“We have to talk Michael,” Uriel spoke quietly and softly.
“Yes, Uriel,” Michael replied and turned around to face her.
He took her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. But when Uriel looked back into his eyes, for the very first time in her existence, she froze in fear. There were actual golden flames spewing from Michael’s eyes and it was the first time Uriel had ever seen this. Was this because of the darkness? Or was it just because Michael was that special. Flames coming out of his eyes! The situation was as amazing as it was frightening to witness. Then, Michael asked a question Uriel never expected him to ask.
“When were you going to tell me about the other two prophecies?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
MICHAEL IN A MOOD
URIEL TRIED TO step away but Michael applied more pressure on her face, forcing her to stay where she was. Uriel had only a split moment to come up with an answer to his question. Was Michael taking a gamble or did he know for certain that she, Uriel, knew about ‘the other two prophecies’? And if that was the case, how did he come about such information? Was this Lunok’s handiwork? So many questions. If Michael knowing about the other prophecies was Lunok’s work, then Shemsu or not, Lunok would have a lot of explaining to do. She just had to survive Michael’s wrath, first and foremost. Well, based on the flames spewing from Michael’s eyes, and his grip on her face, Uriel chose not to chance anything. She could only stall for so long. Who knew what could come next; flaming wings and a flaming sword to cut off her head? As bizarre as the idea of a flaming archangel sounded, Uriel was not ready to put that to the test. She was already at a disadvantage facing an angry archangel supreme all by her humble, weaker self.
“What are you talking about, Michael?” Uriel asked as she tried hard to mask her fear with shock. “What do you mean by ‘other two prophecies’?”
“You know exactly what I am talking about, Uriel,” Michael replied.
Michael released her face but Uriel did not expect what happened next. With brute strength, he grabbed Uriel by the throat and slammed her into the wall behind him. The shock from his sudden attack made Uriel summon her wings unconsciously. Michael retrieved her from the wall and smashed her five more times into the wall until Uriel’s wings broke and hung loosely from her shoulder blades. She screamed in pain and summon angel light to begin healing herself. Her eyes were closed when the healing began and when she opened them, Michael inched closer to her face. When Michael spoke, flames spewed from his mouth. Uriel’s eyes bulged in fright like she had never experienced before. She let out a whimper and pleaded with her eyes as she became fully convinced that her best friend, the archangel supreme had succumbed to the darkness. No angel or archangel could summon flames from their eyes, let alone their mouth.
“I will ask you one last time, Uriel,” Michael hissed flames from his mouth. “When were you going to inform me about the other two prophecies?”
Uriel chose to spill everything and hold nothing back. It was pointless trying to remain covert. She was about to be ended by her best friend/the darkness. Uriel thought about calling for help from Raphael and the others but changed her mind. Maybe her death would serve as an inspiration to the others to regroup and rethink before they struck against the darkness that used to be their friend and leader, because not even Luciel and her rebellion stood a chance against this flaming creature that was about to end her.
However, in a split moment, Uriel had an epiphany. If Michael had already been taken over by the darkness, she would have been dead already and Celestia would be in a crisis as well. Yet, she was alive; smashed and beaten up, but alive! So, Michael, her Michael, was still in there somewhere. She had to find a way to reach him and, hopefully, stop him from losing himself.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Michael!” Uriel lied.
She struggled against his unbreakable grip. Her body wiggled, her fingers clawed into Michael’s arm and hand, but she might as well have been clawing at the floor or wall.
“Malichiel shared one prophecy with us, did he not?” Uriel gasped. “So why are you talking of other prophecies? Did he show you two other prophecies in private or did you get these prophecies directly from The Logos? After all, you do have the mark, do you not?”
