Chapter 19: The Cliff
Summary:
The battle commences.
Notes:
No new tags, I will have to look, there is a battle
but there was always going to be one!
Chapter Text
playlist?list=PL-B2IVpkcxi5VP1GNHkcEfe_iA5iGNKSs
Crowley looked to Anathema, who had already commenced actuating towards Tracey, the redhead, who prompted most of the agony that all of them felt and could clearly remember. Crowley started to run from the noises, hurriedly grasping Aziraphale, placing her over his shoulder, blood slowly seeping down his side, the sounds of Edens hell growing closer. The earth's vibrations were consumed, creatures came for them, and Crowley pressed on that much faster.
Tracey kept motioning for them to hurry, she could hear the creatures as well, and time was short. A sudden crash, dust, and rocks flying everywhere, as the beasts broke through Anathemas wall, falling out into the brightly lit hallway, rolling, tumbling over one another. Growling, drooling as ghastly heads shook off the dazed feeling that crossed their eyes. Their prey in front of them, Crowley kept running, his wings propelling him faster.
Anathema spun on her heel, hearing the creatures breaking through her walls, hands throwing out vines in front of her. Passing by Crowley and Aziraphale, gripping, ripping at the monsters on their heals. Tracey watched, it was a decision, she needed to make it now, would she be friend or foe to these celestials, looking down at her hands, slowly she raised them seeing the creatures still coming passing the vines that couldn't grab all of them.
With a scream, Tracey lifted her hands into the air, the shattered earth levitating upward, coming towards Tracey. Closing her eyes, her ear-piercing scream threw a shield of air and shattered rock at the creatures knocking them back. Crowley fell into Anathema, whose arms wrapped around both of them, her wings pushing the air again, sending them to Tracy's side. Tracey reaching out for Anathema, closing her arms around the dew touched wings.
Tracey turned, catching the claws of one of the monsters, screaming as her wings were sliced through. Pushing them all through a portal that Tracey created, falling to the floor, Tracey let the portal close, slicing through whatever creatures were coming through. The portal closed, and Tracey fell back against the floor, weeping at her wings. Letting go of the others, she lay there, blood pooling around her.
Crowley rolled off of Tracey's wings, feeling his clothing become wet and heavy with blood, placing Aziraphale on the floor in a room that shouldn't be, a room of Traceys creation. Anathema kneeled next to Tracey, her hands tentatively reaching for the damaged wings. Tracey's eyes widened, seeing the hands going for her wings, kicking back with her feet, wings dragging against the floor, streaks of blood, pooling. Anathema watched as Tracey grew weaker, the blood flowing more freely now.
"Please, let me help you, I promise I am not going to hurt you." Anathema pleaded with Tracey, as she watched the creature grow weaker.
"If I die this room dies with me, are you sure you want to help me? For what reason would you want to help me, after all, I have done." Tracey gasped out words that were slowly escaping her grasp.
Tracey could feel her heart slowing, her breathing slowing, deeper breathes, unneeded breathes, her eyes locking onto Anathema. Dropping back against the far wall, Tracey looked at them all, reaching her hand to her wing. The white of the bone visible, the color of her blood, red, black, gold, a mix never intended.
"Please, I promise you, I can heal you, I can stop this. We need your help as much as you need ours. I can see it, I can feel it, your aura screams it, please let me help you." Anathema crawled to Tracey's side, just in time to see the nod of agreement before Tracey went unconscious.
Gasping Anathema worked on healing Tracey's wings, vines of healing, slowly pulling the wing back to its proper shape. Hands of healing brought smaller vines and started to stitch together where the claw had sliced through bone, flesh, and feather alike. Anathema couldn't help but admire the color of Tracey's wings, they were all and nothing at the same time.
Crowley watched on as Anathema healed Tracey, perhaps someone they needed to get out of here and to find the child. Gabriel was gone, his corporeal form destroyed, ripped apart, and Anathema mourning her loss. All of these things brought forth worry, sadness, and Anathema already searching for her child and losing her mate, Crowley worried when that anger was going to let loose.
Anathema was strong, she was made of the earth, but her love was also from that place. Crowley realized that in reality, Anathema was, in fact, Mother Nature, she was of the earth, had given birth to a child of the earth and of Heaven. Anathemas wrath may be more than any of them could bargain for. Crowley had lived and seen mother nature's fury in the weather alone, but what of a mourning angel.
An angel created by the earth itself. An angel whose child was stolen, whose mate was murdered in front of her eyes, how would the earth respond to Anathemas call. Crowley grinned slightly at the thought that maybe if he could get Anathema to let go, let her powers fill her, she might be a better weapon than any of them, no one knew what the earth could do. Anathema was the only angel ever created by the earth, without God's sayso.
