Heaven's Fallen

by Benjamin Medrano

  Eventually she went to bed, then got up the next morning, fixing herself a simple breakfast. It struck Isalla as odd that Kanae could produce such potent healing elixirs, yet the food she kept on hand was so simple. It was just… strange.

  Considering Kanae’s warnings, Isalla chose not to go outside, at least for the morning. No matter how stuffy the air could get inside the house, the lizard the day before had proven that the demoness’s warning wasn’t without merit. No matter how much it ashamed her to admit it, Isalla knew she couldn’t have fought the creature with her current strength, and she was too used to fighting while at least partially airborne to have done so easily even if she had most of her strength back. Instead, she continued exercising and waiting, wondering how long Kanae would be gone.

  When the tumblers of the lock finally turned, Isalla sat up in her chair, her mood improving suddenly as the door opened, and she spoke brightly, happiness welling up inside her. “Welcome back, Kanae!”

  As she stepped inside, Kanae smiled in return, nodding. “Thank you, Isalla. I hope your night went well.”

  “Well enough, I think. It was a bit boring, but that’s to be expected.” Isalla said, studying Kanae with concern as she added, standing up, “You look like you had a hard night.”

  The demoness certainly didn’t look like she was at her best. Her skin was even paler than normal, and while she moved with her usual grace, Kanae stepped slightly more deliberately, as if she were having to think about each move in advance. Her clothing had a couple of dark spots on the sleeves as well, which was worrying.

  “It was an… unpleasant experience, as I anticipated,” Kanae said, setting her satchel on the table and letting out a soft sigh as she shook her head. “I had hoped that it would be easier, but I nearly lost both of them. Fortune smiled on me, though, and mother and child will live to see another day. Beyond that… who knows?”

  “That seems oddly fatalistic,” Isalla said, growing more concerned about how talkative Kanae was being, and the demoness sat down across from Isalla. Kanae looked tired, and her eyes looked a bit older than they had before.

  “It’s nothing but the truth. Death comes for everyone, from the lowliest insect to the most powerful deity, archangel, or archdemon,” Kanae told her, shrugging. “Oh, perhaps not the ephemeral gods, but who knows if they truly exist? All the others… I’ve done my research, and every last one of them I’ve found information on has been slain at least once.”

  “I… I guess so?” Isalla replied, slightly taken aback by Kanae’s words. She hesitated, thinking about the various archangels who’d fallen over the centuries, then shoved the thought aside, uncomfortable with the subject. Instead, she asked about something else. “Why was the birth so dangerous? I thought I heard something about a minotaur, but you left so quickly…”

  Kanae let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes before speaking. “Qirress is a rather… petite minor demoness. She looks more like a half-human demon than anything else, to be honest. Enkax is her grandfather, but she doesn’t have much in common with him aside from the hooves. However, she fell in love with a minotaur, and he’s part of a group of guards that patrols the upper regions of Hellmount. This is one of his three-month periods away, unfortunately. The problem is that she’s small, and minotaur children aren’t. I warned them when they married that it would be extremely dangerous for her to bear him any children, but they insisted. Maybe they’ll listen after this, but I have my doubts.”

  Isalla blushed as she listened, embarrassed that she’d even asked. Minotaurs were very large, so she could understand why they could be problematic. The thought that a couple of demons could fall in love surprised her somehow, but she kept that to herself. Kanae had already made her opinion about angels being biased against demons quite clear.

  “Ah, well, hopefully they’ll listen,” Isalla replied, swallowing hard.

  “Agreed. However, we have another issue we need to deal with, Isalla,” Kanae said firmly, focusing on Isalla.

  The demon’s gaze had a weight to it that Isalla hadn’t expected, and she froze, almost feeling like she was suffocating for a moment. Then the violet gaze shifted away, and the angel could breathe again. She swallowed before asking, even as she wondered what that had been, “What… what might that be?”

