The Three Heavenly Messengers

Prologue

Akriel's Point of View

A sigh of relief escapes my lungs as I gaze at the last remaining enemy lying on the ground. Without thinking twice, I plunge my blade into their stomach, hearing their final breath fade onto the silent field as its remains disappear. Bits of my crimson hair get in the way of my sight as I'm left to ponder, "Will I ever get used to this violence? This dread? Why must we fight in the first place?" I mutter, looking around at the field filled with the corpses of angels and demons alike.

"Maybe I'm not cut out for this," I mutter, but before I could finish, my thoughts are interrupted by the sound of loud cheering behind me. I turn to see the cause of the commotion—a young blond-haired boy running straight at me.

"Akriel!" My younger brother shouts before tackling me to the ground with an audible crack of my bones, a huge smile plastered on his face as his white wings flap happily in our victory. His deep violet eyes seem to look right into my soul as I pat his head softly. I guess this is why I fight, to protect our family.

"I think you're hugging him a little too tightly, brother," Elyon, my older brother, says while trying to pry Zophiel off me. After a while, he gives up, letting out a soft chuckle at my predicament as he runs a hand through his snow-white hair, in resignation. Elyon could be considered the reason Zophiel and I are here in the first place; without him, we wouldn't have joined the royal army. We both look up at him with great respect.

Zophiel soon releases me, albeit hesitantly, and gets up, dusting himself off before helping me do the same. I take a good look at his face before ruffling his hair, a sad smile on my face as I try not to think about our fallen friends. "Someone is excited, isn't he?"

"Of course! We won again, this time with even fewer casualties," Zophiel says, jumping up excitedly. "Soon, this war will be over, and we can go back home to mom and dad."

"I really hope you're right, Zophiel. All this battling is starting to take a toll on my body," I hear my elder brother say from the side.

CLAP CLAP CLAP

A slow clap interrupts the moment. Eremiel, our commander, stands a few steps away, arms crossed. "Impressive, as always. It wouldn't be wrong to say you three are among our most valued soldiers," he says, a proud smile on his face "We'll return to Eden shortly. Oh, and may I add, Your Highness wants to have a word with the three of you once we get back. If it were me, I wouldn't keep her waiting."

"The Goddess... wants to speak with us? Why?" Zophiel exclaims, surprised at this statement. It's not every day Your Highness asks for an audience; in fact, most of the time, we hear her messages through Eremiel. This raises the question, "What could our Goddess want from three rookies?"

-- TIME SKIP --

When we finally arrive in Eden, the capital of Heaven, its radiant towers and gardens stand in grand splendour compared to the bloody field we left behind. This is where most of the fallen come, even those who have sinned. With enough regret, even sinners have a place here, all thanks to our benevolent Goddess.

"I suggest we head over to the palace to see what Your Highness wants," I hear Elyon speak from behind us. "If we're lucky, we'll get off easy, but then again, our Goddess doesn't do this often so... Really, just expect the worst outcome." He says, and I swear I could hear his calm and cold demeanor shatter. Zophiel and I lock eyes; I can tell he's scared and worried, but I have to keep calm; someone has to put up a front. Surely, our Goddess is as kind as they say... right?

After quite a lot of pep talk, we find ourselves in front of the grand doors separating us from the throne room. With one deep breath and an audible gulp coming from Zophiel, I open the door, only to find it rather empty save the Goddess herself. I look forward toward the throne to see our Goddess looking at us with a warm, motherly smile, her green hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. I take one more breath as I slowly start approaching, with my brothers following closely behind.

"Hello, my beloved children." Her voice is soft, soothing. "There's no need for formalities; it's just the four of us here." She rests her hand on my head lovingly, her touch motherly yet somehow... soulless. "I know you three are rather nervous about my sudden call, but worry not, I assure you, you're not in any trouble.".

Her words cut through the tension swiftly yet her presence is that of an ultimate authority. "You three have impressed me thus far, so I will personally assign a mission to you. You may call it a test, so to speak." She slides her fingers through my hair in a gentle manner, her emerald eyes piercing into our souls. "You shall all be traveling to Gaia and living there among humans."  Live with humans? What did she mean by that? For what reason?

"Excuse me, Your Highness. May I ask why exactly we are headed there?" Zophiel asks, his voice stuttering from the tension in the air. "Are we being exiled?" He asks, rather worried.

Our Goddess chuckles softly, withdrawing her hand. "Why would I banish you when you've served me so well?" Zophiel sighs in relief at her answer, his shoulders slumping over from the relieved tension, yet somehow a part of me feels like there's an ulterior motive. "No, you will spread faith in me, fight the fallen angels and maintaining order among the humans." she says proudly, though I cock an eyebrow at her so-called mission. "You see, humans are slowly starting to lose faith in me, and the increase in fallen angels certainly doesn't help." Her expression sharpens as she ends her sentence, like if a button was switched inside of her.

Elyon speaks up, his tone respectful yet firm. "Your Highness, what will become of our parents? And what if... if all faith is truly lost?"

"I have already spoken with your parents. They're proud of you and understand the importance of this mission." Her gaze hardens, something dark flickering behind her eyes. "As for what would happen if all faith is lost? Then Armageddon would begin—a war on Gaia that will see humanity brought to ruin." Her voice is steady, fierce and determined. "That is why I have chosen you three, my most trusted warriors."

Her words hang heavy in the air. Another war... on Gaia?  I glance at Zophiel and Elyon, gauging their reactions to all of this.

"Your wish is our command, Your Highness," I say, casting a final glance at her before turning to leave. We make our way out of the palace in silence, wings unfurling as we prepare to head home one last time.

Back home, as I push the door open, my mother's arms envelop us, her sobs muffled against Zophiel's shoulder. "Oh, my sweets... you three are my greatest treasures." She smiles through her tears, clearly proud of my brothers and I. I swallow back my own emotions, promising myself to not cry in front of our parents.

We hear the door from our room open up, and we see our dad walk out with three packs: red, yellow, and white. Elyon goes up to him and brings Dad into a hug before taking the three packs, handing me the red one while Zophiel catches the yellow one. "I decided to pack things for you three. You should have enough clothes, but it would be better if you bought some more," he says with a weak smile, giving Zophiel and I a hug before stepping back to Mom's side. "We both are really proud... of all of you, and it makes me so happy to see my kids take on such an important mission," he says, holding back tears. I could tell he's trying hard not to appear weak in front of us. "We will miss you, but we will be able to communicate with each other every few months."

 'Damn... I promised myself not to cry,' I think to myself as I put on the pack, sliding it onto my back before turning around to see my brothers saying their goodbyes. I hug my parents one more time before heading out the door where my brothers were waiting for me. Soon after, we take flight toward Gaia.