, as punishment for helping his fellow angel, Haniel was set with Salsa to help create the deepest underground part of the oceans and he’d not see Dagiel for ten long, grueling years.

________

Meanwhile, Asta stared at Maze, as the other angel slept against his shoulder. They normally did this, as the days passed and work grew harder. The two would take time to simply be together, even though they knew that their relationship was frowned upon by God. They had both reached their realization points a long time ago, Maze sported long red hair that fell over his shoulders like a waterfall. Asta had blue hair which he cut and offered to Maze as a present. Maze turned his mate’s hair into bracelets and anklets he wore on a daily basis. Asta’s hair now sat at his shoulders, puffed out like a porcupine's quills. He wrapped an arm around Maze and held him close against his chest. They’d met during the first Axia Calling.

It had been a slow romance and at first Asta wasn’t even sure if he really liked Maze at all to begin with. But as they both developed their own individuality, they came to find things about each other that the other really enjoyed. Spending every waking moment together they began to fall in love. It was a beautiful thing and it was something Asta couldn’t believe he had ever lived without. He smiled as he felt Maze nuzzle into him. The first time they had sex was a mind blowing experience.

At first he didn’t know what to do, but slowly the thoughts and words came to him and he was able to do things to Maze that both of them greatly enjoyed. Asta smiled as he thought back to that time. He closed his eyes and hugged Maze even closer to himself. They were resting in their tent near the campfire, he listened to the sound of Uriel and Cassiel praising the craftsmanship of Gabriel who had built a small fish out of wood. He cackled internally making a mental note to crush Gabriel’s artwork later on tomorrow. For now, Asta fell asleep, hugging Maze against him.

________

Dagiel was standing ontop of a bundle of seaweed, before diving down into the water, he swam through the ocean waves and over to a rock. Sitting on it he began to brush his long hair as he hummed quietly.

The other remaining merangels gathered around him, asking him questions and wondering where he’d gotten the combing device from. He let them know he’d made it from bone, the same as the bone choker that was around his neck. He talked with the other merangels for hours, until he grew tired and went to find his otters. Floating on his back alongside them in the water, he fell asleep shortly afterward. He usually went on land to sleep but on a calm night like this, he decided to sleep in the ocean like his otter children.