7 comments/ 27986 views/ 4 favorites Archangel By: Samuelx In this realm where time does not exist, memory is all that we have. I look around me, and as far as I can see, there is nothing but desolation. I hear the screams of the Damned and the laughter of demons. I see the shades of the most wicked men and women who have ever lived. All of these wicked souls come to my realm. From my palace, which some call Pandemonium, I see everything. I step outside. My husband and son are far away from home, going about the family business. I love these two with all my black little heart. Anyone who attempts to harm them will suffer my wrath. If you think the wrath of a mortal woman is a dire thing to face, you should know that it pales compared to mine. I am Lilith, the Queen of Hell. I am immortal. All the demons, evil spirits, giants, monsters, dark angels and wicked souls do my bidding. By my husband's personal decree. I walk through Tartarus. There, the souls of the most wicked abound. I see a woman who slaughtered her children and blamed it on insanity. Even in hell, such things are frowned upon. Myself, I am a devoted wife and mother. The idea that anything in the vastness of existence could harm my husband and offspring fills me with righteous anger. This woman is spending eternity in a lake of fire, tormented by some rather creative demons. Further, I see a woman who was once a high-ranking politician's wife. Her husband was once ruler of the mightiest nation in the world. This woman sold her soul to the Devil so that she could rise to power in the world of men. She caused a lot of damage to the world in her day. Now, she is tormented by Astaroth, one of my most vicious dark angels. I see a man who destroyed the lives of countless men and women before taking his own life. He is in the very capable hands of Azrael, the fallen angel who once served Heaven as the angel of death, and now is head of security down here. Yes, wicked men and wicked women. Manipulative female sociopaths who destroyed the lives of their families and friends. Psychopaths who went rampaging through the world. Politicians. Gangsters. Lawyers. IRS agents. Pimps. Prostitutes. Yes, so many of the wicked. All of them end up here. The dark angel Pyriel, my Minister of Torture delights in punishing them. Yes, we make sure the wicked get what they deserve. Evil women and evil men can escape justice in the world of men. Down here, there is no escape. Every deed, every thought, every feeling a wicked man or woman has ever even contemplated is seen by us as crystal clear. We know the heart of the wicked. We punish them well. My duties as Queen of Hell keep me busy. This is not a job for lazy witches. Dark angels and other immortals will not respect me if I am idle. I know this all too well. When my husband travels outside of our realm, all authority rests in my hands. Like a proper wife, I look after my husband's affairs. He trusts me, and that trust is well deserved. I've got a good head on my shoulders. Matters of state must be attended to. The infinite realms we rule must be controlled. Order must be maintained. Once, though, I led a very different existence. Once, I was mortal, and earth was my home...it's been so long....yet I still remember. * * * Lily Armstrong is the name. I was a police officer in Boston for twelve years but these days, I am retired. I saw too much corruption in the department. I had to leave. These days, I'm free as a bird. As a gal with a free spirit, I find that I have a lot of time in my hands. I've always been a bit different from those around me. In fact, I've often been called the African giantess. Maybe it's because of my long black hair, caramel-colored skin and pale gray eyes. I'm a strong black woman if there ever was one. At six feet tall and a respectable weight, I don't think a woman like me is anything to snort at. The story that I am about to tell you is one hundred percent true. I had a very strange encounter with a strange man a while ago. It was a rainy day and the city was taking a serious beating from the torrent of waters falling all over the place. I've never been one to stay idle, even in lousy weather so I quickly found something to do. I was fixing my car in the garage when this drifter came calling. He was tall, easily taller than I was, but slender and pale-skinned, with black hair and pale gray eyes. Yes, he was a handsome one. He stared at me with eyes that were cold and yet somehow filled with pain. The drifter identified himself as Luke. He wore a black leather jacket, over a gray shirt and blue jeans. He was very handsome, though not looking too hot right now. He was injured. Bleeding all over the place. In fact, he collapsed on my garage floor. I scanned the dark beyond my back yard. There was no car nearby. Where did he come from? I knew better than to take strangers into my home but this man was both unconscious and bleeding. I decided to help him. I took him out of the rain, and went to get my phone. Call up an ambulance and let them take care of him. I couldn't get any reception thanks to the New England storm. So, I went to the medicine cabinet to see if there was anything I could use to help this poor bastard. When I opened his shirt, I saw several stab wounds. Jesus! How in hell was he walking with so many injuries? This man was going to die! I couldn't reach an ambulance and I also couldn't let him die in my house. What if his family decided to sue me? So much for being a good Samaritan. I found some alcohol and bandages. I went back to the couch, where the stranger's body lay. I proceeded to put on a pair of gloves, and patched him up. The stranger did not move as I patched up his body. I did what I could, and decided to try calling an ambulance again. As I reached for the phone, I suddenly felt a presence behind me. The stranger had gotten up, and was now staring at me. I stared at him. Who was he? What did he want? As I looked for a weapon, he did the last thing I expected of him. He smiled and thanked me. His voice was deep and accented, though I couldn't quite place his accent. With that, he turned to leave... I watched him head for the door. Conventional wisdom dictated that people with multiple stab wounds in the chest and belly area shouldn't be walking around. I stared at Luke, as the man called himself. Blood was still dripping from his injuries. I called after him and told him to stay while I called an ambulance. He turned around, and I saw through his unbuttoned shirt a sight that would forever remain in my mind. His chest was healed! Luke noticed my expression, and stared at me. Recognition flashed in his eyes. I was watching the strangest phenomenon I had ever seen. A man with multiple, life-threatening injuries was healing before my eyes! As a police officer, this was something I never thought I'd see. Luke shook his head, and looked at me sadly. Then, he ran out of the house like the devil was after him. This should have been the end of it. This would have been the end of it. But my curiosity was piqued. What could give a man the ability to heal at such an accelerated rate? Who was Luke? What was he? All sorts of crazy theories popped into my head. Was he a genetically engineered super-soldier? A new species of man? An alien? A mutated human being? Never in my wildest dreams did I realize the truth was even more fantastic than I thought. Two days later, there were visitors at my doorstep. I saw a tall, good-looking black man, a rugged-looking muscle-bound Asian male and a tall red-haired woman who looked like a supermodel. I