  “Enkax saw you last night and asked about you. By this time, the entire town doubtlessly knows that you’re here. I told him that you were a traveler from above, and that I suspected that you were attacked by either bandits or a deliberate assassination considering the poison which was used on you. I also told him you were abandoned in the woods without any of your things, which helps account for why they didn’t see you before,” Kanae explained, slowly tapping a finger on the table, her fingernail almost biting into the wood. “We need to figure out what story to tell them, as everything I told him was honest. Not the whole truth, but the best deceptions are ones that don’t involve the whole truth.”

  “Oh. That does make sense, then,” Isalla replied, relaxing ever so slightly as she realized that Kanae’s concerns were fairly mundane. “I… well, what would you recommend? I haven’t had to keep a secret like this before.”

  “That depends… but quite honestly, the goal will be to keep as much truth in the story as possible, since you are bad at lying,” Kanae explained, watching Isalla with lidded eyes. “Tell me, was it an assassination attempt?”

  “I’m not entirely sure. I think it was… I was investigating some rumors, and maybe I was getting too close?” Isalla hesitated, then admitted unhappily, “I thought that the woman I was meeting was a friend, actually.”

  “Obviously not. Well, no one will think of asking if you’re an angel, or in the extremely unlikely event they do, it’s best for you to laugh it off. We’ll need to ensure you don’t have the bandages on your back by that point, or it’ll give things away, and unless you have me try to deal with the scars, you’ll need to keep your back hidden. That shouldn’t be a problem, though.” Kanae replied, obviously musing aloud. “As for the story… you were trying to escape people who had a grudge against you, and they ambushed you near the base of Hellmount. I rescued you from the woods and began nursing you back to health. It’s a simple story, and one which they’ll believe.”

  “That sounds like it’d work. You’re right, too… it’s almost entirely true, and aside from where it happened, it isn’t like I’d have to lie about things,” Isalla agreed, rolling the story over in her mind. While it wasn’t considered proper to lie to others among angels, she had to admit that survival took priority, and this wasn’t much of a falsehood. It just was claiming that someone had attacked her near the end of her descent, rather than before throwing her out of the heavens. It also felt better to her.

  “Good. Now, I’m rather tired, so I’m going to go sleep for a bit,” Kanae said firmly. “Once I’m up, I’m going to give you a quick lesson on where we are and what you should know. Do you have much knowledge of the geography of the hells?”

  “I’m afraid not. While I was in the Order of the Phoenix, we were never on the front lines while I was a member. We had a number of battles with demons, but nowhere near a gate,” Isalla admitted.

  “Not terribly surprising… angels haven’t made many forays into the hells in the last couple of centuries,” Kanae said, nodding firmly. “At least it means you won’t have much knowledge to unlearn, and we can use the excuse that you didn’t have much of a chance to learn about the region before coming down here.”

  “Very true,” Isalla replied, a bit relieved that Kanae was being so proactive. It was better than doing nothing, too. If things kept going the way they had been, she was worried that she’d go mad from boredom.

  “Well, I’m going to go collapse for a few hours,” Kanae said, standing up and quickly heading for her room.

  “Rest well,” Isalla called after her, feeling a bit happier now that Kanae was back, even if she was going to be stuck inside for a bit longer.

  Chapter 9
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  Isalla looked at Kanae in surprise as the woman poured herself a mug of water. It’d only been a few hours since the demoness had gone to bed, but when she’d gotten up again, Kanae looked like she’d fully recovered, though her hair wasn’t quite as tidy as it usually was. Isalla suspected that’d be taken care of after Kanae took a bath, though.

  “Alright, now that I’m awake, it’s time for us to figure out a few things. First and foremost, let’s get some basic geography out of the way,” Kanae said in a brisk, no-nonsense tone. “I should have asked this before, but I neglected it. Do you know how territory is organized in the hells, Isalla?”

  “Well, I know that the land is ruled by different demonic lords, whether called archdemons, archdukes, archdevils, demonic princes, or other names,” Isalla said, racking her brain for additional information, but it was somewhat rusty, as she hadn’t had to think about it recently. “I know each ruler tends to be something of a loner, and their armies are often… themed, for lack of a better term. I can’t remember anything else. Oh, and they split the land between them, too, each ruling a section of the hells.”

