Part Two: Light

Chapter One: The Light Bringer

"I am being loyal

so why do I feel

this is a betrayal?"

April 30th, 2011

For all that angels considered themselves to be better than all others, and thought of humans as barely being above their primate cousins (if not far below them), the first war wasn't amongst humans.

It wasn't amongst animals, monsters, leviathans, or even demons.

The first war was between angels.

Vetis remembers it, clear as crystal, bright as dawn. But he remembers the time before that even better.

In all honesty, the time before the split was a bit boring. The angels, created for the sole purpose of serving God, had little to do. Oh, they had some minor jobs; ensuring the leviathans remained imprisoned, causing or averting natural disasters on Earth, but with plenty of time in between. There were no humans at the time, although father had created thousands, if not millions, of other animals. Vetis himself had been partial to snakes, a trait he shared with his older brother, Lucifer.

Lucifer, like all angels, had no human form. Yet Vetis doubted there was a single being, angel or otherwise, in the entire universe that had not found Lucifer beautiful. And why wouldn't they? He had been pure light, with silver and gold wings that were as grand as they were powerful. When combined with his natural desire to please, one could say that Lucifer was perfect and would be met with universal agreement. Although, in all truth, he was a bit childish, with a streak for petulance. Still, Lucifer, was very proud of his reputation as the perfect angel. And there was no reason for him not to be; the idea of sins hadn't yet been thought of, and so no one had heard the phrase 'pride goeth before the fall'. All things considered, the angels could hardly be blamed for not knowing what would happen next.

Humans, at first, had seemed like nothing more than another in a long line of animal creations. Not as hairy as their ancestors, and perhaps a bit more inclined to large-scale violence than was normal, but nothing unique as far as Heaven was concerned. (And their poetry was nothing compared to that of the Neanderthals, in his opinion).

But Father certainly thought there was something special about them. This was clear from the moment the first human came into existence. This animal - Adam, as he would later be known - was 'special'. For humanity, God had combined the purely physical nature of animals and leviathans, in the form of a body, with the energy based being of angels, in the form of a soul. While some were curious at these new animals, Vetis was more than a bit disgusted. Look at these things, with their primitive minds and weak bodies. See how easily they succumb to greed and anger. It never occurred to him that angels might have the same flaws.

But what happened next could not be ignored, no matter how he tried. God said unto his angels, 'You will love them as you have loved me, and you will place their will above your own'. Well, it was more a series of complex wavelengths than actual words, but that was the gist of it.

Vetis, for the first time in his existence, was not happy. He wasn't even content. He was...discontent. Sad. Angry. Before He had lived in a dream-like state of constant joy and general pleasantness. Then these new feelings sneaked into his head when he wasn't looking and completely took him over so that he could barely stand to look at the humans he was now forced to serve. But what could he do? He was an angel. He was made to be obedient. He could not turn from his father, no more than any of his brothers or sisters could.

But Lucifer did.

Lucifer, who was brighter and gentler than all others, turned like a dog that bit its owner's hand. Before anything else, he went to Michael. Vetis, for his part, had never had any particular love for his oldest brother. He was strict and obedient, with little in terms of love or kindness, unwavering in the sense that his father, and by extension, Michael himself, were always right (a trait that did not change in the coming time). But Lucifer was, and always had been, his favorite brother. Maybe it was because before Lucifer was created (angels couldn't really be said to be born), Michael was alone, with his father only occasionally giving him orders. Lucifer was the first real friend that Michael had, and really, the only one. Their bond was strengthened further by their complementary personalities. Where Michael was strict, Lucifer was loose, only doing the bare necessities. Where Lucifer was gentle, forming close bonds with his siblings, Michael chose to spend time only with Lucifer, which of course was a larger source of pride for the lightbringer than the love of all of heaven. And though Lucifer was close to many angels, to many he only ever gave his kind-hearted smiles (or at least the angelic equivalent), Michael was the one he went to with his feelings about everything, good or not.

So when Lucifer went to Michael with his concerns and his anger, it was nothing unusual. What was unusual was what he had to say. Though Lucifer was never quite as strict as following the rules as his older brother (and, in fact, many of his younger siblings), he had never outright rebelled. But this was too much. They were celestial beings, God's first children, second only to their father. Even the idea of serving these hairless apes was insulting.

So Lucifer, filled with righteous fury, went to his brother and pleaded for help. Vetis did not know what he was expecting would happen, or even what he had hoped would. Maybe that Michael would stand with him against their father, or that he would help Lucifer destroy the humans. Maybe he just needed someone to confide in. Whatever it was, Michael turned on him, immediately telling their father (who already knew anyway, but Michael was a suck-up like that). Lucifer was given a choice. Repent and remain in Heaven, though he would still have to protect the humans, or refuse and fall. Lucifer didn't care for either option, and instead went to the other angels, begging for help. Vetis was proud to say that he was the second to join his brother's cause, after Azazel.

