In a resplendent city of gold and marble that hovered over planet Earth, way above the clouds.
Sarah was in a reverie, recollecting the events of the past few weeks. When Sarah exited trial 0, her whole world and life had turned upside down. Angels were real; they fought Demons in an eternal war, she and all of humanity had been recruited to fight on behalf of the Angels for the sake of existence itself.
When the Archangel responsible for inducting her into the Ascended universe had given her the introduction to her new reality. He was quite matter of fact when explaining the ongoing war she would be expected to join. ‘So no pressure then?’ She had thought to herself with some worry.
She worried about Daniel, not seeing or hearing from him since arriving. She had asked her assigned Archangel tutor about Daniel and her family, but they said something about splitting up families and loved ones so everyone could concentrate on their training. The importance of the war required training to come first above all else. They would eventually have an opportunity to meet up, they had plenty of time. With extended lifespans, Magic, Teleportation and all sorts of other wonderful things, the prospect of eventually having to fight Demons seemed distant, unreal, not something she would have to be concerned with anytime soon.
That wasn’t the only massive upheaval to her life, she now had to deal with the ‘System’. Something that every sentient being that was transported into the Ascended universe was integrated into. She had been told by the angels that the system was created by Father, its purpose was to help people acclimatise to this new reality. They also informed her that in the long term the system would act as a benevolent overseer, that it would nudge people to do the right thing with its generated trials and rewards. She tried to ask more questions, like how long the system had been around, who was Father and how the system determined what was right. Her tutor waved away the questions, they started acting weird and replied she didn’t have the authority to hear more about it. She was informed that everyone had the opportunity to access more information when they improved their ranking within society.
Interacting with the system almost felt like a game to her, seeing herself being broken down into basic attributes, her whole life was quantified into numbers.
The Angels taught her how to unlock the experience points built into the system, then by completing trials that were assigned to her, she would earn ascension points. Using these ascension points to upgrade her attributes, she would eventually be allowed to unlock her calling.
The trials that were being given to her seemed to be intended to prepare her for future battles, it started with simple things like ‘Fetch this’, ‘Do that!’, ‘complete a 20k run!’, ‘Do 500 Push ups’, ‘Fight the training automaton’. The trials she was given were constant and exhausting, her muscles always ached. Every trial was designed to push her a little more, make her a little stronger. Even without the direct assistance of the system, her attributes were rapidly increasing. So each time there would always be more difficult trials assigned to her by the Angels through the system.
She hoped that everyone else wasn’t finding their trials too difficult. She had restless sleep, some nights would fitfully recall the training she went through the day before. For example, she kept recalling how her instructor had made her swing a training sword a thousand times at a dummy. ‘A 1000 times! With Each arm! I’ve never swung a sword in my life until recently.’
She woke up one night punching a wall, the training was drilled into her so thouroughly it became instinctual. Recalling some of the different sparring sessions she was made to endure made her shudder. She would receive broken bones, bruises and other injuries. There would be an healer on standby who would immediately cast recovery spells on her, then send her back into the ring to continue the training session.
The rewards were worth it though, oh god, they were so damn worth it. Each time she completed her trials she accumulated experience points, upon eventually reaching a threshold the experience would be converted into Ascension points. These system points enabled her to become so much stronger.
She had been taught how to meditate upon the meaning and purpose of attributes and how to upgrade them through the system. She had been guided by the Angels on what attributes to upgrade, the tutors called them builds or paths. It was explained to her that when she reached level 10 she would be offered a Calling by the system. With the right balance of attributes and actions carried out in the ascended universe, the system would acknowledge her achievements. If she followed their advice correctly, she could become an Angel. With the regular trials and rewards, she was basically superhuman now and well on her way to receive her Calling.
Sarah was on a fast track to becoming an angel, she could barely believe this was her new reality. After she left trial 0, she found herself transported to the angels training hub, which was a floating city called Elysium BDX425, everyone just called it Elysium. There was at least one on every planet that was brought into the ascended universe.
Everyone upon exiting a strange swirling vortex would have their trial results displayed on a giant screen, some of the angels would take interest in the candidates and approach them directly. Others would be led to a queue to be allocated to a group induction.
