"It's not exactly the same, I confess. I would not die if I did not make this prayer, but I would become something...less."

His shoulders slumped at the thought. "Some of my brothers have turned their backs on their oaths, and taken the path of thorns. Or worse, abandoned any path at all. They once STOOD for something, and now they are no more than common ruffians, hirable for mere coin. They are barely angels at all anymore."