HAGEN: 1. Revelations

by Jadhe HAMILTON

  Knowing it was too late to turn back now, she stepped forward with caution. The further she moved ahead, the darker and more morbid the tunnel appeared. The stone around her was porous and soaked in a purple liquid. The stench that escaped from it was unbearable. Suddenly, she realized that the humidity in the air was coming from the dripping walls and that she was bathing in a mist of blood.

  Disgusted by what she saw, the seraph continued to scan the porous walls as she slowly walked through the tunnel, aware that a demon could rise out of the stones at any moment.

  Then, without warning, she felt the vibration of another demon penetrate her body. It was even more savage and brutal than the first one. The seraph stopped abruptly and looked around with caution... An entity was waiting for her on the other side of the tunnel and it wasn’t the demon from the elevator. With all her senses on alert, she inched ahead, holding her breath.

  The demon’s energy crushed her chest with its menacing power, as she continued on for several yards through the darkness and humidity. Suddenly, the tunnel got slightly brighter and she was led to a huge opening. There, Diane discovered the monster that was silently waiting for her.

  The beast was several yards tall. Its small, shiny blue eyes were surrounded by a thick mane of thorns. It was a heavy, black figure with sharp claws. It stood there in front of her on its four legs. Half monster and half boar, it seemed to be endowed with an intelligence and a sense of cruelty superior to that of an animal. Its small piercing eyes scrutinized the seraph ferociously.

  Diane stopped at the entrance to the opening. The beast's breathing quickened, and the seraph understood that it was going to attack. If the demon in the elevator wanted to give her Hagen, it was now or never. She would only be a small mouthful for this monster if it decided to pounce on her.

  As she searched for a solution, it prepared to charge. Although she knew she wouldn’t be able immobilize it without her weapon, she prepared herself mentally. Its eyes. She would gouge out its eyes with her fingers if the monster's thorns didn't pierce them first.

  The beast wasn’t long in coming. With a shrill scream, it charged straight towards her. Its heavy silhouette was making the ground tremble with every step. However, just as Diane was about to plunge her fingernails into its eyes, it let out a high-pitched cry and stopped dead in its tracks.

  The seraph retreated, horrified. She had done nothing, yet the monster, who had been so close to killing her, now stood paralyzed, only a few inches away from her. It moaned as if it was being tortured. Diane then realized that it was being controlled by an invisible force, that of the demon from the elevator.

  Powerless, she watched as the monster, who weighed several tons, rose into the air, his belly now facing her. The demon’s power was far greater than she imagined, if he could control such a colossal beast. Her surprise was multiplied when she saw the monster’s belly being slowly torn open, from the base of its neck, straight down to its tail.

  The beast’s screams became more and more strident. It tried to fight back while its belly was being torn apart, but in vain. Its hot black blood poured onto the ground.

  Diane took a step backwards, thus avoiding being soiled by the foul liquid that dripped from the beast’s abdomen. Then, with a huge splash, the animal’s guts fell violently to the ground as his wound opened completely, giving off a pestilential odor. Immediately afterwards, the giant dead mass fell heavily to the floor, making the walls of the tunnel tremble.

  And that's when she saw it, lying there on the floor, shining through the blood and bowels of the beast. Breathless, Diane rushed over to retrieve Hagen. She could feel the viscous intestines and the warmth of the freshly liberated organs slipping through her fingers. Pushing her hand through the glutinous heap in the direction of the light, she could feel the gold and crystal of her sword. At the same moment, a powerful wave of energy ran through her body, shaking her through and through: her reconnection with Hagen was complete, she had just increased her power tenfold.

  She rose solemnly, drawing her sword out of the pile of blood and decay. Without hesitation, she rubbed it lovingly against her white toga to clean it.

  But, when she looked up, she immediately regretted her second of inattention: watching her from the ceiling was a small, black, skeletal monster. Its eyes were as blue as the beast's, and they were staring at Diane with an intelligence that disturbed her. He must have been thinking that it was her that had killed the monster, and on his own territory to top it all off. For that, he was preparing to make her pay.

