Sophia's Chronicles
Chapter 3: The Duty
I loved my job. I valued knowing and discovering new things. As the Keeper of Knowledge, it was my duty to catalogue the types of plant growth and sentient creatures in Heaven and Earth and build on the existing knowledge of their properties. Sure, God had made them Himself, but His role was only to set things in motion with an intelligent guess as to how things would turn out. Often, He was accurate but, He said, sometimes the universe can surprise you and it is important to take note of what has already been created to further understand how creation works. Creation was a science, He'd said, and asked me to help Him refine His work. Of course, I was deeply honoured. As far as I was aware, no one else had been given this opportunity. In the early days of my arrival here, He'd shown me how to manipulate the weather and set in motion certain cataclysmic events that would shape the evolution of terrestrial life. During this time, I'd learnt a lot about life and death, and how this cycle was important for this great terrestrial experiment. And truly, evolution brought about many great wonders that still awed me several billion years later.
I used to work in my own designated office in Imperium, on a high floor which all of us archangels shared. Sure, it made communication easier – especially between Lucifer and myself – but it made travelling difficult for my job. So on one of my once-in-a-million birthdays, God descended from above and gave me a gift. A house in the middle of nowhere. To an ordinary person, the solitude could be anxiety-inducing. But for me, nothing made me happier. Lucifer complained at first about the distance from Imperium, but soon shut up when he realised we could do anything we wanted out of sight of everyone else. The land was flat for acres on end, giving me a good view of the horizon. There was a gentle stream that marked the location of the nearest forest. The air had a constant, mild fog about it, which for some strange reason, made me feel safe. I remember that birthday. All of us archangels convened in my new house/office, and after the initial surprise had worn off, I'd eagerly gotten to making a meal for all my guests (eating was but a formality, not a necessity).
God had given us a great speech. I think I must have cried at some points. It was so rare to hear from Uncle so when he spoke such kind words at the time, I couldn't help myself. To be fair, God always knew the right things to say. Having my whole family around, laughing and talking, was the highlight of the eon. Back then, it was hard to truly understand what a gift this was, what with the way things turned out later. My heart still aches from time to time at the thought of it. But it wasn't so perfect a day either. At the end of His speech, He had an important announcement to make. He didn't say much. Only that, now that I was all grown up and fully an adult, it was important for me to "safeguard my purity". The cups I held almost slipped from my hand, but I faked a smile and assented.
The first thing that had come to mind was all that time spent with Lucifer. If I'd felt guilty before about being so close with him, this made it much worse. The only thing that was clear was that God was telling me to be a certain way for my own good. For the longest time, I was of two minds about it.
Millions of years later, I stood on the front porch, overlooking my garden as someone who'd disobeyed Him. Lucifer tried so many times so convince me that I had it wrong, and I began to believe him as our relationship deepened and ventured so far beyond any measure of purity. Yet a tinge of guilt always remained in the back of my mind. I hated feeling like I had to choose between two people I loved very much. So as long as God never confronted me about it, I avoided thinking about the matter completely, living with a strange cognitive dissonance that I thought would never rear its ugly head. How wrong I turned out to be.
Perhaps the moment when things truly began to change was that fine day on my front porch, when I was perfectly content with observing the sun's rays filter through the fog and cast fragments of rainbows over the land. It was that time of the eon for festivities – a truly joyous time for all of us, were it not for the amount of preparations involved. Not to mention all the interaction with the angels (there was a reason I enjoyed my solitude).
The sight of a damaged stalk caught my eye. I descended the steps, crouching to observe the damage. The plant's stalk was snapped at an odd angle. Huh. Must be those pesky rabbits running around. Despite the regular occurrence of such things, I didn't have the heart to exterminate the pests or put up any kind of barrier or trap for them. After all, this was just the way of nature and I wanted to leave it be. Moreover, who could look at those adorable rabbits and think of hurting them? I massaged the stalk between my palms, holding it in its normal upright position. As natural as it came to me, I breathed energy into the stalk, repairing the break.
