by A. Catherine
“The Opsalis filled in the blanks.”
The almighty knew that Lucifer had stolen away multiple valuable objects from heaven’s vaults during the Fall. The Opsalis being a direct link into the supernatural web without a personal connection. Among the treasures of the Eternals, it wasn’t badly missed.
God sighed, holding Lucifer’s gaze, looking for any signs of deceit within him.
When he was satisfied that there was none he said, "Very well. So if it wasn't you and it wasn't me, any idea what might have caused this? The fallen Guardian—his soul hasn’t returned to heaven, as it should have following his death."
"Are you considering the humans he was guarding in your search? If they might be related?" Lucifer inquired.
“Do you have a theory?”
“This Guardian, I assume they weren’t innately important, just another cog in your machine?” Lucifer asked.
“I consider all of my angels important,” God countered.
With a roll of his eyes, Lucifer continued, “What I mean is, if there was no logical reason why anyone would kill the Guardian themselves, then perhaps this has something to do with his assignments,” he explained.
God pondered this for a moment. "I’ll have Gabriel look further into it. He’s been assigned to the mortals still without a Guardian.”
"Gabriel? You think that golden-boy can handle it?” Lucifer chuckled.
The almighty shook his head with disapproval. “He’ll do fine. Guardian angels fall under his division, and it’s time he be given a more challenging assignment anyhow.”
“Let’s just hope the youthful brute doesn’t find himself too attached to the mortal. Those Guardian bonds can be intense if I recall," Lucifer stated.
Lucifer would know. During the new mortal creation after The Tear, he himself served as the Guardian over the first mortal woman, Lillith. That ended well…
A knowing glance from God sent a spark of fury through his cold blood.
“Gabriel was born without your astounding need for lust and violence,” the almighty stated.
Lucifer snorted. “From what I hear, he can be a little reactive, like Michael. So I wouldn’t be so sure about the latter. We’ll see how he fairs against such a unique bond.”
Lucifer thought back to their current predicament. The main question to ask was, why?
Why would someone or something kill a Guardian? They have a simple job that doesn't interfere with others, they simply guide a human through their stages of life. They keep humans from their death before their specific time. They guide them towards paradise, though they aren't allowed to interfere if their humans go astray, their Guardian presence is watchful and sheltering.
What would a Guardian be sheltering someone from that could kill them to get to the mortal they’re protecting?
Of all the immortal creatures that roamed the realm, Guardians were some of the least worrisome and remain relatively neutral. Not even demons waste their time with them. So why a Guardian?
"What are you thinking?" God broke him out of his thoughts.
Lucifer kept his eyes on the world. "It's strange that a Guardian would be killed. Do we know how he was killed yet?"
"Not yet. I’m hoping Gabriel may be able to figure that out."
Lucifer nodded. "It's so unusual, and the impact it made was massive, everyone on the web heard it. One would only make such a show if they meant to send a message. That or they themselves didn’t realize they were capable of such a feat."
"You think it might have been intentionally done to tip the Balance?" God asked.
He shrugged. “Perhaps. Or maybe it wasn’t intentional, maybe whoever or whatever caused it hadn’t intended it to be so public.”
God theorized, "They had to know that something that large might draw attention. If it were unintentional, they might be long-gone by now."
They both observed the earth below them. The mortals went about their lives completely heedless to the event that had occurred. Their lives were brief and insignificant in the grand design.
Yet, the almighty put them on a pedestal. He controlled an entire universe, entire worlds. His archangels were the only true offspring he had, but angels and humans were his creations.
For the humans he would do anything. The archangels pretended it didn’t bother them, but Lucifer hadn’t been so willing to be set aside.
"Finding out who and why should be our priority,” God said.
This mystery was an exhilarating change in routine for Lucifer. Intriguing enough that he felt tempted to invest his own time into it. But then again, his hands were full down in the pit.
Lucifer had his demons, creations of his own blood. Along with the angels that sided with him and inevitably plummeted with him during the Fall.
He had an entire arsenal at his feet. The legions served more specific purposes and also allowed more freedom than the Fallen. Those strong enough to make it through to the mortal realm had a pension for causing havoc every once in a while, keeping those angel patrols good and busy. On occasion giving the enforcers like Gabriel a chance to stretch their wings a bit.
The angels of heaven and the hellborn didn’t get along one bit.
There was a natural and delicious rivalry between them. Demons weren’t as immortal as angels, though to kill one an archangel would need to smite them. Otherwise, angels could only banish them from the mortal realm using runes and spells when need be.
