Sword
12-11-2006, 05:01 PM
Ok I've reluctantly decided to post this here to get other peoples' opinions. BTW NO ONE is allowed to steal this. It's copyrighted and I'm totally serious about making this an anime. This is only the beginningof the story. It'll be a few years until It's complete.
P.S.Beware this is very long (15 pages in MS word).
Nephilim Evangelium:
Heaven's First Law
“Order is Heaven's first law” – Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
“Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: 'I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people.'”
- Psalms 89:19
The Archangel Gabriel entered God’s throne room, which was in the seventh and most upper level of Heaven. The tall gates were guarded by two Seraphim and the pillars stretched high into the skies of paradise. In the room there were several of the highest ranking angels standing round the throne waiting for him along with God, and Cherubim flying overhead. Though God didn’t have the same form as the angels. He was an extremely bright tongue of white flame with a seal floating behind him.
Gabriel bowed and wondered what it was that God wanted to speak with him about.
“King. You sent for me?” He asked.
God told him that he is not going to like this, but it had to be done.
“It’s the beginning of another end”, said God with a sad tone in his voice. Gabriel sighed as he realized what his lord was talking about. With the recent events occurring on Earth, it was obvious that drastic action had to be taken. God wanted him to deliver a message to Earth about the forthcoming Apocalypse that would soon sweep across the planet and to help in the preparation stages. Gabriel was hesitant, but he agreed to do it. He didn’t like doing this. To him it’s like the feeling you get when you have to get to grips with the fact that your pet is seriously ill and you have no choice but to put it down. Gabriel doesn’t want to see life on Earth get reduced to practically nothing, but he doesn’t want to see it destroy itself either.
“Oh yes”, added God, “Keep an eye on Raziel during this event. Just to make sure nothing happens to him.”
After Gabriel had gotten hold of Raphael, he told him to go ahead and get ready, then he met with Raziel in the Sixth Heaven. Raziel has shoulder length, silver hair. His armour is silver and gold. He also has a blue cape, blue wings and really light blue, cold eyes. Gabriel has the same armour, without the cape, but with a feathery collar. His hair is slightly shorter, but blonde and wavy. He too told Raziel about the operation, but Raziel was as cool as ever about it.
“So it’s finally Earth’s time huh.” Said Raziel.
Gabriel didn’t expect any emotional or argumentative response from him. He’s been like this for a long time now. Raziel knew what had to be done and just went along with it. He expected it to happen soon anyway. Raziel had a very cold personality. He didn’t really care what happened to anyone except his closest friends or as long as it wasn’t anything evil. And he did everything by the book. He saw everything as either good or bad; nothing was ever in between with Raziel. Gabriel thought that giving a bigger resposibility might show him that there is more to life than going left or right.
“Let’s get going shall we? Raphael will meet us there”.
They made their way to Earth where Raphael was standing by. He greeted Raziel and Gabriel. Gabriel said nothing as he took one last look at the world where Christ was born as he knew it.
“All the angels are in their correct positions”, said Raphael.
Gabriel gave Raphael the green light for the mission, “…Then let’s get started”.
Raphael hovered over the cross in the Vatican, constantly emitting a bright light which turned the sky red and purified the physical planet. Raziel’s job was to lead and instruct the angels who were to set up a shield around the Earth’s atmosphere to prevent any other planets catching a glimpse of the end of Earth with a telescope or some other device. To them it would seem as if life on Earth was continuing as normal. Gabriel went to the Vatican to deliver the message about what was going on to the Pope. The Pope and Cardinals then went to pray to God for the duration of these events. After the message had been delivered to everyone by Gabriel they all went to their local churches, mosques and synagogues to pray and confess their sins. For those who were destined for eternity in the pits of Hell, it was too little too late.
Gabriel joined Raphael in the roman sky and summoned the “Kingdom of God”, the almighty sword which is possessed by the archangel who is second in command of heaven which, at this present time, is Gabriel. The markings on the sword displayed the seven highest ranking archangels of Heaven and above that, there was the all-seeing eye of God and at the very tip was the “Sephirothic System of Ten Divine Names” or the “Tree of Life”.
Now every angel that existed in heaven had gathered around Gabriel and Raphael whose light got brighter. Then virtual images of the “Kingdom of God” appeared all over the world and Raziel watched as billions of people returned to the first stage of evolution to make a fresh start. They didn’t gradually change, going backwards through all the different stages; rather they instantly ‘burst’ into a clear, thick, liquid substance.
After every living organism had returned to the state of beginning, space stations, satellites and other communications or surveillance devices had to be destroyed. The debris from these then fell to Earth like asteroids. It really looked like the world was ending; Fire, destruction and the sky was falling. This is why Gabriel didn’t like ending worlds. It disturbed him.
A few hours later, they were finishing up and checking that everything was in order. The sky was no longer red and the orange glow of the evening sun painted the sky. It was beautiful as it sparkled on the substance which once had a more chaotic existence. Raziel was thinking of the other Apocalypses and remembering Gabriel’s reactions which were the same every time. Then he saw a hazy image flash in his mind. It seemed like a previous apocalypse. The planet wasn’t Earth anyway, but more importantly Gabriel had a more cold or evil expression. There were also some other angels by his own side that he didn’t recognize. This puzzled Raziel. He didn’t know what to make of it, so he decided to ignore it until a later time.
Raziel met with Gabriel and Raphael to head back to Heaven with them. Raphael asked them how they felt. Gabriel remained silent.
“I feel kinda relieved…”, said Raziel.
“Relieved?”, asked Gabriel.
“Really?”, added Raphael.
“Yeah, I mean Earth won’t be destroying itself anymore. It’s for the best. I believe this because this was God’s decision”.
Gabriel knew he was right, but he couldn’t help feeling bad.
“But it just seems like such a waste”, said Gabriel.
“Don’t worry. There’ll be other planets like Earth and the others before it.
Gabriel didn’t want the next planets to be like Earth or the others before it. He wanted them to survive until the natural death of the planet. So far none of the planets in which God created an intelligent race has made it past 8000 A.D. And Earth met it’s end in the year 4000 A.D.
At the moment, Gabriel was thinking about how much he wants to influence and protect the next planet and Raziel is still trying to figure out his vision. Raphael noticed the two deep in thought and decided to break the silence.
“What do you say we head back?” he asked.
Gabriel agreed as he realized all the other angels were leaving too. Raziel said nothing and followed the two of them as they faded out of the mortal realm.
After a while, God summoned Raziel to the throne, for he had one more job to do. He would have gotten Gabriel, but he knew he wouldn’t like it, so he thought he'd give him a break. God explained to Raziel what he had to do. There was an angel in one of the darkest corners of the third heaven. A fallen angel. The reason why God kept him in Heaven was to use him on a day like this one. His name is Phalgus and he was a very proud angel, which eventually lead to his downfall. After he had committed a terrible sin, God had him stripped of his pride and dignity. Not by sending him to Hell like the others, but instead, he let Phalgus strengthen his hate, which gradually turned him into a monster. God actually dictated what form he would take and encouraged his transformation, for he was to carry out a specific purpose. “Your job, this time Raziel, is to take Phalgus and deliver him to the North Pole on Earth. There are already angels standing by with him at the gate”, said God.
“Is he restrained?” asked Raziel.
God assured him that he was.
“Once you take him to the bottom of the sea, bind him with a seal that will put him in a state of hibernation until the day Earth makes the same mistake.”
Raziel bowed and left God’s throne room.
Raziel met with the other angels who had already prepared Phalgus and were waiting for Raziel to take him at the gate to heaven. He was bound with chains and was a colossal beast, covered in mystical and unholy markings. He had two tusks stretching out from under his jaw, a single small horn on his head and pitch black eyes. He had four legs and a tail, but also some arms that were situated above the front legs, sort of like a centaur, but more reptilian with scales covering his whole body. Phalgus looked at Raziel. It was still an intelligent being. His gaze filled with darkness. Raziel sensed much hostility. Nevertheless he grabbed a chain and walked through the pearly gates to the human realm with Phalgus putting up some resistance, but not enough to hold Raziel back.
They appeared in the Earth’s atmosphere. Phalgus’ massive body was falling at an ever-increasing speed as Raziel hung on to the indestructible chains. It was starting to get very hot as the force of the friction was pushing them back as if the planet didn’t welcome it’s new inhabitant.
Phalgus’s role on Earth was to lie dormant for millions of years. When the next time came that the planet was oppressed by sin, Phalgus would awaken from his slumber and destroy every living organism on it, self-destruct and take Earth with it. The planet won’t get a third chance.
