Alright before I start, the prologue doesn't feature Kim and Ron but it sets up the plot, so don't give up after the first chapter.
Read and review, of course. In fact if the story brings any thing to your mind post that, positive or negative it doesn't matter.
Prologue:
E.Din 19 years ago:
The landscape radiated with tranquility and joy, the sea-like rolling meadow and the animals it contained seemed to live together in perfect equality, united by an unseen bond of unlimited love. The meadow composed of two very fertile valleys, the soil underneath the grass is loamy and produced forever ripe fruits, grains and vegetables. A cool breeze wafted through the land; it sent chills through the body of any living thing that happened to cross its path. The scenery is varied and picturesque, a beauty that the greatest artists on Earth couldn't capture in a hundred years.
A smooth brick road was the only disruption of this perfect environment. On this very road traveled a man and a young woman. The man shone with a glowing light that would have blinded a normal person, but his companion seemed unfazed. He appeared to be gliding across the floor as large white feathers batted back in forth behind him. He wore clothes that at first glance looked too made from the finest silk, but it was all white from his shoulders to his toes. He had long brown down to his waist, and a smile as large as a chasm appeared on his face.
"Tis a beautiful day, of course even when it rains, it is a beautiful day here" he spoke with regal splendor.
"Yes it is" the woman replied.
She wore very modest clothing, a pair of jeans and a black T shirt that matched her hair color; she looked to be of Native American decent.
"If it's alright to ask, where exactly are we headed?" She asked while taking in the beauty of the land; even the road seemed to mold to her feet.
"Lulu feel free to ask of me an questions, after all it wasn't that long ago since I choose you as an assistant" he said quietly trying his best to put forth a friendly demeanor.
"And please you may address me as Sargon."
"Yes Sargon I've been wondering about that, why did you choose me to become your assistant any way?"
"Well Lulu I've been watching you on Earth for awhile, you were a very inquisitive person since you began to crawl, always in the pursuit of greater knowledge. You were fascinated by people and studied constantly to find the answers of why humans existed and what purpose they served."
"Unfortunately your life was filled loneliness."
"Yeah it was just me and my brain until the very end" she said solemnly remembering the terms of her death.
"A very tragic and early end to a lonely life, but even though most souls usually break away from their past lives, in fact from the Earth in general and concentrate on their afterlife. I knew that someone like you wouldn't enjoy that. By becoming my assistant you can have an eternity to watch man live and evolve. You don't have to accept this offer though; it's up to you to decide."
"I think that's the best job offer I've ever had in my life, well afterlife now I guess," she said excitedly.
"I assumed that would be your answer," he said with a gleam in his eye.
"So if you don't mind me asking are you some sort of angel?"
"We yes you could say that, although I wasn't always an angel, I used to be a human living on Earth such as yourself. But I was "promoted" by special circumstances." He whispered to her.
"Special circumstances?"
"It's a long story; I don't think right now, is the right time to explain but believe me, humans don't usually become angels in this form."
"Hey what's with the secrets I thought I was here to learn," she said stopping in the middle of the road. "Ok if you're going to keep things from me; we might well end this thing right now," she yelled at him.
He put his hands up defensively a shocked look upon his face.
"Look the reason I'm not talking is because it's a personal matter, you can ask me anything else" he told her as he backed away.
"Is that so" she said while studying his face "alright but you better fess up soon."
"I assure you, you will learn all in due time" he told her while sighing.
"You know most people wouldn't talk to an angel like that."
"Well I'm not most people" she said; the arrogance in her voice could be heard clearly. "So what do angels do anyway?"
"Well I'm glad you ask. Angels were created by the One. Creating the Universe is no easy task so after awhile the One decided to rest. But before this long rest he created Angels as his helpers. They were created for a specific purpose and they, unlike man, cannot die from natural causes. Additionally they aren't allowed to directly intervene in the lives of man. Finally like man they have self will, but have much more rules to follow."
"That's amazing" replied Lulu the gears in her head turned at maximum speed.