"I see your garden is coming along nicely," a voice said. I stood up, dusting the soil off my palms as I turned to face my visitor. Squinting through the fog, which was gently cleared away by the east-ward breeze, Michael appeared. He must have just arrived, because I glanced over at him just in time to see him retract his silvery wings into his back, making them disappear. "You are truly gifted in creation, almost like Father."
"Please, Michael, you flatter me," I blushed. "No one compares to Him."
"You come the closest," he spoke with his cordial voice, his square jaw moving seamlessly with self-confidence. "It truly speaks for your feminine essence that you should be so talented at creating life. It's no wonder Father asked you to help Him with Earth. All the rest of us can do is manipulate what already exists."
Michael always did this – made me feel more special than I actually was. He always encouraged my abilities, even when others were uncertain or even afraid of what I was capable of. I beckoned him to come inside and he obliged, curiously scanning the interior of the house. "How long has it been since you've come to visit? I was beginning to think you forgot about me," I teased.
"I assure you, that isn't the case," he rushed to defend, clearly misunderstanding the seriousness of my accusation. "I would never-"
"I'm kidding, Mike," I clarified, pulling him into a hug. "Lighten up, would you?"
Colour rose to his cheeks as his arms hesitantly patted my back. "Alright," he relented. A smile finally graced his lips when I pulled away to make us some tea. "I bring news from the capital. It's about the upcoming Feast."
The Feast was a special occasion whereby a special class of angels, the Gravidas, were celebrated by all of Heaven. They were special because they were endowed by God with the ability to bear offspring, which meant they could produce more angels with God's blessing. They weren't really endowed with many other capabilities, so this was their niche. The Feast was a time for them to receive God's blessing as well as the blessings from every single angel. A large meal would be prepared with the nutrients they needed, without which it was difficult for the little angels to form properly. It was a beautiful thing to see the little bundles of joy being brought to life from these angels, who after giving birth would go into hibernation. The task of looking after the little ones soon fell on the rest of us. I loved this period of birth and creation and on some level I longed for a similar experience.
"Father wishes for you to present the Feast this time," Michael snapped me out of my thoughts. "He thinks that your expertise in plants and herbs would give it an interesting touch."
"If that is God's will, I shall enact it," I replied, unable to contain my excitement. He entrusts me with such a great thing? "It would be my honour."
He nodded. Then he averted his gaze, using a hand to rub the back of his head before asking, "Would you also be persuaded to fulfil my will?"
His silver irises found mine. This was… unusual. "What is your will?" I dared ask.
He huffed a smile. "I only wish for you to be by my side when we arrive for the Feast." He came closer, taking my hands in his. "If that isn't… too much to ask."
"Of- of course," I stuttered. How could I say no to him? It was such a simple request. And it had been so long since I'd really talked to him about anything other than work, so this could be nice. "I accept your request."
"Thank you," he pulled me into a hug and gently kissed my forehead. I reciprocated with a kiss to the cheek, as was our custom. "I'll see you soon."
In the next few months, I supervised a committee of angels who would help me with the Feast preparation. The Grand Hall was busy with other angels who were involved in decorations, performances and timeline planning. Uncle never did these sorts of things Himself because He enjoyed seeing what we could come up with. The great irony, however, was that as soon as the festivals concluded, the angels went back to being the dull sticks they always were. Apart from the select few who were talented in craftsmanship and other artistic endeavours, the angels rarely did anything particularly interesting. It was just their culture to suppress their own creative capacities and believe that they had no such capacity, as though wishing the potential away would make it disappear and make their lives easier.
