The earth, the year 2000. A coastal city in North America rests uneasily. They prepare for the arrival of that they have little understanding of, heads and cameras alike turned to the circular sigil that has appeared above the clouds. The expected drop-point is the mountain range many miles east of the urban sprawl, a safe location for angels to make contact. Life continues as normal -- jobs to work, families to tend -- but the discussion is everywhere, rumors of what brings a celestial to their corner of the globe. Some are grateful that it’s not a devil that’s come to their city, but others are no less relieved.

The sigil glows like the yellow sun, an intricate design inside the circle made of violet-colored lines that slash through the air. The first report of its appearance was shortly after midnight, but now in the midst of rush hour traffic, its radiance begins to intensify. The empty space within the sigil fills with a featureless white. Something materializes: a foot exiting the white portal, bare and delicate. A leg is then produced, then the hem of a knee-length robe barbed with laurel weaves. The shape of a human with feathered wings on its back slowly melts from the hole in the sky, their raven hair the last feature to be revealed as it spills over their shoulders.

The body is massive. Investigators shoot an estimate of an angel between 800 and 1,000 feet tall, expecting the slopes of the mountains to serve as a staircase for the celestial. Contrary to the immense size, the angel descends gracefully at a steady speed. The mighty wings do not move, still like the rest of them and cupped around their shoulders similar to a cloak. Contact with the earth occurs between two peaks, the figure’s unarched height rivaling the points on either side as they stand in the valley between them. Their weight marks the ground, disturbing the sheets of snow with the crater-forming touch of their bare feet.

“B-Br-rr-rr…” The angel’s toes curl and their knees buckle towards each other. “Mm… It’s somewhat colder than I expected…”

Cyth surveyed their surroundings with eyes of gold that twinkled with supernatural skill. The setting was a stark difference from their last visit with earth, one-thousand years into the future. The massive mega-metropolises and the blood-colored war-torn skies were non-existent in this earlier age of humanity, providing a refreshing breath of earthen air that hadn’t yet been overtaken by smog. The planet is less developed and refined in these years, but Cyth is comfortable with this age. There are less worries, relative to the complicated destiny humans would come to, but it is still just the earth as they have always known it. Large and round, electrified with life, and so easily moldable to the whims of celestial power.

Though in the image of a feminine human, Cyth is not one, nor is this image a static form they had to take. Cyth is an angel, an agent from Heaven, and this shape is one of several that they find befitting for themselves. Shapeshifting is one of the most meager of their celestial capabilities, which itself is a long list of powers bestowed upon these greater beings. They, like other angels, exist primarily in Heaven, a spiritual organization that oversees earth and its human inhabitants. Across time itself, they influence humanity towards offering their worship to the goddess Amana. Through her is it possible for angels to manifest their world-shaping powers, and through the prayers and worship of humans is she able to sustain such a feat.

Thus, the angels of Heaven are tasked with the eternal occupation of keeping humanity’s progress in the favor of the divine. Their intervention with world events is rarely hidden; since the dawn of time, the influence of celestials has been known and only better understood through the centuries. The methods of angels vary from instance to instance; some express pacifism and generosity, encouraging humans to willfully join the side of Heaven, whereas other occasions call for inarguable justice, often spilling into inevitable violence. The balance between orderly cooperation and distrustful resistance is never perfectly even, but Heaven has maintained a strong control over humanity and its timestream due to the angels’ efforts.

Allowing this control to slip would mean allowing fate to be in the hands of Hell. A rival organization with much the same structure, Hell employs devils to contest with angels over the direction of earth. They guide humanity into a cult that worships Sinis, the lord of Hell, but Amana has affirmed her position as goddess for near-eternity. Hell’s efforts to overturn the order of the world is ceaseless, manipulating humans across time to weave different threads of destiny.

Cyth’s arms are crossed for warmth as they travel down the mountain, the many rigged bluffs crumbling into flat pans where their feet happen to fall. They study the city that’s ahead of them; their destination, seen through a filter of gray-yellow air. The scent can be detected from even such a distance, a bitter taste to breathe especially compared to the perfect atmosphere enjoyed in Heaven. For this time period, this city is quite large and advanced, covering a wide stretch of the beach with several harbors.

There is no doubt that this is the city Cyth intended to visit. Before the sights could distract them, they remind themselves the reason for being here at all…

--- Work. Cyth is on a specific mission for Heaven.

