Samael muttered under his breath.
Dagon smiled at her. “I think it may be more interesting if Fornues told his story first.”
Samael frowned and huffed.
“Indeed, I am rather curious about how Fornues entered this world and how he came to be as he is,” Lilith said.
“How can the monster tell his story when he cannot break words?” Samael said in a sarcastic tone.
“He is not a monster!” Gadreel frowned and her hands squeezed into fists. “He is our friend and he can communicate to us in our minds as he has done since we came together.” She rolled her eyes at him and turned to Dagon again, touching her hair.
“Shall we move closer to shore, Satan?” Lilith asked.
Fornues interjected, “There is no need, for I can hear all your words clearly—even yours, Samael.” He dropped the last three words to a grumble.
“Apologies, Fornues, I meant no harm.” Samael shrugged.
“Go on, Fornues, reveal your story in our minds,” Satan said.
“I looked down from the edge of Floraison and saw the dark, icy waters of a vast frozen sea,” Fornues began. “Every fiber of my body trembled in fear of the unknown. As I plunged toward Earth, I thought of only doom. I was void of hope. If there was a future to be had at all, I saw only blackness.”
Fornues became more and more emotional as he unintentionally transferred the feelings and experiences he described to the other angels. They suffered the despair and physical agony he communicated.
“I crashed through solid ice into freezing waters. The pain that swathed me was indescribable. I did not believe I could survive. I suffered a million sharp spears stabbing me simultaneously over my entire body, again and again. I wailed in despair, for who could hear me?”
So real was his description in their minds that the others howled in pain, as though their bodies were crashing through the congealed surface of the frigid sea.
Gadreel’s limp body lay sprawled on the ground, as if damaged and immersed in freezing water. Dagon hollered as the excruciating pain of freezing body tissues gripped him.
“I struggled as ice water filled my lungs paralyzing them,” Fornues continued. “I flapped my wings, flailed my arms, and thrashed my legs. It seemed the more I struggled, the faster I sank. I experienced crushing pressure, blows to my abdomen, and small explosions in my eyes. I longed for the light above me whose distance grew further out of my reach.”
Lilith screamed and writhed in agony as her body underwent cold, piercing jabs. Satan tried to assist her, but he, too, suffered the physical torments Fornues described. Samael convulsed as he experienced drowning in the frozen waters.
“I began to undergo a massive transformation, which began with my wings growing heavy. They began to tingle and blister as the freezing water destroyed underlying tissues. My wings congealed and became as ice. They became so painful I wanted to rip them off. My body grew and expanded in every direction. All the while, I shrieked and groaned, believing my body was being torn apart.”
Satan howled, clutching and tugging at his wings, for the pain they yielded was unbearable.
Fornues stopped communicating. His friends moaned, contorted, and juddered on the ground.
“What is happening?” he asked.
“You have drawn us into your rendering, and we have suffered all you have described thus far,” Lilith said, breathless and wincing.
Fornues realized for the first time that he had the ability to project his feelings and physical torments onto others if he did not control his emotions. “Apologies. I was not aware I had such capacity. Perhaps I should not render my account.”
“Nonsense!” Dagon winced as he rubbed his chest and arms. “Simply control your projected feelings. We have all been through much suffering, but this is in our past. Tell us what happened to you, knowing in your heart that you have already overcome all you described and are the better for it.”
Samael threw his hands in the air. “He shall be the death of us all.”
Dagon and Gadreel glowered at him.
“What say you, my prince?” Lilith directed her sight on Satan.
“Pay no mind to Samael and continue your story, but heed Dagon’s counsel and project your feelings inward and not at us,” Satan said.
Samael clenched his jaw and lowered his head.
Fornues continued his story. “I no longer possessed the form of an angel, but had become the monster you see now. My wings were gone. I do not know why, but I mourn my wings the most.
