Welcome back, dearest fanfiction readers and writers. We return to my new story with a very important chapter. Like I said in the notes of the prologue, this first chapter is essential for the quadrilogy and will act as a catalyst for the main characters. Which are: Elaiel (Sean Faris), Aella (Ellen Hollman), Repel (Justin Hartley), Sira (Virginia Gardner), Manael (Steven Krueger). Therefore, this chapter will appear in the following 2 stories after this one, marking the impact it will have on each character's arc. So be prepared for some serious stuff.
Also appearing in this chapter will be Archangel Uriel (Scott Adkins).
Anyways, enough staling. As per usual, let's dive in...
1
In his office, Uriel was at a loss for words. At a loss for thoughts, even. He tried and tried to make sense of what he had heard. But every time he played it in his mind, the more he found it unbelievable. Truly shocking, to say the least. What Elaiel had just told him surpassed his wildest thoughts. Never in his most farfetched, most highly improbable predictions or scenarios would he ever have come up with anything of the sort.
It had to be some kind of mistake, for sure. Elaiel must have been manipulated somehow, his mind forced to play tricks on him. Anything could have happened while he had been in hell. Certainly, it was the most logical and probable explanation. But Elaiel did not even flinch upon contradicting him that it was not a trick or a manipulation. He was standing his ground with the utmost confidence and assurance.
"Lucifer?" The Archangel asked for the nth time, from behind his desk. Elaiel was at the other side, standing upright like his superior.
"Yes sir, Lucifer. I know how it sounds but you have to believe me. It's the absolute truth."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because of everything. He knew the first second I arrived there. He kept pestering me everywhere I went to give up and leave hell. And when I thought there wasn't any hope in sight, he told me everything about himself. But not because he wanted to show off or gloat or whatever. He did it to push me in the right direction. He made me realize the truth about everything... about Ahziel... about the real reason I went to hell. He showed me what I needed to wake up from my depressive, death-wishing state and fight for what really matters. I swear to all that is holy... every time I found myself in his presence... I didn't feel not one malevolent vibe. Not to mention that if it wasn't for him, I would have been Lamia's main course right now. He saved my life."
"Elaiel," Uriel addressed with a visible dose of skepticism, "what you're asking me to believe... it's difficult. We're talking here about our sworn enemy. The guy who wreaked havoc among the mortals for such a long time. Hell, he's the devil himself..."
"He was," Elaiel interrupted. "But not anymore. He's different now."
"Elaiel, you cannot base that on one simple experience you had with him. I've been neck deep in all the damage and trouble he has caused over the millennia. He... he's pure evil. There is no changing from that. It's impossible."
"Then why did he save me? Why did he go out of his way to nag me like a petulant child to get me to leave hell?"
"Alright," Uriel declared abruptly. "Let's say you're right. Let's say he is changed and all good now. What's your angle?"
Elaiel knew the next part would be even harder for Uriel to digest. Nevertheless, it had to be done. "Think about it, sir. With him on our side we would have an invaluable tactical advantage in the fight against hell. He's their supreme leader. Imagine the possibilities. Countless victories, saving uncountable souls... it would be a tremendous chance to shift the balance in our favor."
"So what? You want to start sending angels to hell to take advantage of this so called new asset?"
"I know you see the potential of all of this, sir. We cannot deny how important this is for us, for the souls trapped down there, suffering terribly..."
Uriel sighed and finally took his seat. He allowed a small pause to set itself as he searched for the right words. On the other side, Elaiel was anxiously and impatiently waiting for his superior's acknowledgement. If he approved, it would be a massive victory for all the souls in hell. There was no way he could not approve. But somehow, the expression he saw on his General's face told a different story.
"Elaiel," Uriel eventually spoke, "I admire your newfound purpose in life. I think it's great to channel all your efforts into championing for the innocent and the defenseless. But what you are suggesting... it's... it's very dangerous. Sending angels behind enemy lines, right in the heart of their base of operations, basing all on the aid of a notorious, infamous liar? I'm sorry Elaiel. I can't allow that. The risk is too great."
Deep down inside, Elaiel had expected this answer as well, although he still felt disappointment creeping in. It was a shame indeed. Much could have been done should the Celestial Host were to engage on such a campaign. Alas, it was a dream now. And Elaiel felt he had to act upon reality and maintain his objectivity. That is why he was going to suggest plan B.
"Very well. What if I go?"
