The Angelic Wars I - Heaven

by Andrew Gille

  Beelzebub awaited Michael’s answer, the rebel angel could sense the doubt and conflict within Michael. The sun streamed through the transparent arch and shimmered on the tiles in the hallway. Michael began to speak when the bright sunlight was blotted out by the white whale. It moved past high above them, but its enormity was able to cast a shadow onto Beelzebub, all that Michael had just thought disappeared from his mind in an instant. He could not join Lucifer, he could not work against his Lord and Creator Os, the Most High. He prayed that Os would not make him regret this decision.

  “No, you join us Beelzebub, I will give you one chance, and if you refuse, you will lay in defeat. Renounce Lucifer, and you will be forgiven, your other option is defeat,” Michael stated with resolve and fury.

  “You have just made the greatest mistake Michael, but it is fine, serve him, be a symbol of his weakness and inability to rectify the problems all around him. This is where your journey ends Michael,” Beelzebub said raising his sword which bumped against the ceiling of the transparent hallway.

  Michael realized that the hallway was too narrow to effectively fight with a sword and left his Ozielian Steel blade in his scabbard. He approached Beelzebub who drew back and bumped into the transparent crystal that made up the walls of the arch in which they were standing. Michael kicked him in the chest sending him backward. Beelzebub jumped back up and attempted to thrust the sword at Michael, but Michael’s Ozielian Steel bracers easily deflected the attempt after which Michael punched the Beelzebub in the face three times. Beelzebub’s white armor was now marred with a spray of blood from his nose. He attempted to swing his sword again but was tackled by Michael who slammed him into the transparent wall. Beelzebub dropped his sword and wrestled with Michael, the two spun, and Michael now slammed into the transparent wall, a small crack appeared in the material as sea creatures continued swimming past oblivious to the battle being fought below them.

  Beelzebub now stepped back and spun to kick Michael, Michael slipped to the side and counterpunched into the angel’s right side. His Ozielian Steel gauntlets dented the softer aqualene armor. Michael then spun and back punched Beelzebub in the face sending him reeling backward, making the crack in the wall grow.

  Michael got his foot under Beelzebub’s sword and kicked it up at him, he attempted to catch it reflexively and in his clumsy fumbling, fell victim to another well-placed kick to the side by Michael. Michael came in for a flurry of punches which Beelzebub blocked causing the staccato echo of each blow being deflected to sound through the hallway. Beelzebub then attempted a punch which Michael caught, he turned his body once again throwing Beelzebub into the transparent wall. Water began to leak into the hallway, Michael looked at the angel standing before him. He cautiously sized Michael up for his next attack. Michael lunged forward as Beelzebub threw a punch at his head, the spun kicking Beelzebub hard in the head, he slammed against the cracking wall. Michael dove to the ground and picked up the sword smashing it into the wall, and diving back to the corner of the hall, the wall collapsed and blew Beelzebub out to sea. Michael held fast to the door as the rushing current washed away the hallway. Michael stood in what was once the hallway and was now an underwater bridge connecting the two halves of the temple.

  Above him he saw powers angels in aqualene armor swimming toward him, he would need to recover from casting his Conveyance spell, he could not exert his body as was necessary to escape in this manner.

  He stood, unable to breathe and exhausted, this would perhaps be his end. The powers angels approached, and Michael fell to his knees. The Powers angels swam furiously toward him but were then blown back out to sea by the current of a massive white whale that floated in and swallowed the arch-angel.

  Michael was encapsulated in darkness and the warm insulation of the whale’s body. He felt it swim through the sea with ease. He lay on his back, somehow now able to breathe within the body of the whale, somehow at ease, somehow unfearing now. The whale spat him out on a reef near an island far from the danger of The City of Kings. He lay on the bleached corals recovering his strength until he was able to cast Conveyance and ascend into Aequiss’ sky on his way to an uneventful journey to Paradisio.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Michael at Gabriel's Palace

  “I think it would be highly inadvisable,” Gabriel stated as he lay on pillows in an open-air pool room that featured a waterfall as the golden sun streamed in and reflected off of his pool. Michael always found peace here, but now the shimmering light reminded him of The City of Kings, and it was far less pleasant. He stood, still wearing the black Ozielian Steel armor, now crusted with salt and the dried digestive juices of a whale. His arms were crossed as he contemplated the events of the past few days.

