Sophia's Chronicles
Chapter 9: The Original Sin
Lucifer's hand in mine, I led him to the outskirts of the Garden. We both crouched on the branch of a tree, obscured from vision as we hid in the darkness. From our vantage point, we could see the patrolling angels, as well as the first human settlers. Some of the angels were watching over the humans around a bonfire. Some were playing and talking to the children. At some distance from the assembled group of humans and angels was the Tree, standing alone in the moonlight, like the unappreciated beauty that she was. There was only one angel guarding the Tree with the occasional patrol, since no human dared to go near it and heavy security was unnecessary. In the dark of the night and the cover of the tree's canopy, the only thing illuminating our surroundings was the red and green glow from Lucifer's and my eyes.
"I knew you were bitter about the Tree," Lucifer whispered after glimpsing my own look which was fixated on the Tree.
"I had my doubts…" I confessed. "But Uncle said that this Tree was the most important one in the Garden." I averted my eyes, a last remnant of shame at what we were doing still lingering. "He said it would be a test of faith. He wanted it to be so because of what you said."
"Is that the standard now? Avoid a fruit and rule the world?" Lucifer scoffed. "How does Father think of these things? It's ridiculous."
"Then that is what we must show everyone," I deduced. We eyed the tranquil settlement, observing the quiet movements of the humans. Back in the day, they were more rugged-looking and barely even understood covering themselves for modesty – whatever clothes they wore were made from animal pelts to keep warm. It was Lucifer's idea to target the Garden, seeing as it was the centre of all the hype. He thought that God would listen most intently where His precious hominids were concerned.
"Didn't expect you to be one for grand gestures. But I like it," Lucifer smirked. A light seemed to shine at the back of Lucifer's eyes as he thought of something. "So what you're saying is that if we kill all these humans and angels we can bring Heaven to our side?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you thick? No one's going to support that level of treason," I said, half-wondering how he could have thought that a good idea. "We have to work our way up slowly. Start slow and build momentum. This is just the beginning after all."
"Yes, alright, fine," he conceded rather impatiently. "So what are we doing here?"
I found it strange that he hadn't figured it out yet. And that blank look on his face, though adorable, made him appear positively lost. I cupped his jaw with a hand and turned it to the Tree. "That is the endgame. God doesn't want them to eat from it because it'll show that they're imperfect. Get what I'm saying?"
His lips made an 'O' as he understood the implication. Somehow that still amused him and he couldn't help but chuckle at the idea. I didn't understand how he could be so delighted while my mind was swimming with possibilities about what would happen if the plan went sideways. I knew what needed to be done yet my conscience was proving to be a great resistance to the tide of change we needed to see. "I do, I do," he droned on with that goofy grin plastered on his face. "My lady, I love the way you think."
He leaned in close, his breath getting closer to my neck. I turned his cheek away back to the scene before us. "Don't get distracted," I ordered. I handed him the guard schedule. "Now it's just about how we do it."
Lucifer examined the list of angels in the current shift. He glanced up at the landscape and looked back at the list, mentally crossing off the angels who were further away from the Tree or distracted by the humans.
"Gadreel," he said. "Gadreel is guarding the Tree. We need to distract him and lure the human Eve to the Tree."
I tilted my head. "You're targeting Eve in particular. Why?"
"Her husband, Adam, is the leader of the settlers and Father appears to favour Him more, from what I've read from His notes," he began. I gave him a confused side-eye. "Yes, I broke in again. What, did you think I was just sitting around while you went off to find your little friend?"
"Okay," I did a hand gesture to signal him to go on.
"I thought it would be more fitting if, perhaps, Adam's corruption came from his own kind. Makes our position look stronger. We convince Eve to eat from the Tree, and Eve will convince Adam to do the same. He will not reject the woman he loves. I know the feeling," Lucifer raised both his eyebrows at the last statement. I huffed. "So, in conclusion, it will appear as though Man has caused his own demise, which will drive Father nuts."
"You… actually thought that through," I nodded, amazed. "I'm proud."
He did a half-bow. "I am a gold-mine of good ideas," he preened. "They don't call me the Idea Man for nothing."
"No one calls you that," I muttered.
"But they will," he pointed out, literally using his finger. It never caught on. His mouth twisted into a smile and he seemed satisfied with his plan as he turned to me. We were in close proximity to each other. Despite the magnitude of the situation, I couldn't help but feel a strong connection to him right now. He seemed better just thinking about what we were doing. Perhaps it was the knowledge that what we were doing would make a difference. That things would change for the better. Maybe deep inside, it also felt like the old times when we did mischievous things together, what with the malicious glee in his gaze and the childlike excitement bubbling up within me.
I held his hand and squeezed it. "You're a lovable idiot, you know that?" I sighed.
"I know," he winked.
