Celestial Crisis

by Leo E. Ndelle

  “I’ll have to train harder,” Luciel said. “I’ll train with the best of us, and I’ll train with Michael. I’ll study his strengths and weaknesses until I beat him.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Emok concurred.

  He bowed his head slightly and appeared to be thoughtful.

  “Your current plan will certainly make you a better fighter but how will that make you a better leader? Do you have any plans concerning that?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” Luciel admitted. “I haven’t given it much thought.”

  “Not knowing and admitting you don’t know is a good place to be, child,” Emok said. “So, don’t worry. Such plans require careful planning, patience and execution. These you will learn as you grow.”

  He shifted his weight on the bed so that he was square with Luciel. The way he looked at her made Luciel cringe a little, not out of fear, but out of a sudden change in the atmosphere of her domain; as if Emok had sparked the ethers to create a different feel to her domain.

  “I want you to pay very close attention to what I’m about to say, Luciel,” Emok said.

  Even his tone of voice has changed, Luciel thought.

  “Sometimes, to get what you want, you must go beyond mere desire,” Emok said. “Sometimes, you just have to go ahead and take it!”

  Luciel stiffened at the implications of Emok’s words. Emok’s message made her feel uncomfortable but she kept her mouth shut as Emok continued talking.

  “The opportunity will present itself eventually,” Emok continued. “When that happens, seize it. Let nothing hold you back, and I mean NOTHING.”

  Emok’s voice was so stern that Luciel cowered and averted her eyes. Now she was afraid. It was not Emok’s words that frightened her. It was the feeling he radiated as he spoke. Without even realizing it, a tinge of the darkness within him had spilled out of him and encased Luciel’s domain. The energy was as alien to Luciel as it was powerful. Emok realized he might have gone a little too far an eased his tone a little bit.

  “What I’m trying to say, my child,” Emok continued in a more soothing tone of voice, “is that sometimes, the things we want don’t come to us simply because we desire them. At times, they may be handed to us and other times, they are not. So, if you want something, you can either wait for it to be handed over to you, and I don’t see that happening in this case, or you’ll have to go on and take it for yourself. This is a bitter truth that you will eventually appreciate.”

  Emok rose from the bed and headed for the door. He could feel her fear and confusion at the same time. He managed a smile and he placed a hand on the doorknob. He opened the door and then paused. He was loving the drama, the manipulation, the control and the nurturing of a new progeny. He had one more move to make before his departure. So, Emok turned around to face Luciel, with his hand still resting on the doorknob.

  “Now you make sure you go ahead and take the man you love!” Emok said.

  Emok turned around and walked out of Luciel’s domain. He closed the door behind him, but not before noticing Luciel’s aura glow brighter. Her expression had changed from discouraged and confused to motivated, elated and hopeful.

  ***

  “It’s always fun having you around, Michael,” Uriel said as she nuzzled against his chest.

  “It’s always fun being around, Uriel,” Michael replied.

  “So, when will you ever bring me a REAL gift?” she asked playfully.

  “When you decide to be with me,” Michael replied promptly.

  “Again, my fearless leader,” Uriel said, rising from the floor and summoning garments on her nude body. “I’ve told you that you’re not the angel for me.”

  At first, she derived pleasure from his hurt that stemmed from her rejecting his proposals of exclusive companionship. But lately, she felt sorry for him. The copulation was always great. By Celestia, Michael was more than phenomenal in that area. But beyond the hip-slapping, she never felt any real connection towards him. The only affection she had towards him was akin to friendship that could grow strong and unbreakable over cycles, hopefully. She turned around to face him. As expected, he too was on his feet and still wearing nothing. That body! Our makers did dedicate extra attention when spawning him, Uriel thought. Her nether regions glowed, and she flapped her wings involuntarily.

  “What were you saying?” Michael asked seductively and grinned.

  He took a step towards her, but Uriel summoned restraint from, she knew not where, and turned away from him.

