Sophia's Chronicles
A/N:
This chapter is based on the events in The Man Who Knew Too Much, S6E23. Also Sophia calls Luciel by his nickname, Luc (pronounced Luke), which I thought was kinda cute and it differentiates him from Lucifer, who we all call Luci ;)
Chapter 31: The Second Heavenly War
I groaned as I lay in the depression in the soil. My essence was leaving me. Within a matter of moments this would be it. I held the image of my newborn son in my mind. A single tear escaped my eye and ran down the side of my face, a sight that seemed to give Raphael satisfaction. I was helpless against the force of my dimming consciousness as my eyelids struggled to stay open. I winced in pain as Raphael hastily pulled out the blade and left me to die slowly. Heat rose in my wings, ready to burn.
"Lucifer…" I desperately called out in my head. I didn't even know if I had enough energy to reach him at this moment. Every inch that my awareness had to extend to find him felt like a struggle. The light of my remaining essence seemed so close yet so unattainable. I was sure I would give up before I could reach it. But he didn't. I could have sworn I felt the heat of death reach me. "I'm going to die, Lucifer… I'm sorry I couldn't save our son…"
"Listen to me!" A sharp voice filled my head. "You will not die. I won't let you. Receive from me, as you did all those years ago. Relax, and receive!" That was when a sudden rush of coldness filled my body. It energised me and restored the life in my limbs. I fought every urge to resist as the burning cold of his essence worked to heal my own polar opposite one. The wounds, unfortunately, were too deep to be completely healed but they were partially restored. Just one simple connection between us, created by God in the beginning – this was enough. Enough for me to climb my way up the trench and emerge onto the ground with dirt-crusted palms. I can't believe it. I'm not dead.
I gasped heavy breaths as I stayed on all fours, looking at the ground with a newfound appreciation for life. Then, my ears tuned into the sounds around me. Clashing of swords, grunts of effort – the battle was still going on! I got up to my feet and looked up. Shemsiel, Dinah, Raziel and Hassiel were surrounded with seven angels encircling them. I rushed up, snapping necks and spinning with my wings outstretched to cut and maim the angels. Clearly relieved to see me, their offenses stepped up and within moments, we stood victorious and alive. A deserved calm settled over the field. There was so much spilt blood that some droplets stained the outer walls of my house. Oh well, at least that gave it an interesting aesthetic.
The house. Raphael, he came for one thing – my son. Alarmed, my eyes widened at the sight of a broken door. With a short yelp I flew in as fast as I could, approaching the couch from its back. I looked over its spine and there was nothing. No, no, no, no, NO. The muscles of my arms and chest tightening, my fingers curled in rigidly as a short, raw, uninhibited growl escaped my throat. Rage filled me like The Great Flood, threatening to annihilate anything in its way. I needed to find Luciel and I needed to kill something while at it. A moment passed. Then another. My murderous impulse waned, though my fury did not. When the time came, it would rise up to the surface again.
"S-Sophia?" Hassiel called. I turned to the direction of the broken glass door and foundmy companions, worn out from fighting, standing there patiently.
"He's gone, Hass," my broken voice said. Tears filled my vision. "They took him."
"We'll find him," Hass reassured me. "I promise."
"We promise," Dinah chimed in.
There was work to be done. The tranquil scene of the well-trimmed garden that extended for acres around my house was now destroyed by the battle. Dozens of dead bodies littered the ground. We had to dispose of them. Luckily, I knew the perfect burial ground. All these patches of ruined crops and flowering plants could use a new source of life. With the help of my friends, we filled up the destroyed patches with graves of dead angels. Yet, there were some left over. These went with Eve at the grove. We were worn out by the task of burying our dead brothers and sisters, some of whom we recognised. Haniel, one of our targets, was among them. Night fell when we were done and the activity that I used to occupy my mind from restless anxiety ended. Raphael probably took Luciel to Heaven, if he didn't kill him. He couldn't have, because Lucifer and I would've felt something. We both felt his strong life-blood as soon as he was conceived. It was a comforting rumble in the core of our very being, and I rejoiced in the fact that it continued to exist even after I gave birth. But that said nothing about whether he was in pain or in trouble.
It was only when I finally took a seat with the others that I remembered that I still had a shoulder wound. It was pretty bad and stung when I leaned into my chair. Normal flesh wounds could be easily healed but with a deep wound like this, especially one inflicted by a blade made specially to kill a being like me, only time could heal it. Shemsiel took one close look at it and his face contorted intoan expression of disgust. "Lord, that's nasty," he remarked.