--- Relaxation. Cyth is enjoying time-off by visiting a coastal city.

--- Research. Cyth is to find and observe any cultist activity.

Cyth surveys the miles of land their brief walk manages to cover, taking particular note of the area surrounding the city. They have arrived at this place and time for research purposes, and they’ve learned from experience that valuable information can be hidden anywhere. The cult of Hell specializes in enigmas, working from under the surface of the public eye. From the city’s heart to its suburban surroundings, every location deserved its own look-over for cultist activity, but the possibilities of such scheming had already been narrowed down.

Another angel had raised the issue earlier to Amana. In this era of humanity, technology begins to skyrocket with accelerating progress. Demands for energy and production appropriately rise to a nearly unsustainable level, resulting in widespread pollution that goes unaddressed for too long. The result is humanity’s decline further in the future, and by no coincidence does the cult of Hell draw in new worshippers seeking guidance in their filth-stained world. A list of influential cities was then produced for Amana’s angels to investigate, the places most likely to be housing devils and cultists that could be influencing the timeline’s direction.

Cyth volunteered for the research effort and was thus sent here, the start of a new millennium in a city that was rapidly developing. It seemed as good a place as any to choose from Amana’s list, places rich with opportunities for devils to exploit. As they cross into the city’s borders, they ponder on what exactly they might unearth. Devils could exist virtually anywhere, so it was likely they would happen upon some sort of activity eventually. The question, they asked themself, was whether or not that activity tied into this pollution problem.

The buzz of city life slows to a crawl as Cyth waltzes over the countryside. Traffic quickly depletes except in the most congested areas as citizens seek shelter from the incoming titan. Emergency responders guide evacuees to safe locations while military personnelle replace them, arranging themselves into defensive positions. A modest amount of artillery is prepared for Cyth’s arrival, waiting to be used on the angel if they step out of line. Cyth’s heightened vision could see as much expecting them, but they have no worries of getting hurt. Humanity’s efforts to fight celestials always proves to be ineffective, and that was certain to be the case in an era Cyth found relatively primitive.

But, they did expect some method of attack to happen. It was unavoidable, Cyth and the other angels deemed; their impact on earth was too large to avoid every single casualty, and so the humans had many justifications for distrusting them. Cyth stops their walk at that point to look over their own trail of destruction. Behind them was a line of craters where their footprints had marked the world. They raise one foot into the air behind them, tickled by the dirt-like debris of trees, power lines, and pavement as it rolls off their sole. Beneath them, signs of distress are noticed; drivers racing away from their foot as it occupies a highway, a small crowd forming that awes at their presence.

Cyth is silent, refraining from comment as they continue to the city’s border. Their feet crash on both sides of a river that flows through the community, their toes just outside blocks of buildings that are no taller than their knees. They bring a hand to their chin, thinking of how to approach the city. First impressions are important, and the population is on edge to discover what kind of angel Cyth is going to be.

The people deserve to know what to expect, so Cyth decides on a way to conduct themself while investigating the city. There are many methods to approach human civilizations, but for this expedition, Cyth’s approach will determine the success of their investigation…

---Calculated and disconnected. Cyth focuses purely on their cultist search.

---Personable and friendly. Cyth attempts to make peace with the people.

---Aggressive and swift. Cyth affirms their authority as an angel via intimidation.

The usual preparations have been made in the city for the visit of an angel, at least by this region’s standards. Though not a universal procedure around the world, most cultures and locations of this time period and beyond have constructed specifics for how to interact with celestials. In order to limit unnecessary hazards to any community, a delegation is intended to be had when an angel arrives at any city, allowing the humans a chance to understand the reasons for Heaven’s intervention with their lives. For the sake of protection, a modest military unit is assembled at the specified meeting area, ready for the possibility of a rogue attack. None of the humans wished to see violence thrust upon their mundane lives -- these processes were meant to keep relationships between them and the celestials as just as possible.

Cyth frowns from outside the city’s limits. Their arms cross with discontent, their expression twisting to slight disgust. Down below, they see that a wide field away from the buildings and factories has been set aside for them, farm land repurposed for the event with light-up signals from government officials blinking at them. The space could not contain their foot; they were expected to be at a smaller size. “This city thinks highly of itself,” they murmur. Their voice rumbles the air despite how softly they speak to themself. “Do they really expect me to go through this whole bureaucracy just for their civilization?”

