Sophia's Chronicles

Chapter 57: It Makes No Difference Who We Are

The keepers of knowledge. United by wisdom, divided by circumstance.

Nervously, Shemsiel waited by the giant willow tree with the striking blue leaves in the coldest part of Heaven. There was a never-ending debate in his head about whether he was doing the right thing. But with Raziel's shady mission, he realised that he had to do what he thought was right. His job – and his team's job – was to ensure that Heaven's secrets were guarded; that knowledge was safeguarded. It didn't matter who they allied with in Heaven. This wasn't the time for petty rivalry. That much became clear after Raziel came back preaching about winning against Naomi. His boss' head wasn't in the right place. The guy spent a whole hour talking to the Winchesters, telling them about who-knows-what, just for the sake of beating Naomi. This wasn't right. This wasn't their way. Pawning information to curry favours wasn't their way. Least of all for the aid of two humans. The sacrifice would have at least had to be in service of their goal of protecting Heaven's secrets and evidently, it was not. Taking a jab at Crowley was nice and all, but it wasn't so relevant in the grand scheme of things. So Shemsiel found himself here in the Hiems, an icy hinterland in some remote corner of Heaven. He was waiting for someone.

Raziel, on the other hand, was not on any mission. This time, he would truly take a break. Maybe go down to earth and enjoy the sights and smells for a change. It was the only entertaining thing to do for someone like him. But first things first, he went to the infirmary in Heaven. He went down the rows and rows of beds, greeting his brethren who lay supine. Most of them had awakened. Raziel recognised them. They had been the ones to tend the fields of Quartum. His chest swelled with relief to see them alive and talking. They smiled as he walked past. Some were engaging in conversation with their neighbours. They seemed happy, albeit a little confused about what had happened to them. But more than that, they had life in their eyes. Luckily, they wouldn't remember what it was that Naomi had them do. It was part of the deal. Raziel counted all the angels present and mentally checked them against the list that he and Jeremiah had found in the compound. Everyone was there. Except one. Jeremiah.

"Did you come alone?" Shemsiel asked the angel in front of him.

"I assure you, I don't need an army to take you," Naomi replied. Shemsiel suppressed a groan. The cool colours of the landscape cast a white glow on her face, illuminating her greyish-blue eyes. "But I must say, your people have the strangest choice of locations. Not that it's a bad thing."

"What's truly surprising is that no one ever comes to these places. This is our home, yet we have such little understanding of what it has to offer," Shemsiel lamented. Against the white backdrop of snow and ice, his beige tank top and camo shorts stood out.

"And you? What do you have to offer?" Naomi sauntered over to one of the hanging branches of the willow tree, admiring the bright blue leaves that swooned from them.

"We both want the same thing," Shemsiel began. "We want the tablets safe in Heaven where no one can misuse them."

"That is correct," Naomi blankly agreed.

"It doesn't really matter which one of us gets to the tablets first," Shemsiel elaborated. He scanned the landscape, suddenly caught by its beauty. Nothing moved except the snow-coated plants and trees that lined the frozen lake in the breeze. The sunlight appeared white through the thick blanket of clouds, making the snow glimmer like diamonds scattered on the ground. "This is a good place as any to hide a secret that important," he remarked out of the blue. "But I'm getting distracted. What I mean to say is, I want to help. I want us to find the tablets. I thought if we worked together, progress might be faster."

Naomi's hand paused mid-air as she stroked one of the leaves. "Raziel didn't seem too happy about coming to me for help the last time," she recalled. "And admittedly, he seems to be taking pride in the fact that he's finally gotten what he wanted. So why would he want to cooperate with me now?"

"Well this isn't his idea. It's mine," Shemsiel confessed. Naomi turned to face him. That certainly got her attention. "Give me whatever leads you have. I'll get my team to help investigate them."

"And then what? You find the tablets and Raziel gets the credit?" Naomi huffed.

"It's not about getting credit," Shemsiel argued. "It's about doing the right thing. Let us do our jobs."

"Oh you, naïve, idealist, you," Naomi shook her head in pity. "That's not how anything works." She sighed, taking a few steps away from the tree. "I should have known this would be a waste of time." She spread her wings, preparing to take off.

