An Archangel's Ache

by Leo E. Ndelle

  Raphael, The Ruthless, rose from his chair as the rest of the inner council of high-ranking archangels eagerly looked up at him. He had hoped, against hope, that the moment would never arrive when he would have to validate the reason why he was nicknamed ‘The Ruthless’! Alas, that moment was nigh and he planned on holding absolutely nothing back. Raphael, The Ruthless, opened his right hand and summoned his battle hammer. He lifted his battle hammer in the air and brought it down into the marble-like floor. The force of the hammer reverberated throughout Celestia, and throughout Celestia, the bells of war rang.

  This moment, it was not a drill. Angels and archangels took up formation like they had rehearsed on countless occasions. Every angel and archangel summoned their weapons and were ready. They did not need a reason. They only needed an order, and they would do what they have been trained to do to the very last moment of their existence. Celestia was their home, and their home was under attack. May they be doomed for all eternity if they did not defend their home to their very end! Raphael stretched out his hammer. The inner council members stretched out their weapon to touch Raphael’s.

  “Hell will not know what hit them!” Raphael, The Ruthless, said.

  The council affirmed.

  “Let’s make them pay! FOR MICHAEL AND CELESTIA!” Raphael, The Ruthless, roared.

  “FOR MICHAEL AND CELESTIA!” the inner council chorused.

  As the members of Raphael’s inner council teleported away to their respective battle locations, Uriel hoped that the miracle that was Eliel would return and prevent the carnage that was going to result from this upcoming war.

  ***

  Kazuk floated in front of the enormous blackness that was perfectly contained in midair on a remote edge of the dimension. He understood why no one could easily have found this location and he also understood why Michael chose this location. It was a good thing he maintained a telepathic link with Metatron, or else, he would have been completely lost in this part of Lemuria. In this corner of the dimension, there was nothing but emptiness, darkness, and isolation. From above, it looked like any other realm. But once in it, the realm felt like the epitome of oblivion itself.

  The Realm of Hadesina! It was a most heinous but perfect prison and punishment for any creature. No wonder it was also called The Abyss. Kazuk wondered if there was one in every dimension or something of a similar nature. Anyway, there would be moments for pleasantries later. He reached into his garment and pulled out a black, oval-shaped, smooth piece of rock. He floated a small distance away in the blackness. He was starting to feel the ensnaring forces of the realm and knew he had to complete his task quickly or be lost in here forever as well. Metatron would love that, he thought. But he did not plan on letting Metatron have such an easy victory.

  In the center of the blackness, a tiny hole appeared and started spinning, creating a portal. The portal grew larger until it was large enough for a creature the size of an angel to walk through easily. Kazuk continued holding the stone to keep the hole open until a hand grabbed the edge of the spinning hole. Another hand appeared along the edge as well, and both hands seemed to be trying to pull a body through the hole. A head poked through, with long black hair that covered its face. Then the shoulders appeared and then the rest of the naked body of a female angel glided through the hole towards Kazuk. Kazuk closed the stone in his fist and returned it to his garment. He waited as the female glided closer towards him. She lifted her head and parted her thick, long, black hair that covered her face. She then summoned her wings and flapped them several times. She was a most beautiful creature indeed.

  “Hello, Luciel!” Kazuk said with a smile.

  “Maziel?” Luciel asked, incredulous. “How come?”

  “A lot has happened since you, um… were gone,” he hesitated.

  “How long has it been?” she asked.

  “Too many cycles,” he replied flatly.

  Luciel shook her head.

  “So, who has been leading the following then?” Luciel asked.

  “Me,” Kazuk replied.

  “You?!” Luciel exclaimed. “How come? Where is Zukael?”

  “I cast him out!” Kazuk replied casually. “Well, I ‘cursed’ him BEFORE I cast him out. Your top generals have been ended as well.”

  Luciel’s fury overtook her sense of reason as her eyes flamed up and her sword formed in her hand. She grabbed Kazuk by the throat and brought her sword close to his throat.