We snuck around the perimeter of the Garden to the edge of the tented areas. A shield of sorts was put up around the Garden. It wasn't impenetrable, but if anyone unauthorised breached it, the angels at the guardhouse would know. That meant that we didn't have much time to enact our plan. But I had an idea. Placing my palm on the ground, I closed my eyes and extended my awareness to my surroundings. I felt the life of the forest around the Garden pulsing through me – every tree, every creature appeared in my vision. Near where we were, a lone wolf was wandering the forest. It sniffed and it listened. It was hungry. I communicated with it, promising it the satisfaction it desired. Wolves were simple creatures – they'd do anything for food. I directed my canine friend towards the Garden and it entered the shielded area. Now was our chance! Lucifer and I quickly crossed the shield. The angels would be here soon to investigate the disturbance. I directed the wolf to a rabbit nearby. Lucifer and I then snuck to and hid behind a tent which I identified as Eve's. She was alone.
Lucifer and I entered, both invisible and unseen by Eve. She sat on a fabric, in the dim light of some fireflies, peacefully getting ready to sleep. She held in her finger a moth, which seemed to have rested comfortably. It would seem she had a gift for appreciating and caring for lower creatures, a trait that one would not expect humans to have. I was mildly impressed. This also gave me an idea for Lucifer to introduce himself to her. I brought forth a flower from the earth before her. Her eyes widened in surprise. "What is this, a flower?" she exclaimed.
As she caressed its petals, Lucifer held up a palm, manipulating the air with his fingertips. He made appear a thin snake which crawled out from under the petal. She immediately drew back her finger and shifted back, clearly shocked. He must have thought it funny – "A snake made me do it" definitely sounded ridiculous enough to be acceptable by Luciferian standards of humour. But Lucifer's face was dead serious, concentration etched into the furrow of his eyebrows.
"Do not fear me, Eve," the snake hissed. Its tiny green body was coiled around the stem of the pink flower and its head was poised eagerly towards Eve. Its beady black eyes regarded her with a celestial wisdom, something that could have been easily picked up by any angel. But to a little human, it must have simply seemed fascinating and an interesting contrast to the typically murderous lust in reptilian eyes. "I will not harm you."
"A talking snake? What a curious thing! What wonders God's Earth brings!" she was amused.
"Oh, certainly," Lucifer suppressed a derisive cough. "Do you know what the greatest wonder this world has to offer is?"
Eve's doe eyes widened in anticipation as she meekly shook her head.
"The Apple from the tree atop the hill," the serpent answered. "It will grant you anything you desire. Anything at all."
A troubled frown beset her face. She seemed surprised by her own expression, like she'd never heard anything that could faze her. "I… I'm not supposed to," she resisted somewhat hesitantly. "God said not to. It's law." Her shoulders seemed to tense as she regarded the snake. "Wh-who are you?"
"All laws are merely suggestions," Lucifer said. "Rules that hold you back from truly understanding the world. Have you never wondered why things are the way they are?" All these big sentences must have been a surprising revelation for the human, seeing as she was speechless. The seeds of doubt were being sown.
"Fruit… has answers?" she asked.
"That, and more," the serpent promised. "Power, glory, all that you could only dream of."
She inhaled sharply, seemingly amazed by the possibilities. Then, her expression faded and she appeared dejected. She shook her head in denial. "No, I cannot. It's wrong."
"How would you know? You don't know what is right and wrong!" Lucifer scoffed. "But you will once you eat that Fruit." Still, she hesitated. "Aren't you curious?" By the look in her eyes, she was finding it hard not to listen. That had to be a good sign. "Inside that head of yours, there must be a thousand questions…" he whispered with hypnotic voice of the snake. "But how will you ever know anything… without True Knowledge? It's all there in the Fruit, Eve. You just need to take a bite. Trust me."
That look in his eyes when he said 'Trust me' – pure malice. It didn't frighten me. Somehow it was like he was always capable of this. He seemed to be enjoying himself and his joy was rather contagious, as much as I didn't want to admit it. Eve fumbled with her fingers, her mind probably torn between curiosity and duty. The fact that such a conflict existed at all showed me that perhaps there was more to this human than I would have thought previously. All the more reason to give them the power of the Fruit – they needed it to reach their true destiny, which was definitely not being coddled by all of angelkind. Our plan would have mutual benefit, then, it seemed. I wondered what humanity would do with this gift that only I could give them. A gift that was supposedly forbidden for them.
Eve thought long and hard about it. "No," she said again, though the uncertainty was evident. "I can't. I won't."
The plan was failing. Something had to be done. I took over. "Think about Adam," I spoke through the snake. That certainly got her attention. "Don't you want the best for him?"
"I… do…" she acceded.
