Sophia's Chronicles

Chapter 6: The Title Fight

God's office stood at the centre of the citadel of Heaven's capital, Imperium. It was a marble building with Nth metal fortifications that towered high above the others. The structure expanded far and wide to house the angels whose services were in Heaven and worked closely with God on administrative and executive matters. It was typically filled with angels bustling about, doing their duties. God had a flare for extravagance and pomp, so the hallways were lined with golden banners weaved from actual gold. The building contained several important sections such as a prison, an armoury containing Heaven's most valuable weapons, a forgery, training yards and more. God worked at the highest floor where He had a good view of Heaven and could easily communicate with anyone via a communications system. The five of us archangels had our own offices in this building too.

The building's natural vibrancy somehow felt faded that fateful day, when the archangels and I were sitting at a round table in the conference room in front of God. Lucifer hadn't spoken a word to me ever since Uncle told us to leave His office. He was busy giving me a literal cold shoulder, keeping a large bubble of the coldest air he could create to discourage me from nearing. Evidently, I'd upset him with the way I acted. I didn't blame him. I had expected some hostility when I chose to accept the proposal. Except then, I was preparing myself to deal with the consequences as Michael's bride-to-be. Now… I was in somewhat of a grey area between keeping my lover and having betrayed him. One thing at a time, I told myself.

"I have chosen to change my decision," God announced, hands clasped on the table. "Some concerns have been raised. I have decided that perhaps war is not completely off the table."

The other archangels were clearly surprised by this decision. "Why so sudden, Father? I thought we had plans for peace?" Raphael asked.

"That we did," God nodded, maintaining a sturdy frown. "Unfortunately, I have to come to realise that this may not be the best option. I don't want to jeopardise any of your lives for the sake of something so uncertain. Instead, we will fight to secure our future. But if we're going to do this, we must be careful about it. The five of you will train and follow my plan. This is my decision and it is final."

"So we'll kill her?" Michael inquired.

"No," God rushed to answer. "No one is killing anyone. We'll trap Her." God pulled out a blueprint of sorts. We leaned in to take a look at it. Essentially, His plan was to weaken Mother and lock Her away in some kind of prison. This prison was another realm of its own, locked away from other realms through very powerful magic – the kind only God could use. Studying it, I realised that the lock to this prison would be no ordinary one – it needed to be bound to a living being who could withstand the pressure placed on it by Amara. "This prison requires someone to bear the responsibility of holding the key to it. Someone strong-willed, who is willing to do what it takes to safeguard what is good." His eyes scanned the room and finally fixated on Lucifer. "Do you think you can handle it, Lucifer?"

"Of course, Father. If that is your wish," Lucifer smiled, his face beaming with pride at being appointed such an important role.

"Good," He smiled. "Right now I will need all of you to preserve and gather your strength. Train together. Amara may strike anytime. We must be ready. If there aren't anymore pertinent questions, you are all dismissed."

I waited for Michael to leave before entering Lucifer's office. It was a spacious room, considering he liked to practice katas on his own sometimes with a long bow staff or one of his many swords. A filled bookshelf lined one wall and one of the rows even contained a dagger collection that he liked looking at but not using. They were as valuable to him as a painting or gemstones would be to any other person. His table was large, giving him ample space to rest his feet on the surface when he would lean back in his chair to contemplate on something. There were paperweights and statues made for him by adoring angels, all symbols of how much they loved him. On one wall hung a starguide, which was some kind of system to identify stars and thus delineate their properties like their orbit, luminescence and so on. Lucifer liked that sort of thing and tried to teach me sometimes. It was definitely one of my fondest memories.

As soon as he saw me enter, all emotion faded from his face and he defiantly turned away, busying himself with tidying up the table. A pang of hurt pierced me and I rubbed an elbow as I thought of words to say. He'd been like this for days and I couldn't believe that he could go so long like this. We've never been apart like this for so long. One of us would always go back to the other, seeking retribution in physical intimacy. But now it was like he wouldn't even let me play my part. My head spun with the possibility that I'd hurt him in an irredeemable way. My body trembled with the very thought of him hating me. His love had the strength of a thousand suns and his coldness was equally potent. I couldn't survive a supernova of his doing.

