Basalamander

Don't Clip My Wings

A story idea that just came to me in April of 2023.

I consider the genre an urban fantasy.

blurb

I'm sorry.

Born to parents beloved by the clergy, Cassiel knew it was his destiny to become a filotimo: soldiers who fight and die for the glory and protection of Triskenvi. For years, demons have plagued the city, with only their walls standing in the way, and Cassiel cannot wait for his 20th birthday, when he will finally earn his wings and prepare for his initiation.

But all does not go as planned. Cassiel's wings come in, but not the pristine white and gold feathers of a true angel. Rather, they manifest black and membranous, the markings of a demon. Enraged, the clergy of Triskenvi name him a Fallen, and he is cast from the walls.

No longer beloved and forced to survive on his own, Cassiel begins to learn everything he had ever been taught was wrong. Renaming himself as Malakh, he soon comes to realize the true demons don't lie outside the walls, but within them.

When the Triskenvi clergy sends a demon hunter to eradicate Malakh and the others he's amassed into an army, Malakh is forced to confront the dark secrets of his past. Unable to outfly the people who have harmed him, he comes to learn that one day, he will have to turn around and face them.

Featuring...

The following tropes:

Enemies to lovers, soulmates.

The themes of:

Faith versus doubt, will to survive, rejection of parents, hypocrisy of religion, the power of names and words

Representation for:

A black, achillean main character.

Trigger warnings