The two of them were coming closer to Earth and Raziel got a bit too close to Phalgus as well, for he was almost swallowed whole several times, and he wasn’t to bind him until they got to the location. Eventually they impacted. Raziel landed in the water, and Phalgus crashed through most of the ice and the water broke his fall. As he slowly sank to the bottom of the sea, Raziel activated the seal and Phalgus instantly calmed and went into a state of hibernation. Raziel was relieved that the mission was a success. Then he spread his wings to help him to the surface and gently float to a nearby sheet of ice to sit and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Earth. It seemed like a different place now, it feels empty and there was still some residual redness in the sky which turned slightly pink in the sunlight. Then Raziel noticed a white figure standing in front of him on another ice sheet, but the vision was too bright to make out. Raziel thought it was an angel who came to give him a message, but realized the there would be no point in doing that since he was on his way back from a mission that took up very little time in the first place. Then it started to talk,
“Raziel”
Raziel used caution. This entity’s approach was not normal so he suspected him of being a possible hostile. After all, there are demons that appear like angels. It’s quite spooky. “Do not be afraid Raziel, I am what you are seeking, even though you don’t know it yet. God thought he could get rid of me. He thought he could replace me. But I’ve taken refuge in the darkness and you, Raziel…you will bring me back. You will bring us back together.”
He grinned and then vanished before Raziel could say anything.
“What was that about?”, thought Raziel.
He took flight again and went through the door to Heaven in the sky. Raziel decided it would be best if he kept this quiet until he could figure it out.
When Raziel had returned to the sixth heaven, Gabriel and Raphael were sitting on the top of two pillars, talking. They greeted Raziel and he sat with them. Raziel told them about his mission and they speculated about what would happen next. They knew that every time judgment day occurs, God selects another human planet to give birth to a new messiah. They were trying to figure out which planet it would be. Earth was actually the sixth planet to undergo this operation and out of the six there is only one planet that is still going. That planet is called Verrant. It is currently in the year 7521A.D, and is expected to go on well for many millennia yet. There are only a few worlds worthy of God’s grace. The three of them were getting anxious as the process to select the new planet would be finished in a few hours. Then God will give them the new mission details.
“I wonder what planet it will be”, said Gabriel.
“There are some that don’t even need to be influenced”, said Raphael.
“And there are some that are being influenced in the other direction. If you know what I mean”, added Raziel.
“More drastic measures will have to be taken for those planets”, said Gabriel, “We might even have to pay Hell a visit”.
“Though that’s unlikely”, Raphael said confidently.
The three of them were now making themselves even more curious about God’s next plan. Whatever it is, it could be the best and worst thing that will ever happen to Raziel.
A few hours later, God summoned Gabriel and gave him the mission details as he expected and gathered the angels involved at the edge of the Seventh Heaven. There weren’t many as this assignment required the immediate attention of only a few high ranking angels. It was to take place on the planet Engelhardt. As always Gabriel’s role was to deliver the message to a woman that she will have a child: the new Messiah. He was to be accompanied by Raphael and Armisael. There are also some mysteries to be solved in this New Testament. That’s where Raziel comes in.
In the past, devils and demons could only work through us and influence our actions, but recently, particularly on this planet, they have been coming through onto the mortal plain, but it is still to be discovered how they are doing this. This is where another twist comes for the angels. Raziel was getting anxious and wanted to know what his role was. Gabriel told him that he was appointed as guardian angel to the virgin mother who is named Rhea Leiddam until the child is born.
“Guardian Angel? That’s heavy”, said Raziel.
“Indeed”, added Gabriel, “After the child is born you will be his guardian angel.”
“So I’m really his guardian angel from the beginning.”
“Correct. But it’s not the same as usual.”
Raziel was really surprised when he heard the next bit. He will actually be taking a physical form on Engelhardt. This was because of the demon appearances on the planet.
“His life will be in danger quite a lot. That’s why you have to take a physical human form.”
Although it was a lot to take in, Raziel remained calm and collected.
“Alright. When do we start?” Raziel asked.
“As soon s possible”, replied Gabriel.
Gabriel was disappointed that he didn’t get Raziel’s job, but he knew he was needed more in Heaven and, as it turned out, his previous predictions were correct as he will eventually be going to Hell to speak to Beelzebub in person.
At this moment they didn’t know that the planet was being monitored from Hell by four mysterious entities. The latest word from Heaven is that they were going to introduce God to Engelhardt.
“So, Evangelizing Engelhardt is the next step in God’s plan”.
“We’ll wait for Gabriel to deliver the usual message to the chosen woman”.
When they did find her, they had a few lesser demons standing by, but what they didn’t know is that there was an angel coming through to the mortal plain as well. Had they known that, they would have went themselves.
That evening, Rhea was walking home from work as it started to heavily rain. She rebuked herself as she realized she had left her umbrella at home. Her documents were going to get soaking wet. She was only a few hundred meters from her house anyway, so she ran the rest of the way. She was the only one at home because her husband was away on a business trip for a week. Rhea didn't stay long though because she liked walking in the rain, so she put on her coat, and went for a walk in the country. She lived on the outskirts of the city, so it wasn’t long before she got to the plants and wildlife. She came into a plain of grass, where she saw a light, suspended in midair. And in the light she could make out three winged figures. Gabriel called Rhea’s name. She immediately knew they were angels from her church’s teachings. She went over and knelt before them. Then one of them spoke to her.
“Hail favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then Gabriel continued,
“Do not be afraid, Rhea, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Micah. He will be great and will be called son of the most high, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Rhea said to Gabriel,
“How can this be since I have not had relations with a man?”
And Gabriel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God, and he will always be under protection by his Guardian angel.”
Rhea said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”.
After this, the angels departed from the field and Rhea was left alone there in the calm, twilight evening.
In Hell the four dark figures were still watching. They didn’t think Gabriel was talking literally when he made that statement about a guardian angel.
“Now that we know her position, we can begin the operation as planned.”
“Finally”
“Go get her”
And so, they sent the demons to kill Rhea.
When Rhea got back on the path to walk home, a dark portal opened. She wondered what it could be this time, but it didn’t look holy. She was struck with fear as three dark monsters emerged from the black space and were now blocking her passage home. So, she ran in the opposite direction.
This incident was being watched by heaven and it wasn’t expected to happen so soon. After Raziel was informed he rushed straight for the gate,
“Dammit, not now”,
And he ran right through it. He came through into the field where Gabriel, Raphael and Armisael had appeared and ran in the direction that Rhea and the Devils went. Eventually, he caught up to them and the demons now had Rhea surrounded. He was just in time. They would rip her apart and drag her soul to Hell if he wasn’t quick enough. Although, as a high ranking Archangel; this would be a breeze for Raziel. He held out his hand and fired a shot of holy energy which completely obliterated the closest demon to Rhea. This inevitably caught the other twos’ attention; distracting them from their primary target. When Rhea looked over, she could see a hooded figure walking towards them. The demons dashed towards Raziel and one jumped in the air. Rhea was astonished as she then saw the mysterious man make a sword appear out of thin air. This was one of two swords of Raziel’s, which, together, were called the “Crown of Thorns”. Before the airborne demon could even come within range to touch Raziel, he had destroyed it with his sword. The other one put up more of a fight as it attacked during Raziel’s recovery time for his last action. He successfully dodged the attacks and deflected them with his sword and while Raziel caught the demon off guard he summoned his other sword. Before it could make another move he stabbed it in the head and its body collapsed to the ground and dissolved, leaving the sword on the ground, looking quite satisfied.
As Raziel walked over to Rhea he picked up his sword. His appearance scared her with his hood up, concealing his face, so she couldn’t predict what he was going to do with her. There is also the fact that he wielded two very massive swords. He was very intimidating. Rhea wanted to run, but she couldn’t. She was still shaken up from the last ordeal. Raziel knelt down to her eye level. Rhea was about to cry now. Then the two swords vanished from his hands. He took of his hood and put his arm around Rhea.
“Sorry about that”, Raziel apologized, “we didn’t expect that to happen now”.
As soon as Rhea heard him speak, she knew he was a friend.
“Who are you?”, asked Rhea.
“I’m Micah’s Guardian Angel”, Replied Raziel.
“You’re the Angel?”
“Come on, we can’t stay here. There may be more of them.”
Raziel helped her up, but she was a bit shaken, so he supported Rhea as they walked back to her place.
When he had escorted Rhea back to her house it was night time. When they got inside, and he was sure there was no longer any threat, Raziel properly introduced himself, as did Rhea.
“My name is Raziel, an Archangel and Heaven’s number three”.
“Wow that's amazing. I can't believe this is happening. Oh, sorry. It's nice to meet you Raziel”, she said, “Make yourself comfortable”.
“Thank you”.
She offered Raziel something to eat, but he informed her that he doesn’t eat, drink or even sleep for that matter. He is a spirit after all. Therefore he has no need to.
“…You shouldn’t do too much”, said Raziel, “After that ordeal you should be relaxing”. In response to this, Rhea said nothing and just sat down next to him.
“…So since you’re the…my child’s Guardian Angel, you’ll be around pretty much all the time.”
“All the time”, confirmed Raziel, “After tonight you can expect to encounter more demons around every corner. We can’t take that chance.”
“So…I guess this is your home now”.
