Chapter 9: I learn the horrifying truth. (Satan also shows up!)

The 5 of us sat in a classroom, well it would be a classroom but there were no chairs or tables in sight. There were just empty bean bags which we soon made ourselves comfortable in. I love sitting on bean bag chairs, it's like sitting on a big soft cloud!

Rennan didn't choose to sit like us. Instead, he paced around with his hands together.

"Rennan, what did you mean by what we truly are?" I asked him. "Am I missing something?"

Rennan glanced at me. "It's...complicated for me to explain. I'm just waiting for your parents."

"Parents?!" I asked him. "Are we in trouble?"

Rennan shook his head. "No. You haven't done anything wrong. I let them nearly hurt you. I should be ashamed of myself!"

"Rennan what are you talking about?" Violet asked him with confused eyes. "You're not making any sense here!"

"Yeah," Marcel agreed. "My mum said I'm an alien and I think everyone here is an alien too right?"

"Erm," Harry put his hand up. "I'm not. The only human one here."

"Oh right." Marcel corrected himself.

"And I'm half-alien," Violet stated.

"Okay, so most of us in the room are aliens." Marcel corrected himself. "Isn't that what we are?"

While Rennan replied to him, I glanced towards Jazmine who was holding her head tightly, she grimaced at the light in the middle and seemed to be trying to sleep the injury off.

"Jazmine, are you okay? Do you have a headache or something?"

"Urgh!" she complained. "Can you guys please stop talking, and turn the lights off. My head hurts!"

Rennan moved to the light switch and dimmed the lights a little just enough that Jazmine didn't need to squint her eyes as hard as before. "Is that better?"

She nodded and she let her head fall on the back of the chair. "It's still better but my head still hurts!"

"I thought you got better?" I asked her.

"I've still got a concussion." Jazmine stared at me with her tired eyes. "Your friend with the magic hands could have helped me but of course she didn't even spare a glance at me."

"I couldn't help you. I ran out of energy." Violet snapped at her. "And why would I help you? You constantly put Kian down. I don't want to help you."

Jazmine clenched her teeth and snapped to full attention but she instead let her head fall back. "I can't be asked to reply to that. Hey, Kian, do me a favour and tell your girlfriend here that I don't hate you."

My face turned a slight shade of red but I pushed it aside quickly, not wanting to give her any material to use against me. "S-she's not my girlfriend. She's just my friend!"

"Kian?" Violet asked me and I turned my head slowly, not wanting to make it awkward between us. "Are you two friends now? Do I need to watch out for you?"

"No you don't, " I said to her. "For now, she seems to be getting along with me. "Jazmine," I turned to the red-haired girl. "Do you want to argue against that statement? Remember, she might be helpful if you're hurt."

Jazmine groaned loudly and nodded her head and I took it as a yes.

"Listen to me, red-haired devil. Do not hurt Kian!" Violet said with a furrowed brow. "Is that understood?"

Jazmine green eyes flickered open, just enough so she could see Violet. As she looked at her, a smug smile formed on her face. "Sure, I won't hurt your boyfriend."

Violet's eyes widened and her cheeks were tinged with light pink. She stepped in to speak but Rennan stopped her with a gaze. She dropped her shoulders and turned to Rennan. "You said our parents are coming. So, where are they?"

"Just be patient, okay?" Rennan said. "They're trying their best."

"Is it about the angel wings that were on their backs?" Harry asked. "And those black shadows?"

"It most certainly is," Rennan said after a slight pause. "I could try and explain it to you but it's better if your parents tell you. It's something they planned for. They'll know what they're talking about."

And as he finished, the door swung open. The first person that flew through was my mum and as soon as she saw me, she charged towards me and hugged me super tightly.

"Did you know how worried I was?!" she said into my neck. She kissed my cheek over and over again enough times that it was embarrassing. "Ooh, I'm so glad you're okay Kina!"

"Muuuum!" I complained. "You're embarrassing me!"

"Oh really?" Even though I couldn't see her face, I knew she was smiling. "What if I do it more?"

She hugged me tightly, ruffled my hair, while she gently laughed. As I was being held by my Mum, I glanced at Marcel and saw another blonde woman hugging him tightly, I assumed it was his mother based on how Marcel also looked embarrassed at the display

Guess embarrassing mums can be a lot more common than you think!

"Marcel!" she said loudly. "I thought you wouldn't put yourself in danger!"

"Muuum!" Marcel complained. "I didn't do it on purpose. Those shadows just appeared and tried to kill us!"

"And you didn't defend yourself? I thought I taught you how to use my powers?" Marcel's Mum asked him sternly.

"Yeah, about that." Marcel rubbed his hair embarrassed at what happened. "One of them grabbed me by the neck before I could react and slammed me into a tree. My head still hurts but thankfully, someone had healing powers."

"Who did save you?" Marcel's mother asked him.

"That guy," Marcel glanced at me. "He was the one who defeated them."

Marcel's mother followed her son's gaze and turned to face me. As she did, her ocean blue eyes seemed to look deep into my purple ones. "Purple eyes…." she said like she realised who I was. "Of course it was you."

"Um, I'm sorry?"

"You did a good job, Mikalaya." Marcel's mother said proudly. "Defeated 3 vessel killers on his own without even being trained properly."

"Vessel who?"

"Marceline!" Mum scowled at her. "We're not there yet."

"Not there what?" I asked her. "Do you two know each other or something?"

They looked amongst themselves and seemed to come up with something. Mum was the first to speak. "I think we need some snacks. Marceline, can you get some please?"

"Why do I have to do it?" she complained. "My son was in danger!"

"Mine was too." Mum snapped back just as quickly. "But we're here now. Besides, won't your son like something to eat, I've heard that there's a nice hotdog stand just near here."

"Yes!" Marcel agreed happily. "I like hotdogs! Please Mum, can we get it?"

Marceline pouted. "Using hotdogs against me. You know me too well, Mikayla."

"I sure do!" Mum agreed with a wide smile.

She and Marcel soon left for the shops and as they did, Mum began to talk to Harry and as she did, my eyes glanced around the room to see what else was happening. Lucas (Violet's dad) was talking to Violet and hugging her which was very sweet to see.

Something caught my eye and I noticed how Jazmine looked miserable. Her eyes seemed to carry sadness as it glanced between everyone one of us.

"Hey," I said kindly. "What's up?"

"Don't talk to me!" She buried her face into the beanbag she was sitting on. "Go away."

"Why?" I asked her. "I just came here to see if you were okay?"

She peeked at me through a small gap. "Are you really? Don't try to fool me Kian, I know what you're here for. You're here to get revenge aren't you?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I've been making fun of ever since we met. It's only fair you do the same in my moment of weakness."

"I'm not here to make fun of you," I stated. "I'm here to make you feel better."

"Yeah right!" Jazmine said sarcastically.

"I am."

"Oh," her expression seemed to change suddenly. "You aren't you, you're really here to make sure if I'm okay."

"I mean, I've been telling you that but it's good that you got it," I grinned to push my point across.

She rolled her eyes and slowly lifted herself out of the bean bag and looked at me. Her emerald green eyes scanned me up and down like she was predicting what I was going to say next. "I g-guess I kinda owe you a little after you saved my life."

"Your welcome," I said grinning widely.

"You're so annoying," she grumbled. "But it's not about you. It's about my dad."

"What about him?"

"He's a hypocrite!" Jazmine started. "He told me stories about how cool it was to be a hero and when he found me copying him, trying to be just like him, he banned me from using my powers. I had to learn in secret and when he found out, he made me go to this fighting school where they only taught me the things I know! He thinks I'm made of glass!"

"He sounds awful!" I agreed. "With the way you fight, you are definitely not made of glass!"

For a faint moment, I could see her smile but I think it was just a twitch. She wiped her mouth and spoke. "It all started when my mother died. He didn't tell how she died and ever since, he's been overprotective over me, not wanting to lose me as he did her."

I couldn't help but chuckle and she took offence. "What?!" she demanded angrily. "What's so funny?!"

"S-sorry, I'm not laughing at you," I said. "You can break the sound barrier when you run fast enough. Why would he need to be overprotective over someone like you?"