"What?" Uriel appeared to be struck hard by what he had heard.
"Me and my friends. Just us, no other angels."
Now the Archangel was vexed. "Elaiel, why are you doing this? You barely got out of hell the last time. Now you want to go back in? Do you really want to risk your neck for some souls that rightfully deserve to be there? There is a reason some people go to heaven and others to hell. It's how God wants it, He made the system work like that. Why do you want to go against that? Against the natural order of things?"
"Because if God didn't want to, He wouldn't have let me save all those people and bring them here in heaven. He did not stop me, nothing did. If that is so, then why shouldn't I try to do it again, for as many souls as I can?"
Uriel buried his face in his palms in frustration.
"Sir... they are suffering down there, horribly. Without hope, without any shred of peace... Just languish and torment, again and again. I can't stand idly by and ignore their plight. I have to do something. Anything."
The Archangel lifted himself from his hands and sighed. "Elaiel, you are a very promising soldier. You have what it takes to become a great elite. You could do so much, heaven needs you. I need you. I don't want to let you go on a fool's quest like this."
Uriel stopped to look at his eyes. He recognized the stare he was receiving. So, he went on. "Last time you came into my office like this, you were making a request, just like now. And despite my better judgment, I let you do what you had to do. I knew that even if I forbade you, you were never going to stand by and follow my orders. You were too stubborn for that. I feel the same way now."
Elaiel agreed with his eyes.
"The only difference is that last time, you were out for vengeance. Now... now you plan on taking what is probably the most difficult and dangerous undertaking that has ever been. Saving souls in hell while working with the devil himself. Some would say it's pretty damn foolish. I would agree. But it's also commendable, noble. A truly just cause. If that is what you really want, I can't stand in your way."
Elaiel breathed relieved.
"But I won't help you either," the Archangel continued. "You do this, with friends or not... you're on your own. I won't be sending back-up, I won't come saving you every time you cross paths with Lamia or any another demon far above your pay grade. Even if that means you dying there..."
After finishing his last words, Uriel looked away, unable to properly process what he had just said. Elaiel could clearly distinguish his upset state.
The Archangel reverted quickly to his formal disposition and resumed. "Your... mission, will be highly classified. Nobody else will know about this but me, you and the friends you decide will join you. If I so much as hear a reference about this from someone else, I'll deny it entirely. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good. That is all. Any questions?"
"No sir. Just... thank you."
"Dismissed," Uriel added coldly and laid his sight upon the papers on his desk.
Elaiel saluted and began walking toward the door. Before reaching the handle, he was stopped by his superior's voice.
"Elaiel? Good luck!"
"Thank you, sir," the angel finished and walked out of the office. Uriel leaned back in his seat, not having the will to focus on his paperwork anymore...
/|\
Elaiel could easily read the apprehension and hesitation on the look of his friends' faces. A completely predictable state, given the nature of what he had just shared with them. After leaving Uriel's office, he proceeded to summon the four of them to what had become their usual meeting place, the summit of the mountain, part of the ever-stretching chain that formed one of Heaven's astonishing landscapes. This was the location he had convinced them to join him in hell the first time, in their successful attempt to save the group of human souls there. He hoped that history would repeat itself. But this time, he was not asking for a simple rescue mission. This time, his proposal was far more grave and hazardous.
In front of him, Aella, Repel, Manael and Sira expressed sheer bafflement and utter confusion. All four of them adopted a state of total paralysis after having heard what Elaiel accounted, unable to speak, move or react in any kind of way. Manael thought of asking if it was a joke, but the will to do so eluded him, held back by the lingering feeling of incredulity. Sira and Aella could do nothing more but gape, too shocked to get out of the state they had been forced into.
Repel, on the other hand, quickly regained his composure. "Are you actually serious?"
Elaiel failed to respond, his somber disposition being the only answer given.
Aella shook her head. "And General Uriel agreed to this?"
"Very reluctantly."
"I'll say," Repel shot. "This is beyond insane."
"I know. Guys, look…"
"Are you out of your damn mind?" Repel accused in a visibly furious demeanor.
"Calm down Repel," Aella quickly intervened. "Yelling isn't going to help." Then, she turned to the other, addressing him in a much calmer mindset, "Elaiel, we're your friends, and for sure, we'll follow you to the ends of the universe and beyond…"
"And I'm really grateful for that…" Elaiel declared with full sincerity.
