“That’s it?” Farel asked with a hint of disappointment.
“Well, that was all I witnessed,” Gahel replied apologetically and heaved his shoulders. “But from what I learned from another source, the first thing you lose during a fall is your garments, followed by your wings. They actually get burned away as you descend further into the realms of lower vibrational frequencies. Next, you start losing your memory. The further your fall, the more your memory gets erased until you experience full amnesia.”
“I wonder the reason for the amnesia, though,” Farel interjected.
“Maybe because in order to rise, one must fall,” Eliel replied quietly. “In order to see the light, one must go through the dark. In order to remember, one must first of all forget…”
“By Celestia, El!” Gahel exclaimed. “Where did that come from?”
“I have no idea, brother!” Eliel replied.
“It makes you sound like one of those sages, you know,” Gahel said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with sounding like a sage of old!”
Gahel and Farel rolled their eyes and chuckled.
“I’ll take the compliment!” Eliel replied and chuckled as well.
“Back to what I was saying,” Gahel said, rubbing his hands together. “After amnesia comes the final stages of the fall. Sometimes, the fallen comrade would infuse a fertilized egg and become reborn as a baby. Other times they take over the body of a dying creature. But on very rare occasions does the fallen comrade maintain his or her original physical form, without the wings of course. There is no predetermined process regarding the fallen comrade’s outcome at the end of the fall. I’m guessing the outcome is a random act of Creation.”
Baby JEM’s face contorted in a prelude to a scream and Eliel rushed to her side. She was restless as if she was having a nightmare. Eliel stroke her head with his left hand and rubbed her tummy gently with his right hand, singing a melody to her. She whipped her head to the left and to the right before a calm spread over her face. Her right thumb instinctively found its way again to her mouth as she sucked away and returned to sleep. Eliel continued singing a melody for a few more seconds before he stepped away from her crib.
“Do you think many of our brothers and sisters are still defecting to Hell Realm” Eliel asked his friends.
“Yes,” Farel replied. “But a lot fewer than before, thanks to Raphael heading counter-intelligence and security. His squad has exceptional training and you certainly don’t want to mess with them. To become a member of his counter-intelligence and security squad, you must first pass his sniff test and, believe me, this is far harder than the training program that follows his sniff test. Besides, you don’t apply to join Raphael’s team; you’re called! Less than three percent make it through successfully.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from a superior archangel like Raphael, based on what I have heard about him,” Eliel said.
“They don’t call him Raphael, The Ruthless, for nothing!” Gahel said.
Again, there was silence for a few hours.
“Eliel!” someone called.
“I’m right here folks,” Eliel replied.
His comrades looked at him with surprise.
“We didn’t call your name, brother,” Farel said.
“Oh, thought I heard my name,” Eliel replied. “Sorry! Ignore me please.”
“Eliel!” the sexless voice called again a short while later
But this time, Eliel did not reply. He could feel the difference in the voice. He was certain he heard his name and also that he was the only one who heard it. He looked at his friends, who were having a heated debate about who would win in a fight between Raphael and Samael. Eliel tried to remain calm in his brewing panic. He neither knew what to say or do.
“Eliel!” he heard again for the third time.
Suddenly, as if the floodgates of the deepest recesses of his subconscious had just been opened, Eliel realized he had a choice. He knew innately what he had to say or not say. He knew that, whatever his answer was going to be, there would be no turning back. It was a one-way ticket; where to, he did not know. He wrestled with his options as his friends continued with their debate. This could not be happening! Eliel thought. He never wanted any part of this, whatever ‘this’ was! Why me! His answer should, therefore, be simple, but every iota of his angelic constituency rebelled against what he was about to do. He walked over to Baby JEM and watched as her tiny chest heaved up and down with every calm breath of air she inhaled and exhaled. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. He could also feel his friends’ eyes dig into his back. He could also sense their concern, as they too could sense something was seriously amiss.
“What’s going on, El?” Gahel asked.
“I’m very sorry, my little friend,” Eliel said to Baby JEM and she smiled weakly in her sleep, as if saying she understood and wished him the best of luck.
