by Jorge Silva
Azrael stopped.
“I saw that you had scars on your back, but that was on Ignacio’s body.”
Gabriel could tell that even though Azrael looked at him, in his mind he was in another time.
“Those scars are on my soul. Someone who can see the manifestations of Otherworld will be able to perceive them, whether I’m occupying the body of a human or not.
“During Armageddon He gave me a mission. There was no one more able among the Seven to carry it out.” Azrael shrugged his shoulders.
“But I didn’t obey. I was the first of the Seven to disobey.
“He personally removed my wings. It was the last time that I saw Him. From that moment onwards I’ve not been able to enter Heaven. That’s why we need Mr. Galen.”
“Mr. Galen is an angel?”
“Much more than that, he’s one of the Seven.”
Gabriel still didn’t understand the importance of that distinction very well, but he had been wondering about one of the other things that Azrael had said.
“And if I took you in my arms and flew to Heaven?”
Azrael smiled.
“Remember that our appearance in this Realm is a manifestation of our souls. That I don’t have wings is a reflection of my soul, and that soul is what is prohibited from entering Heaven, unless He permitted it.”
“The same as the humans,” said Gabriel, in a tone that betrayed the rage that he felt, as he recalled his father was doomed to Hell.
Azrael covered his head with the hood of his tunic, grey like his armor, and continued walking. Gabriel already knew that this was one of the topics that Azrael avoided discussing, showing even more than his usual reticence.
Gabriel was getting tired of the black and white that surrounded everything. It was beautiful, no doubt, but it lacked something.
“Aren’t there animals here?”
“No, only the angels that comprise the celestial host. The animals were an early experiment of Hers in your Realm, before She created the humans.”
Gabriel thought about a world without animals. A place that was black and white. A Realm without freedom.
Perhaps Lucifer hadn’t been wrong in creating Her own Realm.
They finally arrived at the City, which maintained the monochrome tonality of the rest of the Realm. The buildings appeared to be made of a white marble-like stone, sculpted by the will of Yahweh alone.
They passed dozens of identical buildings in the shape of large cubes, and tall monoliths that reminded Gabriel of the ancient civilizations that once populated the Realm of humans.
Yet one was distinct from the rest; Gabriel didn’t need Azrael to tell him that they had arrived at the Temple of the Light.
Its walls seemed to be rays of light, but when Gabriel tried to pass his hand through them, he was surprised to find them as solid as stone. He couldn’t discern their height, since the glare that surrounded him went beyond what his eyes allowed him to see. In the middle of one of the walls there appeared to be an opening that Gabriel supposed was the entrance.
Azrael had explained to him that Mr. Galen had chosen this place because it was abandoned. The member of the Seven who looked after it hadn’t descended to Purgatory in a very long time.
They had hardly crossed the threshold when Gabriel felt something sharp and cold against his skin and, upon turning towards his companion, he saw surprise in Azrael’s eyes, something he had never imagined him capable of.
A pair of angels with daggers hidden under their tunics had taken both of them surreptitiously by the arm and, after leading them past rows of pews, all filled with crestfallen angels, they were made to sit in the front row. Gabriel noticed that the two angels carrying daggers were identical to the one that Azrael had eliminated a few hours earlier. Could they be triplets?
He supposed that Azrael was under a similar threat, but he felt there was something else that was worrying the archangel.
Behind a pulpit as luminous as the rest of the temple, was a being so majestic that Gabriel forgot for a moment the danger he was in. Her wings were larger and more resplendent than any of those present. Blond hair touched her shoulders and framed a stern face. He wished he could see her eyes, which he imagined must be as beautiful as the rest of her, but she kept them closed.
A fitted armor covered her entire body. While Azrael’s was grey and worn looking, hers was so bright that he couldn’t say whether or not it had a color. As he watched her, Gabriel realized that her armor wasn’t made of metal, but rather light woven together, with rays emanating from her body. She was exactly what he had imagined angels to look like before he had come to Otherworld.
“Today, Azrael, the Archangel of Death honors us with his presence,” she said, with a voice that seemed to fill the giant temple.
“Just as many of you have, Azrael has fallen. But He is merciful. He will receive you again in Heaven. All you have to do is repent.”
Gabriel felt everyone behind him get to their feet, and he could hear how each one of them asked for forgiveness, mercy, or compassion. Gabriel turned around and saw they all looked nearly identical. They each had the same features, with the same golden hair falling to their shoulders, the same sky blue eyes looking forward, with only small differences between them, a detail like a scar that marked some faces. What could it mean that they all looked the same?
After listening to the lament of the angels, the being at the pulpit raised her hand and everyone fell silent.
“In His infinite omniscience, He has revealed to me that Lucifer plans to invade Otherworld.”
The angels murmured, and remained standing.
“If you long to be forgiven, He asks of you to defend our home. Take up your spears and do not allow the armies of Lucifer to darken our Realm. Repent of having defied His Word and He will forgive you.”
She then ceased speaking, and every angel stated the mission that they had disobeyed, whether on purpose or by mere blunder. Gabriel wondered if it made any difference to Him.
When the last of them had confessed, there was long silence. Then she began to sing.