"Lucifer, talk to me," my voice quaked as it left my lips.

"I have nothing to say to you," he immediately said, still not facing me.

"You got what you wanted, didn't you?" I tried to reason. "The proposal's cancelled."

"Because I tried," he rebutted. "Would you have?" He turned to face me. "Would you have fought for us?"

"There would have been no us if Amara kills us all," I argued. "Did you want me to run my mouth to God like you did and expect no repercussions?"

"I wanted you to try!" he yelled, seething. "If I hadn't done what I did, you would have just gone along with it, wouldn't you? Everything we ever had would crumble at our feet and you would have just watched! Maybe I never meant anything to you after all."

"Don't claim to know what anything means to me!" I snapped. "You would have me disrespect the one person I owe my life to?" I huffed, almost unable to believe him, as I crossed my arms. "Unlike most of us, being an idiot has always worked in your favour." A tense silence eclipsed the room as we just stood with heated air between us. His eyes narrowed, clearly angered by my tone, so I tried to calm down. "I…" I gulped. "I couldn't speak against Him because it would call into question my faith and I couldn't have that. And loving you… has always put me against my faith."

"So am I just- just some kind of risk? A liability to you?" he questioned accusatively. He looked away for moment, eyes contorting with pain. My own heart wrenched to see him this way and I could stand it no longer.

"I'm just saying it like it is. But what I did was wrong," I confessed. I tried my best to blink away the tears but I still worried that they would escape against my will. "I see that now. If anything, this has shown me what it truly means to love. I will do as you did. I will fight for us. Will you… forgive me?"

He said nothing, sitting back on the table like he wasn't sure what to do. The sunlight filtered in generously, casting a fiery silhouette through his amber hair. Taking a chance, I dared approach him. Hesitantly at first, I brought my arms up to his shoulders. He didn't resist. I leaned forward, wrapping my hands around him and pulling myself closer and hugging myself to him. I let out an exhale as my head rested against his.

"I'm so sorry," I apologised as a tear defied me and ran down my cheek. My body shook with the fear that this would not be enough – that nothing would be enough – to remedy the rift between us. Then I felt his hand on my back. He drew me closer, wordlessly holding me as I sobbed in his arms.


The subsequent months were hectic. Along with our main duties, we trained together everyday. News had spread across Heaven that the fight was about to go down soon. A sense of foreboding swept throughout Heaven. I knew I had been giving it my all in training with the archangels. Yet I could not shake off the feeling that I was somehow to blame for the depression in the liveliness of Heaven. If I had felt pressured by the opinions of mere angels before, now I felt worse. But I could not let this get in the way of the greater goal. God had made the final decision. I had to trust that God knew best.

Besides, it began to feel as though the tide of angels' opinions had begun to change. I went into the armoury one day to purchase upgrades for my archangel blade and I saw the angel Hassiel. Hassiel was a master craftsman with regards to weaponry. He had single-handedly crafted some of the most powerful weapons that were kept safely in the armoury, which was heated by several kilns placed along the walls of the elongated room. Two rooms were built into the workshop – one to store weapons that were freshly made, and another that served as an office for Hassiel.

Upon seeing me, his eyes lit up and he gave me a warm smile. "Archangel Sophia," he greeted, flipping a towel which he'd used to polish a blade over his shoulder. "News around the garrison is that the archangels are training to fight The Darkness."

"That would be correct," I confirmed as I set my archangel blade down on his workbench. It was a neat little short sword, plain of design and balanced well for my nimble grip. "The truce has been tabled as an option."

"A wise move, if you ask me," Hassiel opined. "Many other angels that I spoke to called your loyalties into question after the whole thing with the Feast. They were talking as though it would be the end of the universe if you refused. To be frank, it was beginning to get on my nerves and I was secretly hoping you would say no just to shut them up. "

"Hm," I regarded his words. "You weren't worried that my refusal would result in more chaos in the universe or anything?"

"There's always going to be more chaos in the universe. Any cherub with a basal understanding of entropy could tell you that," he nodded at me. "Nothing you could have done to prevent it. I mean, it's not like God wouldn't have found another way. Perhaps it is their faith which is questionable. God is wise, and only He can save us. It doesn't matter what you, or anyone else does. I believe God was merely giving you the opportunity to select an outcome, not secure or destroy the universe."

