Eternal (Percico/Pernico)

↞ Chapter One ↠

In the human realm, there are many different lores that depict what lies beyond death. Some are based upon the idea of reincarnation, while others believe there is no afterlife at all. However, many elucidate a place called Heaven where, upon death, one would spend an eternity in paradisiacal pleasure, wandering the sacred gardens and traipsing down the golden roads that led to infinite destinations. One could never be harmed, nor would they starve. They would live in comfort and luxury for the rest of time. As long as one obeyed and loved the Lord, God, with all of their being, and followed the many rules, they would remain in Paradise.

Nonetheless, if one did not follow those rules, nor repent the sins they have committed, they would be stripped of their angelic wings and damned to the depths of Hell, a dark and unforgiving place where one would be tortured and suffer for the remainder of eternity. In this place lived the demons. They came in all shapes and sizes, but they all had traits to distinguish them: leathery, bat-like wings protruded from their backs near their shoulder blades, sharp horns emerged from beneath their hair, and long tails with triangular tips extended from their tailbones.

These evil creatures, depending upon their class, would emerge from the depths and prey upon human souls, in many methods and variations. Some would lure the weak with their attractive bodies and capture them in their lust spells, preying upon their souls soon after. Some would accompany the humans and frighten them, and once they are imbued with fear and paranoia, they would extract their souls from their frail bodies. Others would make contracts with humans and serve them, consuming the soul upon the contract's completion.

However, some did not steal the souls from humans. They would bring upon catastrophic events, possess humans, or visit them in their dreams. They would cause nightmares or pleasurable dreams that would cause a change of underwear, or perhaps sheets the next morning.

All of these demons, regardless of their intentions or actions, were the bane of humanity. Perseus Jackson knew that quite well. After all, the Lord had told him as such, and he trusted His every word. As an Archangel, he fought battles down in the humans' realm to protect their souls from malicious acts and purposes. With a cross at his side and a supply of holy water at hand, he would condemn many demons to their rightful place: a depressing hole full of fire and screams of excruciating pain.

Perseus was a part of the humans' redemption, and he helped carry the weight of their pleasant afterlife on his shoulders, he was told. He obeyed and held the duty he was assigned up on a high pedestal. It brought him great joy to see a demon fleeing from him. The unwitting faces of the humans he protected kept a smile on his face. He wanted all of his beloved humans to not be knowledgeable of the horrors that followed them and hid around every corner, waiting patiently for an opportune moment to strike.

He helped God, the Lord and Savior. He was a savior, himself, he liked to believe. He labored for the humans to live a life unbothered by demonic creatures and the paranoia of death by said creatures. However, he kept his pride down. Pride was a sin, after all.

When he was not working to eradicate demons from the human realm, Perseus often found himself in his own domain, a place of solitude and peace. He would escape to the human realm to observe the creatures that roamed there or relax in the cold, calming waters of the ocean.

Heaven was a great joy; it was so beautiful and peaceful, but sometimes he wanted excitement. He wanted to sit in a place where people argued, or conflicted in any way. Heaven was perfect, but sometimes he felt perfect was boring and redundant. He would wade in the ocean, feeling the cold waves sloshing against his ankles and inhale the ocean air. Here, it was not perfect, but here he could be at peace. It was an ideal place for him to escape while he was not disposing of demons. As the wind tousled his hair and the salty breeze permeated his senses, he could forget, even for a little while, of how demanding being an angel could be.

The day in particular was a chilly one. Nonetheless, Perseus stood in the ocean. He found it all quite disturbing: the screams of pain the demons would emit as he drenched them in holy water or the fear in some of their eyes upon seeing him. He could flee from the business and never see one of those creatures again, or he could ask to be demoted to a guardian angel, where he can help humans more directly. That would probably reduce his visits to the ocean greatly, so he would not have to think about imperfection and the amount he desired it.

His feathery wings fluttered in the slight breeze that chilled his bones. They were large and beautiful, shimmering with a shine that radiated the holy, golden light which denoted his place of origin.

Usually, the beach was flooded with humans wearing next to nothing, splashing in the waves, laughing, or relaxing on a towel laid on the white sand, reveling in the heat of the sun rays showering on their bodies. Perseus would smile upon young humans playing in the sand and making creations from the tiny, powdery grains. Little events such as those embedded a small desire that he held in his heart. He wished the humans could see him, or interact with him.

They all seemed to be content in this world of imperfection, and Perseus wondered how it felt. He had always lived in a place of unadulterated perfection; there was no rain, nor snow. The gardens were always beautiful and the grand palace that housed God and his angels was always reflecting the golden, heavenly light. He wondered how life would be if he lived in an apartment in the city, living the seemingly-trivial, everyday life of a human being.

The water chilled his skin as he strode deeper into the water, cautious of his immaculately white robe. As he felt the air wash over his senses, lulling him into a sense of security, he heard a loud scream of terror. He whipped his head around to see the victim and one of the disgusting creatures he had hoped not to behold. The soul had already leaked out of the man's body, the demon looking delighted as he feasted upon his meal. Perseus narrowed his eyes and gripped the holy water from his hip as his wings carried him out of the water and towards the monster.

Such was life. Every day, he helped to protect humans and their spirit, no matter the cost to himself.

He eyed another angel in the sky, who had probably just emerged from the Heavens. His hair was a fair blond and he had cold blue eyes that seemed to look right through him. A large scar crossed his face from an unfortunate encounter with a Drude, a demon that casts nightmares upon mortals.

"Luke, other side! We'll overwhelm it from all around."

The blond angel nodded as he dove toward his target.

The demon screeched in pain as the water came in contact with its skin, smoke deriving from the wound. The demon, its eyes permeated with fear, flapped its wings and fled from the two Archangels, aiming for its home to heal.

The two angels, victory in their smiles, were contented by the absence of the terrible creature and flew home themselves, to feast with the others and resume their work afterwards.

It was a perfect life. However, whenever the Archangel of the Seas was alone, the malcontented thoughts would return, reminding him that the life he was living was a little too perfect, and his inclinations of returning to an imperfect place would resurface. He hoped the satisfaction of living in Paradise would return, but it never did.