It matters little to Cyth what the future of this city can be. They know the facts as well as any angel would -- that this location becomes festered with cult activity. The smell of smog and grime confirms how on-track the city is for that destiny. It was quite possible that this city is one that contributes to the earth’s overall decline into filth and reliance on Hell. Researching the city to verify that theory was why Cyth was here, and these barriers of procedures were impeding on that progress. After all, if any devils really had claimed the city as their territory, it made sense to keep angels as obstructed as possible.

Cyth disregards the peoples’ efforts to contain them. They plant their right heel into the ground, angling the foot to hang threateningly above the crowds that came to greet them. Immediately are the citizens stricken with fear, gazing up at the giant wrinkled sole of an angel, Cyth’s dismissive glare pointed onto them. “I am an angel from Heaven,” they announce with a breathtaking volume. “I am here on important research. I do not take directions from humans. Let this be understood, and do not disturb me.”

The screams conjured by Cyth’s warning are drowned by the rapid fire of bullets and missiles. Having made their methods clear, the city launches a feeble defensive attack on the foot above them. The explosions tickle Cyth into flexing their toes, unleashing a sleet of debris and dirt that had been wedged between them that falls onto the military attacking them. Such disrespect from humanity cannot go unnoticed; Cyth responds in kind with a stomp of their foot, an effortless step that instantly flattens a block of the city. The small space that the humans had intended for Cyth to shrink down and occupy is completely overwhelmed, becoming a smear of wasteland the moment the massive foot is relieved from the unfortunate area.

“Resistance will only incur more penalties,” Cyth explains dully, one arm propped against their hip while the other hangs loosely at their side. They bring their foot forward, pointing a lone big toe; with just a push, they topple a lowrise building into rubble, unflinching to the destruction. Crowds swarm away from the random devastation, their heads darting back at the comet-like toe in the midst of their fleeing. “My research may uncover toxic cult activity. You should be grateful that I am here to purify this land…”

Speaking of such reminds Cyth of that very job. Already, they think, the citizens have distracted them from their cause. They scan over the city once more while taking a seat outside its perimeter, electing a lower angle as to better survey the environment. Adjusting their stance so dramatically results in more destructive consequences directly underneath them, none of which interests Cyth. Their focus is on cult activity, and they produce a magical ping from their finger that is to find such influences. Although this power is inexplicit in what it can find, it serves angels well in quickly confirming a selected area’s corruption.

For Cyth, it is as if they can see hotspots along a map of the city -- though the city they perceive is the actual city itself. Places with cultist influences appear as red marks that glow with intensity appropriate for the pinging. Across a vast number of corners, numerous specks of faint red can be seen in isolation. This is fairly normal; metropolises attract those with vices, and it’s ordinary for humans to, in rare instances, pray to Hell or even offer involuntary support. These spots do not alert Cyth -- but the entire buildings that appear crimson from top to bottom, those are noteworthy. Blatant cultist activity transpires in these places, and so Cyth finds themself with decisions to make.

Cyth leans over the city while thinking of how to investigate further, allowing streaks of black hair to slither and sway over the streets. A single corporate headquarters near the heart of the city pings the brightest, promising a core of cultist schemes. Beyond just this one skyscraper, several other locations scattered through the city ping with distinct energies as well, such as the factories and the shipyards. The cult had clearly established a few footholds to maintain its strength, but was any of it responsible for the earth’s decline in health decades from now?

A plethora of information could be uncovered with further investigative work. Remaining one step ahead of Hell was crucial for Heaven to keep hold of its authority, and there was potential to set back the cult significantly if more details could be found and linked. As an angel, Cyth had the power to clean the city away entirely; one swipe of their arm and the maze of streets and structures would become a lake of debris, cultist activity included. Of course, acts of destruction on that scale are discouraged, for in the aftermath of these “angel attacks” do humans turn to Hell for aid, thus undoing the progress they intended to make. Yet, the coverage of cultist influence was quite widespread, and perhaps it was deserving for some of these locations to be stomped out -- no questions asked, no answers pursued.

To deliver an immediate fix to humanity’s errors, or to inspect the city deeper for clues on the cult’s exact status. Cyth had already introduced themself as unkind, and so cooperating with these humans was unlikely, as was the chance that any devils had not noticed the behemoth sitting on the horizon. After considering their options, Cyth concludes how to proceed…

---Attack the corporate headquarters in a direct confrontation.

---Target the shipyard and factories to uncover any connections.

---Obtain human perspectives on the cult and determine their influence.