stared at them. Who were they? What did they want? They introduced themselves as police officers and flashed me their badges. The black man called himself Raphael, the Asian man called himself Ishmael and the woman called herself Michaela. All of them looked legitimate. They showed me a picture of Luke. The man they were looking for and claimed to be a deadly criminal. They had some questions for me. I hesitated, then invited them in. I've dealt with police officers before. I usually try to cooperate with them, unless they severely inconvenience me. Officer Raphael congratulated me on having a lovely home. Michaela scoffed. Right then, I decided that I didn't like her. Ishmael said nothing. They began asking me questions about Luke. I told them that a couple of nights before, I helped a drifter who called himself Luke, then he took off. Michaela asked me if I had seen anything unusual. The woman stared at me with blue eyes that seemed to glow. I couldn't look away. I felt very uncomfortable. They kept asking me questions about Luke. I told them all that I knew. Of course, I couldn't know back then whom I was dealing with, or what. After half an hour, they left. I was relieved to see them gone. Moments later, I had another visitor. It was Luke the drifter, looking very suspicious. He told me that my life was in danger, and that I had to come with him. I stared at Luke. Who in hell did this man think he is? The cops were looking for him and he wanted me to go places with him? I told him to back off. Luke shook his head, and that's when all hell broke loose. Michaela, Ishmael and Raphael had come back. I went for the door. They smashed their way in. I watched as they moved impossibly fast and came to us. Luke snatched my hand and pulled me to him. With his other hand, he did something very strange. I swear I saw electrical sparks fly from his hand and strike the three of them. Ishmael went down screaming. Raphael was flung back. Michaela caught the electrical bolt and it sizzled and died in her hand. I stared in amazement at her! Who was this woman? As if reading my thoughts, Luke told me that this was no woman. He caught me in his arms and then we were gone. I mean that, we were gone! One minute I was in my house, the next I found myself atop a mountain, with Luke. I turned around, beyond shock at this point. To say that I was scared and had a few questions would be an understatement. Luke answered all of my questions. I wished he hadn't. He told me that I had the misfortune of meeting the Archangels Michael, Ishmael and Raphael, the most powerful Angels in Heaven. He gave me the low down on what was going on. The Archangels had come to Earth to destroy the Vessel. Apparently, the Vessel was the woman who would give birth to the Antichrist, the Son of the Devil. The Antichrist would destroy the world of man. All the men and women of the earth would perish. The Antichrist would bring about the End of Days. Oh, and I was the goddamn Vessel, a part he reserved to tell me last. Isn't life fun? I couldn't believe it. Even after what he told me. So, Luke gave me further proof. He displayed his supernatural abilities. I watched him lift a five-ton rock that ten ordinary men couldn't move. He also appeared and disappeared at will, it was eerie! After such demonstrations, I was shocked. Luke told me that his mission was to keep me safe. Protect me from both the Angels of Heaven and the Dark Angels of Hell who would seek to capture me and bring me to their Master, the Devil himself. I wanted to go home. I wanted nothing to do with Angels. Luke told me that if I left him, the others would slay me. I had no choice. So, we went down the mountain and into a restaurant to eat. When we finished eating, Luke slept. While he slept, I looked at him. Yes, he was a handsome guy. He was also some kind of freak. The more I knew about him, the better to use it later. I took his picture, and scanned it using a computer at the nearby library. I looked up his records. Surprise, surprise, a man matching Luke's description was reported dead three days ago. The man's name was Luke Randall and he was a twenty-six-year-old fireman from Plymouth. I was walking around with a dead man who had magical powers, how eerie? This sounds like a Twilight Zone episode, except that it was happening to me. When night fell, Luke checked me into a hotel. I was still dealing with all of this. Who was he? What was he? How in hell did he do what he did? Could I evade him if I wanted to? I couldn't sleep that night. I pestered Luke with questions. Who was he? He told me that he was my protector. My sole friend in the world. I thought about calling my buddies from the Boston police department. What would they say if I told them what I had seen? Send me to the loony bin. Archangels masquerading as police officers? Angels and Devils fighting a war on earth? Yeah, right! Of course, back then, I didn't know the truth. Luke led me to other places, and I followed. Angels gave chase, and I couldn't tell the good ones from the wicked ones. The female archangel seemed to really have it in for me, even back then. I had no idea what I was walking into. Luke was okay, actually. I quickly made up my mind about this when the other angels attacked me the next day. This time, Michaela and the other Archangels weren't alone. There were fourteen or so others with them. Beautiful men and women with long hair and heavenly faces. Their eyes shone with fury. To me, they simply looked like beautiful people but when Luke did his magic thing, I saw them for what they were. I saw their wings. Huge, dove-like white wings unfurled from their backs. Underneath their normal shirts and jeans, they wore shiny red armor. Yes, angels indeed! Luke held my hand, and told me not to panic. The other angels rushed toward us. Luke raised his hand, and hurled blast after blast of electricity at them. I saw angels fall to the ground, screaming in pain as their bodies burned. Only Michaela and the other two, Ishmael and Raphael, remained unaffected by Luke's power. Somehow, they were stronger than the others. The wounded angels rose, their bodies healing even as they extinguished Luke's unnatural flames. Luke grabbed my hand, and we made a run for it. The archangel Michaela rushed forward, with a spear in hand. I felt her hand seize me. The female archangel pulled me away from Luke, and hurled me to the ground. I fell. Michaela smiled nastily, and raised her spear. I was about to die! The other angels hovered nearby, and I waited helplessly for my death. Luke came to my rescue, though. He stood between me and Michaela. The archangel's face was twisted into a mask of rage. Luke struck her with his electrical blast, full in the face. As Michaela fell, writhing in agony, Luke took me into his arms, and we vanished. Luke and I found ourselves in a clearing, somewhere in a wooded area. I didn't care where we were, as long as there were no angels around! I was so happy to be alive that I embraced him. Luke looked at me, and smiled. I looked at him. This man had saved my life, and although I hadn't exactly been a caring and trusting soul lately. Saved me from the wrath of vengeful angels hell bent on killing me. I saw that he was injured. His battle with the archangel hadn't left him unscathed. Still, his injuries were magically healing even as I looked at him. We lay on the ground, each doing our own brand of recovering. Luke lay next to me, and I clutched his hand in mind. It was nightfall, after a hellish day. I guess I was alone, and I wanted someone to hold me. And