Nephilim
Summary: She was the last of the pure Angels in Heaven. Her voice called out to the souls of all, her laughter brought peace to even the darkest of souls. She was born of light, and was loved and protected by all the Angels of Heaven... But some plot to kill her but instead of killing her, they somehow managed to drop her on Earth, making her A Fallen instead and to make matters worst she falls into the Territory of a Demon...The Demon... The Demon Lord Himself. Who takes interest in this pure little Angel thrown into 18th century Earth.
Chapter 27: The Devil's Deal
The person who claimed that hell had no fury like a woman scorned, had never met me.
I was scorned.
And hell, earth and heaven could never muster the same amount of fury I was emitting at the moment.
She was mine.
I needed her, and well, if retrieving her meant handicapping myself and whatever relationship we had formed previously, then so be it.
I would be damned if I let that snippy little shit have her. My own son had more hearth than Gabriel did.
Summoning the portal was…unpleasant. I had to spill the blood of all three races, and finding angels on this side after the Order to return was not easy. I had to kill a guardian angel, and to compensate for the death of the Guardian angel, I had to kill the Tempt demon shadowing the mortal, but I needed a mortal female virgin for the final sacrifice, so I did not kill the mortal man currently in my possession.
But I could not leave him unguarded by both light and dark.
"Constantine… I shall grant you immortality so that your sacrifice will not go…unrewarded. At a price of course. You shall work to my benefit in this plane." The man who was most definitely a peasant was down on his knees staring up in amazement.
"Do you accept." I asked. The poor man was out of words, but I did need him to willingly hand over his soul to me. Otherwise I could not take it from him, one of those rules made by Him to prevent me from corrupting the awe so incorruptible imbeciles called humans.
"Nod if you wish for immortality. If you do not, you will die in the most gruesome way imaginable because you have lost both your light and dark and no creature can survive without one or the other. And when you die, your soul shall wonder the worlds forever, unable to rest in either plane." The man did not seem to get it, I was about to leave him there when he suddenly nodded. Satisfied, I did a quick extraction, removing his soul from his body so that I could in a way stamp it with my insignia. That way no angel could claim his life or his soul until I wish it.
"Good." With that, I went off to find my virgin.
Kidnapping the daughter of a king would raise commissions in the mortal world. And that I would need, especially after what I am about to do.
"Now. Now. Dear Ana, you must behave while these two wonderful gentlemen have their way with you. And if you do, I promise you will get your retribution." With that, I summoned the Guardian angel and the Demon guard to do what I needed them to do. The two must join with the one for me to be able to open the gate through her.
Serena would never forgive this once she finds out.
And find out, she will.
The girl's silent cries filled the chamber as the two men begrudgingly did what I needed them to. Even my own minion seemed…deterred by the task required of him.
Not that it mattered, all that mattered was retrieving my Serena.
And unfortunately in order for that to happen, this young girl needed to get raped. Somehow, I knew I should feel regret. And I had no doubt that if Serena was with me, I would have felt some regret. She was…staining my soul with her…light. But at the moment, my soul has been darkened again by her absence.
Shadowed. Shriveled.
I needed her back.
Desperately.
And if she ultimately ends up hating me for it…
They finished, the angel flung himself away from her, crawling away from her to curl up in the corner of the room and rock back and forth in agitation. A guardian's job was to protect mortals. Their whole purpose was to protect mortal souls and innocence, and now he has done the worst thing a guardian can do, he had caused the corruption of that soul. A pity. If he was not an angel, he would have sought death for his crimes. But as an angel, he was incapable of even imagining suicide.
And the demon, the pain…guilt in his eyes was unbecoming. He was a demon, one whose purpose was to corrupt mortals, so the guilt and regret in his eyes was unwarranted. But understandable. Innocent mortals were a rare breed. Innocence is beautiful, more beautiful than anything on all three worlds. To corrupt that.
"Now dear, I am very sorry for what has become of you. But you will be doing me a favor. You will be my salvation. And for doing this for me. I shall grant you the power to exact any form of punishment you deem fair for the crime done to you." I whispered to her ears before gently planting a kiss on her temple.
I touched her womb, still warm from the seed of the angel and the demon, and now her own seed. I cast a spell and waited for it to take effect.
The pain, would be momentary and compared to what had just happened to her..barely noticeable.
She whimpered for a moment, then quitted, her hands fisted, digging into her palms till blood seeped out of her cuts.
Numerous symbols appeared on her stomach, then rose above her stomach to hang in the air. The symbols twirled and twirled until it became a ring. The ring grew into a large orb of white light.
"Take care of her, and do not attempt to escape the room is sealed." I warned before stepping into the portal. The portal nearly ripped me apart. It was…completely jarring the traveling through dimensions like that.
