Artificial Light (Evolution of Angels Book 3)

by Wall, Nathan

  “No.” Hermes shook his head. His smile said he was at ease. His wide eyes told a different story. “Continue.”

  “We let him live on the condition he bring us information about the other factions who have and were yet to visit. Were we wrong?”

  “Very useful. Be sure to follow up post haste.” Raphael snapped his fingers at Uriel. “Go ahead. On with what you’ve found.”

  “Souls wandering Earth have spoken of a being who can absorb them. They’ve seen it do so to others.” Uriel paused as if contemplating. “We’re not sure what to believe, as a soul’s conscious understanding of reality is warped after death, but we can’t ignore the rumors.”

  “And the fear is Azrael is back and pissed off. That’s the rumblings I’ve heard, anyway.” Set noticed Raphael scowl as he swallowed. Maybe there was some truth to the rumors. “Could he have disrupted the Light of Souls?”

  “We considered that possibility,” Raphael said, nodding. “But some among us are hesitant to...”

  “Michael. Right?” Set grinned, unsurprised. The Archangels were a predictable bunch.

  “There’s no telling what sort of alliances the former Corners have made. Be careful of where you tread and how much you believe from this informant. Remember, he is a coward and a liar.” Raphael seemed too adamant to actually believe his own statement. “The skirmish in the human city of Moscow has been settled, and the mortals are content with their explanations of aliens and government conspiracies. The need is not to remedy that but to stop it from happening further. If this is indeed Azrael, or a horseman as Michael believes, we need to quell the cries which call him a messiah.”

  “Not all of us think we should just let the old Corners be,” Uriel said, ignoring Raphael’s scornful glares. “We cannot allow them to think they can do as they please. After all, if one Corner thinks they can send a disruptive force into our protected realm without recourse, what’s to stop the others?”

  “Nothing, wouldn’t you say so Hermes?” Set looked at his fellow Assassin, wearing a pleased expression. “You would have the inside track into Zeus’ old faction, would you not? How big of a problem could that spoiled whore Maya be? Unless you see a reason you couldn’t bring us by for a visit?”

  “I can’t think of any,” Hermes said, clenching his jaw tightly.

  “We don’t want you venturing too far off the path. The most important objective is to find who is absorbing the stray souls, and if indeed it is Azrael returned.” Raphael stood, clasping his fingers over the back of the chair as he pushed it in. “Your instructions are in the crystal. You leave at once.”

  Raphael snapped his fingers. The three Assassins were sucked into a pink blast of light and placed in the middle of a grass field. Large snowcapped mountains surrounded them on three sides and a slow-moving river cut through the field on their other side. Wind, fierce and crisp, nibbled at their noses. Set looked at the crystal. The pink storm inside produced lightning and fire within its clear shell.

  “What does it say?” Sif asked, stepping over a pile of ox dung. She stood behind Set, trying to look at the crystal. “Why did you not tell them Svarog believed the man to be Death?”

  “Would it matter if it was?” Set replied. “We’re here now. Our mission would be no different. Why worry them with small things when clearly there are other issues to attend to? The mission remains the same.”

  “I thought the importance of information was for the Archangels to decide?” Hermes smiled, cockily swaying his head. “If Azrael has returned, destroying an Archangel is no easy task.”

  “I wouldn’t expect it to be easy either way.” Set let go of the crystal and it hovered in place. He gazed into it deeply as the storm cloud inside began to change its composition. It spoke to him and not the others—a message from his silent partner.

  “Set,” Hermes said, drifting in front of his commander, floating in the air a few feet from the ground. “Where are we to go?”

  “The crystal will lead the way.” Set looked up at Hermes and then over to Sif. Reality split open, causing the image of the mountains to twist and contort in Set’s view. A portal formed and Set motioned for Hermes and Sif to head through first. “Let’s get on with it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Observer

  Gabriel and Michael stood alone in an almost pitch black room. The only illumination came from hard light constructs formed over the control panel, shining upwards into their faces. Michael ran his hands along the various angelic symbols on the control panel. More streaks of light shot across the holographic display.