Raziel never had a conversation like this before and it was difficult for him to find the right words.
“…Thank you. By the way…”
“Yes?”
“…You won’t have to provide for me. I’m completely self-sufficient.”
Rhea giggled at this and she could tell that Raziel wasn’t comfortable with this type of conversing,
“You’re such a stiff”, she said.
Raziel didn’t find it funny at all and just sat there with his stern expression.
Later Rhea asked him a lot of questions including “what is heaven like?” and “what’s it like being an angel?” Raziel didn’t even try to answer such difficult questions. He just acknowledged this situation as troublesome and kept quiet. He wasn’t even allowed to tell her about Heaven. In the end you simply had to live either a good or bad life to see for yourself. And even then, you only get to see one or the other.
After a while, Raziel noticed that Rhea was exhausted.
“…You should get some sleep”, suggested Raziel.
“Yeah, It’s going to be really tough now isn’t it? For both of us”.
Raziel nodded, “Um…I’ll tidy up here too.” He said uncomfortably. He really wasn’t used to being nice like this.
Before Rhea exited the room she stopped and turned to look at Raziel, “Thank you, Raziel”, she said and continued to go to her bed.
After she went to bed Raziel stayed in the living room and talked to God for a while, asking him to give he and Rhea the strength they needed to get safely through the time between now and Micah’s Birth. He also expressed his feelings about ‘socializing’. Later in the night, Raziel went outside to look around. He noticed that this planet is in many ways similar to Earth and also in many ways very different. The advance of technology on Engelhardt happened quite differently than Earth and was a bit slower since the planet didn’t have as many major wars to push it forward, however, ironically, the weapons of war the planet does have are far more diverse and complex than that of Earth, but it might have greatly changed since he last saw this planet. He particularly noticed the local flora and fauna having striking similarities to Earth, but he didn’t wander far and by morning he was waiting outside in the garden. This became Raziel’s nightly routine.
Nine months later, Rhea was rushed to hospital. She gave birth to the Holy child and named him Micah, as instructed by Gabriel. Micah was a perfectly healthy baby boy who was destined to do great things in his lifetime. From now on Raziel will not be at Rhea’s side as much as he has been up until now because she is no longer at risk from being harmed by demons who have somehow gained the angelic ability to cross over into our world. Instead he will be watching Micah very closely since he is the new Messiah and is still only an infant.
The four dark figures were watching this from their Hell. They were angry, but unsurprised that Raziel had succeeded.
“Things are becoming more difficult”.
“We weren’t even prepared for this”.
“Raziel’s promotion seems to have gotten to his head. He certainly seems very different”.
They were completely unprepared for this part in the operation.
“We must also be prepared for powerful allies which they might acquire in the future”.
From the moment Micah was born, Raziel spent every second of every day with him. Over the time that Rhea has been with Raziel, she has seen him do some wondrous things and trusts him with her child’s life. Raziel had to be a very alert bodyguard as demons could attack at anytime, anywhere. Even as Micah was growing up Raziel followed him to school, but he would keep his distance so as not to look so daunting to his friends, even though Micah didn’t have many friends. This was probably because he showed signs of being a genius at an early age. When Micah fell down, Raziel was always there to pick him up. He would never forgive himself if something happened to the savior of mankind on Engelhardt. However, over time, Raziel also developed a personal connection to Micah.
19 Years Later
Micah is now nineteen years old. During the night, God had spoken to him in a dream. He told him about respect for life, helping people and generally being a saint. He gained knowledge of many wonders, friends and dangers that he would engage in the future.
Micah woke up that morning feeling spiritually refreshed as he now had a vocation from God. He needed to talk to Raziel straight away. Raziel was sitting under a tree in the garden as always, asking himself what life is and contemplating what purpose God has for it. He has been doing this for years now. And his talks with the other angels have become much less frequent. Not even Archangels know what the meaning of life is. It’s something that God keeps to himself. Raziel was giving up when Micah approached and sat beside him. He told him they need to talk about something. Raziel’s face wasn’t stirred with curiosity as Micah had expected. Instead he seemed to know what it was they were going to talk about. Raziel looked at him calmly,
“…Was it a dream?”
Micah was shocked,
“How did you know?”
“I knew it was going to happen sometime”, said Raziel.
He just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Micah accepted his explanation with mild suspicion, but dismissed it and moved on.
“So what exactly does it mean?”
“You’re smart Micah. You should be able to figure it out by yourself. What does it compel you to do?”
It was something he had to find out on his own.
“I want to help people. I want to heal this world and all it’s recent pain. I’m sick of just sitting around and praying”, he said, “And not just in this country, but the whole world”. Now that one surprised Raziel. And all he said was,
“Money problem”.
Micah told Raziel that they don’t need money.
“All we have to do is trust in God to guide us.”
“Off course”, said Raziel
Raziel knew he was right. But Micah also knew that it wouldn’t be that easy. He laughed and playfully punched Raziel on the arm as he said that he shouldn’t have to tell him that. But it was no use, Raziel remained as serious as always. Micah got up to go into the house for breakfast.
“Why don’t you come inside”.
At the table Micah told his parents his plan to travel around the planet helping people, starting with their country. Not to every country, but to those most in need of help and guidance. His parents froze. At this, Raziel came and stood by Micah’s side and put his hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry too much”, said Micah, “Raziel will be with me, and so will father.”
Off course he was talking about God. Though his parents still didn’t want their only child to go on such a dangerous mission, even with a guardian angel. So Micah told them about the dream he had.
“God wants me to do this. This is what I was created for and the reason why those angels came to you all those years ago, mother.
“When will we see you again?” asked his father. Micah was hesitant, so Raziel stepped in by saying that they would probably not see Micah for a very long time. Again, Rhea said that they wish he didn’t have to go.
“I have to do this. I would die to save the people of this planet.”
“So, when are you leaving?”
Micah asked Raziel when would be the best time, today or tomorrow. His parents were shocked that he had to go so soon.
“It’s up to you”, said Raziel.
Micah decided that they would leave this evening. Micah’s parents rejoiced with him and he went to prepare for his departure in a few hours. On the way to his room, Micah stopped to ask Raziel a question,
“Am I doing the right thing?”
Raziel was confident that he was,
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you no matter what.”
Later in the day when they were set to go, Micah’s parents saw them off and they all said their goodbyes. Micah and his parents cherished their last moments together, and they also thanked Raziel, who assured them of their son’s safety. Finally Micah’s parents gave them some money for their massive journey ahead.
Again, the four shadowed beings were watching this.
“It seems as though we will have to take care of the loyal one ourselves.”
But one of them, who was standing alone in the corner took no part in this decision,
“…Raziel…How long has it been?” He said to himself.
The others turned their attention to him and acknowledged that it had been a very long time since they saw Raziel in person.
“What’s wrong? Do ya’ miss him?” said one of them and laughed.
“Off course not. We have to do whatever it takes to complete this operation.”
“Yes. We must make acquiring the soul with the holy attribute our top priority.”
By nightfall Raziel and Micah had found an old abandoned place to stay until the morning. Micah was trying to sleep, but he was too restless. Raziel was praying, then he noticed that Micah was awake. He knew there was something on his mind.
“What’s the matter?”, asked Raziel.
“It’s about the dream I had last night”, replied Micah. “I saw the light at the end of our journey, but before that there was a lot of pain and death.”
Raziel was curious, “Hmm…”
“One of the visions showed seven people dressed in black, standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking a city. And during the dream, God said, ‘Watch out for the dark ones who will try to hinder your mission’”.
Raziel was really concerned now and Micah felt easier since Raziel is aware of more serious dangers.
“Hmm…you should get some rest. Let me consult the Lord about this until morning.”
During the night, Raziel did talk with God, but not even God knew exactly who these “dark ones” were either, but he did know who the seven people in the vision were. Telling the future is not as easy a task as you might think, even for God. When morning came Micah was wakened by the sound of gunfire. Something was happening outside. When he looked around, he noticed that Raziel wasn’t with him. He got up and saw, through a hole in the dilapidated wall, that Raziel was fending off demons. The rapid gunshots came from the rifle of another man who was fighting alongside him. The morning sun glared into Micah’s eyes as he tried to get a good look at the stranger. Then he saw what he looked like. The young man seemed to be in his twenties and had short, spiky, brown hair. He was also dressed completely in black. Then Micah remembered his vision of seven people in black on top of the cliff. He was one of them! There were a lot more demons this time, and they were stronger too. While they were fighting, the dark stranger suddenly knelt to the ground, breathing heavily. Micah wondered what was wrong, while Raziel was also alarmed.
“Are you alright!?”, Raziel shouted.
When he asked a second time the man collapsed and fell unconscious. Raziel was still shouting,
“Micah! Help him!”