"I mean, we went with you to hell the first time… But this, now… What you're asking of us… It's too much."
"Way too much." Sira completed.
"I know. I am very aware of it."
"Are you?!"
"Repel, come on, let's not make a scene," Aella requested.
"Are you kid… Have you heard wh…" Too frustrated to finish his sentences, Repel turned and paced around with his hands covering his face.
"Look, I'm not forcing you to do anything. I'm giving you a choice. If you don't want to, then that's fine."
"That's the problem," the angered male angel found control and spoke coherently again. "I'm your friend, Elaiel. We all are. You cannot just dump this on us and then say 'if you don't want to, that's fine'. We can't NOT follow you. We're not about to leave you do this alone. Because we freaking care about you. But I can't help but feel that the gravity of it all escapes you. You're asking us to come with you to hell to save souls while working with the devil! Do you realize how that sounds?"
Repel took the words out of the others' mouth. Aella was unable to find anything else to add and lay absent sound or reply. Manael and Sira were taken aback by the severity of the topic and could not attempt to include themselves in the heated exchange, opting to just let the other two angels deal with it in their place. As far as they were all concerned, Repel was inexorably right. Elaiel was their friend, a very close and dear friend. Should they refuse his proposal, he was going to proceed further without them, placing himself in the most dangerous predicament for an angel to find himself in. Therefore, they were pulled in two directions. One forcing them to say no from the beginning, the other compelling them to go and be by their friend's side.
"I do. Trust me I do." Elaiel argued.
"Then what the hell, angel? How can you even consider it?"
"Maybe he's referring to another Lucifer," Manael tried to decrease the tension and absolve Elaiel. "There isn't just one, right?" The only thing he managed to get was an elbow bump from Sira.
"You saw those humans down there," Elaiel stated, "you've seen the look on their faces… The fear, the lack of hope, the despair… They're all alone. They have no one… No one to defend them, to look after them, to tell them that it's going to be alright. There are probably trillions more in the same condition… Or worse…"
"I'm sorry to butt in," Manael interfered, "but you do realize that we're talking about the souls of the damned, in hell. Emphasis on 'the damned'."
"Exactly," Repel agreed. "Why should we go and risk our necks for a bunch of miscreants who've been rightfully sentenced to suffer for the rest of eternity?"
"You're saying as if they're no better than the demons. Like they're evil or something. They're not!"
"Elaiel, no, that's not what this is about." Aella jumped. "They are not just some innocent victims that ended up in the worst place in the universe on some error or technicality. They have committed terrible sins. They themselves are responsible for being there. It's God's will. You know that."
"That doesn't mean we should just leave them there to rot, Aella." Elaiel stood firm.
"Now he thinks he's better than God," Repel adds unnerved, throwing his arms in the air in utter discontent. "You know, I'm really starting to believe you when you say you met Lucifer. He's fooled you into thinking exactly like him."
"Repel!" Aella speared him with a spiteful glance, warning him to refrain from such comments.
"I'm not better than anyone." Elaiel defended himself. "I'm just trying to make a difference in those people's existence. Heaven knows how much they need it, whether they rightfully deserve to be in hell or not. No one should have to go through hell. No one. And if we have the power and means to save them, like we did with the ones before, than why shouldn't we? We're angels… we're God's supposed messengers, spreading His holy light and peace, watching over the fruits of His creation. What else could be our main purpose than to deliver those in need from the evil?"
Deep sighs resounded all around. Elaiel was running out of arguments and explanations to aid him in making his friends see, if not the advantages, then at least the benefits of his cause. He was expecting the difficulty and delicacy of this discussion and although he maintained the appearance of a stellar resolve, inside he was hanging by a thread. Although he would carry his mission alone if they refused, he was desperately hoping for them to accept. With them by his side, his chances of success were significantly higher. Meaning they would considerably double the numbers of humans rescued from hell. They made a good team and had great camaraderie between them. Together, they could achieve the impossible and overcome the steepest of odds. Without a doubt, he wanted them to come with him. He needed them. However, he was not ignorant of reality and he knew it was not easy.
"The means," Repel broke the silence, referring to what Elaiel said. He knew the latter was talking about the help they would receive from Lucifer. It was a preposterous notion that made him sick. "I can't believe you are so delusional as to think the devil would do anything but manipulate and slaughter you!"
"It's not like that!"
"It's suicide, Elaiel!"