"We are stronger than man but we are not completely omnipotent, there are ways of blocking oneself from our watchful eyes. We are wiser than man but not omniscient nor are we omnipresent. Only the One holds such power. Although Angels are capable of making mistakes and can cause the world of man much harm. Anyway, after the first humans were cast out of E.Din and the subsequent removal of The Fallen, the One decided to rest, which led to the creation of a type of government to rule over man an angel."
"Who are these Fallen, are they angels too?" Lulu asked although she was still in shock over what she was being told.
"I am not in liberty to discuss The Fallen with you in detail" Sargon quickly fired back. Don't ask for anymore info about them, it is a forbidden topic unless you're Seraphim. I know I said you could ask about anything, but my hands are tied on this issue."
"Seraphim?"
"The highest class of angel whose powers are the closest to that of the One. Only Seraphim are allowed to be in the Mala'-i A'la."
"Mala'-i A'la that if I remember correctly, means the highest council" Lulu said surprised she could recall all of the facts she had learned while she was alive.
"Well, we are quite educated aren't we" remarked Sargon very much pleased with his assistant.
She puffed up her chest proudly "well I did study twenty different languages, and aced all of my dead language courses in college too."
"I see" Sargon said slightly amused.
"So you are Seraphim huh?"
"Yes, in fact we are headed to a meeting between other Seraphim right now."
"Are you serious, I'm going to meet more of you guys?"
She looked down at her clothes they didn't seem to be proper attire for meeting such individuals.
"I wish I had better clothing on though" she said.
"Really but weren't those the clothes you felt the most comfortable wearing on Earth?"
"Yeah but I wasn't expecting to ever meet the rulers of the universe on Earth."
Sargon began to laugh out loud, "believe me most of them won't care about your attire."
"Most of them?"
Sargon sighed "yes in all groups there will be bad apples, even among angels there is arrogance."
"Well I've dealt with that kind before" she replied as they approached the base of a hill.
"Over this hill is the meeting place" stated Sargon but now a concerned expression masked his face.
"What's wrong with you, a few seconds ago you were as giddy as a schoolgirl at an Usher concert" she joked.
"Usher; that name doesn't ring a bell, who is this Usher?"
"You don't know who Usher is, how closely are you watching the Earth? He's a famous musician."
"Musician ah, well I don't know about Usher; but I do manage to peek in on a Rolling Stones concert every now and then," he said.
"Figures, that band is probably as old as you are" she teased "so what's the problem?"
"Well these meetings are usually scheduled decades in advance, we don't have spontaneous meetings like this," he spoke quietly once again lost in his own thoughts as they climbed the hill.
"So when, was the next meeting supposed to be?" Lulu asked, curious to see what was affecting her new boss.
"We weren't supposed to meet for about twenty years."
Before she could reply Lulu was struck with amazement by the sight in the distance. A couple of yards in front of then stood a magnificent building that was reminiscent of a Cathedral. The rafters were covered with precious metals; the building was roofed with glowing statues representing what Lulu could only assume to be the various saints from the Earth.
"I've never seen anything so awe inspiring" she told Sargon but he was still lost in thought.
"Emergency meetings only mean trouble," he said to himself as they began their approach.
They entered a vast hall that contained five hundred and forty doors, each decorated with colorful decorations. As they walked deeper into the hall, they spotted a table where dozens of other angels dressed exactly like Sargon waited in their seats. All of their eyes were positioned on the small podium that stood before them.
"Now the more powerful the angel, the closer he is to that podium---"Sargon whispered to Lulu as they approached the table.
"How can an angel become more powerful?" She interrupted.
"Remember when I told you that angels could not "directly" intervene with humans. Well we Sepharim have been given the permission to create religions to inspire the masses in worship of the One and to avoid wiping each other out as man tends to attempt regularly.
"You can create religions"?
"Yes we do so; what the Great One wants from humans above all else is that they live together in harmony."
"Good luck with that plan" she smirked
"Yes it is a difficult task indeed, but through if you notice all true religions send out the message of goodwill towards men. Through this system and some miracles sprinkled here and there we deliver the One's wishes. Anyway the point is, the more followers a religion has the more influence the Seraphim have over humans.
"I never would have guessed," she replied.
