Raphael
Friction
Electricity crackled in the air above Raphael, spears of lightning tearing through the sky followed by the booming crash of thunder. Heavy rain pounded the ground, but it did not touch the angel as he stood still in the middle of it all, controlling the fierce hurricane with nothing but a single thought.
From his position on the cliff edge he could see a series of small islands on the horizon, far off the coast of the Earth's single massive continent, and he extended the storm to the islands, causing the waves to beat against the shore. Although to the casual observer it would have seemed nothing but a random act of destruction, the storm served a purpose; it churned up the water, mixing the different ocean layers, and caused weathering of both the islands and the cliff, which was one necessary component in the creation of sand.
There were no large life-forms in the ocean; not yet. But God was working on a multitude of different animal species to put into the enormous body of salty water, hard-shelled, soft-bodied creatures which would feed on the zooplankton, phytoplankton and tiny invertebrates present, and would in time develop into more advanced species.
When Raphael realised he was no longer alone he let the storm die away and turned to face his brothers. Michael was watching the tailing edge of the storm, and Lucifer was feigning interest in a primitive worm which was wiggling on the soil beside his feet.
"I've finished the planting of the eastern side of the continent," Michael said.
"And I have completed the central section," Lucifer added, turning his gaze from the worm to Raphael. His expression didn't change as he did so.
"What took you so long?" Raphael asked. "I finished planting here some time ago."
"You can't rush perfection," Lucifer shrugged. "Speaking of which, I don't like the placement of that third island out there." He gestured to the horizon. "It's going to interrupt an important warm-water current."
Lucifer reached out towards the island with a silver hand and made a grasping motion. A violent shockwave erupted deep underground from beneath his feet and went rippling through the earth towards the third island in the chain of ten. As it travelled through the ocean crust, a tsunami followed it, until it reached the island in question. The ground turned soft and it began to sink into the ocean as the tsunami covered it from above. In just minutes there was an empty section of ocean where once had stood a link in an archipelago.
"I only planted trees on that island a century ago," Raphael said, irritated by Lucifer's action. The second son of God was both arrogant and cocky. Lucifer hated the fact that Raphael could create bigger and more powerful storms, so he showed off his skill with earth-shaping at every chance he got.
"And in several million years they'll be oil." Lucifer shrugged as if it was of no importance, then turned to Michael. "I think I'll go and see how Father's doing with those interesting little animals. What did he call them?"
"Trilobites," Michael replied.
"Yes, those. Are you coming?"
"I'll join you shortly."
Lucifer disappeared back to Heaven and Michael turned to face Raphael.
"What vexes you, brother?" the elder angel asked.
"Lucifer just destroyed one of my islands, without even consulting me," Raphael complained. "If I didn't know that he'd only sink it again, I'd raise it to show him that he can't just do whatever he wants. Why does he dislike me so much?"
"He doesn't dislike you," Michael assured him. "He is just a little more… whimsical than you and I."
"He gets away with too much. Do you remember the last millennia, when he sent that comet hurtling into Pluto, knocking it completely out of its orbit? Father didn't say a word!"
"Well, Father never really liked Pluto that much. Besides, it was an accident. Lucifer never intended for it to happen."
"It was no accident," Raphael said confidently. "He did it on purpose. Why do you always make excuses for him?"
"He's my brother," Michael said simply. "How can I be angry with him?"
"One of these days he's going to go too far and break something important to Father. And when that happens, you're not going to be able to make excuses for him anymore."
"Don't you think you're overreacting a little? It was just an island, Raphael."
Raphael shook his head in defeat. Michael didn't understand; it wasn't just an island. It was every little snipe that Lucifer took at him, every little thing he did to spite his younger brother. Lucifer had disliked him ever since their first meeting, though Raphael did not know why his brother was carrying his grudge. He got on just fine with Michael, who was much more sensible and far less irreverent. But, for some reason, Lucifer just didn't care for him. Unfortunately, both God and Michael appeared blind to Lucifer's faults. He was their weakness.
"Do you want to come and take a look at Father's creations?" Michael offered.
"Thank you, but I'd prefer to stay here for now."
"As you wish." Michael hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "You have done good work here, Raphael. I mean it. You've worked hard from the moment Father instructed you to aid us. I know that Father appreciates you, and everything you have done."