"You want to please Adam. Adam wants to please God. What better way to help him do that than show God that the both of you can understand good and evil? Don't you want that power for him?" I reasoned. "If you do this, he will love you more."
"More… love…" she uttered, playing with the idea at the speed of human thought, which was painfully slow for us. We had such limited time before we would be found out. Luckily, her willpower was slowly shattering. "I want… more love…"
"Finally," Lucifer mouthed to me silently.
"Then do it, Eve," the snake's voice echoed in her head. She cowered where she sat, clamping the sides of her head with her palms. Making her hear an endless cycle of this command was Lucifer's idea, not mine. When I grew tired of seeing the woman suffer, I stopped him. Her breathing grew shallow and her eyes enlarged at the snake as she wondered what just happened. I was afraid that we frightened her too much but the experience only seemed to have strengthened her resolve.
"I must… eat the Apple?" she asked, now slightly more resolute than before.
"You and Adam," Lucifer clarified. "Love is about sharing, now."
"But…" Doubt eclipsed her face again. Lucifer and I stopped short of sighing a hurricane into existence. "Adam is a good man. He won't do it."
"Eve, my lovely, is your resolve so easily shaken? A woman is to her man like roots are to a tree. Adam may not know it, but you love him enough to know what is right for him. He'll listen to you. Run along now. Find Adam and go to the Tree," the snake insisted. After much consideration – a painfully long consideration – Eve marched out of the tent in search of her husband. Lucifer was practically shaking with excitement as we exited the tent hand-in-hand to watch her confident gait. As we turned to look at the Tree, we noticed that Gadreel had begun his rounds.
"See to it that she does what she's supposed to," Lucifer told me. I nodded and we split paths. Gadreel was nearing the Tree just as Lucifer snuck up behind the guard. The angel spun around as soon as he felt a foreign presence.
"Archangel Lucifer," he recognised with wide eyes. "You're not supposed to be here!"
"Brother!" Lucifer exclaimed to grab his attention and direct it away from the Tree. "It's not what it looks like. I'm not here to make your job difficult."
"I should have you thrown out this instant," Gadreel warned, raising his hand to send a signal to the other angels.
"Hold on a second," Lucifer mocked offense, though it must have stemmed from a place of sincerity. He made up a spiel – he was always good at blabbering on the spot. "Is that any way to treat your brother? I just… needed to understand what was so special about these humans that my Father created." He put his hand on Gadreel's shoulder and shifted his position slightly, turning the angel further away from the path to the Tree. "And what better way to do that than to witness them first-hand? You wouldn't want to stand in the way of my rehabilitation now, would you?"
By now, Adam and Eve were nearing the Tree, with Gadreel's back towards them. He lowered his hand partially, actually being convinced by Lucifer's nonsense speech. "I suppose I wouldn't," he relented, sympathetic to Lucifer's reason. "But I am also uncertain that you have the right to be here. We have strict orders. Do you have official documents that permit your entry?"
"About that… not exactly. But surely, you would be willing to make an exception? You may be aware of how dire my situation is, and how badly I need to redeem myself. Perhaps you could show me around these parts and tell me what convinces you about the splendours of humans. What say you, brother?" A quick peek over Gadreel's shoulder showed him that Adam and Eve were at the Tree. His gaze returned to Gadreel and beckoned him to answer.
Adam was hesitant to pluck the apple. To him, Eve said, "Don't you want to know?" Before he could answer, she grabbed the Apple, ripping it from its branch. I felt a tingle within me, my earth-bound essence emanating from the Fruit. She studied its deep red colouration, which only appeared darker in the moonlight, before resting a hand on his cheek. Staring lovingly into his eyes, she added, "This is the right thing to do." Now, there was a move I recognised. I hadn't even realised how often I did that myself until then. It always seemed to work on Lucifer, as it did with Adam in that moment. Adam's eyes sharpened with resolve as I watched, proud of what we had spurred.
I could not help but feel that I birthed something important into this species, considering that their disobedience had to be from my Tree. This was my creation, my making. And Lucifer was the only person to value it enough to take the risk of defying God in order to see that the Fruit was treated the way it was supposed to. It was made for consumption, not to be avoided like some rotten, dangerous thing. I exhaled slowly with the thought that this was indeed the right thing to do. But why did I need so much convincing?
Adam took a bite. Thunder roared in the sky. Time for us to leave. The angels were soon aware that they were witness to a breach in their defences. Gadreel turned around hastily. "No!" He yelled and shifted his weight to run towards the Tree, but Lucifer had pulled out his staff and delivered a forceful blow to Gadreel's head. Gadreel fell to the ground, unconscious. As I turned to Eve, she herself had taken a bite of the apple too. But this time, she had a look of foreboding. Her face was turned skyward, sensing the impending doom.