"Your words are kind, Hass," I thanked him, feeling a warmth radiate from within me. "And your opinions are refreshing, as usual. You would do well as my apprentice, if you so wished."

He let out a chuckle from deep within him, like he was channelling from a pit of utmost sincerity. "My talents are best utilised here, m'lady," he said, eyeing one of the newer angels who was busy at work. "Who else would tell these lovable amateurs to-" he abruptly faced said angel. "-QUENCH IT WHEN IT'S HOT," he yelled an instruction across the workshop. The poor angel flinched and immediately doused the glowing red metal in a nearby bucket, evoking hissing noises and steam from the bucket. Hassiel bellowed with laughter at the sight of the shock on the angel's face.

"He's new at this. Leave him alone," I bid him, though I couldn't help but smirk with him.

"As much as it would please me to work with you, I'm sure you already have your hands full with those six clowns you call apprentices," he joked. "Did you pick them from the reject pile or something?"

"Hey," I stopped him. "They were chosen because they are exceptional in their thinking and break out of the norms of angelic obedience. Which…" I relented with a head-tilt. "…I suppose puts them in the reject pile."

"They certainly admire you for it," Hassiel remarked, a smile as gentle as his personality reaching his lips. "And they wouldn't be the only ones. I know you find it hard to believe sometimes, but people love you, Sophia. It may not seem like it, but there are angels who value your contributions and who'll listen to you. I want you to know that."

"Why, thank you, Hass," I flushed. "You've a heart the size of Heaven."

"So how may I be of service to you today?" he offered.

"Oh yes. I would like to renew my archangel blade and inquire as to what upgrades you would recommend," I said, handing over the blade. Sunlight glistened off the smooth grind of the blade, its intensity as deadly as the blade itself. Taking my blade, Hassiel scanned it for wear and tear and held it up as though trying to envision what would go best with it.

"There are some cracks that we can fix quickly. But I do have a set of blueprints that I have been working on. You may browse through them and select an upgrade." Hassiel passed me a stack of parchments with several drawings, measurements and scribbles on them. There were plans for harnessing primordial energies, forging two blades to make it double-edged and even one that allowed remote control over the blade. All very tempting. Seeing as time was a constraint, I decided to get the upgrade to telekinetically control my blade. "Ah, wise choice, madam. I will see to it that your blade is in prime condition for your big fight in a few days."

"Thank you. For everything. I'll see you around," I bid farewell and left.

Next, it was time to train with Gabe and Raphael. We were working on our coordination, typically combatting Michael and Lucifer during training. This time, however, it would just be the three of us. We would journey to a distant galaxy as the amount of energy we'd release was far too great to be contained in the training yards. The journey was only moderately long, but the silence among the three of us was deafening. I couldn't help it if Raphael was generally unapproachable. Occasionally Gabriel would try to initiate conversation. "I wonder how Lucifer is holding up. Father's given him a huge responsibility," Gabriel said.

"He is God's most favoured, and most forthright, son," Raphael grumbled. Something about the way he said 'forthright' irked me and were it any other day, I would verbally fight him over it. But we had a mission and such things could not be allowed to distract us. "Father wants to trust him with the most important things, so be it. I just hope that we can weaken Amara enough," he responded.

Positioning ourselves suitably, the three of us entered a period of intense concentration. We were like tuning forks resonating with cosmic rays, feeling the ebb and flow of energy around us. This allowed us to harness energy from around us, channelling it in such a way that complemented one another. Our circle of energy grew stronger and stronger, pulsing within us as we released it carefully, like loosening a taut rope little by little. It was going fine for a while – perfect, actually – until I felt a little shift in the pool. It was just a small ripple at first, nothing much to worry about. But the ripple grew and I panicked, knowing that this would introduce instability in our balanced circle. If it got out of control, the effects could be devastating.