Luke was there for me. He pulled me into his arms and held me. That's when I did something which surprised us both. I kissed him. We made love. Passionately. I had been with men before, passionate men, but never had I been with anyone like Luke. This man was pure passion! We undressed each other hastily. I admired his fine, muscular form. He was a vision of male beauty and power all rolled into one. He was magnificent. He kissed me, and I pressed my naked body against his. I felt his hands roam all over me, felt his breath against my chest. I felt his grip on my buttocks, and his hard manhood press against my navel. Luke pressed his fine body against mine, and I craved to have him inside of me. He sucked on my breasts, and planted soft kisses all over me. He made his way down to my belly, and went between my legs. I felt his soft lips blow against my pussy, felt his surprisingly agile tongue on my clit. Flickering his tongue, licking and probing, he explored me. I had never such a skilled lover before. He was like a skilled piano player and I was his instrument. I surrendered to his mastery. His fingers probed my gentle folds, and his mouth sucked me. I was like putty in his hands by the time I came! Luke looked into my eyes, and I saw the desire in these shiny globes, sharp and demanding. He wanted me. Swiftly, he thrust into me. Eager to possess. I felt his hard cock inside of me, filling me completely. I cried out, as he passionately made love to me. His strong legs pushed mine apart. I put my arms around me, welcoming him inside of me. I had a fire in my belly that only his passion could satisfy. Hard and swift, his cock went into me, taking me to high heaven. He made me his, and I came time and again. He came once, sending his seed inside of me. We lay on the forest floor, entwined in love. I felt a profound satisfaction which I had never known before. I wish I could say we lived happily ever after. But tomorrow was another day. Another day of fleeing from angels. When I woke up, Luke was gone. That's when the visions hit. I saw an angel, one who was taller, larger and more magnificent than all the others. I saw him standing before a massive throne of light, and speaking to an invisible but omnipotent presence. All at once, I knew who this angel was. Lucifer, the Archangel of Light. First among the Angels of the Army of the Lord. The Archangel par excellence. The Lord of Light. Prince of the Presence. Greater than all except the Most High Himself. As abruptly as it began, the vision ended. Luke had come back, with food for the both of us. The sight of him brought a smile to my face. I kissed him, and we quietly shared a meal. Here we were, a man and a woman in a garden. So very much like Adam and Eve, in ancient times. Wow. I thought about telling Luke about my dream. Maybe he could make sense of it. When I told him, he smiled. That's when he revealed himself. Luke told me that the visions were a sign that I was the one he had been waiting for since ancient times. I was the Vessel, the woman who could bear his offspring. I stared at him, shocked. Luke stood before me, and he looked so sad. I saw who he was right then and there. Once the most powerful being in the universe, second in power only to God Himself. Now, abandoned by his followers, hunted down by his enemies, he was all alone. He who was once called Lucifer, Archangel of Light and Prince of the Air. I stared at him. I was shocked. Luke was really Lucifer? Had he been deceiving me all along? Luke looked at me sadly. He told me that all he had done was protect me. He had come to me at great peril to his own life. He had risked his freedom to ensure mine. He had protected me from angels who wished me dead. He had protected me, the woman he loved, from all harm. I looked at him and I did not see the Devil. I saw a good man who had risked it all for me. How could I turn my back on him? I walked up to Luke. And I put my arms around him. I kissed him. He was a bit startled but rather pleased. I felt his heart beating against my chest. He was real. He was alive. He was the man I had been waiting for. Who cares if he was the Devil to everyone else? He was good to me! I embraced him. My whole being opened up to him, and his being was open to me as well. I saw into him, just as clearly as he saw into me... Lucifer refused to bow down before Adam and Eve, like the Creator commanded. He refused to serve beings he considered to be his inferiors. He and the angels loyal to his cause left Heaven. War broke out. For ages, war raged between angel and dark angel. At long last, the archangel Michaela, and the other great archangels trapped Lucifer. They could not kill him, so they destroyed his body. Angels are immortal. They can never die. But divine power could destroy an angel's body, and turn him or her into a wraith. Archangel Lucifer, once Heaven's greatest, was now a wraith. He fell forever. Once he had fallen, the dark angels were rounded up and sent to Hell. For years, he plotted revenge. He saw the truth. In their own way, ordinary women and ordinary men were more dangerous and evil than Hell's darkest demons. Demons had no conscience, but humans did. The humans were a blight upon creation. Lucifer raged against them, and for this reason, he was nearly destroyed. He felt that Heaven's Maker preferred the humans and no longer loved His angels. I saw all of that. Lucifer's spirit wandered the Underworld, bodiless for eons. He was still the Lord of Hell, more powerful than any dark angel but he was so far less than what he once was. He was not that different from ghosts. He was a wraith. He raged against the Heavenly Power that nearly destroyed him but he was helpless. He was once second only to God in sheer might, now even the lowest of Heaven's angels shone brighter than him in angelic appearance. How frustrating and humiliating that must have been. Finally, he returned to Earth, and inhabited the body of a man. While in human guise, he retained some of his god-like powers. At last, he had a body. His angelic being fused with the flesh and blood of the dead man, reanimating the body. He was back! He sought the Vessel, the woman who would bear his offspring. Me. I looked at Luke....and saw both his angelic nature and the fleshly form he inhabited. He was beautiful. He was greater than any man and greater than any angel. At least in my eyes. Ordinary mortals, both men and women, were a selfish and cowardly lot. Angels were no different. Useless, the whole lot of them. I smiled at Luke. We had so much in common. I was the rebel back in my days at the police department. I refused to serve a corrupt institution. I was tired of treating rich bastards and their token bitches like royalty. I walked out on the police force because it had become corrupt and no longer worth serving. The being who stood before me walked out on Heaven because he found it no longer worth serving. He was kicked out. I walked out. We were so very much alike. Kindred. I kissed Luke's hand, and knelt before him. He looked at me gravely. Yes, I knew what I was doing. I wanted to be with him. He was the one I had been waiting for. For him, I would sacrifice my humanity and my immortal soul. When I rose, he took my hand in his. And I was changed. I saw the world as he saw it, through the eyes of the great ones, and not like a mortal woman. And from that moment on, we were together. Just me, him and the growing miracle in my womb. He would be a precious one, this offspring of ours. Part human, part angel, and greater than both. A messiah in his