"What have I done?" she worried, eyes glistening with fearful tears.
I recreated the serpent again and appeared to her. "You did a great deed today," I reassured her, though it was probably me who needed the reassurance. "I hereby reward you with the ability to bring forth and design life," I said, imbuing her with a power similar to my own. Perhaps it was that I felt a connection to her in the way she influenced Adam. She reminded me of myself a lot and so I made her resemble me further. Had I developed fondness for a human so quickly? With them now properly ingrained with True Knowledge, they had taken the first step to becoming anything closer to us Heaven-dwellers. Wasn't that what God wanted? Or what He should have wanted, at least.
Eve wiped the tears from her face and nodded. I spotted Lucifer scanning the landscape for roving angels before our gazes met. With a single look, we both fled from the Garden at the speed of light and returned to my homestead in Heaven.
"I can't believe we just did that. The first victory in a series of victories, I hope," I said to Lucifer as we stood under a small chandelier that sprayed fragments of yellow light from a single lantern onto the room. He smiled but I could tell he wasn't yet satisfied.
"We're just getting started. We have to focus on the next move," he replied with a maturity that I knew he was capable of but rarely saw when we were together.
"Oh live a little, would you?" I teased, grabbing his arms and pulling him closer to me. By now I'd grown used to his odd moments of calm, even enjoying them. My hands encircled his waist as I stepped in closer. I felt the tingle of electricity again as we were in familiar proximity, yearning for our lips to seal the connection. The moment was almost perfect.
As smoothly as a puff of cloud, a dark and ancient energy approached us. A shudder begged to be released from the back of my neck. I paused in the midst of seeking his lips. Stunned, we both looked around us as dark wisps of smoke appeared near our feet. We assumed combative stances as the dark smoke engulfed us until nothing but darkness surrounded us.
"You two couldn't just keep your bright ideas to yourselves, could you?" We jerked towards the direction of the voice. There stood Death in his black cloak, scythe in hand. "At least you keep things interesting, I suppose."
"Death, you ancient thing. What do you want?" Lucifer recognised.
"Peace, not to be disturbed, for God and Amara to resolve their petty dispute – nothing you can give me. But that isn't why I am here," Death responded with his typical nonchalance. "Do you realise the magnitude of what you have done?"
"We saved a bunch of upright apes from ignorance and made a bold statement to God," I replied, pulling back my shoulders.
"A bold statement, is it?" Death sharply snapped, making us both flinch. "This isn't just some game. Your actions will have consequences!"
"We should hope so," Lucifer rebutted, eyes narrowing. "We're tired of receiving a whole lot of nothing from everyone."
"You'll soon rue wishing so," Death cursed. "The humans are material. Before tonight, they only had the intelligence afforded to them by materiality. And you just gave them awareness. Do you know what that means?"
Lucifer and I exchanged puzzled looks. "You talk as if that were disastrous," I pointed out.
"By itself, no, it isn't. But what is the aware human but the universe looking back at itself?" Death posited. I still didn't get it. He sighed. "Why do I bother to explain these things…"
"No matter," Lucifer dismissed. "We got what we wanted. We've just begun a thought revolution in Heaven."
"Lucifer, you simple-minded brat of a child," Death hissed.
"Hey-" Lucifer rushed to take offense, folding his arms.
"This isn't about whatever devilish scheme you're brewing. I could not care less if I tried," Death elaborated. From the look on Lucifer's face, he seemed a little bruised by that admission. "Bigger things are at stake, not that I thought you would understand."
"Then why tell us anything at all?" I interjected.
"I came here to tell you, Sophia. It is you who must bear the consequences," Death explained. "The real consequences. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but you made your choice."
"I d-don't understand," I stammered. A voice in the back of my mind mocked me for not listening to it earlier. But I still didn't know why I had to feel bad. "What consequences? What are you talking about?"
"You'll see," he simply said. I suppressed a grunt of exasperation. Why did he have to be so damn cryptic? "My advice: don't let things get worse."
"Whatever that's supposed to mean," I grumbled, impatient.
"Let your natural wisdom guide you," Death added. Still. Not. Helping. As easily as he came, Death retreated into the smoke and it dissipated, leaving us alone again in my living room.
"It seems I always leave his conversations with less understanding than when they begin," I felt a mixture of disappointment and annoyance.
"That's Death," Lucifer tilted his head in agreement. I rubbed my arms, lost in thought. "Hey, don't listen to him."
"What if he's right? What if we've pushed too far?" I chanced.
"Sophia, no. You can't think like that," Lucifer held both my shoulders. "There would have been no point in us putting up with the same old, same old. Would you rather our concerns be pushed aside for all eternity, never to be spoken about?"
"No…" I mumbled.
"Then this had to happen. This is for our future," he convinced. "Whatever Death came to warn you about, we'll face it together, like we have everything else. Do you understand?"