"Wait!" Shemsiel yelled. Naomi paused, keeping herself at an angle toward him and not facing him completely. "An information exchange, at least. I know about you and Crowley." Naomi rolled her eyes, wondering whether this would be like the last 'exchange' she had with Raziel. If it was anything like that, she vowed she would stab Shemsiel where he stood and no one would be the wiser. "Crowley probably knows about the tablets by now. How would he feel about you getting in his way? He probably already thinks you betrayed him when Raziel blew up your operation, quite literally."

"Crowley's dead," Naomi stated. "He's not a problem anymore."

"Is he now?" His eyes beckoned her to stay.

Back on earth, Raziel retreated to the comfort of his office. Worry for Jeremiah burned in the back of his mind. Thinking back to the events of the past week, he recalled that a single burnt corpse was found at the scene of the fire. It had been charred so badly by the holy fire that it was barely recognisable. Whoever the poor sod was, the angels mourned him and laid him to rest. Raziel just assumed it was one of the workers. Aviel was also missing, yes? But what if… No. It couldn't be. It didn't look like Jeremiah. But then again, how could he tell? What if he's hurt? Just as he landed in the apartment, he relished the aerial view of New York City. Bright sunlight spread across the cityscape, highlighting the buildings. The building of his own apartment cast a shadow on the street below and the block in front of it.

Drip. That's when he heard it. Drip. His ears perked up. He spun towards the direction of the sound. It was out of place in his office. It came from upstairs. Armed with his blade, Raziel made his way up the black steps, his feet barely making a noise. He came upon the bedroom door. Drip. There it was again, but louder. His hand threatened to tremble like a leaf as he reached out to the door knob. In a swift movement, he twisted the knob and pushed, ready to fight off any intruder. But there was no intruder. It had to be a day like this when Raziel wished he wasn't right all the time. Blood dripped slowly, forming a large messy pool on his floor. He froze in his step. His breath was caught in his throat and he felt like ripping his own heart out. "No…" he muttered softly as he felt his knees go weak. On his ceiling, he found his new friend hanging by his wrists from a rope while his wings were pinned to the ceiling. Several brutal cuts lined his body so deeply that it was a wonder that he was still in one piece. His eyes looked like they had been pecked by ravenous scavengers. On his chest, a message that said, 'SOL-VOCH-TAY'. Obey.

"My sources tell me that the demon King is still alive and well," Shemsiel said. The sun peeked out from beyond the clouds, its brilliant golden rays shimmering off the surface of the frozen lake.

"And pray do tell, who are these sources?" Naomi probed, now curious.

"I can't, but rest assured, your demonic accomplice would want some retribution," Shemsiel reasoned. "And I bet that he wants to get his grubby little hands on the tablets too. So either we both work together and accelerate our pace, or the demon King will come to possess the Words of the Creator Himself."

"He won't," Naomi said confidently. "Where would he even begin to look? At least we have something to go on."

"There is… something," he let out. This was it. This was what he'd been so conflicted over.

"Out with it, then," Naomi urged.

"You have to promise. Resources from both of us have to go into this. A collective effort," Shemsiel bargained.

Naomi locked eyes with him through those aviators. Her eyebrows creased slightly as she realised that she was onto something here. A real opportunity. "Fine," she relented. "I'll offer what I can."

Shemsiel nodded, gulping. "There's a repository on earth somewhere. Sophia left it there before she… disappeared. She said it would have everything she knew, which presumably includes the location of all the tablets," he explained.

Naomi's eyes widened. The muscles around her cheekbones relaxed, though her jaw tightened. "You mean to say that your team has known about this… repository… this whole time, and you've kept it silent?" she uttered sharply. "A lot of time could have been saved!"

"Not exactly," he said, putting up his hands in front of his chest as though to urge patience. "We only know it exists. We don't know where it is."

"Then what's the point? Maybe Sophia has played you for a fool," she huffed.

"That may be, but it is highly unlikely. Trust me," he pleaded.

"So no one knows how to find this repository?" Naomi inquired, looking puzzled.

"There is one person," Shemsiel answered. "The vessel."