Eliel then peeled his gaze from her face, looked upwards and calmly said, “I hear you!”
“Come!” said The Voice.
Eliel turned around and faced his friends. As he did, a ball of light began forming in the center of his chest. As the light grew brighter, he opened his arms and spread his wings. The light engulfed him in a brightness that dulled the brightness of a thousand supernovas. Farel and Gahel shielded their eyes and missed the part where Eliel was beamed upwards in nothing but pure brightness. When the brightness dissipated, Farel and Gahel brought down their hands from their eyes but their mouths remained open from shock. It was Gahel who broke the silence.
“Good wings!” he exclaimed.
“What just happened?” Farel was in panic. “Where is El?”
“What the flap! I cannot believe this!” Gahel exclaimed again, feeling too immersed in awe to provide Farel with an answer.
Farel grabbed him by his collar and brought her snarling face dangerously close to his.
“You tell me what just happened to El or I will do something really stupid!”
“You wouldn’t even believe me.”
“Try me!”
“Eliel heard The Voice,” he replied and Farel’s legs buckled in shock.
Eliel found himself in a chamber that was empty except for what looked like a throne and someone sitting on it. He was still a little dazed from the teleportation but managed to rise to his feet. He spread and flapped his wings repeatedly and stretched his arms and legs. If the angel on the throne-like seat had noticed him, then the angel gave no sign. His left arm rested freely on the arm-rest, while his right index finger rested lightly on his lips as he stared directly into the floor. He appeared to be in deep thought. Eliel scanned the chamber. It looked like every other domain in Celestia, except it was larger. Flap! Eliel exclaimed to himself after noticing the golden bracelets on the angel’s wrists. This was not the domain of any ordinary angel or archangel. He was in the domain of Archangel Supreme Michael.
“Huh- Huh-,” he stammered and cleared his throat. “Hello Michael, sir…”
Michael did not reply. Eliel cleared his throat again and stepped forward. He never imagined he would meet the highest-ranking archangel and supreme leader of all the angels and archangels in person. Yet, here he was, face-to-face with the legend himself. He was no myth. This was the one, and only, Michael!
“It’s truly an honor to meet you, sir!” Eliel said timidly, not knowing what else to say.
“How many times?” Michael asked in a deep, reverberating voice that seemed to make the very floor on which Eliel stood vibrate.
“I’m sorry, sir-” Eliel said and swallowed.
“How many times did you hear The Voice?” Michael asked.
Eliel swallowed again.
“Uh, it called my name three times, sir,” Eliel replied timidly.
“And how did you reply?” Michael asked, with his gazed glued to the floor.
“I said ‘I hear you,’” Eliel replied. “The next thing I knew, I was here. I don’t even know how that answer came to mi
nd, but it just felt… right…”
Michael nodded almost imperceptibly and then rose from his throne-seat; his eyes were still staring at the floor. He was considerably taller than Eliel was and even looked immensely stronger beneath his plain, white robe that settled around his ankles. He was barefoot. Eliel took an involuntary step backward. If he could flee, he would have. But where would he flee to? By Celestia! He was in the presence of Archangel Michael himself. Even if he did flee, he would be tracked down and brought back here faster than he could imagine. Eliel braced himself for whatever was to come.
“Only two have ever heard The Voice,” Michael said. “And these two were the highest-ranking archangels ever.”
Michael stepped forward and his wristbands started glowing. Eliel’s eyes bulged in fear when he saw Michael’s wristbands glow. Eliel had only read about it in school. But if he was seeing, not one but, two now….
“After the other archangel heard The Voice, I lost countless brothers and sisters to her savagery.”
Michael took another step towards Eliel and raised his eyes towards Eliel.
“And you, Eliel, a youngling, not even an archangel, have heard The Voice. You don’t know what awaits you and you’re certainly not ready for it!”
Michael took another step towards Eliel. Eliel had a strong feeling that something really, really bad was about to happen. Archangel Michael raised his eyes and Eliel saw that golden flames spewed forth from them. Eliel was completely awe-struck and paralyzed with fear. Michael was about to summon the archangelic battle flame. This could only mean one thing.