Gabriel had never heard anything like it. If her appearance was what he had expected of an angel, with her blond hair fluttering to her shoulders and a face of ancient beauty such as he had only seen in museums, her song was something that he could never been able to imagine.
There were some words that he did not know, such as Gehenna, but it didn’t seem to matter; he could understand the message perfectly. She sang of the Mercy of Yahweh, of the possibility of ascending to Heaven once more through penitence.
Gabriel watched as the temple began to fill with a light that appeared to emanate from the song. No, it was the song. Her voice didn’t generate the brilliance; rather the voice was light and sound at the same time.
After the song concluded she descended the pulpit and walked towards them. Gabriel saw that she still had her eyes closed, but she extended a hand without falter towards him.
“Gabriel, we have been waiting for you. Come with me.”
He took her hand and stood up, but Azrael remained seated. Gabriel saw him slowly nod his head, indicating that he ought to follow.
They climbed a stairwell behind the altar, which led to a small room. It was furnished with a stool made of stone, and a larger cube made of a material that looked like amber.
She sat on the cube, crossed her legs and folded her wings down her back. Gabriel sat on the stool and was thankful it had no back; if not, it would have made sitting down with his newly manifested wings rather awkward.
Pushing aside a lock of blond hair that had fallen across her face, she raised her head; with her eyes still closed she began to speak with that powerful voice.
“They call me Uriel, Archangel of Light.”
Gabriel smiled; there was truly no better title for her.
“I should admit that I’m a bit disappointed. I didn’t think that the Phoenix would return to Otherworld accompanied by a fallen archangel, much less
with nine corpses in his wake.” Her voice went from sweet to menacing and Gabriel’s smile fell from his face. “What do you have to say in your defense?”
Gabriel felt afraid. He wished he had Azrael at his side. Even though he’d nodded to indicate Gabriel should go alone, he now wondered if Azrael could have done any different with a dagger held to his back.
“It was in self-defense?” he replied, unsure of his answer.
Uriel gestured with her hand and a luminous sphere hovered above it, in which images began to appear. Gabriel recognized the first scene. It was his house. His chest tightened as he thought of his mother. The Shadows were there, telling him to go with them. It had been the first time that he had seen Ignacio use the fire that emanated from his hand. In the blink of an eye the Shadows were incinerated on the floor.
Uriel moved a finger and the image changed. It showed them on their way to Tiberias’ house, with five Shadows approaching him and Ignacio. Before the Shadows could do anything, Ignacio handed Gabriel his sword.
The image changed again at another gesture from Uriel. This time it was a scene in Otherworld. An angel approached Gabriel from behind; before he knew what was happening, Azrael had run him through.
“Self-defense?” asked Uriel, closing her fist and causing the sphere to vanish.
Gabriel felt a lump in his throat. His mind tried to find a reason to justify everything he had done.
“Azrael was protecting me from the Shadows,” he said, lowering his gaze.
Gabriel felt a caress on his cheek. He could tell that is was the tip of one of Uriel’s wings.
“Protect you? It was He who sent His messengers to protect you, not to attack you. He only wished to bring you back to Otherworld.”
Uriel took his hand and led him out to the room’s balcony. From this height, Gabriel could see Azrael seated below, surrounded by angels.
“Perhaps it was easier to believe him, a young man your own age, with a flaming sword in his hand. Azrael chose well the body that he occupied in your Realm.”
Gabriel turned his face towards her and saw that she still hadn’t opened her eyes.
“A war is coming, Gabriel. Which side will the Phoenix be on?” Uriel turned her back to him and enfolded him with her wings. “With the Light, or with Death?”
8
Gabriel opened his mouth to speak but, not knowing what to say, he closed it again. From the height of the balcony he could see the angels taking Azrael from the Temple in chains. He thought about Tiberias, who was currently being tortured, but now he wasn’t sure if he should be concerned about him.
Why had he believed them? How had he been so gullible? Tiberias admitted to possessing hundreds of human bodies. Azrael had, without hesitation, killed beings who hadn’t attacked him. Gabriel had thought that it was to defend him, to help him, but apparently that wasn’t true. Azrael himself had said that he lost his wings by not carrying out his mission. Everything seemed to suggest that what Uriel was saying was the truth. He just couldn’t be sure.
Uriel pointed upwards, showing Gabriel an opening far above them.
“Come with me. It’s important that you see something for yourself,” she said. She rose from the floor and holding Gabriel’s hand they ascended.
Flying came as naturally to him as walking. Upon opening and closing his wings, they created a unique sound with every beat of his ascent. In a few moments they had gone through the opening and were climbing higher and higher. The wind seemed to play between his feathers and Gabriel discovered that he could regulate the speed of his flight by changing the force with which he moved them. He knew which way they were headed, since Azrael had shown him the bright spot in the sky from Purgatory.
Even before he looked down, he felt a bit of vertigo. The temple appeared to be only a point of light from the height at which they found themselves. The wind began to whip his ears and feathers, and the tunic that he wore did nothing to protect him from the cold.
“Do not be afraid, Gabriel,” Uriel told him. He felt her gaze even though he still hadn’t seen more than her eyelids. “I will not allow you to fall.”