When the time came to fight, nearly a fifth of the angels were on their side, while the remaining ones, either too scared or too obedient to do anything other then follow their father, stood against them.

They fought for years. Wherever they battled, lightning flashed across the sky, so loud and so bright that animals and people alike turned to stare, soon turning to run when the lightning caused fire to spread across the land. Waves hundreds of feet tall rose up and crashed against the ground as the earth shook and lava rained down. By the time the war was over, humanity hanging on by a thread, and both sides had experienced heavy losses. Vetis remembers one specific fight, in the early days of the war, when no one had died yet and they were still hesitant to fight each other at all.

Close in age and rank, it was perhaps no surprise that was one a close friend of Vetis. An excellent tactician and soldier, Vetis had great respect for him, and greatly mourned that they ended up on opposite side of the war. Which is why when Vetis saw him, leading a newly formed garrison, he was very scared. Still, he stood his ground and led his own siblings (he refused to call Castiel his brother any longer) against the traitors. As the leaders of their respective groups, it was to be expected that they would go head to head. And they did, still exchanging blows long after the others had either died or fled. Finally, Vetis was disarmed, and completely at his brother's mercy. As Castiel prepared to make the killing blow, Vetis said, "Please, Brother, have mercy." Castiel's weapon wavered, and Vetis took advantage of his hesitation to fly back to Lucifer, evading his brother when Castiel gave chase.

By the time Vetis had returned to his brother's side, he had convinced himself that he should not attempt to escape Lucifer. He had failed in his mission and fled from battle. He deserved any punishment his brother chose to inflict, no matter how he trembled at the thought.

He sank down in front of Lucifer, proverbial tail between his legs, and waited to have his sentence spoken. Instead of the expected execution, Lucifer pulled him up and surrounded him with his presence. "I am so relieved to have you nsafe, brother." It was that moment that cemented his loyalty to his brother, and furthered his hatred for humans, who had forced his kind, gentle older brother of his to such horrific violence against their own.

Though they fought long and hard, the fact was that they were outnumbered, and Michael was a determined leader. Lucifer and what few of his followers remained were banished to Hell, the lone citizens in a what would become a vast and horrible landscape. Still, Lucifer refused to give up. He may be banished, but he was still powerful.

Above him, on Earth, Lucifer could sense the first woman. Lilith. She was meant to be Adam's wife, but she was not docile or subservient. She refused to bow to him, or to God. In a way, Lucifer felt a certain kinship with the rebellious woman. But she was human, and that made her an enemy. And Lucifer had the perfect punishment. Not just for her, but for God. Humans were perfect? They were pure and soft and good? He would see about that.

It was, Lucifer felt, too easy. This… soul, was so full of bitterness and resentment even before he touched it. He had no trouble twisting it into the first demon. She was truly foul, with burnt skin and milk white eyes. He was certain she would make a perfect servant. Unfortunately, he was punished before being given an opportunity to test this theory (although, somewhat ironically, Lilith would eventually do well to serve her master). God was, understandably perhaps, quite unhappy with the state of his new creation and felt that retribution was in order.

The Cage, built by God himself, was buried within the deepest, darkest part of Hell, where no one dared venture. And Michael, who had managed to avoid fighting Lucifer directly so far, was now called upon for the worst job of all: imprisoning his little brother.

It was a battle comparable to the war in importance if not in scale, and devastated hundreds of miles of land on Earth. Michael and Lucifer battled for days without rest. Ultimately it was a mistake on Lucifer's part that ended the fight, a momentary lapse that in a fight against anyone else would not have mattered. Within moments, Michael had forced Lucifer into the cage and slammed shut the Gates of Hell.

It was certainly an awe-inspiring story, Vetis felt. Filled with love, hatred, family and betrayal… everything a story should have. Granted, it hadn't seemed so easy at the time, nor very grand. Just… necessary in a way that certain fated things often are.

He wonders sometimes if it were inevitable. If no matter what he or anyone else had done, it would still have ended up having, even if with slightly different details, or if maybe something could have been done to change things. If Lucifer were more merciful, if Michael were kinder, if human were gone…

It's actually a pretty similar feeling to what he's been going through the last few days. He would often stop to think about whether or not Lucifer's release was something he should attempt to prevent in light of the prophet's confession, or if it is inevitable and he should stand back and allow it to happen. Then Adrienne would tap his shoulder and ask what was so important that he felt the need to stand still for ten minutes while staring at the while, quickly followed by him making up some excuse about what they (she, really) was planning to do tomorrow.

On one hand, to use a human expression, even the thought of Adrienne's dead and broken body is enough to send shivers through his vessel and wings as his eyes flicked between brown and red (he had not spoken to the prophet again since the first time, and had discouraged Adrienne from doing so until more urgent matters were tended to. Then he had kept coming up with progressively more ridiculous urgent matters).

