Hell's Gate: Awakening - Book One

by C. A. Greyson

  After the second round of calls, she ripped the phone from her bag. She relaxed realizing it was Daniel. “Hello,” she sang happily. His low rumble was welcoming, “Hey, sorry about calling so late, how are you holding up?” She felt touched that he would ask. After they had left Matilda’s he pulled off the road and asked her what was wrong. She must have been really bad at hiding her emotions, but it felt great to tell someone what had happened.

  “It’s okay, it’s only eleven. Have you heard anything else about Lain?” she asked hopefully. “I’ve called the relatives again and Matilda this morning, they haven’t seen her at all,” he muttered, “Sorry, I’m trying my best. We just keep coming up empty handed.” “It’s okay, I was hoping someone had seen her.” She sighed heavily. Well, back to square one. At this point, she was beginning to wonder if they ever would know.

  They sat on the phone for a minute before both of them spoke at the same time. Celeste laughed, “It’s okay, go ahead.” She heard his laughter on the other end, “I was wondering if you wanted to go catch a movie sometime.” Celeste knew better than to agree, it was stupid to think she would be over John in a week. Then her mind shifted to Lain. She would have to fly out next week and the longer they sat around and did nothing, the less likely they were to locate her.

  “As much as I’d love to, I can’t right now,” she said. “I know,” he interrupted, “I’ll help to find her as much as I can. I meant after all of this is over, and you have time to heal.” She couldn’t hide the grin in her voice, “You know what, that sounds really good.”

  They talked about meeting up the following day, and she hung up. Her phone went off again and she glanced down at the screen. She ground her jaw in annoyance and slammed the phone into the charger in the kitchen. Screw him─ she would talk with John tomorrow. Celeste walked back to her room and snuggled down into the comforter.

  * * *

  John set down the phone and rubbed his hands over his face several times. This wasn’t good. He needed her at her best before she went back to Japan. They all did. It wasn’t long until the harvest moon. He looked at the calendar on his phone. Nine days. And with his next trip to the City of Souls for the final part of the binding spell, it wasn’t going to last a week if she were to be awakened. He only hoped that Scott had enough common sense to keep Celeste busy. At least long enough to get the height of the spell and trap the demon within her again.

  It had worked year after year, and he was able to keep the part of her alive that was still good and pure. Question was, how long? He growled in frustration. Wasn’t that always the question? Mitsuko had phased, and it would be a few days before she would return from Heaven. He always hated waiting on her to come back.

  “You ready?” John spun and found Michael standing in his living room. “You know, privacy is generally something I like to keep.” Michael snickered and jabbed John in the side with his elbow, “I know she’s gone, remember? I still have access to Heaven.” John stared hard at him, “This isn’t a game, do you have any idea what Messiah would do if he knew we were cheating fate?” Michael ignored him and walked out of his human form, his skin a beacon of light.

  John shielded his eyes as the sigils systematically wrapped around Michael’s body. John’s eyes barely had time to adjust before he felt Michael grip his forearm. “Yes, Uriel. I am aware.” John cringed, knowing that he had crossed the line. Of course Michael knew the pain of going against Messiah. Michael looked down to John, his lavender gaze unmoving. Tears gathered and fell down his face, his human body recoiling against Michael’s purity.

  “Uriel, are you certain?” John ground his teeth at hearing his given name again, but inclined his head. The sigil snaked from Michael’s arm and wrapped his own shoving its way beneath his skin. The pain was so blinding he nearly lost consciousness, but he maintained eye contact, he knew the rules. If it was lost, he would be eliminated instead of thrown into the Æther and reborn into the City of Souls. Excalibur flashed in Michael’s right hand, a millisecond later, the sword was thrust forward impaling John through his chest. Dying never was easy, his human form screamed in agony as he fell to his knees. Michael never let him go, the incantation bubbling from his lips. The lavender from Michael’s eyes faded as the barrier came into view. In seconds, he was alone and The Great Divide loomed before him.

  * * *

  15 coming home

  Celeste stared out the side of the plane as the flaps on the Boeing 747 extended for flight. The sound always comforted her, even though it meant eleven hours of travel. She had made the first three hours from Dallas to Los Angeles OK. Her father had chosen to take an earlier flight. He had to be to a Tuesday night prep meeting before talking with Yamamoto-san on Wednesday morning. She eased back into her chair and waited while everyone took their seat. It was nice being seated by the window. She wouldn’t have to move when the plane filled. The downside was the bathroom breaks halfway through the flight.

  “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” Celeste looked up, startled to find Daniel smiling down at her. “Hey,” she exclaimed. He chuckled and sat down. “Didn’t expect to see me, did you?” he asked. She laughed and shook her head, “I can definitely say that I did not see this coming. What happened? I thought you couldn’t go.” Celeste asked. She had told Daniel about the trip, and invited him to join her. He was starting to become a really close friend. And selfishly, she wanted someone near that knew what she had been through. Her mind wandered to a few weeks ago. At least the dreams had stopped. She hadn’t had a vision in almost a month. Dr. Heisman was right─ the new medication was definitely helping.

