"I tell you the truth,

if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,

you can say to this mountain,

move from here to there and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:20

Chapter 1

Azumaria lay in the grass unmoving. Her small frame had collapsed onto her right wing while her left wing lay stretched out beside her. The morning birds were silent with death in the air.

Sister Mary couldn't compute what was happening and crumbled to the ground; her blond head pressed against the grass. Sister Claire was frozen in place with shock, while Anna, seeing that Rosette and Chrono were still dead, turned and looked away.

Death and pain… these two things had recently been the closest companions to all those called to righteousness. Yet they were forgetting that the Lord sees all and His love knows no end… He never abandons those who follow Him.

Sister Claire's brown hair blew across her face in the shifting and rising breeze, clinging to her tears. 'Why Azu? Why did you push yourself that hard?'

Sister Anna's eyes were puffy and red, just like her hair, as she took a deep breath to face the heartache. Turning back around choking on sobs she opened her eyes. Alarmed, she jump back in surprise as a stranger stood in their midst.

A tall blond haired man was standing looking down at Azumaria's lifeless body. His hands were tucked away in his dark blue trench coat pockets and had an uninterested look about him. None of them had ever seen him before.

"So I was call down for this."

His voice held deep authority, but lacked the kind of emotion that circled the group. He then looked to his small audience and sighed. "You have nothing to fear. My name is Raphael and I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't interfere."

His tone was firm and unwavering, it offered them no option, yet in his deep blue eyes there was no evil found in him. Through his intense gaze Sister Anna chose to trust him. She linked her arm with Claire, who was facing an inner protest of no more death, but still allowed Anna to slowly pulled her down to sit beside Mary.

A slight smile of appreciation appeared briefly on the stranger's face for their compliance; it made his job all the more easier. His blue eyes then turned down to the winged child that lay before him and what he saw amazed him a bit. The fact that her purpose of being an Apostle was fulfilled leaving her with no power, her wings, and especially the silver cord that binds the human spirit to their bodies, were supposed to go unseen by human sight. For this small girl to have that strong of faith in his God to reveal such things was reason enough to earn his respect.

Raphael then removed his right hand from his coat stretching it over her pitiful form and began to call forth the power allotted to him. The three women held their breaths as their friend's lifeless body suddenly sat up to a kneeling position. Her right wing lay broken across her legs with white feathers scattered all around her. A soft glow appeared around her fragile form, her wings twitched with movement before the broken wing brushed across her legs joining the other at her side. The detached feathers found their way back into the wings making them whole again. Raphael moved his hand slightly down to the right causing her wings to fold back behind her as the silver cord moved magically around them. His brow moved closer together with concentration in his eyes as he slowly brought his fingers together in a light fist. The frayed ends of the cord spliced themselves together and became whole. There was a pause of stillness as the man seemed to take a moment to view the work he had accomplished. But before any of the three women could blink he stretched his hand straight out and all at once Azumaria surged to life, her arms stretched out on either side of her arching back as her wings dissolved themselves into her body once more.

From the breath of life which only God can give, Azumaria's body slumped back to the ground as Raphael turned away from her.

Claire held her breath until she saw it… Azu moved. She didn't get up, but she was breathing.

Having completed that resurrection, the Angel turned his sights to the two bodies on the swing. It was also impressive to note that the demon hadn't disintegrated into ash yet. 'Must have been her spirit' he thought. The shell of the demons skin was still intact from the near nonexistent amounts of Astral energy.

Taking out two horns from his other trench coat pocket; he couldn't help but be in wonder over the next task allotted to him. Never had a demon's Earthly body been resurrected before, let alone what he had in store for the sinner. He knew the three women behind him sat in fear and wonder over his every move, however with the two dead bodies sitting together in a peaceful looking death before him, his focus was set on them alone and all the others were forgotten.

Not one to waste time, Raphael took the two horns, one in each hand, and drove them hard and deep into Chrono's skull along with added angelic power. It took a moment, but life was restored to the demon as his body surge with his first breath. As power began to enter back into Chrono like a flood it caused his small unconscious form to violently transform into his true adult self. The new and sudden added weight caused the old wooden porch swing to break the support chain on his left, and break the wooden armrest off the bench on his right, sending him and his Saint to the ground in a heap of broken wood. As his desperate and ragged breathing began to find some resemblance to a rhythm, the angel above the somewhat conscious body then knelt down, grabbed one of his horns with his right hand and with his left, he pressed his palm against Rosette's chest over her treasured and accursed clock. With great pressure the time piece smashed to pieces and so he sunk his palm deeper against her chest.

The sisters watched in amazement and fearful wonder at his actions. It seemed odd, but when had Jesus Christ's actions ever made sense on the surface when faith was missing? So with faith they watched.

Pain slowly began to creep into the sleeping face of Chrono as life giving energy was being syphoned from his very core. Raphael then amped up the flow by acting as a conduit, giving Rosette's stolen years back, and with a shudder and a painful gasp her body surged to life.

Tears began to stream down the demon's face as energy pulled rapidly through one horn, tore through his adult body and ripped right out of his other horn. His mind was confused and muddled. He couldn't think coherently enough to understand what was happening, but he then felt the soft hand that was within his own squeeze his and an inner strength washed over him.

Now that life was restored to all, Raphael took a deep breath and returned his attention back to the luckiest demon in history; he smirked. 'Though he won't feel like he is.'

Chrono was taking quick shallow breaths as the flow of energy slowed and was now only empowering himself. His body had forgotten what it was like to sustain itself. Yet with his next breath he choked back a scream as the being who restored his life began to cause him the greatest physical pain he had ever experienced in his existence.

Raphael had bent down to partially straddle the demon so as to get a good death grip on both of Chrono's horns. He then, without hesitation, began to relocate the horns all demons were cursed with. Having been blessed with the ability to change what is, Raphael began to force Chrono's horns anchor points to brake from his skull and move together along his forehead. Blood instantly began streaming down the sides of his face as his screams grew louder.

Rosette's sleeping form began to weep while the three nuns in the foreground covered their mouths in attempts to remain quiet. Their crying and trembling returned, but were unable to move. They didn't know what was happening.

Raphael ignored the demon's growing screams as he finally forced the horns to protrude from his skull side by side in the center of his forehead. With another deep breath, Raphael's hands glowed orange as he pressed the horns together melding it into one large horn.

Chrono was shaking as his tears mixed with his blood. He had no strength in him to move.

The angel was almost done. He made a fist with his right hand and gathered the energy he needed. White and bright blue light began to spark from his fist and just as his power was about to reach critical in a flash he slammed the palm of his empowered hand down onto his horn. Rather than impaling his hand, Chrono's horn began to dissolve beneath Raphael's hand until it seemed to be gone entirely.

Chrono was now completely unconscious; his body unable to withstand the pain.

Raphael was breathing a bit harder than before, but he kept his palm against his forehead a moment longer before releasing his grip. Hand coated with the tainted blood, his job was complete.

After one final look, Raphael dissolved the stains off his hands, stood, put his hands back into the pockets of his coat, turned and nonchalantly walked away without a word.

Before the sisters had realized it, he was gone.

TBC...

Not the easiest way to be resurrected, but the start of something new has begun!

Their work is not yet complete...