  “How dare you, Maziel!” Luciel seethed through clenched teeth as she summoned her archangel battle flame. “Give me one reason why I should not end you right here and now!”

  “I’ll give you three, actually,” Kazuk replied, calmly. “But first, you’ll have to let me go so we could have a less agitated conversation.”

  Luciel pressed her sword deeper into his neck.

  “I’m starting to lose every bit of patience that I have cultivated throughout these cycles!” Luciel barked. “So, do not test me!”

  “Very well then,” Kazuk said calmly. “First of all, you will not be able to find you way back without my help. I assume you know that already. Second of all, Hell Realm, our new home, could very well be under attack from our brethren on the other side as we speak.”

  Luciel extinguished her archangel battle flame. If there was one constant about her, it was the fact that she was as dedicated and loyal to her followers, as they were to her. She was a phenomenal leader, and she would gladly lay down her existence for them, as they would for her. Kazuk did not have such charisma. He ruled by fear and the fist. He was aware of the fact that if it came to it, Hell Realm would not hesitate to hand him over as a peace offering to Celestia. He needed Hell’s dedication and loyalty. And that was where Luciel came in. If Hell Realm would not love him, they would at least love Luciel, and if he could have Luciel by the wings, then Hell would be easier to govern.

  “What do you mean we could be under attack?” Luciel asked.

  She dismissed her sword and lowered her hand.

  “And how come that dump of a realm is our new home?” Luciel seethed with anger. “What have you done, Maziel? In the name of Celestia, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”

  Luciel exploded with a fury that both intimidated Kazuk and stirred his loins. All those cycles in incarceration and she had not lost an iota of her intoxicating personality.

  “Like your archangel battle flame?” Kazuk asked nonchalantly.

  “My what?” Luciel asked, confused momentarily by his question.

  “You know, flaming eyes, mouth, wings and all that,” Kazuk replied.

  Luciel blinked several times as she understood what Kazuk meant. Before her incarceration, she could not summon flames on her body. No one but Michael could. She stared at her hands as if they were not hers and then stared back at Kazuk.

  “What did you do?” Luciel asked.

  “Oh, the archangel battle flame wasn’t me,” Kazuk replied. “That was all Michael.”

  Luciel stared incredulously at Kazuk. She had so many questions and she would get answers later. For now, Kazuk had said something about her followers being under attack.

  “Why are my brethren under attack?” Luciel hissed, returning to her furious self once more.

  “I could take you home and show you?” Kazuk offered.

  Luciel eyed him suspiciously but decided that going with Kazuk was a lot better than banishment. So, she agreed, and Kazuk took her to Hell Realm. As soon as word got out that Luciel was back, every creature from Hell Realm converged to her location to either welcome or behold the myth in all her historic glory for the very first time. There were chants of welcome and praise. Luciel was deeply touched and savored the moment. As she savored the moment, she was suddenly stricken with a deep sadness at the notion that her generals had all been slaughtered. Her pain was real, and she silently vowed to deal with Kazuk later.

  “Lucie?” a voice called from behind her.

  Luciel turned around, and her jaw dropped.

  “Is
that really you?” Metatron asked.

  “Malichiel!” Luciel cried out and crashed into his arms.

  The two compatriots hugged each other tightly. Cycles spent apart, with nothing but hope to keep them going, paid off in that perfect moment of warm, loving embrace.

  “Maziel said you were all dead!” Luciel said.

  “They all are, Lucie,” Metatron replied. “I am the last one left.”

  “No, brother!” she said and took his face in her hands. “I am here now. WE are here. Together again. Just like old times.”

  Metatron smiled, and his heart was overflowing with joy.

  “Just like old times, my dear sister,” Metatron agreed.

  The crowds were still chanting Luciel’s name non-stop.

  “Just say the word, and I will end this fool!” Metatron hissed.

  “I promise you, my friend, he will be yours to take care of,” Luciel assured him in a whisper of her own. “But not now. We must be certain of what he is really up to first.”