Raziel's limbs felt heavy as he pulled out the nails from his ceiling and cut down the ropes. He held the angel in his arms like a baby as he sank to the ground. He didn't care that blood was staining his clothes and making such a huge mess in his room. He simply hugged the angel close to his chest. Unfettered, a tear fell from his eyes. "I'm… I'm so sorry… Jeremiah," he whispered.

Flowers bloomed instantly as Raziel covered the grave with dirt he'd dug up. Sophia's magic still flowed strong in the soil even when she wasn't here. Mentally drained, Raziel sat next to the tombstone he'd erected in the orchard of trees near Sophia's house. He glanced around once, finding the familiar spot where Eve, Mother of All, had been buried. Her grave had become a thriving ecosystem of its own by now. Raziel didn't know why, but this seemed like the right place to bury Jeremiah. Sophia cared about Eve and Eve was buried here. Having taken so much inspiration from the archangel, Raziel only thought it fitting that he lay his own friend to rest here. He hoped it wasn't intrusive of him to do so but honestly, he didn't care about what anyone thought in that moment. As he honoured Jeremiah by devoting his time to remembering their last moments together, he remembered the last thing they said to each other.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Jeremiah said. Oh it stung so bad to think about it. But Raziel swallowed his pain and continued with the memory. He deserved this pain. It was all his fault.

"You'll do just fine, Jeremiah. You've done so well so far and you know what to do," he advised.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to do the right thing," Jeremiah smiled softly. Raziel remembered the inklings of pride threatening to overflow within his chest.

"Follow the path to the truth no matter where it takes you and you will not be let down," Raziel said in return. And look where that got him. Mutilated like he was meat fed to hounds and buried to become fertiliser. Raziel failed his friend. He despaired to think of all the potential Jeremiah had. Of all the great things he could have become. And it was all stolen from him. By Naomi. "I will avenge you," Raziel uttered. The Keeper's bones strengthened with resolve. There will be a reckoning. A day when the scales would be even. But today, Raziel needed some time alone with his fallen friend. Time to reflect and time to make peace. However, unbeknownst to him, he wasn't alone. Not really. He couldn't really expect to be, inviting himself into someone else's home, could he? That was what the silent angel thought as he watched from afar, through the cover of the trees. He'd been quietly reading one of Sophia's books from the house while seated in the tree branches when the fluttering of wings caught his attention. His eyes flashed red briefly and he retreated again, as he always did when he was too close to someone he knew. The man needs time alone, he told himself. And then, just like that, he was gone.

"Where is the vessel now?" Naomi probed. A gentle wind blew from the east, biting their skin like needles and pricks. Being celestial in nature, these were just sensory inputs to them, a detailed report from the human bodies they wore. Still, it was interesting to know that you were somewhere significantly lacking in heat.

"We don't know," Shemsiel answered honestly. "We've tried looking for months. She's hidden herself well. But if she's on earth, she's fair game for Crowley."

"Then we must find her," Naomi agreed. "I guess we're a team, then."


British Men of Letters Temporary HQ – 15 December 2011, An Ungodly Hour

Zara gasped, gulping volumes of air into her lungs. Her hair stuck close to her face, damp and cold, just as her clothes did to her body. That was too close for comfort. You'd think that being plunged into a tank of ice-cold water while effectively blind and deaf would get easier by the day, but that simply was not the case. "I would advise caution, Lady Bevel," Dr Berg said as he stood next to her in the control room, behind fibreglass. "It may not be good for the baby to push her too much."

"But I'm so close," Toni squinted at Zara from where she was. Even from this distance, she could see Zara trembling from the cold. Of everything they had the girl do, this was the only thing that yielded any tangible result at all. Zara was far too stubborn to talk and knew too little about accessing angel magic – or she pretended not to know. Either way, progress was slow and the higher-ups would want to hear something. It was almost two months and if they didn't hear from her soon, they would terminate the project or even worse – get someone to replace her. And she would not let that happen. She wouldn't let someone like Ketch take her promotion away from her. "She's surprisingly strong when she's forced to survive."

"That can be said of a number of things, I'm sure," Dr Berg blankly replied. "I want to examine her. Get her dried and sent to my office."

"Just one more round," Toni said, eyeing the erratic readings on the graph shown on the computer screen in front of her. All that power, it was remarkable.