"Well," Jazmine dropped her seething glare. "He always says that I've got a long way to go. I don't even care if he shows up, he's always busy with work and he always comes home late too!"

I was beginning to not like whoever Jazmine's dad was. Being overprotective over someone so strong and then not being there for her since her mother died? What kind of person was he? If I did meet him, I would give him a piece of my mind.

"Jazmine," I began. "Your father sounds awful and I can't understand why he wasn't there for you. Look, if it makes you feel better, would you like to talk to my parents. They're really nice."

"Say what?" Jazmine asked me. "Are you offering your parents to me?"

"I'm saying if you're feeling lonely, you can just talk to me or them," I said. "Besides, apart from me and Marcel, you haven't made a lot of friends have you?"

Jazmine threw her shoulders up. "And there it is!"

"What is?"

"You were being nice and then, of course, you had to make a quip about me." she crossed her arms. "Do you ever stop talking?"

"Nope," I said proudly. "Coming up with little clever little comments is what I'm really good at."

"Of course you are. Why am I not surprised." She rolled her eyes and as she did, the door opened and my dad walked in. He was dressed in a suit but his usually neat jet black hair had loose strands across his face now.

"Dad!" I said happily

"Kian, I'm so glad you're okay." He smiled at me like all his worries were released at once. He glanced towards my mum. "I think it's time. We promised each other that we would tell our children everything if something like that happened again."

"Of course we are," Mum said. I'm just waiting on Marceline, Marcel and the current absentee parent in the room."

"And this other one is Jazmine's father right?" I asked them.

They nodded

"Well, with how Jazmine describes him, he doesn't seem to be a nice person." I crossed my arms. "If I knew who he was, I would be very angry at him."

Dad seemed to smirk but he spoke anyway. "Kina, adults are a lot complicated. People have a lot of reasons to do something."

"Especially since what happened 6 years ago," Lucas spoke up. "Kian, try and understand it from his perspective."

"Well," I said. "I can't. I think I'm a little too young to be married."

The adults in the room chuckled a little and after that was done, Dad came over and patted my head. "What Lucas means is that try and imagine what it's like to lose something you love. You would try to keep what you have safe right."

"I g-guess," I replied. "But I understand that. What I'm angry about is that Jazmine told me that he neglects her. Can you excuse that?"

"No, we can't." Dad agreed. "No child should be neglected by their parents." He turned towards Jazmine and then me. "Are you two friends?"

"Friends is a loose term," Violet said. "They had a fig-"

"What Violet means!" Rennan stepped in sharply, a drop of sweat running down his face. "They had some disagreements at first but they can work together if they need to."

"Something like that," Jazmine agreed.

"Well, that is a start." Dad turned to me. "And is that true?"

I nodded.

"Wait," Harry spoke up looking around each parents face. "Do you all know each other?"

My parents and Lucas nodded. "We do."

"Yeah," I turned to Harry. "Lucas met you and my dad, remember?"

"I know that," Harry agreed with me. "I mean does your parents know Marcel's mum and Jazmine's dad?"

"We already said yes." The adults agreed.

"Wait," I turned to them. "You do?!"

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Violet asked.

The adults again seemed to go through a lot of expressions in a second. Before they could decide however on what they wanted to settle on, they were interrupted when Marcel and his mother walked in

I got a better look at Marcel's mum now. She wore a red jacket over her purple top and her skin was just a shade darker than my mum's. Her blonde hair was slightly brighter and stuck up in spikes in some areas.

"Hey!" she said happily. "Why is everyone so glum?" She quickly scanned the room and seemed to know what had happened. "Oh. Did they realise we all know each other?"

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "Harry's a bright kid, of course he would figure it out."

"Where's Njoro when we need him!" Dad complained. "What's taking him so long?!"

"Mr Taylor," Rennan began. "I'll go check on him. Jazmine," he turned to her. "I'll make sure your dad comes here safely."

Jazmine replied with a scoff. "Maybe he'll answer why he's been so bipolar. One second he's been encouraging me, then the other he's been monitoring my every move. I don't care if he even turns up!" she stormed off and sat on her beanbag, content to keep to herself.

"Jazmine!" Dad stated slightly sternly. "Don't speak about your father that way!"

"Why can't I?!" she shouted back. "He doesn't tell me anything! Why should I expect him to tell me anything now?"

"He will!" Mum stepped in. "Look, Jazmine. 6 years ago, all of us made a promise together to tell the whole story. We were going to save it for when you were 16 but since that attack, we've been forced to tell you now. Your dad has been keeping it for the last 12 years."

"I'll believe it when I see him tell me." Jazmine sunk into her bean bag. "Good for nothing hypocrite."

Marceline grit her teeth and attempted to move but Mum put a hand across to stop her. "She doesn't know Marceline. She's just a child."

"Yes, I suppose your right." Marceline agreed.

She then looked at me and put a hand on my hair and gently patted my hair. "You have Ace's hair and Mikayla''s eyes. You've got the best from both your parents!"

"Huh?" I said confused. "You know my parents?"

"Of course I do!" she said proudly. "Your Mum and Dad got up to some stuff. Did you know-"

"Marceline!" Mum scowled at her. "He's 12, not appropriate!"

"Whoops!" she chuckled. "I got ahead of myself."

"Wait, if you knew our parents, then why didn't you say so?" I asked my Mum. "I think we could have avoided me and Jazmine fighting altogether."

"It's...complicated," Mum said.

I growled a little. "It's always complicated, isn't it? First, the reason why you couldn't do anything about this stupid policy and now this. When is it not going to get complicated?"

As Mum pondered what to speak to me, a figure stepped out through the door and from the flash of the green shirt, I knew who it was. Noriel, however, seemed to be in a rush as his eyes scanned the room.

"Noriel, what are you doing here?" I asked him.

Rennan narrowed his eyes. "Wait, how do you know him?"

Before I could speak, however, Noriel beat me to the punch. He looked at Jazmine and as he did, his frantic eyes seemed to relax. "I'm so glad that you're fine."

Jazmine scowled. "Couldn't you have gotten here quicker?"

Noriel chuckled lightly. "Bella, you know I came here as fast as I could."

"Don't call me that!" Jazmine snapped.

"Erm," I chuckled nervously. "What's going on here?"

"What do you mean what's going on?" Dad asked me. "That's Noriel."

"Yeah, I know. He's the person you told me about right, Dad?" I turned to Dad. "Someone who can create a forest in a desert and has enough strength to shatter a meteor in half."

"You've remembered me well," Noriel chuckled. "It was quite nice meeting him. Although he's very reckless like you, Ace. That was very evident when I met him."

Rennan just shared a look of disbelief as did the others in the room, some of them having raised eyebrows at Noriel's statement. Before any of them could make any further comments, however, Rennan was the first to speak.

"Wait." he began. "So when you went to get Violet's card, you bumped into him?"

I nodded. "Why, is that bad?"

"Kian," Rennan said with slight fear in his voice. "Noriel was investigating a smuggling operation in Locus. What exactly happened when you went to get Violet's card back?"

"That's not important," Noriel stated. "What does matter is that Kian is safe and sound."

"Wait, why are you here?" I asked Noriel. "I don't think you're any of our parents."

"Kian," Harry began. "Yes, he is."

"Of course he's not." I chuckled. "There's only one person who's without a parent in here and it's Jazmine. He can't-"

As I finished that sentence, it sunk in.

My throat closed up and I glanced between Noriel and her daughter. What Jazmine told me about Noriel wasn't correct right? There's no way someone like him, someone who my dad told stories about was someone who neglected her and flipped between wanting her to train and not train

"N-no way!" I stepped back. "You're her Dad?!"

"He is my dad," Jazmine confirmed.

Noriel laughed weakly. "I am her dad, Kian. I must admit, when I heard about you and my daughter having a fight, I was concerned but I'm glad that you two are friends now."

"How?!" I turned back to Jazmine. "It's Noriel! He's a Hero. There's no way what you said about him is true! Noriel isn't the type of person to neglect her own daughter!"

The adults pursed their lips not wanting to speak and to my horror, I realised that what she said was very much true.

I turned back to Noriel, this time, instead of pride and awe, I looked at him with anger. "How can you do that to her?!" I yelled. "How can you neglect your own daughter, especially after her mother died?! What kind of hero are you?!"