“I realized I could no longer break words. When I opened my mouth to cry out for help, the sound I produced was a terrible shrill. I continued uttering the jarring sounds as I struggled in the frozen waters, hoping one of my friends would hear my call and somehow recognize it was I. My metamorphosis caused me intense pain, and I was afraid.”
Dagon hung his head.
“I was aware I was all alone and cursed,” Fornues continued. “I struggled against the changes, but only caused myself more pain and suffering. Still, I panicked and lamented, ‘Please, someone help me! I am all alone and in so much trouble.’ I hoped against hope that one of my allies would hear me and come to my rescue.”
“That was uncharacteristically optimistic of you, Fornues,” Lilith said, mocking him.
“His optimism served him and us well since we were able to find each other because of his hopeful cries,” Gadreel said. “Dagon, please tell us your story. I am certain––”
“What of Beelzebub?” Lilith glanced at Gadreel with a sneering smirk. “Does anyone know what became of him?”
“I believe I was the last of us to see Beelzebub in Floraison,” Dagon said. “We were to share the same fate.”
“Tell us!” Lilith leaned forward and stared into his gray-blue eyes. “What became of Beelzebub?”
Chapter 17
Beelzebub Destiny
“Beelzebub writhed and screamed.” Dagon closed his eyes and stroked his chin. “While Cam, whom he once called best friend, held him against his will. He was pale. His eyes, wide with grief, shifted in every direction. I could not believe it had come to this moment, which was surreal in its degree of horror.
“Esar, accompanied by Hashmal and Jetrel, marched toward Cam and Beelzebub, carrying an immense metal chain. The chain was so heavy it took the combined strength of all three to carry it.
“Beelzebub’s body trembled. When he caught sight of the chain he shook his head in a frantic manner and shrieked. He struggled against Cam, trying to break free from his tight grip, but his small frame was no match for him.
“It appeared Beelzebub reached exhaustion for he ended his struggles and looked about. He saw me and other fallen angels in the same struggle. Our eyes locked, and he yelled, ‘All has gone amiss! Where are Lilith and Satan? Have they been captured as well, or have they forsaken us?’”
Dagon paused his narrative, leaned back and looked at the sky. Lilith lowered her head and Satan looked down and away from the others.
Dagon resumed his account. “Cam constrained him with his powerful arms. Even the one he loved, Gabriel, had a hand in his capture and now stood against him.
“Beelzebub watched as Raphael and Gabriel restrained me, for I was to be bound as well. I made efforts to escape, but as strong as I am, I was no match for the combined might of the two archangels.
“Raquel came across my path. She saw my struggle and hurried to us. ‘Where are you taking him?’ She exuded anguish with each word. She stared at the injury Cam had inflicted on my wing during the war, and shuddered.
“Raphael said, ‘He shall be bound until judgment day comes.’ Raquel gasped and tears began to flow from her eyes. ‘That shall be an eternity. He shall suffer greatly. I cannot bear the thought of this.’
“‘Apologies, my sister, but it is what we must do.’ Raphael’s face was etched with sorrow. It was clear to me that he did not find joy in what he did.”
Lilith raised an eyebrow and smiled a slight c
lose-lipped smile, like she knew something Dagon did not.
“Raquel questioned why I should be bound for eternity. She pleaded for me, asking Raphael and Gabriel to release me. Her bright green eyes were flooded with tears. ‘Why not allow him the same fate God bestowed upon the wicked Lilith and Satan? Exile him to Earth.’”
Dagon gazed at Gadreel through sight made hazy by tears. With a meaningful expression, she touched him on the arm. Samael crossed his arms and watched them with narrowed eyes.
“Raquel stared at me. ‘You must release him. Let him fall to Earth as the rest, I implore you.’
“I fought hard to free myself. A jolt of pain from my damaged wing accompanied my every move, but it did not stop me from struggling. I looked toward Beelzebub, and his eyes were fixed in my direction. He glared at Raquel as she pleaded for my release. He had random fits of cackling and weeping. He shouted, ‘Hope is gone!’ as he continued to stare my way.
