October 28th, 2019, Dingboche, Nepal

It was cold, blisteringly bone-chillingly cold—the type of cold where frostbite was an inevitability, rather than a formality. The snow had only begun to fall an hour ago, but the wind was slicing through everything in its way, weaving a terrible path of destruction. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and the dark gray skies up above blotted out any chance for a ray of sunshine seeping through.

If not for her concern for her animals, Binsa would've chosen to remain indoors. There was no other reason to be outside in this God-forsaken weather. Aside from her soon-to-be-born son and her husband, her livestock was her heartbeat. For generations, her family had been humble farmers. During the summers, they would farm, and in the winters, they would use their livestock to sell wool, fur, and other commodities.

But five years ago, her parents had died, succumbing to cancer after an almost decade long fight with the disease. As their only child, Binsa inherited all that they owned, which wasn't much considering where they lived and how they lived. Dingboche was a tiny village nestled in the Chukhung Valley. Its only claim to fame was for being a pit stop for trekkers who sought to climb the nearby mountains like the Everest. Dingboche had never been home to a large population, but the lack of opportunities for the youth here had dwindled the populace to less than 200 people.

Binsa was one of the few who had chosen to remain here. Almost all of her friends had left the local area. She was only twenty-five and could've easily joined her friends in any one of the large cities, but her heritage and homeland were of the utmost importance to her. But for a while, she had deeply questioned her decision to remain in Dingboche. The weather was often harsh, and the work she did was a tall task for a group of people, let alone a single woman.

Many of her nights had been spent agonizing over her decision to stay, until the fateful day she met her husband. Maybe it was by chance? Or perhaps it was God who had caused them to cross paths on that chilly morning three years ago, but whatever the reason, she was delighted it had occurred. Hartaj was everything she had ever dreamed of in a man. When they crossed paths at the local inn, it had been love at first sight.

Like most foreigners at the local inn, Hartaj was merely visiting as he trekked towards Mount Everest. He had no intention of staying in Dingboche beyond two days, but a chance encounter with Binsa had changed all of that. The two of them hit it off immediately, and both days flew by like a blur. Hartaj had promised to return to Dingboche once he finished his climb, and true to his words, the trekker did. The pair spent a blissful week together, and in less than three weeks of knowing each other, Hartaj had proposed to her.

Binsa's relatives and neighbors all thought she was crazy for marrying a man she knew so little about. Hartaj rarely spoke about his past or his family. Being totally honest, she knew almost nothing about his family. All he had ever told her was that he was from a small town in India and that he was estranged from his kin. It was strange especially considering how strong familial ties were in Nepal and India, but Binsa took Hartaj at his word; he'd never displayed even an inkling of duplicity.

Thoughts of her husband were fresh on her mind as Binsa finally approached the large shed that housed their livestock. Hartaj would've been furious to see his pregnant wife outside in this weather. Binsa was bundled in multiple sets of jackets, and the cold was still slipping through her layers of clothing. All she wanted to do was to make a quick headcount of her livestock, and then she would return to her house, hopefully before Hartaj returned home from his grocery run.

"Binsa, is that you?"

The woman in question cursed under her breath as she lost track of her count. She hadn't expected her husband to be home until at least the evening, and it was still mid-afternoon.

"Yes, it's me," Binsa said as she scurried out of the shed, and even from a distance, she could see that her husband was less than pleased with her.

"What are you doing outside during a time like this?" Hartaj's brows furrowed in dismay, but he was more concerned than he was angry. "Our child will be here soon, and this weather is not suitable for a woman in your condition!"

"I know," Binsa said, drawing a deep sigh. "I just had to check on the livestock and make sure they were okay." She tried to explain.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"The livestock can be replaced, you and our child can't!" Hartaj yelled. The wind was picking up even more now, and the flurries were making it hard to see what was in front of him. "I need to get you back into the house before this storm gets worse!"

Binsa could barely hear what her husband had said but suddenly felt his arms wrapping around her. "How did you…." Her words trailed off as her husband marched her towards their home. It was a short trek, and their yard wasn't that large, but the ever piling snow made it an arduous journey. The groceries that had once been in stuffed in Hartaj's plastic bags were now sprawled across the small yard.