"Sargon you dog has long has it been" shouted a chubby looking angel from across the room.
"Enki my good friend it's been much too long" Sargon called out to him cheerfully as he walked to the end of the table.
Enki practically sat at the head of the table, he was one of the oldest Sepharim members and was well known for his vast patience through any problem.
"Enki this is my new assistant Lulu" Sargon said pulling her towards him.
Enki noticed that Lulu was slightly nervous, he began to laugh his whole body quivering like Jell-O.
"Girl haven't you been through death? I shouldn't have you scared, don't worry you'll get used to the tense atmosphere at these meetings, soon enough."
"Late as usual Sargon" a gruff voice interrupted them.
Sargon located the sound as that of an ill tempered blond haired and blue eyed angel sitting directly across from Enki.
"Azariel still as tumultuous as ever I see" responded Sargon.
"You know I never believed you belong in our midst, why don't you just take your seat." Azariel pointed to the other end of table an obvious shot to the low ranking Sargon had in the group.
"We'll talk later Enki" Sargon said as he gave Azariel a hateful look. Then he began to walk back down to his seat.
"Who was that jerk" Lulu asked over the chattering of the other angels.
"He is one of the bad apples I spoke to you about, but he is still my superior so I have no right to challenge his authority."
Sargon took his seat "I'm sorry but assistants have to stand behind us during the meeting."
"That's no problem I'm just glad I'm here" she said as he took a sip from a glass cup that was placed before him.
"Whoa hold on, angels eat and drink?" She asked, surprised.
"Well we don't have to, but we do still have a sense of taste and every once in awhile I like to enjoy a glass of wine."
"My mom used to say the same thing, and then I had to wake her up from the bathtub every morning."
Suddenly there was a loud banging from the center of the table, an angel stood up to talk. The angel was known as Enlil.
"Enough of this useless chattering we've been called here twenty years early with no info, does anyone here know why the chancellor has called us?"
There was a low grumbling as each angel turned to the other and denied knowing any information.
Azariel stood up "I believe I know why. I was waiting to bring this up again at the next meeting but obviously the chancellor and I are in the same line of thinking."
"And what are you and the chancellor thinking?" A fellow angel called out.
"Obviously he has called us here to decide once and for all, what is to be done with the humans," Azariel stated.
"Here we go again every meeting, it is always the same topic with this guy" mumbled Sargon.
Azariel continued "you all know that the humans have fallen completely from the grace bestowed upon them by the One, as their technology advances so do their evil."
Sargon quickly got up to his feet "and what would you suggest we do with them" he yelled out.
"I say we wipe most of them out now and start over, the biggest mistake we've made is that we allowed too many to survive our last purge."
Sargon became appalled when he heard some of the other angels agreeing with Azariel.
"And who has given you the authority to make such claims" he called out to Azariel.
"Why the authority given to me by the One of course" He turned to the other angels now an envious tone in his voice with a tinge of anger.
"Why should they be offered redemption from the creator, murderers, savages, no other creature is more loved by the One than humans are, and what do they do? They spit in his face."
Sargon rushed over to stand face to face with Azariel "but they were created by the One are you saying that he has made a mistake?"
"I say no such thing; he has given them his grace and they defile it, are we supposed to let this stand."
"But we have sent them advanced souls they call prophets to aid them, they have done some good" replied Enki.
"More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion of the love that he has given them" snapped Azariel who was now heated.
"How could you suggest such things" cried Sargon. "And what of your followers, how much good have they done for their fellow man"
"I have enlightened my followers with the truth, they know of their true nature of humans and they do their best to find a solution to combat this evil."
"I see them do nothing but spread fear and violence," Sargon said through his teeth.
Ignoring Sargon completely, Azariel continued "we need not destroy them all, but we most annihilate most of them again, only through pain and fear do they turn towards the Great One. When their cities burn and they live in horror do they truly change for the better, only when there is tragedy do they see one and other as equals."
Some more angels around Sargon began to nod in agreement.
"Through pain they will seek salvation, those that survive will be once again worthy of his love. We must act now before their evil spreads further," Azariel shouts so all the angels can hear.