"What I did," Noriel said through his pain-filled eyes. "I did thinking that I was right. It took me a while but I realise I was wrong to treat her like that."

He looked at Jazmine but she just scoffed at the statement.

"Anyway," Dad broke the tension. "There's a reason why it's like this. The 6 of us, now 4 made a promise that if something like that happened again to you, our children, we would tell you about it. I wish we could have told you this when you were older but unfortunately, your lives would be in danger if you didn't know."

"What do you mean?" I asked Dad. "I know I'm an alien. Mum told me that."

"You're much more than that, Kian. All of you are very special." Mum traced my face lovingly. "Marceline, distribute the snacks!"

"On it!" Marceline replied.

As we began to eat our snacks, we sat in an audience, some of the adults at the front and some of them with their kids. Noriel was sitting next to Jazmine and tried to make her feel comfortable but it didn't seem to work because of the scowling looks she had on

"Okay. Let's begin." Dad said. "What do you know about Angels and Demons?"

"Erm," Harry began. "Angels have wings and Demons have horns or something. That's all I know. What's up with that?"

"Well, that's awkward." Dad laughed

I knew what Angels and Demons were, at least from the religious studies class from school. If I remembered correctly, Angels were the Children of God, capital G, the one worshipped in the Abrahamic religions such as Christianity and Demons were scary creatures, led by the Devil who wanted to create as much chaos as possible

But I didn't see why it was relevant here.

"Dad," I asked him. "Why would you ask us this, I mean, aren't they just stories that the ancient people made up, to stop bad people from doing bad stuff?"

"Stories come from somewhere Kina," Dad replied.

"But still," I stated. "Are you telling me that those stories are real? That angels and demons exist?"

"Should I tell him or what?" Noriel chuckled. "Did you stop him from learning anything?"

"We made sure it didn't go past the basics," Mum answered.

"Tell me what?" I asked them. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Kian," Dad said bluntly. "Angels and Demons are real. All of it."

"What?!" I said loudly.

"No way?!" Harry said with wide eyes. "You have to be joking right?"

"They aren't," Rennan said. "Kian, Jazmine, Marcel. Those wings were because your parents were an angel and a demon."

"That's impossible!" I shouted. "That's not true!"

Dad and Mum looked at each other and with a nod, they opened up their shoulders. In one quick motion, there were wings of light on their backs. My dad had scarlet red wings and my mum had sky blue wings

"It's true Kian. Don't you see these wings? They're the mark of an angel." Mum said.

"That's awesome!" Harry said as he looked at my parents' large angel wings.

Something in me snapped and my heartbeat thundered in my chest. I started to sweat and as I did, I felt a large build-up of heat from my back, it heated up to the point where I thought my shirt would burn but in a flash, it suddenly vanished. I checked my shoulders one last time and I felt nothing.

"My goodness." Noriel gasped. "So bright."

"What are you looking at?" I asked Noriel. "Is something behind me?"

"Kian, look behind you," Marceline replied.

I listened to her and decided to take a look.

I had to double-take at the sight behind me. Just above my shoulders were a pair of angel wings, just like what had happened earlier. One red and one blue, each one large enough that if I knew how to control it, I was sure I could learn to fly.

I couldn't speak!

Me, an angel? That should have been impossible right? They were just folk tales, something made up, right? In fact, I was sure I was dreaming, maybe I was in an illusion.

But as much as I tried to protest it, I couldn't exactly ignore the sensation of those wings. I could sense each feather and flutter of it.

Mum and Dad looked at me with pride and wide smiles. "Do you know how long we've waited to see your wings? It's just as beautiful as ours."

I scanned around the room and all everyone could do was stare at my angel wings. Even Jazmine was looking at them. I shuffled backwards carefully. I wasn't really used to having wings before so I tried to make sure they didn't get in the way. "How do I put these away? How do I turn it off?"

"Oh, right." Mum and Dad's wings dissipated. "Those wings are extremely sharp and durable and it's like a reflex by your body, to protect you," Mum told me.

"So it's like armour?" I asked her.

"Yes, it is," Mum replied. "See, when you're in a state of extreme emotional stress, our body, your body thinks it's in danger so it produces those wings to keep you safe. Kian, Breathe in and out, there's no danger here."

"What about Marcel and Jazmine?" I asked them. "They weren't scared were they?"

"I was," Marcel spoke up. "I got knocked out cold and woke up to seeing my teammate down and my friend hurt, I was very scared."

"Erm, okay. What about you Jazmine?" I asked the red-haired girl.

"I was scared a little," she said.

"Well, that works out," Violet said. "But if they were scared when those shadows attacked, why didn't it, you know, they come out? Why didn't they appear?"

"It's different for everybody. For some angels, their wings unfurl as soon as they see danger and for some, it takes a while." Rennan answered. "Sometimes even seeing a pair of wings can reveal their own. You know, if there's danger, you think you're in danger's a reflex."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Dad nodded towards Rennan.

I calmed myself, trying to tell myself that I wasn't in danger anymore and my wings dissipated in a flash of light, leaving me in my normal state.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" I asked Dad. "Couldn't you have said it earlier?"

"Because...our history is complicated," Dad said. "See-"

"...I think I can explain it, I was there…"

"...I'm not going to let you twist it into your version…"

I heard those voices in my head and it looked like the others seemed to react to it too. But before I could ask if they did hear this voice, there was a light flash in front of me and I looked up to see two people in front of me.

Well, I thought they were people at first.

On my left was a man dressed in a black suit and with a few outstanding features. His neat black hair and scarlet red eyes were what grabbed my attention at first including the handkerchief on his left pocket. His skin was tanned like he had spent way too much time on a beach and he looked at me with a proud smile like dad would do after I had impressed him with something.

"Well, it's so nice to meet you in person, Kaliel." he chuckled and looked back at Dad.

"Brother, he doesn't know yet." the person on my right said. "Be careful. We don't want to scare him."

This person was vastly different from the person to my left. His skin was lighter and his shoulder-length blonde hair seemed to shine like gold. He wore a white suit instead of a black one and As soon as I saw his sky blue eyes I automatically felt at ease like I was under his protection.

"Erm," Harry stated. "Who are these people?!"

The person on my left just chuckled and turned to my Dad. "Well, you are his father. Why don't you introduce us to them." he squinted his eyes. "Wait a moment. Why isn't everyone present?"

"Everyone else?" Violet raised an eyebrow.

"Well, It is awkward talking to your brother who you helped kick out of home." the blonde-haired person chuckled

"No, it's not that!" a voice said near Violet.

I turned to see another person near Lucas. It was a man who looked just like him although he wore a long cloak and his blonde hair was almost too bright to look at as it fell past his neck. Lucas didn't pay any attention to him but Violet jumped at the sudden appearance that her father had to reassure that she was safe.

"Are we telling them?"

"Guess it's time."

Two more voices now. One of them next to Marceline who wore dark purple medieval armour and a brunette woman with tanned skin who decided to wear a sundress and a red rose in her hair.

"Who are these people?!" Marcel asked the adults. "How in the bloody hell did they get inside without us knowing?!"

"They aren't people to begin with," Rennan began.

"So what are you then?" Violet asked them. "Invisible aliens?"

The man on my left chuckled and turned to her. "That's very clever isn't it, invisible aliens. Variel. I have to give you my personal thanks. You have done a very good job of protecting Kaliel."

"This is a first," the man on my right chuckled. "My brother is praising someone apart from himself. I would expect you to be the one wanting it!"

The man on my left grit his teeth. "It's been billions of years, Michael. Let it go! I've already spent eternity suffering."

"Okay," Harry rubbed his head. "Why does that person keep calling Kian 'Kaliel'? His name is Kian, he's not Superman!"

"Oh?" the man on my left turned to Harry. "Don't you know? Kaliel is his angel name. His mother picked it out for him. Of course, he's got a human name but that's because he had to live in a world of humans, not angels."

"Angel name?!" I asked my parents. "I-I have an angel name?"

"All of you do. " Marceline spoke up. "Of course, Marcel's name fits both worlds. Human and Angel."

"And you?" I turned to Jazmine. "Do you have one too?"

