The Blessed War

2

Once upon a time... no, that's not quite right...
'Twas the night before the solstice... no, still contrived...
Sigh.
The Angels were a kind, gentle, pure species. As legend goes, they are built from a heavenly light seen by none but known to all. As beings of pure light, their magic was undeniably the most powerful.
Though back then, this truth wasn't corrupted by their pride.
Angels have a whole manner of abilities, from healing to telepathy to astral projection. In its natural state, the magic they are accustomed to is an incorporeal gas, which fills the air of their realm and is a major constituent of the structures both natural and manufactured within the realm itself.

Angelic society was starkly holy, where it was public duty to pray daily to the 'Powers That Be' (yes, all capitalised...) and conduct many tasks throughout their immortal lives to express love to Them and gratitude to their fellow Angels. There were even temples established in great numbers dedicated to learning more about their ritualistic customs and to carrying them out.

Angels often made trips to the Centric realm, an anomalous realm where Divine creatures could socialise and interact in peace and respect, but not just any Angel was allowed to go ahead and visit the Centric realm, only those of authoritative positions were permitted the honour.

Don't be alarmed; yes, Angelic society was hierarchical, but it was not cruel. All the population was content with the government and their ways, and the government knew which ways to act which were right, just and fair. There was never any need for prisons or police because there were no criminals; no Angel saw it reasonable to fight against the system.

That is, until the Revolt.

Needless to say, the Angels changed their ways entirely. As a result of the Revolt, the power had finally gotten to their heads. They'd demonstrated their power in the cruellest way: draining another Angel's life force. It wasn't even known that their magic could even be used for such a vulgar act.

In response to the coming chaos of War, the Angels transformed, both in society and magic.
Their religious system collapsed and was overridden by a scheme of propaganda and militarisation. Under the stress of war, the governing figures no longer cared to see Angels being free to live their lives in moral and ethical happiness, but began devising a method of brainwashing the public with a combined magical surge.
The Angels are now far from free, forbidden from ever thinking anything themselves which could rewrite their brainwashed mindset. The mental clutch is very real and utterly invasive, but has proved an effective tactic in keeping a peace of their own internal affairs, essential if they were to succeed in the War.

But society was not the only thing that melted away and remoulded. The very magic of the Angels was skewed into something a thousand times as bitter.
Rather having a natural atmospheric magic that was worked into everyday life, this magic vanished from the air, stole away their immortality and became violent, unstable... and very suitable for weaponry.
A new era of advancements in machinery and in magic paved the way for Angels to become warriors. The use of magic was no longer to heal, it was to injure; it was no longer useful for being good to others. Rather than being displayed as a translucent light, users now grabbed lightning from the air and surged great power at whatever and whomever they wished.
As for weaponry, it was easy to adapt machinery around this new magic's tendency to explode. Luckily it wasn't chaotic enough to explode spontaneously and had to be prompted by the user that materialised the magic, but a wide manner of guns, bows and arrows, cannons, blades, even armour were being mass-produced with the explosive mechanism built in so that every Angel was suitably equipped to be plunged into the Warzone.

They're too mindless to be Blessed.