“You must understand,” Michael continued, taking more slow steps towards Eliel. “I cannot risk you falling over to the dark.”
A long, golden, flaming sword formed in Michael’s right hand. He raised his sword so that Eliel was staring directly at its flaming tip. His wristbands glowed even brighter and golden flames spewed from his eyes and mouth as he spoke. Eliel wanted to flee but he could not. He had read in school that the archangel battle flame was only summoned as an archangel’s prelude to battle. Eliel never imagined he would ever face an archangel in battle, talk less of a battle with the best fighter in the history of Celestia.
“History will not repeat itself!” Michael snarled, and golden flames spewed from his mouth. “Not again! Not under my watch!”
Eliel stumbled backward as Michael approached him.
“Nothing personal, youngling! This is just me taking affirmative action!” Michael spoke with vehement assurance, more to himself than to Eliel. “I must, therefore, end your existence!”
And then, Archangel Supreme Michael summoned his flaming, battle garments and charged at the lowly Angel Eliel.
CHAPTER TWO
THE KING OF HELL
KAZUK SAT ON his throne. Yes, it was HIS throne. It had been a few cycles since he had assumed the role as the King of the Realm of Hell, and The Scribe better not keep the King of Hell waiting. Kazuk was growing more and more impatient with every passing moment. But his impatience was a mere substitute for his feeling of inadequacy vis-à-vis The Scribe. Yes, there was absolutely nothing he could do to this being. Kazuk clenched his jaws in frustration. He decided to focus more on the things he could control, like his realm. Yes! Hell was his realm and under the mantle of his leadership, there had been many changes.
Kazuk was not the original leader of this cesspool of a realm. The Realm of Hell was an uninhabited realm in Celestia’s vicinity. But after the Great Rebellion in Celestia, those who had risen against Michael and his host had been defeated, and the defeated had been banished to Hell. Their banishment had left them without their leader and her next-in-command, Zukael, who now went by Beelzebub. Thus, there was a vacancy for the role of leader among the fallen from Celestia. But even Malichiel, now Metatron, the master strategist of the rebellion, did not care to assume that role. Kazuk had decided to seize the opportunity, and he was not the only one who coveted the role.
And so, the battle had raged on. Being an underdog, but a master strategist, Kazuk had blended sharp wit and supreme skills with the sword in a game of smarts and brute strength. Twenty sought the throne and thirteen fell within a snap of the finger. It was down to seven, and while Kazuk had entertained his six opponents in a dance of more death and damnation, he chose to exhibit a public display of his strength and skill for all in Hell Realm to see. When he was tired of toying with his prey, the predator that was, and is, Kazuk beheaded his opponents with swiftness and savvy.
He let the angel light streaming from the severed heads of his adversaries bathe his feet as he picked up the heads one-by-one. Hell Realm watched in fear as he walked in slow, calculated steps towards the empty throne, with three severed heads in each hand. The unspoken message was loud and clear. It was one of total dominion and zero tolerance for any form of opposition. It was a promise of strength and leadership like Hell Realm had never seen before. It was an affirmation of the hope of returning to Celestia, with or without their former leader, Luciel. It was a wordless speech heralding the dawn of a new cycle for Hell Realm and its inhabitants.
Kazuk turned around and faced his new kingdom. His eyes slowly swept across the realm as a deathly silence washed over Hell Realm. Satisfied, he raised the heads of his slain victims in the air and let them fall on the stairs. The heads rolled down the stairs and ended at the feet of some terrified creatures. Kazuk rested both his hands on the smooth, marble-like armrests of the throne and lowered his body, mired in the angel light of his slain opponents, into the throne. His bride manifested by his side from thin air, walked down a few steps in front of Kazuk and faced the Realm of Hell.
“Creatures of Hell Realm!” she spoke out loud in the sonic frequency of Hell Realm so that every creature from every corner of the realm could hear her. “Behold Kazuk, your new leader! Your new King!”