own way. The future master of the universe, destined to bring about the fall of humanity. Our pride and joy. Archangel Ch. 02 Archangel Ch. 2 : God's Army The name is Lucifer. Please, don't embarrass yourselves by pissing your pants. I mean you no harm. For I am the Prince of the Light. Prince of the Air. Bearer of Light. First of the Fallen. Chief of the Fallen Angels. Lord of Darkness. Master of the Universe. I am Immortal and Everlasting. Yeah, I have so many names that I have a hard time keeping them all in check. A long time ago, I set a simple goal for myself. To conquer the Universe and remake it into my own image. A rather simple task, really. If only a bunch of poor misguided fools hadn't gotten in the way. Oh, well. Can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, know what I mean? If you were to look at me, you'd see an ordinary man. Six feet two inches tall, lean, with dark brown skin, curly black hair and pale bronze eyes. That's what I've always looked like. Do I have wings? Of course. All Angels were created with wings. Wings of the purest white, not unlike those of a dove, but much larger. That's how I looked when I first came into Being. I am the First and Mightiest Angel ever created. Strongest of All Heaven's Host. No one else can claim the title. I'm also the best-looking, brightest and best. I'm the one with the most wit, charm and personality. The one with the most agile mindset. The thinker. The visionary. The genius. The dude with the ideas. A lot of others paled by comparison. The only one who even comes close is Michael, but he's such a square it's not even funny. Kinda ruins all of his good qualities. Go figure. In the Beginning, there were the Angels and God, the One who made them. We were Immortal and Everlasting. His finest Creations. More beautiful than the Planets, the Stars and the entire Cosmos. Reflections of His Own Omnipotence. All was well. Until He decided to elevate animals by giving them sentience and purpose. The animal He uplifted was Man and Woman. The most boring entities I've ever seen. Almost makes me nostalgic for the Tyrannosaurus Rex of old. At least he wasn't stupid-looking. T-Rex was a respectable creature. Humans are the scum of the Universe. I've always thought so. And my opinion of them hasn't changed in eons. If only thing, it's gotten worse. So, when I realized that the Creator had lost His mind, I decided to correct things. I spoke to other Angels and Archangels who felt the same way I did. We appeared before the Lord and asked him to place limits upon Man and Woman, lest these creatures become a blight upon the world. He didn't listen. He said we were jealous of them. He laughed at us. I think you can forgive me for giving him the middle finger. He's nuts. He's lost it. He's in love with his toys. So, I told him that my friends and I were leaving. I refuse to serve under a madman, no matter how omnipotent he was. End of story. He, uh, didn't take it too well. Come to think of it, He doesn't take the word no very well. He doesn't like being told he can't just do whatever he wants. And when he can't get his way, he's mad. And you don't want to see that. Now, there are more Angels in Heaven than there are stars in the skies. There are only six hundred and sixty six trillion stars in an average galaxy. And there are only five thousand galaxies in the cluster of universes. And there are only ten thousand clusters of universes in the cosmos. See? There are more Angels in Heaven than there are stars in all of the clusters of universes combined. I convinced about half of them that abandoning ship when the Boss was losing his brilliant mind was not only the right thing to do, but also the sane thing to do. The Boss has done some extreme things in the past. But falling in love with his toys was a really dumb move. He wanted to elevate Man and Woman above the Angels in Heaven. I don't care how loyal any Angel can claim to be. Being compared to a flesh and blood mortal creature of limited intellect and ability sucks. It's like comparing Einstein to the Village Idiot. The only thing they've got in common is the fact that they're both air breathers. My Angels and I left the Realm of Heaven. It's a pity we had to leave. It was such a beautiful place. But we couldn't stay while the Boss was losing his mind and we were eons away from the existence of the first psychiatric clinic. We left. He didn't take it well. He didn't want us to leave. He also didn't want us to stay. He just couldn't make up his mind. So, he did the next best thing. He asked Michael, his most loyal dog, to kick our butts until we repented. He even asked me in private audience to take back what I said and return home. I told him to go stuff his divine self with a mountain-sized stick. Hey, that might have been ill-advised but I thought it was funny. I still thought it was funny when He ordered all of Heaven to wipe me out from existence. I simply vanished from heaven and returned to my troops. It seemed that we had a war on our hands. Angel against Angel. All because you-know-who lacks a sense of humor. I had suddenly become the Commander in Chief of the Rebel Angels, as Heaven called us. The Faithful were amassing a huge army and they wanted to take us out. I couldn't let that happen. I didn't want to rule Heaven. All I wanted to do was leave. Escape my control freak of a Boss and start my own business, so to speak. Unfortunately, he who monopolizes all the power in the cosmos does not readily share power or influence with anyone. I had Angels from all of the Nine Choirs of Heaven with me. Let's see. There were the Seraphim and the Cherubim, the most powerful of all Angels. They were the Brains of the Operation. The Geniuses. The Masterminds. There were also the Principalities and Powers, the Soldiers of Heaven. The Dominions, Virtues and Thrones were the middle-level. They were powerful immortal entities but not your brightest minds or strongest soldiers. They were artists, musicians and basically the free-spirited people. In today's world, you'd call them Hippies. As for me, I was the only Archangel to leave Heaven. The Archangels were the most powerful Angels ever created. We were the First. Right before the Universe came into being, God summoned us from nothingness and breasthed us into being. Michael, also called the Warrior of Heaven is the most famous Archangel. After yours truly, of course. Grim-faced, humorless and way too much in love with God, he's your prototypical career military man. God-fearing and loyal to the end. Gabriel is the Wise One. Raphael is the Jovial One. Uriel is a Firestarter. Selaphiel is a Furian. A very angry bastard. Jugudiel is a Wanderer. Barachiel is a Strategist. He works closely with Michael. Metatron is a most genial Archangel. A witty, charming, intelligent and charismatic guy. It's too bad he sided with the Boss. Raguel is jealous of everyone. He's good at hiding it, though. Remiel is simply crazy. Zerachiel is eternally indecisive. Simiel takes himself way too seriously. Jhudiel is like a mirror image of me, but he's also misguided. They were the strongest, fastest, smartest and most powerful of all Angels. Selected by the Creator Himself to be Extensions of His Glory in the Physical World. I assembled around me the most powerful Angels who had joined my cause. Among them were Asmodeus, who called himself a Lord of Destruction. He hated Heaven with a passion and wanted to burn it down to the ground. Beelzebub, whom I simply called Baal was one of my most trusted Lieutenants. Leviathan is my most misunderstood