  Despite his small size and skeletal limbs, Diane felt that he was much more dangerous than her previous opponent. Nevertheless, she had no intention of ending her journey here, not now that she had recovered her weapon. Determined to get out of the gates of Hell alive, she brandished Hagen in his direction. As she approached him, walking around the gutted beast, she felt a strong pressure pulling on her. With no time to react, she was again being dragged, upwards this time, through the rocks, mud and water she had come through on her way down. Her body and wings were once again being crushed by the invisible embrace.

  She was not released until she reached the sky above the Parisian rooftops. Then, the pressure that surrounded her instantly disappeared. She turned around to discover the face of the demon who had given her back her weapon, but he had completely vanished. An immense gift had just been awarded to her, nonetheless, she couldn’t understand why the demon had given Hagen back to her. She knew there was something suspicious about what had just happened, but she preferred not to think about it right away.

  Unable to contain her joy, she looked again at the luminous crystal sword. The weapon had been part of her soul since her creation, and today they were finally reunited. She had succeeded. By getting Hagen back, she had regained the aura of a seraph, she was whole again. Few demons would dare to attack her now.

  With a sudden sense of power and pride, she opened her huge red wings and flew briskly back to Emily's apartment.

  No sooner had she arrived than she saw her missionaries through the window: they were sitting on the floor cross-legged and their eyes were closed. They had certainly decided to go looking for her she thought, as their winged souls had left their bodies and were gathered in a circle. They seemed to be preparing for their departure.

  The closer Diane got, the clearer she could see their devastated faces. She read the fright in Sofia’s moist eyes as she vehemently gave orders to Dante, Hugo's angel, and Massin, Mark's angel. There was a third angel as well, one who particularly attracted her attention. A tall brunette with hazelnut wings, whose feathers were speckled with red and orange. His back was turned so she couldn’t see his face. From behind, he didn’t look like any of the missionaries in the apartment. However, from the size of his wings she understood that his power was greater than Sofia's, and therefore, he could only be Nina's angel.

  Thus, the warrior that animated the coach was male. Not being able to see his face, Diane analyzed the rest of his body and noted his impressive, muscular build and broad back, covered only in a white tunic, which revealed his protruding trapezoids and muscular shoulders.

  Suddenly, Sofia fell silent, petrified. She had just seen Diane who was only a few yards away from the window. Faced with the silence of their archangel, the others turned around with panic in their eyes, only to find Diane standing there in front of them. Their expressions changed when they saw their seraph. Fear and anguish gave way to astonishment and admiration.

  With a proud smile on her face, Diane entered the apartment, her toga covered in blood and her right hand firmly holding Hagen. With her natural war queen aura, she gazed at Sofia who remained frozen with emotion:

  “Sofia,” she began in a soft but firm voice, “I dare believe that you’ll treat Tara with a little more love and compassion now.”

  Diane had Tara’s features, but she was much taller and much more powerful. She had the broad shoulders of the goddess Athena, and the long blond hair of Venus. Her p
hrase had sounded like a call to order. Acknowledging her mistake, Sofia lowered her eyes and knelt before her. In a voice shaking with emotion, she said:

  “I'm sorry I didn't believe in her seraph.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Diane reassured her as she helped her up. “I just want the energy in this house to be more uplifting. My incarnation feels alone and abandoned. Make her understand that that’s not the case. Angels can’t accomplish great things if they’re feeling angry and lonely.”

  “I'll treat her with more love now that I know she's no longer a danger to you.”

  “I have complete confidence in you Sofia,” Diane replied with a smile.

  Trembling, Sofia bowed her head. Her love for her seraph was boundless.