Fire and heat blazed. Ice and cold froze. Hounds of Hell howled, dropped on all fours and buried their snouts in their paws. Pain, suffering, pestilence, and all things aligned with the dark echoed. Lost and fallen creatures cowered and shivered. Demons dropped on their knees and lowered their heads. Trumpets sounded and Hell itself was rocked as if in a hell-quake. And all of Hell chanted:
“ALL HAIL, KAZUK! ALL HAIL THE KING!”
Kazuk reached for his wife. She accepted his hand and sat across his lap. Lithilia kissed the King of Hell passionately on the lips and Hell Realm erupted in praise.
Under Kazuk’s leadership, Hell had seen many changes. But, without the Zarark, Hell Realm could not spawn other creatures. Hell had increased its numbers rapidly by welcoming many lost and banished creatures from other realms. Transforming the uninhabited and barren realm into a haven had been a success, despite the many trials and tribulations that came with rebuilding and growing pains. Slowly, the realm’s culture was shifting from desperation to hope; hope for the future, hope for the moment when they would reclaim Celestia as their home. But to do that, they would have to defeat Michael and his host of angels and archangels. The change in culture warranted a change in names for every citizen of Hell, without exception. Every creature has a future and every demon a past. Kazuk was not yet a demon, but he certainly had a past.
***
A few celestial cycles ago, Kazuk had been a high-ranking archangel; not within the ranks of Michael’s inner circle, but high-ranking enough. Back then, his name was Maziel. As guardian of the Spawn Sanctuary, his task was critical. The Spawn Sanctuary was off limits to everyone except for Michael. Not even Maziel was permitted to enter the sanctuary. Should there ever be a problem within the sanctuary, Maziel was to immediately seek Michael out. It was an honor to be working with Michael.
Maziel’s very first encounter with Michael was unexpected. The archangel supreme had summoned Maziel to his domain out of the blue. But upon Maziel’s arrival, Michael had immediately attacked him. Maziel was caught off guard but he fought regardless. After a short clash of weapons, Michael had suddenly stopped and stared at Maziel. Mi
chael made his sword disappear and asked Maziel to follow him. Maziel was confused but obliged regardless. They walked along as if Michael had not just tried to end Maziel until Michael decided to put Maziel’s mind at ease and satisfy Maziel’s curiosity.
“Do you know why I summoned you, Maziel?” he asked.
“No, Michael, sir,” Maziel replied timidly and was pleased to realize that the rumor that Michael knew the names of every angel and archangel in Celestia was true.
“I just gave you a test and you passed,” Michael said.
“A test?” Maziel asked, still perplexed. “I don’t understand, sir.”
“It was a test for a very special task, my friend,” Michael explained. “One that requires someone with integrity, honesty, secrecy and superb fighting skills. I sensed you possess the first three. So, I had to test you for the fourth.”
“But Michael, sir, you beat me in four moves!” Maziel rebutted.
“That’s right, Maziel,” Michael agreed, “And only six others have lasted more than one of my moves.”
“Sir…” Maziel started saying but was lost for words.
He still could not believe his ears. This was the one, and only, Archangel Michael, supreme leader of the angelic host and best fighter there ever was, complimenting him on his fighting skills. Maziel was confident about his fighting skills. But hearing such compliments from Michael was more than a pleasant surprise and ego boost.
“I,” Maziel tried to speak again, but he was devoid of any vocabulary.
Michael chuckled.
“It’s alright, my friend,” Michael said. “Own the moment and practice more. Who knows, maybe you might eventually best me!”
Michael winked and Maziel managed a weak smile, knowing deep down that moment may never actually come to pass.
“Thank you, sir,” Maziel finally said.
“You’re quite welcome, my friend,” Michael replied.
“What I am about to show you, Maziel, is extremely important” Michael continued in a stern and authoritative voice. “It is something that only I have access to and is invaluable to our kind. You can decide, later, if it is a task you would like to accept. All you will have to do is stand guard and never, for any reason whatsoever, try to gain access to it. In case you were wondering, this position is vacant because the last guardian tried to gain access to it.”
An Archangel's Ache Page 2