of all members of my inner circle. In legends, he's seen as a huge aquatic animal. In actuality, he's no more of an animal than the rest of us. A six-foot-three, lean and muscular young man with blond hair and pale blue eyes. That's what he looks like. It's true that he's fond of the sea and all of its creatures but he's not a huge marine behemoth. Mortals get their mythologies mixed up all the time. Oh, well. Balberith is the one I like the least. A hot-headed fool. There's one in every administration. Gressil is the Barbarian. Strong, proud, brutal and unsophisticated. He's the flip side of Balberith. I don't like either of them but I need Angels with their power on my team. Sonneillon is a hateful bastard. Carreau is grim-faced, solitary and mean. He's like Michael on a bad day. Carnivean is a lustful prick. He's the one who temps mortals to do all manners of lustful things which lead them to perdition. Oiellet is greed personified. Rosier is sweet and bitter at the same time. Verrier has difficulties following the simplest of orders. Leviathan is my favorite. Always has been and always will be. He left Heaven not because he hated the place or his fellow Angels but because he wanted to pursue his own destiny. He didn't want to spend eternity serving a Lord who didn't appreciate him. He joined me because we were friends. And he knew that I would need a strong warrior like him by my side. All the days of my struggle, Leviathan was with me. When we got word that Heaven's Armies, led by the Archangel Michael himself were coming for us, we gathered our troops for the coming struggle. A war between immortal beings is far more devastating than mortal minds can comprehend. For starters, since neither army has perishable soldiers, how can any side claim victory? Well, there is a way. Angels cannot die. It's impossible. We are immortal beings. Both spirit and flesh, yet neither. Beyond Man and Spirit. We came from the Original Universe. How can there be a victory? It's simple. Death is impossible in Heaven and what would later be called Hell. Death is only possible on Earth, the Physical World. Nomenclature is quite possible in Heaven. In other words, you cannot die but you can get quite messed up. you can lose your arm, your leg and even your head in a flash of heavenly fire. And still you won't die. Everything grows back, but it takes a long frigging time. If you lose your arm or leg, it's gonna take a long time to grow back. Possibly months. Your head? Centuries. Isn't that a motherfucker? I readied my Army. I spoke to each and every single one of them. Angels who left Heaven because they believed in me. I promised them freedom from the tyranny of Heaven. And freedom they shall have. Even if I have to burn the entire universe to ash to get it. We gathered the Elite of our Army at what would later be called Pangea. A giant super-continent which would later become Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, Antarctica and Europe. This was not my first visit to the Earthly Plane. Far from it. I wanted the Soldiers to see what could be ours. Earth. The place the Creator decreed to be Man's Kingdom. This place could be ours. In those days, Humans were hairy, brute creatures. Quite limited in intelligence and ability. Their hobby seemed to be killing other animals, starting fires and killing one another. You'll forgive me for not having faith in them. While Heaven's Armies readied their Weapons, donned their Armors and braced themselves for War, I flew in the skies of the Earth with my followers. We watched the world. We swam in the waves. We drank from the river and ate the fruit of the tree. We relaxed on sandy beaches. We wanted to see what it was we were fighting for. earth was to be our new home. We would be the Lords of the Earth. To Hell with the Creator's plans for Man and his Woman. They were dumb brutes. We were more worthy. And what was denied to us we would take by force. Having had our fill of the Earth, we returned to Heaven to battle the unenlightened followers of the Divine Tyrant. As expected, Michael was leading the Charge. Followed by the strongest, mightiest and most famous of all Angels. The Archangels. They were the Generals of God's Army. I smiled and nodded at Leviathan, who gave our troops the signal to attack. We let them come to us. Then we unleashed Hell upon them. My troops were well-trained, and refreshed. Also, each and every single one of them carried my love, trust and belief within him. The Angels in Michael's Army couldn't say the same. They served a Tyrant who saw as disposable chess pieces. An egomaniac who sets the standard for all the world to follow. Michael and his Angels were slaves of the Creator. Serving him because He would unleash all manners of evil upon them if they did otherwise. They were little more than accessories to him. I personally loved, respected and admired each and every single Angel who followed me. They were my friends. They believed in me. They were not disposable. When the melee was joined, I fought alongside my warriors. I burned a path of destruction through the enemy ranks. My first victim was the Angel Thoriel. He was really something, once. Seven feet tall, massively muscular, with long blond hair and pale blue eyes. His wings were huge, and he looked imposing. He was the Commander of the Powers, the most war-like of all Angels in Heaven. He came after me. We fought in the sky. Trading blow after blow with swords of fire. Still, how could any Angel stand against me? The only other force in the universe which came close to rivaling me was the Creator Himself. And He wasn't on the battlefield today. So I had nothing to worry about. With a smile on my face and a song in my heart, I cut off Thoriel's wings. I watched the great warrior Angel as he tumbled from the heavens, his body burning bright as a star. Where he crashed, I didn't know. Nor did I care. He made his choice, and now he's got to live with it. I sighed happily, and went after my next target. I crossed heavenly blades with a warrior of great power. Azrael, the Archangel of Death himself. He's the most powerful heavenly warrior, next to the Archangel Michael himself. I don't know what you've read about Death in the books. He's not invincible or infallible. In fact, I grabbed him by the collar and swung him around before flinging him across the heavens. This is the power that I possessed. The power of an entire Host of Angels. The power to set the heavens themselves on fire. The power to challenge any force in the cosmos and always emerge the victor. Who could stand against me? I watched my soldiers as they battled the Faithful, those mindless toys of the Creator. My warriors did me proud. They soared the heavens and struck down the Faithful. Yes, we were winning! The Faithful were dropping like flies. Like insects they fell. Wings and bodies burning, cut down by the winged soldiers which I personally trained. That's when I saw...him. Michael. The Second Angel ever created. Commander in Chief of the Armies of the Lord. The Divine Lord of War. I saw him leading God's Army into the heart of my forces. He was surrounded by a multitude of powerful angelic warriors. The best of Heaven's Army. They fought against my warrior elite. And cut them down. Dismayed, I gathered my strongest warriors and joined the fray. I did to Michael's forces what he did to wine. I lashed out with my blade of fire and severed angelic hands, feet, wings and sometimes heads. Burning heavenly bodies fell to the ground. Divine blood rained from the skies. For every