Angels were a lot harder to kill, in-fact the only things capable of killing them aside from a being as powerful as an archangel themselves would be…
It was then that an idea glimmered in Lucifer’s mind.
A fortuity that could drive towards a promising destination.
“What are they trying to tell us? That we can be killed, that immortals are no more immune to death than humans?" God asked.
Lucifer hadn’t been paying attention to him, key elements of a plan were coming together in his mind.
“Shall I propose an idea?” Lucifer inquired. God lifted an eyebrow, his sudden change in demeanor made him skeptical. Lucifer cocked his head to the side, a cunning mind ready to work.
“I always was the best with ideas.”
“Raphael would beg to differ,” God added.
A shrug. “There is a difference between precocity and just being crafty.”
“I don’t know if I like where this is headed.”
Lucifer waved his hand in the air.
“Humor me. What if, now think about it before you say no, what if we brought our foot soldiers together on this? Say, I send some of my greatest and most reliable demons, and you send your angels, and they work as a sort of team to overturn every possible stone, and find the answers to this new riddle, so to speak.”
The almighty chuckled. “A team? Of angels and demons?” his laughter grew. “That sounds more problematic than helpful.”
“An alliance then, a temporary parley.”
God knew better than to trust Lucifer right away, especially when he appeared to be overly cooperative.
"Demons and angels quarrel like cats and dogs, you believe they could manage to collaborate without any major altercations?"
Lucifer smirked. “Oh there will be clashing, but I think they can manage, especially while under orders. Or are your angels not as obedient as they appear?”
He crossed his arms across his chest, looking Lucifer up and down. “You’re up to something with this…”
“You’ll just have to play along if you want to find out.” His grin was wide and cunning.
"If I agree to this, there will be rules in place.” God pointed.
“I’d be amazed if there weren’t.” Was Lucifer’s only response.
He sighed audibly, “I mean it. We may each employ someone to hold charge, an equal and professional group. Don’t send someone who will only cause trouble.”
Lucifer pouted. “Aw, but that takes all the fun out of it.”
“This isn’t about fun. If
this is really going to happen, you need to take it seriously,” the almighty snapped.
“Fine. Fine.”
Another deep sigh. God paused to reconsider, thinking about all the possible ramifications of this agreement. Lucifer plastered his cool, calm look, hiding the grinning wildcat underneath.
God conceded, “Alright. A temporary alliance, only until this is rectified."
"Of course." Lucifer bowed mockingly to his father. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off to brief and prepare my chosen damned. I’ll have my messenger notify yours of the time and place to meet.”
“You already have some in mind?” he asked.
Lucifer stepped up onto the brim of the tower platform, his feet balancing him from a sheer drop.
“Haven’t you?” His hand lifted to give him a final salute. “Always a pleasure working with you. I look forward to more of it."
With that he simply leaned his body and fell headfirst off the bridge. His hands and legs tucked in tight, gravity bringing him down quickly. But not one hair or piece of his clothing moved in the wind.
Just before his body would slam into the gray water below a plume of smoke and lightning appeared, opening into a pitch-black rift. Without breaking his speed Lucifer plunged into the fissure between the realms. It closed behind him, the smoke dissipating into the air and mist.
The almighty once again looked down at the mortal realm below him, shaking his head.
"He always did have a penchant for the theatrics.”
God’s next destination was to visit Azrael at the Gates of Judgement. Afterwards he would return to heaven. There he would try to curb the panic growing among the angels, but also to call his own chosen company of angels for this joint venture.
FOUR
Gabriel
THE MORTAL WAS SLEEPING.
Being only two in the morning, it was only natural she would be asleep. Her home was a small one-bedroom apartment, on the third floor of a tall building complex. From the look of it, she had chosen the place for its price, rather than its luxury. No doubt she was on a student's budget. Making barely enough income from assistant teaching to make rent and pay for basic groceries.
I had been with her for a few hours, during which I had learned some things about her. Where she was going to school, how long she’d lived in Phoenix, and so on. Having just started, the Guardian bond hadn’t yet clicked into place. But I’d wait as long as needed, the bond was a necessary mechanism of defense to help Guardians protect their assignments.
Heather Coleman. A twenty-six-year-old graduate student at Arizona State University.
From the outside, she appeared an average young woman. An ordinary human with an ordinary life. Olive skin, shoulder-length dark brown hair, with light honey-colored ends that matched her eye color.
From a surface point of view, there wasn't anything special about Heather or her situation.