  “Why do we continue to fight this losing battle? They now control three-fourths of heaven. Look in the sky, the planets, on all of them, Lucifer rules. Those stupid enough to continue to claim allegiance to Os are enslaved or confined, what does Os do to help them? Nothing.”

  “And, yet they still do claim allegiance to him.”

  “Yes, but are they fools? I am beginning to feel that we delude ourselves into giving him our unequivocal devotion. What does he do for us? Nothing it would seem? There is no action, who has spoken to him now for ages? Perhaps he has grown tired of ruling or perhaps he cannot do anything against Lucifer but wait for him to arrive here in The City of God. The rebel angels cannot falter, even their mistakes flourish into victory. Our greatest strategies and our fiercest fighting cannot stop them. Os’ faithful fall before Lucifer’s golden army. Why should we continue to fight for a cause that is lost?”

  Gabriel laughed the laugh that Michael found so grating now before it was a minor, but in the face of the disheartening defeats he had faced in the recent battles, it was infuriating.

  “Michael, his greatness is unsearchable, you’ll soon find that he will answer and when he does it will be loudly. Should you join Lucifer in this foolish war, you’ll hear his answer, and the sound will deafen you and shake you like thunder. I know not the method of his path, why he allows us to be defeated time and time again but I also know that we shall end this victorious, even if Lucifer marches on The City of God, there will be no victory for him. Even if he manages to take the throne for a time, Os will not be defeated, and he will come back and shake him to the very core.”

  “You sound so sure, what sign would he give you that you interpret as anything encouraging?”

  “First, you can’t just expect that when your attitude changes for a little while that everything will fix itself. This is faith Michael, you may turn the corner, but you must continue to believe through adversity. Everything isn’t going to suddenly change for you after you proclaim yourself a believer. Secondly, What signs has he given you to which you have shut your eyes? You don’t think a majestic white whale plucking you from the bottom of the sea is some sort of indication that you’re protected by more than luck? You were rescued at every turn on that planet by ridiculous circumstances. I wouldn’t believe it if another angel told me this tale. You think that just happened? Do you know other angels swallowed by whales? Go to Aequiss and ask everyone you find there if they have ever heard of that happening? It doesn’t, and you refuse to acknowledge that there could be some strategy of his that doesn’t involve an easy road of victory for you.”

  “I resolved to be a faithful angel, I prayed, I went to the meditation room where he insists I kneel before an altar, rather than talking to me directly. I repented of my doubts and shortcomings, and he did nothing for me.”

  Once again Gabriel laughed, only this time it was a laugh of exasperation, he could not believe these words were coming from his friend, “You think that by praying to him, repenting, kneeling before his altar, all is going to be instantly fixed? What need would there be for faith if everything went well all of the time for the faithful? I know this will end in the way it should end, that is all. I have faith and patience that Os will guide us as long as I contin
ue to do what he asks of me.”

  “I have done everything he’s asked, and all I’ve received is silence and contradictions to what I have wanted to believe. If he is all-powerful then why does he allow the rebel angels to rampage through his kingdom, enslaving his faithful and destroying his temples? In his own throne room, four seraphim stand guard at all times. What need would an omnipotent God have for angelic guards?”

