Lucifer
Two
Lucifer looked down from Heaven at the small glowing ball of slowly cooling lava. The Earth was changing, little by little, year by year, but it was a terribly slow process. This planet had been one of the first things Michael had shown to him, and from the moment he had first seen it he had fallen in love with it. It wasn't the Earth as it was that he found so endearing, but what the Earth would become. A Heaven-like paradise full of plants and animals, teeming with life; his Father's big experiment.
When he became aware that he was no longer alone, he looked up from his observation and found Michael watching him.
"I thought I'd find you here," Michael said. "You just can't leave it alone, can you?" There was a hint of teasing in Michael's tone, but Lucifer knew that his brother wasn't being malicious. Their brotherly bond was close, even closer than the bond they shared with their father.
"I don't understand," Lucifer said in frustration, and not for the first time. "Why doesn't father just make the Earth habitable now? Why does he make us wait like this?"
"To teach us patience and to ensure the Earth forms perfectly," Michael replied. Lucifer accepted his brother's explanation. Michael, at times, seemed to possess an instinctive understanding of their father's motives that Lucifer just couldn't grasp.
"But why do we have to have patience? We could easily stabilise and cool the Earth ourselves. If we worked together it wouldn't take us long at all."
"No," Michael said, his voice stern. Lucifer shrank back from his brother. Michael had never been stern with him before. "I'm sorry," his elder brother said. "I didn't mean to snap at you. But Father doesn't want interference in the Earth's development, which means you and I will sit here and watch and wait, and we will do nothing to the Earth unless Father instructs us to."
Lucifer could tell his brother was hiding something, and it worried him. Michael never kept secrets. "Why are you so worried about the Earth?" he queried.
Michael looked momentarily uncomfortable, but at last he answered. "The Earth used to be different." he admitted. "It was long ago. Father had to start it over again."
The answer shocked Lucifer. The Earth hadn't always been this ball of molten rock? Why had his father or Michael never mentioned anything about this before? Why had they kept the truth from him? "What did it look like?"
"I don't know, it was before my time, but Father tells me it was not dissimilar to Heaven. It had different laws and rules, but there were plants and animals, and it was Father's greatest creation."
"Why did he destroy it?" Lucifer asked. Such an action seemed incomprehensible. If you loved something, you were supposed to do everything within your power to protect it. You weren't supposed to burn it to char.
"It's not my place to tell you that."
Lucifer reached out to his brother, placing his silver-white hand on the taller angel's shoulder. "Please, brother," he said. "Father instructed you to teach me, didn't he? I sense that whatever this is, it disturbs you, and I want to know why. I need to know why. I have to understand why the thought of interfering on Earth troubles you so."
Michael gave a deep sigh as indecision flickered across his silver eyes. At last he relented; he could never resist his younger brother's pleading expression.
"We are not Father's first children," Michael explained. "Long before he created me, he made the Leviathans, and gave them free run of Heaven and Earth. But they were beasts which devoured everything Father loved, so he was forced to lock them away. Heaven was spared, but the Earth as it was could not be saved. Father started it over again."
"I see," Lucifer said, feeling a chill inside him. These 'Leviathans' did not sound pleasant, and he was glad Father had sent them away. "Is that why you don't want me interfering with the Earth?" he asked his brother. "You are worried that if I ruin Father's creation he might lock me away too?"
"Yes," Michael said calmly. "I know you are curious, Lucifer, but I want you to promise me that you won't go near the Earth until Father says so. Promise me."
"I promise," Lucifer said quickly. He didn't like the intensity in his brother's eyes. He knew that Michael had often been lonely with only Father for company, and he knew that Michael would give anything not to have to be alone again. "I'll just watch it for now. I won't go nearer to it than this."
"Good." Michael gave him a warm smile. "Do you want to go and have a look at a nebula that's forming in the void between two distant galaxies?"
"Thanks, but I think I'd like to stay here a bit longer and watch the Earth," Lucifer said. Now that he knew what it had been, he found it an even more fascinating place. It didn't take much for him to imagine what it would be like in another million years.
"Alright. I'll come back later, then."
Michael disappeared, off to observe the nebula, and Lucifer turned his gaze back to the Earth. One day he would walk its surface, and it would not be a hot and toxic place, but a planet of life, spontaneity and creation. And hopefully his father would tell him what he had planned for this tiny, rocky ball in space.
o - o - o - o - o
An artist's tools
A gust of wind blew across the barren surface of the Earth, whirling around the two angels who stood side by side, watched by their father. God had finally deemed the Earth cool enough to begin sculpting, and he had made this first visit down to the planet with his beloved children.
"Good, Michael," said Father, in response to the eldest angel's gust of wind. He turned to his youngest son. "Now you try, Lucifer."
Lucifer narrowed his silver eyes as he concentrated on the molecules around him. The elements present were not ideal for making wind, father had informed them, but it could be done. As Lucifer concentrated he felt movement around him, and he focused even more on the desired effect. A blast of wind swept out from his celestial body, sweeping across the sharp, rocky ground with enough force to break apart several large pieces of brittle volcanic rock.