"Thank you, Michael," he said, grateful that at least one brother respected his work.
"Try not to let Lucifer worry you. He is the way he is. It's nothing personal against you."
"Alright," he agreed. Finally content, Michael disappeared, but his words had not made Raphael feel any better. He just wished that Michael, or their father, would make an attempt to curb Lucifer's petty and irresponsible ways before he ended up hurting himself or destroying something valuable.
Sighing because he knew his wishes were futile, he turned his gaze back to the vast ocean, and started up the storm once more.
o - o - o - o - o
The Big Experiment
Two angels sat on the hillside beneath a giant redwood tree. The Earth had changed much over the past few millennia. Father had flooded the oceans with a plethora of animal species, their body-shapes all wildly experimental. There were soft-bodied things carried about by the currents, and carapaced-things which preyed on them. Sessile creatures, an amalgamation of plant and animal joined through a symbiotic relationship, lived by siphoning and filtering the water which flowed past them in warm, shallow seas. Some of the life-forms were microscopic, and others were metres long. They were straight or spiralled, they had no legs or dozens, they had several pairs of eyes or none at all. Any size and shape and colour conceivable was expressed within the ocean as a living, breathing creature.
Where Lucifer was, Raphael did not know. He'd simply found Michael sitting beneath his favoured tree and joined him in watching the teeming life in the ocean, enjoyable the occasional companionable silences between them. For once the Earth was relatively peaceful.
"What do you think the universe will be like, millions of years from now?" he asked Michael.
The elder angel gave his question serious thought before answering. "I think some things will be the same. There will still be galaxies and solar systems and stars. They will all live and die at their appointed times. But I think some things will change for the better. I think we will make a paradise on Earth, which will out-shine even Heaven. I think there will be a great host of angels, and they will come here to marvel at what Father has created. And I think Father will continue to experiment and make new things. Millions of years from now, I think we will share Heaven with other beings, other children of God, and we will watch over them and teach them."
Raphael did not reply. He was young, compared to his brother, and it was hard to imagine anything other than angels living in Heaven. Even imagining a great host of angels was difficult; for so long it had been just he and his two elder brothers, along with their father. He knew that God had created other beings before - Lucifer had told him the story of the Leviathans, probably hoping to scare him - but he couldn't conceive of a reason for Father to make anything other than angels. They were perfect beings, full of love and obedience for their father. Even Lucifer loved and obeyed father. How could God make anything as beautiful and perfect as angels?
There as a small blip from out in the ocean, a tiny ripple of something which Raphael detected. He frowned, and gave Michael a questioning glance.
"A species just went extinct," Michael explained. "It happens from time to time."
"Who chooses which species dies, and why?"
"Father chooses. Just as he has created laws for the matter of the universe to obey, he has created laws for life to obey. There are certain criteria a species must meet if it is to continue living. If a species is too slow to adapt to its changing environment, it generally dies to make room for something more suitable."
"But why? Why do any of this? Why create a species only to let it die? Why doesn't Father just create complete and perfect beings like us, and give them the Earth to live on?"
"I don't know," Michael admitted. "It's Father's experiment. He hasn't told me why he's doing it."
"And your lack of understanding doesn't concern you?" he asked, puzzled. It certainly concerned Raphael. He liked to know what was going on, and why. He always felt better when he had direct orders to follow, and parameters to work within. He lacked Lucifer's spontaneity and creativity.
Michael turned his bright silver eyes towards Raphael, and there was calm acceptance within their luminscent depths. "No. He's our Father. I trust that he knows what he is doing. If he felt it necessary for me to know about his experiment, he would have told me."
"I suppose," he acquiesced. He did not ask any further questions about the subject because he knew it was pointless. Michael took obedience to Father very seriously, and he rarely asked questions. It seemed to Raphael that the more time passed, the quieter and more serious Michael became. He was the opposite of Lucifer, who tended to become louder and more irreverent with the passage of time.
For long years they sat on the hillside, observing the life in the oceans. Every now and again a tiny blip on Raphael's celestial awareness indicated that another species had become extinct, but extinction wasn't the only thing that happened in the oceans. Some of the species began to change, and when questioned, Michael explained that the process was called 'evolution', and it had been created by Father as a way of testing, measuring and shaping life on the Earth. Some of the oceanic creatures became smaller, whilst some became larger. Some grew teeth, some gained eyes, colours were changed, new parts were added to bodies both internally and externally. It was a fascinating process to watch.