Micah froze and the demons were coming closer. Again, Raziel shouted at Micah who shook of his fear and rushed to help. He had to forgive his enemies, not abandon them. In this case he had to forgive in advance. Raziel effectively kept the demons away from their main target as he emerged from the decrepit building. When Micah got to the man he rolled him over, allowing him a clear view of the injury. He had a gaping wound on his lower torso, probably from a demon’s claw. It had to be treated right away. There really were a lot more demons than usual. Before, they would only fight about ten or so, but this time there were about fifty that had come at Raziel so far. At least there weren’t many left though. Micah dragged the mystery man into the building as Raziel took out the last remaining demon…for now. They put him down where Micah had slept and ripped his top open. He had lost a lot of blood and was still bleeding. They had to use some of their own clothes to put pressure on the wound and stop it bleeding.
“Raziel.” said Micah.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“This man…he is one of the “dark ones” who will disrupt the mission.”
“What do you mean?” asked Raziel, “He is an ex-member of Oraculum”.
Oraculum are the legendary faction fighting for human rights, peace and, they believe, the will of God. They have ended wars and terrorism was non-existent during the time when they were active. They are the most famous heroes of the planet Engelhardt. Micah didn’t know what to say. He didn't know because the identities of the members weren’t public knowledge. During the night God already corrected Raziel about who the people in the dream were. If Raziel had actually seen the vision, he would have recognized them anyway. So then the question remaining for Micah is: who really are the “dark ones” that God mentioned in his dream?
Once the bleeding had stopped, Micah put his hand on the wound and it healed, getting rid of every infection which may have gotten into it. Only a scar was left. The blood on their clothes had also vanished. These were the miracles that Micah could perform as the successor of Jesus Christ.
Micah prayed for their friend’s safe return to consciousness. Raziel only prays during the night because Angels have a certain attraction to the moon.
It was now about midday and the member of Oraculum was finally waking up. He sat up and groaned at a light head. When Micah heard him, he rushed to him and offered some food, but he wasn’t feeling very hungry. Instead he got up, put on his jacket and holstered his rifle and section rods. Then Raziel came and stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame and remaining silent.
Their guest finally spoke.
“Who are you guys?”
“Oh, excuse me”, said Micah, “My name is Micah, and this here is Raziel”.
Raziel just nodded silently.
“We are on a very important mission-”
“-He is the son of God”, interrupted Raziel, “I am Micah’s Guardian Angel and we are on a pilgrimage to save this world.”
It was too much for the man in black to take in, in a few seconds. He wondered if Micah was what Oraculum have been searching for all this time. Could the prophesy of the only human with the holy attribute be true? He thought to himself that this was too big an opportunity to pass up, so he introduced himself to Raziel and Micah.
“Interesting…My name is Thaddeus Interrin. It’s nice to meet you.”
Micah smiled.
“So are you actually an angel?”, asked Thaddeus.
“Yes”, said Raziel firmly.
“Show me”
Micah interrupted him, “Do you believe in God, Mr. Interrin?”
“Off course I do. That is what Oraculum fights for.”
“Fought for”, corrected Raziel.
“Then you will believe me”, said Micah, “when I say that Raziel is an Angel. Actually he is an Archangel. Number three in Heaven.”
“Really? Wow.”
“Plus”, added Raziel, “I don’t mean to say you wouldn’t recognize a demon even if one came and bit you on the ***, but one did fatally wound you. Surely you must believe that.”
Thaddeus didn’t enjoy that statement and immediately began searching for a bandaged wound.
“I healed it”, said Micah, “You won’t find any blood on your clothes either.”
“…uh…Thank you.”
Micah bowed, “I live to serve”.
Micah was curious about Oraculum.
“Thaddeus?”, he asked.
“Yeah?”
“What happened to Oraculum? It’s been a year hasn’t it? It was as if you guys just disappeared. A lot of people think that you abandoned them.”
Thaddeus was downcast.
“A year ago, Oraculum was disbanded. I wasn’t really sure of the reasons and I didn’t stick around to find out. I was the first to leave, you see.”
Micah was surprised to find out that they had to just split up like that. Raziel already knew though.
“Can we change the subject? I don’t really like talking about it.”
“All right”, said Micah, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“So why were you out there on your own this morning?” asked Raziel.
“That actually has something to do with Oraculum. I’ve been tracking down an old friend, but she’s a couple of days ahead of me. I haven’t seen her since the disbanding.”
“Where is she going?
“The capital city; Jerusidojh.”
“We’re heading in that direction too. Why don’t you join us?”
“Sure. It’d be nice to help people again.”
He also thought that if Micah really is the only human with the Holy attribute then Oraculum’s final goal could be realized.
The four dark figures were still watching the events unfold before them. They weren't surprized that their waves of demons were defeated, but they didn’t expect Raziel and Micah to meet an ex-Oraculum member at the same time.
“It just gets more and more troublesome”.
“He is only human. It’s not as if he can dodge bullets”.
“But he used to be in Oraculum. The only humans possible of surpassing his fighting skills are the other members of Oraculum. Underestimating him could prove fatal.”
“We must kill them before they gain more powerful allies. Right now they’re in search of another member of Oraculum, so we don’t have much time.”
Raziel, Micah and Thaddeus were now out of the slum area of the city and were coming to the industrial area. At this moment they weren’t planning on tending to the poor and sick, unless it was an emergency. Instead, they were surveying the city, which has become corrupt. Then they would set about speaking out against the government’s ways and then go out and spread the word of God. At the minute though, they just had to keep a low profile so as not to attract any unwanted activity. Thaddeus was talking to Micah and Raziel about the world and how evil it used to be before Oraculum. It isn’t as bad now. But Micah stated that the people of Engelhardt need God in their lives for hope, help and support. It needs to reform and that is why they will go to many different countries to spread their Lord’s word.
During the rest of the day the team managed to look around most of the city. The things they saw were appalling. People and children were suffering in the streets for no good reason. It’s not as bad as some other countries, but this is where they shall start.
It’s night now and the city was actually a lot more quiet at this time. They found a hotel to stay at for the night. It was a very plain and cheap hotel, but they still felt guilty about sleeping here when there are so many people out on the streets. Raziel told them not to worry.
“Proper shelter and comfortable beds are going to be a rare thing from now on”, he said as a joke.
As morning approached, Thaddeus got up early, just when the sun started to rise. When he got dressed, he stopped to look at Micah, who seemed to look troubled even as he slept. Raziel sat against the wall opposite the door in the hallway all night, occasionally activating a light seal to see through the wall and make sure Micah was alright. Thaddeus came out of the room and sat beside Raziel who was sitting in silence with his eyes closed.
“I thought you never slept.”
“I’m not sleeping. I’m meditating.”
“Same difference. If you don’t need to sleep then why would you need to meditate?” Raziel wasn’t the arguing type so he just said nothing.
“This pilgrimage seems to be putting a lot of strain on Micah.” Said Thaddeus, shifting to a worried tone, “Do you think he can handle it?”
“Going on this pilgrimage was Micah’s idea. I admit it will test us all to our limits and some people may get hurt along the way, but there is no-one else who can do it. Micah is the son of God after all.”
The morning sun was poking through the old fashioned curtains. They haven’t even got shaded windows here. Micah was having another one of his dreams. This time it wasn’t a bunch of flashes, but a foresight into the future which was a lot clearer. Micah was running through a forest, panicking, or rather determined to get rid of the danger that was following him swiftly among the trees. He was wondering where Raziel was. Was he ok? He had to have more faith in Raziel. A few shots were fired from the pursuing menace, but they missed or hit surrounding objects like trees, laying splinters in Micah’s wake. Micah could no longer see or hear the unknown pursuer, so he took cover behind a bank. He knew he couldn’t have lost the demon so easily. He was just playing with him, so he looked around cautiously, and then he heard a rustling sound in a tree above him. He quickly got up and ran again. Micah kept believing that Raziel would come for him. He just had to stay alive. But the demon was too close. Then it stopped. Micah knew it was hiding again. All he needed to do was find an opportunity to touch the demon then he could perform an exorcism and send it back to hell, but exorcising and actual demon would be like trying to purify salty water without the water. He looked behind him and there was no sign of it. When he turned back around to keep running, it was right in front of him, staring Micah in the face. Micah could now confirm that ‘it’ is in fact a ‘he’. The man was wearing tight clothing on his upper body, which was mostly orange and black. He had black hair and an evil grin as he held Micah at gunpoint. His weapon was very unique as it had strange engravings on it, but Micah couldn’t make them out and it also had a hand guard. The evil being was mostly a blur, in visual and audio terms. He seemed to say “Offer your soul” and laughed. Then Micah heard a gunshot echoing inside his head as the dream suddenly ended and he was dragged back, screaming into the real world, with a welcome from the sun on his face.
Thaddeus and Raziel were still sitting quietly outside in the corridor when they heard a cry from within the room. Immediately, Raziel burst through the door with no regard for the lock. The two of them had their weapons drawn, but found only Micah sitting up in the bed, sweating, out of breath and looking very disturbed. Raziel quickly rushed to him to make sure he was alright.
“What happened?”
