by S. J. West
“Then I will end this war for her and for you,” I declared to Andel.
Desmond slapped me on the back. “That’s the spirit! Now come with me. Michael and Chayyliel aren’t exactly known for their patience. I wouldn’t want you to get started on the wrong foot with them this early on.”
“When you’re through,” Andel said to me, “come back here and find me. Until the war is over, you’ll be staying here in the Guf when you’re not training or in combat.”
I nodded to let him know I understood what was expected of me. I was his protector as well as a soldier in the battles to come against Lucifer. I knew my place and purpose.
Desmond phased me to a site similar to what the Colosseum in Roman used to be. War Angels were the gladiators of Heaven. We were built to fight through any pain of injury and kill our opponents by any means necessary. Our enemies were without honor, and we had to be ready to fight as dirty as they did.
There were about one-hundred newly awakened War Angels in the center of the coliseum when we arrived. Each one had an angel guide like Desmond telling them what he was about to tell me.
“Look up,” Desmond instructed, “and you’ll see Archangel Michael.”
I did as he said and saw Michael flying in a circular pattern above us.
“Now look over there,” Desmond said, pointing to an angel standing in front of the first tier of seats, watching us with a critical eye. “Chayyliel was the very first War Angel to be created. He is the commander of your unit. Michael is supreme commander of all the forces. He leads the Vanguard and coordinates our defenses against Lucifer’s attacks.”
“What is the Vanguard?”
“We,” Desmond said, puffing out his chest a little, “are God’s elite fighting force. We’ve been able to keep the balance in this war so far, but you and the other War Angels are meant to help us finally tip that balance and bring an end to it.”
I looked back over at Chayyliel and noticed two other angels standing a few feet to his left watching us with critical eyes.
“Who are they?” I asked nodding in their direction.
“They’re two of Michael’s generals, Mason and Brand. You have the dubious distinction of being among the very first batch of War Angels ever created. We’re all curious to find out what you’re capable of in combat.”
I looked around at the other War Angels in the arena.
“Are we meant to kill each other?” I asked, seeing that option as a waste but strangely not having a problem with it.
“No!” Desmond said in shock. “Absolutely not. This is merely supposed to be a demonstration of what you’re able to do.”
“Then how will we know who wins?”
Desmond looked confused by my question.
“I’ll be right back,” he told me before phasing. The sound of his voice behind me made me turn to see him speaking with Chayyliel.
After Desmond asked his question, Chayyliel aimed his full attention towards me. At first, he looked very grave, but then he did something unexpected. He grinned at me. The look on his face was one of satisfaction. He said something back to Desmond but kept his gaze focused on me.
Desmond soon phased back to my side.
“Chayyliel is about to answer your question himself,” he informed me.
Chayyliel phased down into the arena. As soon as he did, you could literally feel the commanding aura surrounding him. The only other person I’ve ever felt that much power emanate from is Michael. Chayyliel was our leader without having to utter a single word. I knew in that instant that I would do anything he asked of me. Whatever nightmare he might charge into, I would stand by his side and fight until I was either dead or victorious.
“Brothers!” Chayyliel’s voice boomed against the stones of the coliseum. “You stand on the precipice of winning a battle between good and evil. Many of the other angels call this a war, and I don’t deny that it is. However, I fear it is merely the beginning of a fight that will be waged long after we defend Heaven against those who would destroy it. Lucifer’s hatred for humanity has driven him mad with rage, and I’m not sure he will ever be able to regain his sanity. We are the first of our kind. We have been made to end the turmoil in Heaven so peace may reign once more. For now, that is your primary mission. It should be your sole focus. You were created to fight, and that is what we want to see today. Michael and a few members of his Vanguard want to see what we can offer them in battle. This little display is only meant as practice, but it appears at least one among you want to know how the winner will be chosen.” Chayyliel glanced in my direction. “You are not allowed to kill or maim one another. If your opponent makes you fall to the ground, you are to leave the arena immediately and take a seat behind me up there.” Chayyliel pointed to where he had stood on the first tier. “The last angel left standing will be declared the winner of this match.”
“Does the victor win anything?” I asked. It seemed a logical question at the time, but I can see how it might have come off as arrogant to some.
Mason and Brand phased into the arena beside Chayyliel.
“You get to fight us,” Mason declared. “We’ve fought and won against Lucifer’s followers countless times now. If you are as good as you’re touted to be, one War Angel should be able to take on the both of us at the same time.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” I commented dryly, not seeing them as much of a challenge.
At that time, my arrogance knew no bounds, but I was also capable of backing it up, as Mason and your father would soon discover for themselves.
“Are we supposed to fight with our bare hands?” Another War Angel asked, “Or will we be given weapons?”
“You are the weapon,” Chayyliel said. “Every angel in Heaven can conjure a weapon which suits their personality and fighting style. You all need to look deep within yourselves and find it.”
