Chapter 1
The Gates Have Fallen
In the highest clouds of Heaven, the Holy Castle watched over the pure souls dwelling the Holy Empire. The residents of that castle were the Angels, the holy creatures who were forever loyal to God. These were the souls who lived their lives in absolute purity, never sinned and trusted all their faith in the Holy Father. By this lifestyle, they were rewarded with white feathered wings, magical powers and a place in the Holy Castle after their deaths. The Angels were skilled fighters and were trained to protect Heaven and its souls against the dark forces of Hell. The most powerful of all holy creatures in Heaven was Nody. This Archangel was the commander of all the holy creatures in Heaven and was feared by all the Demons of Hell.
All, except one... and that one would change Nody's pure life forever.
'Hmmm... let's see...' Nody attentively studied the content of her closet. It was crammed with clothing, made of the finest material from Heaven. Most of the clothes were white, the purest color in the world. Some of the clothes were adorned with patterns, gold or blue. So many clothes... Nody had no idea what to wear.
The Archangel's servant, who was standing behind her, chuckled. She had shoulder-length red hair which were tied in two pigtails and wore a white flower in her hair. Nody turned around.
'What's so funny, Zoey?' she asked. 'Having trouble again with picking an outfit, Lady Nody?' said Zoey with a smile. 'Well, it's important to look good, especially when you have the highest rank of the Angels in Heaven, you know.' Nody replied with a smile, while pulling out a white short dress and putting it on. 'I know that, Lady Nody...' Zoey sighed and looked away. Nody raised an eyebrow.
'What's the matter, Zoey? Is something wrong?' she said in a worried voice. 'It's... it's just...' Zoey sighed again. 'I'm scared, Lady Nody.' Nody laid her hand down on her servant's shoulder. 'For what?'
'I don't know...' Zoey stepped away from her Lady and looked outside the window of the bedroom. The sight of Heaven was absolutely stunning, but it didn't interest the servant for now. 'I... I have been having a really uncomfortable feeling for a while, like something bad is going to happen. To all of us...' Nody walked towards her and decided to also take a look outside the window. 'Hell's army hasn't been attacking us for quite a while...' Zoey continued. Nody could definitely see the worry on her face. 'What if the Demons are planning something now? Will we lose more fellow angels? Will they die in vain?' 'No.' Nody said, shaking her head. 'Nobody will die in vain in this war. We will conquer over those unholy bastards and show them the light of our Father. And besides...' She laid her hand on Zoey's shoulder, trying to reassure as much as possible. 'If something bad would happen, I will be there to fight. As long as I am in charge, no Demon will survive this war. I have sworn an oath, Zoey. I will protect Heaven with my life and as long as we have faith in our Lord... nothing will happen. I won't let get anyone hurt, not Angel nor soul. I will throw those abominations back into the fiery pits of Hell, all of them. Please don't worry, okay?' Zoey nodded and smiled. 'Okay.'
But just as the loyal servant started to feel a little bit less worried, a loud bang filled Heaven. It made the Holy Castle tremble, like Heaven had been struck with a small earthquake. 'What was that?!' Zoey shrieked. 'I don't know!' Nody braced herself; she was ready to flee out of the bedroom at any second, ready for battle.
After a couple of seconds, another likewise loud bang made the castle tremble. And another. And another. And another. Souls screamed.
'Alright, I'm going to check it out!' Nody said, running out of the bedroom. 'Zoey! Stay here and guard the castle! I think the sound came the direction from Heaven's Gates!' 'Be careful, Lady Nody!' Zoey shouted. Then she realized she was right... That uncomfortable feeling all the time... What will Hell do now?
Nody stormed down the stairs of the Holy Castle as fast as she could. What in God's name was happening? Was it another attack from Satan's soldiers? If so, then she would not hesitate one second to kick their unholy asses back to Hell! Nody prepared herself for the worst. 'Bring out the best you have, you bastards...'
She ran outside and arrived in the Castle's garden, where she saw numerous Angels spreading their wings, gathering their weapons and flying off into the skies, all heading towards the noise. Every Angel had the same facial expression: worry. Then, something in the air caught Nody's eye. In the flight of the Angels, one female Angel was flying into the opposite direction. And by the looks on it, she was in bad shape. She wasn't able to fly in a straight line and clearly it looked like she had a hard time trying to keep her wings working. She clenched her throat, her hand were drenched with blood. But in the end, she had to give up on her efforts. The female Angel's wings stopped fluttering and she fell from the skies, crashing into the garden's stone floor. Blood splattered on the stones, followed by numerous battered feathers. Nody ran towards the injured Angel. Her golden armor was heavily dented and it had blood splatters all over it. Her weapon was missing. Her face was horribly beaten, like she was in a terrible fight. Nody immediately recognized her; she was the Angel Guard who guarded Heaven's Gates!