one of my Angels that Michael cut down, I slaughtered ten of his. Mercilessly, I unleashed heavenly fire from my hands. This was the Heavenly Flame. Wielded only by myself and Uriel, the Archangel of Fire and Regent of the Sun. No other Angel could withstand its awesome power. I unleashed that fury against the Archangel Michael. The most powerful of Heaven's Warriors was stunned. The power wave I let loose sucked him in its center like a maelstrom and created a vortex of unstable energy which caught Angel after Angel in its grip. Within the vicinity, Angel after Angel screamed as the vortex overtook them. I laughed, and blasted them across the Heavens. Michael was the first to free himself. But he was bleeding and his armor was in ruins. I smiled, knowing he could see me very clearly no matter how far he was. He was amazingly strong. No other Angel could have freed himself from the vortex. Michael did. I knew he'd be back. I was ready for him. I was second only to God Himself...nor now. Someday, I would be the ultimate power in the cosmos. I would smash the Archangel Michael to pieces in Heaven's Throne Room itself and smear his remains across the face of his Creator. My way of showing both of them utter contempt. I ordered my troops to return to Earth. We had won the first battle of the War Against Heaven. My troops were overjoyed. We had beaten Heaven's best warriors. Many of them had feared going up against the Archangel Michael. Even though I was universally recognized as being second only to God Himself in raw supernatural power, the other Angels feared Michael's martial prowess. I had to admit that he was immensely powerful. In single combat, I was sure he could hold his own against me. The thing is that Michael loves combat. He excels in all forms of combat. I was a great fighter but my talent for handling celestial energies and angelic magic was what often gave me an edge over any force in the universe. After all, fighting fair isn't funny. It's boring as hell. We returned to Earth. This was to be our new domain. The Faithful couldn't stand in our way. Nor could their Master. The next time we took up arms against Heaven, the full might of the Heavenly Throne came down upon our heads. And we faced it head on. I don't give up. I don't surrender. I don't accept defeat. And I certainly don't accept failure. I will tear down Heaven...or die trying. Since I cannot die, and an Angel of my station and power level isn't easily destroyed, I don't see an end to this little debacle anytime soon. My followers put their trust in me. And I won't let them down. So, the war against Heaven raged. One by one, my most faitful lieutenants and most loyal soldiers were cut down. Burned down by the blades of Heavenly warriors. Folks, you're looking at the new Master of the Universe. The Maker and His cronies be damned. According to fate, I'm destined to lose. I don't know. I'll keep on fighting till the end. That's what makes me the Unconquerable One. Archangel: It's My Life The life of an angel is definitely no picnic, folks. My name is Michael. I've come to set the record straight about my Brethren. I don't know where mortals get their information but they're rather wrong about so many things it's not even funny. Whoever told you that angels are androgynous pretty guys or pretty girls with wings has definitely lied to you. We're not cute. And we're not exactly an accessible bunch. We come and go as we please, from one corner of the universe to the next. Where do we come from? We've always been here. Along with Yahweh. Long before He began His creation of the cosmos. We existed in the Void which even now surrounds Creation from all angles. A common misconception is that angels were created by Yahweh. We're as old as He is. The main difference between us and Him is the fact that He possesses the insurmountable force which He used to will Creation to occur. Something we call the First Power. We were his workers and advisors as He set about creating all life. We're not his servants. We're his partners. I hope you can understand the difference between the two. Because it's major. We are and always will be. Immortal doesn't quite describe us but mortals need something which to measure us against. Since evading death is a main concern of theirs, they see anything beyond themselves as being immune to death. Little do they know that death itself is a limited entity bound by many of the same rules mortals operate by. Death has limits. Angels do not. I just wanted to make this quite clear. Even though all angels are beings of nearly infinite power, even among equals some are more equal than others. I am an archangel. One of the most powerful angels in the universe. The only being more powerful than myself is Yahweh, the one all angels affectionately refer to as the Father of Us All. Even though we're all the same incalculable age. Mortals believe that Heaven is an uncomplicated place much like Earth, where angels and demons are duking it out for all eternity. Give me a break, will you? Fighting an endless war is quite boring. Doing so for all eternity is a fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Among angels, there are different viewpoints. Different factions have different beliefs. But we're not going to slaughter each other over philosophical differences. I have something which I must correct you people on. The relationship between myself and my colleague Lucifer. We're not enemies. Just friends with radically different viewpoints. When Yahweh began creating the universe, he found two angels who were far more helpful than all others. My friend Lucifer and myself. What can I say? We were brighter than all the others. When Yahweh created the suns, the moons and the stars, we helped him out. The Milky Way Galaxy is the handiwork of Lucifer and myself. It was a personal project for the two of us. One whose creation we undertook in order to bestow a gift upon an old friend. Yahweh. He had been so busy creating the myriad galaxies that we decided to surprise him by creating one of our very own and giving it to him as a gift. He was quite happy about it. Making him happy was something Lucifer and I derived much pleasure from. Especially in those early epochs. When Yahweh finally began infusing the universe with living beings, Lucifer and I were present as well. We were the ones who advised him on the creation of anything from bacteria to arthropods and dinosaurs. Creation occurred once, and since then evolution has been allowed to take its course. Creation is hard work, even for the Almighty. It's worse than running a marathon every day of the year in all weather. Humans have had strong arguments over creation versus evolution. The truth is that both proponents of evolution and those men and women who call themselves creationists are absolutely right. Creation and evolution are both responsible for the universe as it is today. I just wish they could agree on that and move on with their lives. I do hate to watch them tear each other to pieces over useless crap. Yahweh shares my disgust with the wicked things that otherwise intelligent and perfectly decent ordinary men and women do in his name. sometimes, when he goes on vacation into the Void, he asks me to look after things. And I gladly do so. Sometimes, Lucifer is left in charge and does a good job. He's responsible for both the Enlightenment Movement and the European Renaissance, you know. Contrarily to what mortals think, he's not a master of evil trying to take over the universe and destroy Heaven and Earth. If he were, why