  “I am not feeling you, Michael,” Uriel said. “Our bonding is great, but I just don’t feel you. Maybe the angel I want to be with has not yet been spawned.”

  Uriel turned around and faced him. His hurt was brandished across his face, and she felt terrible for him. She walked towards him and gave him a gentle hug. When he was about to return her embrace, she gently backed away and placed her palms on his cheeks.

  “Did you feel that, Michael?” Uriel asked as she stared into his eyes.

  “Feel what?” Michael asked innocently.

  “My point exactly, Michael,” Uriel replied and took another step away from him. “There is nothing there, Michael. And even you do not feel it.”

  And then, Uriel felt it. It was a shift in Michael’s mood, or energy. She did not know how she could feel it, but she did. She took a step towards him and it hit her hard in the essence. His hurt was too deep and too overwhelming, and it made Uriel gasp. Their eyes met, and Uriel could see into Michael through his eyes. The pain was real, the hurt was intense, and she placed her hand on his chest, she felt something else. It was a surge of energy as Michael had his moment of clarity. He had concluded that he would have to let Uriel go and free himself of this suffering he was putting himself through. And in that moment, Michael became free of his attachment to Uriel and Uriel could sense it as well. He placed his right hand on Uriel’s cheek as Uriel took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply on the lips.

  Michael finally understood. He came to Uriel because he thought he loved her. Uriel received Michael because she thought she desired him. But the reason was finally clear them to see. In that moment, a connection that was not akin to the feeling of being in love was established between these two angels and a bond was formed between them that held a promise to last for the rest of their individual existences. In that moment, Michael knew he had an ally he could rely on no matter what. In that moment, Michael knew that Uriel would willingly lay down her existence for him if she had to. In that moment, Uriel knew she would be the voice of reason in case Michael ever lost his way. While Michael would be looking into the affairs of Celestia, Uriel would be looking out for him, and Uriel would keep him safe.

  Uriel peeled her lips away from his and rested her head on his chest. She felt garments form over his nude form. She smiled and peeled back her head. Then, without warning, she punched him in the stomach. As Michael doubled over, she tackled him to the ground and held him in a chokehold.

  “Do you yield?” Uriel asked.

  Uriel was too busy with her choke hold to realize that Michael had slid his hand up her left inner thigh. Pain spread across her entire body as Michael gave her exposed skin a very good pinch. She screamed and released Michael from her grip as she reached down to soothe her aching skin. Michael rolled to his right as he slipped his left arm under her armpit. Michael knelt on his right knee and maintained straight-spine structure as he applied pressure between Uriel’s right shoulder and forearm. Uriel’s right wrist, elbow, and shoulder were locked in place, and every time she tried to move, Michael applied more pressure.

  “Okay, okay, I yield!” Uriel exclaimed.

  Michael let Uriel go and smiled. He grinned as she sat up, flexed her shoulder and glared at him. Michael shrugged and winked. The two angels started laughing.

  “I did get you for a quick moment, didn’t I?” Uriel asked.

  “You did, and I did not see that coming at all,” Michael replied as he stood up. “Good
move and good thinking.”

  “Not as good as your escape, though,” Uriel rebutted and stood up.

  “Thank you, Uriel,” Michael said.

  Uriel could see the sincerity in his eyes.

  “I mean it! Thank you very much… For everything,” he added.

  “Of course, Michael,” Uriel replied. “Anything for you! And I mean it as well.”

  Michael smiled and nodded. Uriel nodded back. He teleported to his domain and threw himself on his bed after summoning angel light over his body to freshen up. But as soon as he was on his bed, he heard a knock on the door. He was not expecting any visitors at this moment.

  “Come in,” he called out.

  The door opened, and he was pleasantly surprised to see Luciel’s head poke through the crack in the door.

  “I hope I am not intruding,” Luciel said timidly.

  “No, of course, Luciel,” Michael replied and stood up from the bed.

  Michael was surprised when Luciel closed the door and did not move.

  “Well,” Michael said as he laughed lightly. “Why are you just standing out there? Come on in and summon a seat. You’ve been here many times before.”