"Thanks for the confidence booster," I retorted wryly.
"Hey, I'm just being honest," he replied defensively.
"Shemsiel, didn't you invent some kind of healing potion formula not too long ago?" Raziel inquired.
Shemsiel's fingers paused in their position on my chest as his face turned inquisitively to him. "I've never had the chance to test it," he answered. We all saw where this was going. "No, I can't use it on her. We don't know what side-effects it could have."
"We don't have a choice," Dinah's heavily lined eyes flickered between Raziel and Shemsiel. "We need her at full strength to take down Raphael."
Shemsiel sighed before returning his gaze to me. "It's your call."
"I've experimented drugs on myself before and I turned out just fine. Just do it." That was what I told them, and it was true for the most part. But in all honesty, I felt nothing inside. I was just waiting for the weight of guilt and anger to drop on me and the wait was killing me. I'd rather experience whatever temporary suffering this mysterious healing potion would inflict on me than sit around and wait for a plan to show itself. Shemsiel and Dinah left to retrieve the potion while the rest of us waited. The bright lights in the house insulated me from the darkness outside that threatened to invade my thoughts. For the time being, they kept me grounded in the present moment.
Meanwhile, I stared at the screen of my phone, watching as minutes passed. Finally, I dialled Balthazaar, now realising that if Castiel found out about Rahab and Pahaliah, he could be onto Balthazaar as well. To my relief, Balthazaar picked up.
"Are you alone?" I checked.
"For the moment, yes. Is anything wrong?" He probably didn't know.
"Everything's wrong." I paused. "You have to stop Castiel before it's too late."
"But we're so close, Sophia. Open war could emerge at any moment. We need Castiel to lead-"
"You can't trust him. Castiel hasn't stopped trying to find Purgatory."
"What? When was Purgatory involved?"
"Since the beginning. He's been working with Crowley this whole time, even when I told him not to."
"S-surely there must be… some explanation…" He stuttered.
"I know you want to believe that Castiel is your friend and someone you can rely on, but believe me, he's not. You must have noticed how extremely he acts by now. If you need further proof, he kidnapped Rahab and Pahaliah because they found out what he was up to."
"The Nalkam? God…"
"And when I confronted him about it, he set up a trail that led Raphael right to me using the Holy Lance. Now Raphael has… he has my son," I explained, tears stinging my eyes. I gulped before continuing, "You need to help me find Rahab and Pahaliah, and put an end to whatever it is that he's planning."
"That's horrible." He stopped to consider what I'd just said, and then huffed in annoyance. "I'll do what I can." He cut the call.
The next call I made was to Hell. I had to find out what that demon knew about Crowley's whereabouts. The phone kept ringing… and ringing. No one picked up. God, what now? I wanted to get up and leave but Hassiel stopped me.
"Be patient, Sophia, please," he begged.
"Castiel is succeeding in ruining my life right now. I'm finding it mildly difficult to be patient," I snapped back at him.
"Just until Shemsiel gets ba- There he is." The two angels hurried towards me. Taking a deep breath, Shemsiel opened the bottle and poured the clear liquid onto my shoulder. It burnt and hissed for a while, which was somewhat discomforting but still manageable. The others stared on intently, waiting for the initial reaction to die down. Eventually it did, and the wound healed just fine.
Shemsiel heaved a sigh of relief. "Seems like your formula is a winner," I complimented him as I pulled my shirt over my shoulder and got back up.
"So, what do we do now?" Raziel asked. Everyone looked to me for an answer.
It was time. "Start the war." I wasn't going to give Castiel any more of a chance to get to Purgatory. If the war started now, he would have no choice but to abandon his plans and fight with us.
I flew as fast as I could to Hell. I had my suspicions from the unsuccessful phone call and they were confirmed. Every demon from the entrance to the prison – all slain. Traces of angelic power. If Castiel wasn't my nemesis, I would be impressed by his ability to stay one step ahead of me but right now I was pissed as hell. Not only did he kidnap my friends, but he also gave Raphael the opening to kill me and take my son away. All of that was on him and now I had no way of finding him. Somehow I'd figured this out on the way, though I had to see it for myself. It seemed I was left with no choice but to finish what was started – the war in Heaven. That was the only way out of it all. Find Raphael, get him to hand over my son, and kill him. When Castiel shows up to kill Raphael, that would be my only chance to face him. I knew he would show up all powered up, but I didn't care anymore. I needed to see his face when I use every force of my being to exterminate him.