  “You’ve still not answered me,” Gabriel said while grabbing at Michael’s arm. The Archangel’s leader swiped the hand of God’s former top messenger out of the way. “Look at me.”

  “I’m busy.” Michael didn’t give as much as a glance toward his brother.

  “We get centuries of passive inaction, and now all of a sudden you decide you’re going at things solo?” Gabriel snatched Michael by the robe and pulled him away from the flashing lights. “You don’t just get to ignore me.”

  “No?” Michael’s stare was collected and unrelenting. Gabriel’s brow furrowed momentarily, obviously thinking better of his actions, and he let him go. Michael turned and continued to work, as if not giving it a second thought. “I need to focus.”

  “You’re going back out there.” Gabriel’s muted laugh reeked of frustration. This is unthinkable. He waited nearly a minute—tapping his foot repeatedly, hands interlocked at his stomach—for Michael’s response, but it didn’t come. “I take your silence as confirmation. Just another of our laws to be broken.”

  “I’m rewriting them,” Michael replied softly and emotionlessly. “The Light of Souls is down for a reason...”

  “Let’s fix it,” Gabriel interrupted. His eyes scanned the holographic projection sprouting up around him. The tactile holographic objects manifested by the control panel moved out of his path as he walked towards Michael. He leaned in front of Michael to block his view. “Is your mind present?”

  “It’s not as simple as fixing it.” Michael’s shoulders sank under the burden. He sighed and rubbed the tired lines away from his face with the back of his hand. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to continue.”

  “Continue to do what?” The wheels were spinning in Gabriel’s head. His eyes widened with the unthinkable realization. “You cannot be a collector again.” Gabriel slammed his hand onto the control panel and typed feverishly to counter Michael’s programming. Michael grabbed Gabriel by the wrists and shoved him back.

  “I’m all that remains of the reapers.” Michael’s arms trembled while pinning Gabriel’s arms above his head and into the wall. The herald of God tried feverishly to resist, but it was futile. Sweat poured down Gabriel’s brow and webs of saliva connected his teeth. Michael’s breathing labored yet remained steady. His eyes narrowed. “I collected souls before, and I did it for a long time. I can do it again. At least until the problem is found.” He relaxed his grip just a tad but Gabriel tried to spring forward, so he tightened the reins once again. “I’d like to release you. Holding you here wastes my time and achieves nothing on your behalf. You can work with me, but you won’t stop me.”

  “Fine,” Gabriel sighed, nodding. Michael cocked his eyebrow before finally letting go. Gabriel straightened himself out as if embarrassed.

  Michael returned to the panel and scanned his fingers over the lights. The room hissed with a release of air when Michael finished his programming. The black walls, which projected the vast nothingness of space in front them, opened. Michael raised his hands and cast them forward. The hard-light objects he created flowed out and into the cosmos. He positioned them at various spots among the galactic bodies by simply moving his hands.

  “There were two of you last time, Michael,” Gabriel said faintly. Regret and sorrow filled his eyes.

  “I remember.”

  “You saw what it did to him...”

  “What we did.
” Michael snapped his head around. Gabriel’s lips sealed. Michael leaned over the control panel. His hands clamped over the edges. “The programming for the Light of Souls has been corrupted since nearly the beginning.”

  “How is that possible?” Gabriel scratched the back of his head, his brow scrunching as he looked ponderingly at the floor. That would mean a traitor. “I refuse believe it.”

  “You can see for yourself.” Michael motioned to the control panel. “I don’t think it was just Charon’s massive rift overhaul or the figure stealing lost souls. If I’m guilty of anything, it’s not keeping a closer eye on the small details, and resting on my laurels since the Last Great War.”

  “What you’re alluding to simply cannot be,” Gabriel whispered, looking around as he stepped closer to Michael.