Like all the other people who were being teleported over to the city, when Sarah left the vortex her results were displayed. Several people around her gasped when they saw her results. Almost immediately after arriving, a thrumming beam of bright white light struck the ground before her. The most beautiful person she had ever seen in her life stepped out of the light, his angelic appearance transcended everyone around him, making the other angels she had spotted seem relatively normal. They also mumbled in disappointment and suddenly lost interest in her.
Sarah never got star struck in her life, even when her job forced her to interact with famous people she had seen on television, even when she queued up to meet her favourite actors at conventions. When this Angel landed before her, stepping out of the light and reaching out his hand to greet her. A beaming white smile on a masculine clean shaved face, with sharp-angled features you could cut paper with. His golden eyes matched with long golden hair that most women would kill for, immaculate pale skin, not even the slightest blemish. She had almost fainted thinking she had died and gone to heaven. In hindsight, she supposed she sort of had.
She later learned that he was one of the highest ranks within the angel’s orders. The Seraphim Kaziel who had greeted her was a leading member of the ‘Order of Innocence’, they were currently responsible for maintaining the ceasefire between the Angels and Demons. When the war inevitably erupted again, which he assured her wouldn’t happen for a long time, especially from her perspective. The order of innocence would be on the front lines of the eternal war, he joked that even on the front lines, being with them was one of the safest places to be. She figured they were the equivalent of angelic special forces.
Sarah had been told that her trial results indicated she had an excellent affinity for the ‘Light’ attuned mana, one of the highest he had ever seen. It explained everyone's reaction when she stepped out of the vortex that led her to the city. He informed her that she would receive all the resources at their disposal, and he would endeavour to help her increase ranks within the Angelic order. He hoped that once she had reached the rank of Archangel she would consider joining their order. Otherwise, there were plenty of other Angel’s who would be willing to take her on and help her with obtaining a respectable position within Angel society.
After Kaziel had assigned Sarah a dedicated tutor, she had endured weeks of gruelling training. She was getting accustomed to this new society, they had access to incredible technology. Teleportation, flying vehicles, holographic projection, hard light simulation rooms for relaxation, leisure or training. If you could think it up, there was some weird and wonderful contraption already made of it. That being said, Sarah didn’t have the opportunity to properly explore the city and all its delights just yet.
Despite the difficulties of her regular trials and rigorous training, she was enjoying herself. To her, It was a utopian society, all her needs were taken care of, everyone was lovely to her. She had everything she could have ever wanted. The only thing that was missing was having her family around her, despite being surrounded by so many amazing people, she still felt lonely. She desperately missed Daniel's company, his humour, his soft and affectionate side, his warmth, she even missed his swearing. Sarah would wake up some nights and feel the other side of her bed, expecting to touch his back. She would have to remind herself he was elsewhere, probably receiving similar treatment, which gave her some sense of comfort. She wondered what kind of crazy experiences all her loved ones were going through and couldn’t wait to exchange stories.
Sarah broke out of her reverie, so much had happened in such a small amount of time. Her nerves were rattling with excitement, today was an important day for her.
It was mid-morning of her third month since coming here, to the ascended universe, to Elysium. She had been training like crazy, doing things she never would have imagined. Different combat drills, strategy sessions, learning the Angelic codes and laws, preparing herself for when she would join the war against the Demons that threatened reality. She was ready for her first official step into angelic society, she would be given her Calling.
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An ethereal calming voice was guiding Sarah through her final steps to begin her journey to ascension. “Ok Sarah, it’s time, you just need to allocate your last remaining Attributes as we’ve discussed. This will push you over the threshold and bring you to system level 10, you’ll then be offered your choice of Calling by the system. Please go ahead when ready”
They were in a training room, the seamless white marble floor seemed to stretch off to the horizon. Aqua blue sky with white fluffy clouds around her, several planets and moons could be seen following their orbits. When she first arrived in one of these rooms her jaw dropped, the angel had to explain to her that the sky wasn't real, just simulated. She was a bit disappointed by that revelation. But the rooms were still impressive and created the perfect tranquil environment to meditate and train in.
Sarah was sitting in a lotus position, she nervously meditated, applying attribute points to the recommended attributes. She felt invigorated every time she did this, the high she would get from feeling herself getting stronger, faster, more intelligent, improved senses, feeling durable and feeling full of life and energy. She couldn’t get enough of it, it was intoxicating every time. When she applied the final 100th attribute point she tipped over to level 10.