In the heat of the moment, a peculiar thought came to mind. Following it, I returned to the last place I had ever wanted to be – the vault. My prison. Under all that water, natural growth had overtaken the stone doors. I had never really gotten a good look at this place since I was forced in by Raphael and unconscious when Lucifer brought me out. The locks were all undone. Receptive to my presence, the doors easily shifted open when I telekinetically pulled on them. Inside, I was led down a dark tunnel to another set of open doors. Everything suddenly felt so claustrophobic. A sense of doom grew within me as I approached the doors that served as an entrance to my very own torture chamber. They were supposedly guarded by these strange creatures, as Lucifer had recounted. I say 'supposedly' because they were nowhere to be found now. Where had they gone? I wondered. This doubt was soon eclipsed by the sight of what served as the purpose of my visit. I shuddered thinking about the first time I was here but quickly the fear and anxiety evolved into an unending lust for revenge. Now I was ready for the war.
Chaos had already erupted when I set foot in Heaven again. Battle cries resounded and a mess of wings colliding and metal clashing characterised the scene of the battle. It was The Revolution all over again, but on a much larger scale. Everyone was involved. Picking up two swords from dead angels, I engaged with the horde of colliding angels, wielding a sword in each hand. It was the only way to get to the main building where I had to begin the search for Luciel. Also, it wouldn't hurt to annihilate some of the competition along the way. This was me, doing what I was meant to do. An archangel, a deadly weapon of Heaven, eliminating those who stood in my way. All the years of pain I'd endured for wanting a better future for this place now coursed through me. Here, I was pure instinct – no thoughts or identity holding me back. At some point, I stopped and dropped my blades. Concentrating solely on my surroundings, I harvested all the energy I could find, and Heaven was full of it. It was a state of being that could never be achieved in Earth or Hell – a state of pure devastation. Pointing my palms outwards at Raphael's supporters, I blasted a clean line of fire at them, straight from my core. It was like bringing Hell to them. That got rid of a good number of angels.
I looked around. Angels were all around me, but there was no sign of Raphael. Or Castiel.
(Balthazaar POV)
He couldn't believe it. Purgatory? He didn't want to believe it either. But what reason could Sophia have to lie? She was a trusted friend of Hass, who had been his outside source for luxuries prohibited in Heaven. For many millennia, Hass and Balthazaar had a mutually beneficial relationship, whereby Hass continued his weapon-making craft using materials from Heaven and Balthazaar received commodities like artefacts from Earth and space. It seemed like a simple trade but it was one that required unbreakable trust on both their parts, since Hassiel was a wanted fallen angel and Balthazaar would be seen as a traitor. This arrangement also came with an inevitable friendship that had its roots in Balthazaar assisting Hassiel's escape from Heaven's prisons. So if Hassiel trusted Sophia, he would too.
On top of that, he did notice Castiel's erratic behaviour. Then there was Sam and Dean's prayers – Lisa and Ben had been taken. The boys were desperate. How could Castiel have put two innocent humans at risk like this? This wasn't right. He should've guessed that something was off the minute he saw the angel warding and dirty white tiles of the abandoned mental institution. Clearly it was more than Castiel's hideout. He was probably lucky that he even got this close to Cas. The weapons played a huge part in that, though he had placed more hope in the months that they worked together to best Raphael through which their friendship was strengthened.
If what Sophia said was true, then he would need to do all he could to stop Cas. And that meant alerting the Winchesters. After all, they knew something was up with Castiel. They could do something about it while Sophia had her hands full with Raphael and the war. It was this thought that led him to give Dean and Bobby the location of Castiel's lair, while Sam dealt with the broken wall in his mind. He was just about to text Sophia the address when his phone rang.
The angels heard the trumpets of war go off. It had begun. Castiel should be preparing for it. He'd called Balthazaar to meet with him, presumably to discuss final details before they both left to Heaven. Castiel sat deep in thought, holding a jar of what looked to be blood in his hands. "You rang, Cas?" Balthazaar arrived.
"Yeah, we have a problem," he replied with a grim tone. "Sophia is looking for me as we speak and Dean Winchester is on his way here. It's a miracle that they're not working together."
"Really? Oh. How'd he even know where we were?" Balthazaar feigned surprise.
"Apparently," Cas set the jar down on a table next to him. "We have a Judas in our midst."
"Ah," Balthazaar chuckled nervously. "Holy Hell, who is it? I bet it's that bloody little Cherub, isn't it?"
Cas stood up slowly, still keeping his eyes fixed on his friend. "I don't know. But I-I need you to find out."