  “Well, I talked it over with Mike and he’ll be fine for a week, I needed a vacation anyway,” Daniel said. Mike, as she had come to find out, was Daniel’s partner. That explained why he had to take the call when she went to search the cave for Lain. Celeste really was at a loss, Lain had vanished off the face of the Earth. They had made all the usual spots that Celeste could think of, even abandoned children centers, foster care, and local shelters. No one had seen Lain. The thought of the little girl wandering the streets alone was devastating. That wasn’t really what was bothering her, and she knew it. The real thing that bothered here, was that she would never see the little girl again. Her pancakes she had eaten that morning suddenly didn’t seem so good in her stomach.

  When she last called Lain’s foster parents, they were quick to get off of the phone and made up some lame story about Lain staying with family. Daniel and Mike had done a background check on Lain and she had no living relatives. In fact, Celeste had checked into Lain’s story about her parents and found out it was completely false. She was adopted as a baby, meaning she had never even known her family. Why the girl had chosen to lie to Celeste about her past was beyond her.

  Lain must have felt embarrassed to not know her past. She could relate to that, but Celeste had long since accepted it for what it was. That still didn’t excuse the foster parents for beating Lain─ that much Celeste knew was true. It just went to show that you never really know someone, even when you thought you did. The most important thing right now was to find Lain and get her home as soon as possible. She prayed for the thousandth time that nothing bad had happened. Celeste really didn’t want to leave. Her father was kind enough to hire several private detectives to help Mike with the case. And more than likely ease her mind. Celeste suspected that Daddy had something to do with Daniel being here. He never had made it a secret that he disliked John, now she knew why. Good riddance.

  “Hmm?” Daniel asked, leaning toward her. “I didn’t say anything,” she said. “Oh, no, I was wondering why you sighed.” She beamed at him and shook her head, “it’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” The announcer came over the intercom and told everyone to direct their attention to the screens in front of them for a short film. She watched the first few seconds as it thanked the passengers for choosing their airline and then started explaining emergency exists before her mind wandered to last week.


  It was so amazing to see Anna again, even if it was just for a short time. They left on bizarre terms, but she felt good knowing that they were at least talking again. She felt her pocket vibrate and pulled out her cell phone. Speak of the Devil, she mused.

  “Hey Anna, I’m so glad you called. I was just thinking of you,” Celeste said. There was a crackling of static on the other end, and then silence. “Hello?” Anna’s voice finally came through, “…can you hear me?” Celeste grinned before answering─ “Now I can. Hey, Anna.”

  She was reminded that they were about to take off as the engines roared to life on either side of the plane. “Celeste, I need to talk with you. I went by your house, but you weren’t there. Where are you?” Anna asked. The engines were so loud now that Celeste had to cover her right ear to hear Anna. “Hey, I’m sorry. I wish I could see you this week, but I can’t. I have to fly out to Tokyo with Daddy and do a translating job for him. Negotiations went really well last week, so he just needs me there to finish up the contract.” Anna started breaking up, all she could hear were a few words.

  “No….it’s……can’t go…” the call dropped and she stared at the phone. The flight attendant walked past and politely asked that she switch off her phone. Celeste nodded and pushed the power button, stuffing it back into her pocket. She would have to call Anna back, and there was no way around it. She clasped at the ring in her pocket. It was the last thing Anna had left behind before she leaped from Celeste’s balcony. It was a dainty white gold band. She had never seen it worn by Anna before. The band was a delicate in size, yet it was beaten. It looked ancient─ it was at least a hundred years old. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, she just felt it resonate within the metal. There was a small inscription on the inside, but it was so tiny that Celeste couldn’t make it out. She was saving it to give back to Anna the next time she saw her. The cabin pressure popped her ears and she chewed gum in her mouth to keep them from hurting. She always hated take-offs.

  * * *

  Celeste stretched and kneaded her back as they walked down the hall from the plane. No matter how many times she made that flight, she could never get used to it. Inevitably by the eighth or ninth hour she was pacing the plane or going to the restroom just to get out of her chair. Thank goodness for the chair exercises they showed you at the end of the flight─ it really helped keep her sane.

  She stopped off by the restroom and Daniel continued down the hall to the men’s. If it was one thing she adored about Japan, it was the heated seats on the toilet, especially when in the comfort of a hotel room. She couldn’t wait to snuggle with her pillow. It was a shame that it was only seven o’clock in the morning here. Jetlag sucked. She walked out to see Daniel waiting on her and they followed the large crowd of people to the arrivals gate. He looked around at all the people and turned to her. She could tell that he felt out of place. Daniel was taller than six feet─ he towered over most people, especially people here. The announcement came on and the shuttle train was there a few minutes later. Narita airport was packed at just about any time of year, but they lucked out since it was the off season. He held her hand as everyone shuffled onto the train. She gave it a squeeze and smiled up at him.

  The first time she had visited Japan by herself, especially compared to travel in Texas, Celeste remembered that the bustle of the city could get a little overwhelming. Daniel would adjust after the first few days but it definitely would take some getting used to. They made it to the terminal two station and then she steered Daniel toward customs. Celeste thankfully would not have to go through that since she had dual citizenship. It tickled her when her and her father came to Japan. He always had to wait through a long customs line and Celeste breezed through. It was a shame they were very strict about dual citizenship. The only reason she got away with it, was the fact that she was born in Japan and had not known her real parents. She got around it with that loophole and anytime they politely reminded her to choose citizenship, they would hand her a new one and send her on her way.

