Zachariel flew through the mountains in the cold of the night, occasionally dodging a bird or two. During his time in the air, he had further burdened his mind by allowing himself to imagine every possible scenario that could emerge from Ben’s infection, as well as ways to avoid them. It was an unhealthy practice, but doing so kept him on edge and made him feel prepared. Despite his village being in Kafziel and Daniel’s more than capable hands, he couldn’t shake the feeling that leaving Ariana behind with Ben was a grave mistake.
Is this the right choice? He wondered as a vulture flew up next to him; the bloody remains of a fresh kill hung from its crooked beak. His jaw clenched.
Maybe I should have stayed.
Tucking in his wings, Zachariel veered off as the whipping, chilly wind bristled his feathers. He descended to a lower—and warmer—altitude, his eyes piercing the night as he searched. Finally, he had found it: the main archives, dug into the side of a snow-capped mountain, ancient wooden frames defiantly kept the tunnel stout and secure.
He leaned, pulled in his right wing, while stretching his left to catch the wind and slow him down as he turned. Once he was in the proper position, he spread both and angled them, slowing his descent to the stone walkway. He landed, shaking the grime and moisture from his feathers and tucking them to his back.
“Well,” Zachariel told himself, “time to figure this out.”
He entered the cavern, the dim torchlights brightened as he walked down the path, surrounded by cracked stone held at bay by the wooden beams. He immediately froze.
Wait. Something feels off.
An eerie feeling came to Zachariel as he heard a quiet, barely noticeable scraping. He didn’t detect an aura, nor did his wings stiffen.
Nothing ominous, he thought. Why does this feel…?
Zachariel briskly spun around just in time to dodge a strike from a blazing sword just like his own, its owner hidden in the shadows. He instinctively leapt back and drew his own shimmering weapon, but lowered it upon realizing who the attacker was.
“Gabriel…” Zachariel sheathed his weapon as he rolled his eyes. “You really have to stop doing that. It gets old.”
Gabriel quenched the flame on his blade as he slid it into the scabbard. He finally stepped out of the shadows. His long, silver hair shimmered in the dim light of the cave. “I couldn’t resist. I wanted to see if all those years as a village chief had softened your instincts as much as your belly!”
Zachariel smiled. During the war, it was an old tactic of Gabriel’s, used to both boost morale and help keep the angels under his command ready. Part of him missed the old days, and the other part never wanted to see them ever again.
“I’m always on edge, but that time is long past, friend.” Zachariel clasped his old commander’s hand. “We both live relatively peaceful lives. Or so I’m told.”
Gabriel shrugged. “I may take an adventure or two. But mostly, I keep to the books.” He sighed. “Not exactly the finest job for an archangel.”
“To be fair, you brought it upon yourself. Setting the Head Cherub’s robes on fire wasn’t exactly appropriate. Especially for…well, an Archangel.”
“He called our fallen comrades inadequate.” His friend smirked. “So to be fair, he brought it upon himself.”
Zachariel chuckled. “I’ll admit, it was hilarious. Anyway, I’d love to stay and catch up, but I’m afraid I’m here on urgent business.”
Gabriel arched an eyebrow. “Something happened?”
“Indeed. First, Ariana brings back this boy…”
“Ah! She’s old enough for that now, eh? It’s been way too long since I last visited.” Gabriel chuckled. “Either way, I’m glad to hear she made a friend.”
Zachariel grimaced. “With this particular boy, I’m not so sure. To my knowledge, he’s the only human to arrive in New Eden without an angel.”
“You can’t be serious?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
His friend’s eyebrows furrowed. “If that’s true, then how did he get here?”
“Good question. He arrived exactly where Ari practices her violin. It almost seems—”
“—Like he was placed there?”
“Precisely.” Zachariel nodded. “I went there and investigated it myself.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing much. I received a vision and was attacked by a demon shortly thereafter, though I made quick work of it.”
“A vision?” The archangel’s eyes narrowed. “What did you see?”
“It’s hard to describe it exactly. All I remember is death and fire.” Zachariel hesitated. “Also, there were these eyes. Filled with anger, judgment…wrath.”
“My fallen brother, perhaps?”
“No, it wasn’t demonic. More like a divine evil, if I had to put it to words.”
Gabriel paused and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Walk with me, brother.”
