The War in the Heavens

Chapter 2 - Project DEATH

His Radiance sat on his throne, looking at the man kneeling before him. His name was Sgt. Alzehr, at one point a great military commander, but found he had a particular fear of explosions when it came down to it. So instead he’d been put on the DEATH project, to create the perfect angel. The first one had been his greatest failure, and Alzehr had been stripped of his official ranking, and put back into the front lines. Now, twenty years later, he’s made an even graver mistake with the latest archangel, and His Radiance could see the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, and his eyes were watering. His Radiance didn’t want to kill him. But his failures were simply too bad to ignore. He couldn’t allow incompetence in the new world of his.

“You failed”, His Radiance said, his voice booming around the white room, so bright the very walls were invisible, and the snivelling old man flinched at the second word.

“Yes, your Radiance”, Alzehr said, his voice almost a whisper.

“You were assigned to make sure this angel worked with us, and now it is in the hands of that dreaded archangel Lucifer”, His Radiance said, his voice turning dark. “Michael may have taken his powers, but he can take them back.”

“Y-y-yes, your Radiance”, Alzehr mumbled. “But the more power you give them, the more they can think for themselves.”

“I think for myself”, a voice boomed, and an angel appeared out of the light, flapping its golden wings. Michael swished his sword once to the side, and into his scabbard. “Your job was to make sure they fought for His Radiance. You failed.”

“They’re too powerful!”, Alzehr cried. “I’m but a mortal!”

“You are a fool”, His Radiance said, all pity for the man gone. “I’m going to give you one last chance. And this time, you’re not going to be making the next archangel. You’re going to be next in line.”

“Thank you, Your Radiance, for this gift”, Alzehr smiled, bowing his head over and over.

“Michael, take him to the testing chamber”, His Radiance said, and Michael’s golden wings enveloped the man, and then they were gone, flying off into the endless light.

 

I stand, looking into the cave. Danix is stood by the entrance, leaning against the rocks, and Slip is stood, alert, rifle ready. The cave had been a two-mile walk of silence to get to. Esia had already gone in to talk with their leader a little. Danix waves me in with a single stroke of my hand, and I begin to walk into the cave, the darkness enveloping me once again. Again? When had the darkness enveloped me before? Why had I-

“Bleak”, a voice said from the darkness, and a pair of glowing red eyes opened. The lines spread across the black metal face, lighting up the room with red light. It stood, spreading out its wings, the red light running across its jet-black wings and across his entire body, now swirling around symbols. It stretches out like its giving out a primal roar, and then bends down, looking straight into my eyes, the glowing red like a sea of fire. “My name is Lucifer.”

“You’re an angel?”, I ask.

“You, Esia and I are what are called demons”, Lucifer says. “Angels who broke what they call the Omega bond. This is what His Radiance uses to control the angels. It can only be beaten by archangels.”

“So, I’m an archangel?”, I ask. “Why can’t I do the whole lighty-up thing?”

“You mean the channeling? Because Michael, His Radiance’s archangel, split your power amongst seven second-tier angel”, Lucifer looks me in the eyes once again. “Kill them, and you’ll get you power back.”

“So, I can gain… power?”, I ask.

“Yes”, Lucifer replied.

I don’t know what to say. The idea of the power is nice. If I’m an archangel, that means I can become very powerful indeed. Then I can see the greater world. Maybe even destroy His Radiance, take his throne.

“I have to kill them?”, I ask.

“Yes. But don’t worry, I’ve made one rather easy”, Lucifer says, and a beam of light almost blinded me as it shot up next to me. Then I see it, a mangled, silver creature, with golden chains dangling from many parts of its body, its head pointed forwards from the spike it has been impaled on. “This one is greed. A disgusting creature. Can use his powers to transmute angelic weapons. Likely intended for you, before Michael took it.”

“So, I can transmute angelic weapons?”, I ask.

“Yes”, Lucifer replies, and walks over to it, suddenly towering over me, and produced a knife, with a silver hilt and white, wickedly carved blade. Thrust your knife through its head, and the first part of your restoration would be complete.

Looking at this creature, I see the chains, and I see its hand curled tightly around one of the chains, gripping it, as if it is all that matters. Of course, it is greed. It wanted to at least have one little bit. It eyes glowed dimly, and it uses one last ounce of strength to try and move and bring the gold chain closer, and then it goes dark. Than I realise what I thought. Taking the creator of these creature’s throne? I wouldn’t even want it. But making these ‘angels’ is wrong. I take the knife, and stab it in the head, light.

“Let the change begin”, Lucifer said, and the lights went out, and I was plunged into darkness.

I feel power charge through my body, and then I can see perfectly in the darkness, and I can see the knife in my hand, and I feel it begin to change. To grow longer, forming a shaft with a small dagger’s blade at the end, and then that turned and extended, forming a deadly scythe.

 

Then a flashback.

 

“He’s breaking free!”

“Did he just… did he just refer to himself as…

“He is Death! He isn’t any other name!”

Then one voice breaks through the blur, an echoing voice that I remember of that as Michael. I see him standing above me, holding his sword in one hand, beating his wings.

“He is not Death. He is another failure.”

“I cannot have failed again!”

“You failed again!”

“Please, no! He can be fixed!”

“No, he is a failure. He cannot be allowed…”

 

And then it ends, and I find myself propping myself up with the scythe. I limp out of the cave, using the scythe as a crutch, and get into the open. I feel the sun on my skin, the wind on my face, the grass between my toes…

And then… nothing.