Previously: All Angels have been ordered by God to bow to Adam and Eve and to love Humans above everything else. Lucifer refuses to do so, and is cast away as punishment. A Cherub named Azazel reveals the truth to Adam and Eve about their birth, resulting in them doubting God and being chased out of the Garden of Eden.

oOo

Cain and Abel

Night fell. Adam and Eve are long gone, left me alone to gaze at the dead lands that once were the Garden of Eden. The Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life vanished into thin air.

There is a muted energy throbbing throughout all Creation. My brothers are whispering into my head. Something essential is happening, I can feel it like they do.

Stormy clouds are gathering up in the sky. The energy intensifies, and all of a sudden everything is drowned in pure divine light.

When I open my eyes again, I am no longer standing on the moor littered with dead animals. I am now in the Garden of Eden just like it was a few hours ago, and the two Trees are intact. And still, I can sense deep inside of me that I am not on Earth. I am surrounded by my brothers from the Garrison. Even Anael is here, and it seems like the rehabilitation was a success: his eyes are cold. These are the eyes of a warrior, of a strategist.

All Angels, Archangels and Cherubs are here. The Garden of Eden is crowded with Angels as far as the eye can see, around a million of them at the very least.

"I welcome you, brothers," says a voice as soft as the grass on the high plains. "I am Joshua, the messenger of God. You have been gathered here to be informed about a few changes you probably noticed."

He takes in the army of God's soldiers.

"We are currently inside the Paradise that will from now on be our rallying point. This is where you will all submit your reports, receive orders and attend meetings. Except for the Garrison and the Animal division whose mission is directly linked down there, you will no longer walk the Earth and be around Humans without an authorization from your direct supervisor and prior approval of Gabriel, Raphael or Michael. The Creation has been divided in three main dimensions. Earth and its mortals where we shall never and under any circumstances intervene unless otherwise ordered. Paradise where you will find your offices, meeting and training rooms, and where the souls of virtuous Humans will rise, but I will explain this point later. And Hell where the souls of the Humans who sinned will be appropriately dealt with. God entrusted our former brother Azazel to manage the place. Now I would like you all to join me on a guided tour, if you please. Any question you might have will be answered at the end."

Joshua snaps his fingers, and we end up in a white corridor that manages to contain us all by some kind of distortion effect of the walls. There are doors with the name of departments written on them as far as I can see.

"Here is where your offices are situated. On my left, the office of the Garrison. It will probably be empty most of the time, but you only will need it to write down your reports. On my right, the studies department for souls, headed by Michael. Do not be alarmed when you see Reapers in the corridors, you will have to get used to be around them. I won't show you every single office here, you will find your own quite easily. Low ranked Cherubs, the Love office is all the way down on the right. Let's move on!"

He snaps his fingers again and we are now standing in front of a single door with no sign on it.

"Those who disobey will be disciplined and brought back to the right path in here. Some of you already know what rehabilitation consists of..."

Anael and Zachariah stiffen.

"God is great and merciful, He gives us one chance to repent if we fail Him. But I strongly suggest you never do anything to find out what is behind that door."

Snap of fingers.

We appear in a huge library immersed in deep silence. Countless rows of shelves stretch in the distance and disappear in a golden mist. When I look up, I am unable to tell how high they rise either. I reach out and brush a finger against the spine of a leather-bound book. Its title is carved in golden Enochian sigils. Something about the souls' energy.

"This is the library, you can consult freely. God entrusted it to the Sisters of Fate."

Snap of fingers.

Everything turns black and we have no choice but to snap our wings open so we won't fall into the void surrounding us. Down there, a translucent bridge stretching into nothingness. We all land on it, puzzled.

"And this area holds the Paradise for Humans. Admittedly it is a bit empty for now since we only just inaugurated, but soon it will be multifaceted and endless. Every human soul will generate its own eternal bliss, separated from the others with the exception of soulmates. In the next following days, some of you will be chosen to manage these human Paradises and you will be summoned to attend an intensive training with Michael."

Joshua stares at us unblinkingly and tilts his head.

