A storm was brewing. His storm, to be specific. The sky, once filled with hazy purplish clouds, were now covered with dark rolling storm clouds with the occasionally crackle of thunder. His thunder.
A single black crow was flying silently through the trees, keeping its eyes fixed on the small dark figure jogging on the yellow path. The crow was exhausted. He had woken up in the middle of a dark forest, naked. He had stared into his relflection on the lake. He remembered opening his wings and gasping in horror when he saw his feathers.
Black feathers.
He had closed his eyes and concentrated hard, searching for a white feather. He had almost given up hope until he felt it. A white feather. The only one he had now. The only reminder of God. He remembered feeling relieved. Relieved that he was still an angel. Even if he was a fallen one now. He still had a chance to go to heaven. A chance to reign next to God once again. But he was still banished from heaven. Banished into the mortal world. He knew that God would never let him return to heaven as long as a single thought of sin remained in his heart. God had all the patience in the world. But he didn't.
He knew that he was vulnerable with the white feather. There was still love in him. He wanted to be truly evil. The devil. To rule over the angels. Not God. God was petty, only loving and caressing little infants. He knew from his senses that the nearest village was only a mile away, but he couldn't just walk into the village, naked, with black wings trailing behind him, could he? He was weak, the power he had once in heaven was gone. God had taken it and had banished him into this forsaken place. The mortal world. He didn't have enough energy to turn into his true form. Oh, how he longed to be the cherub he once was, standing beside God. He had been made perfect, perfect in beauty and wisdom to dwell in the presence of God. He had loved God, as all angels do. But he had a longing, an immense desire. He didn't want to worship God. No, he wanted to be worshipped.
'How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning... For you have said it in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like Most High."'
So, he, Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, had fallen from the heights of heaven, into the mortal world, and became the first fallen Archangel.
Lucifer had sat on the forest ground, wrapped in his wings of black. He was wrapped in his bitter memories, when a shout to his left woke him from his trance.
It was a boy and a man, probably the father, back from a hunting trip in the forest. They were jogging swiftly on a yellow path, without even stopping to take a breath.
At once, Lucifer mustered all of his energy and turned into a crow. He spread his wings and took flight, following the man and the boy. Lucifer knew that it was a long trip to the village and he didn't have much energy left. He daren't fly faster than the father. Instead, he trailed behind the father and son quietly.
He studied them quietly from above. The man, who was called Markus, had a bushy beard and a wide form, but he wasn't a brave man. A coward, even. The boy, called Fabian by his father, was tall and wiry. Lucifer saw that he had a brave, stout heart. A heart full of love.
Love.
Love was what made them weak.
This Fabian boy was just what Lucifer needed. He would serve as a perfect host once he had gotten his power back.
But there was something else.
Something else about this boy.
Lucifer dug deeper into the boy's soul and saw it.
It was this child.
He had sat beside God when he heard the prophecy. This boy. This Fabian, was to fight with the devil. With the power of God by his side.
And he would beat the devil.
Lucifer was so shocked that he had forgotten to flap his wings. He cursed as he fell. He quickly regained his balance and flew on before the boy got too far.
This thin wiry boy would stop him from gaining back his power? This vulnerable mortal against himself, an immortal cherub?
The boy was certainly something to ponder on, but right now, Lucifer had to quench his hunger first. He was famished and he was starting to find it difficult to catch up with the boy and his father.
The boy.
Feeding on the boy was out of the question, of course. He would destroy this boy, who was destined to be his downfall. That weak little coward couldn't be allowed to grow to 17. He couldn't, mustn't be allowed to find it. That wretched book. He will not find it and he was here to see to it. To see the prophecy would never be fulfilled.
His stomach protested again, reminding him of his hunger. After all, he had been flying for three hours. He was tired from following the boy since the hunt began, but flying above the yellow path was the worst, he could feel the pure energy radiating from the path seeping his own energy. It must be a blessed path, thought Lucifer, disgusted. The crow flew faster until he was ahead of Markus and looked into his eyes.
Hmm... He seems...kind. Probably wouldn't be much to fill him up, Lucifer thought to himself, disappointed. But it was soo famished, it was sure it could even eat the sins out of one of those pure little children. So, Lucifer swooped down gracefully, the feathers on its wings briefly touching the man's wild black curls, before returning to its flying path above the yellow path.
Chief of Raven Clan.
Pregnant wife.
Melissa.
Fabian.
Loyal.
Honourable Chief.
Hmm... Lucifer thought. Boring. Let's skip to the sins. It concentrated harder, flying into the secret chambers of his heart in its mind.
Pride.
Greed.
Jealousy.
Fear.
Ooh yes... Lucifer sighed contently when he saw the beautiful treasures waiting for him in his heart. Now, there's a proper meal. Every man was born with hearts of sin, Lucifer thought to himself. And that, is the beauty of men. The crow closed its eyes and smiled as he let the darkest sins inside the deepest chamber of Markus's heart wash over him. It let the coldness and darkness fill it up once more, before perching on the nearest branch.
Lucifer could fill the sins turning into the dark energy coursing though its veins. He was invincible. Powerful. The devil, once again.
Suddenly, a faint scream rang through the air. The crow, with immaculate hearing, now that he was full of sins, quickly identified the voice. It was an eleven year old girl and the crow deduced she must be a relative of the boy, when the heads of the boy and the father snapped up at the scream. The crow concentrated harder, visualising the young girl in his mind.
Freckles.
Dark hair.
Same blue eyes.
The boy's sister.
The crow laughed at the high-pitched screaming. Oh, that lovely sound. He had missed the sound of torture so much.
The crow glanced down from his branch. The boy was quarreling with his father. Lucifer watched and smiled to himself as the boy stomped away from the Yellow Path. Away from that blessed path, and to the dark forest, where evil reigned. Where he reigned.
With a caw, the crow, with newfound energy, soared across the dark forest. A lightning bolt cracked above.
Everything was working out. Just as he had planned it to.