  “You have spent so much time fighting the rebel angels that you become like them. They dither their time in these tedious concerns, allowing doubt and disloyalty to enter their minds. In case you weren’t aware, Lucifer’s is not the first rebellion against Os. Power-hungry angels have attempted treason on Os before. This is why Heaven has a prison in which rebellious angels are kept. That spire north of Elysium Palace, the one they call Aggarak Tower, is where angels who cannot be trusted are kept. Ever wonder why a tower in Heaven is named after one of the Colossals who imprisoned Os’ father? The angels of the Order of the Powers guard it and many assume it is like many of the secured buildings where only the highest of angels are allowed entry. No, the Order of the Powers are there to keep corrupt angels inside. Do we know Os’ power? No, because the seraphim have dealt with these issues. Os will keep his true power a secret until the day in which it needs to be revealed, but you needn’t worry yourself with these matters. I know you do not believe these myths created by the rebel angels Michael. If you did, you would have joined Beelzebub at the bottom of Aequiss’ Great Ocean when you had the chance. You must continue your fight against this threat. You must stop Lucifer.”

  “What happens if I do not? What is the worst outcome of Lucifer’s victory?”

  “Lucifer’s victory is a disaster for Heaven and Earth, there are so many factions within the rebellion that it will splinter and plunge heaven into endless war. The Anatalian faithful will fight Machariel’s faithful. The ones who want to destroy the humans will fight the ones who want to enslave the humans. Every member of his conceited council will create their own confederates, and they will fight each other until the end of time. The war will spill out onto the Earth, and all of the humans will be caught up in a destructive and bloody conflict that will end only when that beautiful realm is brought to total and complete destruction. The consequences are great Michael. You must stop them. Only you can stop them, and you stand here telling me that you wish to join them? I understand why it is hard to see how he can allow you defeat after defeat when you are nothing but faithful, but you must continue on in the face of defeat, gather your troops and assemble for the next battle. The war is not lost.”

  Michael stared into the pool, he looked at Gabriel who was awaiting an answer, “I will defend Paradisio Gabriel. Lucifer’s army will soon attack this place. He and Machariel will attack Excarian City first because it is the only place from which we could mount an attack on The City of God, with it secured we’d have no recourse if they took The City of God and the war would be over. I will prepare our armies to defend Excarian City, and Lucifer’s Palace will be our headquarters, not only is it a very satisfying insult to him, it is a fortress and will be very hard to attack. With Auriel gone, now contained within the mysterious prison in which he keeps our fallen soldiers, Raphael is the only angel for whom I can trust with Excarian’s defense. I must remain here, with my most powerful soldiers, I cannot risk allowing The City of God to remain unguarded and so I must put our second most defenses into Excarian City.”

  Michael could only recite his plan for the defense of Paradisio, he could not recant his statements nor could he reaffirm his faith in Gabriel. He was still not sure that he believed what Gabriel was saying. In his mind, defecting was still a very viable solution to his problems. However, he resolved himself to continue on, to command the dwindling number of angels remaining in his legions and to do his best to ensure that Lucifer would not sit on the throne of Heaven.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Laudations

  The shouts rang throughout Virgos Citadel, Lucifer was carried through the massive doors and into the main hall as cheering angels clad in shining golden armor celebrated their victory over Michael and Auriel in the City of Kings. All clamored to touch the hand of the supreme victor and the next king of Heaven as he rode by on the shoulders of his lieutenants.

  Machenrauch watched the spectacle vexed, he pushed his way through the crowd in an attempt to get to the altar and share the spotlight. Now, none seemed to notice him, however. Everything he’d fought for and the respect he’d gained after the battle in Oziel City seemed to have been forgotten.

  Lucifer was carried through the legions of adoring angels toward the podium of the High Dominion of Virgos Citadel. This was what he had intended when he began organizing this war, he was now on the precipice of victory. It was not a matter of how he would become the King of Heaven, but when, the whole of the hosts of Heaven was united with him. They cheered his name as he was brought down the aisle. Supreme Commander, Supreme Victor, Hallowed King!

  Lucifer now ascended to the lectern of the High Dominion of Virgos. The throng continued its thunderous adulation, the walls of the citadel shook as he stood basking in the adoration of the crowd.

