by Jorge Silva
When he asked why there was so much security, the archangel explained that this place was one of the most important in Heaven, and that they had to protect it from Lucifer’s allies.
“Lucifer’s allies? Here in Heaven?” asked Gabriel.
“Sometimes an angel will return from the Realm of the mortals with doubts about His Word, prompted by the corruption caused by matter, or perhaps by the darkness caused by the absence of the Light of Heaven.”
After walking through innumerable hallways, making a hundred and one turns, Gabriel understood that the library was a labyrinth. Before he could ask Uriel why they were there, their journey ended in a room with no exit.
Just like the rest of the rooms, it had scrolls covering every one of its walls, but there was also a stone cube in the middle. Gabriel had already learned that these were what amounted to a chair in Heaven. Created entirely with right angles, just like everything in this Realm, and made without backs in order to accommodate wings. Made of the same stone as the floor, out of which it emerged like the trunk of a tree.
Uriel invited him to sit, and Gabriel waited as she spoke with one of the angels. The angel left the room and returned with a number of scrolls which Uriel then placed in Gabriel’s hands. He began to read one of them. He stopped and looked silently at the archangel.
What he had just read described his journey to Heaven, including his questions and Uriel’s replies.
He took the other scroll and saw that everything was written there. The battles with the Shadows, the meeting with Tiberias, the beating from Nick in the bathroom.
“This library records on its scrolls everything that befalls the subjects of this Realm. Every instant of your life since you merged with the Phoenix has been written in one of these scrolls.”
Gabriel read some things that he had never told anyone. Events of his life that embarrassed him. Things that he had considered private. Everything was there. Beginning from the day of the dream.
Whoever had written these knew about everything that had occurred around him, things that even he didn’t know. How his mother cried, hidden in the bathroom, exhausted by Gabriel’s cruel words. And, so it was, he discovered he wasn’t the only one who had suffered since the death of his father. He felt his throat tighten.
“But who wrote all of this?”
“Who? No one, Gabriel. The words appear as the events unfold.”
Gabriel hadn’t been particularly impressed by the geography or architecture of Otherworld. Even with its giant proportions it had appeared too monotone and bare. But the idea that his recent history, and that of the rest of the inhabitants of Otherworld, was recorded without anyone needing to write it, that indeed took him by surprise.
“This,” said Uriel, passing him another scroll, “is the reason why I brought you to the library. Read it at your leisure. I’ll be back soon.”
Uriel approached him, eyes still closed, kissed his forehead, and left him alone in the room.
Gabriel began to read.
Azrael arrived by the grace of his powerful grey wings.
She was seated on Her throne.
Although Azrael had seen Lucifer before, he never ceased to be amazed by Her beauty. She was the most beautiful thing in Creation, there was no doubt about it. The clothes She wore that day were covered in flower petals in every color with which She had used to populate Her Realm.
Azrael had to take a breath before he was able to speak.
“I’ve come for Gabriel,” he said finally, after which a silence fell.
Lucifer smiled, and Her beauty became truly incomparable.
“You come to my dominion, accompanied only by your faithful sword, to ask that I hand over one of the Seven to you?”
“Exactly,” said Azrael, while he gripped the hilt of his sword more firmly.
Lucifer closed Her eyes.
“Go find him. He is free to leave whenever he wishes. He’s in his room, to your left.”
As he walked towards Gabriel’s room, Azrael began to prepare himself. He didn’t believe that Lucifer was going to hand him over so easily.
While the Throne Room of Yahweh was made of lifeless white, grey, and black stone, Lucifer’s palace, called Gehenna, was the opposite. Its walls were trees with their branches interwoven; its floor was the fertile soil in which She had deposited all of Her hopes.
When he passed close to the palace guards they tightened the grip on their spears, and their bodies tensed visibly. They knew what Azrael was capable of.
The Archangel of Death was the most feared by Lucifer’s armies. It was he who had made them disappear from the face of their Realm. Nonetheless, if She needed their protection, they would come to Her aid without waiting for Her order. Azrael couldn’t help but admire them for that.
He saw the Archangel of Mercy sitting on a cube, writing on a parchment. He had his back to Azrael and was so focused on what he was doing that he only realized he was not alone when his sibling spoke.
“Gabriel, I’ve come for you.”
“Azrael, is it really you?” Gabriel asked, lifting his head. “Without doubt He chose wisely who to send. But, is it necessary?”
“It is necessary,” Azrael replied, nearly whispering.
Gabriel left the parchment on the cube and stood, without turning around. “Carry out your mission. I have never opposed you. I won’t do it now.” Closing his eyes, he whispered, “No, not even now.”
Azrael approached the archangel and paused for a few moments, before his hand became a raging fire.
The screams were heard in every corner of all the Realms. Each feather that was ripped out was a heartrending cry from Gabriel. Azrael wept in silence while, with his flaming hand, he tore the wings from his brother.
When there was no longer a single feather on Gabriel’s back, Azrael took some of them from the floor and gripped them in his hand. Where Gabriel had been, there was nothing more than a blackened stain.
Lucifer came into the room.