Michael glared at Uriel and his eyes and mouth flared in golden flames. Uriel said a silent goodbye and waited for her end. Michael glared at her again and waited, as if deciding what to do next. It was a pity she had to lie to his face like that. She felt terribly ashamed, but only for a moment. It was part of her job as an undercover archangel for Lunok. She had to maintain her sense of objectivity and stay focused on the operation. Did Lunok see this scenario coming to pass? Was that why he had given her the pep talk, or reminder, about the severity of the situation? Uriel shook herself back to the present moment. The success of the mission was paramount, even if it meant her meeting her end.
As such, Uriel surrendered and stopped struggling against Michael’s death grip. She dismissed her wings and stared into Michael’s flaring eyes with calm and inner peace. Her eyes seemed to tell Michael that everything was okay. He no longer had to worry about anything. Her sudden change in demeanor thrust Michael back to reality. The flames in his eyes and mouth disappeared and he gently set Uriel on her feet. He took a step back and Uriel stayed leaning against the wall.
“What is going on with you, Michael?” Uriel asked.
Michael was silent. Uriel stepped closer to Michael as she rubbed her aching neck. Michael turned around and walked away from her but Uriel hurried towards him and placed herself in front of him. Michael stopped in his tracks and the two friends locked eyes.
“Please, Michael,” Uriel pleaded. “Talk to me.”
Uriel took his left hand in her right hand.
“I am begging you, Michael. Please tell me what is going on,” she implored.
“Sit!” Michael replied and summoned two chairs from the floor.
Michael told Uriel everything; from Malichiel telling him about the other two prophecies to his reasons for wanting those prophecies kept under wraps. Uriel played the role of a great listener, which was easy to do. Before the mission, he was her best friend. She listened as Michael expressed himself to the fullest. He held nothing back. Michael still trusted her to the full and better yet, Michael had not succumbed to the darkness. Those were great signs and wins for Uriel.
As Michael continued talking, Uriel realized how easy it was for her to keep a straight face. It had nothing to do with the fact that she no longer feared for her existence. She was undercover archangel and she was getting better at her job! Her objectivity was untainted, but her empathy for her friend’s predicament was starting to get to her. Something beyond the prophecies was troubling Michael. It was gnawing at him from the core and his essence was also changing; ergo the flaming eyes and mouth.
Uriel could resist no more. She slid off her seat, knelt in front of Michael and took him into her arms. Her sudden act of caring forced him to stop talking and stare blankly ahead. After a few moments, he returned her hug. It was a great feeling having her in his arms again. Uriel kissed his cheek and stroked his hair.
“I’m sorry, my friend,” she whispered into his ears. “For everything. This is too much to bear, even for one as mighty as you.”
Uriel felt Michael’s cheek press against hers as he smiled. His smile warmed her heart. She smiled back, kissed him on the cheek and returned to her seat. The two archangels heaved their shoulders, summoned their wings and flapped them.
“Luciel is up to something,” Michael said as they dismissed their wings.
Uriel gasped! Michael’s intuition was beyond amazing.
“I don’t know what she’s up to,” Michael continued. “I just know it. I can feel it in my core.”
There was no reason to pretend anymore, at least concerning the rebellion. Maybe bringing Michael up to speed would help ease the gnawing in his core. It would be unwelcomed and unhap
py tidings, but, at least, he would be aware of the situation. Uriel heaved her shoulders.
“I have something to tell you, Michael,” Uriel said. “In fact, it’s part of why I’m here.”
Uriel shifted in her seat and straightened her back. Michael eyed her with a most expressionless face.
“Luciel is leading a mounting rebellion against you as we speak,” Uriel said.
To her utter shock, Michael showed no reaction. Uriel shrugged and spilled everything to Michael, starting with her ‘accidentally stumbling across Zukael and Luciel’ having a conversation. She did not mean to eavesdrop on them, but when she heard them talk about change in leadership, she could not resist.
“They’re recruiting as we speak,” Uriel continued. “For now, we don’t know how large the rebellion is, only that they’re growing. Unfortunately, they have most of the senior archangels on their side and we have most of the younglings on ours.”
“Who’s ‘we’?” Michael asked.
“I was coming to that part,” Uriel replied. “Raphael laid a trap for me.”