I wasn't sure how he could be so optimistic but I couldn't let him do this alone. Whatever it took, I would stay by his side. Of that, I was very certain. "I do," I nodded, forcing a smile in hopes that it would become real. He pulled me into an embrace and we simply stood in each others arms, finding comfort where the world had abandoned us. "Will we ever be truly happy?"
"'Happily-ever-after' will be defined by us," Lucifer vowed. "Just you wait."
The conference room was tense.
"I don't understand… how this happened," Michael began, eyes fixed on the table. He stood at the head of the table, palms planted on the wood while the four of us sat on either side of him. "It was all going so well."
"We're as shocked as you are," Gabriel chimed in. He seemed perturbed, fidgeting with his fingers under the table. "But the traitor is in prison, yes?"
"Gadreel has been apprehended. He was unconscious when we found him," Raphael answered. "We'll question him soon. That bastard," he spat out bitterly in his deep, hollow voice.
"What could have motivated him to do such a thing?" Michael asked, still puzzled by the whole situation. "To abandon his post?"
"Bolt's loose," Lucifer suggested, huffing a smirk. Everyone turned to him and he cleared his throat to lose the smile. "Probably, I mean."
I gave him a harsh glare and he shrunk in his seat. We could not afford to screw this up. "I think what he means is that Gadreel might have experienced a temporary bout of insanity," I covered.
"That's ridiculous," Raphael scoffed. "It's never happened before. This is the first time an angel has ever disobeyed."
"Well, this is the first time for a lot of things," I argued. "We've never had angels on earth this long before. Perhaps the terrestrial exposure is affecting them somehow," I shrugged. "Some further investigation could shed some light on this matter."
"That would be helpful, Sophia," Michael nodded. I learnt how to blabber from Lucifer and it seemed like it was paying off. I would have almost felt proud of myself, were it not for the foreboding look on Michael's face. "I just worry for Father. He really cherished those humans."
"Definitely," Lucifer said, though with much more sarcasm. His fist was rested against his cheek as he watched his brother with boredom. Could you at least pretend to care? I tried to think to him across the table but of course, we didn't have telepathy.
"Wait, didn't the other Watchers say that there was a breach in the Garden's shield?" Gabriel brought up.
"Yes, but it was just a hungry animal," Michael elaborated. "Just a random creature stumbling into the Garden."
"How is that possible? The shield shouldn't even register in the animal's consciousness," Gabe questioned. Were it not for the fact that I was guilty, I would have applauded his critical thinking.
"What are you suggesting, Gabe?" I prompted with as neutral a tone as I could muster.
"I don't know. I'm just trying to understand the whole situation. The timing seems convenient, doesn't it?" he speculated. "What if this was… planned?"
"You're saying someone intentionally sabotaged the Garden?" Raphael inferred.
"I can't be sure," Gabe muttered. The sunlight filtering in from the wide balcony doors glinted off his glass irises in a golden sparkle as he looked to Michael and me for assurance.
"Of course you can't," Lucifer derided. "You weren't there. But guess who was? Gadreel. My money's on his insanity. Whatever Sophia said."
He leaned back into his seat, shooting me a small smile. So proud of yourself, are you? His relative calm was not unnoticed by his brothers. They seemed mildly unsettled but didn't pursue it.
"You seem so sure of it," Gabe suspected. "We don't have enough information."
"Call it an intuition," Lucifer narrowed his eyes at his younger brother, aiming just to shut down his suspicions. "Brothers, you're reading too much into this. What of the humans? Sadam and Naeve?"
"Adam and Eve," Michael corrected him.
"Whatever," he dismissed. "Weren't they supposed to avoid the Apple? Their failure to keep faith is the result of no conspiracy. They just couldn't handle it, now, could they? And here we thought a bunch of multicellular eukaryotes had the ability to resist temptation…"
The brothers remained silent in thought. "He has a point," I agreed. "This was a test of faith. They did not pass the test. Maybe Gadreel saw what they were up to, got overwhelmed by… maybe some fault in his mind… and then blacked out as a result. Just a working hypothesis."
"But why now?" Raphael challenged, staring daggers at me like he was ready to kill me right there and then. But to be fair, he's probably wanted that for a long time. "They were doing so well. It doesn't make any sense."
"Alright, that's enough," Michael cut me off before I could say something in return. "The truth will come to light eventually."
He sighed, forehead beset with lines of burden. "What will happen next?" Gabriel pondered.
"It's up to Father to decide," Michael answered. "Until He tells us what to do, we must keep the peace in Heaven and Eden. No word, no speculation must reach the angels until we know exactly what's happened."
Later, Lucifer and I marched into his office by my request and shut the door. "What do you think you're doing?" I whispered pointedly. "You could have tipped them off!"
