And the next chapter and even I have to admit that I have felt kind of sorry for a certain archangel in here
(but this is still harmless. Wait for the upcoming chapters. I will make you hate Lucifer, that's for sure...)

And I also would like to thank the few people who have taken some time to write me some feedback here.

Many, many thanks guys. I really appreciate this :)

And now I hope you will enjoy the next chapter and I hope my english is still okay.

It's still not easy to translate this story...

Chapter 11

It was already late at night, when there was a knock at Raphael's door and God's healer turned his head around with raised eyebrows, since he had not reckoned with visit at this late hour.

"The door is open," was all he said and only seconds after that, his door opened and his little brother Gabriel entered the room.

The messenger looked tired and totally exhausted and there was something in his eyes, what Raphael was unable to explain, but he felt that something was wrong with him, because he had not seen his little brother like this for a long, long time.

"Gabriel, my brother, what brings you to me so late at night?"

The younger Archangel didn't answer, just closed the door behind him, before he finally turned his head to his brother and gave him a worried look.

"I am worried Raphael. And I can't sleep, no matter how hard I tried to fall asleep. My body feels weak and tired and I thought maybe you could help me with that."

"I can only advise you as any other angel also that you should go to bed and try to sleep a bit, so your body gets its strength back. But that's not why you've come to me, right?"

Gabriel hesitated, seemed to search for words, but in the end he shook his head and he sat down on Raphael's bed and ran his hands through his face, before he looked at his brother.

"No, that's not why I'm here. I am worried Raphael. I am worried about our home and I'm worried about our family."

The healer angel sighed, before he stood up and went over to his bed and sat down next to his brother.

"I can understand your concern, because I am also worried about our family and also about God. I've never seen father so angry..."

"Me neither and I've never seen an angel who acts like Lucifer does currently. What are we going to do Raphael? I fear for our brother..."

"I fear for Lucifer also, but I don't know what we can do about it. I don't even know where he currently is and apparently some of the other angels have already chosen to be on his side, because I have not seen many of them since the Assembly."

"I have to agree with you. I have seen the angry looks of our brothers and sisters at the Assembly and you could be right with your assumption that they have joined Lucifer. But...do you really think they would have enough courage to challenge our Father and to rebel against him?"

"I don't know Gabriel, I really don't know, but surely is only one thing: Something is wrong with Lucifer. And I also worry about Michael. Have you seen him this morning? He behaved as if he had seen something terrible..."

"When we're at the topic: Where is Michael? I haven't seen him since the meeting."

Before Raphael got the chance to answer, someone knocked like crazy against his door.

The two Archangels immediately jumped up from their seats and looked over to the door with fear in their eyes.

Shortly the two exchanged glances and Gabriel nodded his head, signaled Raphael to open the door.

While the healer walked over to his door, Gabriel tensed up, ready to pounce on those which were on the other side of the door, if they should have something evil in mind.

But as Raphael opened the door, they faced no enemy, but their big brother.

"Michael!" they shouted simultaneously, when they saw their brother, how he was covered in blood, standing in the doorway with a torn robe and looked at them from glassy eyes.

He was breathing heavily, his face was contorted in pain, his body was shaking and he was trying desperately to say something, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. When he tried to take a step forward, the last bit of strength seemed to leave him, because he fell face down onto the ground and into the room.

"In the name of our holy father!" Raphael shouted, when he saw the bloody wings of his brother.

Here and there a few feathers were missing and blood soaked those which were left.

"Gabriel? Gabriel! Look at me!"

The younger Archangel could hardly turn away from his big brother, and when he managed to turn his head around, Raphael winced, when he could see the pure fear in the eyes of the young messenger angel.

"I know it's hard and I know that you are scared, but you have to go to father and bring him here. Can you do that for me?"

At first there was no answer and Gabriel stared back and forth between Raphael and the seriously injured Michael, but then he seemed to find back to his courage and he clenched his fists and nodded his head.

"Well, go and fetch Father! I will look after Michael in the meantime. And Gabriel?"

The messenger turned back to Raphael, because he already stood in the doorway.

"Please be careful. Whoever did this to Michael, could still be out there."

A tremor went through Gabriel's body, but he nodded with his head bravely and only moments later, he had disappeared in the dark night...

While Gabriel made his way to God, Raphael tried to pull his brother to his bed as gently as possible, but this proved to be more difficult than expected, because Michael was so much bigger and heavier than him and as soon as he had grabbed him and started to pull on his arms, the warrior groaned in pure pain.

"I'm sorry Michael, please forgive me, but I have to do this."

Once the body of the warrior was in the safety of his room, Raphael made sure that no one was watching him, before he closed the door behind him and lay Michael on his bed.

When he had turned him on his back, he didn't even dare touching him, when he examined the extent of his injuries.