The system acknowledged her increased level.
[ Please choose from the available Callings:]
[Angel]
[Herald of War]
[White Magician]
[Cleric]
Sarah was expecting to see the notification for the available Callings, she had been prepared for it, but being presented with the options was so surreal. ‘I’m going to be an Angel, a real Angel!’ Her excitement was palpable.
“The Callings I can see available to me are...wait …”
She was shaken when another Calling was offered to her, she was not prepared for this. Her thoughts whirled about the implications of this new Calling. ‘What does this mean? Is it bad?’
[Angel of Wrath]
“Uh, I've received another Calling, one I haven’t been told about…” She listed the Callings, the Archangel tutor beside her nodded at the mention of each Calling, then she said the final one “..And Angel of Wrath” The last one she hesitantly mumbled.
“Sorry, what did you say? Can you repeat that?” The Archangel looked at Sarah apprehensively. Not daring to believe the Calling she had been offered by the system.
This time she spoke louder. “The system, it offered me the Calling ‘Angel of Wrath’, it came up several moments after the first few Callings, is it a mistake?”.
“Father above! Don’t move! Don’t do anything!” The Archangel shot into the air, passing into a whirling vortex and leaving a fading trail of light.
‘What’s happened? What did I do?’ Her mind was now a storm of thoughts. ‘It’s bad, isn’t it? Oh no, should I run?’.
Sarah didn’t have time to act on her fear-driven thoughts before two oscillating beams of light struck the ground, the Archangel tutor stepped out, then Seraphim Kaziel stepped out. The Archangel and Kaziel kept their distance from Sarah, quietly discussing something, the words indistinct. She could just about make out “..wrath...arrived…warn..”. Kaziel shook his head at the Archangel's words. The Archangel frowned but didn’t say anything further.
The transcendent Kaziel walked towards Sarah. “Don’t be afraid, please repeat what you told my brother”. She couldn’t discern any emotion in his tone. So she did as asked. “My Calling, I was offered ‘Angel of Wrath’...?” She ended her statement almost as a question, unsure if it was the right thing to say.
Kaziel’s lips parted revealing a dazzling smile. He walked towards her and placed his warm hand on her head. Sarah flushed at the physical contact. “I’m just checking your status, one moment.” He kept his hand there, his beatific smile plastered on his face, it was almost creepy to Sarah.
“Yes...Yes!” He removed his hands, smiling and laughing.
“Please, you have to choose the calling, choose Angel of Wrath, It is your true calling!” His excitement spread to the Archangel. The Archangel joined in, stepping forward with a big smile on his face. “Do as Kaziel says, it is a joyous thing!”
“Umm... Ok..” Sarah nodded, unsure about their sudden enthusiasm, but they were angels, they would do her no harm. Closing her eyes, looking over the Callings that were presented to her again, before selecting ‘my Calling is to be an Angel of Wrath’
[Calling: Angel of Wrath (Yes/ No) - WARNING! Your Calling is irreversible.]
Hesitating for a moment, the Calling sounded somewhat ominous, but the pair of angels standing before her approved of it, ‘He called it my true calling!’. They looked at her, creepy smiles plastered on their faces, nodding encouragingly.
‘Yes’
Particles of light started to spring into existence around Sarah, she looked around with surprised joy, it was exciting to see the transformation. Her body was gently lifted into the air, the particles of light floating around, more and more dots of light swarmed around her, giving her a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Her arms were spread wide, she had no control over her limbs as this process was taking place. The two angels stepped back, their smiles started to fade, replaced with a sad look on their faces.
Shared looked in their direction, confused and fearful at their sudden change in demeanour. Her eyes bulged as a lashing whip cut across her back, her arms remained stretched outward, she screamed out in pain. ‘What the fuck is going on!’
Another whip cracked and her back split open, blood dribbled down. “ARGHHH, Help! what’s going on?! You said this was good?!” Her high pitched cry of pain, her accusatory screams made the angels look down. They were ashamed at what was happening to her, ashamed for not warning her.
Another crack of the whip, she screamed again. She was whipped, again and again, made to endure unrelenting agony. Bits and pieces of flesh were peeling off her back with each whip, patches of her back revealing her rib cage and spine. Blood dripped down her back, sliding down her legs and started to drip from her toes, gradually forming a scarlet puddle below her feet.