Chayyliel called his weapon to his hand. His sword was composed of two separate blades attached to one hilt. In shape, it resembled a tuning fork. Like I told you before, our bodies were made out of pure energy and so were our weapons. They were true extensions of our inner power. When we came to Earth, only the Archangels were powerful enough to conjure their weapons in physical form. You’ve seen a few for yourself during our last fight with them.
We were given some time to figure out what our own weapons should be. For some, it was instantaneous. For others, like me, it took a little while.
“All you need to do is concentrate,” Desmond told me, trying to act like my own personal guru. “As Chayyliel said, reach deep down into your soul and visualize what sort of weapon suits you.”
“If you would stop talking,” I said irritably, “I might be able to.”
I knew Desmond was only trying to help, but all I really needed from him was silence.
“Sorry,” Desmond mumbled.
I knew I was being rude, but I honestly didn’t care. I couldn’t think with his incessant need to give me a pep talk.
I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate, reaching down into the deepest recesses of my soul to figure out what kind of warrior I was.
I’m not sure how long I stood there, but Desmond eventually whispered, “You really need to hurry. They’re all waiting on you.”
I continued to block everything out until I knew I had the weapon meant only for me.
When I opened my eyes and looked at the staff in my hands, I smiled for the very first time in my life. The staff was about four feet long with pulsating orbs of energy on each end.
“You spent all that time to conjure up a staff?” Desmond asked in disbelief, looking at my weapon of choice a bit disappointedly.
“It’s not an ordinary staff,” I said, hefting the weapon in my right hand to feel its power and weight, but not bothering to explain what was so special about my weapon of choice.
“Vanguard!” Michael called down from his vantage point in the air. “Leave the arena!”
“Good luck, my friend,” Desmon
d said, slapping me on the back as if to physically bestow his well wishes upon me.
The other angel guides phased to sit behind Mason and Brand to observe the fight.
Finally, only us War Angels were left in the arena. We didn’t even wait for Chayyliel to tell us we could start fighting. We were all craving the release battle would bring. Humans are born with an instinct to inhale their first breath of air to accept life. For us, fighting was like taking our first breath.
I’m not even sure I can properly describe to you how exhilarating that battle was for us, but I’ll try. Coming against my first opponent was similar to running towards the edge of a high cliff and leaping off. I had no idea whether or not I would win or lose, but it didn’t really matter because the thrill of the fight outweighed either outcome. Even though Chayyliel had ordered us not to kill one another, the possibility of one or more of us losing control made the battle even more intoxicating. For us, staying alive wasn’t the primary objective. Defeating our enemy and proving we were better than they were meant so much more to us.
I didn’t even use the full force of my weapon against the other War Angels. The staff was solely an instrument I wielded to force them to their knees two at a time. I made my way through them like a scythe cutting down blades of grass. Eventually, there were only two of us left in the arena.
I would later learn that my last combatant’s name was Dumah. He was the War Angel I saw earlier with Seraphina. As we circled one another, the War Angels we had defeated cheered us on from their seats while the Vanguard remained quiet, ever watchful. Dumah was strong but not exactly the brightest of us. He made one fatal error. He looked up into the sky where Michael was still flying, continuing to observe us. The momentary distraction gave me my opening. I thrust one end of my staff underneath his chin then twirled it around to pummel him on top of his head with the other end. He was lying flat on his back in a matter of seconds.
The cheers from my fellow War Angels was deafening. It was an important moment in my life because I learned something about myself. The joy I derived from the fight was nothing compared to the elation I felt being victorious over my opponents. I was the last angel left standing and it felt good, almost addictive. I felt pride in what I had accomplished and didn’t want the feeling to end. If only I knew then what I know now about myself. That craving for exhilaration would prove to be my downfall in more ways than one, and it was a need I would continuously have to fight against.
Dumah rose to his feet and walked away from me without even meeting my eyes. He looked ashamed that he had been bested so quickly by me. A part of me pitied Dumah, but I mostly felt disgusted by him. He had let his guard down, allowing me to defeat him easily. If we had been in mortal combat, he would be dead instead of walking away in shame. I chose to let him leave the arena without saying any words of encouragement that he might have better luck next time. Lucifer’s angels wouldn’t give him a next time if he didn’t pay better attention to what he was doing. So, I silently watched him leave and hoped he took away an important lesson from our fight.
As I turned to face the cheering crowd of my brothers, I was rudely interrupted in basking in my glory by Mason and Brand.
They phased down to confront me in the arena. Each of them held their weapons by their sides as they stood in front of me.
“Congratulations,” Mason said, making it sound more like I had lost something than won it. “You get to fight the two of us now.”
“I don’t see that as much of a challenge,” I replied arrogantly. And why shouldn’t I have been? I had clearly proven my worth against the best warriors ever created in Heaven. Why did two regular angels think they had a chance to best me?
Then, they did something unexpected. Mason phased in front of me with his weapon raised, poised to attack, while Brand phased in behind me in the same instant.
I hadn’t phased myself before that moment, but I quickly took their lead and phased to the side of them just as their weapons would have cut me down.