“I now know what God was talking about when he referred to the “dark ones” who would try to hinder our mission”, said Micah “They may succeed....”
To be Continued.
P.S.Beware this is very long (15 pages in MS word).
Nephilim Evangelium:
Heaven's First Law
“Order is Heaven's first law” – Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
“Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: 'I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people.'”
- Psalms 89:19
The Archangel Gabriel entered God’s throne room, which was in the seventh and most upper level of Heaven. The tall gates were guarded by two Seraphim and the pillars stretched high into the skies of paradise. In the room there were several of the highest ranking angels standing round the throne waiting for him along with God, and Cherubim flying overhead. Though God didn’t have the same form as the angels. He was an extremely bright tongue of white flame with a seal floating behind him.
Gabriel bowed and wondered what it was that God wanted to speak with him about.
“King. You sent for me?” He asked.
God told him that he is not going to like this, but it had to be done.
“It’s the beginning of another end”, said God with a sad tone in his voice. Gabriel sighed as he realized what his lord was talking about. With the recent events occurring on Earth, it was obvious that drastic action had to be taken. God wanted him to deliver a message to Earth about the forthcoming Apocalypse that would soon sweep across the planet and to help in the preparation stages. Gabriel was hesitant, but he agreed to do it. He didn’t like doing this. To him it’s like the feeling you get when you have to get to grips with the fact that your pet is seriously ill and you have no choice but to put it down. Gabriel doesn’t want to see life on Earth get reduced to practically nothing, but he doesn’t want to see it destroy itself either.
“Oh yes”, added God, “Keep an eye on Raziel during this event. Just to make sure nothing happens to him.”
After Gabriel had gotten hold of Raphael, he told him to go ahead and get ready, then he met with Raziel in the Sixth Heaven. Raziel has shoulder length, silver hair. His armour is silver and gold. He also has a blue cape, blue wings and really light blue, cold eyes. Gabriel has the same armour, without the cape, but with a feathery collar. His hair is slightly shorter, but blonde and wavy. He too told Raziel about the operation, but Raziel was as cool as ever about it.
“So it’s finally Earth’s time huh.” Said Raziel.
Gabriel didn’t expect any emotional or argumentative response from him. He’s been like this for a long time now. Raziel knew what had to be done and just went along with it. He expected it to happen soon anyway. Raziel had a very cold personality. He didn’t really care what happened to anyone except his closest friends or as long as it wasn’t anything evil. And he did everything by the book. He saw everything as either good or bad; nothing was ever in between with Raziel. Gabriel thought that giving a bigger resposibility might show him that there is more to life than going left or right.
“Let’s get going shall we? Raphael will meet us there”.
They made their way to Earth where Raphael was standing by. He greeted Raziel and Gabriel. Gabriel said nothing as he took one last look at the world where Christ was born as he knew it.
“All the angels are in their correct positions”, said Raphael.
Gabriel gave Raphael the green light for the mission, “…Then let’s get started”.
Raphael hovered over the cross in the Vatican, constantly emitting a bright light which turned the sky red and purified the physical planet. Raziel’s job was to lead and instruct the angels who were to set up a shield around the Earth’s atmosphere to prevent any other planets catching a glimpse of the end of Earth with a telescope or some other device. To them it would seem as if life on Earth was continuing as normal. Gabriel went to the Vatican to deliver the message about what was going on to the Pope. The Pope and Cardinals then went to pray to God for the duration of these events. After the message had been delivered to everyone by Gabriel they all went to their local churches, mosques and synagogues to pray and confess their sins. For those who were destined for eternity in the pits of Hell, it was too little too late.
Gabriel joined Raphael in the roman sky and summoned the “Kingdom of God”, the almighty sword which is possessed by the archangel who is second in command of heaven which, at this present time, is Gabriel. The markings on the sword displayed the seven highest ranking archangels of Heaven and above that, there was the all-seeing eye of God and at the very tip was the “Sephirothic System of Ten Divine Names” or the “Tree of Life”.
Now every angel that existed in heaven had gathered around Gabriel and Raphael whose light got brighter. Then virtual images of the “Kingdom of God” appeared all over the world and Raziel watched as billions of people returned to the first stage of evolution to make a fresh start. They didn’t gradually change, going backwards through all the different stages; rather they instantly ‘burst’ into a clear, thick, liquid substance.
After every living organism had returned to the state of beginning, space stations, satellites and other communications or surveillance devices had to be destroyed. The debris from these then fell to Earth like asteroids. It really looked like the world was ending; Fire, destruction and the sky was falling. This is why Gabriel didn’t like ending worlds. It disturbed him.
A few hours later, they were finishing up and checking that everything was in order. The sky was no longer red and the orange glow of the evening sun painted the sky. It was beautiful as it sparkled on the substance which once had a more chaotic existence. Raziel was thinking of the other Apocalypses and remembering Gabriel’s reactions which were the same every time. Then he saw a hazy image flash in his mind. It seemed like a previous apocalypse. The planet wasn’t Earth anyway, but more importantly Gabriel had a more cold or evil expression. There were also some other angels by his own side that he didn’t recognize. This puzzled Raziel. He didn’t know what to make of it, so he decided to ignore it until a later time.
Raziel met with Gabriel and Raphael to head back to Heaven with them. Raphael asked them how they felt. Gabriel remained silent.
“I feel kinda relieved…”, said Raziel.
“Relieved?”, asked Gabriel.
“Really?”, added Raphael.
“Yeah, I mean Earth won’t be destroying itself anymore. It’s for the best. I believe this because this was God’s decision”.
Gabriel knew he was right, but he couldn’t help feeling bad.
“But it just seems like such a waste”, said Gabriel.
“Don’t worry. There’ll be other planets like Earth and the others before it.
Gabriel didn’t want the next planets to be like Earth or the others before it. He wanted them to survive until the natural death of the planet. So far none of the planets in which God created an intelligent race has made it past 8000 A.D. And Earth met it’s end in the year 4000 A.D.
At the moment, Gabriel was thinking about how much he wants to influence and protect the next planet and Raziel is still trying to figure out his vision. Raphael noticed the two deep in thought and decided to break the silence.
“What do you say we head back?” he asked.
Gabriel agreed as he realized all the other angels were leaving too. Raziel said nothing and followed the two of them as they faded out of the mortal realm.
After a while, God summoned Raziel to the throne, for he had one more job to do. He would have gotten Gabriel, but he knew he wouldn’t like it, so he thought he'd give him a break. God explained to Raziel what he had to do. There was an angel in one of the darkest corners of the third heaven. A fallen angel. The reason why God kept him in Heaven was to use him on a day like this one. His name is Phalgus and he was a very proud angel, which eventually lead to his downfall. After he had committed a terrible sin, God had him stripped of his pride and dignity. Not by sending him to Hell like the others, but instead, he let Phalgus strengthen his hate, which gradually turned him into a monster. God actually dictated what form he would take and encouraged his transformation, for he was to carry out a specific purpose. “Your job, this time Raziel, is to take Phalgus and deliver him to the North Pole on Earth. There are already angels standing by with him at the gate”, said God.
“Is he restrained?” asked Raziel.
God assured him that he was.
“Once you take him to the bottom of the sea, bind him with a seal that will put him in a state of hibernation until the day Earth makes the same mistake.”
Raziel bowed and left God’s throne room.
Raziel met with the other angels who had already prepared Phalgus and were waiting for Raziel to take him at the gate to heaven. He was bound with chains and was a colossal beast, covered in mystical and unholy markings. He had two tusks stretching out from under his jaw, a single small horn on his head and pitch black eyes. He had four legs and a tail, but also some arms that were situated above the front legs, sort of like a centaur, but more reptilian with scales covering his whole body. Phalgus looked at Raziel. It was still an intelligent being. His gaze filled with darkness. Raziel sensed much hostility. Nevertheless he grabbed a chain and walked through the pearly gates to the human realm with Phalgus putting up some resistance, but not enough to hold Raziel back.
They appeared in the Earth’s atmosphere. Phalgus’ massive body was falling at an ever-increasing speed as Raziel hung on to the indestructible chains. It was starting to get very hot as the force of the friction was pushing them back as if the planet didn’t welcome it’s new inhabitant.
Phalgus’s role on Earth was to lie dormant for millions of years. When the next time came that the planet was oppressed by sin, Phalgus would awaken from his slumber and destroy every living organism on it, self-destruct and take Earth with it. The planet won’t get a third chance.