  “I have truly missed you, Lucie,” Metatron said, admiringly. “You have not lost your wit and wisdom even after all these cycles!”

  “And I have missed you too, my dear friend,” Luciel replied. “Let us get onto business now, shall we?”

  Metatron nodded his agreement.

  Luciel turned to Kazuk and whispered in his ear.

  “So, what’s to stop me from ending you right here and now? You have seen for yourself where their loyalties lie, haven’t you?”

  Luciel gestured at the crowd that was still chanting her name in praise.

  “I never gave you the third reason, did I?” Kazuk replied, maintaining his calm composure and doing very well at masking his burning jealousy.

  “Okay, let’s hear it,” Luciel said with exasperation.

  “Michael is no longer around,” Kazuk spoke quietly.

  Luciel was shocked speechless and frozen for a moment. And then, the anger erupted in her. While eliminating Michael was the ultimate goal of the rebellion, that honor was meant for her. Michael, her lover, had to die by no other’s hand but hers. What Kazuk had done was beyond pardon, beyond redemption. Flap sanity! Flap rationality! Flap every winging thing! Kazuk had to die and die immediately. But as she was about to end Kazuk, warning alarms went crazy all across the realm.

  “And Michael’s war-crazed, top general, Raphael, The Ruthless, is now the supreme leader of Celestia,” Kazuk added, summoning his weapon. “I guess you know what this alarm means, right?”

  Luciel gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She glared flames at Kazuk and the corner of Kazuk’s mouth stretched in a mischievous and satisfied smile of victory.

  “I believe Raphael, The Ruthless, has a wing to pick with you, Luciel,” Kazuk added and glared at Luciel with disdainful spite. “Welcome to the new order. Welcome to MY new order!”

  “I will make sure you end slowly and painfully, Maziel,” she promised.

  “Let’s not restate the obvious, Luciel,” Kazuk said dismissively. “And here, you will address me as Kazuk, YOUR king!”

  Kazuk then walked away from Luciel to face the crowd, leaving Luciel to mire in her shock, fury, and confusion. He raised his spear in the air, and all of Hell Realm went silent.

  “My brothers and sisters!” Kazuk began his speech. “You have all heard the alarm, and you know what this means. Celestia has declared war on us, just like we expected. We are stronger, and they are weaker. They are weaker because Michael is gone!”

  A ripple of shock and happy murmurs spread across the crowd and Kazuk let the reality of the moment sink in.

  “But we are stronger because they do not know that our general, the great and mighty Luciel, is back!”

  Hell Realm chanted Luciel’s praise.

  “She will lead us again, but this moment around, we will win! We will crush Celestia and take our rightful place in this dimension.”

  Kazuk then turned towards Luciel, who had to adjust her composure quickly to hide the sudden overload of surprises Kazuk was furnishing.

  “If our general could come forward, please,” Kazuk asked politely.

  Luciel obliged. Kazuk smiled at her and spoke out.

  “When we turned our backs on Celestia under your leadership, we also let go our past identities and names,” he said. “We have all taken up new names to symbolize our new lives and identities. So, we ask you, what would your new name be?”

  Luciel thought for a few moments. Back in her days in Celestia, she was nicknamed, Lucifer. It meant ‘Light Bearer,’ because she was exceedingly wise and charismatic. Perhaps she was not ready to let go of that identity yet, but she must not disappoint those who have sacrificed so much for her already. As such, Luciel obliged.

  “From this moment on,” Luciel said, “my new name will be Luceefa!”

  And all of Hell Realm chanted her new name over and over. Her weapon, her sword, formed in her hand and she raised it. Hell Realm followed suit.

  “Who’s ready for war?” Luceefa asked.

  Hell Realm went crazy with eagerness.

  “Let us reclaim our rightful place then!” she bellowed.