At some point, I wandered away from the kitchen and back rooms, sauntering into the Grand Hall. There, in a corner designated for the orchestra and choir, I noticed the strangest of things – conflict among angels! It wasn't that big of a conflict though; one angel was advocating ardently for the orchestra to play a different song of his composition and the other angels responded along the lines of "This is not our tradition", "What if God notices the change and is not pleased with it" and "We should just follow orders". Finally, an angel who dares to be interesting, I thought. Noticing my arrival, the angels ceased their dispute and turned to me.
"Archangel Sophia," they curtsied. I expectantly reached out my hand and the angel at the centre of their attention hesitantly handed me the parchment of his composition.
"I like it," I stated, having imagined in my head what it would sound like. "Include it in the score."
"But m'lady," the angel who was convinced of God's displeasure interjected. "How can we change what has already been accepted?"
I avoided rolling my eyes for the sake of professionalism. "God does not take issue with such trivial matters. Or would you insist that the Creator of this magnificent universe does?" I challenged.
"No, ma'am," the angel shook her head, terrified of the possibility of blasphemy. It was truly amazing how the angels irked me even in their manner of accepting my reasoning. I'd expected at least a little more debate but alas, that was not the angelic way.
"I insist that this new song must be played, and that is final. Move along, now," I shooed them. "Except you," I beckoned the one who'd composed the piece. The angel looked at me in askance. "What is your name?"
"Castiel, ma'am," he nervously answered. He was so young then, and wide-eyed. I'd heard he had a reputation for being a little strange at times, but it wasn't anything significant – the angels liked to exaggerate their gossip.
"This is good work, Castiel," I praised him. He appeared too shy to smile. "Do you compose often?"
"Only when I'm not on my shift. But the other angels in the garrison say that I'm overstepping my boundaries," he confessed, dejected.
"Don't listen to them," I advised, encouraged by his potential. "It isn't sin to follow the natural inclinations given to you by God. Where do you serve?"
"I am in the Earthly patrol, ma'am. I do Thursday shifts."
I gave him a comforting smile. "I'll remember you, Castiel," I said. "As you were." With a short nod, the angel left. I knew then that he would become something greater. But how big he truly became was a surprise to us all. Surely, you know best about that.
The day of the Feast finally arrived. After much consideration, I donned a red gown that hung loose around my body and was secured by knotted laces on my lower back and mid-back as well as scaled shoulder plates of the finest metal. I wore ruby-studded jewellery – a necklace, a tiara, arm bands, bracelets and rings. These were made in Heaven's armoury, a large workshop in which my good friend Hassiel served as the angel in-charge. He was a skilled artisan in making weaponry and, as I had incidentally found out not too long ago, jewellery. He'd taken it upon himself to make me these gifts, for which I was very grateful.
I studied my own reflection in the mirror, checking to see that I'd adorned myself properly. My long, curly black hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, leaving only a few stray locks. It covered parts of my back that were left exposed by the dress. The dress itself was made by the finest tailor in all of Heaven, by Lucifer's recommendation. Lucifer always said that red looked good on me, complementing my tanned complexion which had rosy undertones at some places. Of course he'd say that, considering he often left me red all over. I chuckled despite myself, feeling heat rise within me just at the thought of him as I fastened an earring to my ear. "You leave me breathless, Sophie," Michael's voice sounded behind me. I turned to see him standing at the doorway to my room. He wore a white silk tunic and matching pants, with gold chest armour and shoulder plates. His lips breathed a smile as he reached out a hand to me.
"You're a sight to behold yourself," I greeted, taking his hand.
As soon as we arrived at the Grand Hall, I excused myself to check on the Feast preparations. I did a quick check on the meals and gave out some last minute instructions to the angels who'd helped me. Satisfied by what I found, I left to look for Michael in the hallways that led into the hall. As I turned the corner, I bumped into a large figure. My eyes moved up from his chest to meet his crimson gaze, which were trained on me now that we'd found each other. Lucifer was dressed in black silk in similar attire to his brother, though he chose to forego the armour to suit his lean but muscular figure. "My path has been blessed by the sight of you. I can now rest easy," he said in his usual charming manner, holding a hand to his chest.