“You need to learn how to phase while you fight and keep one step ahead of your opponent,” Brand told me. “It’s one of the best defensive measures you have, but it can also be one of your best offensive capabilities if you learn how to use it wisely.”
I understood what he was saying and put this new tool in my arsenal to the test. I quickly phased over to Mason to use my staff to crush his hand and make him drop his sword, but he his reflexes were quick, pure instinct. He blocked my intended strike with his sword.
“Good start,” Mason praised, “but you’ll have to do better than that.”
Mason pushed me back away from him with more force than I thought possible from a regular angel. It was my first lesson in not underestimating my enemy.
Brand hefted the sword in his hand as he and Mason walked up to me.
“I’m not sure that staff of yours will be enough in battle,” Brand said skeptically.
“It was all I needed to defeat the others,” I told him, placing both my hands in the middle of the staff, and giving it a sharp twist. I pulled the staff apart to reveal the two short swords hidden within. “I didn’t want to hurt them.”
“Are you implying that you intend to hurt us?” Mason asked, unafraid of my intentions either way, simply curious.
“I guess it depends on what you do,” I answered.
Both Mason and Brand held their swords at the ready while I held both of mine down by my sides.
“Then let’s begin,” Brand said, taking the first swing and forcing me to fall back.
Your father quickly proved himself a fierce warrior. I learned a lot by fighting him and Mason, a lot more than I did when I fought the other War Angels. Their skill at phasing while fighting was something none of us had even thought to try during our exhibition. Both Mason and Brand were proficient in it. I knew it had to be a technique that was used quite often during the battles in Heaven, and if I was going to survive this war, I would need to learn how to do it better than anyone else.
The three of us fought for what felt like forever. None of us was willing to give in. To be honest, I was getting aggravated that I couldn’t defeat them easily. Wasn’t I supposed to be among the elite fighters specifically created to win the war in Heaven? Shouldn’t I be able to defeat two ordinary angels? My pride and fury ended up melding inside my soul to a point where I became something vicious. I let go of the restraint I was using to make sure I didn’t kill Brand and Mason and went at them with everything I had. I attacked them in a blind rage, and quickly had them on their backs beside one another. I raised both my swords over them, fully intending to extinguish their souls when I felt someone barrel into me from the right side and knock me clear across to the other end of the arena.
The interruption fueled my rage, making it grow even stronger.
I quickly stood to my feet with both blades in my hands intent on finishing what I started. Brand and Mason were just getting to their feet as I began to rush back to them.
Someone grabbed me by the back of the neck and lifted me completely off my feet in one swift motion, preventing me from taking another step.
“Stand down,” Michael said behind me, his order as sharp as the blades in my hands.
A special aura surrounds Michael that instantly draws you to him. I can’t quite explain it, but I’m sure you felt it when you saw him in the vessel’s inner realm. Jess has it to an extent, but the only true way to feel his power is to stand in his presence.
I dropped my blades to the ground, hoping that would end the blind rage that was urging me to kill Brand and Mason, but that small action did nothing to quiet my fury.
“Close your eyes and listen to my voice,” Michael instructed calmly.
I did as he asked without questioning his motives because no one ever disregarded Michael’s orders.
“This fight is over,” he said to me with finality. “You have shown your worth to us all as a warrior, but you need to learn how to control your temper. If you don’t,
you will be a danger not only to yourself but also to those who fight by your side. Your brothers are depending on you to keep your wits about you during a battle and not go into a fight fueled only by rage. It can blind you to what really needs to be done. If you can learn to harness your anger to work in your favor, nothing can stop you. Do you understand me?”
I nodded.
“Yes,” I told him, feeling my anger begin to ebb away.
Michael let me go so I could stand on my own two feet again.
When I opened my eyes, I found Brand staring at me with a look of unadulterated apprehension. I knew he didn’t doubt my skill as a warrior, but he looked skeptical about my ability to contain my ferocity. That’s one reason your father was so against us being together, beautiful. After that fight, Brand didn’t have a lot to do with me in Heaven or on Earth. He stayed as far away from me as he could during the battles we would fight in together. He didn’t feel like he could trust me to watch his back, and I can’t say I blamed him. He had every right to question my ability to fight without losing my temper and neglecting to defend those who fought by my side. I might have proven myself to be the best fighter among that first group of War Angels, but I still had a lot to learn about camaraderie and loyalty to others.
When I turned to face Michael, Brutus phased into the arena by his side unexpectedly.
“Lucifer is attempting to cross over the veil again,” Brutus reported to Michael. “Malcolm and the others are holding his forces at bay for now, but we’ll need more reinforcements to make them retreat.”
Michael nodded. “We’ll be there shortly.”
Brutus phased, presumably back to where the fighting was taking place.
Chayyliel phased in to take Brutus’ spot by Michael’s side.
“Allow me to take my unit,” Chayyliel said. “This will be a good learning experience for them.”
Michael nodded. “Agreed. Take them. We cannot allow Lucifer to breach the veil and enter the domain of human souls.”