I tried to counteract it, introducing energy in the opposite direction. Clearly, this was a bad move. Before I knew it, things spiralled out of equilibrium and my eyes flung open in an attempt to warn the two of them to move away. But I was too late. In a fraction of a second, the resulting fluctuation catapulted Raphael across space, sending him careening into the distance. I gasped, hands clasped over my mouth as I was frozen on the spot. My mind just blanked out for a moment, taken by sheer disbelief. Luckily, Gabe was quicker to respond. His glassy wings furiously flapped in his brother's direction while I followed suit, cursing myself in my head for being so careless.

Gabe managed to catch Raphael in the nick of time, which apparently was the least of my concerns. I scanned him for damage and fortunately the damage wasn't irreparable. It was serendipitous for Raphael that I'd worked as his assistant in the infirmary in the beginning, without which I wouldn't have had valuable experience in treating injury and the use of medicines. But the experience of being his assistant wasn't so pleasant. But I digress. "I'm so sorry, Raph," I apologised. "I felt an imbalance in your direction and I tried to counteract it but things didn't work out so well."

"So it's my fault, is it?" he shot back accusatively. His eyebrows were sculpted in a deep-set frown that he must have been so used to displaying in my presence. I usually ignored it but in this circumstance, it wasn't so easy to avoid.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," I rushed to defend. "I should have told the both of you to stop."

"You mean like how you told Father to stop?" he criticised, pulling himself up to his feet. Gabe's eyes flickered between the two of us, puzzled. "That's right, Gabe, it's her fault we're not choosing peace. Because she thinks she's too good for Michael."

"That's not true," I argued. I was trying my best to be sympathetic because he was hurt but he just had to make things difficult, like he always did. "And it wasn't I who stopped the proposal. That was Lucifer. So if you have a problem with it, take it up with him!" And I hope he breaks your jaw.

"You have him under some kind of spell, don't you?" Raphael continued. Does this guy ever take a break? "I've been watching you two from Day One and all he does is follow you around like some kind of lost puppy! Heaven has never been the same since you showed up. Maybe you're some kind of spy, sent by Amara to gain our trust and then destroy us."

"Raph!" Gabe exclaimed.

"Yes, tell us how you really feel!" I spat out bitterly. "You know, I am sick of people like you who have nothing better to do than blame me for your problems! God let me in. God gave me a home. I am only answerable to Him, and if it really troubles you, you should blame Him!"

Raphael's eyes widened with fury and he raised his arm as though to strike me, but Gabriel held him back. "Alright!" Gabe shouted, holding his arms out between us. "This kind of petty fighting isn't going to get us anywhere! Can't we all just get along?"

For a moment, I pitied him. He had never really known the true extent of Raphael's vitriol towards me. It had always been my instinct to protect him from the ugliness of things, especially any kind of hostility among us. I will never forget the heartbroken look on his face on the day that Lucifer and Michael once fought about a certain military decision to fend off the Leviathans roaming on earth. I remembered how it shattered my heart into pieces before I decided to intervene between the two hot-headed brothers and tell them to shut up and work it out. And now it was Gabriel standing between Raphael and myself, taking on the burden of stopping our conflict. Perhaps this was the true indication that I was on a path of no return – that I'd let the brother who I practically raised like my own child take such a responsibility.

"I'll play along if he does," I said, shooting Raphael a look of disdain. "I have no need to prove my loyalty to you, or God. We need to focus on our mission."

Raphael still seemed visibly flustered. "I've tolerated you so far for the sake of God and my brothers. Pull something like this again, and I will not stop until I've seen you exiled from Heaven." Gabriel rolled his eyes. The feeling is mutual, I thought. With a brief interval to cool the tensions and get back on our feet, the three of us attempted the move again, this time more carefully and successfully. Satisfied with the results, we embarked on another silent trip back to Heaven.

"I'm so sorry, Gabe," I apologised for the third time that week. We were stood in Gabe's office, which also happened to be my former office. I'd used it previously when Gabe was just a child stealing things from Lucifer's office and taking cover behind me. It always put a smile on my face to think of those times. Even though he'd grown up so much since then, I couldn't see anything but the chubby-cheeked little munchkin with the baby voice sometimes. God figured there would be a shortage of offices on this floor once Gabe grew up, so He gifted me the house that I cherished so much – it was a win-win situation. "I wish that you didn't have to see that."