"Excellent, Lucifer!" Father said, and he felt himself glowing brightly at his father's praise.
"Yes, that was a good one," Michael agreed, showing no signs of envy over his brother's success. "I think you have a natural skill for this."
Lucifer smiled his thanks for his brother's compliment. So far, this was one of the happiest days of his life. Finally his father had brought them to the Earth, and was teaching them what they would need to know to begin shaping it for his purposes.
"What comes next, Father?" he asked, eager to learn more.
"Now, son, you and your brother will use this planet as your canvas," Father said, resting one hand on Lucifer's shoulder. "Use the wind I have shown you to break down some of these mountains, reduce some of the rocks to dust. When you have enough dust I will bring a primitive form of plant-life for you to spread over the surface. Over time, these primitive bacteria will produce an atmosphere rich in the elements required by the animals I plan to create."
"It will take a long time to reduce these rocks to dust and flatten the mountains," Michael said. "And the inside of the Earth is still hot, lava still reaches the surface, in places."
"That's the way it needs to be," Father informed him. "Don't worry about that."
"What will happen after you have brought the primitive bacteria to Earth?" Lucifer asked, increasingly curious about God's long term plan for the planet.
"They will create atmosphere, which will create oceans, in which animals can live, and that will interact with the atmosphere to create weather. Over time we can add increasingly complex animals and plants to the biosphere, until every area of the surface is inhabited by something."
"Father," Michael said. His face looked thoughtful. "What makes this planet so special? You could have made any planet like this, couldn't you?"
"Technically yes," Father said. "But what makes this world special is that it came to be the way it is without any input from me. After I created the universe, I just let everything happen. The whole thing expanded, galaxies formed, and within them solar systems and planets. They number billions, but for life to proliferate a planet requires some very specific conditions. It can't be too hot, or too cold, or too dry or too wet. It has to be the right distance from its parent star, and in a stable orbit. When I discovered that the Earth had the correct conditions I sent a few of the building blocks of life to the surface, to see what would happen."
"And what happened?" Lucifer asked excitedly. He could imagine his father's surprise and pleasure at finding such a perfect planet, such an ideal blank canvas for his work.
"Life happened. I directed it as I chose, creating myriad forms. But I wasn't content with that. I wanted to take a more direct hand. I know that Michael has told you about the Leviathans." The elder angel looked slightly chagrined by his father's words. "From that mistake I learned that I must be more careful when experimenting with new things. I cannot allow the Earth to be destroyed. I might never find another place like it."
"We can help," Lucifer assured his father eagerly.
"And you will," Father replied. "I'm going to leave both of you here for a while, and I'd like you to carry out my request. Return to Heaven when you believe you have done an adequate job."
"We won't let you down, Father," Michael said.
Father returned to Heaven, and Lucifer turned his attention to the Earth. The surface was mostly cool, now, all rocky and brittle, but some of the volcanic vents still spluttered lava and coughed noxious grey smoke. Even though the planet appeared to be settling, he knew it was an illusion. Beneath his feet he could feel large slabs of land shifting minutely, floating above the Earth's semi-liquid mantle. It was all very dynamic, he realised, and the Earth would continue to change over time without input from God or angels - just not necessarily in the right ways.
"How do you want to do this?" Lucifer asked his brother.
Michael was silent for several moments as he considered the question. "Perhaps," he said at last, "we should each work on half of the Earth and meet on the other side. That way we won't waste time by going over the same areas twice."
"That sounds sensible," Lucifer agreed.
The brothers set out in opposite directions and began their task. Lucifer worked tirelessly, using his newly-taught ability to create and control wind to lower mountains and carve long, sinuous valleys into the landscape. After he had created some dust, he realised he could use the dust itself to further aid him, and he pushed it around with the wind, abrading a high plateau as a contrast to the towering mountains.
After he'd finished a portion of half of the Earth he decided to check up on his brother, to see how Michael was doing with his half of the planet. He teleported to his brother's side and found him putting the finishing touches on a sloping hillside. As the dust-carrying wind dissipated, Michael turned to look at him.
"Nice," Lucifer said, recognising it immediately. "This is your favourite hillside in Heaven, isn't it? The one with the redwood."
"Maybe it's arrogant or conceited of me," Michael said, "but I wanted to create something of mine here. Some place I could come to on Earth and feel at peace. I hope Father will eventually allow me to plant a redwood here too."
"I'm sure he will. You are his first son, he would do anything for you."
"I may be his first, but he favours you," Michael said.
Lucifer was surprised by his brother's words. He looked at Michael, searching for any sign of jealousy or anger, but there was none. As far as he knew, Michael wasn't even capable of feeling those things. He was simply stating what he perceived to be a fact.
"That's not true, brother," he replied. "He loves us both equally."
"Maybe he loves us equally, but as far as creations go, you are his favourite."
"What makes you say that?"