  “It wasn’t impossible for Father’s greatest and most powerful creation to rebel, or for his favored children to lose their way.” Michael looked back out at the cosmic power of the universe. The galaxies swirled in unison, melding as their outer portions touched one another. Small cosmic explosions lit up parts of their view. Stars collided and then formed new celestial entities. It was like watching a billion years in the span of seconds. “Souls have been siphoned for eons. It’s not just been recently. I’m happy for the Assassins to be on the hunt for this imposter, but the problem with the Light of Souls was written into the code long before this soul stealer arrived. We’ve been played, and there’s no telling how powerful the other side has become.”

  “So you’re leaving?” Gabriel stood in front of Michael, blocking his path out and into the Milky Way galaxy. The canvas on the wall before them zoomed in on a swirl in the center of the universe. “You reveal this to me and expect what?”

  “There are souls who still need rescuing,” Michael said, casting a trustful look at Gabriel. “They’re still promised a home here, and no one else can do it. The one thing I can say for sure is that our Light of Souls and the artificial one which has been draining the lost are connected. If one has been shut down, the other has, and if we’re this on edge about it then they certainly are. Their whole plan has been discovered and they know it.”

  “Who is going to find them?” Gabriel asked.

  Michael smiled, placing a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “You are.”

  “Why me?” Gabriel looked down in shame, unable to make eye contact with Michael. I feel not worthy. “With the way we’ve bickered since longer than I care to remember, what makes you still trust me?”

  “Because you’re still my brother,” Michael said, stepping into space. His Aurascales manifested around his body. He turned and his eagle-faced helmet glistened in the sun. “And through it all, I still believe you to be the best of us.”

  Michael vanished into a solar flare and the room sealed shut once again. Gabriel stood alone in the darkness. He walked over to the control panel to analyze the work Michael had left behind: a code for Gabriel to follow. He lowered his hand to the control panel and a crystal popped out. Gabriel waved his hand over the crystal and it floated up into the air to meet his fingers. When he grasped the crystal, his armor manifested and absorbed the stone’s data.

  Sound your beacon to all realms but Heaven, the recording said. Keep this secret. The call will rattle the Corners and root out the imposter. Keep a watchful eye on those around you. If they’ve alliances beyond these borders, they will be contacted.

  Gabriel fell to his knees. Tears collected in the corner of his eye. Forgive me Father, for I’ve been spiteful and blind in my rage. The scarlet flare of his aurascales turned into a deep merlot and then a bright vermilion. Gradually the luminescence of the armor strengthened. Heed my call, oh brothers and sisters. Hear my trumpet sound. May the symphony of God almighty capture your hearts and overcome your thoughts. Be drawn home.

  The door to the chamber opened behind Gabriel. Raphael walked in with the remaining Archangels. Gabriel looked over his shoulder. His faceguard retracted and the aurascales returned to their normal hue and glow.

  “Where’s Michael?” Raphael asked with an uneasy look. “What were you doing?”

  “That’s privileged information,” Gabriel replied, trying to move past him.

  “We’re privileged,” Raphael said, nodding at Zedkiel and Chamuel. They stopped Gabriel in his tracks. A sheepish grin momentarily twitched across his face before his lips pursed. “More secrets?”

  “Now we find ourselves in a predicament.” Gabriel shoved the two out of his way and Uriel, his first lieutenant and heir to be herald, stepped in front of him. “You as well?”

  “We’ve traveled too far to still be keeping secrets.” Uriel cast his eyes away from Gabriel with shame pasted on his face. “Out with it.”

  “If that’s the way it needs to be.” Gabriel stood still, sighing. “He went to collect souls. As the last remaining reaper, he’s in position to bring the believers home.”

  “Impossible,” Raphael said through his teeth. “That is against the laws. You did something to him.”

  “As if I, or any we know, could.” Gabriel pointed at the control panel. “Check the laws for yourself.”

  “Even if the laws were changed, he will wear himself thin.” Raphael stepped away from Gabriel and paced anxiously. Standing next to the control panel to verify Michael’s work, Zedkiel nodded at Raphael in affirmation. “There’s no way he can do that alone.”