"Of course. Um, right away. Right away." Balthazaar nodded in agreement. "Uh, but what do you want me to do about Dean and Sophia?"
Cas turned away, his face filled with disappointment. "Nothing. I'll handle them myself."
"Castiel, are you alright?"
"First Sam and Dean, and now this. I'm doing my best in impossible circumstances. My friends, they abandon me, plot against me. And then I thought Sophia's cooperation would be invaluable but it seems that her interests conflict with what's good for the angels. So now, I have yet another archangel out to get me. It's difficult to understand," Cas professed.
Balthazaar smirked, wanting to reassure Castiel. "Well you've - you've always got little old me."
Castiel wasn't buying it. He'd thought about the time he helped Sophia break out of Heaven. She and Hassiel had been missing from the battle for a certain amount of time. This roughly corresponded to the window of opportunity Balthazaar would've had to steal the weapons, considering he 'died' around the time that Sophia and Hassiel disappeared. She had to be involved in it somehow. Why else would Balthazaar have been attempting to harvest souls using the weapons of God if not for Sophia's use? He'd made it clear that he wanted to stay clear of the fighting the time they met on Earth. Before Balthazaar could react, Castiel appeared behind him. Without a semblance of mercy, Castiel drove the blade through his own friend. "Yes, I'll always have you."
"Cas…" Angel grace flashed brightly through the vessel as Balthazaar died, for real this time. Amidst the shock he felt a loss. He'd lost the angel he once thought to be well-intentioned and noble. The one who had paved the way for a new thinking among angels, a school of thought that relied on the principle of free will which he could certainly admire. That angel was no more. In his place was this hunger for power, an obsessive impulse that led this once-admirable angel down a path where he betrayed his own friends. Balthazaar regretted not letting Sophia know about this location, which would now be his grave.
Back in Heaven
The office building was practically empty when I scoured the corridors. The first place I thought to check was Raphael's office. A loud thud resounded as I kicked in the door. Empty. He wasn't here. This didn't make any sense. The revolutionary angels were practically kicking ass. He should be here to help them and secure his reign, or at least in this building somewhere to threaten me. I searched the office, looking at papers and books and whatever I could find. There had to be a clue somewhere. All I got was irrelevant information. This was going nowhere. Exasperated, I threw a decorative paper weight with all my force. It smashed through the window, allowing cool air to enter. As I stood by the window, I could see the whole battle taking place. Raphael's office did have a nice view of the landscape in Heaven, and the cosmos from the perspective of Earth. There was a lunar eclipse tonight. That's when it clicked for me. The lunar eclipse was when the distance between Earth and the underworld realms would be smallest – that included Hell and Purgatory. I didn't know if Castiel would've the necessary materials and spells to reach Purgatory but if he did, tonight would be his chance.
I needed something – anything – to go on to find Luciel and Castiel. Think, Sophia, think. What about the medical wards? I remembered that Raphael was once seen as a great and talented healer. I had even learnt a few things from him when I was young. But now, the wards and nurseries had been largely cordoned off due to the fact that the angels had not been reproducing as much. Without God, no one felt good about procreating anymore. We used to celebrate the birth of every angel. Not anymore. If Raphael thought I was dead, and he probably did, he may not have any qualms about using such an obvious location to stow away my child.
My heart full of desperate hope, I wandered down the hallways to the familiar area where I had developed my not-so-friendly relationship with Raphael – the wards. The silence down here was a stark contrast to the fighting outside. Though bright and white, the eerie quiet gave the place a gloomy feel. This was practically Raphael's second home. I wondered if he still spent as much time here. As I advanced down the corridor, a faint cry reached me. I sighed in relief. That was him – Luciel! I rushed towards the direction of the sound, pushing doors upon doors open in my way.
I came upon the final door and abruptly stopped when it opened. There he was, the child resting in the crib. But I wasn't alone. "You? You're still alive?" Zadkiel was wide-eyed with shock. "But that's… that's impossible."
"Believe it," I hissed as I raised my arm, ready to smite. Zadkiel's gaze flickered between the baby and me. Clearly he was left in-charge alone because Raphael wasn't expecting any visitors.
His worried expression now changed to one of relief. He smirked. "It doesn't matter anyway. The boss is way ahead of you. When he comes back, you won't stand a chance."
"What are you talking about?"
Good thing groupies had limitless faith in whoever they looked up. Enough to gloat about it, anyway. "Raphael's going to get Purgatory. He's with Crowley, doing the spell right now."