"It's Jezriel," Noriel spoke up. "I picked it out but her human name was given by her mother."

Jazmine didn't speak and instead sunk in her chair. "So who are you guys?" she asked at the sudden appearance of people in the room

"Surely you've figured it out by now." the man on the left chuckled. "I know you've inherited my intelligence."

"That can't be right. You're angels?!" I asked them. "No way!"

"Yes way!" the man in black said proudly.

"So Christianity is real?!"Harry said with alarm. "Well, I have to watch out to not take God's name in vain then!"

The man in black scowled. "Of course that's the first thing humans think of when they hear about us. Did humans repent for their sins, no! Blame me for something they did all on their own will! Oh yes! It's always easier when it's someone else's fault! I tried to help everyone I could see and they turned me into a...a...monster!"

"I know and let's not get started on that," Dad sighed. "As soon as we told the story, of course, the humans would twist it into serving their own agenda."

"What?!" I asked my Dad. "What are you talking about? Are you telling me that you started Christianity?!"

"No, Kian. I didn't." Dad wiped his brow.

"Oh," I sighed because that would be way too much for 12 year old me.

"We may have inspired it," Dad explained. "They were so primitive and superstitious that I don't blame them. Humans have changed so much in around 5000 years haven't they?"

Harry pointed a finger at my dad. "5000 years? You sound like you're talking from experience. Mr Taylor, are you telling me that you're 5000 years old?"

"I'm at least 5000 years old." Dad sighed. "Although I don't look like it do I? I can pass off for someone in their mid 30's" he chuckled at the end of the sentence.

"How's that possible?!" Violet asked him with wide eyes. "That would mean you're older than recorded human history itself!"

"He's getting old now, I can see grey hairs on him now.." Marceline cracked a joke to make us laugh but one of us did, only the adults did.

"Well," Lucas began. "Being an alien probably helps. His race, his species was designed to live as long as possible and keep fighting. Plus, when you're the vessel for Lu-I mean an angel, he wants to make sure you live for as long as possible.

"Vessel?" Marcel asked Lucas. "Like a space shuttle? Those things are called vessels right?"

"No, a space shuttle," Marceline explained. "We should have been clear, that's our mistake. There are two types of angels. Physical angels, such as your parents and yourself. Physical angels have a solid form and spiritual angels like the ones you see in front of you, are angels who do not have a physical form."

"Okay, that makes sense. So what does a vessel have to do with this?" Harry asked her.

"Angels can't walk on the material plane-Actually, let me rephrase that." Marceline started again."So imagine Heaven as one dimension okay?"

"So Heaven exists now," Harry quipped. "Great. I'll be making sure to do a lot of good deeds now."

"Anyway," Marceline continued. "For an angel to manifest on this plane of existence, to manifest their full powers in here, they require a vessel."

"Aren't they already here?" I asked looking at them. "I mean they look very real."

"Unfortunately Kaliel, you would be wrong. My brothers and sister are just simple projections of light. In fact, if you wanted to, you could walk through us like we weren't even there. " The man on my left explained

"So like a ghost right?" Harry said

"Exactly!" the man on my left agreed with a wide smile at Harry. "We could have talked to you using your parent's bodies but they didn't want to freak you out. So, here we are. Just simple projections to talk to you. What do you think of it, do I look amazing?"

"Erm yeah, you do. So what are your names?" I asked them. "You guys-Angels have names right?"

"Erm, before we tell that, I think we should explain the whole story don't we?" Noriel replied

"Ah yes." the man next to Lucas replied. "Listen up, this is going to be important."

"Erm, doesn't the Bible already explain it?" Harry asked them

"Well," The angel near Lucas chuckled. "It was so long ago and humans have misinterpreted a few things here and there. So, would you like to hear the proper thing or would you like to hear it from someone who was actually there? It's your choice."

"Uh y-yeah. We'll listen to you." I said. "Can you start?"

"Good." the angel next to Lucas started to explain. "In the beginning, before we were born, our father decided to create something."

"God right?" Harry said. "Your father is God with a Capital G right?"

"Yes. That is the name of our father. Although again, humans called him by a lot of names. Yahweh, the Big Guy, the Creator, the Almighty, etc etc. We just know him as Dad." the blonde-haired angel said.

"But why?" I asked. "Why did he create the universe?"

"Well," he chuckled. "A lot of people ask that question don't they? Dad wanted to do it because well, you'll find out later. Just be patient, Kaliel. Okay?"

I nodded. "What's your name? I don't want to keep calling you the blonde angel."

"Oh of course. My name is Raphael. I'm sure you can remember that, can't you?" Raphael replied

I nodded. "Yeah, I can."

Raphael continued his story. "But before Dad created the Universe, he created Heaven and then his us, his children. Angels. He created us so that we could look after this new creation of his, his universe. Out of all of us, Michael and Helel were the first angels to be born, twins created in our Father's image and the rest of us came after suit. Now, while in Heaven, and like siblings do, the Angels came up with a system to show how strong they were compared to each other."

"What did you come up with?" Violet asked Raphael

"Archangel, Seraph, Cherub, Throne, Guardian with the rank of Archangel being the highest and rank of Guardian being the lowest. Every Angel had to start by protecting someone because well, that's what we were made for, to protect," he explained

"Makes sense," I replied. "Carry on."

"My older brothers Michael and Helel were the oldest, so they managed to reach the ranks first. See, the older you are as an angel, the more time you get to practise your powers so the stronger you become. A few other angels also reached the rank of Archangel given enough time of course so they weren't alone at the stop. I was one of them!"

"How many Archangels are there?" Harry asked him. "There is 7 right?"

"There's a lot more than 7, Harry. 7 was much easier to remember for the humans so hence 7 Archangels." Raphael explained again. "Anything else?"

"No, carry on please?" Harry asked.

"Now, while in Heaven, all of us angels could roam freely but we couldn't take a physical form on your world, your material dimension you could say. So we did the next best thing, we created perfect containers, vessels that would allow us to walk in your dimension, just like Marceline had explained."

"So you possessed them?" Harry asked with wide eyes.

"Not without their explicit permission." Michael jumped in. "We made a rule that we should work with our vessel since it's easier than taking over their body."

"That's a relief!" Harry's shoulders dropped.

"Now, after Dad created the universe, the angels did exactly that!" Raphael explained. "This went on for a long while. Imagine that, just doing what your dad told you for a billion years. Sometimes, I would get bored but like good children, we did as Dad had asked. As we traversed this new universe, we went around helping any of the new life that required it."

"And that's it?" Harry asked Raphael. "That's a great story."

"I have more to tell you." Raphael began. "Everything was fine for so long before someone decided to rebel, rebel against our father and his brothers."

The face of the man with black hair and red eyes was blank but I could see his face tensing up. A look of sorrow flashed on the man with blonde hair and the cream suit but I turned to face Raphael.

"Remember what I said about Helel, he was an angel that we all looked up to. He was the smartest, the strongest alongside his twin brother and the one that always looked his best. In fact, I'm sure he wouldn't go anywhere without making sure his Vessel and himself looked like a model." Raphael chuckled. "As much as our father wouldn't like to admit it, he was one of his favourites, Helel would always play with our father and constantly ask him questions."

"But, as our brother went across the universe, he grew disheartened by what he saw across the universe. Helel was always more emotional than the rest of us, it's what allowed him to be so charismatic, he knew what others felt and knew how to relate to that. Helel expected his father's creations to help each other, to work together so that they could grow stronger but to his shock, he found them constantly warring against each other over such minor things. Food, Water, Money, Status, Resourcesthose were the things that they warred over and Helel saw this happening to every race he saw."

"What happened next?" Violet asked Raphael.

"Well, Helel stopped it and it worked for a while. But see, our father's creations did not have the eternity we had. After centuries, it would happen again, again and again. Despite Helel's best efforts, he couldn't save them because they ended up warring again and again. Our brother hated war and it tore him apart" he explained.

"It's unfortunate. War always exists in some form," the angel on my right replied. "It's our job to make sure it doesn't go out of hand."

"Preventing a war is better than making sure it doesn't go out of hand!" the angel in the black suit replied. "I told this to you all!"

"Can you tell us what happened, what happened to Helel?" Marcel asked Raphael.