The upper part of his robe was completely torn or cut open and covered his torso only makeshift and there was blood everywhere. So much blood...

At this sight, the healer angel got tears in his eyes and he quickly turned his face away from the angel in his bed, not wanting to scare Michael. No. He wanted to stay strong, especially when Michael opened his eyes and looked at him.

Raphael was about to get some water, when Michaels hand gently closed around his arm and stopped him.

"P-please...don't...go...d-don't...leave...me...alone..."

Goosebumps covered Raphael's entire body at that and he turned his head back to his brother, stroking his fingers gently over the back of his hand.

"Shhh, I'm here Michael and I won't leave you alone. I just want to fetch some water, so I can clean your wounds," he replied softly and gently.

The Warrior seemed to be satisfied with that answer, or he had simply left his strength, because he let go of Raphael's arm shortly afterwards and closed his eyes again.

He gasped in pain and his muscles were shaking and the healer didn't want to imagine under how much pain he suffered in this very moment.

He had to help him, no matter how he would do it!

When he sat back down at Michael's side, he had brought a bowl of water with him, in which he had dipped a white cloth, which he took out of the water and began to clean Michaels wounds. At least he tried to do so, but his brother was writhing in pain, bit his lips to stifle his cries of pain and he clutched at Raphael wrist whenever he cleaned one of the deeper wounds on his shoulder.

"Shhh Michael. It's almost over," he tried to reassure him, but it didn't seem as if the warrior was listening to him.

The pain seemed to cloud his senses and Raphael wished so much, he would simply pass out, but the way it looked like, this didn't seem to happen and so he could continue to watch helplessly how his big brother suffered.

He put the now blood-soaked cloth aside to give Michael a little break and almost immediately the warrior relaxed a bit, when he felt that the pain had subsided. This time Raphael pulled the torn robe away from his torso in order to clean the underlying wounds, but as soon as he had exposed the chest of the older Archangel, he gasped in shock.

"For Father's sake!" it escaped him and his eyes widened in shock.

Suddenly the door to his room flew open in that moment and the angel had the feeling he would crawl out of his skin in this moment and he winced violently, before he turned his head to his door, where now Gabriel stood along with his father; both of them looked at the lying in bed warrior angel with shock in their eyes.

Without losing a word, God entered the room and made his way to his Son.

Raphael immediately made room for him and walked over to Gabriel.

From the door, the two watched their father in silence, as he sat down at Michael's side and looked down at the bloody torso of his oldest son.

The warrior angel also opened his eyes and as soon as he saw his father, he could no longer hold his tears back.

It was an eternity ago that he had shed tears and in that moment he didn't seem like the mighty warrior of heaven, but more like a small, young fledgling, who wanted to throw himself into his father's arms and just wanted to cry and that was exactly what Michael did now.

He cried; loud and unrestrained and the sound of his sobbing was so heartbreaking that God gently took him in his arms and pressed him against his body. Reassuringly, he stroked him through the long, curly hair, spoke softly and soothingly to him, sent his warmth into his heart and tried to relieve his pain at the same time.

When Michael had calmed down, God put him back into the pillows and he gently ran his hand over his chest and let the wounds on it disappear.

Wounds that had been cut into words...

Lucifer had sent them all a message.

He had tortured Michael, had injured him badly, had almost killed him and then he had the audacity to cut a warning into his chest.

"It has begun," he had written and this threat was as heavy as lead and made even the Lord shiver!

"Father…"

Michael's quiet voice interrupted God's thoughts and he focused his eyes on his eldest son again and when he saw the tears in those azure eyes again, he immediately took him back into his arms and hugged him close to him.

"Quiet my son, quiet..." he whispered reassuringly into his ear, but Michael could hardly calm down and no one could blame him for this.

"I tried Father..."

"I know Michael. I know…"

"I wanted to bring him back to his senses...but then they fell upon me."

More and more tears wetted God's white robe.

"I-I had no chance against them father."

"Shhh calm down my son..."

"He did this to me..."

Raphael and Gabriel shuddered, when they could see how Michael's expression changed.

Still the tears were running down his cheeks, but his eyes took on an icy and hard look and briefly it seemed as if the hate was flickering in them.

"You were right father...you were always right...This mark on his arm...it has corrupted him forever..."

God was silent, pressed his head more closely against his chest and he could feel how Michael's body tensed up and how the angel was clawing at his robe.

"I'll never be so foolish ever again father."

The other two Archangels backed away from Michael, when his face twisted into an angry grimace and his eyes began to glow, when the anger blazed like fire in them.

"I'm going to lead the heavenly hosts in this war, father."

He closed his eyes and the next words would hurt him more than any weapon of heaven could do.

But there was no turning back.

Not anymore…

"I will banish Lucifer from heaven...or kill him if I have to..."