Zachariel nodded and joined Gabriel as he strode deeper into the caves. “Do you know of anything that might explain what I saw?”
“That’s the scary part. I don’t.” His friend frowned. “What about the boy? Did anything peculiar happen to him?”
“Ever since he arrived, if I’m honest. He appears to have amnesia. Can’t remember much save his name and someone he failed to save on Earth.”
“And he isn’t a demon? You’ve confirmed that?”
Zachariel’s jaw tightened. “No, not yet at least. Four days after his arrival, Riverglade came under attack by a pack of She-demons. One of them managed to bite him.”
“So he’s infected. Just like—”
“—Yeah. Just like our comrades back on Earth were.”
The air thinned as the two angels paused. There were horrors they had witnessed during the war on Earth that both knew were better off not being brought up.
“And what of the demons? I assume you took care of them?”
“I killed one. The other two were destroyed by Ben.”
The Archangel’s eyes narrowed. “How?”
Zachariel paused. From the hour he stepped foot into his precious village, he had known something was off about the mysterious Benjamin Blake. The first night, he had mysteriously caught fire, despite no source even remotely close to him. Zachariel wasn't sure if he believed what he saw, so he forbade Ben from leaving the village. As time passed, Zachariel witnessed more bizarre occurrences—the restaurant accident, smoke rising from Ben's arms during his nightmare, and their battle with demons. While he hadn’t seen it himself, his daughter had all but confirmed his initial suspicions.
“It’s fire,” Zachariel finally said. “He wields it. Weaponizes it. He killed the other demons with it.”
“A fire-wielder?” Gabriel’s silver eyes nearly jumped from their sockets. His brows furrowed. “That’s impossible. They’re all gone.”
Zachariel’s eyes snapped to Gabriel. “They?”
His friend clenched his jaw and beckoned for him to follow. They walked past a multitude of bookcases until they had arrived at the far section that was nearly buried in dust. Gabriel pulled a scroll from the cabinet, brushing it off with the tip of his wing and handed it to Zachariel.
Zachariel strained his eyes to read the faded, archaic text on the metal band wrapping the scroll. It read, ‘Soraphim.’ He glanced back at Gabriel, who beckoned him to open it. He obliged and slowly unraveled the aged parchment. His mouth gaped.
“It’s practically empty.”
Gabriel nodded. “That it is, I’m afraid. Not much is known to the rest of the host.”
“And you?” Zachariel asked as he looked up from the scroll.
The Archangel frowned. “Yes. I knew them.” He reached out, which made Zachariel step back in surprise. “May I?”
Zachariel hesitantly nodded as Gabriel placed his hand on his forehead. His surroundings vanished; his vision warped until it became nothing. A searing luminescence erupted from the void, filling in the black with color and life. Time passed for him in an instant. The radiant heavens assembled before his eyes. His body was formless, but his spirit remained, observing, tethered to the Archangel’s memories.
“Wait.” Zachariel asked, “Is this…?”
Gabriel nodded. “I thought it better to show you. In this state, we will be one. My memories and emotions will feel like they are yours. What I am showing you is the beginning, as I experienced it.”
Some of the light took on form and consciousness. The sentient flurries of light danced and chased each other across the cosmos, until eventually it formed the first of the angels, his ancestors. The first was Lucifer, the next was his brother Michael, and finally Gabriel himself. They all watched as the Creator’s invisible, mighty hand slowly formed the Earth. The heavens evolved into the shining realm he had been taught about only in stories. It was like New Eden, but far greater than he ever could have hoped to imagine.
Such a shame I could never see it, Zachariel thought somberly.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Gabriel’s voice echoed as he told his story. “Before the Fall, all in the universe was in harmony. The Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the other species of light, shared the heavens. Back then, there was no death, no evil. The Great Darkness had been banished by The Creator, and we enjoyed a painless, beautiful life. One of our favorite hobbies was exploring the vast universe, countless undiscovered realms at our fingertips. In one of our ventures, however, we discovered something that would challenge everything we thought we knew.”
Zachariel watched as the younger Gabriel trotted through the ethereal grass with his brothers. The oldest, Lucifer, stopped them as he noticed someone standing out in the meadow with the shape of an angel, but without the wings. The figure’s hair was dark, his eyes scarlet, not unlike a ruby. Gabriel and his two brothers knelt to avoid disturbing it.