In the mortal realm, an archangel needed to suppress their grace. However, the occasional creak of the walls inside the small apartment spoke to how much my power still strained against the tight space. It was manageable, but tended to cause strain on my emotions as well. Making them more intense, eager to burst.
So I busied myself, picking a book off of her shelf and reading the pages while she slept. Staving off the building storm within me.
Heather began to stir, her heart picking up its pace. A vivid dream, or a nightmare.
I couldn’t enter her conscious mind, my mental abilities like most angels were limited to the subconscious. Some could break through the protections the almighty’s bit of soul offered the mortals. I was not one of those born with the gift, however.
But dream-walking was something most angels could do. Guardians would use it sometimes to soothe their mortals during times of extreme distress or trauma.
I knelt softly next to her bedside, her features were twisted, entangled in a nightmare.
I lifted my hand to her temple, having to cross enough into the mortal realm to make physical contact, and focused my mind on her subconscious barrier. My touch soft enough that our skin barely made contact.
Mortal minds were already fragile and unguarded, but more so while in REM sleep, which is why dream walking was easy for gifted immortals.
I could see the walls that guarded her mind, low while she slept. With only a focused thought I was gliding inside past the barriers.
All at once I was there with her. We were inside a dark cave, the walls looked to be made out of volcanic rock. The large cave had a vague dome shape, and in the center there was a dark pool. The only sources of light were low-burning streaks of embers along the walls and floor.
Heather was first just staring into the dark pool, her eyes almost blank, as though the black pool of water had drowned her soul in its depths.
Then she turned to face one of the far walls. The embers burned brighter as she approached, revealing various symbols, runes, and other markings. Some looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics, others like Mayan texts. But there were runes too, from ancient languages long forgotten.
She lifted her hand to the wall and began to trace circles and lines, the symbols glowed and pulsed on the walls with her fingers. She drew Enochian symbols and Zibu sigils—languages of angels.
“Darkness dwells where one can’t see…" Heather recited a short passage. Translating it as if by memory.
"Strange," I spoke.
She jumped and whipped toward me, shocked that she wasn't alone.
"Who are you?"
I ignored her and approached the wall. Tracing the Enochian symbols.
"Loose this bond of endless light…?"
"You can read it too?" Heather asked. My eyes remained on the wall, the passages weren't familiar to me. As if they were written elsewhere, not meant for angels.
"...escape, bend the whole…open mind…Hmm. This doesn’t make a lot of sense."
"Please, I don't understand. Who are you?” Heather begged. Her voice edging with desperation.
Finally dropping my eyes to hers I asked, "Do you often see these markings in your dreams?"
Her eyes a swirling storm of gold and deep brown, staring at me as she had never seen anything like me before. Even in here, my power was dampened, but maybe she could see some of it.
I waited for her answer, but it never came. She was motionless, my presence overwhelming her senses. I faced her more fully.
"Heather."
I heard her heart skip a beat when I spoke her name. Her heart beating faster now, my gaze deepened.
I tried again, with more command. "I need you to focus, Heather. Have you seen these in your dreams before?" Her eyelids blinked. Once. Twice. She broke contact to peer at the markings on the wall, scanning up and down before returning to me.
"Yes. I've seen them before."
"Has anyone else been in here with you? Have you seen anyone else in here? Anyone you may not have recognized?" I asked. Perhaps her Guardian, or someone else…maybe his murderer. A fool’s prayer, but a chance, nonetheless.
Her only response was a short shake of her head.
“What about while you’re awake? Anyone or anything stand out to you? An unexplained event or behavior?” I prodded.
It was unlikely that she would have experienced anything out of the ordinary.
But then her eyes sparked with shocked recognition. "Mason," she whispered.
I stiffened. “What about Mason?” She had seen him—her Guardian. But how?
She looked away distantly, as if seeing that far away memory and its every detail.
“I was in class. And then I wasn’t. He was…dying.” Her voice broke off at the end.
My chest tightened, watching her Guardian die must have been truly difficult to witness. I wouldn’t wish that pain, that accompanies such a bond, on anyone. Although, it did peg the question of why only Heather felt it…
I took another step towards her. She froze—unsure if she should move or stay.
"I need to see yo
ur memories, Heather. Will you allow me further in?"
I slowly raised my hand to her face, touching a finger to her temple. This was a more complicated technique, one that I wasn’t well-versed in. It would take a lot of concentration to not leave any damage.
She remained frozen, waiting in what I could only think was reluctant fear.
Only while in her subconscious would I be able to view her conscious memories, while her mental blocks were already down. But it would put a lot of strain on my own abilities. If she were conscious, I would need to find someone more adept in mental exploration.