"Then maybe I should ask Dr Hess to send her to my office," Dr Berg warned. Toni jerked her head towards him, taken by surprise. "Do I need to speak to Dr Hess, Lady Bevel?"

"No," she conceded, albeit half-heartedly.

"Very well then," he gave her a knowing nod. As long as he was there, he wouldn't let Toni hurt Zara. Though he realised the amount of trauma that Zara must already be facing with all these tests, he needed to make sure it wasn't too much that the baby couldn't handle.

Later, Zara sat still in his office, taking a seat right next to the doctor's table as one would in a clinic. He checked her heart rate and blood pressure, noting them down. She simply stared at the ground, unmoving. "All seems good so far," he remarked. "I'm going to need to know about your history and that of the baby's father." Zara felt a stab in the chest. Nick. She missed him so much. "I need to know about any drug or alcohol use."

She inhaled sharply. "We both smoke and drink, but evidently not quite as often now," she replied, still refusing to meet his gaze. "And I… I used to do cocaine when I was a teenager." Clearly, she wasn't proud of herself now. "Is it- is it going to hurt the baby?"

Dr Berg maintained a concerned expression though he did not voice his disapproving thoughts. "We can't say yet," he answered honestly. "But I will have to run some blood tests to find out."

Zara nodded meekly. While he drew blood from her arm, she worried about the life growing inside her. She had nothing but love for this child that would be hers. It was the only thing to look forward to here. Every day she endured whatever Toni and Tom had planned for her, she held onto the thought of seeing her child to avoid losing hope. But then she would think about what would happen to her child if she was still their prisoner and suddenly it wasn't such a happy thought anymore. That's when she would try to put the thought as far from her mind as possible. Still, she had a lot to be concerned about. Being emotionally healthy while pregnant was important. Prenatal epigenetic changes could have a lasting impact on a child's psychological well-being. It was one of those things she'd researched when she still had a post-graduate career. But she swore that whoever her child would turn out to be – good or bad – she would love him or her unconditionally. After all, she wasn't one to talk about good and bad anyway. What would Sophia do when she returned and found her vessel with a child in her arms? What would Lucifer do? Zara repressed a shudder. Stop thinking!

"Now let's hear that heartbeat, shall we?" Dr Berg offered as he brought out a Doppler from his drawer. He gently pressed the probe against her belly and turned up the volume. And there it was. A steady thumping rhythm. A pleased huff along with a smile escaped Zara's lips. That was the best thing she'd heard in a long time. The doctor himself was pleased by her reaction. Finally, something genuinely good to see in this place. He handed her the speaker and she held it carefully with both her hands while he still held the probe. Waves of warmth spread through her as she held the speaker near her ear. It was the most comforting thing to hear, she thought. "You can keep it."

Zara's eyes softened at that. It was the purest emotion anyone could feel. Pure love. "Th-Thanks, doc," she managed to say. "I appreciate it."

"As long as I'm here, Zara, I will make sure that Toni keeps her limits with you," he promised. "I know her tests can be… taxing. But you won't have to endure them for long, I hope. Once again, if I could just advise you to cooperate with them…"

"What's the point of these tests, anyway?" Zara asked. She knew he was probably not allowed to tell her too much but she thought it worth trying at least. "I don't have any ESP. I can't do jack."

"Toni thinks she's onto something," Dr Berg said, to her surprise. "Even if you don't know how to use your… um… ESP, you're definitely capable of something. The results show as much."

"And what exactly are these results?" she probed.

"For one, that tank that Toni loves so much, is meant to induce a highly stressful environment with added sensory deprivation," he began. "And from experience, most people with latent magical abilities or other beastly conditions tend to act out in such an environment. Likewise, the electromagnetic waves you've released show strong signs of magical tendency."

"Alright…" she understood some of that. "But why force it out of me? Why not show me how to access my latent magical abilities?" She knew why. They wouldn't want her to get out of hand. Still, they must have several protective mechanisms to make sure that wouldn't happen. "I'm not asking for myself. I-"

"For the baby, I know," he finished her sentence. He sighed dejectedly. The doctor had nothing but sympathy for the woman in his office. He knew just as well as her that these experiments could affect her in adverse ways if not supervised properly. "I understand." He took one long look at her. How she held onto the Doppler, how she looked at him like he was the only hope she had. "I'll try to talk to Lady Bevel about it."