"It was going to happen sooner or later," he reasoned as he despondently stared out the balcony at the buildings below. "I just didn't expect that he'd be so… bitter. It's almost… unlike of him."

"He's probably just stressed. We all are," I rubbed the back of his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Things will get better soon. Then we can all put this behind us and move on."

"Yeah," he nodded as though he was trying to convince himself of the proposition. "I hate seeing all this fighting. We're all a family, right? Why can't that make things easier?"

"It does, believe me. Your brothers and I do care about each other, even if it doesn't look like it. We'll just forgive and forget, like we always do," I reassured him. "It's nothing to worry about, okay?"

His lips pursed and he nodded again. The solemnness didn't leave his eyes and that disheartened me a little. Were that I could take away all his sadness… "I just don't understand," he frowned.

"Understand what?" I pushed a lock of his dark, curly hair behind his ear.

"Raphael. Where is all that hate coming from?" He took a few breaths in an effort to formulate a question.

"That's just how he is, honey," I stated. "He's just always been that way to me. But he's only putting it in words now."

"That's not okay," Gabe insisted. "You don't deserve that. I mean-" he cut himself off to sigh. "How could he say those things to you? I can't believe I never saw this coming."

"You never saw it coming because I didn't want you to," I told him. "I always tried to stay calm with him but today I just… I just lost it. I'm sorry."

"Don't blame yourself," he said. "I know you're as opposed to this kind of in-fighting just as much as I am." Finally, his expression eased and he pulled me into a hug. There was a solace in his gentle arms that I found in no one else. Perhaps it was that I felt like I'd been a child when he was one and an adult when he was grown up. I was finding myself just as he was finding himself. We were kindred spirits in that sense, not just literally. And we both needed the stability of our home for the sake of sanity. "But promise me one thing," he began. "Promise me that you'll always help me keep our family together."

Resting my head on his shoulder, I was at total peace and all the unpleasantness from earlier had washed off in his company. "I promise," I said.

I should have been wiser. Never make promises you can't keep.


T minus zero.

The five of us found ourselves at a random point in space, suddenly assembled. It must have been God who'd transported us here. We were all dazed for a while, before we realised that this was the moment. The moment we'd been training for. Unlike what we had expected, God and Amara weren't fighting. They stood facing each other, calm. They also didn't acknowledge our existence. The five of us exchanged confused looks, and then Michael said, "She doesn't see us. There is some sort of transparent wall between us and them. I think God wants us to wait before we strike." And he was right. God was engaged in conversation with Amara.

"Please, Amara, let's put this behind us," God pleaded. "Go back to your world. To your creation. Do with it whatever you want."

"You know I want to," Amara snapped. Then Her voice grew sombre, almost sad even. I might have had sympathy for Her were it not for the intrusive flashbacks I still sometimes had about our time together. "It's what I've been trying to do ever since you put up that awful Veil between us. But I'm here because of what you did. None of this would be happening right now if it wasn't for you forsaking me for your little toys! That is the root of everything that's ever happened between us."

"It's not like that. You have it wrong," God argued. "The potential for creation was always there, begging me to create."

"Oh, believe me, I know," She said somewhat sympathetically. "I tried to do what you did. I tried to create. And then you took the one thing I loved away from me!"

Love is a loose term for it, I thought wryly. "Then I'm sorry," God apologised. "We'll fix this, together." He reached out a hand towards her. Amara regarded Him with a look that could only be described as a combination of guilt and sadness and extended Her hand to hold His. Was this really going to happen? A reconciliation? My better instincts told me that such a thing was impossible between them, especially knowing Her. Yet something about Amara in that moment gave me pause. Maybe it was the way She seemed in need of reassurance, like someone torn up inside who just wanted love. Again the question of why She had chosen to confront us now of all times arose at the back of my mind. But before I could properly think it through, God let down the barrier between us and them. "Now, children!" He ordered.