“What have you done? This isn’t what Gabriel told me Yahweh would send you to do.” She said, attempting to keep calm.
“What seemed the right thing,” said Azrael, still kneeling where he had obliterated the being who had been closest to him in all Creation.
Azrael stood up, approached Lucifer, and kissed Her forehead. He put one of Gabriel’s remaining feathers in Her hand and he left without looking back, his bloody hand still grasping one of the archangel’s feathers.
Gabriel, crying, read the rest of the scrolls that Uriel had left for him. In each one of them, Azrael and the Archangel Gabriel had been companions. Brothers. Friends.
Why had Azrael betrayed him?
9
Uriel returned and put a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder; once again, she caressed his face with one of her wings.
“I hope that the reading has convinced you of who are your allies, and who are your enemies.”
As they left the library, the archangel explained that she would leave him alone for a few moments as she attended an audience with Yahweh.
With a gesture of her hand she called a pair of angels who flew towards them and then bowed before her.
“Guard the Phoenix. I will be back soon,” Uriel told them, before flying toward Yahweh’s palace.
The angels remained standing at Gabriel’s side, with their eyes fixed forward and their spears in hand.
“Why are you all identical?” he asked.
The angels turned their heads to look at him in unison.
“It is as He ordained,” they said, facing forward again. Their behavior reminded him quite a bit of automatons, and he suddenly felt the difference between angels and humans acutely.
He sighed, feeling that many of his questions still hadn’t been answered clearly.
“Something to do with His Word?”
Before they could reply the angels knelt, and Gabriel saw Uriel flying back to them at an impressive speed. Had she gone to the Throne Room and come back in so little
time? Without landing, she took his hand and spoke to him as they ascended toward the dome’s edge.
“He has decreed a summoning of the Heptagon, below in Purgatory. He has finally decided to purify Creation of Lucifer’s disorder.”
They crossed through the membrane that protected Heaven from the wind and cold outside and they descended together, holding hands, from the heights of Heaven to Purgatory.
Gabriel recalled how he had gone skydiving a year earlier with his father. It was one of the things that he wanted to do before dying. His father had been proud that Gabriel hadn’t hesitated when it came time to throw themselves out of the plane.
He saw that Uriel opened her wings a few meters before touching the ground and he did the same. Both landed smoothly on their feet. Gabriel felt that he already had complete control of his new appendages and he imagined flying from his house to his school. Above all he imagined Emily’s face if she could see him arriving to class like this.
He saw a stone building with seven sides; it was similar to the library, but much smaller. Outside of it there were groups of angels speaking among themselves. Uriel explained that the Heptagon was a council that only the Seven Archangels could enter. Those present in Otherworld had already been called to meet here.
Upon entering, he saw three seated figures, each on a cube that was slightly different than the one before it. He recognized one of them. Azrael was sitting on a grey cube, the same color as his armor. He noticed that Azrael’s hands were immobilized by a shining chain very similar to the one that he had seen tied around Tiberias. He was the only one present who didn’t have wings. Gabriel looked away from him before their eyes could meet.
Uriel indicated a white cube for him to sit on while she sat on one made of amber, the same as the one in Temple of the Light.
“He has ordered this Heptagon with the objective of planning the pre-emptive attack against Lucifer,” she said, as everyone sat in silent attention.
Before they entered, Uriel had told him the names of those in attendance, as well as the color of the cube on which each of them would be seated. Azrael, Archangel of Death; Raphael, Archangel of Restoration; and Cerviel, Archangel of Dominion.
Gabriel looked at them and remembered Azrael’s words; one of the Seven was Mr. Galen. Unfortunately, He didn’t know his teacher true name, so Gabriel couldn’t be sure if he was there. He also didn’t know if he was an ally, or a traitor.
Cerviel took the floor. His armor was dark and over his broad shoulders fell hair that was completely grey. His eyes were so black that they appeared to absorb the light and, strangely, his pupils were white. He reminded Gabriel of the monotonous appearance of Yahweh’s Realm.
“I don’t understand why this human is in our Heptagon. Carrying the Phoenix doesn’t make him worthy of being here.”
“It isn’t necessary that we understand,” said Uriel, without the smile that Gabriel had become accustomed to seeing. “He has decided it is so.”
“Just like the rest of you, I was comrade to the Archangel Gabriel for eons and I recognize his presence in the boy,” said Raphael from his emerald cube. Like Gabriel, he was the only other among those present who didn’t wear armor, just a simple white tunic that covered him completely. With his creased face and bony hands, it was he that seemed the eldest, although Gabriel knew that appearances in Otherworld were only reflections of the soul.
“The Archangel Gabriel no longer exists,” replied Cerviel. “The Archangel of Death saw to that.”
Azrael raised his eyes and tried to look at Gabriel, who looked away.
“We should respect His Word,” said Uriel. “And He deemed Gabriel’s presence worthy, as He just revealed to me in His audience, the same in which He ordered this council.”
“Ever since the permanent absence of Michael, this hasn’t been a true Heptagon. Archangel Ramiel isn’t even here,” said Cerviel.