  But Luciel remained motionless. Michael narrowed his eyes in confusion.

  “Luciel?” Michael said and walked slowly towards her. “What’s wrong?”

  Luciel lowered her gaze in embarrassment. Now, Michael was concerned. This behavior was so unlike Luciel. He slid off the bed and walked towards her.

  “I,” Luciel stammered, but her words were stuck in her throat. “Michael…”

  Michael gently took Luciel by the shoulders and forced her to gaze upon him. But Luciel could not summon the courage to look at Michael in the face.

  “Luciel,” Michael spoke softly. “Look at me, please. What’s wrong?”

  Michael could feel Luciel summon the will and courage to open her eyes and gaze upon him. When she did, her eyes bore deep into his. And Michael saw what was in her eyes. His arms went numb and collapsed to his sides. Without saying a single word, Luciel said it all. Without saying a single word, Michael said it all. And without saying a single word, Michael understood what Uriel meant when she said she could not feel him. He took Luciel in his arms, and she surrendered everything to him. As the two angels closed their eyes and locked lips, a spark became a flame that nothing or no one could ever quench. And, as Emok watched the spikes in these angels’ esoteric signatures on the five-dimensional holographic display, he was pleased that another phase of his grand plan had come to fruition.

  CHAPTER TEN

  GOING FOR THE HEAD.

  MICHAEL AND LUCIEL were gone for a while. The other angels assumed Michael was going through special training; but Uriel knew better. No one really cared for Luciel’s absence, though. Michael was their supreme leader and Luciel was just another angel. Team ELOHIM continued monitoring the progress of the angels, as well as Celestia and the rest of Lemuria. As far as Team ELOHIM was concerned, Michael and Luciel were merely in love. There were no spikes to indicate any anomalies in their esoteric signatures. Still, they continued to pay close attention to these two.

  Michael and Luciel eventually emerged from Michael’s domain and rejoined their brethren. Luciel’s demeanor had changed. She had an extra gait in her flight and steps, and her aura glowed a little brighter. Only Uriel and a few other angels noticed. Michael showed no changes in his demeanor, but his aura glowed a little brighter. His learning speed increased significantly, mostly because he was a lot more relaxed than before. He showed improved tolerance, speed, intelligence and strength of mind and body. In other words, Michael leadership skills were better.

  “Your progress is remarkable and certainly not going unnoticed, Michael,” Emok complimented Michael later when Michael was by himself.

  Michael sat at the observation podium and watched his brethren train. He was starting to shortlist possible candidates for his inner council of angels.

  “Thank you, Emok,” Michael replied almost dismissively.

  Emok understood the unspoken message; Michael preferred to be left alone at that moment. Emok smiled. He would let Michael have his moment of quiet later. Michael would need it after their conversation.

  Michael resumed shortlisting possible angels for his inner circle. He started with Raphael. Raphael was fierce, impulsive and fiery; an angel of action over words. Raphael was probably the strongest of them all and he did command the respect of those around him. That was a good indicator of leadership and a plus for Raphael. However, his greatest weakness was his low emotional intelligence. Maybe Raphael was aware of this flaw; and if that was the case, then his less-talk-and-more-action persona could be compensation for this area of lack.

  Next was Gabriel. Gabriel’s strongest trait was his cynicism. But his cynicism was the constructive kind. He tended to assume the worst possible outcomes to work on the best possible ways to address these outcomes. Gabriel was strong and skilled, but he was neither as skilled nor as strong as Raphael was. Gabriel was more intelligent than Raphael was in every aspect but had no leadership skills. He would make a formidable ally, and his counsel could be of great value.

  Zukael was another viable candidate. He was almost as tough and as strong but slightly more intelligent than Raphael was. In combat, either angel could win. Loyalty might be his forte and, given a purpose, he would do whatever was necessary to see the purpose to fruition. He also had some strong leadership skills, but not like Raphael did. Zukael’s weakest point was his easily malleable psyche, though, which was something Michael was not going to worry about.