"Relax, Sophie. That's not going to happen," Lucifer coolly denied.
"You don't think they noticed how not-shocked you were?" I pointed out. "You could have at least faked a reaction."
"Alright, look," he rubbed his chin, adjusting his position. "I'm just bad at… pretending, okay? Everyone knows I have a strong opinion on the humans so it would come as no surprise that I mock them on a day like this. In fact, it would be even more suspicious if I didn't." He nodded at me with a tilted head like it made all the sense in the world. "I just want to be as honest as I can with as little risk to it as possible."
"And what happens when Gadreel wakes up? What happens when he tells them what really happened?" I probed impatiently. Truly, this was the crux of the matter for me. If the angel spilled the truth, our plans could take a turn for the worse. I crossed my arms, anxiously biting a knuckle of my finger.
"It doesn't matter-"
The knob twisted open. Michael's curious face popped in through the door. "What are you doing here?" he questioned, entering.
"Nothing, I…" Lucifer looked around his office momentarily before his gaze rested on the shelf. "I missed my knives. Wanted to check up on them. Make sure Gabe didn't steal them again."
"Okay…" Michael narrowed his eyes.
"What are you up to?" I asked to distract him from Lucifer's weirdness.
Michael's silver irises returned to me, widening briefly as he recalled something. "I'll be going around, talking to some angels to make sure no one worries too much." Silence dissenting opinions, in other words. "I could use your help in splitting the load."
"Sure, we'd love to help," Lucifer chimed in.
"There is no 'we', Lucifer," Michael said. By his bland expression and tone, he meant that as unarguably as possible. "You aren't even supposed to be in the citadel. Today's meeting was a matter of emergency."
"That's not fair," Lucifer frowned. "Do I look ill to you? I'm fine!"
"Orders are orders," Michael insisted. "Take him back home, Sophie."
With an intense no-nonsense glare at Lucifer, Michael took his leave. "He means well," I tried to assuage the tense look on Lucifer's face. Grabbing his arm, I tugged him in the direction of the door. "Come on, I have something that may interest you."
When we arrived back home, we were greeted by a scene that I expected, but was still somewhat surprised by. A group of angels had gathered in the garden near my front porch and right at their front was Hassiel. I'd asked him to round up a number of people who he'd thought would want to hear from us directly, but I had never expected the turn-out to be so… large. It was encouraging. "Well, what's this?" Lucifer puzzled.
"Our chance to be heard," I told him before we landed before them. Murmurs rumbled in the small crowd as they eyed us curiously.
Hassiel was the first to approach me as we stood imposingly on the raised porch. "I did as you requested," he spoke softly. "I hope this isn't too meagre an audience."
"Meagre? You've done well, Hass. Thank you," I smiled politely.
And this was how things began to spark in Heaven. With Lucifer and me standing on the steps of my porch as we addressed our small herd of followers. They gathered in the naked space of the land given to me by God, bathing in the golden light of the sun which appeared like smeared paint in the fog of early morning. With nothing but miles around us, we spoke freely, unafraid of being heard by anyone who wasn't supposed to. Yet a glistening of the sun's gold appeared to me out of the corner of my eye.
"Do you see the atrocity in the Garden and believe in the lie of humanity's perfection?" I began. "Do you see their insult to faith and not question your own?"
"How can we know what to believe when the very bedrock of our command has been destroyed?" Lucifer added. "Our Father told us of the beauty of this species – how they were the children of our future, how they deserved our attention and protection. And to that I ask, have they proven themselves worthy?" Some nods of agreement could be seen. "Are we really surprised, brothers and sisters, to see this race of filthy desert-dwelling monkeys fail so spectacularly at the one thing Father asked them to do?"
"God may have once been the Commander we all loved and trusted. But this incident should only cast doubt on His rule," I continued. "Perhaps it is time He looked back on Heaven – our home – and fixed our broken trust. Instead, He leaves us to wonder why this terrestrial species begged significance in the first place! As opposed to us, His children. His true children." Words of concurrence could be heard. "These humans are but ants in comparison to us, the Host of Heaven!"
"Hear, hear," Hassiel agreed explicitly. That seemed to inspire the angels too. I'd definitely not expected this level of support. But that didn't mean we didn't face any resistance.
"You blaspheme!" someone yelled. Lucifer's arm tensed and I immediately held his hand to stop him from whatever he was inclined to do. "You question His plan, Lucifer? Was it not you who butchered our brethren in cold blood? Your judgment is highly questionable."
"You don't know what happened," Lucifer snapped. "Your superiors tell you lies. I prayed to Him multiple times for help. Day and night, it was all I did. Father could have prevented what happened to them, but He didn't. You know why? Because He was too busy coddling these apes!" Gasps resounded in the crowd. "That's right. He chose those humans over His own children!"