  Satisfied, Diane then turned to Nina's angel, proudly displaying her seraph aura, as though she were encountering him for the first time. But when their eyes met, she froze. Her self-confidence left her instantly as her legs began to quiver and her heart began to pound violently against her chest. Facing her was Nina's angel, staring deeply into her eyes. His beauty could be matched only by his extraordinary strength. She knew his face well; she had lost herself in his incredible blue eyes many times; she had run her fingers through his thick black hair; she had loved this man who now looked at her with profound, albeit guarded eyes. His jaw had tightened, as if to remain silent. This was the Marquis Ruben De Villiers. He really existed, it wasn’t just a dream.

  As he stood in front of her, staring at her with eyes that seemed cold, yet full of emotion, she sensed the love she felt for him take possession of her soul. That's why Tara was so attracted to Nina. Diane loved him. She loved this angel with all her being. Her profound love for him made her vulnerable, but she had no desire to protect herself from it. She felt her entire being surrender to him. He was the one she had chosen, and she would love him forever.

  At a loss for words, it took her a moment to break the silence. Next to them, Sofia, Dante and Massin observed them religiously. They all knew, and they all understood what she was feeling in this moment. Facing her, Nina's angel seemed to fear what she might say, as he stared at her with a pained expression, only increasing his irresistible charm.

  Then, as Diane opened her mouth to address him, she suddenly stopped, realizing she had forgotten his name. Immediately, she was paralyzed by an atrocious feeling of guilt. How could she forget the name of someone so dear to her? He had incarnated as the Marquis De Villiers, but his first name was certainly not Ruben. She realized that only Tara's dreams had allowed her to recognize this angel, for she knew of him only what her dreams had shown her.

  After several seconds of hesitation, she dared to ask nonetheless:

  “What should I call you?”

  Then, only for a fleeting moment, she thought she had perceived pain in the eyes of this beautiful angel, he who had so apprehended their reunion. Clenching his jaw, he said nothing. His dark hair and the beauty of his features gave him a mysterious appearance, to which she was far from being indifferent.

  Standing straight and proud like any self-respecting warrior, he stared at her intensely before finally coming out of his stupor, and only after a long silence - which could have been deemed as insubordination - he answered her in a firm voice:

  “With all due respect seraph, if you can’t remember my name, at least allow me to refuse to give it to you.”

  Still troubled by the weakness she felt in his presence, Diane was severely affected by his response. However, her pride as a seraph quickly took the upper hand, reminding her that it was she who was in command. She laughed as she regained her self-confidence:

  “Are you offended?”

  “Why would I be?” the legionary replied coldly, staring at her with obvious pain in his eyes, despite the self-assurance that emanated from his being.

  Diane felt the dread rising around her. The other angels lowered their gaze, for fear that she would put the legionary back in his place. Nina's angel wasn’t permitted to speak to her in that tone, nor to use irony when confronting her. Diane could have chopped his head off on the spot if she thought he deserved it.

  Instead, she smiled. It seemed that his effect on her allowed him to use words that no other angel would have dared to utter, or even think.

  With a smile full of kindness and love, she replied:

  “I can see where Nina gets her temper from.”

  The legionary didn’t respond, but he smiled in amusement as he looked away, just as she had. Diane contemplated this great angel, whose hazelnut wings speckled with red and orange revealed a power similar to that of a seraph. Even though she knew the answer, she couldn’t help but ask:

  “How is it that a mere legionary has such wings?”

  “I was created this way, I have no explanation.”

  “An error of Nature?”

  “I prefer to think of it more like an exception,” replied Nina's angel.

  Diane’s smile grew wider. He seemed to be very rebellious, and above all, he was extremely provocative.

  “Why do you have red in your wings? That color is reserved for seraphs, just like the orange in your wings is reserved for archangels.”

  “I don't know, I didn't choose these colors myself.”

  “And how would you qualify your power?”

  “It’s consistent with my aura.”

  “And what do you mean by that?” asked Diane, amused by his lack of modesty.

  “I mean it’s exceptional.”