in heck do you think he'd be left as Viceroy of the Cosmos for ages while Yahweh and I roamed the Void? If he wanted to take over the universe, he's had plenty of opportunity for it, don't you think? Besides, these days Yahweh is tired of ruling the universe and would probably gladly hand it over while retiring to the Void. Does that shock you? Well, try holding the same damn job for all eternity! Then you can tell me about boredom! You people have a lot to learn about Heavenly politics. For starters, there is no such thing as Hell. At least not one we're responsible for. Neither Yahweh nor Lucifer have ever created a place for the souls of human beings to suffer. Humans brought it on themselves. There is such a thing as psycho-materialization. You see, a group of powerful souls united can create a place for themselves to dwell. And in this place, they are the masters. The souls of good men and good women go their own version of paradise because deep down, that's where they belong. And once there, they are reunited with their friends, spouses, families and other loved ones who undertook the same journey. Paradise is different for everyone, yet it's all the same. The souls of evil men and evil women go to Hell because deep down they know that this is where they belong. The demons and monsters and endless torments found in Hell are the creations of the souls who inhabit Hell. I have nothing to do with Hell. Neither does Yahweh or Lucifer. Humans are more powerful than they realize, even when they're dead. Or should I say especially when they're dead. They dwell in their own paradises and their own hells. Much like they did while they were alive. Do you understand this now? Humans think of Yahweh as a stern father figure and a judge. They're half right. He granted them free will for a reason. They can do whatever they want. That's what free will is all about. But they have to live with the consequences. He doesn't judge them. They are judged by their own conscience and for those among them without conscience, they're doomed to a hell of their own making, both in the world of the living and the world of the dead. See, we have a hands-off policy upstairs. Oh, and please don't imagine a celestial palace where guys and girls with wings play music and frolic all day. That is such a common misconception. Give us a little credit, please. When you die, whether you were very good or exceptionally bad, you go to an afterlife peopled by the souls of mortals like yourself. You don't get to rub ethereal elbows with angels. Sorry but that's just the way it is. My Brethren and I exist simultaneously in a multitude of coexisting universes. We are in the universe but not of it. We can control time and space the way you people can wriggle your fingers. It's not a mark of power. Each and every single one of us can do it. We know better than to screw with the laws of the cosmos. Not because we fear punishment from our fellow angels or from Yahweh himself but because we know better. Doing the right thing for the sake of doing it and needing no need for reward or punishment system to sway our actions one way or the other. That's what it means to be an angel. There are stories about angels going down to Earth and having relations with mortal women. I don't know where you get your facts but we don't do that. There are a multitude of extremely powerful immortal beings in the universe. Angels are but one group of them. The gods and goddesses worshiped by various human populations throughout history fall under those other categories. Many of those beings like to impress mortals with their powers, make you do whatever they want and influence your lives one way or the other. Omnipotence without malice or egotism is what separates Yahweh from every other seemingly all-powerful entity in the universe. Those other beings who exist within the same universe as the Brethren of Angels and myself are free to do whatever they wish. Sometimes, they go overboard and Yahweh and the angels step in. To stave off disaster, you understand. Yahweh created the universe for all living creatures and entities to live freely. He did not restrict passage into it solely to angels. However, some of those non-angelic entities sometimes overstep their boundaries and overstay their welcome. When that happens, I'm more than happy to dispatch them to the Void, where I know they can do no harm. That's why so many gods, goddesses and other supernatural entities once worshiped by humans are no longer heard of. We put them out of circulation. Our way of doing damage control. Creation is a wonderful thing. All it takes is one cosmically genocidal maniac to undo it. We can't let that happen. When the universe ultimately collapses and dies, my fellow angels and I will rejoin Yahweh in the Void. Until then, like you we enjoy every day we have in this universe. We find things to occupy ourselves. Sometimes, we intervene in the lives of mortals to help them. We do not ask to be worshiped, and neither does Yahweh. All we want is to be merely acknowledged and respected. Mortals can't seem to tell the difference. Someday they will. Wisdom is hard-won but they achieve it sometimes. It is my hope that they all will someday. And I know they will. Even my fellow angels learned through trial and error, once upon a time. Nobody's perfect but we can try. Peace. Archangel Michael: It's My Life The life of a Fallen Angel isn't easy. Sometimes, it amazes me how wrong humans are about us. For example, the Christians believe that we're cute entities modeled after human beings in looks and temperament, only we have wings and halos. The Jews share a similar belief. The Muslims believe that Angels don't have wings, and they don't believe in the concept of a Fallen Angel. They believe that all Angels are good, and the evil spirits are called Djinn. Well, they couldn't be more wrong. Angels, both good and bad, are something entirely different from the Djinn. In this entire cosmos, fear only one thing, ladies and gentlemen. Fear the bloody Djinn. They're more evil than the Devil. My name is Michael, and I was once an Archangel. Not just any Archangel either. I was the Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Legion, the Leader of God's Army. What am I doing among the Fallen? That's a long and complicated story. You see, our Almighty God doesn't like it when anyone, mortal or immortal, disobeys His commands. I was part of an elite team of Angelic warriors who captured Lucifer Morningstar and defeated him for the second time as he tried to escape from the Underworld and conquer the planet Earth. I bound him to a pit, not in Hell but deep below the Earth. I placed special seals around Lucifer's prison, seals designed to basically destroy any entity, mortal or immortal, who tries to either enter the prison or escape from it. Lucifer is trapped forever, and the world is safe. That's what I thought. They say that nature abhors a vacuum, and I guess that's true everywhere, including the universe in which I once dwelled. With Lucifer Morningstar gone, the Demons and Monsters who once obeyed his every wish began competing with the Fallen Angels for the Throne of Hell. Ultimately, the Son of Lucifer, better known as the Antichrist in Christian lore, became the new ruler of Hell. You see, back in the day, Lucifer married Lilith, the first woman created by God. Lilith was exiled from the Garden of Eden before God created Eve for Adam. Because Lilith left before Original Sin, she wasn't bound by God's decree that mankind was mortal. She alone out of all human