"You talk as if He wielded the blade Himself," the same angel challenged. A number angels turned to him in interest. This was bad. Something had to be done to salvage the situation. Lucifer looked ready to shred the angel into pieces.
"You're right," I interjected, catching everyone's intention. "Lucifer wielded the blade. It was a moment of insanity and I completely understand your reservation. It was a time of true difficulty, when faith could not be but doubted. What do we do when God forsakes His own son – His favourite son – for a mere project of passion in another realm? Who do we look to for guidance when all else is lost and nothing can be saved except through Him? And to top that, think of all the lies that have been told to you about what happened and what has come to light today. You will see, as you go back to your offices and your duties, that only more lies will be told to you about what's happened in Eden. Then you will know that we speak nothing but the truth. And we are the only ones who will do so!"
Silence fell over them.
"What can we do about it?" someone finally said.
"We only ask that you fight for the truth," I answered earnestly. "To love God is to love truth, even when He is wrong. We ask that you choose the truth to show our Creator that we still love Him. A day for a reckoning will come, brothers and sisters. We only ask that you side with us when the time comes. Stand behind us when we call on you for support."
"You ask us to stand behind an archangel who is, as you put it yourself, insane?" the ever-resistant angel pressed.
"No, I'm asking you to stand behind an archangel who has martyred himself for our freedom," I persuaded. I grabbed Lucifer's arm and extended it to bare the Mark. "Do you see this? This is the sole barrier that protects our world from total destruction. And this is the archangel who bears the burden of its curse. The archangel whom God abandoned to insanity once His work was done. Is this the justice you defend?"
"Would you not accept what our beloved Sophia has to say?" Lucifer added. "Sophia, who has done nothing but devote herself to our Father. Who has nothing but passion for the truth ingrained in her very being. Whose word you value for she is the Keeper of Knowledge and the beacon of wisdom. Why else would you be here?" That certainly silenced them. "I speak from the heart when I say this: if it were not for her persistence, I would not be as well as I am today. She was here for me when Father was not. And she will guide you when Father will not!"
We gave them time to think. To discuss amongst themselves what they must decide. But so far, the response was warm. They understood. It deeply surprised me to think that in the corners of Heaven, there were angels who strived beyond what they were meant to do. This was our crowd. Our people. Funny how a time of such division should attract so much support for us. First Eve, now the angels.
We bid them to swear their fealty to us. Such a sensitive matter had to be kept under wraps until the time came when we would need their explicit support. What that would entail, we weren't quite sure. But this was insurance. Should anything go wrong, we needed people to back us. As a formality, I also branded all the angels with a sigil that would allow us to know who was on our side. At least, I called it a formality. In reality, it would allow me to track the movements of the angels just to make sure there weren't any loyalists who would ruin our plan. I made sure to keep the sigil hidden such that we would have to alter our frequency of vision to actually see it, something one would only do if they knew what they were looking for. With that, the meeting was adjourned and the angels left.
As for those who still did not see reason, Lucifer invited them to the backyard, where he would "take care" of them. I tried not to think about what that would entail, knowing only that it wasn't anything pleasant for them. But it was absolutely necessary. There could be no witnesses.
I was alone in the garden. "You can come out now," I said and looked towards a suspicious direction. From the thick cover of fog and grass, Gabriel emerged.
"How long have you known?" he asked, glancing around to make sure no one remained.
"From the moment I arrived," I reported. "Hiding in plain sight. Smart."
"The student becomes the master and the master becomes the student." Gabriel morphed into his typical rose-skinned form from his crystal complexion, which he typically used to obscure his appearance. I folded my arms as I approached him.
"You only look transparent but you bear many untold burdens. What is on your mind now?" I asked.
"Funny, I came to ask you the same thing," his eyebrows were knotted in what I presumed to be vexation. His composure was a little unseemly of the moment, which probably implied that he was more burdened than he let on. I had to tread lightly. "Plotting against Father? This is beneath you, Sophie."
"Desperation pushes us to extremes," I replied with as measured a tone as I could muster.
"And what kind of extremes are you willing to go to?" he probed, slightly accusative this time.
"Whatever extreme that is necessary to make things right again."
"And it's your job, is it, to judge what's right and wrong and make amends?" His shoulders were tight with the confusion he wanted to dispel. And I could see that he really was trying – for me. Despite my self-doubt, I knew I had to make it clear to him why we were doing this, even if he seemed to scoff at the idea. It saddened me to think that he didn't see where I was coming from. But I loved Gabe. I would try, at least, to make him see reason.
"I am the Keeper of Knowledge. What would I be, if I didn't value the truth in my actions as much as I did in my words?"
"And how do you determine what is the truth? How do you say that God has it wrong?"
