Vindication - A Heavenly Adventure

Chapter VI - Explanation

AT THE HOUSE

Everyone gathers in the living room. Annie, Vance, Kai and Lucia share a couch while Leo and Amanthiel sit in living room chairs at opposite sides of the coffee table in front of the TV.

Kai – Okay I'll start. You see, unlike what a lot of people believe, demons don't come from hell. Especially because there is no hell. Demons, are angels that have been found guilty of unholy crimes by the High Lords of Heaven and were therefore banned and turned into, supposedly, horrible creatures and doomed to walk the Earth for the rest of their days.

Leo – So where did you get your accent Lucia?

Lucia – You see, we were banished as children, so when I got to Earth I was quickly adopted by a wealthy italian couple until I moved here for college and started living with this lovely bunch. For free too! I didn't know that our punishment included all this luxury before I came here. – she laughs.

Leo – And what did you mean when you said you were half korean Kai?

Kai – Well, even though angels share their "nationality", their physical appearances derive from the appearance of people from different countries. That's what I meant, my appearance is the appearance of a half korean/half american person.

Leo – Oh, I see. Thank you both for explaining. Sorry for interrupting guys, please go on.

Annie – You see, the thing is that angels are by nature really beautiful, and demons aren't that different from them. We're like a goth version of them.

Everyone giggles in achknowledgement.

Annie – And also, both angels and demons stop aging when their bodies are fully developed, and have a lifespan of around a thousand years. But they do have very different skill sets.

Vance – In Heaven, everyone believes they are the supreme beings, and that humans and demons are bellow them. That's why all their names end with "el", because it means that someone or something is superior in ancient angel language. We chose to adopt human names when we got here though. Angels' society is ruled by tradition, and breaking it in the slightest gets you kicked out. The rules are somewhat simple. Men rule and women stand beside them; men love women, and women love men, exclusively; duty and tradition are their sense of purpose, everything else is secondary.

Leo – What about this house? How is it here sometimes and others it's not?

Lucia – Well, since the punishment is walking among the humans for the rest of our lives, they ensure that all of us have what we need to survive. They give us a house where everything we need appears when we need it to. A bed, food, clothes, drinks, entertainment, you name it. The house disappears when the owner wants it to, and even when it's there only demons, and whoever they allow, can see it, touch it or come inside it.

Kai – But Leo wasn't born in Heaven, so how did he get here?

Lucia – How hold are you Leo?

Leo – Same as you if that's your real age. 21. I got into pre-school a year earlier so re-taking Calculus didn't set me back that much. Not that that seems importante right now.

Annie – Yeah, we're all 21.

Amanthiel – I'm 21 aswell.

Everyone turns to Amanthiel as he speaks for the first time during this conversation.

Vance – You've been awfully quite. What's your story?

Amanthiel – M-my father is Tevanel, and my mother Juminel –