  “Hm, not too inaccurate in most ways, though not quite right either. You’re quite correct on the titles that demonic lords use, and it’s entirely based on the whim of the demon in question,” Kanae confirmed, smiling slightly. “However, plenty have alliances. The seven lords of the Iron Crown are one of the most powerful factions in the region, for instance. You’re quite fortunate that they’re more concerned with maintaining their power and stability than in invading the mortal world or the heavens. You’re also incorrect on them ruling all the lands of the hells. Some realms don’t have rulers with a mantle of power, some have died… and some are so far from the portals that most demon lords ignore them, and they remain independent.”

  “There’re areas like that? I mean, where there aren’t demon lords?” Isalla asked, honestly startled by the thought.

  “Of course. At my best guess, the hells are at least ten times the size of the mortal world, if not larger. I’m not sure if the heavens are similar, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Interestingly, the portals to the mortal world all seem to congregate in a space roughly equivalent to their separation on the mortal world, though it isn’t precise,” Kanae said, then hesitated before admitting, “I haven’t found the edge of the hells, if I’m being honest, so I’m very much uncertain of its size. It’s much larger than I was taught growing up.”

  “I… I see. I don’t know on the heavens… I never thought about that part,” Isalla admitted, considering the idea of a land over ten times the size of the mortal world. The continents were several thousand miles across, so the idea was incredibly stunning.

  “Hm, interesting. Still, we’re getting off track. You’re somewhat correct about themes of different archdemons, though, as the vast majority of archdemons choose which of the seven sins they prefer,” Kanae continued, her eyes contemplative as she took a sip of water and continued. “Envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth, and wrath. Some choose to eschew these rough ideas, but it’s… traditional, I suppose. Each realm is also classified in such a manner, which can give something of an idea of what you’re getting into when you go into its heart.”

  “Ah, I remember hearing about that! I just didn’t remember fully, I guess,” Isalla said, suddenly remembering a fair amount. “There was a huge amount of variation, even so.”

  “There would be. Now, we’re near the base of Hellmount. Have you heard of it?” Kanae asked, tilting her head as she watched Isalla closely.

  “No, I haven’t. I know there are multiple demonic mountains that lead into the portals, but we didn’t name them,” Isalla told her. “We named the portals, but primarily based on whose order was assigned to guard the regions near the portal, if any. Some of them are too far into the Fallen Kingdoms to guard, though, and I never learned their names.”

  “The Fallen Kingdoms, is it? Well, I suppose it’s better than the Alliance of Darkness, which is what I heard last time around,” Kanae murmured, smiling slightly. “Well, have you heard of the Kingdom of Hragon?”

  Isalla’s eyes lit up with recognition. “I have! It’s one of the oldest of the Fallen Kingdoms, and buried deep in the heart of Zintas, the southernmost continent of the mortal world.”

  “Well, that makes this easier. The portal you fell through is connected to Hragon, Isalla,” Kanae explained, and as she did so, Isalla’s happiness at being able to answer Kanae’s question turned to confusion.

  “But… but that doesn’t make any sense,” Isalla said, and it was Kanae’s turn to look slightly surprised.

  “What doesn’t make sense about it? While it’s a bit far, there is an outpost of the Order of the Phoenix not far off the coast, which they use to keep an eye on us,” Kanae said, frowning. “Are you saying you aren’t from there? I think it was named Firewatch…”

  “No! I was investigating rumors in the heavens, and there isn’t a portal from there anywhere near Hragon! They dropped me off one of the continents, and I fell directly into the mortal world, then through the portal to here!” Isalla explained, trembling a little. “I… it isn’t possible!”

  “Unless they had a portal they’ve kept secret, at least. That… is quite disturbing. I knew that you were attacked by angels, but considering that the nearest outpost is controlled by your order, I assumed that you were from there,” Kanae said, a deep frown on her face. “I’d think we’d have heard if there was a portal to the heavens above Hellmount. It’s rather unsettling to think about.”