  Diane burst out laughing. At least he had the merit of being funny. If he was telling the truth, she was happy to count him in her ranks. After giving the legionary one last look, she turned to Sofia and asked:

  “Where’s John?”

  “He and Stanislas went to deposit some documents at City Hall.”

  “Get him to come back. I want him to train Tara in sword fighting. We’ll kill the child in a week, not a day later.”

  Chapter 16

  Tara lovingly contemplated the long sword of crystal and light that was sitting on her bed. She lay beside it like a lioness lies beside her offspring.

  Hagen was absolutely splendid. The blade was of divine purity, made from a crystal of infinite resistance. If she looked at it closely, she could see the white, violet and blue waves of light moving through it, increasing its brilliance. Hagen was alive. An entire universe was contained in its crystal. Highly intelligent, it was made out of conscious energy.

  Fascinated, Tara admired every detail of her sword as she slowly moved her eyes up, stopping at the gold and platinum frame. The pommel was encrusted with two enormous rubies, and the guard with small sparkling sapphires. Here it was at last, in her hands, the visible junction between the angel and her incarnation, between the Earth and the Sphere. Present in both dimensions, the sword could annihilate the soul of any being who would be struck by its blade.

  Thrilled, Tara sat up. Since Diane had retrieved the sword, her spiritual sensitivity and power had increased tenfold. She now felt the energy of the Universe as it flowed through her. The love and light that animated the angels had suddenly taken hold of her heart, making her feel that nothing was impossible. She knew that her physical strength had increased, and when she was in the same room as Hugo or any of the other legionaries, she could immediately sense their states of mind and their emotions. More than ever, she was aware of her connection with all living beings, on Earth and in the Sphere.

  Just as she was about to touch the sharp crystal blade with her delicate fingers, someone knocked on the door. She turned her head in the direction of the sound, feeling that it was Emily coming to fetch her so she could continue her training. John must have arrived. As Tara focused, she automatically felt John and Stanislas’ auras, as if they were right there next to her. They had just come in and they were both in the living room. She smiled tenderly, proud of her new power. Just for fun, she tried to guess where Max was hiding. She located him almost immediately: he was in her wardrobe as always, sleeping pe
acefully on her cashmere sweaters.

  Once again, Emily knocked on the door. Tara hadn't forgotten that a few hours earlier, the archangel would have done anything in her power to eliminate her from the face of the Earth. Nonetheless, her new-found intuition gave her access to a source of information that Emily could no longer hide from her: her heart. The seraph that she had become could read the minds of her soldiers like an open book. She now knew that standing behind her door, was a missionary overwhelmed by grief and remorse, as she waited for her to open it. Emily sincerely regretted having underestimated her and having wanted to eliminate her. Now that Diane had retrieved her sword, the archangel could do nothing else but admit she had been wrong.

  Gently, Tara got up and went to open the door. Even though Emily tried to hide it, Tara was immediately struck by her tormented face. Despite her resentment, she felt that Emily's love for her was sincere; still, her love for Diane was even greater. Because of the decisions she had had to make over the past few days and weeks, the archangel was consumed with remorse and longed to apologize. Her entire being begged for forgiveness, but, her humanly pride prevented her from admitting how she felt. Nonetheless, her grief-stricken face was proof enough of the guilt that was so intensely gnawing away at her. Her devastation softened Tara’s heart, forcing her to consider Emily with compassion.

  “What have you come to say Emily?” she asked in a soft voice.

  After some hesitation, Emily, who was almost breathless, finally answered:

  “I wanted to tell you... that John and Stanislas said that all the demons have gone. You’re safe now. You’ll be able to go out whenever you wish.”

  Tara nodded, pretending to believe that Emily had said everything that was on her mind. The truth was that Emily hadn’t succeeded in apologizing. Her human ego was still strong, thus preventing her from telling her how she felt. Nonetheless, she knew that her love for her and her regrets were no less real.