The two of them were coming closer to Earth and Raziel got a bit too close to Phalgus as well, for he was almost swallowed whole several times, and he wasn’t to bind him until they got to the location. Eventually they impacted. Raziel landed in the water, and Phalgus crashed through most of the ice and the water broke his fall. As he slowly sank to the bottom of the sea, Raziel activated the seal and Phalgus instantly calmed and went into a state of hibernation. Raziel was relieved that the mission was a success. Then he spread his wings to help him to the surface and gently float to a nearby sheet of ice to sit and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Earth. It seemed like a different place now, it feels empty and there was still some residual redness in the sky which turned slightly pink in the sunlight. Then Raziel noticed a white figure standing in front of him on another ice sheet, but the vision was too bright to make out. Raziel thought it was an angel who came to give him a message, but realized the there would be no point in doing that since he was on his way back from a mission that took up very little time in the first place. Then it started to talk,
“Raziel”
Raziel used caution. This entity’s approach was not normal so he suspected him of being a possible hostile. After all, there are demons that appear like angels. It’s quite spooky. “Do not be afraid Raziel, I am what you are seeking, even though you don’t know it yet. God thought he could get rid of me. He thought he could replace me. But I’ve taken refuge in the darkness and you, Raziel…you will bring me back. You will bring us back together.”
He grinned and then vanished before Raziel could say anything.
“What was that about?”, thought Raziel.
He took flight again and went through the door to Heaven in the sky. Raziel decided it would be best if he kept this quiet until he could figure it out.
When Raziel had returned to the sixth heaven, Gabriel and Raphael were sitting on the top of two pillars, talking. They greeted Raziel and he sat with them. Raziel told them about his mission and they speculated about what would happen next. They knew that every time judgment day occurs, God selects another human planet to give birth to a new messiah. They were trying to figure out which planet it would be. Earth was actually the sixth planet to undergo this operation and out of the six there is only one planet that is still going. That planet is called Verrant. It is currently in the year 7521A.D, and is expected to go on well for many millennia yet. There are only a few worlds worthy of God’s grace. The three of them were getting anxious as the process to select the new planet would be finished in a few hours. Then God will give them the new mission details.
“I wonder what planet it will be”, said Gabriel.
“There are some that don’t even need to be influenced”, said Raphael.
“And there are some that are being influenced in the other direction. If you know what I mean”, added Raziel.
“More drastic measures will have to be taken for those planets”, said Gabriel, “We might even have to pay Hell a visit”.
“Though that’s unlikely”, Raphael said confidently.
The three of them were now making themselves even more curious about God’s next plan. Whatever it is, it could be the best and worst thing that will ever happen to Raziel.
A few hours later, God summoned Gabriel and gave him the mission details as he expected and gathered the angels involved at the edge of the Seventh Heaven. There weren’t many as this assignment required the immediate attention of only a few high ranking angels. It was to take place on the planet Engelhardt. As always Gabriel’s role was to deliver the message to a woman that she will have a child: the new Messiah. He was to be accompanied by Raphael and Armisael. There are also some mysteries to be solved in this New Testament. That’s where Raziel comes in.
In the past, devils and demons could only work through us and influence our actions, but recently, particularly on this planet, they have been coming through onto the mortal plain, but it is still to be discovered how they are doing this. This is where another twist comes for the angels. Raziel was getting anxious and wanted to know what his role was. Gabriel told him that he was appointed as guardian angel to the virgin mother who is named Rhea Leiddam until the child is born.
“Guardian Angel? That’s heavy”, said Raziel.
“Indeed”, added Gabriel, “After the child is born you will be his guardian angel.”
“So I’m really his guardian angel from the beginning.”
“Correct. But it’s not the same as usual.”
Raziel was really surprised when he heard the next bit. He will actually be taking a physical form on Engelhardt. This was because of the demon appearances on the planet.
“His life will be in danger quite a lot. That’s why you have to take a physical human form.”
Although it was a lot to take in, Raziel remained calm and collected.
“Alright. When do we start?” Raziel asked.
“As soon s possible”, replied Gabriel.
Gabriel was disappointed that he didn’t get Raziel’s job, but he knew he was needed more in Heaven and, as it turned out, his previous predictions were correct as he will eventually be going to Hell to speak to Beelzebub in person.
At this moment they didn’t know that the planet was being monitored from Hell by four mysterious entities. The latest word from Heaven is that they were going to introduce God to Engelhardt.
“So, Evangelizing Engelhardt is the next step in God’s plan”.
“We’ll wait for Gabriel to deliver the usual message to the chosen woman”.
When they did find her, they had a few lesser demons standing by, but what they didn’t know is that there was an angel coming through to the mortal plain as well. Had they known that, they would have went themselves.
That evening, Rhea was walking home from work as it started to heavily rain. She rebuked herself as she realized she had left her umbrella at home. Her documents were going to get soaking wet. She was only a few hundred meters from her house anyway, so she ran the rest of the way. She was the only one at home because her husband was away on a business trip for a week. Rhea didn't stay long though because she liked walking in the rain, so she put on her coat, and went for a walk in the country. She lived on the outskirts of the city, so it wasn’t long before she got to the plants and wildlife. She came into a plain of grass, where she saw a light, suspended in midair. And in the light she could make out three winged figures. Gabriel called Rhea’s name. She immediately knew they were angels from her church’s teachings. She went over and knelt before them. Then one of them spoke to her.
“Hail favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then Gabriel continued,
“Do not be afraid, Rhea, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Micah. He will be great and will be called son of the most high, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Rhea said to Gabriel,
“How can this be since I have not had relations with a man?”
And Gabriel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God, and he will always be under protection by his Guardian angel.”
Rhea said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”.
After this, the angels departed from the field and Rhea was left alone there in the calm, twilight evening.
In Hell the four dark figures were still watching. They didn’t think Gabriel was talking literally when he made that statement about a guardian angel.
“Now that we know her position, we can begin the operation as planned.”
“Finally”
“Go get her”
And so, they sent the demons to kill Rhea.
When Rhea got back on the path to walk home, a dark portal opened. She wondered what it could be this time, but it didn’t look holy. She was struck with fear as three dark monsters emerged from the black space and were now blocking her passage home. So, she ran in the opposite direction.
This incident was being watched by heaven and it wasn’t expected to happen so soon. After Raziel was informed he rushed straight for the gate,
“Dammit, not now”,
And he ran right through it. He came through into the field where Gabriel, Raphael and Armisael had appeared and ran in the direction that Rhea and the Devils went. Eventually, he caught up to them and the demons now had Rhea surrounded. He was just in time. They would rip her apart and drag her soul to Hell if he wasn’t quick enough. Although, as a high ranking Archangel; this would be a breeze for Raziel. He held out his hand and fired a shot of holy energy which completely obliterated the closest demon to Rhea. This inevitably caught the other twos’ attention; distracting them from their primary target. When Rhea looked over, she could see a hooded figure walking towards them. The demons dashed towards Raziel and one jumped in the air. Rhea was astonished as she then saw the mysterious man make a sword appear out of thin air. This was one of two swords of Raziel’s, which, together, were called the “Crown of Thorns”. Before the airborne demon could even come within range to touch Raziel, he had destroyed it with his sword. The other one put up more of a fight as it attacked during Raziel’s recovery time for his last action. He successfully dodged the attacks and deflected them with his sword and while Raziel caught the demon off guard he summoned his other sword. Before it could make another move he stabbed it in the head and its body collapsed to the ground and dissolved, leaving the sword on the ground, looking quite satisfied.
As Raziel walked over to Rhea he picked up his sword. His appearance scared her with his hood up, concealing his face, so she couldn’t predict what he was going to do with her. There is also the fact that he wielded two very massive swords. He was very intimidating. Rhea wanted to run, but she couldn’t. She was still shaken up from the last ordeal. Raziel knelt down to her eye level. Rhea was about to cry now. Then the two swords vanished from his hands. He took of his hood and put his arm around Rhea.
“Sorry about that”, Raziel apologized, “we didn’t expect that to happen now”.
As soon as Rhea heard him speak, she knew he was a friend.
“Who are you?”, asked Rhea.
“I’m Micah’s Guardian Angel”, Replied Raziel.
“You’re the Angel?”
“Come on, we can’t stay here. There may be more of them.”
Raziel helped her up, but she was a bit shaken, so he supported Rhea as they walked back to her place.
When he had escorted Rhea back to her house it was night time. When they got inside, and he was sure there was no longer any threat, Raziel properly introduced himself, as did Rhea.
“My name is Raziel, an Archangel and Heaven’s number three”.
“Wow that's amazing. I can't believe this is happening. Oh, sorry. It's nice to meet you Raziel”, she said, “Make yourself comfortable”.
“Thank you”.
She offered Raziel something to eat, but he informed her that he doesn’t eat, drink or even sleep for that matter. He is a spirit after all. Therefore he has no need to.
“…You shouldn’t do too much”, said Raziel, “After that ordeal you should be relaxing”. In response to this, Rhea said nothing and just sat down next to him.
“…So since you’re the…my child’s Guardian Angel, you’ll be around pretty much all the time.”
“All the time”, confirmed Raziel, “After tonight you can expect to encounter more demons around every corner. We can’t take that chance.”
“So…I guess this is your home now”.
Raziel never had a conversation like this before and it was difficult for him to find the right words.
“…Thank you. By the way…”
“Yes?”