"Yeah, I mean, this is like making a Faustian Pact and then being disappointed when you get double-crossed," Manael adhered. "Am I the only one who's getting 'hell no' vibes?"
"Look, I know it's hard to believe…"
"Hard? Try downright impossible." Sira emphasized.
"… but you have to trust me on this," Elaiel resumed. "I wouldn't be telling you any of this if I wasn't one hundred percent sure."
"How can you be so sure?" Aella asked.
"Yeah, Elaiel," Repel said. "How can you be sure that our worst enemy did not just lie and manipulate you six ways from Sunday?"
"Because he helped me. You have to understand that after Ahziel's death, I was lost. Not in the sense of where I was going, no. In the sense of who I was. I blamed myself for her death and the only reason I went to hell was to die. Vengeance was just a justification. And at my lowest point, Lucifer showed up. Not only did he save my life, he gave me a sense of living and a new purpose. He made me see what I had to do to value what was most important to me. If it hadn't been for him, I would have never gotten out of that cage. Not to mention that he actively interfered and aided me in escaping hell."
"Yeah but that could also be a long term plan," Sira speculated. "Gain the trust of one angel and lure more into a trap."
"I know how this sounds. I really do. The seriousness of what I'm proposing has not gotten away from me. I'm not doing this out of some personal desire to absolve myself for whatever errors I think I'm responsible. I'm doing this because I believe in it, with all my heart. I believe this is the right thing to do. We have a chance here to save a lot of souls that are in unending torment down there. The only chance they got. That's why I'm telling you this. I believe we can do it."
The others looked at each other confused and heavily reluctant.
"But I know what I am asking of you, I'm not blind. I meant what I said earlier. I'm offering you a choice. To join me and fight for a righteous cause, or refuse and go on our separate ways."
"Elaiel…" Repel attempted to intervene but his interlocutor quickly cut him off.
"Please, let me finish. I'm going to give you some time to think about it before you make your final decision. That is why I'll remain here and wait for three super-cycles. Whoever will want to join me, they can come here after the cycles pass. If not… If you won't show up… I will know your decision… And understand..."
"This is bullshit!" Repel declared vexed and teleported away.
"He's not wrong you know," Manael addressed. "This is just too crazy." And with that, he too disappeared.
"I'm sorry, Elaiel," Sira apologized. "I don't think I'm up for it." Then, she proceeded to follow Manael.
Left alone with Aella, Elaiel directed his gaze at her. She was staring blankly at the passing clouds. "You know," he started, "I was kind of expecting you to accept from the get go, without hesitation."
Aella sighed and turned to him. "I love you, Elaiel. You know that. And to be frank, I would have joined you on this one, as you say, without hesitation."
"…if it not for?" Elaiel continued correctly.
"… if it not for why you're doing this. For whom you're doing this…"
"What do you mean?"
"The souls in hell. They're lost Elaiel. They've damned themselves, their ultimate fate determined by the despicable choices they made. They're a lost, hopeless cause that don't deserve the effort it would take to save them. I really look up to you and your newfound desire to help the defenseless… but not them. There are so many more worthy of our help in this universe. Beings who actually need saving. Creatures who could really benefit from our intervention. If you would want to go rescue them, yes, I would be the first to come with you."
"Those souls in hell have the right to be saved just as much as everyone else."
Aella looked into his eyes, feeling the searing pain of what she was about to tell him. "I'm sorry, Elaiel. I just don't see it that way." She tried to set her sight on something else other than his face, attempting to avoid seeing his disappointment. But she found her view uncontrollably sliding back toward his expression. She braced herself as if she was to receive a hard blow. Contrary to her expectation, she found him the same as before, still and resolute, and not hurt or disappointed. She let out a subtle exhale of relief. Although glad, this reaction of hers made her question everything. A confirmation of just how much he meant to her. So was she really ready to let him go to hell without her? The more she lingered there, the more insecure she became, as her decisiveness was slowly being swept by a vortex of doubt and remorse.
With a shimmer in her eyes, she apologized once more and instantly vanished into thin air.
Alone, Elaiel struggled to maintain control of his pessimistic thoughts. He comforted himself by hoping that time will eventually persuade his friends back to him. So, he propped himself against a large stone and began the waiting process…
That's it. From here on out, we will continue with Aella and her separate journey, as she goes into the world of Insidious to face the Further. Let me know what you think so far. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thank you and stay safe.