"Right. Well, just like any sad child and like he had done before, he went to us and complained about what he saw." Raphael explained.

"And God prevented it right?" I said. "He prevented war and all the things that Helel didn't like right?"

"No, Kaliel, that's now what happened," Raphael explained. "That's not how a child grows. Imagine a butterfly that doesn't break out of their chrysalis, they're weak and cannot survive in the wild. If Father had done what his son had asked, then well, his creation wouldn't grow."

"You have a point b-but war is bad!" I replied. "People die in a war! Didn't God know that?"

"Of course he did. Kaliel, do you not think that our father knew it would happen. When he created this universe, he introduced something called free will, the choice to do whatever you want." Raphael went on.

"If I had a choice, I would adjust the settings on that!" the angel in the black suit replied.

"Hush brother, let Raphael speak!" the angel on my left snapped at him.

"Every choice is important and to see what they could become, what they could overcome because from our father's point of view, they had to go through all of the bad stuff, like warfare, greed, to reach their greatness. Life isn't easy and you have to survive hardships to make it worth living." Raphael explained.

"Of course, Father told Helel this every time his son came to him, requesting comfort against the atrocities he saw and Helel could only listen to his father, each time, hoping that his father was right and the races that he saw would end the constant wars against each other."

"And did they?" I asked Raphael.

Raphael took in a breath and spoke again. "Tragically not. This went on for millions of years and the final straw followed soon after. Helel once helped out a race of aliens who asked him for help. That wasn't the issue, Helel always made sure to help someone. But after a few thousand years away, when he returned, he found out what had exactly happened to the species that he had helped. Extinction, that was he found out. The species that he had helped was extinct, killed by the endless wars in the thousand years he had left. Helel had enough proof that what he thought was correct."

The angel on my left seemed to go through something, in fact, I could see in his eyes the sadness of almost being there himself.

"This time," Raphael continued with his story. "He marched over to our father and preached that for that to never happen again, for innocent races to never die by the evils that they could do, he had to rule over them. From his point of view and as one of the eldest angels, he could guide them better than they could. Helel rejected our father's plan and wanted to instil his own. One where he thought he could help people in his own way."

"And did he? Did God agree to this? Harry asked.

"You think we'd be here if he had. Had a big ego, he did. It was like a planet!" the angel in the black suit said bitterly

"Anyway," Raphael began again. "Our father of course didn't like this. Helel, even though he was an amazing son, still had a lot to learn. Helel's plan was flawed, to prevent the issues that a species has to work through, Helel wanted to remove it. If it did happen, it would be catastrophic for his creation."

"In our father's eyes, our brother was someone who claimed he could do better than anyone. From his father's perspective, Helel was just throwing a temper tantrum over something that he couldn't understand just yet."

"Oh yes, call it a Temper Tantrum do you? Of course, you would!" the angel in the black suit said bitterly.

"What's his problem?" I asked Raphael. "He seems quite annoyed!"

"Ignore him Kaliel, at least for now," the angel in the white suit replied. He turned to Raphael. "Continue with the story please?"

Raphael nodded. "Of course, our father tried to explain but Helel wasn't having any of it, he had that stubbornness that no matter what his father or his siblings tried to tell him when he made his mind up, he refused to listen."

"He sounds quite like you Kian." Harry turned to me with a little grin.

"What?" I asked him. "What are you talking about?"

"Let's see, incredibly stubborn and once you've set your mind on something, you don't let go. Now, why does that sound so familiar?." Harry pointed at me. "See what I mean?"

"Come on!" I protested. "That's only one thing!"

"It's still a similarity." Harry quipped.

Raphael coughed and carried on. "As I said, Helel refused to listen to our father and he ran out of patience with how stubborn his son had gotten. He was now going against his plan. Helel pleaded for his father to remove free will but he didn't agree."

"Father and our brother shared that same stubbornness." the angel in the white suit agreed.

"After that confrontation, Helel decided to do something about it. If his Dad wouldn't do it, he had to get the help of someone else. He came home to Heaven and preached to us, his brothers, sisters and their vessels that they should rebel and take over their dad's throne. After he had done it after he took on his throne he would instil his own plan for the species across the universe." Raphael explained

"And did you?" I asked him. "Did you agree with your brother's plan?"

"Some of my brothers and sisters did, some of them didn't. I was the one who didn't. See, even though I knew the evil that free will could cause, I understood that it was necessary for their growth. My father told me that for his creations to grow, there must be obstacles."

"Those obstacles shouldn't be life-threatening!" the angel in the black suit argued, his red eyes glowed brightly. "Do you still not understand how flawed Father's plan was?!"

"Brother shut up!" the angel in the white suit thrust an arm out. "Control your emotions! He is not finished with the story."

"And thus began a long war: The First Angelic War," Raphael explained. "Angels fought against each other. Brother against brother, sister against sister, all against what our father wanted and what our rebellious brother wanted, each of them thinking that they were in the right, each one refusing to admit defeat. The war came to a conclusion when Michael was forced to battle against his twin brother."

"The battle was intense. Imagine the sheer amount of destruction when two of the strongest angels fought against each other. The universe trembled at the sheer power of the two fighters, each one strong as each other. Even Helel's power to create stars did not affect his twin brother but after a lengthy battle, Michael had his brother at swordpoint, winning against his rebellious little brother. After so long, the First Angelic War was over and Helel's side had lost."

As Raphael finished the story, I just had to let it sink in. I could agree with what this Angel had said, some of his points at merit but so did his father, God. It weirded me out, how God was real and he might have been up there in Heaven.

"Wait, why does this story sound so familiar?" Harry asked Raphael. "Sorry, I think I'm getting Deja Vu."

"Of course. I keep mentioning the name Helel for a reason. Guess who I'm talking about, I'll give you a little clue. Helel means the 'Shining one' and in Latin, translates to Lightbringer." Raphael explained.

"Wait," Harry looked taken aback. "Are you telling me that this angel who rebelled was-

"Oh yes. The one and only Lucifer Morningstar." Raphael explained. "You might know him better as Satan but that's the name he goes by after he was cast out."

All of us looked shocked at the story but Marcel was the first to speak. "Cast out? What do you mean cast out?"

"Well, Father cast Lucifer's side into a place where he called Hell, a place where his children who sided with his favourite son were exiled to and where he sent Lucifer to spend the rest of his days, damning him to never come home because of his little rebellion," Raphael explained.

"Father would have destroyed him if it was any regular angel but since he was his favourite he knew what drew him to do such things. Taking pity on his son, he tasked his son to punish them, punish those who would do wrong and make them rue their choices in an attempt to even out the bad blood between them.

Lucifer didn't like this.

In his eyes, Lucifer believed that he was right and his father still didn't understand it.

In an attempt to do what he thought was right, Lucifer took vessels that his siblings used and shared them with his fallen brethren. He created his unique race of vessels and the other fallen angels created their own. Together, he intended to lead this race, a race of demons to conquer over his dad's creations and rule over them like a king like he had planned to and prevent the death and destruction that had happened in the past." Raphael finished his speech.

"And thus, began an eternal war, good vs evil, brothers against each other. What remained of the vessels that hadn't fallen were split between the angels, all built and designed so that they would fight against Lucifer and his forces, to carry on their father's plan.

This conflict carried on for so long that God felt disheartened and took a leave of absence, hating to see his children fighting against each other. It left Micheal in charge and he tried his best to get his brother to back failing in every attempt, however.

This war reached Earth and thus, with a few misinterpretations and from what the Angels told humans, along came Christianity, Judaism, Islam, the Abrahamic religions." Raphael finished

"God left?!" Marcel said flabbergasted. "Where did God go?!"

"Oh, that," Raphael explained. "It's been so long since we heard back from dad. When was it? Billions, Eons. I just can't remember anymore."

"Do you know where God went?" I asked. "Can't we get him back?"

The blonde-haired man on my right shrugged. "No, Kaliel. We do not. I tried reaching him but unfortunately, I was unable to find our father."

"Do you guys have names?" Violet asked them. "Sorry, it's rude if I just keep calling you Angel Number 1 and so on."

"It's okay, Variel," Raphael replied. "We do have names. Like I said before my name is Raphael. I'm the Angel of Healing according to your human religions."