“…You won’t have to provide for me. I’m completely self-sufficient.”
Rhea giggled at this and she could tell that Raziel wasn’t comfortable with this type of conversing,
“You’re such a stiff”, she said.
Raziel didn’t find it funny at all and just sat there with his stern expression.
Later Rhea asked him a lot of questions including “what is heaven like?” and “what’s it like being an angel?” Raziel didn’t even try to answer such difficult questions. He just acknowledged this situation as troublesome and kept quiet. He wasn’t even allowed to tell her about Heaven. In the end you simply had to live either a good or bad life to see for yourself. And even then, you only get to see one or the other.
After a while, Raziel noticed that Rhea was exhausted.
“…You should get some sleep”, suggested Raziel.
“Yeah, It’s going to be really tough now isn’t it? For both of us”.
Raziel nodded, “Um…I’ll tidy up here too.” He said uncomfortably. He really wasn’t used to being nice like this.
Before Rhea exited the room she stopped and turned to look at Raziel, “Thank you, Raziel”, she said and continued to go to her bed.
After she went to bed Raziel stayed in the living room and talked to God for a while, asking him to give he and Rhea the strength they needed to get safely through the time between now and Micah’s Birth. He also expressed his feelings about ‘socializing’. Later in the night, Raziel went outside to look around. He noticed that this planet is in many ways similar to Earth and also in many ways very different. The advance of technology on Engelhardt happened quite differently than Earth and was a bit slower since the planet didn’t have as many major wars to push it forward, however, ironically, the weapons of war the planet does have are far more diverse and complex than that of Earth, but it might have greatly changed since he last saw this planet. He particularly noticed the local flora and fauna having striking similarities to Earth, but he didn’t wander far and by morning he was waiting outside in the garden. This became Raziel’s nightly routine.
Nine months later, Rhea was rushed to hospital. She gave birth to the Holy child and named him Micah, as instructed by Gabriel. Micah was a perfectly healthy baby boy who was destined to do great things in his lifetime. From now on Raziel will not be at Rhea’s side as much as he has been up until now because she is no longer at risk from being harmed by demons who have somehow gained the angelic ability to cross over into our world. Instead he will be watching Micah very closely since he is the new Messiah and is still only an infant.
The four dark figures were watching this from their Hell. They were angry, but unsurprised that Raziel had succeeded.
“Things are becoming more difficult”.
“We weren’t even prepared for this”.
“Raziel’s promotion seems to have gotten to his head. He certainly seems very different”.
They were completely unprepared for this part in the operation.
“We must also be prepared for powerful allies which they might acquire in the future”.
From the moment Micah was born, Raziel spent every second of every day with him. Over the time that Rhea has been with Raziel, she has seen him do some wondrous things and trusts him with her child’s life. Raziel had to be a very alert bodyguard as demons could attack at anytime, anywhere. Even as Micah was growing up Raziel followed him to school, but he would keep his distance so as not to look so daunting to his friends, even though Micah didn’t have many friends. This was probably because he showed signs of being a genius at an early age. When Micah fell down, Raziel was always there to pick him up. He would never forgive himself if something happened to the savior of mankind on Engelhardt. However, over time, Raziel also developed a personal connection to Micah.
19 Years Later
Micah is now nineteen years old. During the night, God had spoken to him in a dream. He told him about respect for life, helping people and generally being a saint. He gained knowledge of many wonders, friends and dangers that he would engage in the future.
Micah woke up that morning feeling spiritually refreshed as he now had a vocation from God. He needed to talk to Raziel straight away. Raziel was sitting under a tree in the garden as always, asking himself what life is and contemplating what purpose God has for it. He has been doing this for years now. And his talks with the other angels have become much less frequent. Not even Archangels know what the meaning of life is. It’s something that God keeps to himself. Raziel was giving up when Micah approached and sat beside him. He told him they need to talk about something. Raziel’s face wasn’t stirred with curiosity as Micah had expected. Instead he seemed to know what it was they were going to talk about. Raziel looked at him calmly,
“…Was it a dream?”
Micah was shocked,
“How did you know?”
“I knew it was going to happen sometime”, said Raziel.
He just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Micah accepted his explanation with mild suspicion, but dismissed it and moved on.
“So what exactly does it mean?”
“You’re smart Micah. You should be able to figure it out by yourself. What does it compel you to do?”
It was something he had to find out on his own.
“I want to help people. I want to heal this world and all it’s recent pain. I’m sick of just sitting around and praying”, he said, “And not just in this country, but the whole world”. Now that one surprised Raziel. And all he said was,
“Money problem”.
Micah told Raziel that they don’t need money.
“All we have to do is trust in God to guide us.”
“Off course”, said Raziel
Raziel knew he was right. But Micah also knew that it wouldn’t be that easy. He laughed and playfully punched Raziel on the arm as he said that he shouldn’t have to tell him that. But it was no use, Raziel remained as serious as always. Micah got up to go into the house for breakfast.
“Why don’t you come inside”.
At the table Micah told his parents his plan to travel around the planet helping people, starting with their country. Not to every country, but to those most in need of help and guidance. His parents froze. At this, Raziel came and stood by Micah’s side and put his hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry too much”, said Micah, “Raziel will be with me, and so will father.”
Off course he was talking about God. Though his parents still didn’t want their only child to go on such a dangerous mission, even with a guardian angel. So Micah told them about the dream he had.
“God wants me to do this. This is what I was created for and the reason why those angels came to you all those years ago, mother.
“When will we see you again?” asked his father. Micah was hesitant, so Raziel stepped in by saying that they would probably not see Micah for a very long time. Again, Rhea said that they wish he didn’t have to go.
“I have to do this. I would die to save the people of this planet.”
“So, when are you leaving?”
Micah asked Raziel when would be the best time, today or tomorrow. His parents were shocked that he had to go so soon.
“It’s up to you”, said Raziel.
Micah decided that they would leave this evening. Micah’s parents rejoiced with him and he went to prepare for his departure in a few hours. On the way to his room, Micah stopped to ask Raziel a question,
“Am I doing the right thing?”
Raziel was confident that he was,
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you no matter what.”
Later in the day when they were set to go, Micah’s parents saw them off and they all said their goodbyes. Micah and his parents cherished their last moments together, and they also thanked Raziel, who assured them of their son’s safety. Finally Micah’s parents gave them some money for their massive journey ahead.
Again, the four shadowed beings were watching this.
“It seems as though we will have to take care of the loyal one ourselves.”
But one of them, who was standing alone in the corner took no part in this decision,
“…Raziel…How long has it been?” He said to himself.
The others turned their attention to him and acknowledged that it had been a very long time since they saw Raziel in person.
“What’s wrong? Do ya’ miss him?” said one of them and laughed.
“Off course not. We have to do whatever it takes to complete this operation.”
“Yes. We must make acquiring the soul with the holy attribute our top priority.”
By nightfall Raziel and Micah had found an old abandoned place to stay until the morning. Micah was trying to sleep, but he was too restless. Raziel was praying, then he noticed that Micah was awake. He knew there was something on his mind.
“What’s the matter?”, asked Raziel.
“It’s about the dream I had last night”, replied Micah. “I saw the light at the end of our journey, but before that there was a lot of pain and death.”
Raziel was curious, “Hmm…”
“One of the visions showed seven people dressed in black, standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking a city. And during the dream, God said, ‘Watch out for the dark ones who will try to hinder your mission’”.
Raziel was really concerned now and Micah felt easier since Raziel is aware of more serious dangers.
“Hmm…you should get some rest. Let me consult the Lord about this until morning.”
During the night, Raziel did talk with God, but not even God knew exactly who these “dark ones” were either, but he did know who the seven people in the vision were. Telling the future is not as easy a task as you might think, even for God. When morning came Micah was wakened by the sound of gunfire. Something was happening outside. When he looked around, he noticed that Raziel wasn’t with him. He got up and saw, through a hole in the dilapidated wall, that Raziel was fending off demons. The rapid gunshots came from the rifle of another man who was fighting alongside him. The morning sun glared into Micah’s eyes as he tried to get a good look at the stranger. Then he saw what he looked like. The young man seemed to be in his twenties and had short, spiky, brown hair. He was also dressed completely in black. Then Micah remembered his vision of seven people in black on top of the cliff. He was one of them! There were a lot more demons this time, and they were stronger too. While they were fighting, the dark stranger suddenly knelt to the ground, breathing heavily. Micah wondered what was wrong, while Raziel was also alarmed.
“Are you alright!?”, Raziel shouted.
When he asked a second time the man collapsed and fell unconscious. Raziel was still shouting,
“Micah! Help him!”