It went on and on until she stopped screaming, she didn’t have the energy, she was almost numb to the experience now. It was only then that the whipping mercifully stopped, her breathing ragged, her body sagged in the air.
She was still being held above the ground, once the whipping had stopped, the light particles lowered her to the floor.
Sarah wanted to curl up into a ball and forget everything, it was all wrong, none of this made sense. Sarah barely had a moment to rest. Stabbing pain like nails driving into her brain, her body stiffened at the sudden shock of the sensation. The pain diminished slowly, ever so slowly began to fade away.
The angels only came forward when it was over. Kaziel stood above her, he went to reach his hand to comfort her, then he retracted it, feeling guilty and ashamed for not explaining. The Archangel next to him started to weave threads of light towards Sarah, the torn flesh and muscles on her back gradually started to grow back. Kaziel knelt beside Sarah while she was being healed.
“I’m sorry Sarah, it was necessary. We worried you wouldn’t go through with it if you knew,” His voice was laced with sorrow and repentance. Sarah just stared through him like he didn’t exist.
“Please believe that this is a good thing, for you, for everyone.” Kaziel, still crouched next to Sarah, brought his hands forward; they started projecting silver tendrils that wrapped around each other, weaving and threading until they formed a mirror. Kaziel held the mirror out for Sarah.
Reaching out her trembling hands, she grabbed the mirror that the Seraphim offered. She slowly brought the mirror towards her face. The face staring back didn’t look familiar anymore. Her eyes gently glowed silver, she had streaks of silver running through her previously black hair. Above her head floated a silver ring, a halo. The halo did not resemble the ones she had seen on all the other angels. Hers had spikes, eight spikes in total, four large, four small. The spikes resembled the cardinal directions on a compass. She was confused, excited and frightened. She looked at Kaziel questioningly.
“You’ll face something similar...no, I won’t lie, you’ll experience the stigmata every time Sarah. Each time you evolve your Calling in the future, it will get worse, each time you’ll experience an additional tier of suffering. Every Calling evolution will be more excruciating than the last.” He hesitated, regretful that he didn’t warn her before he practically demanded that she accept the Calling.
“Again I’m sorry, but please believe this really is a good thing, your Calling...it’s special, not many people are chosen to receive a true calling. Even fewer acknowledge their true calling, they don’t have the fortitude, faith or strength to endure it.” He kept repeating how good it was. “The stigmata is a test of your faith in Father, it is a sign of how close you are to him. Only people with a true calling will endure such trials.”
"What does it mean to be an Angel of Wrath?" Sarah asked, her tone was dulled, the words not inflecting how genuinely interested she was. The experience moments ago was still making her feel numb.
"It's complicated Sarah…" Kaziel replied, reluctant to explain the path she would be forced down.
"TELL ME!" She screamed in anger, she had enough of this bullshit. The people she had put all her faith and trust in had tricked her into choosing this path. Had they explained properly, she might have still chosen to accept her calling, but this painted them in a whole new light. She would have him explain everything to her.
Kaziel grimaced, nodding his head acknowledging she deserved to know.
"Your predecessor Samael went through the same experience, his role within the angelic orders was to fight against evil beings who attempt to bring about chaos. Your Calling, now that you’ve accepted it, it won't be easy. You'll have a tough road ahead of you, many will fear you, some revere you. Others will try to look down on you. But as your faith endures, so will your strength, fortitude and conviction to go down your path. To be honest, you’re not supposed to want this calling, it is a bit of a contradiction. The power you will eventually wield… to put it into terms you might understand, to quote someone from your world ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’. Make no mistake Sarah, if you continue that this path, you will become incredibly powerful" Kaziel continued to explain her new role and how it would affect her. She nodded dully at each of his words.
Sarah looked back to the mirror, cold silver eyes reflecting back at her. This was the beginning of her ascension. The experience was horrific, she dreaded the prospect of future evolutions, her responsibilities, the way she would be seen and treated. Everything seemed so much more serious, the veil had been lifted and the grim reality of this universe was presented to her. The implications of her purpose in this universe, the eternal war, Demons that she hadn’t encountered yet. Sarah acknowledged that she had been coddled since the moment she arrived. Her days of comfort were ending, She would take this reality more seriously, she had to. She was now the Angel of Wrath.