Harry chuckled. "Just like the Ninja Turtle!"

"A what turtle?" Raphael raised his blonde eyebrow.

"I'm Michael," the man on my right said sharply. "The humans think of me as the Angel of War but my little brother is the one who carries that title. I'm more of the protector rather than the attacker."

"My name is Camael." the angel near Marceline said. "I'm the Angel of War and I also help fix relationships. It's what I'm good at."

"So what?" Marcel asked Camael. "Do you set people up or something? Like on a date or something."

"Not just that Marcel, help mend relationships between people. All the way from platonic, romantic and to family relationships." Camael explained.

"You could have helped me!" the man on my left snapped at him.

"You were in Hell brother!" Camael snapped. "What was I supposed to do?! Take you to our father who left?!"

"And I'm Ariel." the angel on Noriel's side stated. "And please, that mermaid was named after me, not the other way around. I'm the Angel of Nature."

"What about you?" I asked the man with red eyes and black hair. "What's your name?"

This angel looked at his brothers and sister, between our parents and then at me. "I suppose this was coming. Kaliel, can you promise me you won't freak out?"

"Why?" I chuckled. "Why would I need to freak out?"

"I'm Helel." the man in black put his hands in his pockets. "But you might know me by a better name."

Suddenly it just clicked. I knew just who this angel was.

"N-no way?!" I stuttered. "Y-y-your-"

"Lucifer. Satan. Devil. Old Scratch. I have many names but nowadays I just go by Lucifer. Morningstar, don't forget that. It's better than plain old Helel isn't it?" he Lucifer said with his hands in his pockets

I ran back and hid behind my dad, scared of the literal Devil standing in front of me. "G-get away!" I shouted. "D-Don't hurt me!"

Lucifer just chuckled. "Now why would I do that? Especially to someone, I've been looking after since you were a baby."

"You've been looking after me since I was a baby?!" I peered from behind my Dad's leg."Is that true?!"

"It is. I told him to." Dad replied.

"B-But your evil!" I said hugging my dad tightly

"Kaliel," Michael began. "My brother may be selfish, arrogant, insensitive, rude, egotistical but one thing he's not is evil. If you do think he is evil that was because that was put on him by the humans to blame them for their sins. You have my protection and guarantee on that."

"Listen to Michael, he's right. Well, apart from all the bad things about me." Lucifer agreed with a nod. "I'd like to think that I'm not selfish."

"Y-your lying!" I replied

Lucifer laughed once again. "Kaliel, I assure I am not. Of course, the humans called me the Father of Lies but I assure you I do not lie to anyone. Go on, try and test me."

"What's the colour of the sky?" Harry asked him

"Blue."

"Do you have wings?"

"Of course!

"Horns?"

"You couldn't have possibly not known this but I do not like it when I am displayed with horns. Blasted humans, turn me into a horned beast! I mean look at me, do I look like a beast to you?" Lucifer opened his arms up to push his point across.

"Okay. What's 2738 multiplied by 2894?" Harry asked smugly. "I won't blame you if you get it wrong it's not-"

"7923772," Lucifer replied with a smirk. "Yes, that's a very good question isn't it, what you humans call mathematics. Very easy to understand. You know, I really don't understand why some humans struggle with such an easy subject."

"I still don't trust you!" I said again. "You won't do anything good for me!"

"Oh?" Lucifer asked me with a twinkling glint in his red eyes. "Remember facing that Needle Demon on Earth?"

"Yeah?" I asked him. "Did you send him?!"

"Of course not!" Lucifer said, fully offended. "Why would I want to hurt innocent people? Have you been paying attention to Raphael's story? Do you remember me helping you, whispering in your head that he lied when he said he had killed your father? Comforting you in your time of need, allowing you to use a fraction of my power?! To save the humans that you grew up with?! That was me, I was there helping you!"

"T-That was you?!" I said with wide eyes. "You were helping me?!"

"Exactly!" he said with a wide smile. "Do you trust me now? Do you see how I'm not evil? Of course, I did do those things because I wanted to keep you safe. When you're old enough, you'll be my vessel!"

"I am not going to be the Devil's vessel!" I said loudly, horrified by the thought. "Never ever!"

Lucifer just chuckled and looked at me with a smile. "Oh don't worry, you will. Until then, I'll keep doing my job and protecting you. I look forward to working with you when you are old enough of course."

"Kaliel." Michael massaged his temple, annoyed at his brother's display. "Ignore him. He's just-what is it-messing around?- Yes that's it. He's just messing with you. You won't be his vessel anytime soon and it's only if you want to."

Lucifer just looked away innocently at his brother's annoyed gaze.

"You know, Kaliel has taken a lot after his father doesn't he?" Camael said. "Looking at him, he looks just like Aciel, well apart from his eyes of course"

"What about my eyes?" I asked Camael, feeling a bit self-conscious about them.

"Your purple eyes are very pretty to look at," Ariel said with a comforting smile. "You better watch out when you're older, girls are going to have a tough time keeping your hands off you." she laughed at the end of the sentence.

"U-uh thanks?" I said with a red face.

"Even after everything that's happened, do you still take our Father's side, Michael?" Lucifer asked him. "Do you still believe that he's right? That all the bad that these mortal races commit is something that'll vanish?

"Of course. I still trust my father!" Michael replied adamantly. "Father has a plan!"

"A plan that he's abandoned!" Lucifer spat back. "Our father abandoned me and now he did it to you. Do you think that he knows what he's doing?! Answer me that Michael, why would our Father leave us?!"

"Brother, control your emotions!" Michael replied. "I thought you grew up!"

"Of course I did. If Father had listened to me, we wouldn't be here would be?!" Lucifer replied. "Our planet was destroyed and here we are, reduced to a handful!"

"What planet?" I asked them. "What are you talking about?"

"Moving on," My Mum coughed sternly. "Kian, what do you about the Evians and Vorakians?"

"Oh, right. I just learned about this in class actually." I said proudly. "Evians and Vorkians and I think they are hated because they warred against each other?"

"Kian," Dad seemed to swallow before speaking. "Remember what happened? How the fallen angels and angels created vessels?"

"Yeah?"

"The race that Lucifer created was called the Vorakians and the race that Michael created was called the Evians," Mum stated.

"W-what?!" I said with wide eyes. "Are you serious?!"

"We told you it was complicated, didn't it? we? " Dad said again. "6 years ago, we tried so hard to protest against the current regime but the council didn't like either of our races. They were the last survivors of a war fought long ago between our two sides."

I was just stunned to hear that but I had more questions.

"Wait, wait," Harry interrupted us. "If Satan and-"

"It's Lucifer!" Lucifer protested angrily

"If Lucifer," Harry corrected himself. "If Lucifer and Michael are at war against each other, then why isn't he just fighting everyone here?"

"Good question," Lucas said. "Listen up again, this is probably going to be shorter, I hope at least."

X

Here are the important points Lucas said.

After some time after the war had started, Mum and Dad were born and once they were old enough, they became Michael and Lucifer's vessels, each one leading the angels and demons against each other

Some time passed and they arrived on Earth. It's hard to imagine it isn't it? That your parents were a lot older than you thought they were? It's like when you joke around saying that your mum and dad were so old that they were there when people used horse carriages for transport. For my parents, that may have been the case.

Anyway, moving on.

Dad arrived on Earth first, using the demonic race to conquer over the early humans as much as he could before Mum arrived bringing the angels to stop Dad from doing it. Conflicts began for many years and from it well, you can guess what happened can you?

But after a while, the conflict stopped after Mum managed to defeat Dad in a huge war. Michael's vessel standing victorious against Lucifer's vessel once again.

See, once a vessel defeated the other, it was instilled in the culture of the angelic and demonic races that they should kill the other so that they could never do what they did again. The vessel would die and whoever was working with said vessel was sent to Heaven or Hell until a new body was found for him.

Dad wasn't exactly the nice person he was back then. He was obsessed with fighting and carrying out the will of the angel that he was the vessel for. In fact, my Dad was a bit like the Gengis Khan of the Universe and if he defeated an angel vessel, he would make sure that the vessel was killed.