The ocean was not the only place where evolution was at work. On land, vegetation was proliferating even more rapidly than the animals in the vast sea. The super-continent was hot and humid, full of giant trees and winding lianas, bushy ferns and woody reeds. Whole sections of land had been turned to swamp as the ocean began to encroach, whilst silt washed down from the higher mountains by rainwater covered the flood-plains, creating fertile breeding ground for countless species of vegetation. There was only one place on the entire Earth where evolution did not take place, and that was on the small hillside with the giant redwood tree. Michael was somehow able to keep evolution at bay, preserving this one place, ensuring it remained a constant duplicate of his favourite hill in Heaven.
Finally, the long years of peace ended. Father and Lucifer returned, appearing on the hillside just in time to see another species go extinct. Michael stood upon their arrival, and Raphael followed him, to greet his absent family members.
"Thank you for keeping watch over the Earth for me, Michael, Raphael," Father said.
"It was the least we could do," Michael replied, as if Father's extended absence was something he had known about all along.
"Where have you been?" Raphael asked.
"Father and I went to watch the formation of a new galaxy," Lucifer said happily, a slight tone of gloating in his words. "It has some real potential."
Lucifer's words irritated Raphael. He knew that Lucifer was Father's favourite, but he was fed up of his brother's attitude, of his condescending remarks, of his arrogance and his ego. He didn't mind that Father and Lucifer had gone off together for years, because he had truly enjoyed his time on Earth with Michael, but he was no longer willing to put up with his brother's attitude.
"Father, can I speak to you alone?" he asked.
"Of course," Father replied. "Michael, Lucifer, I'll see you later in Heaven." Both of the angels disappeared instantly, and God turned to his youngest son. "Is something troubling you, Raphael?"
Now that he was finally alone with Father, he felt... hesitant. It was one thing to be annoyed by Lucifer, but quite another to complain about it to their creator. With a sudden moment of clarity, he saw what the situation would look like to Father. It would appear to be nothing but a younger son jealous of his older, more beautiful, perfect brother. If Raphael wanted to change his brother's behaviour towards him, he would have to change it himself, not ask his father to do it for him. Otherwise he would never hear the end of it from Lucifer.
"No... nothing is troubling me," he lied, trying to come up with something else to speak to father about now that he decided to stand up for himself. "I just... I had questions. I hoped you might answer them."
Father smiled, his bright face morphing into another form. "Despite what your brothers may have told you, I don't have all the answers. But if I can provide them, I will. Ask your questions."
"I was wondering why you are running this experiment on Earth," he said, recalling his earlier conversation with Michael. "Why you are creating things, and making them evolve, and making them extinct? What purpose does it serve?"
Father was silent for a long time. When at last he replied, it was not the response Raphael had been expecting.
"I am looking for answers," said God.
"To what question?"
"To the question of somebody else's experiment."
Raphael shook his head. Father was talking in riddles. His words made no sense at all.
"We all have a desire to know who created us, Raphael," Father elaborated. "This experiment I have... I want to see if something which has no knowledge of who and what it is can perceive anything more. The life-forms I have created for the Earth are primitive, but eventually they will evolve into complex beings. If everything goes to plan, they may even develop intelligence. Sentience. If they can become aware that they are an experiment, then perhaps I can become aware of that fact too. Perhaps I can learn to perceive what is beyond the confines of my existence."
"You... you are creating things in the hope of finding your creator?" he asked, shocked by his Father's explanation.
Father gestured around. "This place, this universe... I exist within it. I can shape it. But I did not create it. I woke at the moment of its birth, but I do not know how or why it came to be, nor do I know who or what created it. There must be something more. Something beyond the universe. But I cannot see what that something is. Perhaps, like those trilobites in the ocean, I am merely too young, too primitive, to perceive that the universe is just the experiment of something beyond even my comprehension."
"And you truly believe that by observing the growth and evolution of primitive creatures, you can learn how to pierce the veil over your eyes?"
"As above, so below," Father said simply.