“Raphael did what?” Michael was surprised.
“Even I find it interesting the more I think about it,” Uriel replied. “You should’ve seen him acting like he was seducing me.”
“You must be mistaken!” Michael said and erupted in laughter.
Uriel joined him and both of them laughed for a moment. It felt good that, despite the gravity of the situation, Michael could still find a moment to laugh. This was her Michael, Uriel thought. This was her leader and best friend. And she would have his wings until the very end. Uriel then outlined the details of her chat with Raphael up to the moment of her paying him, Michael, a visit.
“Raphael and Gabriel have been doing some recruitment of their own,” she said. “They wanted me to assess you and your position on the situation given your recent change in behavior.”
“And what do you think?” Michael asked.
“We’re still recruiting,” Uriel replied. “I’ll find out more details about-”
“I meant about me and my recent behavior,” Michael interjected.
“You have changed, but now I know why,” Uriel said. “Still, you’re the same archangel I pledged to follow till the end of my existence. I’ll have your wings for always. I want you to never doubt that.”
“I have never doubted your loyalty, Uriel,” Michael said. “Even when I suspected you had a hand in those prophecies.”
“This fills me with great joy, Michael,” Uriel said and meant it.
Her cover was still intact.
“So, what do we do now, Michael?” Uriel asked.
“I’ll attempt peaceful negotiations with the rebellion first and we’ll proceed from there,” Michael replied flatly.
Uriel recognized that tone of voice. The negotiations would only serve as a formality.
“Agreed!” Uriel chimed in. “And what do I tell your followers?”
“Tell them that I will never forget their loyalty and trust,” Michael said. “Tell them that I am very grateful that they have not forgotten who we are and what we stand for. Tell them to be ready, to not lose faith in themselves or in me. Tell them to wait for my signal and if the rebellion starts before I give the signal, then Raphael should lead the attack-”
“Wait a moment, Michael!” Uriel said, sliding to the edge of her seat. “What do you mean by ‘Raphael should lead the attack’?”
“I must leave and seek some answers,” Michael replied flatly. “I must know why this is happening and I must know exactly what I must do. My duty is to lead, to protect, to safeguard; not to massacre. Ending the senior archangels will not be a problem. They should have chosen more wisely! But the younglings…” his voice trailed off. “The younglings…”
Michael tried to speak again, but he could not finish his sentence.
Uriel could not help but admire Michael even more for his dilemma in the face of a possible uprising. Despite the crisis threatening to boil over, he still had not lost his composure and sense of leadership. As commendable as it was, Uriel had some questions. Was Michael using his hesitation to end the younger angels as a façade for the real reason behind his departure to ‘seek answers’? Did he not have the wings to end his lover, Luciel, when that moment arrived? Or, worst of all, did he not have the wings for war? Uriel cursed under her breath and wished Michael was ready to do what he must, when that moment arrived. He was their only hope of preserving Celestia.
“Tell them to trust me,” Michael’s words jerked her back to the present, as if he could read her mind. “And in the spirit of trust, there is something I must tell you, Uriel.”
When Michael finished talking, Uriel was too dumbfounded to even speak. She could not believe that all these moments, Michael already knew about the rebellion. And who had been ‘apprising’ him of the rebellion? The one and only Luciel. Yes, Luciel had been updating Michael on the rebellion’s recruitment, plans and strategies. Luciel really was following up on her word to gain his trust even more and eventually take him out using the element of surprise. But there was one twist to Luciel’s plan that Uriel had not even thought Luciel was going to use. Luciel had told Michael that the leader of the rebellion was Uriel herself.
What better way to tear her and Michael apart than to poison Michael’s mind with such false and loathsome propaganda! In some respects, Uriel took it as a great compliment. Luciel recognized that she, Uriel, was such a great threat to the rebellion that Luciel had to go ahead and attempt to poison Michael’s mind thus. It was a simple but brilliant scheme. Uriel could come up with many expletives to describe Luciel that moment, but she made a mental note to do that later and in person. Right there and then, Uriel had to do some damage control. She had to determine if he still trusted her or which story he believed; hers or Luciel’s.