“What is that?” The young Michael asked.
“The Creator’s secret creation, maybe? I think he called it…human?”
“No” Lucifer eyed the being, his eyes narrowed. “This…is something else.”
“How can that be?” Gabriel asked.
“Only one way to find out,” Lucifer said as he stood up straight, flexing his wings to their full span. The figure spun in his direction, eyes widened.
“Answer me, spirit!” he commanded. “I am Archangel Lucifer. Who are you?”
The being didn’t answer. Instead, he ran.
The three brothers gave chase, finally cornering him after a few minutes. As they pressed him for answers, he ignited a flame in his hand. Their eyes collectively widened, though Lucifer’s appeared to have a strange, intrigued hunger in them.
As Michael and Gabriel drew their swords, a voice cried out.
“Wait!”
They turned to find an aged woman. Silver hair flowed down her simple gown, her blue eyes glittered in the ethereal light. The woman seemed eerily familiar to Zachariel. The mere sight of her sent a chill up his spine and through his disembodied wings.
“Oh. I wasn’t expecting a visit from you angels.” The woman beamed at them. “I see you met my son.”
“Your…son?” Gabriel asked, lowering his weapon as he faced the woman. “Who are you? Are you an angel like us?”
“Not quite.” The woman laughed nervously. “My name is Ira. I’m a friend of your Creator.”
“A friend?” The curious Michael asked. “Where did you come from?”
“It’s…complicated.” Ira answered with a sad smile, her beautiful azure eyes downcast. “I’m afraid I can’t answer that.”
Gabriel tilted his head. “If you’re Ira…” He turned to her son. “Then who are you?”
“Oh.” Ira smiled gently, placing her arm around him. “This is Raziel.”
Zachariel continued to observe as Gabriel sheathed his sword and stepped closer to the young man, offering his hand. Raziel hesitated and stared at Gabriel warily. At his mother’s behest, he finally extinguished the flame and shook it, his grip tight and untrusting. Gabriel beamed at him.
“Pleasure to meet you, Raziel.”
Raziel’s eyes widened as he slowly loosened his grip. He finally smiled back.
Gabriel’s voice came forth once more. “We became friends, brothers even. Raziel and his mother brought us to their home, where there were hundreds more like him, living in isolation, far from the host.”
Ira and Raziel had led the three archangels to their small village and its people, only a short walk from where they were before. Their amazement grew as they watched each other wield fire in unique ways, crafting it into different shapes, sizes, and structures. Some were even skilled enough to have their flames mimic the brothers themselves, much to Micheal’s chagrin and Gabriel’s delight.
Zachariel’s form hovered close by as he watched the memory. Seeing others like Ben being so peaceful set his soul at ease...if only a little.
“We became close with Raziel, Ira, and the rest of their kind,” Gabriel continued. “Eventually, we had convinced them to join the host, and the mysterious beings were finally given a name.”
“Soraphim,” Zachariel concluded.
“They spread out from their home and roamed the heavens with us, though not all the Host welcomed them. Because of their unclear origins, some regarded them as abominations, creatures borne from the Great Darkness, and thus unworthy of paradise. Lucifer used this to his advantage.”
The vision shifted once more to where Gabriel’s younger self was striding down one of the golden hallways in Heaven’s Citadel. Memory-Gabriel stopped as whispered echoed off the shimmering gold walls.
“Come on, Raziel. If we have the Soraphim on our side, we can achieve—”
“—I’m not so sure, Lucifer. What if they don’t agree?”
Zachariel watched as he found Lucifer conversing with Raziel in a hushed, yet passionate manner. He seemed apprehensive, almost reluctant. The younger Gabriel in the vision walked up to the pair.
“Everything alright, brothers?”
Lucifer spun to face him. His previous expression slowly melted into a calmer one. “Just discussing the Creator’s newest…ah, art.”
“Ah.” Gabriel nodded. “Not impressed, I take it?”
Lucifer shook his head as his jaw clenched. “It’s more offensive, if you ask me. Especially to us angels.”
Gabriel chuckled. “The humans do seem rather boring for a masterpiece, don’t they? Not to judge, but I would have expected more from our Maker. I didn’t think beings made of dust would upset the host so much.”
“It’s not about that,” Raziel began. “It’s about their potential, their inherent ability. Simple as they are, they can decide their own purpose. They even rule the realm he made them in!”