Gadreel covered her face with her hands and shook with sobs. Lilith rolled her eyes at her.
“Michael approached Gabriel and Raphael,” Dagon continued. “He gestured for them to release me. They left my chains behind and walked me to the edge of Floraison.
“‘No you cannot do that!’ Beelzebub shouted. ‘You cannot free him whilst I still linger in chains! Raquel intervenes, and you release him?’ He snarled and growled in between fits of senseless laughter. Raphael and Gabriel ignored him and continued guiding me to my fate.
“Raquel and I said our farewells without breaking words. My eyes told her more than I could have ever said past my lips, and she kissed me by way of her own eyes.”
Gadreel sat up straight and stared at him with furrowed brow.
“Now will you tell us what happened to you when you fell?” She ran her hand through his sleek, pale blond hair. Dagon wiped his eyes with the back of his hands and nodded.
Chapter 18
Dagon’s Plunge from Grace
“I plunged into the cosmos with my eyes closed, picturing Raquel’s green eyes gleaming like jewels,” Dagon began. “They overflowed with tears for me. I imagined running my hands through her long red waves of hair. I reached for her, and an abrupt pain in my back woke me from my stupor.
“I was stunned by the cruel nature of my physical torment––my eyes sprung open in shock. I looked over my shoulder to see what was happening to me. A powerful force had ripped my wings off my frame. I howled and winced as I tumbled to Earth. I shouted, clenched my hands, and gnashed my teeth trying to endure the pain.
“I plunged into an iridescent sea. The crash took my breath away. I flailed my arms and legs as I sank deeper into the colorful depths. I gagged and choked as briny water forced its way into my lungs.
“My legs withered and then I experienced a tightening sensation in my lower body, as though an enormous vise held my legs together in a constricting grip.
“I groaned and grimaced, suffering great distress. I shook my lower body in violent ways, attempting to release myself from the vise’s grasp, and instead managed to swim. Moving through the water became easier, although I continued to endure unpleasant physical sensations for quite a while.
“I glanced at the basis of my grief and saw that my lower body had been changed into a fish tail, I was stunned. In my amazement, I also realized I was capable of breathing underwater. I had transformed into an aquatic creature half angel, half fish. I am the first of my kind for I have never seen anything that resembles me.
“At once I began to swim and explore my new environment, content to be a new species and to have survived my fall from grace. I observed the many sea creatures around me with the curiosity of a child. The ocean’s creatures remained vigilant of me too, perhaps trying to figure out what I was.
“From a short distance, I examined sea turtles, eels, and many species of sea life I had only seen during Creation. I made attempts to approach them, but every time I tried to get closer, the creatures scattered. It did not take me long to conclude I was the superior being.
“‘I shall preside over you,’ I spoke to the creatures surrounding me. Fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and other living things in the vicinity quickly hid from view. I threw my head back and laughed.”
Dagon’s face and neck reddened with embarrassment and he bowed his head.
“My guffaws echoed in the deep sea, but they were interrupted by a blaring, high-pitched noise. The shrill sound filled my head. My hands rushed to cover my ears to prevent the harsh sound from penetrating them, but it was no use, for the sound grew louder in my mind.
“Although the vibrations overwhelmed my senses, a familiarity in the sound compelled me to follow it to its origin. Thus, I began to swim as fast as I could, headed toward the shrill sound’s source and darker, colder waters.
“I swam and listened for the sound waves guiding me to their origin. Somehow, I knew in my heart the sound would lead me to my friends. I did not desire to be alone on the watery planet, no matter how fascinating I learnt it to be. I needed companionship.
“I cried, ‘Where are you? Have you all suffered my fate?’
“I traced the unpleasant noise to a frightening aquatic environment. The water was dark and freezing cold. It was quite different from the warm, bright waters I fell into upon arriving on this planet.