As he looked at Father, Raphael began to wish he hadn't asked his question. Until now he had always considered Father wise and all-knowing. That he might have questions which he could not answer was almost beyond belief, and he knew that he would never see God the same way again. He understood, now, why Father did not challenge Lucifer's behaviour; the angels, too, were an experiment of sorts, just on a different scale. No doubt Father did not want to interfere with the natural progression of yet another test he had devised.
"I can see that my words trouble you," said Father at last. "What you do with this knowledge is your choice. You can share it with your brothers, or keep it to yourself."
"Why have you not told them of this?"
"Because they have not asked, and I never felt that they needed to know. Besides, they like the stability of having an all-knowing creator. Lucifer obeys because he loves me, and Michael because he fears me. I regret that I instilled fear in Michael when he was young, and that I put a little too much love into Lucifer's creation. But you... you are not like your brothers, Raphael. Where Lucifer obeys out of love, and Michael out of fear, I would like you to obey out of understanding. Even if you can't understand my methods, I would like you to understand my motives."
Raphael considered his father's words. He didn't know why Michael feared God, though he suspected it had something to do with the Leviathans of which Lucifer had spoken. Nor did he know what God meant when he said he had put 'a little too much love' into Lucifer's creation. But he finally felt as if he truly did understand his father, and he felt closer to God at that moment than he ever had before. He also realised something; that he too was an experiment. But that didn't mean he had no worth. He was still an angel, after all.
"Thank you for being honest with me, Father," he replied. "I won't speak of this to Michael and Lucifer. As you say, your sons need you to be all-knowing for them. They need to believe that you have plans, and that everything you do is for a reason. Without that knowledge, they would be lost, and hurt."
"I'm glad you have made that choice, and that we spoke of this," Father said. "Now, let us return to Heaven. Your brothers are waiting for us."
o - o - o - o - o
Cambrian
Michael had not been wrong. As animals continued to thrive in the oceans of Earth, so angels began to thrive in Heaven. Father finally decided that his angel experiment had been a success, and he went as crazy in their creation as he had in the creation of the marine Earth creatures. His first new creation was a younger brother for Raphael, named by Father as Gabriel. God gave to Gabriel all the skills he had given the elder angels, and Raphael, Lucifer and Michael all took turns in watching over Gabriel, and teaching him about the universe.
Raphael found it challenging to keep his younger brother in check. Gabriel possessed all of Michael's humility, but none of his stoicism, all of Lucifer's capriciousness, but none of his arrogance, all of Raphael's curiosity, but none of his self-restraint. If you left Gabriel alone for a century, you might return to find him exactly in the same place you had left him waiting patiently for you to come back, or he might be galaxies away, playing amongst the swirling debris of a newly-forming solar system. Not for the first time, Raphael began to wonder if this was why Lucifer had resented him; a younger brother took up a lot of time and attention.
Following the creation of Gabriel, Father stopped creating such powerful and individual angels, and instead turned his attention to creating them to specific templates. The Earth, God said, was to be a place of chaos and creativity, so Heaven was to be the opposite of that, a place of order and consistency. To his four eldest sons he gave the title 'arch-angel', and charged them with ruling over his other creations.
First came the seraphim, the middle-management of the Heavenly host. Two-score of them God created, bringing them into existence with the knowledge of who and what they were, and enough understanding of the universe to be able to function efficiently under orders. Then, with a newer template, he created thousands of smaller angels, each one a tiny candle to the bonfire of an arch-angel's light. To them Father gave fewer skills, and he tethered them to Heaven, so that if they started to prove troublesome they could be cut off from their celestial power, cast adrift in the universe to slowly fade away.
During the millennia it took Father to create his seraphim and angels, Raphael learnt much. The first thing was that if he ignored Lucifer's goading, Lucifer stopped making the attempts. Instead of letting his older brother irritate him, he allowed Lucifer's comments to roll right off him, and they soon stopped cutting as deeply as they once had. Having Gabriel around helped; Lucifer was the only one who didn't get frustrated by the youngest arch-angel's whimsical ways, and Gabriel spent more time with Lucifer than he did with Michael or Raphael.