For a moment, I hesitated, lowering my arm in surprise. Taking advantage of this, Zadkiel made a swift calculation and reached for the blade that was on the table. His eyes barely returned to me when I snapped my fingers, exploding him.
"No one shall stand between us anymore," I whispered as I picked Luciel up. He stopped crying and now smiled sweetly at me. "Raphael wants Purgatory too, huh? I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to keep your uncles from making a great mistake, Luc. At least I'll have you."
His tiny hands reached for me, gently patting my chest. "What is it, son?" His fingers then pointed over my shoulder. Was he trying to tell me something? I turned around, and came face to face with a figure dripping with black substance. "Khaos?"
"Make a choice," the distorted voice said.
"What?"
"Do you want to stop Purgatory from being opened, or do you want to keep the natural order?" Again, expressions were hard to read on his shiny, dripping canvas of a face.
"Of course I want to stop them from opening Purgatory. Why wouldn't I? And what do you mean by natural order?"
"Your actions regarding this will ultimately determine whether the timeline is restored or changed. You see, your impact constitutes an aberration, since your presence here is an aberration. But you have a choice in this."
I was engulfed by fury. This was unfair and offensive. "I am tired of hearing about how I don't belong here or how I'm not supposed to be here. What happened had to happen. God saved me! Why isn't that part of the natural order?" I was so tired of having to think about this – of having to justify my existence. Whatever could be counted as Khaos' lips opened slightly, poised to answer. "You know what, don't say anything. I don't want to hear any more about this. Just take me to whoever's getting to Purgatory!" I fastened a cloth around my torso to carry Luciel.
"As you wish."
I was transported to a dimly-lit room. The back of his brown trench coat faced me.
"Aperit fauces eius ad mundum nostrum," Castiel recited. The giant gate sigil began to glow. I had to act fast. "… nunc, ianua magna-"
"Hey!" I interrupted, hurling him toward the wall on which the sigil was drawn. He smashed against it, causing some cracks to form in the wall. That had to be enough to disrupt the sigil.
His lips pursed and his forehead creased in frustration as he scrambled to get up. "How did you-" I blasted him with energy, injuring him. Grabbing onto his collar and raising him up to my eye level, I slammed his head against the wall with one hand as I held onto Luciel with another. Castiel groaned in pain and blood flowed from his nose and mouth.
"Now tell me," I pulled on his shirt to make him face me. "Is it true that Raphael and Crowley are now working together to do this as well?"
Now that the sigil was destroyed, the materials used up and the time of the lunar eclipse slipping away, Castiel wouldn't get another opportunity to open Purgatory again. Not for a while anyway. His expression suggested that he understood this. Resigned to his fate at my hands, Castiel answered, "Yes, but I gave them the wrong jar of blood." Splendid.
"Hm. Then we still have a chance of delivering justice to them. So be a good little angel, and tell me where you've been keeping Rahab and Pahaliah. Then we'll stop Raphael and Crowley together just in time to finish the war," I proposed.
"Maybe I said it wrong," Crowley guessed, when nothing happened.
"Oh you said it well, but you need this," I announced as I dropped Castiel on the ground and set the empty jar of the required blood on the table. Bobby and Dean struggled to their feet, probably attacked by Crowley and Raphael on their way in. How was it that they kept showing up? "Too bad it's empty."
"This can't be…" Raphael stepped back. "I-I killed you!"
My lips turned upwards on one side. "Turns out you can't keep a mother from protecting her child." Dean looked at Castiel – who was now standing– confused as to what he was witnessing. "No one is getting anywhere near Purgatory. Not on my watch."
Crowley, now intrigued, approached the sigil and used a finger to get a smidge of blood. Tasting it, he identified its origin. "And we've been working with... Dog blood. Naturally."
Castiel and I raised our palms together. With him powered by souls and my own capabilities, we would be an unstoppable force together. The threatening glow of bright light from our palms gleaned as much. "Game's over, Raphael. It's between you and me, now," I addressed him.
"Sounds sexy," Crowley commented. "Exit stage Crowley." He fled.
Alarmed, Raphael looked between the thin air where Crowley stood previously and us. With just me, he could have stood a chance. But with the soul-powered angel under my command, we were a force to reckon with. "What's wrong, Raphael, somebody clip your wings?" Castiel taunted.
"I d-don't understand," Raphael stammered. "You let the demon go?"