After a few minutes he saw that the bright spot was a giant disc that floated in the sky. When they finally reached Heaven, Gabriel could see that a nearly transparent dome covered the entire area. They passed through it and immediately the wind and cold of Purgatory ceased.
They set down on a cobbled esplanade and Gabriel smiled. It was hard to believe that Yahweh was anything but God after seeing something like this. Above the disc there rose a castle; it respected the simple geometry of Purgatory, but its proportions were of a magnitude that he had never seen. All of the seven towers that surrounded it were many times taller than the skyscrapers where he lived, and each was equidistant to the white cube in the center, a cube so large that his entire school could have fit inside many times.
Hundreds of angels flew about, entering and leaving the different towers. Those that passed closer to them nodded when they saw Uriel, before continuing on their way.
Still holding hands, they began to walk away from the castle. Uriel explained how Yahweh sent His angels on different missions destined to protect Creation and carry out His Word. This was all done from the Throne Room, which resided in the cube that Gabriel had seen at the center of the castle.
“What is Creation?” asked Gabriel.
Uriel smiled.
“We call everything that is Creation. Everything that exists is Creation, and Creation is everything that exists.”
Uriel continued her explanation. Without needing to ask them, she told Gabriel the missions of all the angels as they passed.
“That one, for example, must descend to the Realm of the mortals in order to prevent an unfortunate event for His Word.” Uriel’s lips formed an expression of disdain. “To do it, it will be necessary for him to place his soul into matter.”
“Tiberias explained it to me. The angels can only be in the human Realm if they possess a body by expelling the human soul within it.”
“Being in contact with matter, even for an instant, corrupts our souls. The angels try to carry out these types of missions swiftly, so that the corruption from the flesh is as minimal as possible. Tiberias has become an abomination, full of passions and human urges after spending too much time occupying those bodies.”
Gabriel didn’t say anything to defend his species or his world. Seeing an archangel and the light that emanated from her golden skin, he felt that his past life was indeed filthy and corrupt.
“Do archangels also need to possess humans to descend to my world?”
“It has been that way since Order, but only those who have considered it necessary to carry out their missions have corrupted themselves that way.”
Gabriel didn’t need to read her mind to understand that she had never worn the body of a mortal.
An angel approached, spoke to the Archangel of Light and flew off once more.
“Why does everybody here speak my language?”
Uriel turned her face towards Gabriel, with a patient smile.
“We speak The Language, the same one that humans used before they tried to construct Babel. We were created knowing it. All the souls of Otherworld understand it without having to learn it.”
They continued walking, while Gabriel observed all the differences between Heaven and the world of the humans. Each angel with whom they crossed paths looked the same as those he had observed in the Temple of the Light; masculine, with blond hair, sky blue eyes, and wings white as snow. Meanwhile, Uriel explained that in this place there was no sickness or pain; these were problems exclusive to the children of Lucifer.
“But why would God allow the suffering of humans?”
“In His omniscience, He reveals to us our mission, the part that we play in carrying out His Word. If we obey Him there is no possibility of suffering,” replied Uriel, and Gabriel noticed that the light that emanated from her armor briefly flared. “Lucifer proclaims to have granted
freedom to mortals, however She didn’t do anything but make them deaf to the only voice that could save them. She didn’t break their chains, but rather their eardrums.
“Imagine if the mothers of mortals allowed their children to disobey them. If they gave them the choice of feeding themselves or not. Of crossing the street if they wanted to, even if they could barely walk. Of doing whatever it was that pleased them.
“Do you think it’s more important to protect that freedom, or for mothers to make their children obey them for their own good?”
As Uriel spoke Gabriel found it impossible not see her point. He thought about his mother and how many times she had tried to protect him from his own decisions. Even though lately they had argued often, he still loved her as always. He doubted she believed it, even though he had said so.
His poor mother, banned from Heaven, condemned to pain and illness solely for being human.
“What are you thinking about, Gabriel?”
“About my mother. About how she can’t be free from suffering.”
Uriel passed a feather from her wings over his cheeks, brushing a tear away.
“Do not worry Gabriel. Many years ago, the Phoenix brought the mother of a mortal with whom he had merged to come live in Heaven. In thanks for his service, He allowed it.”
Gabriel looked at her with a smile that covered his whole face.
“And my father, who suffers in Hell? Would God permit him to come here too?”
“Why not? The only thing that He would ask in return is that you carry out His Word.”
Gabriel was very distracted for the rest of their trip through Heaven. He could only think about one thing: The possibility of saving his parents.
Finally, they arrived at a giant polyhedron of stone devoid of windows. Uriel went towards one of the walls and sang a brief melody. A piece of stone vanished, leaving a perfect threshold outlined for them to cross.
When they entered, Gabriel saw that they were inside a library. Each of the walls of the room had rolls of parchment from floor to ceiling, the cases so tall that he could hardly see the angels that flew among the uppermost shelves. They passed through door after door, each one guarded by a pair of angels with spears taller than they were. Their faces remained looking ahead without turning for even a moment to glimpse their illustrious visitors.