  Machenrauch walked down the aisle along with Asmodeus, Baal and several other angels not even involved in the battle of Virgos. Machenrauch seemed invisible to them now as they stared transfixed on the arch-seraph on his high podium. He seethed with anger, how could they not realize his contribution. He fumed that his plan to embarrass Lucifer had created the exact opposite effect and made him appear as not only the architect of a total victory but also the hero. There was nothing he could do now, to attempt to take the spotlight at this hour would only seem petty and turn more of them against him. His contribution to the battle was a mere footnote, he was the general that kept Virgos’ forces busy until the unstoppable champion Lucifer arrived. He was unable to make it to the altar which led to the podium before the crowd issued a collective shush. Lucifer had indicated that he had was about to speak and his adoring crowd could not wait to hear his words.

  “Angels, I stand before you, the sons of Temerian, who for so long have been oppressed and dominated by an illegitimate power who has convinced our brothers to work against us. I stand before you to tell you that today we’ve taken the penultimate step toward taking back the rightful throne of our father, for today we gather here in victory!”

  Loud cheers erupted in the citadel again shaking the very foundations of the ancient halls. Machenrauch stood stone-faced, staring up at the angel who had only a few days earlier seemed so fallible and weak. Now through Machenrauch’s own actions, he stood there to a crowd that would sacrifice itself for him. Those who only a day ago hadn’t thought of joining the rebellion now proclaimed themselves ardent sectaries of him, Lucifer, the most high.

  Machenrauch took a deep breath he would keep his composure. Undoubtedly, Lucifer wouldn’t be stupid enough to plan the battle on Aequiss alone, and it would be a long hard road beset by problems to take the watery world. The diversity of terrain and the necessity of water battles, something Lucifer had no idea how to comprehend, would make for many more opportunities to embarrass the now venerated leader. Let him have his day, Machenrauch would make his stand on Aequiss. The indecisive and stubborn leader Leviathan would proclaim deference to Machenrauch in a few weeks time, by then all of this would be as forgotten as Machenrauch’s actions at Oziel City were today.

  The cheers finally faded, and Lucifer began again, “Yes, my words are true, our next campaign will target Paradisio, there will be no war on Aequiss. Aequiss will never fall to the rebellion because Aequiss stands with the rebellion! Lord Leviathan has signed an agreement which promises the whole and entirety of the resources and efforts of Aequiss to our resistance. Your great general and statesman Beelzebub has been negotiating this pact with Leviathan since the beginning of our battles, and here he stands in the aqualene armor that our soldiers will now wear when deployed to Aequiss.

  On
queue, Beelzebub marched out onto the altar beneath the pulpit where Lucifer stood wearing a gleaming white suit of armor emblazoned with the symbol of the rebellion on the left side of the breastplate. He seemed a bit ragged than the previous time Machenrauch had seen him, almost like he also had been through the war with them. However, Machenrauch now knew that while they toiled against Os and Michael, Beelzebub had been employing his silver tongue in some coastal city of the azure vacation planet.

  Machenrauch was stunned, Beelzebub, the fool! Everyone had considered him a deserter, rumors had him in Aequiss, but none had bothered to find out what exactly he was doing there. Negotiating a treaty with that obstinate ass Leviathan on his sodden holiday planet. Machenrauch could only contemplate what kinds of concessions he had made to the slippery cullion. The ramifications of this deal would inevitably cause endless difficulties in the future, but now it only stood to make Lucifer look better. Machenrauch knew that a war that destroyed the planet and locked Leviathan in an Azurian Crystal was the best outcome, but now that would not be possible. Everyone feared the destruction of The City of Kings when battle reached the fragile ecosystem. It was said to be a great conundrum for Lucifer, for damaging or destroying it would instantly turn many against him, and now it was of no concern. Lucifer looked that much more a hero. Now the focus was on Paradisio, and anyone questioning the agreement that brought Leviathan into the rebellion seemed only belligerent to the cause. It would be much more difficult now, much harder to pry Lucifer from this position of greatness without also destroying the entire rebellion. He could only listen in numbness now, emotionally cold, his hearing ceased, and he just heard a high pitched ring as everything around him happened now in slow motion, prolonging this unbearable agony. Lucifer began to speak again, but he could not comprehend his words and only his own burning lamentations echoed in his head.