  It wasn’t so bad waiting on Daniel, she was able to exchange money and get their Suica card. It was virtually unheard of not to have the smart cards─ they were used for just about everything. Especially travel. She couldn’t remember the last time she really needed cash in the city─ other than restaurants and when she went to more rural areas. Celeste returned to the arrival gate and found Daniel searching for her. It was nice to be back in a place that she didn’t have to jump over another person. She stepped forward and waved to him.

  * * *

  16 the great divide

  John wheezed as he held onto his sides. It never got old, crossing The Great Divide, he would give it that. He stumbled forward, taking the long trek to the front gates. The city was as inviting as ever, with golden spires that reached into a perpetually clear sky. The pristine white towers climbed unrealistic heights and tapered off to fine points that rose above the four spires. The Grey Wall, that separated the actual city from the forested area, was covered in clouds of what appeared to be fuzzy moss. But he knew what those were─ the City of Souls was on high alert. Someone from the Abyss must have triggered an alarm. From time to time a wandering spirit was able to breach through The Great Divide and crawl into the city.

  For the most part, you could not tell a heavenly human spirit from a creature of the Abyss. They both appeared as wisps that glided next to the Angel of Death. The only difference was the markings on their flesh. The creatures from the Abyss’s markings were dark like the inky blots from the heavenly human spirit, and they looked nearly identical, except for one very important difference. The Abyss spirit had the marking ingrained into the flesh, whereas the heavenly spirit had the markings purged from their skin. These skin tattoos would be washed from the heavenly human body and they were free to enter. The souls that were Abyss bound, however, were turned away and would wander. They would join with the River of the Dead that surrounded the outskirts of the city, and trickle down the side of the steep edge. This waterfall that fell from the City of Souls joined with a sister city that dwelled beneath.

  Both floating bodies of land were joined by a thin bridge that could only be crossed by Azrael and Messiah itself. It was said, from the Lost Scrolls, that a series of three tests were conducted to find the value of the spirit. Ages ago, he turned his nose up at the pathetic souls that clawed their way up and tried to hold ground in Purgatory. He was callous─ placing bets on those that he knew would dissipate into the trenches, lost to the River of the Dead forever. There were a lucky few that became minions and warriors for the Abyss and sent to the next plane of existence. He would laugh at those that were victorious in their tasks and were rewarded with a second chance at life. Several made it to the top, but their minds would forget why they were there, and inevitably they would return back the way they came into the river. Only two in the last several thousand years were able to finally breach the top. John had laughed then. Now he would give anything for a chance to have a life beside his beloved and join Michael, his brother, in battle.

  He was soulless, and therefore predestined to die at the dreaded Re-birth. It was his ultimate punishment for forsaking his Arc, and his Messiah to be with a woman beyond the Purge. Once a soul had passed from the River of the Dead to the Gates of Abaddon, they were within the sub-realm of the Abyss and the worlds beyond their own. The Purge, much like The Great Divide, prevented a soul from returning to the river and back to Purgatory. It was a one-way ticket, or so he thought─ until he spoke with Azrael. The Angel of Death.

  John discovered that if he were to sever his wings, he could be granted a place on Earth. The cost? Was one soul. He always laughed it off, wondering why any Angel would choose to do that. Now John knew that there was a reason for everything. There was a rumor, a strong one─ that Angel and human alike would perish in the Re-Birth. It was something the Angel’s did not like to speak of. Absolute obedience was expected, and therefore faith became a way of life among the Angels. They were ever-hopeful
that Messiah would protect them from The Great Destroyer.

  The Destroyer was placed for balance in all existence. The ultimate neutral being. Its name was highly deceptive. The Great Destroyer did not have the end say, however. It was a grievous error to think that, as the Morning Star soon discovered before Its fall from Heaven. Beyond The Unknown and the Eternal Darkness Ring, it was rumored that The Destroyer resided as one of the Four Beings of Counsel. The knowledge of the beings were part of the forbidden library in The Unknown and therefore, only the protectors of Heaven knew what the scrolls meant. He had lost all memory, but Michael had been very adamant that their decision for the end to come was absolute in all realms. John suspected, like many others in the fold, that Messiah had split Itself into the four beings to protect balance. This would explain his absence in Heaven for all of these years. The throne was occupied by Messiah, yes, but he was very sure that it was a rouse for the Abyss to buy into. Everyone sensed it, even the humans. War was coming.

  It was vague, but John still remembered the first time his eyes had opened into existence. He saw the glow that filled every space. Felt the presence of every breath and facet of life. And though he could never fully understand the omniscient beings, he could begin to see why there existed a need for balance. It was a failsafe for disaster─ should an uprising occur and beings began destroying one another. According to Azrael, it had been put into action once many eons ago. It made John wonder what Azrael had seen, and how he remained when others perished. Most importantly, why? How many ends had The Angel of Death seen?