Mum had him beat on the fighting bit. In fact, I probably inherited both of their love of fighting from them but I digress. She was a better fighter since she spent most of the time fighting tirelessly wanting to bring peace and reunite the once united sides. She too did the deed of killing a fallen angel vessel to make sure that they would never do it again

But this time, Mum refused to do it.

See, Dad may have been a bit brutal when he was younger but he would always made sure to never kill anyone innocent. Yeah, he would kill armies of angelic vessels but if he saw a young Evian who wasn't a vessel standing around, he would make sure that they were alright and not well you know, in danger

Mum of course knew this and refused to kill him which was good news for me because I wouldn't have been born! Lucky me huh?

The piece of art where Michael stands over a defeat Lucifer came from that, although given that the ancient humans were very sexist, Mum was portrayed as a man. Angels don't have a gender you see, they aren't human in the first place.

Some of them when they do take human forms have preferences, Michael, Raphael and Camael prefer a male form while Ariel prefers a female form. And some of them prefer either.

Mum couldn't care less of what the humans thought so she let it go. Although, she does get irritated when someone tells her she looks too muscly so make of that what you will.

Anyway, after that defeat, Mum and Dad negotiated a peace treaty between the two sides. Both sides had gotten tired of the long way, in fact, some of them couldn't even remember just how long it was so they stopped it

So after a while, the two sides both angelic and demonic, left Earth and moved to a new planet, a planet they called Incini. There were disagreements at first, Michael was happy that he didn't have to fight his brothers but Lucifer took some time to get used to it, he was like a grumpy uncle that needed time to let it sink in.

Both sides lived with each other for a long time, and they came up with a fair ruling system. See, there were 7 major angelic and demonic races, each one led by an angel and a fallen angel and each of them had a chance to lead the planet.

(Just so your clear, Fallen Angels created vessels which you can call a demonic race)

Anyway, during this long time, Mum and Dad each led the new planet of Incini and well they started to get closer and it ended up in a relationship. I guess Angels and Demons can get together!

But they kept this relationship a secret. See, there was a prophecy (I'm beginning to see a pattern that I don't like here!) one which led to the banning of Nephilms, a child between a demon and an angel because it would either destroy or save Incini. Thus, there were no Nephilims and they thought that was that!

Unfortunately, this peace didn't last long.

Incini was destroyed by someone, someone that both sides assumed to be a Nephilim and because of that, the survivors scattered across the known universe.

My parents and what remained of their friends worked tirelessly to try and find out what destroyed their planet but they couldn't no matter how hard they tried. They mourned for the dead and even though they knew those innocent went to Heaven, they couldn't go to make sure if they were fine.

To make sure that no one would suffer as they had, my parents and a few others created Eden Academy on a planet called Locus, a place where those who had powers could be taught to use it to help others so that instead of fighting everyone they could see, Angels and Demons could instead teach everyone.

There was a word for people like this: Heroes.

As more and more people attended Eden Academy, they became heroes and for about 5000 years, they acted as the shining beacons of justice. The angels and demons that waged war for billions of years now brought something else, an age of peace and hope.

But that too tragically short-lived.

6 years ago, from the time I heard the story, there was another disaster. Whatever had destroyed Incini and appeared again wanting to kill what remained of the angels and demons.

My parents and their friends did their best to defeat the reason for this attack and the resulting battle was devastating. Whoever or whatever attacked would have gone on to kill everyone on the planet had it not been for their efforts.

The City of Acochester was the epicentre of the battle. 14 million lives were taken that day and the damage was colossal.

It was the darkest day in Locus' extensive history and one that's remembered all the way up to now, all for the wrong reasons, however.

Eden Academy had 6 people, the Council of 6 my parents called it. They were the people who managed costs and did all the paperwork but they were caught up in the battle and tragically met their end.

Eden Academy couldn't just run without them, it was like trying to drive a car without an engine!

Unfortunately, 6 new people were eager to take up this new position.

Now you may be asking: "Why Kian? Why is that a bad thing? Surely if there were 6 new people to replace the old council, that would be a good thing?"

Under normal circumstances, yes.

However. These new people, their species were the victims of the Angels and Demons, especially the ones led by my Mum and Dad. During the golden years of Eden Academy, before the disaster, they would constantly ridicule and attempt to belltile my parents for being superheroes. How dare they do something good when they had taken so many lives in the wars that they fought?!

Mum and Dad didn't really care about them since they weren't a problem but after the disaster, they were forced to request their help.

Why might you ask? Well, the reason why the old council could run a school was that they were loaded with cash. Ask your principals and headteachers, it's expensive running a school and especially for a school that trains heroes. When my parents asked them a long time ago, they were very happy to help them.

The new ones wanted to carry on that cause but under their own conditions.

They thought that the reason so many heroes died that day was because they were weak and couldn't handle the stress when it came to being heroes so on their own cruel way that for someone to qualify, they had to have a qualified superhero in the family.

Mum and Dad did their best to protest this cruel condition. They built Eden Academy so that anyone could have used their powers to help people, that was going against the very rule that they had built.

The New Council wasn't having it.

They hated my parents' race with a passion and threatened to tell the public that the 'evil' Vorakians and Evians were behind the Great Disaster and went as far to reveal that their greatest heroes belonged to this race.

Noriel, Lucas and Marceline's species were exempt because they didn't encounter them which was ironic since they were angels too, and they too had a fair taste of death and destruction.

At the blatant disregard of what Eden stood for, my Dad would have killed them on the spot but Mum prevented him from doing it. Like heroes, they put the needs of everyone else before them and against their will, let the council do what they wanted to.

Mum and Dad had a huge argument about this. You know, clashing of heads and the usual but the reason why Mum let it happen was because of me.

With Locus gone, my dad and mum had a child, a Nephilim child that they knew was against the rules but with the destruction of their planet and physical angels and demons now endangered, they wanted to continue their species.

Because of the situation, Mum and Dad instead tried to come up with a new plan to keep me safe because she was sure that whoever had planned to destroy Locus would try again if I stayed on the planet.

With regret, they retreated to Earth, a place where I was born when they went on holiday because they wanted to see how humanity had progressed in a while.

Oh, I also forgot to mention this key fact.

See, Marcel and Jazmine were Nephilim, just like me. One parent was an angel and the other a demon.

And wouldn't you know it, they were born on Earth too!

I was born on August 25th, Jazmine: September 25th, both of us in the same year and Marcel was born on March 25th 1993.

Listening to my Mum's advice, all but Jazmine was taken to Earth by their parents. Noriel told me how Jazmine still visited Earth now and then but she lived her life on Locus. With an angel vessel of Ariel around, Noriel believed she could keep her safe if something happened.

And that brings the end to this story.

Whoever attacked Locus 6 years ago and killed so many people was the reason why I lived on Earth and the same reason why I was ridiculed for being a hero by my peers.

Guess who did it, I'm sure you could figure it out by now.

X

Everyone in the room let that sink in. We knew the whole story and it was overwhelming at first. I didn't know how everyone else understood it but I took it in one way.

I was indirectly responsible for the death of 14 million people.

"Kian, talk to me," Mum said holding me from behind. "What's wrong?"

"D-did those people die because of me?" I said with tears in my eyes. "Did they die because I was a Nephilim?!"

"What?! Of course not?!" Mum hugged me tightly. "Whoever attacked Locus did not do it to kill you."

"A-are you sure?" I said again. "Lucas told me that they thought that a Nephilim would either destroy or save Incini?"

"And you didn't destroy Incini did you?" Dad said. "If anyone did try to kill you. They would have to go through us first. We will do everything we can to keep you safe. That's a parents job."

"And me!" Lucifer jumped in. "Can't have my future vessel dying can I?"

"Of course you think about yourself!" Michael sighed. "Kaliel, you have my protection too. I would be hypocritical if I didn't protect a child."

"Michael?" I asked. "When I was fighting that guy, you helped me, didn't you? I heard your voice in my head."

Micheal smiled a little. "Indeed I did. I'm amazed at how you wanted to protect innocent people. Your parents raised you very well."

"Mum?" Marcel said looking at where his mother was. "So, that battle. Is t-that where Dad died?"

The adults in the room again shared a look of sadness but before any of them could comment on it, Marceline spoke.