"I just know," Michael said. He sat down on the bare hillside and lay on his back, allowing his wings to spread out beneath him as he turned his silver eyes to the stars above. After a moment, Lucifer joined him, following his brother's gaze. "I was his prototype. He gave no further thought to my creation, than to make me the opposite of the Leviathans, and he feared he would have to lock me away so he did not allow himself to care for me too much. But you… when he created you, it was with the experience of my creation behind him. He made you with more care than he made me, putting time and effort and love into you. I can see it in his eyes, when he looks at you, and I can see that you love him in a way that I cannot."
"Why are you saying these things, Michael?" he asked.
"Because I don't want it to come between us. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted a brother, and now I have one. I don't mind that Father favours you, or that you love him more than I do. I'm just glad you are here."
They lay in silence, looking at the distant stars, some of which were already long dead. Lucifer had always known that his relationship with his father was different to the one between Michael and God, but he hadn't known why. Could it be true? Did Father really favour him? Suddenly, he was struck by a thought.
"Do you think Father will create more angels?" he asked.
"I'm sure he will."
"I would like that," he smiled. "I would have a little brother to teach and care for, and I would no longer be the youngest. When do you think he'll make more of us?"
"I don't know," Michael said with a small sigh. "Father doesn't always tell me his plans. I think he likes to be surprising sometimes."
They fell to silence, both lost in their own thoughts as they stared at the dark sky littered with sparkling jewels. A little brother, Lucifer thought. He liked the sound of that.
o - o - o - o - o
Brave New World
Lucifer lay on his back beside his brother, looking up at the blue sky. Fluffy white clouds blew across the expanse of azure, some thin and wispy, formed by ice crystals high in the atmosphere, others thick and fluffy as water condensed closer to the ground. They were amazing, mesmerising things which changed shape as they were pushed around by the wind.
It had taken a long time for the atmosphere to be created by the primitive cyanobacteria, but slowly the air had become oxygenated, and nitrogen had been fixed by the tiny plants. Incoming heat from the sun had charged the air, powering a weather system and allowing water to form and fall as rain. The dusty soil was becoming more fertile and several lakes had formed in the areas of lower elevation. The rock was no longer bare and sharp, but was being gradually weathered and eroded as blue-green bacteria coated its surface.
"What do you think animals will look like?" Lucifer mused to Michael.
"Father told me about some of them, once," Michael replied. "There used to be birds, which had wings like us, and there were beasts which walked on multiple legs. Even the oceans had animals in them, which could swim through the water using their tails."
"It's hard to imagine those things living here. The Earth has been barren for so long." He turned onto his front and picked up a small piece of loose rock which was now home to a colony of cyanobacteria. Turning it over in his fingers, he tried to imagine how something so small could eventually become something as large as the redwoods in Heaven. "Where do you suppose Father is?" he asked. "It's been a long time since we last saw him." Indeed, they hadn't seen their father in many years. God had told them to take some of the bacteria from Heaven, spread it over the Earth and monitor what happened.
"Maybe he's in Heaven," Michael said. "Or in another part of the universe. He likes to take extended trips sometimes, visiting some of the other galaxies."
"You must have been very lonely, before he created me." Lucifer couldn't imagine being alone, as Michael had been. Though their Father was often gone for years at a time, Michael was always with him.
"He was. But he never complained."
Both angels looked up when their father spoke, and they saw God standing near them. Beside him was an angel which looked around at the Earth with curiosity in its bright silver eyes. The angel was smaller than Michael, not quite as bright as Lucifer, and it had a slightly different face.
"Father," Michael said, standing and approaching the pair.
"I see you two have been making the most of your time on Earth," said God, looking around at the clouds and the green-tinted rocks. "Good work."
"Thank you, Father," Michael said, and Lucifer nodded in agreement.
"This is Raphael," said Father, introducing the angel by his side. "I created him a few years ago and have been showing him around the universe. I think he knows enough now to help you. Raphael, these are your brothers Michael and Lucifer. They're the ones I told you about."
"I've been looking forward to meeting you," said Raphael calmly. "Father has told me much about you, and about the Earth. It's… smaller than I had expected."
Lucifer immediately leapt to the defence of his father's beloved creation. "It might not be much to look at now, but once we have finished with it, it will be a paradise."
Michael put a hand on his shoulder, and he felt momentarily shamed by his outburst. He knew that he needed to be patient with Raphael - the angel was young, after all - just as Michael had been patient with him, but he didn't like the idea of anybody finding the Earth wanting. He'd put so much hard work and care into sculpting it that he couldn't stand the thought of another angel criticising the planet.
"Is Raphael to help us with the Earth, Father?" he asked, to take the attention away from himself.
"Eventually, yes. But for now I'd like to leave it alone, to give the weather a chance to become established. We will return to Heaven, and you two can get to know your brother a little better. Come, children." God disappeared back to Heaven, taking Raphael with him.
Lucifer looked around at the Earth, memorising the blue sky, the craggy contours, the infant lakes and the green-tinged rock. He knew that it would be different, the next time he came here, and he wanted to remember as it was, after he and Michael had toiled hard for years.
"Come on, Lucifer," said Michael, giving his younger brother a reassuring smile. "You'll see it again soon."
Lucifer nodded and, taking his brother's hand, followed their father and brother back to their home.