Anathema finished healing Tracey's wounds, the room shimmered every now and then as the healing was commencing. Should Tracey parish, so did the place that currently protected them all. Crowley leaned back against the wall, letting his eyes close, taking a much-needed breath, his own wounds oozing with his blood, never having been fully healed.
Arms tightened around Aziraphale, Crowley sighed, how would he get his angel to wake up, what had a hold on her, on him, on Aziraphale's entirety. Time slowly passed, what seemed like hours was only minutes, the scratching and clawing could be heard from somewhere outside the room that Tracey created. Slowly Tracey started to come to, first blinking eyes, a stretch of impossibly colored wings, then she woke.
Anathema smiled at Tracey, holding her hands up to show no ill will was for the being, and then she motioned over the wings that Anathema had in fact healed. Tracey stood looking around, something in her eyes relayed fear, something was coming. Tracey reached for Anathemas arm, pulling her up looking to Crowley, the panic was setting in.
"We must leave, we have to go now, he's coming." Tracey opened a portal that went into a room that showed all the stars that had ever been made. Running as fast as Tracey could, dragging Anathema behind her, Crowley followed with Aziraphale over his shoulder.
"What are we running from?" Anathema gasped out, trying to find her footing while running at top speed, her feet barely keeping up with Tracey's pace.
"He's coming, we can't fight him, no one can, he's not human, or celestial he's something else." Tracey waved her hand again another portal opening.
Falling into the next room, wings having to catch air to stop the fall, feet touching down on the cold floor. Not metal, not rock, but something else altogether. Tracey dropped Anathema's hand, spinning, bringing rock and molten rock surrounding them as they stood.
"Anathema intertwine the rock with your vines and whatever else you can do. We stop here." Tracey still looked panicked. What was coming?
"Wake up, Aziraphale, see me, please..." a whisper from somewhere else tickled Aziraphale's ears.
Aziraphale fell through the air, holding her wings close to their body, falling faster with every moment, but why wasn't she landing. Opening her eyes, Aziraphale realize the world around her was moving by. She was not, something had taken hold of her. Pulling her wings back to herself, Aziraphale noticed more feathers, violet.
"Aziraphale we need to fight, I need you, I can't help them...wake up."
"Gabriel?" Aziraphale asked, suddenly surprised by the possibility of Gabriel having found her.
"Aziraphale, I am, and I am not here. My corporeal form was destroyed, and we need to save our loved ones. Something is coming for them, something I can't describe." Gabriel's soul twisted around Aziraphale, violet fire following, searching for an entrance.
"What can I do, Gabriel?" Aziraphale's eyes followed the soul that lived brighter than the sun; the violet flames burned brighter.
"You need to wake up, you need to fight. Though, together we would be far stronger... Let me in Aziraphale, let me join with you. Only to fight for yours and mine." Gabriel asked, insisted, to join souls to fight against what was coming.
Aziraphale thought on it, a slow grin. Aziraphale opened her wings fully, closing her eyes, she opened her arms. Gabriel continued to swirl around Aziraphale, then seeing her answer to him joining her. Gabriel sighed, slowing his movement, letting his violet flames envelope Aziraphale. Archangel and Nephalam acceded souls, eyes of both blue flame and emblazoned violet opened.
Anger flowing through Aziraphale as both Aziraphale and Gabriel melded into one being. Powers flowing together, filling and flowing with protection, anger, hate, the need to destroy. Aziraphale wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the archangels soul within, calming herself. Remembering the child she saw, she knew it was time to wake up and fight.
Crowley, Tracey, and Anathema were back to back, the sounds of ripping and tearing becoming louder.
"Tracey, where are we exactly? Where have you brought us?" Crowley looked down upon the sleeping angel between all of them.
Golden eyes glowed brightly, becoming flames of their own as the noises grew louder. Anathema reached back, grabbing Crowley's hand, his eyes dropped quickly, then nodded. Reaching back, both grabbed one of Tracey's hands. Tracey pulled then stopped, instead holding their hands in return.
"Is Michael coming, Tracey? We know he's part of this." Crowley boldly asked, only to receive a shake of Tracey's head.
Red hair bobbed around Tracey's fair face, her eyes spoke volumes of something else to fear.
"Tracey, what's coming?" Anathema asked, pulling at Tracey's hand.
The wall behind them blew out, their shielding blocking the debris that flew in every direction.,
"He is, and he has my daughter somewhere in here." Tracey pointed as hundreds of failed experiments followed, falling over one another encircling the being that walked in.
