PROLOGUE
Thousands of years ago, Lucifer with an army of 400 devoted soldiers, lead a rebellion against his fellow brothers and sisters: a rebellion that soon developed into the fiercest and the most brutal battle Heaven has ever witnessed. Many have been slaughtered: their empty vessels ripped in half covered the battlefield, streams of blood turned into rivers, sounds of silver weapons clashing pierced through the air. The war lasted 16 days. Heavenly forces were proclaimed victorious on the 17th – the day of Victory and Triumph. Lucifer was captured and imprisoned in the depths of Hell. Alongside him his most faithful allies: Rahab, Ornias, Ipos, Amon. All but one: Samael. On the day when 6 angels faced the Judge of Heaven - God himself, Samael, the only one of the group, pleaded for forgiveness and was not only forgiven, but granted entrance home, for it is known that the Lord does not keep his anger forever towards those who learn to obey him.
CHAPTER 1 - THE LIST
It is time, he whispered as if fearing that unwanted, feathered creatures might overhear their conversation. Samael, in his slightly trembling hand, held a key to victory and success – a list of a thousand of names, carefully scraped in black ink on a piece of thin papyrus. All the centuries of thorough work and research, weary nights of scrupulous planning, long days of pretence and illusionary obedience in front of strongly despised angels: all came to this. Find them and tell them to join me, he whispered again, letting an almost invisible smirk appear on his face, yet preventing himself from expressing any deeper emotions. Nyx knew – she could see it in his glinting blue eyes, his posture and his manner of speech, even though he spoke in whispers – Samael was proud of himself; proud like an artist who, deprived of vital materials, still managed to create a masterpiece. What if they disobey? she murmured when Samael handed her the list. Looking at the item she was now clutching in her palms, Nyx could not help but admire her master: she could not even begin to imagine all the struggle he had to go through to breathe life into his most inner dreams and turn them into a tangible substance; a substance so powerful it could destroy Heaven itself.
I am not our Father, Nyx he spoke now in his usual, cold manner, his voice echoing in the room. Samael turned around, retreated to his previous position behind the wooden desk and placed himself on a royal wing chair. I will not punish those who decide not to join me, he proceeded, crossing his arms on his chest and maintaining the same cool expression on his face. I give them a freedom of choice. Something our Father had deprived them of a long time ago. Nyx could tell from the way he spoke about their creator that he still bore the same loathing for him: the hatred he felt towards God and his creations, including his brothers and sisters, when he decided to join Lucifer grew rapidly and turned into a poison ivy, blackening his thoughts and dreams. Yet Samael managed to trick everyone into believing he rejoiced with them when Lucifer and his allies were casted into depths of Hell; he fooled angels into trusting him, since what he appeared to be was nothing more but a prodigal son who eventually found and accepted God as his saviour.
They might talk. They might turn to Archangels, Nyx finally spoke, voicing one of her deepest fears and doubts. She did trust Samael; after all, she had always blindly followed his orders and was his most loyal servant. She wanted to believe that his plan was foolproof, but the thought of having to put her faith and depend on those of whom she only heard and barely knew, was appalling. Samael, as if having expected such an argument, smiled. They are fallen, Nyx, he said, placing his palms on the surface of the table as if wishing to stand up, but remained seated. They despise Archangels more than I do, he took a deep breath and continued. I am not their enemy, but a saviour. I merely wish to give them a chance to return home. He finally stood up and slowly paced towards the window, hands in the pockets of his black trousers, focusing his eyes and attention on the scenery behind the glass and giving enough time for a woman to apprehend his statement: he truly did not desire to cause any harm or damage to the ones he was hoping to receive help from; he was solely concentrated on executing the primary aspect of his plan. What about our Father? she asked almost silently, as if fearing to anger him with her doubts.
Nyx, a black-haired petty angel, was silently eyeing her master as he was standing near the window. He was wearing a dark suit, his brown, a little messy hair, gave him a sense of authenticity. What about him indeed? he answered, his back turned. We have not heard of him since, he stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts that evoked unpleasant memories from the past and proceeded, our trial. I am certain he cannot be bothered with what his pets are up to now. As always, he spoke with confidence and she knew that he had overlooked every possibility, every necessary move and detail and was instantly assured that the idea will successfully manifest into reality. She had one more question to ask before leaving for a search of fallen angels, whose names were mentioned in the list. How should I speak to them? Should I reveal your plans? She kept her eyes focused on his figure, impatiently waiting for the answer, while at the same time nervously fiddling the list in her hands.
Her voice awoke him from his thoughts for a moment. He turned around to face his servant and spoke without further ado. Tell them I sent you, Samael made a few steps forward in her direction. When he was close enough, he placed his hands on her face, cupping her cheeks and continued. Tell them that with their help we will not only move Heaven, he made a short pause to look more attentively in her hazel eyes, creating a sort of undescribable tension; a sparkle that was always present between them, but we will also raise Hell. A delighted look on her face, she disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Samael to anticipate the upcoming events.
