Gabriel felt sick as he looked around the battlefield seeing the bodies of his brothers and sisters knowing that they had slaughtered each other because of the whims of his brothers and the orders of his father. "Anael, we must gather the wounded once Father clears the field. We need to take them to Raphael for healing." He ordered and then watched with the angels under his command as the bodies of the dead spontaneously combusted.
"Go follow my orders. Father orders me to his side." Gabriel said as he took to the air.
Anael turned to the members of her garrison. "Do as Gabriel has ordered."
"We must find Balthazar, I saw him fall with a wound to his side." Castiel said.
"Then go quickly. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can get him to Raphael's presence for healing.
Raphael looked out upon the thousands of injured with sadness and anger. Thousands were injured and hundreds had died. This losses in this war were much greater than during Kemuel's rebellion. Hearing his father's call he directed one hundred angels to tend to the wounded and made his way to Father's side.
Michael checked the chains binding Lucifer. Created from an Enochian spell they bound not only his physical body but his grace. Setting a dozen angels to guard the Morningstar he made his way into the throne room at his father's call.
"My sons, this is a sad day, one I hoped would not come but it is here and Lucifer must be dealt with. I will not ask you to take the life of your brother, I asked that of you once before and it was a mistake. Lucifer will be imprisoned. Michael will announce his full sentence before the host." God said. "For now I wish to speak to you of the fail safe that I have promised. Lucifer's actions have forced me to change what should have been. The creation of the twisted souls to be known as demons has created the potential for humanity to become a threat to creation."
"We know nothing of this fail safe Father. Only that it will destroy this world." Michael said.
"Gabriel knows of it." God said nodding at the youngest Archangel. "He holds the key to the destruction of this world..
"What key?" Raphael asked.
"My horn." Gabriel said. "The sound of it will destroy the world."
"But we get ahead of ourselves. The sounding of the horn will be the call to the final battle. I hope it never comes about. Because that battle will not end until Lucifer or Michael is dead. One of them must kill the other."
"Father no!" Gabriel said.
"Yes, It is my hope that this knowledge will encourage you all to work harder to prevent it." God said.
"How will we know that the time has come?" Raphael asked. "Must we guess?"
"Gabriel will know. When he sounds his horn you will know." God said. "But there are other things that will come to pass first. I will bring about the births of two babes, two brothers. As Michael and Lucifer are brothers, these brothers will be their Earthly vessels."
"So when these human vessels are born it means the end of the world?" Michael asked.
"They must not just be born Michael, they both must give their permission to be used by you." God explained. "As a matter of fact, no longer may angels roam the Earth freely, no angel other than Gabriel may set foot on Earth outside of a vessel that has given their permission."
"But Gabriel may take any human he wishes?" Raphael asked.
"No, Gabriel is my Messenger, he will need to walk the Earth. Gabriel was given the ability long ago to raise his vessel from the dust. Whenever he has need he will use that vessel he raised from the Earth. He has no need to ask permission since his vessel has no soul."
"So when these children are born it will be the end of days?" Gabriel asked.
"In order to prevent the start of the Apocalypse without my permission, no." God said. "There is always the chance that someone will meddle to bring about the apocalypse. There will be signs and portents that signal the end of days. I will create 600 seals to Lucifer's cage. 66 of these seals breaking will open the cage and allow your brother his freedom, but the Apocalypse may not begin until all 600 are broken. Only Gabriel will know all 600 of them."
"Why does it take so few to free Lucifer from the cage?" Raphael asked.
"Because your brother may yet repent. He did not take his actions solely from maliciousness." God said. "At the root of his reasoning was love for me, for the three of you and for the rest of the host. Lucifer loves us above all else, there has been no room in his heart to accept any other creature of higher intelligence. There is still time for him to learn to love the rest of my creation.
In the beginning all of you were as hard-hearted as he is and yet all of you have grown gentler in your regard to humanity. Should Lucifer learn to accept them he will no longer deserve to be locked away from those he loves and who love him in return. By breaking 66 of those seals you may bring your brother home. But for now he must be punished. Michael cast your brother into the cage and and seal it with Lilith's name. She is the most important of the seals. Lucifer's first created Demon is the final and most important of all the seals."
Lucifer knelt in front of the steps leading to throne room doors surrounded by his assigned guards. Although he seemed calm on the outside, inside he was a storm of emotion. He once had free access to the space beyond those doors. Father's throne room where God would speak to the Archangels and the nest where they had all been raised from fledglings. The nest they all retreated to when they were in need of comfort.
He wished he was in the nest now, surrounded by his brothers. Grooming each other and bonding as they had done since they each came into existence. That was more painful than kneeling here in the dirt. He knew that father was inside with Michael, Raphael and Gabriel deciding his fate. Lucifer had been present when Father had done as much when Kemuel rebelled.
Lucifer straightened in his chains as the doors slowly swung open. He watched as his brothers emerged taking places on the top stair. Raphael stood to the left looking down at Lucifer with with pity written on his features. Gabriel stood stoically on the left, He held himself stiffly tension marring his normally carefree features. In the center stood Michael all righteous arrogance. Lucifer waited expectantly. Surely Father would not deny him one last chance to see his face when Lucifer loved him above all else. He wouldn't.
It soon became clear that Father intended to do just that.
Michael took a deep breath and spoke. "Lucifer, Father has decided your fate. You are to be cast down into Sheol in a cage that he has built for you. There you will remain until you repent. If you do not repent you will remain there until the end of days. Should you not repent then in the end of Days we will face each other across the field of Megiddo to fight until one of us succeeds in smiting the other. This world will be destroyed in that battle."
Lucifer saw Gabriel flinch at the pronouncement.
Michael continued. "Father believes that you can be redeemed, it is why he orders you locked away instead of smote. He is giving you a chance to repent brother. To return to your heavenly family but that will only happen when you accept humanity's place as his favored creation."
"So I must remained locked away in Isolation until I bow before the filth that is humanity?" Lucifer asked. "Free me, let us have our end of days now. It will never happen."
"Lucifer." Gabriel started with a plea in his voice.
"No Gabriel you will not speak!" Michael interrupted. "Lucifer has made his choice."
The ground suddenly trembled causing the gathered angels to stumble as a chasm opened before Lucifer. Michael flew to the bottom of the stairs and grabbed Lucifer's arm pulling him to his feet. "Perhaps in your Isolation you will consider the pain you have brought upon Heaven with your misguided pride." Michael touched the shackles freeing his brother before pushing him into the chasm and watching him fall.