"Shadwell, he did this to himself, he isn't anything anymore. We can't defeat him." Tracey looked saddened, thinking of her daughter. Tracey thought joining the group would give her a leg up on defeating Shadwell and finding her daughter.
Crowley's face went as blank as Anathemas did as the information settled into their minds. This was a human who destroyed his very soul to be something more, only to become less. Only a weapon, out of fear of Michael, or the need for power, either way, Shadwell didn't come alone, hundreds of creatures followed him.
Letting go of each other's hands they all faced Shadwell, wings outstretched, it was time to see what they could do. Each celestial was something else than the norm, only one of each, one part of a whole, an angel created by the earth itself, a child of an angel and demon, and a beautiful creature created by humans. Looking down, Crowley bent picking up Aziraphale.
Crowley backed up into Tracey. "I have an idea, can you teleport us to Aziraphale's and my place we built together? I have an idea." Tracey stopped and looked at Crowley.
"It's not a funhouse gift Crowley, I don't even know where that would be, you would need to drag us there." Tracey humphed at Crowley, who gave a half-cocked smirk.
"Alright was just an idea, tell me how do you do it? Maybe I can try, I just never thought of doing that before." Crowley looked out at the creatures, slowly circling them, looking for an entrance to attack.
"In your mind, think of your place, where you truly want to go, and when you do, place each of us there with you, and pray," Tracey smirked at the end.
Crowley held tightly to Aziraphale and thought genuinely. Eyes closed, the stars, nebula, at the cliff overlooking the waters. Tracey, Anathema, Aziraphale, and himself there, on that cliff overlooking the water. Crowley thought hard, and in the end, he asked both Heaven and Hell to help him. Lucifer heard his son, he felt the danger his son was in, Lucifer wasn't going to lose his son as well.
God heard the call from Crowley, felt the pull of need to one of her children. Raising a hand, God went to help Crowley, but out o the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of Michael leaving rather quickly. With a thought, Uriel followed after Michael. God lowered her hand and watched earth, watched Eden. Lucifer had already helped she would sit and watch, what was Michael up to?
Lucifer called forth demons, lifting his hand and ripping a hole through time and space Lucifer dragged the group to Crowley's thought. Demons were left with Crowley, they appeared and disappeared, blending with the landscape longing to fight whatever was coming. Crowley grinned, realizing that they were indeed where he wanted them to be.
Crowley placed Aziraphale down by their tree, smiling as he took a deep breath, moving a single curl from his loves forehead. Anathema looked wide-eyed at the beauty of Crowley and Aziraphale quiet place they had built together. Tracey sat down, stretching out her wings, looking up at the stars, the nebulas she was never allowed to see. Demons roamed freely along the landscape, not to Crowley's liking but he knew his father had sent help, Crowley would have to thank him if he survived.
Crowley stepped to the edge of the cliff looking out over the waters, sighing he knew the battle would be here. Crowley looked back at his sleeping angel, he had prayed that Aziraphale would have woken up. Anathema stood suddenly feeling something amiss in the calming nature of Crowley and Aziraphale's place.
Tracey stood up, looking towards the waters, in the distance, something came, something moved, the waves slowly grew taller. Winds began to blow, and the leaves in the trees blew, falling to the strength of the wind. Crowley dropped into a fighting stance, guarding his angel, Shadwell was coming, he was closer now, so much closer.
Shadwell lifted his hands, pointing towards the group on the cliff, failures, creatures, and beings created listened to Shadwell. As they saw him point towards the cliff, they all ran, flew, swam towards them, their mission was to kill them. Shadwell's powers simply grew with each passing moment, pulling in magicks from the place he was now in.
Anathema saw the beings coming for them; Tracey gasped, looking at her. Anathema evilly smiled, standing fully, her wings stretched out, Anathema spun, dewdrop daggers flew from her wings. Angelic hands of earth raised pulling the earth with them, with a though Anathema threw the earth at the creatures crushing them.
"Anathema, you can do more than that, you ARE Mother Earth, you control all things...stop them, they killed Gabriel, let your anger fill you Anathema." Crowley chided Anathema, trying to get her to use what she honestly could.
Anathema turned to look at Crowley, her anger growing filling her, but as Gabriel's name was mentioned, Anathema lost control. Emerald green wings with the dew of the morning shot up into the sky. Anathema looked out over what would be the battlefield, her eyes nothing more than mere flames of hatred took in the enemies.