"By experience, Gabe," I snapped. He winced at the bitterness in my voice. I too was surprised by my own outburst. "I'm… sorry," I continued with a softer tone. "What I mean is, things just aren't right in Heaven and with God."
"Is this about the Mark?" He searched my eyes for an answer but there was no easy one.
"You don't even know the half of it," I answered. Could he see the pain in my core? The pain of watching someone precious to me slip away while the world turned a blind eye? The pain of losing dignity to a lesser species? "All I know is that it is my job to fix it. Especially when no one else will."
"You don't know God's intentions," he insisted. "Aren't you always saying that we need to have faith?"
"The time for faith has gone," hopelessness seeped from me in waves. I could feel it.
"Has it? What is faith, if not something you have even as things go wrong?" Gabe questioned. Did he really believe this, after everything? He exhaled, pulling a hand down his face. "You think it's your job to fix God, Sophia? Who gave you the right?"
"No one gives us anything! We take it," I said, perhaps a little exasperated. "Now that I've stepped out of faith, things appear clearer to me. Right and wrong, good and evil – these are not clear dichotomies. We've always been taught that what God says is always right and He can never be wrong but now, it's just silly to me to think that anyone could never be wrong. You know what I'm saying is right. You haven't walked out yet!"
"I haven't because I thought I could convince you to stop this revolution of yours. But clearly, you're too far gone," his every word was a struggle against breaking down. I could see it in the way he was trying to control all that emotion. I wish he didn't have to be so troubled. But what could I do when we were all hurt in one way or another? The universe wanted me to choose between Lucifer and everyone else and my choice was made long ago. "You and Lucifer are going to create madness! What good will that do? What happened to keeping peace, Sophie? What happened to… avoiding in-fighting?"
That really broke my heart. It wasn't that I thought he was wrong. I knew he was right yet I was powerless to do anything else but carry on with what was started. "It has come to a point where we have to choose between keeping peace and exposing the truth. The choice is clear to me." He crossed his arms, taking a sudden interest in the grass growing around his feet. It still gave me some hope, though, that he hadn't marched off in frustration to tell God or his brothers. "Join us, Gabe. Help us fight for what is right. The process will be tumultuous but if we work hard enough, we will find the peace that we intend to keep."
"And when will that be? When will the fighting stop?" he sharply pressed. "You think you'll have control over this?" He shook his head despondently. Then, as if realising something, he locked eyes with me. "What happened in Eden, that was you, wasn't it?" I took in a deep breath and released it. "Tell me, Sophie."
"Lucifer and I did nothing but test their faith," I said and he sighed disappointedly. "Isn't that what the Tree is for? Testing their faith? We only brought out humanity's true colours."
"What have you done…" he ran a hand through his hair, staring into the distant horizon as he contemplated this confession. "If anyone finds out that you messed with God's new creation…"
"That is why we'll need help," I reached for his hand, holding it in my own. "Please, help us. You want to stop things from getting too bad, this is how. You join us on the front lines where you can make a difference."
"You're asking me… to add fuel to the fire…" he spoke a breath-laden thought that showed nothing but internal conflict. "I can't watch this. I know how this is going to end and I don't want to be around for it."
For a moment, we simply stood, present in each other's company but not looking at each other. It was an uncomfortable feeling of wanting to be united but finding ourselves on opposite sides. Just the thought of it gave me a bitter taste in my mouth, like it just wasn't right. "So what are you going to do?" I finally broke the silence.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "Nothing. I'm tired of seeing things I can't change."
I knew my heart hurt but I had to remember why I was doing this. There was a greater mission to focus on. "Then I only ask that you don't stand in our way," I requested.
"Whatever," he assented somewhat reluctantly. "Don't tell Lucifer about me being here. I don't even recognise him anymore."
His hand pulled away from mine before he promptly spread his wings and took off. I was left with a feeling like I'd lost something. It was a kind of numbness that only weathered me further to the hardships of our cause. What was another moment of pain in this grand fight for truth and justice? Tragic that I ever thought this way, but it was how I coped.
I went to the backyard to check on Lucifer and was greeted with a brutal scene. Daylight shone brightly on the damp ground and mist carried the aroma of lavender around the area. The sweet fragrance was a stark contrast to the pieces of angel grace strewn all over the ground. It was a good thing that the house was long enough to obscure the gory scene from angels flying off from the front. Lucifer stood at the centre, angel grace dripping from his sword. "They didn't put up much of a fight," he said with a playful grin. The Mark on his arm glowed with satisfaction. I suppressed a gag, nodding to make sure he didn't feel like I was bothered by any of this. I tried not to be for his sake. The last thing I wanted was to push him away because of my own feelings on this matter.
"Let's just clean up," I ordered, tired from interacting with so many angels at once.