In an instant, the area was flooded with light as we executed our plan. Lucifer and Michael struck first. They drove their Lances into her, but She remained standing. I will not forget the look of shock and anguish on Her face when She realised what was happening. That was when Raphael, Gabriel and I recognised our cue and supplemented their attack with our coordinated strike. What resulted was a brutal display of affliction as She fell to her knees, weakened by the combined force of our attack. God then brandished His staff and impaled her with it, delivering the final blow. The six of us held up our arms, channelling our strength together. God used this radiant energy like a thread to weave a prison realm, His intelligence working furiously to construct it.

"Lucifer, be ready, son," He instructed. Simultaneously, a strange mark appeared on Lucifer's arm and he winced in pain. With a painful groan Amara protested but it was to no avail, as She began to fade away. I rushed to Lucifer and held his arm, inspecting the Mark and making sure he was alright. When Amara was gone, the pain ceased and he heaved a sigh of relief. It was done. She was nowhere in sight. My Mother, the bane of my existence. A calming silence was present at that moment, allowing us to rest upon our victory. "It worked," God announced.

"Is She- Is She gone?" Gabriel checked. All of us looked to the Creator for a final reassurance.

God simply eyed the Mark on Lucifer's arm. Loud whispers emanated from it, denying us a feeling of closure. With a flick of His finger, God made the noise go away, and a static silence fell upon us. "She won't be a problem any longer," He said. Was that a tinge of remorse in His voice? "That Mark on your arm is the seal to Amara's prison. See to it that it remains intact," He commanded Lucifer.

"Yes, Father," Lucifer assented, though he was heaving for breaths. It must have exhausting for him. But it was all over now and I must have been the most relieved out of them all. And I fully intended to celebrate with him. He held a key that protected all of us from the Darkness. A key that saved our relationship. That, to me, was the single most powerful act of love I'd ever witnessed from anyone and it made me want to cry and laugh at the same time. He deserved the world for what he was willing to do. I wanted to give him everything, even if I wasn't sure how. I definitely wanted to try.

When we returned to Heaven, we could just feel the collective relief radiating from its very ground. The air felt ten times lighter now that Evil was vanquished. God announced a day of Sabbath for us to celebrate this victory. Gabriel suggested that the five of us spend some time together to celebrate among ourselves so we travelled to an orchard lined with fertile trees that looked tranquil under the clear sky. We were walking down the path bordered by a variety of flowers and needless to say, we were all relaxed and ready to just spend some quality time with each other. I don't even remember when the last time was that the five of us simply enjoyed each other's company.

"This is nice. Just a day with the five of us, together," Michael began. "We should do this more often."

"Yes, war shouldn't be the only reason for me to see all my siblings in the same place," Gabriel agreed. We sat under a tree, basking in the warmth of the grove. Gabriel and I raced to climb the tree which was something we always did ever since I taught him how to scale a tree without using our wings. It used to be a tradition, at least until we began behaving like grown-ups. He laughed gleefully as we competed to knock down as many fruits as we could. I threw my head back and laughed when I hurled one at him and he almost lost his balance.

"Don't get too excited, you two," Lucifer called out from below. "There's enough down here to feed a whole garrison!"

"This? It's just Gabe's appetizer," I teased in response. I turned back to Gabe in the nick of time to dodge a fruit hurled my way. Lucifer just had to be the parent in that moment. It was usually me when the three of us would hang out in the early days, but I supposed we did take turns depending on Gabe's mood. There was a reason that it was typically just the three of us. That part where Raphael said Lucifer followed me around like a lost puppy? Not untrue. He always did try to get my attention, even to the point of being an annoyance, but most of the time, his plans to get me alone with him were foiled by little Gabe. Whether it was intentional or not, I was unsure, but that little kid looked like he had deeper instincts than his age implied. I didn't mind it at all. I loved what we had. We were a dream team, so to speak. All the things we did together – that is a compilation of stories for another time.

Gabe and I settled on either side of Lucifer as he poured us both glasses of wine and leaned against the bark of the tree to stare at the distant hills. It was absolutely wonderful. The perfect drink after a long period of stress. As I took a mouthful of my drink, I couldn't help but watch him with a boundless affection so deep in my spirit it felt like I was composed purely of it. I wondered if he could feel my emotion beaming from me. If he couldn't, I wanted to make sure he knew how I felt. My finger curled a lock of my hair instinctively without me noticing. It was that heat again, returning to me and making me yearn for a moment alone with him. Or maybe it was the wine. It didn't matter.

