CASTIEL'S REQUIEM

Chapter 39: Peaceful what?

     dedicated to  icanflymylove

Captain Eva Yossi yawned, her eyes scanning the dusty, sun-scorched terrain before them. The dry jokes of Ron Aryeh, one of her soldiers, fell flat in the stillness of the desert air. The squad's laughter had grown stale, like the crumbled ruins of the ancient fortress they had set up camp beside. Ron's attempts at humor were as worn as the faded insignia on their fatigues, but he persisted, undeterred.

"Then the mouse said, 'Oh, but I want more cheese!'" Ron said, his voice cracking with forced laughter. The silence that followed was oppressive, like the weight of the scorching sun beating down on them. Even the usually stoic Joshua Yoram, a lieutenant with a reputation for steeliness, let out a growl of frustration. "Oh no, you don't," he muttered, his eyes rolling in exasperation.

Captain Yossi's voice cut through the tension like a whip. "Enough, boys! We've got a mission to focus on." The air seemed to vibrate with her words, and the squad's banter ceased as they turned their attention to the task at hand. Before them lay the unforgiving landscape, a seemingly endless expanse of rocky outcroppings and scrubby vegetation. Their objective, the village of Vered Ha-Galil, was a tiny speck on the horizon, vulnerable to the approaching forces of Arrysian soldiers and Haraqs. The commanding officer's warning still echoed in their minds: "Expect heavy resistance."

—_—

"By El!" Uriel almost yelled, her eyes fixed on the approaching army. "Rafa, do you see them?" she asked, already knowing the answer. The soldiers wore the distinctive Arrysian military garb and carried weapons that only Castiel could fully identify.

"Yeah, I see them," Rafael replied calmly, "but they're humans, Uriel. This isn't our concern."

Uriel drew her sword, her expression determined. "They're going to kill innocent people, Rafa. I say we intervene. Saving human lives is our business."

Ariel interrupted their argument, her voice loud and clear. "Will you two stop bickering?"

The soldiers turned towards them, and a decorated officer stepped forward. "Join the Arrysian army and fight for Earth's redemption. We'll spare your lives."

Uriel narrowed her eyes at the soldier. "Get out of our sight, Arrysian. This is none of your concern."

"Get out of the holy land, you idiots!" Uriel yelled at the top of her lungs. "I might spare your lives if you leave now!"

The soldier, who appeared to be a captain, pointed at them. "Take them down!" he ordered.

Uriel grinned maniacally, waving her sword in the air. "You mean us?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Rafael, knowing Uriel's stubbornness, drew his own weapon. Ariel, meanwhile, raised her hand, summoning twigs and flytraps from the ground. "Attack!" Rafael yelled, charging towards the soldiers with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

Uriel's confusion was brief, but she shot Ariel a "what the hell" look before the other angel shrugged and followed Rafael into battle. Uriel hesitated for only three seconds before joining the fray, her sword flashing in the light. In less than a minute the angelic trio had the entire army lying dead on the sandy terrain.

—_—

Castiel ran like her life depended on it, her feet pounding against the scorching sand as she desperately sought refuge from the unholy horde pursuing her. The air was thick with the stench of brimstone and death, and the darkness seemed to writhe and twist around her like a living entity.

The wraiths, phantoms, and trolls closing in on her were the stuff of nightmares, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. They clawed at her with razor-sharp talons, their touch like ice and fire combined. Castiel stumbled, her foot catching on a root that seemed to sprout from the ground itself, and as she fell, the creatures pounced.

Their claws raked her back, tearing flesh and bone, and their arms bludgeoned her with merciless force. Castiel screamed, her voice hoarse and raw, as they pinned her down, their hot breath reeking of decay and corruption. The leader, a towering ogre with eyes that burned like hot coals, raised its fist, ready to deliver the final blow.

Serpentino watched from a distance, his eyes fixed on the horror unfolding before him, his heart racing with excitement and glee at the destruction of his arch-enemy.

The voice in her head, a persistent whisper, urged her to fight, to tap into the power that lay dormant within her. Castiel's pain and anguish fueled her anger, her heart racing like a runaway train. Her eyes blazed with a golden light, and a dark aura erupted from her, sending the creatures reeling back in terror.

As she struggled to her feet, the ground seemed to shudder and tremble. The sky grew darker, the stars hiding behind a veil of clouds that seemed to boil and churn like a witch's cauldron. Castiel's scythe materialized in her hand, its blade shimmering with an unholy light.

The creatures attacked, their numbers seemingly endless, but Castiel fought back with a ferocity that bordered on madness. She sliced through them with her scythe, the blade cutting through flesh and bone like paper. The air was filled with the stench of blood and death, and the ground grew slick with the gore of her enemies.

But for every creature she felled, more seemed to take its place, their numbers endless and their hunger for her destruction insatiable. Castiel stumbled, her strength waning, her vision blurring. The voice in her head grew louder, more insistent, urging her to embrace her true power, to surrender to the darkness within.

And then, in a moment of clarity, Castiel remembered who she was - the angel of Death, the harvester of souls. With a cry of rage and defiance, she embraced her true nature, and the darkness within her erupted like a volcano. The creatures attacking her were consumed by a wave of shadowy energy, their screams echoing through the desert as they were dragged down into the depths of the underworld.

Wails could be heard as the monsters turned to their heels, scared of something more vicious than hell and purgatory. "Oh my" Serpentino hissed, dragging his beloved owl with him as he tried to get away from the destruction, away from Azrael who stood in all her glory, in a dark cloak, a scythe, and an angry stance that meant she'd destroy anything on her path. He screamed in horror as she approached the Tree of Life, watching as she plucked a fruit and took a bite, and he couldn't stop her.

The Tree of Life seemed to shudder and tremble, its branches creaking in protest as Castiel devoured the fruit. A dark energy pulsed through her veins, and her eyes blazed with an unholy light. Serpentino knew that he was witnessing something truly terrifying - the birth of a new era in Castiel's existence, one in which she would wield the power of true death itself even greater than that Lucifer had once wielded. He turned and fled, his owl squawking in terror as they disappeared into the darkness, leaving Castiel to her destruction.

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There it is, a wrap.

Okay guys if I get ten votes and twenty reads, in this chapter I'm uploading two next time.