The God Files: Orroz's Story

...And I Have Lost

A single tear welled up in Orroz's eye and trickled down his chin. But instead of dropping onto the parchment, it went over the curve of his chin and down his neck. And yet, despite the sorrow bubbling up within him, Orroz continued writing.

When the angels first rebelled against God, they became the first demons. Since then, though in less numbers, angels have fallen from Heaven, either on accident or purposeful exile. However, they do not become demons, but instead either earthbound or dark angels. Earthbound angels are those that keep their heavenly purity. Dark angels do not care for such things.

At first I was shocked, but I still loved her anyway. It was then that I also told her of my...unique past. Now knowing that both of us were magical beings, Serena said we could let our love blossom into full bloom. And so it did.

For it was that night that I asked her to marry her.

Naturally, she shrieked with joy and said yes, yes, yes a million times. Both of us were elated, and we quickly made plans. She introduced me to the entire Callisto family. They too were dark angels, and most of them received me with open arms. All of them, save Serena's father, Abaddon.

Abaddon was the leading dark angel of the Callisto House, one of the most powerful families of dark angels in this region. I had the chance to meet him the day after Serena told me the truth of who she was. And I saw he was a hard, hard man.

Cold, violet eyes peered from a hard, rough face. A scar ran down from his brow to his left cheek, a souvenir from a long forgotten battle. Twenty foot wings of midnight black added to his bulk, which was impressive already. Even in a time of peace, he still wore battle armor, marred yet polished. A dark aura surrounded him, more than any dark angel I have seen and seen since. And his voice was dark and cold as his eyes.

               "So you are the lucky man who my daughter, Serena, has decided to marry," Abaddon's voice rang out. He was sitting on a throne in the main hall of the Callisto House. It was an impressive building, with fine architecture and marvelous paintings of various scenes. It looked as a noble House should be.

Abaddon rose from his throne and stepped towards me, his steps echoing throughout the large room. He was six feet away when he called out to no one in particular, "Leave us." Motion caught the corner of my eye and I saw dozens of winged guards flutter out of the room. It was now just him and I.

                "You're daughter speaks high of you, Lord Abaddon," I said courteously. My chances at approval for marriage would be higher if I got on Abaddon's good side.

                 "I expect nothing less," Abaddon said coldly. He looked up and down at me once, then twice, and wrinkled his nose, as in disgust.

                 "Your aura is...so...bright," he finally said. "So full of light." He then turned his back on me and began striding back to his throne. "No, you are not meant for my daughter. She will not be marrying you." For a moment I was stunned. We had only met for less than five minutes and he already said I couldn't marry Serena!

                 "Lord Abaddon, I'm not sure I understand you," I said.

                 "It's a rather simple concept to me," Abaddon said, sitting down on his throne once more. "You are a being of light, a servant of the light. While I, and Serena, are beings of darkness. It would never work out, and eventually you would have my own daughter betray me."

                 "I would never make your daughter chose me over you!" I protested. "Why would you ever--?"

                 "My decision is final, Orroz," Abaddon said curtly. "And there is nothing you can do about it. If you ever even look at my daughter again, I will hunt you down and skin you alive."

Though I wasn't a god then, I am sure I could've given Abaddon a piece of my mind if I wanted to. But since my days in the Order I had strived to only use my magic for good. Only a few times have done otherwise. And I regretted each and every one of them.

I left without another word, and strode back to Albeus's. What was I going to tell Serena? What would we do? I pondered over this matter so much I fell into the canal. My despair decided for me to sink to the bottom, and once I did, I merely turned myself into a fish and swam down the current to Albeus's.

   It was midnight when I heard a knock on the door. By now Albeus was fast asleep, but I was still wide awake, so I went over to open the door. To my surprise, relief, and worry, it was Serena.

                 "Serena--"

                 "My father is not going to keep us apart!" she cut me off, striding into Albeus's home. Full of books, vials, and equipment, you had to follow several winding paths in order to get to any part of the house without knocking something over. However, Serena did not know this and promptly scattered everything in her path as she paced about, furious at her father's decision. Then, as though struck by inspiration, she rushed up to me practically into my arms.

                 "Run away with me," Serena suddenly said.

                 "What?" I could merely respond.

                 "Run away. Elope with me, Orroz," Serena explained further. "We could go somewhere far, far away from my father and live happily together for the rest of our lives."

                 "Serena, my love," I said, "I love you more than anything on this earth. But your father--"

                 "What my father says does not matter to me! Nor should it matter to you," Serena cut me off again. "Please, Orroz...I don't what I would do without you. My love for you burns brighter than the very stars! Please..." I was silent, contemplating my options. I very well could run away with Serena. But her father would surely come after me. He would hunt me down and Serena could get caught in the crossfire. If I don't go, I would lose the one person I loved more than anyone alive. And she would lose the person she was willing to risk her life for. I could scarcely imagine the pain and torment she would feel. I made my decision then and there.

                 "Of course I'll come with you, my love," I said. Serena broke into a beautiful smile and embraced me. I embraced her back and stroked her hair. Both of us were shedding tears. Hers were of joy. But mine were for another reason...

We made our plans to spirit us away at dawn, somewhere far away from Venice. I let Serena sleep in my bed while I slept on the floor. But I did not sleep. When I could hear Serena's breathing slow, I got up and summoned by my side two sheets of paper, a vial of ink, and a feather pen. Then I wrote two notes: one for Albeus. And one for Serena.

At midnight I cast a minor enchantment over Serena, to ensure that she slept till morning. It was then that I lifted her into my arms, and spirited myself into the Callisto House. I appeared in the middle of the House's hall, which thankfully was empty. I glimpsed into Serena's mind and learned where her bedroom was. I took her there and laid her upon her bed. Tears welled in my eyes as I left the note on her chest, then placed her hands over it. I strode over to her window, which opened at my command. I gave myself one last glimpse at the love of my life. She looked so lovely, so peaceful. Never could I imagine the pain she will feel in the morning. But it was safer for her to stay with her father than to be with me.

                  "Good-bye," I whispered to her. Then, I flew off into the night.