A distinct lavender perfume filled the air as the witch rushed into the throne room. "My King!" she exclaimed, hurrying towards him as fast as her stilettos could take her on the warm stone floor of Hell. Esther threw her arms around Crowley, pulling him into a sweet embrace. "They told me you were gone!"

Crowley held her close enough to him so that he could see her face. That look she had, one of shock and worry, contorted her eyes so effectively that he could have believed that she actually cared. Maybe she did, he didn't know. As much as he enjoyed the attention, he was careful to maintain a sceptical emotional distance. After all, his past experiences with witches were very telling. "Esther, my sweet. I am a King. It won't be so easy to take me out," he reassured her.

She managed a relieved smile at that. Crowley relished how her long black curls hung lusciously on her ample-bosomed chest and how her dark purple dress stuck to her elegant hourglass figure. She wore a little goat-head pendant around her neck – a gift from Crowley – which seemed to lead seductively into the valley of her cleavage hidden so curiously under the neck of her dress. "What happened?" she inquired. "What went wrong?"

"We've been duped," he began. "It seems internal affairs in Heaven may have gotten out of hand and our business partner has lost control. Or maybe this was Naomi's plan all along. The truck was rigged with holy oil. Went up in flames and doused anyone in a 35-foot radius with holy fire."

"Sounds horrible!" she said, still unable to believe how any of this could have happened. "How did you get out of there in time?"

"I almost didn't," he admitted. "But I knew there was something sketchy about the angel that showed up. A deal like this, Naomi would have showed up herself. Anyway, I kept my eyes on him the whole time. And interestingly enough, he disappeared exactly a split second before the explosion. Lucky for me, I reacted quickly. I teleported away just far enough to see the explosion but not far enough to…" He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and pulled away enough to reveal a nasty burn. "To completely avoid damage."

"Oh no," Esther muttered as she reached out a finger to touch the scar. Crowley winced a little and she pulled back quickly. "Sorry." Her heart sank just seeing it but she was still glad that he was alive. "I can work something up to fix that."

"I would appreciate that," Crowley said, maintaining a studious gaze on her. Such a curious thing.

Suddenly her expression flipped like a switch, growing sombre. A calm fury overlaid her delicate facial features though it burned through her blue eyes. "We need to pay them back for what they did to you," she stated. "We need to fry those winged trotters with holy oil."

"Patience, love," Crowley advised, though he could not deny that her suggestion sparked some enthusiasm in him. "The day for a reckoning will arrive. But our priority now has to be the tablets of God, namely the angel tablet. Just imagine the nuggets of wisdom we could discover about our dear angelic friends. Once we know their weak spots, we'll strike so hard they'll hide in Heaven for the rest of time."

A malicious smile spread across Esther's face. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "But where would we start?"

"With our little pet, of course," Crowley smirked. "Little old Meg was part of Lucifer's inner circle back in the end of days. She might know something."

"Sorry but what does Lucifer have to do with any of this?" she asked, slightly confused. Being a young witch, Esther was still not informed on all the intricacies of the history of celestial beings. Crowley was always patient with her, explaining to her things she did not understand. He only bothered so much because she was important. She was a powerful witch – quite a wonder considering her age. And the innocent oblivion in her eyes always made his heart flutter. Like she somehow… adored him. Every moment with her was an aching need to make her a part of him. It both confused and excited him simultaneously.

"Quick history lesson: Lucifer's missus was once God's most trusted. She held all of Heaven's secrets, which includes the tablets and their locations. Chances are, their pillow talk included some juicy gossip and Lucifer might have in turn let some slip with his inner circle," he explained.

"Right, so what? We stick things in Meg and hope she talks?" Esther clarified.

"No, I'll stick things in Meg and hope she talks," Crowley said. "You, on the other hand, are in charge of something far more important. Our… side-project with the vessel. I'm afraid you'll have to pick up the pace on that one. We don't know how long it'll be before Lucifer crawls out of that pit."

Esther nodded solemnly. "I won't let you down," she promised.