“A luminescence in the distance caught my eye. I swam toward a multicolored glow to investigate and discovered a bloom of giant jellyfish was providing the radiance. I swam to the large, colorful creatures and stared at them in awe. The skin of the jellyfish was thin and transparent, and their long fringe-like expansions frolicked and shimmered in the blue-black waters.
Overcome by curiosity, I neared one of the creatures and grabbed a handful of its tentacles. The jellyfish recoiled and scampered away, leaving a few of its tentacles behind in my clutches.
“It was not my intention to yank the creature’s parts off. I shook the tentacles off my hand, unable to hide my revulsion, and they floated away. I had wounded the jellyfish, and feared retaliation.
“The sea animal returned and charged me. It grabbed me by the arm with its remaining tentacles and with its appendages wrapped around me, it released spiky lances, which pierced my skin. I was stung again and again. I groaned and wrestled with the giant creature. I managed to get the aggressor off of me, only to be attacked by the swarm of jellyfish surrounding me.”
Gadreel gasped and covered her mouth. The others leaned forward and squirmed.
“Tentacles wrapped around every part of my body, stinging me again and again,” Dagon continued. “My arms floundered and I writhed in agony as I fought to free myself.
“My physical suffering continued when a large, hard projection broke through my skull and jutted out of my forehead. I traced the growth with trembling webbed fingers and realized it was a bony horn. I did not understand what was happening to me. Unable to stand the pain any longer I attacked the giants with my new tusk, and liberated myself from the swarm’s grasp at last.
“Once free I made haste and got away. When I was far enough from the light they emitted I stopped, drained and ailing. I examined myself and found raised, red welts of different sizes on my bare torso, arms, and neck. The wounds inflicted by the jellyfish caused intense stinging and itching. I touched one of the marks and winced for the simplest contact with the swollen areas caused me pain.”
Gadreel placed a hand on his thigh and looked up through her lashes. Dagon held eye contact and touched her hair. Samael watched them with clenched teeth.
“I wondered if I would recover,” Dagon said, turning his sight on the others. “I thought I would die a slow, painful death by poison. ‘Shall I remain at the bottom of the ocean, until the very creatures I expected to rule pick me apart?’
“Having no choice, I endured and continued my voyage to find the basis of the sound, which beckoned me. As I neared the shrill sound, the waters became blacker and icier. I was forced to slow down.
“My pulse slowed and I shook nonstop
. My fishtail grew heavy, and harder to control as it became covered with frost. I gnashed my teeth and persisted to swim ahead, uncertain I would survive. I thought only of my friends.”
Gadreel squeezed his thigh. Satan smiled and nodded. Samael stared at the ground, sulking.
“I encountered numerous ice masses, which bore distinct shapes like frozen, inverted mountains. Their bulk partly floated on the surface, while the greater part plunged to great depths in the ocean. Visibility became somewhat better since these ice masses reflected light from the surface. They emitted an aqua-blue glow that colored the water.
“However, the surging glaciers still created great obstacles as I tried to avoid getting crushed between them. I began to feel numb. I was afraid if I stopped for a moment, I would turn to ice.
“My ability to see was diminished once more when I came upon an area where an enormous cloud of dust was lifted from the ocean floor. When I approached the cloud, I noticed something massive moved within it. In addition, I became aware the high-pitched sound I followed was produced by whatever was in the fog of sea dirt. I was terrified—a feeling I had become quite familiar with since I was exiled from Floraison.
“I swam through the wall of disturbed silt. I was compelled to see what was on the other side, causing the painful sound. I began to blink incessantly as seabed particles irritated my eyes. I closed my eyes and continued to swim across the freezing, murky waters.
“When the small particles no longer crashed against my face, I opened my eyes. I quickly wished I had kept them closed, for what I saw made my heart thump and my throat constrict in fear. A ferocious looking colossus floated but a short distance from me. I opened my mouth to yell, but released only bubbles and gurgling sounds. I was immobilized at the sight of the massive creature and gaped in total disbelief as it swam toward me in silence.”
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