  Malichiel, on the other hand, was not so easy to pinpoint. Malichiel was an angel extraordinaire indeed. His skills and strength were almost at the same level as Gabriel’s, but there was just something about Malichiel that Michael could not lay a finger on. Malichiel was an enigma and Michael felt drawn to him.

  Luciel would have been the perfect second-in-command. Keywords: would have been. This assessment had nothing to do with conflict of interest, given that Luciel was now his mate. She was second best in leadership, strength and combat. She was even smarter than Michael was. Her emotional stability was questionable for now, but that could be fixed with proper guidance and training. So what was it about Luciel that was nagging Michael so subtly, yet so strongly, in the gut? Michael was unsure yet, but he decided he would trust his instincts and shortlist Raphael as next-in-command. In the meantime, Luciel will remain a very strong candidate for his inner circle.

  And then, there was Uriel. Michael smiled. The mere thought of her warmed his heart and gave him a good feeling all over. She would have been a far better mate than Luciel was. Michael felt sorry for thinking such thoughts, but alas, the situation was what it was. Like Uriel had said, she felt nothing for Michael and that the kind of angel she wanted had not yet been spawned. At first, Michael thought Uriel was being metaphorical. But with Uriel being the wisest of them all, even though she did an excellent job at pretending that she was not, Michael later realized she was being literal.

  Uriel was a master strategist. Michael grinned at the thought. Uriel could strategize and react, and her opponent would never see it coming. She also had excellent leadership skills, maybe better than Luciel did. However, the title of supreme leader was furthest removed from her mind. This was one of the many reasons why Michael trusted Uriel with his very existence. This was also one of the reasons he still wished, subconsciously, that Uriel would reconsider taking him as her mate. But that wish was never going to come to pass.

  “You’re a lot better than I envisioned you would become, Michael,” Emok said, yanking Michael away from his moment of deep concentration.

  “Thank you, Emok,” Michael replied without turning around to face Emok.

  Michael did not know why but he was starting to grow a dislike for Emok.

  “Of course,” Emok said and inched closer. “Do you mind if I sit?”

  “You don’t need my permission, Emok,” Michael
replied. “You made us.”

  Emok nodded and summoned a seat. He sat next to Michael and stared at Michael. Michael pretended to ignore him. A moment later, Emok turned his attention towards the rest of the angels training below.

  “You know they will follow you to the very end, don’t you?” Emok asked.

  “What makes you so sure they will?” Michael asked.

  “I made you and your brethren,” Emok replied.

  There was a coldness in Emok’s tone of voice that was a reminder that this creature called Michael better remember his place. Emok was aware that he was not supposed to be feeling such sentiments, but he did not care anymore. That energy, that… essence… he had called ‘the darkness’ was growing stronger with every passing moment.

  “Meaning?” Michael asked calmly, as if to say I’m not afraid of you, maker!

  “Meaning, I understand you and your brethren very well,” Emok replied in a milder and friendlier tone of voice. “I understand how you think and act. We gave you this realm, and we gave you everything you have. Most of all, we gave you the second greatest gift of all.”

  “Free will,” Michael spoke almost inaudibly and turned to face Emok.

  “Yes, Michael, we gave you free will,” Emok affirmed, meeting his gaze. “We, the Shemsu, also have free will. But ours does not come with polarization.”

  Emok paused for a moment, and when Michael looked into Emok’s eyes, Michael saw something that troubled him deeply.

  “What you see, Michael,” Emok continued without granting Michael the pleasure of pretending, “is a Shemsu who’s no longer confused. What you see is a being a new purpose. What you see is the look of a being who has embraced free will with acute clarity and has made a choice.”

  “And why are you telling me this, Emok?” Michael asked as he flexed his shoulders and tried to relax a little, tell-tale movements of nervousness.

  “Because, Michael, I gave you and Luciel a part of me,” Emok replied. “I gave you and Luciel what my team calls a tainted form of the Shemsu essence.”