Micah froze and the demons were coming closer. Again, Raziel shouted at Micah who shook of his fear and rushed to help. He had to forgive his enemies, not abandon them. In this case he had to forgive in advance. Raziel effectively kept the demons away from their main target as he emerged from the decrepit building. When Micah got to the man he rolled him over, allowing him a clear view of the injury. He had a gaping wound on his lower torso, probably from a demon’s claw. It had to be treated right away. There really were a lot more demons than usual. Before, they would only fight about ten or so, but this time there were about fifty that had come at Raziel so far. At least there weren’t many left though. Micah dragged the mystery man into the building as Raziel took out the last remaining demon…for now. They put him down where Micah had slept and ripped his top open. He had lost a lot of blood and was still bleeding. They had to use some of their own clothes to put pressure on the wound and stop it bleeding.
“Raziel.” said Micah.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“This man…he is one of the “dark ones” who will disrupt the mission.”
“What do you mean?” asked Raziel, “He is an ex-member of Oraculum”.
Oraculum are the legendary faction fighting for human rights, peace and, they believe, the will of God. They have ended wars and terrorism was non-existent during the time when they were active. They are the most famous heroes of the planet Engelhardt. Micah didn’t know what to say. He didn't know because the identities of the members weren’t public knowledge. During the night God already corrected Raziel about who the people in the dream were. If Raziel had actually seen the vision, he would have recognized them anyway. So then the question remaining for Micah is: who really are the “dark ones” that God mentioned in his dream?
Once the bleeding had stopped, Micah put his hand on the wound and it healed, getting rid of every infection which may have gotten into it. Only a scar was left. The blood on their clothes had also vanished. These were the miracles that Micah could perform as the successor of Jesus Christ.
Micah prayed for their friend’s safe return to consciousness. Raziel only prays during the night because Angels have a certain attraction to the moon.
It was now about midday and the member of Oraculum was finally waking up. He sat up and groaned at a light head. When Micah heard him, he rushed to him and offered some food, but he wasn’t feeling very hungry. Instead he got up, put on his jacket and holstered his rifle and section rods. Then Raziel came and stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame and remaining silent.
Their guest finally spoke.
“Who are you guys?”
“Oh, excuse me”, said Micah, “My name is Micah, and this here is Raziel”.
Raziel just nodded silently.
“We are on a very important mission-”
“-He is the son of God”, interrupted Raziel, “I am Micah’s Guardian Angel and we are on a pilgrimage to save this world.”
It was too much for the man in black to take in, in a few seconds. He wondered if Micah was what Oraculum have been searching for all this time. Could the prophesy of the only human with the holy attribute be true? He thought to himself that this was too big an opportunity to pass up, so he introduced himself to Raziel and Micah.
“Interesting…My name is Thaddeus Interrin. It’s nice to meet you.”
Micah smiled.
“So are you actually an angel?”, asked Thaddeus.
“Yes”, said Raziel firmly.
“Show me”
Micah interrupted him, “Do you believe in God, Mr. Interrin?”
“Off course I do. That is what Oraculum fights for.”
“Fought for”, corrected Raziel.
“Then you will believe me”, said Micah, “when I say that Raziel is an Angel. Actually he is an Archangel. Number three in Heaven.”
“Really? Wow.”
“Plus”, added Raziel, “I don’t mean to say you wouldn’t recognize a demon even if one came and bit you on the ***, but one did fatally wound you. Surely you must believe that.”
Thaddeus didn’t enjoy that statement and immediately began searching for a bandaged wound.
“I healed it”, said Micah, “You won’t find any blood on your clothes either.”
“…uh…Thank you.”
Micah bowed, “I live to serve”.
Micah was curious about Oraculum.
“Thaddeus?”, he asked.
“Yeah?”
“What happened to Oraculum? It’s been a year hasn’t it? It was as if you guys just disappeared. A lot of people think that you abandoned them.”
Thaddeus was downcast.
“A year ago, Oraculum was disbanded. I wasn’t really sure of the reasons and I didn’t stick around to find out. I was the first to leave, you see.”
Micah was surprised to find out that they had to just split up like that. Raziel already knew though.
“Can we change the subject? I don’t really like talking about it.”
“All right”, said Micah, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“So why were you out there on your own this morning?” asked Raziel.
“That actually has something to do with Oraculum. I’ve been tracking down an old friend, but she’s a couple of days ahead of me. I haven’t seen her since the disbanding.”
“Where is she going?
“The capital city; Jerusidojh.”
“We’re heading in that direction too. Why don’t you join us?”
“Sure. It’d be nice to help people again.”
He also thought that if Micah really is the only human with the Holy attribute then Oraculum’s final goal could be realized.
The four dark figures were still watching the events unfold before them. They weren't surprized that their waves of demons were defeated, but they didn’t expect Raziel and Micah to meet an ex-Oraculum member at the same time.
“It just gets more and more troublesome”.
“He is only human. It’s not as if he can dodge bullets”.
“But he used to be in Oraculum. The only humans possible of surpassing his fighting skills are the other members of Oraculum. Underestimating him could prove fatal.”
“We must kill them before they gain more powerful allies. Right now they’re in search of another member of Oraculum, so we don’t have much time.”
Raziel, Micah and Thaddeus were now out of the slum area of the city and were coming to the industrial area. At this moment they weren’t planning on tending to the poor and sick, unless it was an emergency. Instead, they were surveying the city, which has become corrupt. Then they would set about speaking out against the government’s ways and then go out and spread the word of God. At the minute though, they just had to keep a low profile so as not to attract any unwanted activity. Thaddeus was talking to Micah and Raziel about the world and how evil it used to be before Oraculum. It isn’t as bad now. But Micah stated that the people of Engelhardt need God in their lives for hope, help and support. It needs to reform and that is why they will go to many different countries to spread their Lord’s word.
During the rest of the day the team managed to look around most of the city. The things they saw were appalling. People and children were suffering in the streets for no good reason. It’s not as bad as some other countries, but this is where they shall start.
It’s night now and the city was actually a lot more quiet at this time. They found a hotel to stay at for the night. It was a very plain and cheap hotel, but they still felt guilty about sleeping here when there are so many people out on the streets. Raziel told them not to worry.
“Proper shelter and comfortable beds are going to be a rare thing from now on”, he said as a joke.
As morning approached, Thaddeus got up early, just when the sun started to rise. When he got dressed, he stopped to look at Micah, who seemed to look troubled even as he slept. Raziel sat against the wall opposite the door in the hallway all night, occasionally activating a light seal to see through the wall and make sure Micah was alright. Thaddeus came out of the room and sat beside Raziel who was sitting in silence with his eyes closed.
“I thought you never slept.”
“I’m not sleeping. I’m meditating.”
“Same difference. If you don’t need to sleep then why would you need to meditate?” Raziel wasn’t the arguing type so he just said nothing.
“This pilgrimage seems to be putting a lot of strain on Micah.” Said Thaddeus, shifting to a worried tone, “Do you think he can handle it?”
“Going on this pilgrimage was Micah’s idea. I admit it will test us all to our limits and some people may get hurt along the way, but there is no-one else who can do it. Micah is the son of God after all.”
The morning sun was poking through the old fashioned curtains. They haven’t even got shaded windows here. Micah was having another one of his dreams. This time it wasn’t a bunch of flashes, but a foresight into the future which was a lot clearer. Micah was running through a forest, panicking, or rather determined to get rid of the danger that was following him swiftly among the trees. He was wondering where Raziel was. Was he ok? He had to have more faith in Raziel. A few shots were fired from the pursuing menace, but they missed or hit surrounding objects like trees, laying splinters in Micah’s wake. Micah could no longer see or hear the unknown pursuer, so he took cover behind a bank. He knew he couldn’t have lost the demon so easily. He was just playing with him, so he looked around cautiously, and then he heard a rustling sound in a tree above him. He quickly got up and ran again. Micah kept believing that Raziel would come for him. He just had to stay alive. But the demon was too close. Then it stopped. Micah knew it was hiding again. All he needed to do was find an opportunity to touch the demon then he could perform an exorcism and send it back to hell, but exorcising and actual demon would be like trying to purify salty water without the water. He looked behind him and there was no sign of it. When he turned back around to keep running, it was right in front of him, staring Micah in the face. Micah could now confirm that ‘it’ is in fact a ‘he’. The man was wearing tight clothing on his upper body, which was mostly orange and black. He had black hair and an evil grin as he held Micah at gunpoint. His weapon was very unique as it had strange engravings on it, but Micah couldn’t make them out and it also had a hand guard. The evil being was mostly a blur, in visual and audio terms. He seemed to say “Offer your soul” and laughed. Then Micah heard a gunshot echoing inside his head as the dream suddenly ended and he was dragged back, screaming into the real world, with a welcome from the sun on his face.
Thaddeus and Raziel were still sitting quietly outside in the corridor when they heard a cry from within the room. Immediately, Raziel burst through the door with no regard for the lock. The two of them had their weapons drawn, but found only Micah sitting up in the bed, sweating, out of breath and looking very disturbed. Raziel quickly rushed to him to make sure he was alright.
“What happened?”
“I now know what God was talking about when he referred to the “dark ones” who would try to hinder our mission”, said Micah “They may succeed....”
To be Continued.