I lightly tapped his chest with a palm in a reluctant attempt to get him to stop saying such nice things. "You're dressed so ominously," I noticed in an attempt to distract myself from his suggestive expression.
"I think I look adorable," he gloated. "Besides, I'm doing everyone a service by wearing black."
"Oh?"
"Can't have me blinding everyone from my radiance, now can we?" he preened, puffing up his chest. "Especially when a certain, special angel is about to present the Feast."
"How magnanimous of you, Mr Morningstar," I remarked dryly. "What would Heaven do without your wise words?"
"Don't get snarky with me, kitty," he took a step towards me and I instinctively stepped back. I recognised those devious lips, pursed in such a way that one could easily mistake for anger when it really meant something deeper. It was that playful look in his eyes that gave away his true intentions, which was something I'd become an expert in reading.
"Or what?" I challenged, despite my better instincts about the time and place. He took another step and so did I.
"I'm not someone you should mess with," he warned, though it sounded more like an invitation. When I saw his sharp, square jaw tighten, I knew I was in deep trouble. And I longed to surrender. My smile faded as our eyes met. I must have been staring into that round amber sea for too long because the only thing that broke our silent conversation was the sensation of him against me as his lips met mine. I was lost in the moment, the union of our bodies as natural as the wind and the stars. But soon I remembered that this sight wasn't so usual for everyone else and broke away reluctantly. I still felt tingly when his hands left my hips and he set me down. Just in that opportune moment that we'd separated from each other, a couple of angels exited the kitchen doors, busily making their way elsewhere. How close we'd come to getting caught!
I'd averted my gaze, folding my arms as if that would definitely dispel any suspicion that we'd been standing too close to each other. As soon as the angels were out of sight, I caught Lucifer staring at me. Had he been doing that the whole time? "Don't look at me like that," I ordered.
"It's just two angels. Who cares what they think?" he argued, his arms animated as he extended them outwards in a flustered gesture. "It doesn't matter."
"Of course it matters," I whispered pointedly. "Word spreads around quickly." Lucifer opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off. "I'm supposed to be by Michael's side later, by the way."
"You said yes? Dammit, that's another bet I lost to him," he cursed, shaking his fist. I frowned, puzzled. "Your loss, Sophie. You can always find me if he bores you to sleep."
"And here I thought you were going to say something nice about your brother for once," I shook my head in mock disappointment. "You know, about how he's finally approaching me again without fear of disappointing God."
"Yeah, poor Mike," Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Thinks he's sinning by looking at you for more than a second. I swear, he's even stopped looking at flowers because they remind him of you."
"Hey, don't be mean," I insisted. "He was just being as respectful as he knew how to be. Not everyone can be as nonchalant as you about the rules."
"You know, I'm glad he has a stick up his end. Left me with less competition to your heart," he shot me a toothy grin. "But I must have been a clear winner from the start, right?"
"Hm. Would you look at the time? I need to find Michael," I ignored his question and turned to leave.
"Wait, I have something for you," he stopped me. He reached into a pocket in his tunic and pulled out a platinum box, which he opened to reveal a black gel. "Your eyes-," he said, rubbing his finger into the gel, "-would look better with some-," now rubbing the gel onto my lower eye line, "-definition." He stepped back to observe the result. His features softened as he now regarded me. "Now you'll pierce my heart with a single look."
"What have you done to my eyes?" I asked, as he turned the small box around to show me a mirror on the inner surface of its lid. He'd accentuated my lower eye line, which brought out the light green of my eyes. "It's lovely. What is it?"
"A gift, from me to you," he winked. "Run along now." My heart fluttered in its seat like it had grown its own wings. Pocketing the gift, I pulled his head down by the back of his neck and gave him a deep kiss on the cheek before running off with a giggle like a little girl.