Gabriel scoffed. “How does that make them special?”
“But that’s what you don’t understand, Gabriel!” Lucifer snapped; a fire burned in his eyes. “They can decide what to do with their life. You saw it in the Garden, they can choose between Life and Death! They could even bring in the Great Darkness if they so wished!”
“But why would anyone choose death? Or allow themselves to succumb to the Great Darkness?”
“Why would the Creator waste such a gift on his primitive creation when he could have given it to us?” Lucifer asked. “Why should we toil under him, singing praises and attending to our duties as angels while the humans can do as they wish? Why can’t we be free like them? Or all-powerful like our Creator?”
“Why would anyone want to be?”
Lucifer’s eyes burned into him, hot with rebellion and a darkness he had never seen before.
“I thought you two—of all of them—would be the ones to understand.” Lucifer shot a quick glare at Raziel. “But fine. I’ll do this, one way or another.”
The gold that surrounded them seemed to dim, the air in the room thinning. Gabriel blinked. “Do what, brother?”
“You’ll find out.” With one final huff, Lucifer shoved past them, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as he stormed away from the pair. After his brother was out of sight, Gabriel placed a reassuring hand on Raziel’s shoulder.
“Are you alright, friend?”
The Soraphim frowned, his eyes downcast. He looked back up at him. “I’ll be alright. I just have a big task to undertake.”
“What task?”
Raziel hesitated. “I’ll tell you later. For now, I must get back to my realm.” He held his hand out. “Till next time, brother.”
Gabriel clasped his friend’s arm. Zachariel scoffed as the vision faded again.
“Was Lucifer always that way? Even back then?”
Gabriel’s brows furrowed. “Lucifer has always had that pride in him. After the reveal of humanity, however, something in him snapped. I can’t say for sure, but I think that was the moment we lost him. The rest, as you know…”
“Yes.” Zachariel grimaced. “The Fall.”
Their surroundings morphed once more, shifting to the moment that had changed everything. The host of angels had gathered near the council chambers as Lucifer climbed towards the Throne of the Creator. He dragged a young female angel up the steps by her wings while she struggled helplessly.
“Listen, my brothers and sisters!” Lucifer slammed the young angel to the ground and planted his foot on her back. “Our Creator has wronged us! He has chosen favor with the primitive humans instead of us, his firstborns!”
Michael and Gabriel forced their way to the front of the crowd. “Lucifer! What are you doing?”
Their older brother grinned down at them. “I’m only giving us what we deserve, Michael. Our freedom.”
“But we are free!” Gabriel protested. “From the darkness, from oblivion!”
Lucifer snarled. “That’s exactly what ensnares us, Gabriel. The pitiful creatures he calls a masterpiece can choose, so why not us? Why can’t we take that power for ourselves? Why should we live under thrall of our maker, as nothing more than slaves to groom his ego?”
“And what of your ego?” Michael snapped.
The two brothers glared at each other. Lucifer’s eyes slowly shifted from their former golden color to a burning red. “There is an alternative, my brothers and sisters. I have witnessed it, a power not from our Creator. We can use it to take the Heavens for ourselves, to make a new universe in our image!”
“Stop,” Gabriel cautioned. “This is heresy.”
“This…” Lucifer smiled wickedly as his skin darkened to gray, his golden hair melted into black, his shimmering ethereal eyes burned into a dark crimson, “…is power.”
With a screech, Lucifer manifested a blade from thin air and dug it into the female angel below him. She fell limp on the steps, tears flowed from her eyes as she slowly faded into golden dust.
Zachariel’s eyes widened. The vision paused as present-Gabriel materialized next to him. The other angels who sided with the Fallen One were drawing their weapons and killing their brethren. Michael and Gabriel had drawn theirs in self-defense, watching the others around them either die or betray them.
“And so, Lucifer had taken the power of choice for himself. In doing so, he unleashed Death, the Great Darkness, back into our beautiful universe. We finally banished him and his angels from the Heavens, but when the dust settled, the cost was great.”
Their surroundings shifted to after the battle. Lucifer and his newfound minions were gone, but the Heavens lay in ruins. The streets of gold were scratched and burned; the sacred temple was desecrated. Those still loyal to the Creator mourned both for their fallen comrades and those who had betrayed them. Gabriel surveyed the damage with tears in his eyes as he turned to his remaining brother.