The four brothers sometimes spent time with their father, both in Heaven and on Earth. He gave them instructions to pass on to the seraphs, who in turn were to instruct the angels, because for some reason, Father did not allow angels other than the four brothers to see him. To the younger angels, God existed only as a story told by their older brothers. Raphael did not understand why God wanted it that way, but he had learnt long ago that Father always had reasons for his experiments.
During a quiet period in the Earth's seas, God called his four sons to Heaven. Raphael was second to arrive, not far behind Michael. Lucifer followed a short time later, and at last Gabriel appeared as well.
"It's nearly time," Father said, once his sons were assembled.
"Time for what?" Raphael asked. He was usually the first to ask questions whenever the five met, but Father never rebuked him for it.
"Soon the Earth will begin to change. So far, animal life has existed only in the ocean, but soon it will start to claim the land as well. I believe that things are progressing well enough there for us to turn our attention elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?" asked Michael. He sounded surprised, and Raphael glanced at his oldest brother. Whatever God was planning, Michael had not been informed of it.
"I have created three other worlds," Father explained. "They are Earth-like but barren, each in a separate galaxy. I have named them Pandora, Cimmeria and Hyperion. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, I would like you to prepare these worlds as you have prepared the Earth. Sculpt them as you wish and cover them with plant-life."
"For what purpose?" Lucifer asked. "More of your experiments?"
"Yes," God said simply.
"What about me?" Gabriel asked. "Don't I get a planet?"
"You're too young to take charge of a planet just yet," Raphael told him, thinking it just as likely that Gabriel would forget about his planet and go wandering away from it, leaving it to die.
"I may be young, but I'm not powerless," Gabriel said crossly. "Look what I can do!"
He snapped his fingers and a large comet came roaring through Heaven, a white-blue tail of ice crystals trailing behind it. Heaven shook very briefly before the comet continued on its way. As the shaking stopped, Raphael looked at his brother in disapproval, before he noticed the too-innocent expression on Lucifer's face.
"Was it really wise to teach him how to hurl comets?" he asked his elder brother.
"I learnt it by myself," Gabriel said, attempting to defend Lucifer in a show of misguided loyalty.
"Regardless," Michael said, interrupting the argument before it could begin, "Gabriel raises a good question. What will he do, whilst we prepare these worlds for you?"
"Gabriel will stay here with me," Father said. "He will act as my intermediary, passing messages on to the seraphim for me in your absence."
Raphael said nothing, but he secretly thought it was a terrible idea. Gabriel was not mature enough to be left on his own, though he had to admit, Father was the only one the youngest arch-angel actually obeyed immediately without question. Perhaps a little of Father's personal touch would be of benefit to Gabriel.
"But Father," Gabriel complained, a look of pleading in his silver eyes, "I want to make a world for you too!"
"And you will, eventually. But for the moment I need you here, to be my messenger. Besides, you can still watch the Earth. Wouldn't you like to see it change?"
"I suppose so," Gabriel said, obviously trying not to sulk in front of Father.
"When should we return?" Michael asked.
"Whenever you deem it necessary," Father said. "You may stay with your worlds until they are ready, or you may return to Heaven as regularly as you wish."
"We won't disappoint you," Michael said, speaking for the three eldest brothers.
"Raphael," Lucifer said, with a sly grin on his face, "I bet I can finish my world before you finish yours." And with that he disappeared.
Raphael shook his head. Sometimes he wondered if his older brother would ever grow up. He suspected not.
"I will see you when I return, Raphael," Michael said to him, before turning to the youngest brother. "Behave whilst we are gone, Gabriel." Then Michael, too, disappeared.
"I look forward to seeing what has become of the Earth when I return," Raphael told God. Then, with a final look at his father and brother, he teleported to Hyperion, leaving Heaven behind.
- o - o -
If you're one of the sixty people who's read this story so far - I hope you're enjoying it! And if you're a newcomer - welcome! I don't know why you're all so quiet, but since I haven't had any complaints about anything I'm going to work on the presumption that you're all at least being mildly entertained within my tiny section of the interweb.
I was dreading writing Raphael's chapter, because we know less of him than any other arch-angel, but so far, I've had more fun writing his chapter than any others (and I hope I've convincingly expanded upon a character of whom little is known by viewers of the show). If you've enjoyed this chapter, you're going to love the next one.
Catch you next Friday.