  “That’s why he needs us to find this imposter.” Gabriel looked at the group. They responded with their undivided attention. “We must ensure Set and the Assassins destroy this fake angel.”

  ***

  Gabriel’s faith was shaken. Not shattered or even remotely chipped, but the foundation was slipping. He’d withstood his fair share of bumps and bruises over the past several thousand earth years, but he’d always taken them in his stride. Everything was supposed to be for the greater good, for ‘Father’s will’.

  “How could he allow the Light of Souls to be corrupted?” He marched into his personal chamber. The lights activated as he made his way through the shifting halls.

  Outside the windows of the citadel—the housing for angels where he resided—stood the grand palace of the Holy Host. The golden spire fence and energy shields that formed the protective perimeter were surrounded by a river of cyan fire. The path to Saint Peter’s gate was empty, save for a few stragglers delivered by Michael’s work. Those who guarded new Zion were noticeably bored. There wasn’t much for them to do.

  He stood in his armory. Large mechanical halos rotated. They were big enough to encompass an individual twice Gabriel’s size. He stood on a catwalk and the twirling rings moved into position, spinning with him and the footway in the middle. A red light beamed from the center of the halos and his aurascales surged to the surface of his skin. He grimaced during the reversal of the process known as ‘Deliverance.’ It was a way for the angels to be shielded by their starstone without making physical contact since the aurascales had a way of forging too strong of a symbiotic relationship with their host.

  “It could be any of them,” he said aloud. “What if it was Michael?”

  No, that would be impossible. I’d sooner blame myself. The list of suspects couldn’t be too large, as the Light of Souls was only implemented after the last Great War though its conception began much sooner. The number of logical perpetrators is likely less than twenty. How many remain alive and not imprisoned? “If I accuse directly, they will become defensive and I won’t find my answers.”

  The aurascales merged with the halo, leaving Gabriel naked. He continued down a flight of metals steps and stood in front of his starstone. The smooth slate-gray material against his skin harkened to a grittier time in their existence—a time when the aurascales merged directly with their bodies and were transmitted synthetically through their system.

  “If one can violate the Light of Souls right under our watchful eye without Father stopping them, then what else can they corrupt?” he wondered aloud. “I can’t chance t
hat they’ve infiltrated the Deliverance.”

  The torso-sized starstone scanned his palm, glistening. Clamps and power cords that had been attached to the starstone unhinged, allowing it to float, and the billions of metal squares that interlocked to form the egg shape spread apart. The glow from its red core was blinding. Its powerful energy source was matched by very few. Taking a fluid form, the solid alloy adhered to his skin, merging with his subconscious and DNA. It was a cold, jagged sensation for every angel when they were reunited with their aurascales. The luminescent red gem in the center flared, causing his eyes to radiate red light in unison with its glow. The gem merged with his inner aura and vanished, his skin shining brightly before returning to its normal tone. The gray sentient armor turned red and sprouted its rigid, silver exoskeletal plating.

  “The traitor will not have access to my power,” he said, looking at his hand while the aurascales washed over his face and formed his tiger helmet. “By now the old four Corners must’ve received the sound of my call. Panic is surely setting in.” He lowered and then raised his hands, palms up, and a holographic computer materialized from the floor up. Information on all of his kin, both past and present, displayed in the fizzing field of view in front of him. He sorted the angels in order of most likely suspects.

  The first off the list was Azrael. The Light of Souls was conceived after his banishment. I was there when he was locked away.

  Zeus and his comrades were the next to be discarded with a left-swipe. It was well known that Michael had defeated them all. Gabriel was assured of such as he was present for the battle, having killed many in Zeus’ legion himself.

  “It’s possible Zeus shared information of the Light with others beneath him, but highly unlikely any of them infiltrated Heaven to insert their own code,” Gabriel murmured to himself, chewing on an index finger while he rubbed his chin with a thumb.