Appearing on the other side….back to Heaven after so many Millennia. Heaven, my old home. To see the angels flying about in their glory, the peace and serenity, the beauty of it all impaired me. I stood frozen, unable to move as I stood transfixed by the beauty and unimaginable wonders of my former home.
I had never imagined myself returning here. Never thought it possible that I would ever, not after the Fall.
But here I was.
Too bad I was not here to stay.
I needed to find her before my presence is detected. Already I could feel the space around me…changing, altering its form around me.
This was going to be easy.
Most angels are secure in their belief that Heaven was unattainable to those of my kind.
And for the most part, they are right. Access to heaven was impossible to a Fallen, but I was not Fallen. The reason why none of my kind even attempts to enter Heaven is the obvious repercussions such a breech would mean to whomever does that…well it was far worst than anything hell could muster.
He knew where she was.
He could smell her soul. Feel her presence and his own body could feel her. She was near, and every ounce of him was alive.
'Why?' Her voice rang in his mind with both happiness and uncertainty.
'Why what?' I demanded walking in the direction I knew she was in and doing my best to avoid detection.
'Why have you come. Now you shall surely fall.' Serena's voice rang true in his head, and her concern for him resonated throughout heaven. Her concern was…appreciated, but it would surely alert heaven to my presence.
'That should not matter now. I am here. Now will you meet me or should I travel all the way to retrieve you.' I asked. I felt her hesitate for sometime and then I felt her lock herself away from me then she returned to me, her voice louder, clearer but not any closer.
'I cannot. I guard the Tree of Life, I cannot leave its side without falling.' Damn. That was a problem. I cannot enter the Tree of life's domain with my Fallen aura, and she cannot leave. There was no possible way for me to get to her, I can get as close as the Tree's barrier.
The garden was in sight.
Which meant Serena was within reach as well, but why hasn't anyone attacked yet. Surely they were aware of my presence by now.
"Serena." He whispered her name when he caught sight of her golden locks. Her beautiful form, the fluttery manner with which she seemed to float around as she walked.
Serena. She was truly mystical even to him.
She turned around, just in time to catch site of him, and then run towards him. She ran till the barrier brought her to an abrupt stop. She did not collide against it, she just came to a stop almost as if her entire body was brought to a total stop.
"You cannot be here." The look that flashed across her eyes almost went unheeded by him. But then he felt it. The presences around him.
He was no longer alone. But did that matter, they had obviously allowed him to come this far, and he was unwilling to let this chance go. Serena was within reach.
He pulled his arm forth and when it touched the barrier, it felt as if someone was severing his arm and burning it at the same time.
He clenched his teeth against the pain, but unwilling to give up now.
Serena was almost his again.
"Do not bother, it is impossible to breach that, it keep all impurities out. Anything at all that could be in any ways corruptible is kept away from the tree. And you dear brother are the incarnation of corruption." Gabriel's chiding voice resonated from behind. I did not want to loose sight of Serena, but Gabriel I could not trust to my back.
"Gab. So nice to see you again. And you Michael." I said as I turned to face them.
"You cannot have her. No matter how hard you try, you cannot have her. See not only does the Tree protect her, but the rest of Heaven as well. Taking her away would insight the wrath of all the heavenly bodies. Including His. Now would you risk that for her." Gabriel asked, his cold stoic face still as enchanting as ever. He was truly a beauty to behold.
"Alas Gabriel. I was not favored above all for no reason. The tree will give her to me. And the rest of Heaven can rot for all I care." With that he extended his hands towards her, the barrier around the tree sent a shock wave through him. And in the next instant he felt as if his brain was being pricked with a thousand needles after his skull was hacked open by a rough edge stone block. And his body, oh his body was freezing and burning at the same instant.
And then the flesh on his hand began to bubble up. The skin both melting and peeling off of his arm.
He saw the mortified look on Serena's eyes and knew immediately that the same was taking place throughout his body. The barrier was pulling him apart, piece by piece starting first with his flesh.
And just when he felt like he was falling apart, that everything was vanishing to be replaced by only bones, he felt it. That first penetration.
The tips of his fingers first, then his whole hand and followed by a few inches of his wrist.
He felt her skin against his. Touched her skin to him.
And that was all he needed.
Serena was his again.
He grabbed hold, and made certain that his grip will not loosen as he burst into the tree's barrier. He did not have the strength to them them out again.
He just hoped that Azakiel comes through with our deal. I was really depending on him to make this work.
And soon, because the barrier, the entire area in fact is currently rejecting me. And in heaven a rejection is rather…painful.
The disturbed look on Serena's face as I drew her to me was testament to what I was certain was taking place.
The tree of life is taking my life, its trying to kill me, the invader in its territory.
