Son of the Devil - Book I of The Higher Order

Chapter Fifteen: Soul Searching

If only I'd known what I would get myself into when I looked through a shard of my soul and into a realm I knew I would never be allowed to enter.

Ah, Heaven, a beautiful sight in a strange white-washed glowing buildings-on-clouds kind of way. I looked and no, Morgan Freeman is not at the entrance to the gates, just some wannabe actor who wouldn't know what to do if he were given any actual lines. Let's call him Gatekeeper because he is so not as cool as Morgan Freeman.

Not actually being in my physical body allows me to break the fourth wall—just in case you were wondering. I'm not actually Deadpool.

I could feel myself connecting with the soul on the other end and I was seconds away from giving the shiteater a piece of my mind and a little bit more than a 'lesson' in asskickery when I heard her voice echo clearly within my mind. Four simple words that had the anger dying within me. 'How. I. Miss. Him' that's all it took. She could've been referring to anyone, I told myself. Clearly, I didn't get the message.

I felt her spirit reach toward me and our connection solidified. The two of them were right there, in the spirit realm with me and my red mist. The blue fog behind her pulsed in the time of my heartbeat. My red power drifted cautiously toward the blue one, eager to meet yet reluctant to get too close. Kind of like how I was feeling right now with the strange, overly familiar, but comfortingly beautiful Angel that stood before me.

We just kind of watched each other for a long minute before I gathered my courage and tentatively asked, "why do you look so familiar?" The two mists rumbled at me as a look of hurt flashed across the woman's face. "I mean no harm with the question, I simply do not understand why I have a vague recollection of your rather beautiful face. I would never have forgotten it, and yet, I can't seem to remember where or when we've met, either."

A sigh passed her luscious lips, "he did it to you too." It was not a question.

"Who did what?"

Her lips lifted in a half-smile, "my brother, Raziel, Second of the Angels, was ordered to distort my memories and corrupt yours. I do not know what else he has done but my chest feels hollow and I cannot feel my second heartbeat."

"It is the same for me. Although . . ." I stopped myself, my cheeks heating slightly.

"Although what?" She asked.

I averted my gaze, slightly embarrassed, "I thought, for a moment, that I felt it when you appeared." Now it was her turn to look flushed.

"As did I," she admitted with a soft lift of her lips. She had the most beautiful smile. "I am Lucifer, First of the Light Angels, and you?"

I couldn't help but smile back at her, she just had this infectious energy that urged my heart to beat just a little quicker, my breaths to come just a little faster, and my smile to beam just a little brighter. "I am Samael, Crown Prince of Hell, Second Son of the Devil."

Her form flickered and for a moment I panicked that she wouldn't like me simply because of my father, we were supposed to be mortal enemies after all. But then she solidified and said, "someone is trying to pull me from the spirit realm, I am sorry that I couldn't stay longer."

"Luci, wait!" The nickname came so easily that I almost didn't register it. "Find your brother and make him reverse what he did. I fear only the caster can undo what was done. I want to remember you. I want to remember you with all my heart." I took a step forward and reached for her, my ghostly hand met with air, it was as if she wasn't there at all, though I could still see her. It was the spirit realm, no one was actually here unless they were dead.

She paused and observed me for a second, looking for something. She must've found it because she nodded and said, "Raziel has the will of an archangel, it will not be easy but, I will try, that's all I can promise."