“How could we have let this happen, Michael?”
Michael grimaced. “I should have done something sooner, maybe try to convince Lucifer. The truth is, Gabriel…” He faced him. “I didn’t, because I’ve always been jealous of him. He’s always been the highest among us, closest to our Creator. Now that it falls to me…” His eyes lowered. “…I’m not so sure that I want it anymore. Especially after this.”
“We have a long and dark road ahead.” Gabriel placed a reassuring hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Just know that I will be there with you.”
The two archangels stood in silence until a messenger had arrived and briefed Michael.
“Sir,” he began. “We’ve run the traitors off from the Cherubim’s realm, though casualties were great. Ramiel is asking for a sustainment force to pursue them.”
“Where are they headed?” Michael asked. “To Earth?”
“No, Sir. They appear to be headed to the Soraphim home world.”
Gabriel froze and exchanged a quick, worried glance with his brother. “We need to go. Now.”
Michael nodded and faced the messenger. “Tell him to send every available angel he has. We will meet him there.”
The ravaged heavens warped and faded, replaced with a different set of ruins: the Soraphim village. The fallen angels had gotten there before the forces of Heaven could. As a result, they were wiped out, bodies of the men, women, and children strewn about, covered in ash, their homes reduced to rubble and ruin. Gabriel desperately searched the remains of their civilization but could not find any sign of his friend. The vision finally ended with him on his knees, sobbing, mourning Raziel and his people.
Zachariel’s eyes snapped open as he pulled away from Gabriel, tears in his eyes as well. The Archangel smiled sadly as he struggled to regain control of himself.
“That loss…what you’ve gone through…” Zachariel’s voice trailed off.
“I apologize, brother. I didn’t mean for the emotion to—”
“It’s alright.” Zachariel rasped as he closed his eyes and breathed slowly. “I’ve known loss as well, but that was…different.”
Gabriel nodded. “Raziel and Ira were dear friends of ours. His people were among the brightest souls I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. It was so heartbreaking to lose them.”
“I know, brother. I felt it.” Zachariel paused as a thought came to him. “You say they were wiped out, but how do you know for sure that none escaped? Wasn’t Raziel’s body nowhere to be found?”
“I had hoped that he would return to us, but he never did. After the massacre, The Soraphim were never seen or heard from again, although…” Gabriel frowned, “…sometimes I do search for him, if I’m honest. I once heard rumors of a Soraphim on Earth during the Great Flood but found nothing. Until I find evidence to the contrary, all I can do is hope or assume the worst. However, given this mysterious Ben of yours, it raises the possibility.”
“One can always hope. We—”
A loud crack came from the entrance of the archive. Zachariel and Gabriel darted over, their shimmering swords drawn, ready to meet the potential threat. Instead of a demon, however, stood Kafziel the messenger angel, his body burned and bloodied, his thin wings nearly shredded. He attempted to kneel as a sign of respect for the Archangel but collapsed instead.
Gabriel dropped his sword and caught him mid fall. Zachariel sheathed his blade and ran over to him.
“Kafziel? What are you doing here?”
The young angel coughed up blue, ethereal blood. “Intruder…in village.”
Zachariel’s eyes widened. “Another demon?”
Gabriel helped Kafziel sit up. “No. Something else. After…” He coughed more.
“After what?” Zachariel shook him. “Answer me!”
Kafziel slowly turned his head toward him, “He’s after Ben. Powerful…fire.” The young messenger closed his eyes and fell limp.
Zachariel stood to his full height and rushed toward the exit. “I’m sorry, brother. I have to go.”
Gabriel seemed to be locked in a trance but snapped out of it and quickly checked Kafziel’s wrist. “He’s alright, he still has spirit flowing in him.” Gabriel grabbed him and put his arm around his neck. “I’ll take care of him and meet you later. Go!”
Zachariel nodded and dashed out of the cavern, into the air. He flew at such a velocity that even the fastest of messenger angels would have had a difficult time keeping up. He deviated to the left to avoid a cluster of birds, and then swerved back to his regular flight path. The mountains flew by in a quickened blur, like splashed paint on a canvas.
All that was left to do was haste toward Riverglade to protect Ariana…and pray to the Creator that he would be fast enough.