  “I… I agree. I’m going to have to think about it… though there’s nothing I can do about it,” Isalla said, almost feeling like she’d swallowed something foul.

  “Indeed. Now, Hellmount is bordered by three realms. Estalia, Toflak, and Xanigar. We’re in Estalia, one of the fourteen known realms of lust.” Kanae explained shortly, her expression neutral again, though there was an odd note to her voice. “Estalia is… relatively safe, all things being considered. Queen Estalia likes having mortals visit, so it’s not as hostile as its neighbors, but she’s also known to focus on the core regions of the realm, so the borders are relatively wild. That’s where we are, obviously. We’re fortunate enough that most of the neighboring nations don’t care to attack Estalia, so that’s not an issue.”

  “Okay, that makes a bit more sense to me,” Isalla agreed, though she did shiver slightly at the mention of it being a realm of lust. At least it meant she wasn’t as liable to be murdered, and she internally resolved to stay as far from the core of the country as possible. She didn’t want to be ensnared by those who might perpetuate the nation’s reputation.

  “I should hope so. As for our current location… well, we’re a short distance outside of town. It isn’t named, it’s just town, as far as the locals are concerned. Those from farther away call it Fungustown, which you might imagine isn’t popular among the locals,” Kanae said, a smile flickering across her lips as she added, “In my time here, there have been at least eight attempts to give it another name, but none of them have stuck.”

  “I’ll believe that,” Isalla agreed, but her curiosity was piqued by the name. “Why’s it called Fungustown, then? I imagine there must be a reason.”

  “There is. I’m not sure if the town existed before it formed, but nearby is an area called the Fungal Abyss. It’s in the heart of the forest, and it’s… unpleasant. There’s a reason that the hells are called such, after all. In any case, the various abysses are dangerous. Useful, but dangerous despite that,” Kanae said, a distinct note of distaste to her voice. “The ingredients I got for your elixir came from the outskirts around the entrance to the Abyss. Much like the portals that lead to the hells, the portal in the heart of the forest leads to the Abyss. It’s immense and produces a great many monsters, many of them as types of animate fungi, and some of them occasionally come out in search of victims. It’s the main reason I’ve told you to stay inside as much as possible. Everything outside can b
e replaced relatively easily, comparatively.”

  “Oh. Why would you live anywhere near someplace like that?” Isalla asked, more startled than she’d been before, and somewhat outraged. “Why would the town be here, either?”

  “Because it’s on the way to the mountain, the monsters aren’t too dangerous when you have a town used to this sort of thing, and the herbs and alchemical reagents that can be acquired from the Abyss are useful,” Kanae replied promptly, and raised an eyebrow at Isalla as she asked, “Are you telling me that the heavens are universally safe and pleasant?”

  “Well… no, not entirely. There are some places that are more dangerous than others; I just…” Isalla’s voice trailed off as she frowned, unable to figure out how to verbalize her unease. At last, she just sighed and shook her head. “Never mind. It just seems strange to deliberately live near someplace so dangerous.”

  “It’s how people choose to live, and reasonably common among the mortal races as well,” Kanae replied, shrugging slightly. “As for the rest… we’ll leave you honestly ignorant of many things. It’ll help with your cover, and I’m not willing to try to teach you everything a person native to the hells would know from growing up. I’d doubtlessly miss something even if I made the attempt.”

  “True enough. You also said something about the bandages on my back, though…” Isalla said, her anxiety growing again, rather suddenly this time.

  “Ah, yes, of course. We do have to remove them,” Kanae agreed, sitting back in her chair and staring at Isalla. “Before I do anything further, do you want me to leave the wounds alone so they scar, or use herbs to help them vanish? It’s possible to make it so that most wouldn’t be able to notice where they were at all.”

  “Um, well… how much effect would those have on eventually getting my wings regenerated?” Isalla asked hesitantly, her mind rebelling at the thought of losing her wings for good.

  “Either way, it’s not going to affect that. Once your injuries have healed, to regenerate your wings will require re-opening the wounds entirely,” Kanae said bluntly, and Isalla flinched.