"Y-yes. Your Dad loved you, Marcel." she wiped her tears away

"Your dad died 6 years ago?" I asked him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay, Kian. I don't blame you." Marcel replied. "I made a promise to him that I would grow big and strong and I'll do it. I'll find out the person who killed him and punish him after I'm a hero!"

"Not if I do it first!" I proclaimed loudly. "I'll grow even bigger and stronger and I'll find out whoever attacked 6 years ago!"

"Kina, you don't have to. It's our job, you're still a kid." Mum placed a hand on my head

"But I want to!" I said sharply. "I don't have to do this. I want to do this! Heroes need to have a goal to work to, right? This is mine, to find out who destroyed your home planet and the Disaster 6 years ago."

"Me too!" Marcel said loudly. "I want to find out too!"

"I don't know Kian," Mum winced. "It's dangerous and I don't want to risk your life for it. I'm not sure if you can use Heavenforce and Hellforce, let along together."

"What force?" Harry asked. "I'm sorry, what did you say Mrs Taylor? What do you mean by Heavenforce and Hellforce? Did I miss something?"

"Ah, that," Mum said. "Kina, do you remember what I said. That you inherited my and your father's power?"

"Yeah?"

"You inherited Hellforce from your father and Heavenforce from me," Mum explained. "It's a supernatural form of energy that exists in your body that you can use to perform various feats"

"Huh?" I was confused.

"It's like a mana bar in a video game," Rennan answered. "You can use mana to cast spells, it's like that."

"Oh," I nodded, understanding that analogy. "So I can use it to cast spells?"

"It's not magic but if you feel comfortable, you can refer to it as angel magic. It follows the fundamental law of magic anyway." Rennan explained.

"Wait," Violet began. "If my Dad's an Angel, and my mother is a human, does that mean I'm half angel?"

Lucas nodded. "Yes, you are."

"Then why didn't wings come out from my back?" she asked.

"Well, that's simple. You weren't in danger so your wings didn't appear. Don't worry, just because you haven't manifested your wings doesn't mean you're weak." Raphael stated.

"So my powers, the ones you taught me, it's Heavenforce?" Marcel asked his mother. "I thought I was throwing explosives instead of bits of Heaven around."

"Marcy, you're using your Heavenforce to create spheres of energy that explode on impact. It's just a technique." Marceline explained.

"Huh?" Marcel said confused just like me.

"Let a wizard be an example. He has a large amount of magical energy inside his body and he can use it to cast various spells such as a beam of fire, a beam of water and a beam of air? Make sense?" Rennan said again, coming to Marcel's aid.

"Oh," Marcel nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"Can you teach me how to use more techniques then?" I asked my parents. "Please? I have to get stronger!"

My parents winced a little. "Kina, it's hard to use at first, especially for someone who's only started using it a few months ago."

"That's not it!" I protested. "I can reinforce my body just like Dad showed me and I can create that blue sphere you showed me."

"Kian, those are basic techniques and I'm not sure if you got them down at first." " Mum began. "Applying both your life energies takes time and practise! Including the basic techniques."

"Please mum!" I said. "Please teach me. Look, I can create that blue sphere you showed me. If I do it, can you teach me?"

Dad sighed. "Show us what you can do, Kina."

Taking a deep breath, I put my arm out and concentrated on that image of a sphere again. I breathed in and out, exactly like I had done before, against that man with that big arm and against those shadows. I felt a calm warmth run through my body and I looked up to see a bright blue sphere just above my palm.

It was so bright that I had to shield my eyes at the ebbing blue sphere and it painted the plain lit room with a bright blue.

"Woah?! Did you create a Rasengan?!" Marcel and Harry said with wide eyes."Awesome!"

"You watch Naruto too?!" I said with a happy smile. I turned to my Mum and Dad proudly. "See, I told you I can create a sphere just like Mum did."

Mum and Dad stood there speechless. "That took me so long to learn and you just did it just like that!" Mum remarked. "And it's so strong too! Amazing, I didn't know your Heavenforce was that strong!"

"Brilliant!" Lucifer said with a wide smile. "Just as I expected from my future vessel!"

"All you needed was a push. I look forward to seeing how you grow up," Michael said proudly.

I let that blue energy dissipate into thin air and looked at my parents again. "Are you going to teach me how to use more techniques then? I showed you I've got the basics down."

"Sorry, Kian. We can't." Dad sighed.

"Why not?!" I protested angrily. "I made that blue sphere."

"Because they're busy," Rennan stated. "I'll be teaching you."

I turned to face him. "Rennan, I appreciate that you're trying to help me but I don't think you can. I mean, you aren't a Nephilim like me are you?"

"Yes, you are right. I'm not a Nephilim." Rennan agreed. A mischievous smile formed on his face. "But I am something else." He shrugged his shoulder blades from out of it, two silver metal wings shimmered into life.

"No way!" I jumped back. "Y-y-you were an angel?! All this time?!"

"Of course I was!" Rennan said proudly. "I'm not as old as your parents but I'm still an angel. Well, half-angel actually. My mother was human."

"Just like me…" Violet muttered.

Harry's jaw was dropped. "M-my primary school teacher was an Angel? All this time?!"

"Yes, I was." Rennan agreed and his silver metallic wings dissipated into thin air. "I'm a Guardian Angel and your father tasked me with protecting you, Kian." he turned to me.

"Did you really Dad? I asked my Dad.

"I did," Dad replied. "You're way too important to leave alone so I sent someone I trained when he was a child to look after you."

"Aciel." Rennan seemed to make a salute. "Am I still in charge of protecting Kian? After what happened today, am I still qualified?"

"Of course you are," Mum said. "For 12 years you've protected our son and he seems to like you so you can still hold your rank."

Rennan nodded and undid his salute. "Understood. Do I have permission to teach him how to use his Heavenforce?"

"Agreed," Noriel spoke up. "After the invasion of those Vessel Killers, right under our noses, it's only suitable that our children should know how to protect themselves."

"Vessel Killers?" I asked them.

"They're shadows. They don't have a physical form and are the weakest of Hell's creations. Back in the days of the war, Vessel killers from both sides would be sent as stealth killers to kill angels and demons from both sides."

"Guilty!" Lucifer put his hands up. "But I kept them locked up in cages because after the agreement, of course, we didn't need them!"

"But who sent them?" Harry asked Lucifer.

"Unfortunately I have no idea. Whoever did it however was close and knew where the children were." Lucifer summarised.

"Erm," Marcel put his hand up. "If our class teacher is training Kian, who's going to train me and Jaz?"

"I will of course!" Marceline came up from behind Marcel and hugged him. "Did you forget about me Marcy Warcy?"

"Mum!" Marcel scowled. "Don't call me that!"

"Bella," Noriel turned to her daughter. "I will train you too. If that's okay with you?"

"Of course now you want to help me." Jazmine scowled. "Fine, you can teach me how to use my Heaven whatever."

"Rennan. Can you teach Violet too? I would teach her but I have a 12-hour operation to do." Lucas asked Rennan

Rennan nodded. "Of course."

"What about me? Harry said disappointed. "What can I do? I'm just a simple human!"

"Oh really? You are a human that knows the existence of us, beings so powerful that humans have turned us into a religion. You have grown up with a Nephilim and a half-angel. You, Harry, are not a simple human, at least not anymore." Lucifer replied

"Should I feel great that the Devil complimented me?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yes of course!"

"No, at least. Don't let it get to your head." Michael said. "Pretty soon, he'll have you dancing around his fingertips."

"Brother!" Lucifer protested. "I was just trying to make him feel better, no strings attached!"

"Harry," Rennan began. "Indeed, you can't do much but it doesn't mean you can't do anything. I'll teach you about these Vessel killers because if I remember correctly, you saved Kian's life, didn't you? I saw those marks on your armour."

"Oh yeah, that." Harry nodded. "It ruined my armour, I have to fix it now!"

"Well in the meantime, I'll do my best with you. Besides, I can't keep you three separate for too long can I?" Rennan smiled. "After class tomorrow, I'll get you started on the basics. Does that sound good?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it does! Let's bring whatever caused the Great Disaster 6 years ago down!"


A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long but I had to update and rewrite the previous 8 chapters because it wasn't really going anywhere with the way I had written it.