Gabriel now understood why the Council was closed off to the rest of the angels. The image of order and obedience that He tried to sustain didn’t appear to reign among His closest subjects. Why didn’t His own archangels obey Him? Why didn’t He eliminate His opposition? Why have them sit and debate His decision?
This time it was Raphael who spoke. “I propose that we vote. Is this human, who carries the soul of the Phoenix, worthy of being part of the Heptagon?”
Raphael raised his hand right away, while Uriel did so with hesitation. Cerviel kept his down. Everyone turned then to Azrael, who raised his chained hands. Apparently he hadn’t lost his right to vote, despite being bound. Gabriel understood the logic of this place less and less.
“Having voted,” the words sounded bitter on Uriel’s lips. “Gabriel is accepted as a member of this Council. Now, the reason for this meeting. The destruction of the children of Lucifer.”
Gabriel remained silent even though he knew what that would mean. He felt rage at the ease with which she spoke about destroying his species. But something told him that now wasn’t the moment to parade around his own humanity.
“Finally! It’s something we should have done at Armageddon,” said Cerviel, laughing and throwing his head back, revealing a neck whose thickness made Gabriel think of a bull.
“Even though they were created by Lucifer, I don’t like the idea of exterminating the human race,” replied Raphael, his green eyes shining with powerful emotion, even though he spoke calmly.
“I’ll possess a body, and with all of the legions of angels I’ll go from city to city exterminating the humans,” suggested Cerviel. “Raphael should also come down to the Realm of humans, to heal the wounds of the celestial hosts.”
Gabriel strained to understand the debate among the archangels. They referred to terms that he didn’t know, subtleties that he missed, and events that happened before his world even existed.
What Gabriel did understand was the reason why God had decided to attack the humans again. The Phoenix that he contained was the reason. The only being in Creation who could visit any Realm at will, bringing with him whomever he wished.
“Now that the Phoenix has returned,” he heard Uriel say. “We have to eradicate Lucifer from Creation, before She can use him to bring Her armies to Otherworld.”
“Are we certain this is Lucifer’s plan?” asked Raphael.
“I don’t care to wait and find out,” said Cerviel, clenching his fist, making the armor of his gauntlet resound.
Azrael did not speak. Perhaps, as a prisoner, he didn’t have the right to open his mouth.
There would be time later to ask him about his betrayal.
Gabriel recalled that in Otherworld, night didn’t exist. However, he was certain that he had been sitting on this cube for more than a day.
He felt neither hungry nor tired, something that he attributed to his body being quite far away from him, in the Realm of humans.
The Heptagon was still divided on the subject of exterminating the human race. Uriel and Cerviel were in agreement that it was the best strategy in the war against Lucifer. Azrael and Raphael were opposed.
Gabriel was trying to think of arguments to defend humanity when Uriel spoke up.
“How dare you disobey what He commanded?”
“He ordered this council to debate the attack. If He had simply wanted to give us the order and be done with the human race He would have done so. After all, He already tried that once,” replied Raphael. “He considers the stance of each archangel valid on this point.”
Suddenly all four archangels rose their heads at the same time, as though they had heard a noise. Gabriel watched as Cerviel got to his feet.
“I’ll take care of it,” he said, while he made a giant black hammer appear in his hands.
“You should take Gabriel,” suggested Uriel.
The Archangel of Dominion indicated that Gabriel should follow him. Gabriel was happy to have an excuse to leave the room, whatever the reason.
“There’s a revolt provoked by some angels who have decided to ally themsel
ves with Lucifer.”
Before leaving the Heptagon, he turned and looked at Gabriel.
“We’ll demonstrate why that isn’t a good idea.”
Cerviel opened the doors and, as soon as Gabriel walked out, shut them again, leaning his back against the doors.
Before them were a hundred angels with spears in their hands, lit up as though they were torches. Nonetheless, when they saw Cerviel, they all took a step back.
“In this Realm we don’t tolerate treason,” said the archangel, with a smile. Even though it was an expression that Gabriel had seen on Azrael and Uriel, on Cerviel it seemed completely different. This coldness he had only seen in Shadows, and he felt a chill crawl up his back.
Leaping forward, the Archangel of Dominion swung his hammer in a single horizontal movement. Gabriel saw the ten closest angels fly like rag dolls, some even split in half.
The rest began their attack and Gabriel was terrified to see a group coming straight for where he was standing, still with the door to his back.
Cerviel looked at him with the same grim smile as before, while he destroyed the angels that flew at him. When he noticed that Gabriel still hadn’t moved, he shouted, “What are you waiting for? Call on your sword!”
Gabriel looked down at his hands. He understood what the archangel meant, but he didn’t know how to do it. Cerviel wouldn’t get to where Gabriel was in time to protect him from the angels who were flying to attack him.
The Archangel of Dominion took one of the spears from his fallen opponents and he threw it towards Gabriel. He caught it with one hand and with the other he grabbed the wrist of the angel who was about to hit him. Without a thought, he ran his attacker through with the spear. As it exited through his back, he eliminated another angel with its flaming point.