I decided to tear my eyes away from him for a moment. The trajectory of my gaze collided with Michael's. He averted his head immediately, as if hiding the fact that he'd been observing me. I suddenly felt self-conscious. What must he think? I hoped he didn't suspect anything, though the dispirited look in his eyes could not be disproven by his neutral expression. He managed a smile at his brothers but the dark cloud never left his irises. Somehow I felt responsible for this.

Raphael observed the sunlit sky quietly. He rarely seemed so tranquil, but I supposed he felt relieved enough that day to not think about how much he disliked me and just enjoy the moment. I certainly wasn't complaining. I was never against the idea of all five of us spending time together; it just never happened that often. At least one good thing came out of fighting Amara. I suppose I should feel something – a sense of loss perhaps – for the Being who created me but absurdly, I did not. Rather, I felt a strange disinterestedness with regard to it. Was this a flaw of mine, or was it normal? Either way, Amara was a part of my life that was put behind me that day. Or so I thought.

I remembered every detail of that moment. The sounds of Michael and Gabriel's banter, the smell of the sweet fruits as Raphael took a bite, the feeling of cool air blowing in from the West, the romantic intimacy hidden by Lucifer's arm resting against mine, the euphoric calm that the five of us shared. All of this was ingrained in my memory, as the moment right before everything went bad.

Lucifer winced.

We all jerked our heads toward him. His face held a confused expression as he curiously traced the Mark on his right arm, where it was positioned just near the crook of his elbow. "It's probably nothing," he gandered.

So we all eased up and breathed, returning to the moment as easily as a leaf sank to the ground once detached from its branch.

Then, like he had been punched in the gut, he doubled over, this time yelling in pain. We all shot up, rushing to his side. Being the nearest one to him, I instinctively gripped his shoulder and upper arm, hoping that my contact could provide any kind of solace. Any, at all. But otherwise, my words were stuck in my throat. Lucifer groaned through clenched teeth, facial muscles taut as he battled some phantom we could not see. For the first time in a long time, I felt true fear.

"Lay him down," Raphael ordered. He was the healer among us. Gabriel and Michael obliged, holding Lucifer's shoulders down while I whispered consoling words that I wasn't sure I believed myself. This was when we noticed the Mark. It was glowing fiercely. Raphael traced the Mark with his fingers, trying to do some kind of preliminary assessment. Then, he slowly withdrew like he didn't know what to make of what he saw. "We need to get Father over. Now!"

I didn't know what to think at the time. Why was this happening, was this normal, is he going to die – these questions played on in my mind on repeat. It killed me not to know and every minute that I couldn't help him felt like an eternity.


I didn't even realise that my cheeks were damp until Lucifer wiped a tear away with his thumb. Even in his weakened state that had just been granted temporary relief by God's will, his carmine eyes found me first from where he lay supine on the ground. My lips trembled as I held his hand with both of my own as if that would secure him and keep him from leaving or worse… dying. He was always a little pale but now it had gotten to a point where he appeared frozen like ice until God intervened. Colour slowly returned to his lips, reassuring us that he was alive. We all looked to the Creator, eagerly anticipating His much-needed words.

"It's the Mark," He said. I felt a pang of disappointment at the fact that His first words did not soothe my panic. "It's feeding on you for its power." Again, not helping. "You must fight its influence." God, please. "You will learn to control it." Then He turned to me. "Sophia, you must take care of him. This is your domain."

"You need not even say it. I will," I swore through the flood of tears that never ceased. Perhaps I should have pressed Him on what He meant by saying that this was my domain. It should have alerted me that this task – one of healing – was given to me, and not Raphael, who clearly had more expertise in such matters. Of course, I thought nothing of it at the time because I was too busy being grateful for every moment that Lucifer was fine.

And as cryptically as He'd spoken, God left us without so much as a word of consolation. That was what it was like with Him these days – all orders and commands and little comfort. While our lives in Heaven were essentially run like a structured military organisation, it seemed to me that it should never feel that way. A family wasn't supposed to feel so rigid, even if it did have such functions. But with the way God was, He felt more unreachable than ever in that moment that I felt the most helpless I'd ever been. Something about the edge of life and death just shook me with the realisation of everything that was wrong. It left me with a stunning vision of absurdity like nothing made sense at all. His son just suffered some kind of fit and He just left the responsibility to us and took off? Was I missing something?

