The Republic of Heaven

Lord Asriel woke suddenly from his sleep. His dæmon stirred at his side as he looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The last thing he remembered was the fight with Metatron, and Marisa, and. He stood up as he remembered these rocks, these crevices. Somehow he was at the top of the long ravine down into the abyss. But the abyss was no longer there. The Dust was no longer flowing down into nothingness. But how. He ran up the steep slope, up to the now deserted battlefield. Lying around were bodies of all different races, Gallivespians, Humans, and others, all dead. Exhausted and battered from the fight with Metatron, he laid down and fell into a stupor. * * *

Will and Dr. Malone got back to her flat about 8:00 that night. "Well, here it is, Will. It isn't much, but make yourself at home." Will walked into the apartment. He didn't want to cry in front of this woman, but he could barely contain his tears on the walk from the botanic garden. The fruit in the clearing, the realization that they would have to leave each other, the bench in the garden, his last kiss with Lyra, closing the window, breaking the knife, it was all too much. He walked in, sat down on the couch and began to weep. Mary said nothing, but she walked past him into the kitchen, poured two glasses of water and sat down next to him. "Will, I know it's hard, but follow Lyra's advice: 'I know it hurts, but you have to accept it and go on'. It's what she would have wanted. I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be sitting here crying when you could be worrying about your mother or what to do about the man you killed." "You've got to keep going," Kirjava, his dæmon, added. "It hurts for me too, Will. Pantalaimon and I were like one, and now we are separated, but we have to live our lives." "Why did this have to happen?" He said through thick sobs. "I was in love with her. I felt like everything would be perfect if only the two of us could stay together forever. I know that feeling will never fade. I love her! She is me!" With that he started to cry even more, and Mary on the back and left Kirjava to comfort him. He will recover in time, she thought. At the moment, even though her head was still spinning with the events of the past weeks, she turned her attention towards her escape, and how she was going to explain it. Her dæmon was just starting to become visible all the time, and the two were getting to know one another.

* * *

"This is a type of metal that we've never seen before," the scientist called out. "It is stronger than anything else that exists. One edge of it is sharp enough to cut anything, and the other. Well, I'm not quite sure what the other does. It's sharper than the other, but its edge is infinite, so I can't say what it does." "What do you mean?" Father Carlos said very quietly. "I requisitioned you because you are the best. Now despite what has happened, I assure you the church is still very strong, and I do have power to give you paradise or make your life and your afterlife hell. Find out what that other side does, and don't contact me until you do." The scientist turned back to his work, analyzing the piece of rock. I will find out what this is, he thought. He had no idea what was really going on though.

* * *

Well, that's the first part/chapter. Feel free to give me any beef or ideas.