I looked down at the hand wrapped around Serena's waist, at the flesh ripping off, the muscles and sinew that began to melt away and the bones that slowly began to follow suite.
Just when I was certain my body was not going to make it, I felt the tug. And just like that we were no longer in the tree's presence. No longer in Heaven.
But in the in-between. The plane of existence between two planes. This one was Azakiel's, the region between Hell and earth. Limbo, as the mortals call it.
"I almost….thought….you weren't going to make it." I muttered before spewing blood all over the ground. I bent over, Serena released from my grip.
"You should have known better." Was the only thing Azakiel said before I fell to the ground, my hand, if a hand it could be called seeing how the flesh and muscles were completely now mere patches over partially melted bones- was splayed over my stomach, attempting to keep my innards inside of my bare bones where the flesh was now gone.
I should have known better.
I thought moments before I hit the ground, flat completely out.
I heard Azakiel whistle and then murmur something ineligible.
Serena
"Whah…wha…what happened to him." I asked staring at the Angel of death himself.
Azakiel shook his head then leaned down to stare at the mess that was his oldest brother.
"I tell you, my brothers are really dimwitted and stubborn, but Lucifer here, he is usually the most intelligent of us all, not because he is smarter or more calculating, but because he lacks any and all emotions. He is truly an empty shell. Or at least he was. Now look at him. This is…just too much." Azakiel said before picking Darien and vanishing.
I stood there, bewildered, wondering what was happening. Wondering how the Demon Lord, Lucifer managed to break through the barrier of the Tree of Life when only a handful of Angels in all of Heaven can do such a thing.
It was truly fascinating to me. How could that be possible. Only things of absolute purity are allowed within certain proximities of the tree, bet alone within the trees barrier itself.
And what had happened to him.
His body.
His wings.
It had burned and rippled and flayed off of his body. She had felt it, felt the pain of it. All of heaven had felt the pain coursing through him. It was so…horrid, it was visible. She could see the treads of it. The treads of his suffering. And she had been repulsed by it.
"There. He will need to rest while I inform his…progeny of the new order of things. Come along little one, you too have a role to play in this." Azakiel grabbed hold of my arm and teleported us to a different area entirely. We were back in the estate. Back the the home of the Nephilims.
Azakiel stopped a Nephilim walking by us, "gather your brethren." He said and the man nodded without so much as a question or opposition. He walked away in the opposite direction he had been taking previously.
Then we were surrounded by Darien's companions, his generals and officials.
Beryl stepped forward, her body encased in a beautifully extravagant red dress, her hips so perfectly outlined that even I found myself gazing at them.
"What is the meaning of this. How dare you intrude in the house of the Fallen Angel. Do you wish to start a war." Beryl stated staring at him with cold empty sapphire eyes.
"Calm yourself sister, I come bearing news." Azakiel replied with a tone to match Beryl's.
"Then speak. And pray that it is news worth bearing." She replied calming down. Azakiel nodded staring at Beryl then at each and every one of Darien's officials.
"Lucifer has fallen." Azakiel said. And that was all he said for what seemed like minutes. Then the murmurs started. The ragging emotion began to erupt in the room, the chaos and frustrated emotions all bombarding Serena.
In the midst of all that chaos and anger it was Beryl who maintained her cool. Her gaze narrowed in on Azakiel then she stared at him.
"You cannot be serious. Lucifer cannot fall without his own knowing. Our souls are united in a way unlike any other, I would have felt his fall." Beryl said staring at Azakiel.
"Yes well that bond you boast about must be malfunctioning. Lucifer broke through to Heaven with the defialation of a virgin by both a child of Heaven and Hell at once, and then proceeded to enter the barrier surrounding the Tree of Life. And the tree proceeded to attack him. He is gone from this plane of existence and currently resides in Limbo with me." Azakiel reported. The Nephilim in the room roared with rage. Even Beryl's own cool domineer vanished, only to be replaced with one of absolute rage. Her eyes truly flared with red hot fire and her body seemed to glow with a menacing light.
"Do not dare lie to me Azakiel. Though you may be Lucifer's brother and a strong angel in your own. You will not want to insight my wrath. Do you think me dim, the lord of Hell cannot be held in Limbo. He is outside of your reach, He cannot die so long as mortals exist. They are his life force, how dare…" Azakiel raised his hand and stared at Beryl with a look that made me take several steps backwards.
"And you do not dare threaten me child. My brother may fancy you, but I do not. I do not fancy you nor the bastards you helped my brother spawn. What I do fancy is the balance. And your Lucifer has disturbed that balance." Azakiel reprimanded. He stared at Beryl and the frown on his face stuck there until all the murmurs died out. Beryl stared and then breathed in before returning to her calm demeanor again.
"Is that all you have come to report?" She asked.