"You cannot blame them; they were given free will" yelled Sargon who was losing his temper.
"Yes but you of all people should know that that they are capable of despicable acts, you who used to live among them. Free will is a privilege and they abuse it."
"Yes but I also know of the good humans can do. I've seen good men with my own eyes and I continue to see them today."
"The few good you speak of are hardly enough to protect the rest," Azariel snapped back.
"You are generalizing the whole human race."
"Who are they to deserve such love, they are not worthy of his grace," screamed Azariel who had now lost all control.
"Your tone is filled with envy, a very human emotion" smiled Sargon.
Azariel in a fit of rage reached across the table and grabbed Sargon by the neck "How dare you compare me to those apes. As far as angels go you are but a child; from now on you shall speak to me with the respect your superior deserves."
"Azariel you words are boarder lining the ideals of The Fallen; let go of Sargon at once" bellowed Enki.
At the sound of these words Azariel relaxed and released Sargon.
"I'm sorry; I'm just tired of seeing the humans defile his grace."
"Sargon please take your seat" said Enki.
Sargon walked back down to his seat not caring about the eyes of his fellow angels that were glued to him.
"I'm proud of you" said Lulu as he sat back down.
"Well Azariel" continues Enki "we all know of your plans; but the twelve eldest of us have voted on this subject countless time before. You know that unless you get the majority you cannot win, six of us including the chancellor voted against you centuries ago and you were told you were not allowed to bring this up again until the next scheduled meeting."
Abruptly the chancellor walked into the room, he looked old even in terms of angels. He had long white hair that covered most of his body. He walked over to the podium and cleared his throat.
"First of all I would like to apologize for keeping you all waiting, but I have come to a decision that I feel would be in your best interest to learn now."
A hush came over the angels as he spoke, all of them were eager to hear the explanation.
"I have grown weary of my chancellor duties of watching over the Earth and my fellow angels, so I have decided to step down and retire."
A collective gasp was released by the crowd as all the angels stared in shock. The chancellor was the wisest and oldest of them all.
"What does he mean he's retiring?" Lulu asked.
"It means that he will relinquish all of his Sepharim powers and become a normal angel" stuttered Sargon his mind racing.
"The next meeting will be my last" continued the chancellor through the confusion.
"But what about the vote?" cried an angel.
"I will let my successor vote in my place" the chancellor replied.
"Which angel will it be Sir" Enki inquired.
"It will not be an angel, my successor will be human" the chancellor smiled.
This sent out more outcries across the crowd.
"You cannot possibly want a human to take your holy place, please be reasonable" cried Azariel.
"Well now, I think that the last time a human was chosen to replace an angel it worked out for the best" the chancellor stated as he looked in Sargon's direction.
"Today two humans have been conceived, they will live their lives without any interference from any angels. One year before the meeting they will be told of their objectives. Then they will go through the trials as stated in our code of laws. The surviving human will take my place and through his life experiences with other humans he will cast his vote."
"So you're leaving this to fate" yelled out Sargon.
"Yes I am" replied the chancellor nonchalantly.
Sargon looked towards Azariel and saw him deep in thought, Sargon knew immediately he was up to no good.
"Well this meeting is dismissed I will see you all in twenty years," once he was finished the chancellor began to move away from the stunned crowd.
"Chancellor wait" called Sargon as he ran towards him "do you know what you have done, what if the human chooses wrong."
"There is no wrong answer in this matter, I felt it would be better if a human was able to have a say in the vote."
"But billions of lives are on the line here, no one should be made to make such a decision"
"I'm sorry Sargon I've made my decision," the chancellor replied as he walked away.
Sargon's shoulders hunched as he watched the chancellor walk away.
"I've got a feeling a lot of people are in trouble" said Lulu catching up to him.
"Yes billions of people, come we must find these humans at all cost".
"But I thought we weren't supposed to interfere" she told him.
"I will not interfere directly; but I will try my best to protect them from him"
Sargon glanced once again at Azariel who was still seated, a cold look in his eyes and an evil smirk snaked across his face.
"Come Lulu we must hurry."