  Even Kazuk had to admit, all those cycles in banishment had done nothing to diminish her charisma and loyalty to and from her followers. Metatron beamed and was glad to have her back. And as Hell Realm flew out for war, Lithilia watched from her quarters, elated that, at long last, she would finally get to unleash her ultimate plan on these pathetic creatures, starting with that bitch from The Abyss!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  A NEW ORDER

  ONCE AGAIN, IN the Dimension of Lemuria, history was about to be made. And while this history was going to be written in the ink of death and destruction, the Realm of Celestia would not serve as a writing tablet, like it did during the Great Rebellion. A neutral zone, in the vastness of the space between the Realm of Celestia and Hell Realm, was chosen as a common ground to do battle. Both camps were ready, but both camps had recently experienced major changes. While Celestia outnumbered Hell by six-to-one, they had lost their archangel supreme, Michael. And while Hell was grossly at a disadvantage numbers-wise, unknown to Celestia, Hell had just reacquired their own supreme leader, Luciel, now called Luceefa!

  Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel flew to meet Kazuk and Metatron the middle.

  “Hello, Raphael!” Kazuk greeted. “And to the rest of you!”

  “Let us not stand on ceremony,” Raphael scoffed. “I give you my word that if you and your followers stand down, we will let you all be. No need for another slaughter.”

  “Perhaps if you ordered your following to stand down, then we will go easy on you,” Kazuk made a counteroffer.

  “You know we greatly outnumber you, right?” Gabriel asked.

  “We can count, thank you very much,” Kazuk mocked. “Wouldn’t you agree, Metatron?” he asked, turning his attention to Metatron, who was staring at his once-upon-a-moment friends, not knowing what to say to them.

  “Perhaps you could talk some sense into Maziel, Malichiel,” Uriel addressed Metatron. “His pride will only lead to his quick demise.”

  “Why are you even addressing him, Uriel?” Gabriel asked. “He is the one responsible for Michael’s demise. His head is mine.”

  “A most unfortunate demise indeed, boys… and girl,” Kazuk taunted and broke into a derisive laughter.

  Gabriel’s eyes flamed up, and Raphael raised a hand, indicating for Gabriel to control his temper. Gabriel obliged but glared at Kazuk.

  “It is never too late to return, Malichiel,” Raphael said and noticed how Metatron’s eyes lit at the mention of returning to Celestia. “But you will not return as a member of the inner circle.”

  “Too late, Raph!” Metatron said. “There’s no going back for me.”

  Raphael nodded and walked past Kazuk to face the creatures from Hell. As the new archangel supreme of the commanding realm of the dimension, Raphael resonated his vocal frequency with Lemuria’s vibrational f
requency. Every creature within half of Lemuria’s radius could hear him clearly.

  “You know we greatly outnumber you already[CM1]!” Raphael said. “I’ll make this offer once and once only. Lay down your weapons, and I guarantee you, on my honor as supreme leader of the Realm of Celestia, no harm will befall you. You will live in your home, free from the worry of us decimating you!”

  He waited for a response from the crowd. There was absolute silence.

  “Please, take my offer!” Raphael continued. “You’re about to let a great opportunity pass you by. Why not listen to the voice of reason?”

  “Because the only voice they listen to is mine,” Luceefa replied and flew towards Raphael.

  Uriel cursed out loud and immediately went for Raphael. She knew exactly what her new leader was about to do, even before her new leader summoned his archangel battle flame. A murmur of surprise spread across Camp Celestia, a testament of the shock, awe, anger, admiration and even reverence for the one who was only spoken of by reference and not by name, because of the scar she had left on them. To the younger angels and archangels, she was a sight to behold; the infamous Luciel, second-in-command to Michael and mastermind of the Great Rebellion that ended the existences of so many of their brothers and sisters. Luciel approached Raphael as it took everything Uriel had to hold Raphael back.

  “Luciel!” Raphael hissed the name with hatred and a lust for her head.

  “Hello, brother!” Luceefa greeted with a calm that dared Raphael to do as he intended.

  “Raph!” Uriel said into his ear. “All of us who survived the rebellion share your sentiment. You know that. But, we have younglings among us now. They look to us for leadership. If we attack now, what lesson are we teaching them? Think about it, brother.”