"No." Azakiel stated pulling me forward.
"Then what is it that you wish to report?" Beryl asked beginning to return to her irritated state again.
"I already explained that he broke into Heaven and into the barrier, but he could not break out. I had to pull him out, and unfortunately it was a bit too late. He came back…in pieces. But other than that he is fine enough." Azakiel said.
Beryl sighed, exasperated, angry. " First you state that he is gone, now you say he is gin. Which is it?" Beryl grumbled. The murmured began again with his statement. And the frustration in the room was beginning to rise again. Obviously Azakiel's slow approach to whatever news he comes bearing was starting to irritated everyone.
"You are all banished to hell." He finally said. Bring everything to a stand still. There was no retaliation. No one raised their voice in protest or even seemed slightly upset by his actions. They all just stood there in silence.
"Well. Seeing as how none of you are wondering why. I will take it to mean you do not care." Azakiel said and he turned around to face me. He was in the process of wrapping me in his embrace again when the one called Malachite stepped forth.
"Explain yourself Azakiel." He said. Azakiel paused then turned around again, pulling me forward to stand in front of his audience.
"You are aware that with the orders from Heaven, all the Angels of heaven who are not guardians are not resigned to Heaven alone. With things like that it would be highly unfair to leave your kind roaming about with no resistance. Lucifer broke into heaven with no way of breaking out. I had to pull him out of the grips of heaven, and in order to do that he agreed to my deal. As I said before I like balance and this pact enables me to keep the balance." Azakeil finished. He then grabbed hold of my shoulders and shoved me forward.
"Your father in his foolish attempt to regain her. He had claimed her as his own and somehow they are now bound together. And yet she is still an angel. You cannot stay on this side, she will make certain of that. She is the seal upon your prison and she bears the key to your escape." Azakiel finished off pushing me forward each time he indicated me. All eyes fell on me, eyes that seemed calculating, murderous, and most definitely bent on extracting something from this new revelation.
"What is this suppose to mean. How can you banish a whole species to a different plane. Its impossible, even you do not have the strength." Beryl stated and Malachite nodded in agreement besides her. Azakiel chuckled then smiled pulling me to his side and planting a gentle kiss on my forehead.
"I did not. Your father did. He banished you, that was the deal. Your existence on this plane for her freedom. To be honest I have no idea what he sees in her. She is…well perhaps brother plans to use that to win this war. I just hope this little set back is enough time for Heaven to prepare for his next onslaught." Azakiel said speaking to himself at the very end of that. When Beryl opened her mouth to protest he snapped his finger and everyone in the room vanished, everyone but Beryl and the four generals.
"Sigh. I guess I should have expected that, the five of you he did warn were not of…the typical variety." Azakiel ran a hand through his head and scratched at his head.
"Though I make it a good point not to kill the messenger, your little tactic right there in my domain is unacceptable. What is to keep me from killing you, especially considering how frustrated I am with this turn of events." Beryl said.
Azakiel chuckled.
"I would love to see how things turn out for your lord. I would take you to see him, but I am concerned that in his current state of being and in your current situation any one of you could kill him. So anyways I have delivered my message." Azakiel finished and began to walk away.
"Wait. What do you expect us to do with her?" Beryl asked referring to me. Azakiel stopped in his tracks but did not turn around. But I was certain that there was a smile on his lips.
"Oh almost forgot the reason I came. Apparently papa left her in charge while he's recovering. Listen to her okay." And then he vanished without a sound, just left me there with five very unhappy Fallen.
"Where the hell is Lucifer?" Beryl asked, her rage radiated from her form and blasted at me, sending me quivering backwards in shock.
When I did not speak, I felt her powers being concentrated and then her hands began to glow a low menacing red glow. I knew where this was headed. She was going to attack again. And this time Darien was not here to stop her.
"Beryl, calm yourself." Malachite said placing a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Serenity. Do you know where Lucifer is?' Nephrite asked moving forward to stand between the unhappy Beryl and me. I shook my head. He nodded, a gentle smile on his face.
All the others exchanged concerned looks before turning back to me.
"Guess that only leaves us with one course of action then." Jediet stated sighing loudly and heavily.
"And what would that be?" Zoicite asked.
"Going to heaven and waiting for Lucifer to reappear." Malachite supplemented. Everyone stood there for a moment, not moving or doing anything, then Beryl nodded. And with her approval came all their approvals.
Nephrite took my hand into his, and then the group as a whole teleported.
We left the mansion behind. We left the mortal world for hell.
And when we arrived, a blackness engulfed me. An uncontrollable pain ate at my innards and I fell forward in agony.
And as I fell, I could not help but wonder at the pain coursing not only through my body, but also through my heart. Why?…why? why was he not here. Why was he not here to take my pain away.