Anathema growled loudly, the sound heard of the trampling feet that came for them all. Spinning as she flew, arms out, calling for the winds, Anathema brought forth tornados. Massive, black, all-encompassing tornadoes that ate the land and the creatures. Carving a path through the monsters, Anathema let loose her powers.
Lightning crashed into the waters, the ground on which the creatures ran. Thunder rolled as Anathema growled, the earth heaved, throwing the monsters back into the waters. The universe came alive within the bubble that held them all, hail pelted the oncoming mob of creatures, the earth opened swallowing them before shutting again.
Shadwell screamed at the group, his hand opening a rift in time, pulling the creatures back and sending them on their way to kill them all. Anathema continued to use the powers of earth to keep them at bay, but it wasn't enough, more was needed. Tracey looked to Anathema, she could see her using more and more of her powers as she found them. Tracey found herself standing under Anathema as she flew in the air, divebombing creatures, pull tornadoes, hail lightning from every angle, and help.
Tracey released her corporeal form, she had evolved into a celestial, her form was whatever she saw herself as. Golden beams of light mingled within her transparent form. Colors of any thought traveled through her, out towards her wings and beyond. Tracey was nothing more than a shimmer to others, but to the celestials, she was a being of pure light and color.
Tracey dropped to her knees, hands digging into the ground as she looked forward. Light traveling through the land, exploding at each creature it touched. Sounds louder than Anathemas thunder erupted within each strand of light, with a thought Tracey caused all of the broken earth to fly at Shadwell.
Shadwell was the one that needed to be defeated, and Tracey was done, she wanted her daughter back, her life back that he stole. Light dripped from Tracey onto the ground, slowly snaking out and around the group, touching upon a creature that had made it to the cliff, instantly exploding into nothingness.
Crowley watched in amazement as the two fought side-by-side, letting wings of ebony out, Crowley shot into the sky. Reaching for the stars that he and Aziraphale had created, pulling them down onto Shadwell and the creature. Crowley remembered how to control the demons that ran rampant through the mobs, closing his eyes, he gathered their thoughts into one being.
Shadwell watched in horror as the mobs of Hell suddenly stopped and turned towards him, red eyes glowing, flames erupting off the denizens, growling, screaming, and gaining speed towards Shadwell. Crowley flew towards Shadwell, the denizens below attacking the mobs of Eden. Flying up into the skies, the stars fell to the ground, lighting it aflame.
Crowley reached far above the fight down below when he pulled his wings in, spiraling as he divebombed towards Shadwell. Crowley's very being erupting into Hellfire, flames dripped from his corporeal form, melting it away. A final scream of pain as Crowley's pure form exploded out of his physical restraints.
Both Heaven and Hell garnered him, divinity, and Hellfire both loved him, both encircled him as he hit Shadwell. The ground was devoured by the Hellfire Crowley was made of, the divinity entangling itself against Shadwells immoral being. Scrambling back to his feet, stars lived and flew from Crowley's wings, horns graced his head as did the tail made to be nothing more than a blade, slicing through the mobs that came for him.
Shadwell stumbled back, falling to his knees as the world around him thundered, exploded, and became alit with fire. Black empty eyes glared at Crowley, who stood his ground, no fear for Shadwell could be found within Crowley. Crowley waited, glancing quickly over his shoulder to see Anathema and Tracey still battling the mobs of Eden.
It was then as Crowley turned his head that Shadwell took advantage. Wings of flames sprang from Shadwells back, broken and bent, littered with bladed bones. Rushing Crowley, Shadwell caught him off guard as he slammed him into the ground. The tips of flaming wings piercing into Crowley's shoulders, clawed hands gripping at Crowley's horns.
Crowley reached up, trying to hold Shadwell at bey, only to be pulled up by his horns, his shoulders sliding more profoundly into the blades of Shadwell's wings. Screams left Crowley, feeling Shadwell slam him over and over again into the ground. Shadwell laughs echoed over the thunder of the battle until Crowley stopped.
Hellfire ignited within Crowley, pulling in on himself, Crowley let himself be consumed by it. His entire being erupted and was surrounded by it, loved by it, Hellfire danced around him. Chains of fire grasped Shadwell's wings, ripping them back, clasping around his wrists and ankles. Crowley slowly stood back up, the chains slamming Shadwell into the ground repeatedly, without mercy. For there was no mercy to be had within Crowley anymore.
Crowley stood holding Shadwell to the ground when a creature of both human and demon alike came at him, only to be ripped out of the sky. Crowley looked surprised when he was greeted by the enthusiastic smile of Hastur, who immediately flew back into the fray. Crowley smirked, shaking his head, anger still brimming when Shadwell grabbed hold of the chains, screaming in pain, picked them up, and threw Crowley across the field by them.