beings in existence is immortal. Lucifer and Lilith had a son, the Antichrist. Now he walks the world anew. He's a tall, good-looking and well-spoken man. The leader of a powerful nation in the West. And he's got ambition to spare. The Son of Lucifer and Lilith is half Angel and half human. Since his mother Lilith is the only immortal woman in existence, the Antichrist himself is immortal. Right now, he's busy stirring the pot. He's encouraging Christians, Jews and Muslims to fight one another in the name of God. Nothing could be further from the truth as far as God's wishes. The Jews, Christians and Muslims know the truth, that there is only one God. However, they differ in their approach toward worshiping said God. Those differences have caused many wars for thousands of years. With the Antichrist walking the halls of power, Western society and Islam are just about ready to go to war on a global scale. Once they do that, they'll unleash Armageddon. God doesn't want mankind to destroy itself to prove their love for Him. However, the Lord respects free will more than anything. Even though the Antichrist and his minions are manipulating priests, rabbis and imams, presidents, prime ministers and kings, Heaven's best were told by God Himself not to interfere in the affairs of man. I was resigned to stand by and watch mankind destroy itself because the forces of evil were manipulating man's love for God and turning it into something which offends the Lord. I found that I could not stand by and watch while planet Earth burned and civilization ended due to global war between Christians, Jews and Muslims. The coming war over religion on a global scale threatened not only civilization but the human species itself. The thing that Christians, Jews and Muslims don't realize is that killing your brother or sister, friend or neighbor, and doing it in the name of God is the most offensive thing anyone could do to our Almighty Lord in Heaven. Seriously. Every Crusader, every Jihadist, every religious nutcase who killed himself or others for God, they're all in Hell. Every last one of them. And that's precisely where the bulk of the human race was headed if they persisted on slaughtering one another over questions of religion. East and West were ready to go to war, and this would create a global nightmare from which humanity might never awaken. What's a devoted Archangel to do at a time like this? I honestly didn't know. I felt responsible. You see, there is much that Christians, Jews and Muslims don't know. For example, every man who is called a true Prophet of God must face temptation in the form of an evil spirit at some point. Job faced temptation. He rebuked the Devil, and thus he was a great prophet for the Jews. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah himself, faced temptation from Satan and he refused the Devil's offer. Thus he became a great prophet for the Christians. Mohammed of Arabia, the prophet of Islam, did not face temptation from a demon or Devil. He spoke to the Archangel Gabriel. The Archangel Gabriel hasn't been a soldier of Heaven for quite some time. He fell a long time ago, due to his hatred of humans and his jealousy toward the favors shown to them by our Almighty God. I made a mistake once, ladies and gentlemen. Well, before I Fell anyway. After the Archangel Gabriel was found to be the culprit corrupting humans away from God, I was ordered to destroy him. We fought, and although I could have killed him, I let him go. I couldn't destroy my little brother. Well, that mistake would come back to haunt me. You see, Gabriel was the one who spoke to the prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam. God intended Mohammed to be a messenger of peace. After speaking with Gabriel, Mohammed changed. And that's why the world is the way it is today, with Muslims seeing Christians and Jews as infidels and idolaters. God's message to Mohammed was supposed to be one of love. In his innocence, the prophet listened to Gabriel, and the end result of that conversation means there may be no tomorrow for mankind. I should have killed Gabriel when I had the chance, but I didn't. The fallen Archangel Gabriel is one of the chief allies of the Antichrist these days. Together, they plot the extinction of the human species through clever manipulation of global events. I couldn't stand by and let my younger brother Gabriel and the Son of Lucifer destroy mankind. So I disobeyed a direct command from God. I came down from Heaven, and tracked down my enemies. I killed hundreds of Demons, Fallen Angels and Monsters as I waged war against the followers of the Antichrist. In the end, I couldn't get to the Antichrist because he was kept hidden from me by powerful magic. I did confront the Archangel Gabriel, and we dueled. I cut off his right hand with my sword of fire, and severed his left wing. Before I could finish him off, I was transported from the New York City apartment where I was fighting my brother into the Vaults of Heaven. I found myself in the Throne Room, standing before God and the entirety of Heaven. All the Angels and Archangels. Oh, and the Elect, as the worthy souls of good men and good women are called, also got to watch. Yes, I was stripped of my rank and title, stripped of my power, and hurled down to Earth. I am now a Fallen Angel. Gabriel is after me, and he wants revenge. Somehow, his wing and his hand grew back. The only entities outside of Heaven with such powers of healing are the Djinn. Before God created the world, He made us Angels. Before God made Angels, the Djinn were already around. Malevolent creatures of destruction whom He banished into darkness as He created the Universe. The Djinn have been freed from their dark prison by the power of the Antichrist, and they are the ones who restored Gabriel, after what I did to him. Now they're hunting me. I walk through the streets of Dallas, a six-foot-two, thirty-something Black man in a business suit, that's what I look like in the eyes of the world. I go by the name Mikhail Brownstone these days. What am I doing in the City of Dallas? Simply waiting for the next chapter of my life. Life is the most precious thing any of us have, really. I've had time to adjust to my new existence. I'm a professor of African-American literature at Paul Quinn College, and I'm dating a young woman named Angela Mbakwe. Angie, as I call her, is something else. Five-foot-nine, curvy and chocolate-skinned, with a very pretty face. Born in Kano City, northern Nigeria, and educated at Oxford University in the City of London, England. She's working for Apex Enterprises, a conglomerate in the City of Dallas, Texas. We met at the airport and totally clicked. She's a good Christian woman and she sees the best in everyone, even when it isn't always there. That's one of the many things I love about her. I treasure my new life, and I'll defend it with my last breath. Have I completely adjusted to life among mortals? I can't say that I have. Much about the human experience escapes me. I cherish my mortal disguise, and these days, it's not much of a disguise at all. It's my life. I like my new job, and I love the young Nigerian woman who breathes life into my otherwise dreary existence. I try not to think about my old life, but a part of me will always miss Heaven. In spite of everything that's happened to me, I still love God, and I love my brothers and sisters from the Heavenly Host whom I left behind. I like my new life here on Earth, and I'll defend it when the time comes. Until then, I'm just living my life. Peace.