"He'll get what's coming for him," I reassured him. "But right now, I want to save all my energy for you." I took a deep breath. I'd been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. Raphael had brandished an archangel blade – my archangel blade, the one he took from me when he tried to kill me – and held it up in a pitiful defence. I huffed with Schadenfreude. Black and purple streaks appeared in a narrow pole-like form as my own choice of weapon materialized within my arm – a trident. Not just any trident. It was the same one Raphael used to shove me into the vault.
A magnanimous sense of satisfaction coursed through me as I witnessed shock and fear congeal in Raphael's eyes. In that moment, Luciel cooed, slowly stirring between being awake and asleep. "That's right, Luc," I smiled as I rubbed his back gently with my free hand. "Revenge is sweet." Raphael, in an attempt to throw me off, hurled my own blade at me. Reflexively, my arm stretched out and summoned the grip of the blade to my hand. It truly was a gift that not many people knew about my blade's true capabilities. Instantaneously, I pulled the same motion, hurling the trident at Raphael. Unable to stop the motion of the giant weapon, he became victim to its agonizing pierce. With a loud grunt, he fell to his knees.
Castiel stepped forward to supplement my initial attack. "Cas," I threw the archangel cuffs at him. He caught them aptly and blasted Raphael again, forcing him against the wall. As I'd wished, Castiel cuffed Raphael, incapacitating him.
"What should we do with him?" Castiel turned to me.
"I'm going to take him back to Heaven," I responded.
"And me?" His blue eyes scanned my expression.
I paused. "I'm sorry it had to end this way," I apologised. The Eye of Khaos glimmered brightly in my hand as I used it. Castiel gaped and helplessly let out a groan as all the souls he had flew to the crystal in a strong gust of wind. When the light died down, he was left with a quizzical expression.
"Wha-" I snapped my fingers. Castiel was no more than blood, guts and bits of angel grace splattered all over the walls and floor. Dean and Bobby looked on with frightened gazes. Dean's jaw dropped. This must've been nostalgic for them.
"Do you want an encore?" I threatened. "Get out of here." I didn't want anyone interfering in what I had planned for Raphael. Taking the cue, the two men took their leave. Now for my fun.
Raphael's hands trembled as they felt around. His eyes fluttered, struggling against the pain forcing his eyes to close. "Last words?" I asked as I knelt to his level, keeping my hand on the handle of the trident.
Raphael's lips twitched with effort. Through gritted teeth he spoke softly. "I thought my Father never made mistakes…" He laboured to say. "But I was wrong... You deceived him…"
This again? "I get it, Raph. You don't like me. You've spent all thirteen billion years letting me know."
Raphael chuckled shortly but his up-turned lips soon returned to the scowl that spat out blood. "Even your name isn't real!" His hand held onto my shoulder for support. "I tried everything I could… to erase your existence from the books… hide it from the humans…"
Well that explained a lot. "Why? Didn't want to use me as a villain like you people did with Lucifer?"
"I was trying to help Father…" His voice grew more strained. "God… he made a promise… he didn't want to keep… for you…" This time I had to lean in close to him to make out what he was saying. "Adhya," he whispered into my ear. It felt like bells had gone off in my head. What did that mean? Why did it mean anything to me? A strange aggression at the sense of not knowing crawled under my skin, threatening to explode. Something was being hidden from me, and I needed to know what it was. I wanted to shake some answers out of Raphael, but he was passed out from his leaking essence and no amount of slapping his face could return him to consciousness long enough for me to communicate with him.
The battle still raged on in Heaven. A booming thud resounded as a body slammed into the middle of the battleground. Everyone stopped and turned. There he was, Raphael, impaled and pinned to the ground by a magnificent trident. I descended, landing softly. While they looked on, I walked around to his head. Grabbing a fistful of hair, I jerked his head up and in a swift motion, my blade sliced through his throat, dismembering his form. His head was still dangling from my fist as I flew up above the angels and then sounded the horns for the end of war. The number of angels fighting for freedom outnumbered those that supported Raphael anyway. A triumphant grin plastered on my face, I tossed Raphael's head into the distance, not caring where it landed. The angels now looked at me with fear. If I wanted influence, this was my chance. But I remembered what Castiel said: that the angels wanted freedom, not to be ruled by others. If I forcibly assumed charge, a rebellion was bound to happen again and this war was evident.
I retrieved the trident and the cuffs, and humbly took my leave. I wanted to spend some time alone with my son anyway.
A/N:
I know we haven't heard from Sophia's vessel, Zara, in a while but we will soon. She is kind of a major character and I know I haven't written much about her but we'll find out soon who she is and why she chose the path she did.