Anathema and Tracey were slowly being overrun by the mobs but dropped their fight when they saw Crowley be thrown, racing to get to his side. Landing with a resounding thud, both fought off the creatures that were surrounding them now, they no longer had the cliff, no longer had the field advantage, and Aziraphale was alone, unprotected under the tree.
They were being overrun, quickly, and without any break in the attack. Looking at each other and Crowley slowly standing back up, they knew that the three were in trouble, even with help from Hell itself, even though they were being overrun.
"I guess this is it then...?" Anathema asked, looking at them.
"Nope, we keep fighting, Tracey can you make a portal, maybe give us a break, someplace to go for the moment, rethink this?" Crowley asked, still fighting against the mobs with Hellfire.
"I can, yes, but Aziraphale is up on the cliff, and if you look, there are many climbing to her right now. We need to get her." Tracey looked up on the hill, shielding them all for a brief moment.
Crowley's eyes looked at the cliff, he could see them all, they were almost on top of Aziraphale, and she couldn't survive. Crowley left the shield running, leaving flames in his wake, but as he hit the hill, Tracey and Anathema pulled him back, seeing Shadwell was racing for him, there was no way to get to Aziraphale.
"No." Was all Crowley could say as the tree was overwhelmed.
Crowley's head dropped to his chest, tears fell from his eyes, seeing the cliff, their cliff overwhelmed. Creatures were falling over each other trying to get to her, falling from the clifftop to the shore below. The three watched, flying higher than the rest, trying to breath looking for any way to save her, anyway at all.
Tears now fell from all of them, for different reasons. Crowley had lost his soulmate, again, Anathema had lost a dear friend, and Tracey had failed to serve her penance for all she had done to Aziraphale in the past. Quiet sobs between the three, as they tried to comfort each other, it was then that Shadwell threw out a chain of fire, quick to learn, wrapping it around Crowley's ankle, pulling him out of the sky and to the ground.
A heavy cleft foot was placed against Crowley's head, slowly pressing down. A drool ridden grin was cast up at the two in the air still, tauntingly, a scream ripped from Crowley's chest. Tracey and Anathema both dived towards Shadwell only to be smashed out of the air and to the ground. The mobs all running towards the downed group, the denizens of Hell rushing to save them.
On a clifftop not far from where the battle was taking place, Aziraphale was being overrun by creatures. As they reached her, and hands began to rip at her, touch her, dirty her being a sudden silence rent across the land. The silence of time stopping, the silence of slowing, and then a rumbling from deep in the earth, the light of divinity shone down upon the cliff.
Levitating up, still curled in on herself, Aziraphale was waking. Anger filled her soul. Passion drove Gabriel's soul, and together they would fight. Curling up and into a standing position, her feet never touching the earth that the creatures sullied. Aziraphale's eyes opened, Blue and violet, one of each for each soul. Unfurling her wings, a set of six pure of color, stars dancing along the edges, followed by and archangels set violet and white glimmering with divinity.
Aziraphale looked over the still and silent battlefield, seeing her mate, seeing Anathema, seeing Tracey, Aziraphale screamed as the battle commenced. Her sc5ream rippling over the lands, as she shot up into the sky, the force throwing all off Aziraphale's cliff. A blazing sword appeared in one hand as a shield appeared in another.
Aziraphale was going to end this as their eyes locked on Shadwell. The thrust of Aziraphale's combined wings left the mobs rolling away from the amount of air that was being forced down upon them. Stopping midfield, Aziraphale floated in the air that their wings created.
"You will quit the field, or you will die." Aziraphale's voice a combination of both Gabriel and herself, commanding.
Aziraphale waited all of a split second before dropping into the ground with the full force of Heaven and Hell. The eruption throwing, breaking, devouring the creatures. Standing surrounded by divinity, her eyes looked to Shadwell, who wasn't impressed.
Flapping their wings once more, Crowley noticed the twitch in Aziraphale's neck, something was off. Crowley could feel it, he had felt it once before when he met her, chained in that Hell. He watched, seeing it again, he tugged the other two back with him.
Aziraphale countenance changed as growls ripped from her chest. Hatred poured from her, divinity breaking, allowing Hellfire to intertwine together. Gabriel released his powers to Aziraphale, combining all of them together.
Aziraphale glowed with shadowed Hellfire, black flames dripped from their wings, fire swirled around her celestial body. Anathema saw the violet running through Aziraphale, watched as it flamed out and around the blackened flames.
Sword raised, shield at the ready, Aziraphale flew straight for Shadwell.