But none of that changed the fact that this was something he had been awaited for literally thousands of years! He could not give it up for what was surely to be a fleeting attraction at best. Although, Adrienne was wonderful. She was attractive without being vain, and far more powerful than anyone else he knew. And sometimes when she laughed, her eyes crinkled in a way that was really cute, and she would cover her mouth because she was kind of insecure about her teeth…

All right, enough!

The fact remained that this was something that needed to be done, regardless of his reservations. Besides, Adrienne would have died eventually, everyone does. It wasn't as though he hadn't thought that Lucifer would allow a half-human to live, even if she was his daughter. But this felt different somehow. Her death at Lucifer's hands had seemed far more vague and distant than it had before he had seen it firsthand (or rather, second hand through Kevin).

But he had spent so much time trying to convince Adrienne this was what she needed to do. He could not go back now.

It was with that in mind that he approached Adrienne, smiling when he saw that she was giving out orders to a small group of demons. She had grown so much, going from a scared little girl with anger issues, to a strong, calm leader. Like Lucifer.

"Tarot, you and your team will secure our entrance at the Gate, we'll need it first thing tomorrow." Tarot, who was possessing a tall bald with dark skin, nodded without question and left to carry out Adrienne's request. The nephilim turned her attention to a small pale woman with dark hair and a round face. "Megan, -"

"Please," Megan said, smiling, "Call me Meg."

Adrienne stared at her for a moment before repeating the name. "Meg," the demon smiled at her and Adrienne continued, "Your team will track and capture as many members of Crowley's inner circle as possible. I believe Dakota already gave you the list?"

Meg nodded. "A few hours ago."

"Good. You may go." Meg made to leave, but Adrienne stopped her. "Oh, and don't tell Khan about this mission. I know he's one of yours, but he only recently switched to our side, and I'm not certain of his loyalty just yet." Meg gave a quick nod and a matching salute and left. Adrienne turned to address another demon, but Vetis grabbed her arm. Adrienne looked back at him with surprise, soon smiling. "Hey you." She turned to face him completely, waving her hand so the demons would step back as she cast a privacy spell so no one would hear them. Her eyes glow white for a short moment, and he can't help but think of Lucifer. They're so similar. Both so beautiful and powerful and bright that he could almost weep. This is why he needed to let this happen, for if Lucifer was the light, then Adrienne was to become the true light bringer. "What do you need?"

Vetis would never admit it, but he preens a bit at Adrienne's attention, given so calmy and without question, and it only makes what he has to do all the harder. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be doing something for a little while, and I won't be able to help you with anything until I'm done."

"Okay," she says with ease. After a moment, she frowns a bit and asks, "What are you doing?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about. It will probably only take a few minutes really, and I'll check in as soon as I'm done."

"Oh. Alright, just be quick, we have a big day tomorrow." She turned away from him then, unravelling her spell without effort. Though he likes how much she trusts him, he is a bit upset to lose her attention and wishes he could stay, but he does have something to do, and it simply can't wait any longer. He leaves without another word.

Kevin's room was grand, with gilt furniture and beautiful paintings. The bed is on a dais three inches high, and there are thick brocade curtains that allow him privacy whenever the demons servants come by to clean and bring him food. There are first edition copies of several of his favorite books, many of them autographed. His clothes are hand sewn and made of soft, expensive material.

He hates it.

He has no contact with the outside world, and is not allowed to have a phone or computer (not that that surprised him, but still). No one has spoken to him once since he was put in here, and he still didn't know if Vetis was going to kill him or not.

He heard the door open, and started to pull the curtains around the dais, but they wouldn't move. He yanked at them until he saw Vetis standing in the doorframe, turning his hand slightly whenever Kevin tried to move the curtain. "Kevin." He smiled in a way that might seem charming, but felt very creepy at the moment. "It's been a while." He sauntered in, sitting down at the table and picking at the plate of fruit and cheese that had been brought in as a snack earlier. He groans around a mouthful or peach. "This is good, do you want some?"

"What do you want?"

Vetis raised an eyebrow. "Tetchy. Someone clearly hasn't had his nap today," he said in a stereotypical sing-song voice. He popped a strawberry into his mouth, chewing obnoxiously. "But if you must know, I'm here about what I saw the other day. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to."

"Are you going to kill me?" The thought didn't scare him as much as it used to. At least Vetis couldn't do anything to him if he was dead.

Vetis rolled his eyes. "God Kevin, you're so negative."

While Vetis turned his attention back to the food, Kevin gasped at his throat. Vetis was choking him, strangling him as blood flowed from his eyes and nose. Kevin's mouth gaped, searching for air that wouldn't come. After several hours - or was it seconds? - Vetis relented, and Kevin fell to the floor. " Consider that to be a little taste of what will happen if Adrienne ever learned about that little thing we talked about the other day." He shrugged nonchalantly and started gnawing on a piece of cheese. "This is good, is it French?"

The poem at the beginning is "accidental judas" by dvoyd on tumblr.