"What are you feeling?" Raphael asked as Lucifer sat back up. He had this dazed look like he didn't quite understand what had just happened.

"I feel…" Lucifer's eyes narrowed as he searched for the words. "…Her anger. Clearly Amara doesn't like where She's ended up. It's like… She's screaming to get out but there aren't any words…" he struggled to come up with an apt description. "It's- it's crazy."

Michael patted his shoulder, his eyes bearing concern for his younger brother. "Hang in there, Lucifer, I'm sure you and Sophia can find a way to deal with this." His eyes searched mine for reassurance but I was far too disturbed at the moment to offer it to him.

"Are you sure you can handle this on your own?" Raphael questioned me rather bitterly.

"You won't be alone," Gabe eyed Raphael with an untold disapproval in his tone. "This is on all of us."

"I agree," Michael said. He let out a short exhale, lost in thought. "You should rest, brother. I'll take over your work until you get better." He gestured to me with his eyes. The brothers walked us to my house, where Lucifer would stay while I figured out what to do.

"I'll be fine, brothers," Lucifer declared, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm sure I'll get used to it."

Not long after later the others left, Lucifer appeared relatively calm. It would have been difficult to believe that he had been on what I considered to be the verge of death just moments ago. He sat commandingly at my desk, feet propped up on the table. I watched nervously from the door, holding a steaming cup in both my hands. He hadn't noticed my presence. His eyes were closed and his hands were clasped behind his head. The dark outline of the Mark appeared so out-of-place in this scene, like a word in a sentence that didn't quite fit. Though it seemed like he truly had a moment of peace, I suspected that something foreign lay behind those heavy eyes. Telling myself that this was probably nothing to worry about, I pulled back my shoulders. I prepared myself to at least pretend that I had it handled. Maybe I'd pretend so well that it would become true.

I confidently approached, setting down the cup and knocking his feet off my table. He groaned, as he normally would, and gave me a thin-lipped devious smile that meant trouble. "Hey," he greeted casually, with that slow, seductive voice that he used only when we were alone. "Anyone ever tell you that you make the stars jealous? You shine brighter than them and you have me orbiting around you."

He smirked at his own attempt at a flirtation. "I'm jealous of them," I replied mockingly. I pointed to the cup with my eyes, hands rested on my hips like a stern mother.

"You really think this will help?" he asked, curiously studying its contents.

I stared into his glistening eyes, carefully wording my next sentence. "I-I don't know, if I'm being honest. It's not like God left us an instruction manual. But it will make you feel better until I figure out a better solution." My eyes drifted away. The future seemed so uncertain. Finding solutions used to be easy. But in the face of something so ancient and powerful, how could I have the same confidence?

"Hey, hey, look at me," Lucifer took my hand and pulled me towards the present moment and himself. Unable to resist his electric touch, I sat on his lap as his arms encircled my waist and mine his shoulders. "I know that look on your face. You had it when we first kissed and it wasn't because you didn't enjoy it and I'm pretty sure you did." He flashed me a smug grin which made me chuckle. "You were worried. Whatever it is you're worried about, I want you to know that I trust you completely. Father left this to you because He does too and I'm glad He did because that means we get a lot of private time together…" Another smug grin.

"Lucifer," I snapped him out of it. "Your point?"

"The point is, it is entirely within your capacity to handle this. Have some faith, Sophia. Isn't that what you always say? Trust in God, in yourself. And you won't be alone. We're in this together so wipe that frown off your face, or I'll do it for you," he ordered.

I couldn't help but smile. "Hmm…" My fingers bunched the fabric of his shirt in a demure grip. "Will you do it anyway?" I requested somewhat shyly. He chuckled and swooped in for a kiss. Our lips met and it felt like all was right in the universe again. I pulled away and our faces remained in proximity to each other. He leaned in for another but I put my finger on his lip. I shoved the concoction in between us and said, "Drink."