by Ryan Attard
What did these powerful celestial beings have to fear from someone like me?
A loud chime went off and silence fell immediately. It wasn't the human kind of silence where noise was reduced but never completely dead. This was utter silence, as if someone had switched off the very concept of noise.
In the middle of the arena two angels garbed in traditional golden armor and bearing long spears of amber fire, walked in. In between them they carried something dark, dirty and unnatural to Heaven.
Raphael.
It dawned on me, as I watched them chain the kneeling fallen angel, that this was a trial. Raphael was on his knees, with short golden chains welded to the ground and holding his arms on either side of him, preventing him from standing. The way he was struggling and snarling almost made me feel sorry for him. Murmurs sprouted in between the millions of angels watching him, which soon grew into a buzz.
The noise was once again instantly extinguished as a single angel, brighter and more powerful than anything I had ever imagined before, walked solemnly towards Raphael. I felt tears down my cheek at the sheer beauty and majesty of the newcomer—a tall proud humanoid angel, with a wingspan that disappeared into the sky until he reduced them to a manageable level and wearing lion themed armor. The noble animal was so fitting for him. No, it was as if the angel had decided to honor the lion and all it represented by choosing that motif to fit his armor.
"That is the most powerful of angels, the first of us all," Jehudiel whispered. I nodded, the lump in my throat making it impossible to form words.
The new angel walked over to Raphael and placed his hand on the latter's forehead.
"Raphael," he said in a voice that caused me instant bliss and heartbreak all at once. "By the power granted to me by our venerated Father, I hereby strip thee of all thy Virtue."
Raphael wasn't playing along with that Shakespeare crap.
"Go fuck yourself," he snarled. Then he swept his gaze on all of us, the spectators of his shaming. "All of you, go fuck yourselves. Do you have any idea what is out there, beyond the brightness of our world?"
His sulfur-yellow eyes singled me out from the crowd and he spat on the ground in my direction. "Do you have any idea how corrupt his world is? Even his presence here is enough to stir hatred inside me. Soon you will be like him, abandoned by our Father." He looked upwards and screamed.
"Our pathetic helpless Father, who remains impotent when his children suffer."
Raphael heaved and looked at the majestic angel beside him. "Go ahead and judge me now. You know I'm right." He cackled maliciously. "You know you will all rot."
The angel placed his hands on Raphael's shoulders, causing him to shudder away. The chains rattled and held him in place.
"We have heard thy final words, dear brother who hath Fallen from Father's Grace," said the angel. "We forgive thee. By the love of our Father, we forgive thee."
Every angel around me, including Jehudiel, bowed their heads.
"That's it?" I whispered. "You just forgive him?"
"Yes," Jehudiel replied in sombre tones. "We forgive all of his transgressions because our Father's love is infinite."
"But-"
"However," continued Jehudiel, "forgiveness does not mean he shall go free. Divine justice must be attributed. That is a universal absolute."
I shook my head. "It's stuff like that that makes religious people scare the living crap out of me. Oh, sure we'll forgive you. Meanwhile pay no attention as I sharpen this guillotine and tie this noose."
Jehudiel gave me another reproachful look and fell silent.
Adjacent to where Raphael was bound appeared a pitch-black portal. I say portal because I have no idea how to properly describe in human terms the sheer horror of this thing. It was like a black hole of despair, a window into the most terrible underworld imaginable.
The portal grew until it became a doorway, and the platform Raphael was bound to began moving towards it. I made the mistake of peering directly into the darkness and watched as the shadows upon shadows parted.
And I felt death.
Just looking at that black door made me feel like I was about to die and there was nothing I could do about it—only surrender to death.
"Erik, are you okay?"
I grabbed onto Jehudiel's offered hand, just so that I could feel something and remind myself that I was still alive.
"What is that?" I whispered hoarsely.
Jehudiel wrapped his arm around me. "You are a firstborn, are you not?"
I nodded. "By a few seconds but yeah."
"Ever since Egypt all firstborn naturally fear it," Jehudiel said. "No angel in Heaven, no matter how powerful, has their own realm—save one. His very nature dictates his isolation."
As the black door engulfed Raphael and his presence was erased into nothingness, I caught a glimpse of the being inside.
It was a figure dressed in darkness, darker than black, hunched and leaning over a staff. I caught the glint of an inwardly curved blade, thicker and longer than any weapon I had ever held.
"Whoever meets his gaze is destined to die by his hand. He is the only thing that can eradicate a divine being. We dare not utter his true name, but tradition has called it the Angel of Death," I heard Jehudiel say.
The creature inside shifted once more, and the portal began shrinking. The obsidian garb under its head shifted, exposing a tiny glint of red. A blood red eye, promising the one inescapable fate all must eventually endure.
Death.
I felt Jehudiel's protective grip tighten around me. "We also call it The Reaper," he said.
But his voice had now diminished to background. My entire being was completely focused on that one red eye…
Looking back at me.
Join the Legacy world
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Attard is the author of the Legacy series and The Pandora Chronicles. When not tormenting his protagonists or ruling over his imaginary worlds, Ryan can be found within the confines of his house on an island far, far away—either geeking out on a large variety of manga, TV shows, novels… the list is long.
Alternatively he could be found spewing his opinions and telling jokes on his podcast, The Lurking Voice Podcast, which can be found through his website and iTunes (although if you are easily offended you should definitely not listen).
He is also the kind of person who writes about himself in the third person.
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://ryanattard.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Enkousama
Table of Contents
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
FREE DOWNLOAD
Book 1: Firstborn
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Book 2: Birthright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Book 3: Lost Ones
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Join the Legacy World
About the Author