This wind doesn't feel natural. Hartaj had to utter a small prayer of thanks as the couple finally approached the doorframe. Binsa's nearly frozen hand was mere inches from the door's handle when a sudden gust of wind knocked her and her husband back. The couple was flung in opposite directions of the yard and sent tumbling through piles of snow.

With his head pounding and slightly disoriented, Hartaj rose to his feet and scanned the area for his wife.

"Binsa!" He cried out as he finally spotted his wife lying huddled in the snow. Hartaj's concern grew as he realized that she wasn't moving at all. Before his mind could even register what he was about to do, his legs were off in a sprint. He was almost there when another brisk gale knocked him back. Hartaj's body slammed into the snow, and this time, he wasn't so quick to recover.

"Did you really think that you could hide from me, Bariel?"

Hartaj's eyes jolted open at the mention of that name.

"Yes, I know it's you."

The voice sounded goading and was speaking from a distance that was nearby, but where?

Hartaj struggled to his feet and quickly scanned the perimeter, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Up here, you fool!" As Hartaj craned his neck skywards, he finally saw who it was. Shalgiel!

The Angel was cloaked in fur that was as white as the falling snow. A hood covered his face revealing nothing but a pair of piercing cold blue eyes. He hovered in the air for a brief moment before finally descending to the ground below. Hartaj was almost knocked off balance as Shalgiel's boots touched the Earth, resulting in a small tremor.

"You thought you would be safe here? You thought that hiding in this secluded village would protect you and that abomination in your wife's stomach? Think again!"

"Please, brother, no, it's not like that at all!" Hartaj pleaded as slowly walked towards Shalgiel. They had once been friends, but that was eons ago.

"Brother? You dare call me that? You lost the right to call me that word when you betrayed the Alpha and Omega and gave into the callings of the flesh." Disgust oozed from Shalgiel's words. As Angels Shalgiel and Bariel both knew what their most sacred law was, and Bariel had broken it.

"I know what I have done, but please spare my wife and my child; they are innocent." Hartaj knew that he would be no match against Shalgiel's power. A fight between the two Angels would only result in the destruction of the village. He had no other option but to plead.

"When you mated with that woman, you had already cursed her to die; you brought this upon yourself!" Shalgiel was unflinching and unwavering in his resolve. He had orders to follow, and no amount of begging would change that.

"I took the form of a human, and I married and mated with a human, but my wife was unaware of my deeds. Do what you want with me, but please spare my family." Hartaj dropped to his knees in front of Shalgiel. His eyes were wet with regretful tears as his legs sank further into the snow. "If not for anything else, do it for the sake of our former friendship."

"Pathetic," Shalgiel scoffed as he glared at the downtrodden fallen Angel. "You didn't cry when you were partaking in the pleasures of the flesh, so don't cry now. Your child is an abomination unto the eyes of the Lord."

"I know I have created a Nephilim but – "

"But what?" Shalgiel interrupted as he suddenly reached down and grabbed Hartaj by the throat. His grip was tight, and his fingers were as cold as the look in his eye. "Nephilim are monsters, and the parents of Nephilim must be held responsible. You know that as well as I do, you once enforced these same laws."

"Please….it….doesn't….have….to…be….this….way." Hartaj wheezed between strained breaths. With the slightest twitch of his thumb, Shalgiel could easily snap his neck.

"If you can sleep with one mortal in this village, who's to say that you didn't sleep with more of them? There's no telling what else you might have been up to. I think this entire village might need to be cleansed."

Panic swept through Hartaj's mind. His heart raced as his arms flailed wildly, thrashing against the firm grip of his captor. It was one thing for Shalgiel to punish him or even his family, but the village had done nothing to spite the Alpha and Omega. Hartaj summoned all of his strength, but try as he may, he could not break free. He fought valiantly, even as he became lightheaded, but the abrupt shaking of the ground finally caused him to stop resisting.

"You were born a glorious Angel, a servant of Heaven, and you threw it all away for a human, and even worse, you sired a Nephilim. You are a disgrace to our race. What I do now is for the sake of Heaven and my Lord."

Hartaj's arms flopped to his sides, defeated, as he saw the snow from the surrounding mountains begin to descend. It looked like a massive white cloud. In moments it would consume Dingboche and erase the small village from the annals of history. Binsa, forgive me for what I brought upon you and your people. Glowing blue eyes were the last thing Hartaj saw before an avalanche swallowed everything he held dear.