Now Uriel understood the reason behind Michael’s aggression towards her when she walked into his domain. As Michael continued to recount Luciel’s side of the conspiracy, Uriel noticed how his demeanor changed back to Michael’s normal self. Gone was the worry, the droop in his shoulders and the burden to his psyche. Behold the archangel supreme and soon-to-be judge and executioner if Uriel did not convince him otherwise.
“By all winged creatures in Celestia!” Uriel exclaimed. “You’ve been putting up a show!”
Michael ignored her shock. Damn, the archangel was good at his game. And here she was, falling head over wings for his act. Here she was, lending all the empathy she could summon to her dear friend in need! It was Michael’s way of testing her and she never suspected a winged thing. Damn it. She had been tested twice by two of the best in the realm within such a short period. Damn, she must be that important to everyone. But as her pride began to have the best of her, Uriel remembered Lunok’s chastisement and her ego instantly deflated.
“So I believe you’ll have to decide which of us is telling you the truth, no?” Uriel decided to go on the offensive.
Michael shrugged.
“How about you tell me, Uriel,” Michael replied as he relaxed in his seat.
Michael smiled, but it was a smile that Uriel had never seen before. It was a smile that told Uriel that she was in his domain and she had only a few more moments before he passed his judgement on her. It was a smile that promised her the worst she would ever experience if he found her guilty of such betrayal. Uriel wished she could swallow, but this was Celestia. So instead, Uriel squared her shoulders and began talking.
“I swore an oath as an angel and I swore my loyalty to you,” Uriel began and she felt her anger rise in her.
How dare Michael treat her like a creature without honor! After everything she had done for him! But as her anger rose, she realized that all her anger would not be able to protect her from a ‘GUILTY’ sentence. So she continued to make her case.
“How many angels can say that they have personally sworn an oath to you, Michael?” Uriel asked rhetorically. “Before you fell, who did you want to be your guard
ian? I could go on and on; but you know something, I will just let this be and let you decide whatever the wings you want to decide! But before I end, I have this to ask you: when you fell, who broke all the rules and disobeyed your orders? And most of all, who does the second prophecy refer to; a fallen angel or one who was a guardian angel to a fallen angel? Now YOU tell me, Michael.”
Uriel folded her arms and glared at him.
“To be honest, and as bad as it may sound, I was hoping that Luciel would turn out to be the liar,” Michael said. “And I am glad, and not so glad, that she is the liar. I am sorry, my friend, but I had to be sure.”
“I accept your apology,” Uriel replied.
Uriel wondered how Michael would react if he found out her role in the whole situation. She shuddered at the thought.
“Thank you,” Michael said and rose from his seat.
Uriel did the same.
“Luciel is on her way,” he added. “I can tell. It must be the Shemsu essence or something. She obviously still thinks she is working her way to my psyche but that is about to change. I shall have words with her before I depart and I assure you that you will know when I am done with her. But, please, hurry and leave now. Tell the others what I told you and tell them to be ready. Celestia is about to go to war!”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
PREWAR
LUCIEL RAISED HER left hand to knock on the door but it slid open. She shrugged and shook her head.
“How does he do that?” Luciel asked herself.
Michael sat relaxed on a chair and leveled a blank stare in Luciel’s direction. He watched her walk into his domain. Michael saw her smile at him and close the door behind her. He watched her take one seductive step after another as she walked towards him. There she was, the perfect actress! Luciel’s every move was unchanged despite the fact that she was ready to end him if she had the chance. How could anyone harbor that much love and lust for something with a common but mutually exclusive denominator? Here she was, the epitome of selfishness and betrayal. Here she was, his greatest lover and, very soon, his mortal enemy. As much as the thought pained him to his core, there was no other way around the situation. Luciel had to die and die by his hand.
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