'Bridgette!' Nody yelled, shaking her mangled body. 'What happened?! Answer me!' Bridgette softly moaned and opened her eyes, which was hard since her eyelids had been swollen because of the beating. 'Demons...' she croaked. On that moment Nody noticed how bad Bridgette's throat was bleeding. Blood streamed out of it like a waterfall. 'The Gates... they broke it... magic... taken off... someone... traitor...' Bridgette softly gurgled in her own blood before closing her bruised eyes. 'Bridgette? Bridgette!' Nody shaked Bridgette's body over and over again, but there was no response. Bridgette was gone. Anger welled up inside Nody. She softly nodded. 'You will not die in vain, Bridgette.' she hissed through her clenched teeth.
'Nody!' a familiar voice shouted.
From the skies, a handsome male Angel landed right in front of the Archangel. His eyes were bright blue, he had a tanned skin and dark brown hair. It was Justin. Nody knew that he was adored by many female Angels and souls and he loved the attention. With no doubt, Justin was the vainest of all Angels. His looks were his number one priority; he always quickly checked his looks before going into battle or after battle. Even though he had many female admirers, Nody had no interest in Justin. He was way too vain and he often flirted with her, which she didn't like at all. But despite this, Justin was a skilled fighter.
'Thank our Lord, there you are!' he said, panting. His forehead was covered with sweat. 'We need your help at the Heaven's Gates, right now!' 'Who is attacking us, Justin! Report!' Nody demanded. Then, Justin noticed Bridgette's dead body. Nody was still holding her. 'Oh dear Lord... Bridgette!' he exclaimed in shock. 'Justin!' yelled Nody. 'You didn't report! Who is attacking us?!' Justin inhaled a shaky breath before reporting the shocking news. 'The Demons are taking down Heaven's Gates. Someone has taken off the protecting magic shield... Nody, I'm fearing we might have a traitor amongst us!' 'We'll search for that bastard later...' Nody unfolded her gigantic feathered wings. The unfolding was followed with a powerful gust, caused by the impact. A small amount of pure white feathers floated down to the ground. 'We have to get to Heaven's Gates as fast as possible! You come with me, Justin!' And with those words, Nody ascended into the skies, followed by her vain companion.
During their flight, Nody and Justin arrived at the central square of the City of Heaven. They looked around. Every soul in Heaven had panicked; they ran into different directions, screamed and cried. 'Is the end of Heaven near? Will they drag us to Hell? Please Lord, save us!' they cried. Some of them even fell on their knees and started to pray.
'Don't you worry...' Nody softly whispered. 'As long as I am here, nothing will happen. I will protect you all. I promise.' And just after the last word of her sentence left her tongue, an ear-shattering bang was heard, drowning the screams and prayers. Black smoke emerged from the distance. 'Shit!' Nody shouted. 'Justin! They have taken down Heaven's Gates! Hurry!'
Meanwhile, a young, blonde female Angel who was comforting a crying soul, looked up to the skies and smiled with excitement when she saw the Archangel. She must had heard her command. Without any hesitation, she quickly unfolded her wings and ascended into the skies. 'Oooooh! Nody! Justin! Please let me come with you, I'll help you!' she yelled. Nody heard her voice and looked behind her. She gasped. 'Lindsay?!' 'Yup, that's me!' Lindsay replied with a smile. 'Please, please, please let me help you, Nody! I think have had enough training, I can handle them, no problem!' But she was wrong. Lindsay just had training for three days. There was no way she could defeat a Demon, let alone a whole army! She wasn't ready for this at all! Nody shook her head. 'No, you can't. You're just a rookie. Go back, Lindsay!' 'I'm not a rookie, or... or whatever that is!' the ditzy Angel said. 'I-I can do this! Just watch!' And with an amazing speed, Lindsay flew past Nody and Justin. 'Lindsay, no! Come back!' 'Don't worry, Nody! I can do this!' Lindsay said, looking behind her and smiling. But her smile soon would fade away, as she bumped into a strange figure.
It had a red skin, yellow eyes, a grin filled with sharp teeth and bat wings. It was wearing a black metal armor. It was a Demon! And before Lindsay could even react, the Demon pulled out his sword and... stabbed Lindsay right in the face. The sounds of her crunching skull, torn facial muscles and split brain made Nody's stomach clench. Her eyes went wide with shock and she dropped her jaw. Then, the Demon raised its sword with a powerful pull and split Lindsay's face partially in two. Blood, bone chips and little pieces of brain splattered down like a sinister rain. Lindsay's body crashed from the sky and landed with a loud thud on the ground.
'Lindsay!' Nody screamed. Suddenly, a bright light emerged from her clenched fist. It was a spell. She summoned a sword, but not just any kind of sword. This sword was made from blessed steel; it was designed to rip through hundreds of pounds of Demon flesh. The Sword of Greatness.
As soon as the sword appeared in her hand, Nody rushed towards the Demon, the sword clenched with her two fists. Ready to attack. Ready to slaughter. Ready to purify. 'You fucking bastard!' Nody furiously yelled. 'How dare you to kill Lindsay?!' And with one swift move, Nody sliced through the Demon's neck, cutting his head clean off. Unholy blood sprayed out like a fountain. The decapitated body of the Demon crashed to the ground. Nody stared at the body, her face tensed with anger. 'Nody...' Justin's voice broke her concentration. 'We've gotta get moving. Let's go, before more Demons get in.' The Archangel nodded. 'Yeah... let's go.'