"Any question?"

oOo

It is strictly forbidden for us to appear before Adam and Eve's eyes. We never reply to their prayers, however poignant they may be. Nevertheless, there is always a soldier from the Garrison on guard near them, invisible, who has to report back everything they do and say to Anael afterwards. We don't see Anael that much lately, he is busy with interdivisional meetings, statistics and reports he has to write down, among other tedious tasks that became mandatory since Paradise was created.

Eve looks exhausted but she smiles through her tears as she holds in her arms her second child still sticky with blood. Adam is trying to clean the infant with a wet cloth, but she stubbornly refuses to let go. I watch through the walls of their house as Eve sobs softly and kisses her second son's forehead. The boy is blotched red and screaming at the top of his lungs.

There is a pool of blood growing wider between Eve's thighs, pouring from a gaping rip in her flesh between her legs. The skin ruptured when the child came out. Cain's birth had been a less painstaking process.

"God, Father of All, please hear my prayer... I implore You to love my son Abel as much as You love Cain. Angels of the Lord, please watch over my children, I beg of you... Do not punish them for our sin, they are innocent..."

The skin of her belly sags and her hair lost its shine through the years. Mortals deteriorate so quickly.

From up here, I can see the four years old boy, Cain, the eldest son, standing on tiptoe to take a look inside through the window. His eyes are bright with emotion and curiosity.

"Adam and Eve have a second son. His name is Abel," I say out loud to all my brothers.

You know the procedure, Castiel, the General's voice replies in my head. Just saying it is no longer sufficient, you need to come up here to write down your report and address this point in the next meeting.

I suppress a groan. Things were so much easier before.

oOo

The lamb bleats in Abel's arms and buries its head under his armpit. The young Human, still barely a boy himself, is petting the animal. A tear rolls down his cheek and he wipes it away discreetly.

Standing by his side, Cain holds in his arms a braided basket full of ripe fruits, golden wheat and freshly baked loaves of bread.

Invisible, I watch them in silence with my wings carefully folded back.

Adam and Eve might have lost Father's favor, but their children have not. Without talking to them Himself, God sends His Archangels to test their faith and love. Are Humans truly able to love the Lord if they have never seen Him? Could Cain and Abel make up for their parents' sin?

Gabriel demanded a sacrifice to prove their faith and blind obedience.

Making himself visible to their eyes, the Archangel is towering over the Humans, radiating with light and power.

"Farewell, my friend," Abel whispers to the lamb as he kneels on the ground, tightening his grip on the knife. Sensing the shepherd's distress, the animal struggles in his arms and bleats, trying to get free. Blood splatters over the sobbing young Human's tunic as he holds the dying animal tightly until the end.

It's Cain's turn to kneel before Gabriel. He gingerly puts his basket on the ground.

Gabriel draws his wings behind his back and stoops over Abel. As an Archangel, he is much taller than I am and to mortals' eyes he must look gigantic. Trees barely reach his feet.

"God acknowledges your pain and appreciates your sacrifice, Abel." Gabriel grazes the young Human with the tip of a finger. Abel nods with a smile halfway between sad and happy.

Then Gabriel straightens and points an accusing finger at Cain.

"You on the other hand, Cain, bear no sorrow in your heart. You didn't sacrifice anything you hold dear."

Cain looks up with wide eyes. But Gabriel lets him no chance to reply and makes himself invisible to human eyes. The Archangel quits his mighty posture, wings slouching behind his back with a soft rustling sound. The change is so immediate and startling that I dare approaching my older brother. Was Cain's offering that bad?

"Is there a problem, Gabriel?"

The Archangel's eyes are shut when he replies.

"Tormenting virtuous Humans. So boring."

I glance down at Cain who is picking up his basket, looking utterly dejected.

"I think the offering to be quite nice to look at, though. Those colors, the artistic arrangement..."

Gabriel opens his eyes again and gaze up to the sky, still not sparing me a glance.

"The presentation hardly matters. The sacrifice needed to be a real heartbreak for them. They could have offered a grain of sand as long as they cared enough about it to suffer from its loss. Cain messed up that one. But of course, it would've been be way too easy if we explained the rules of the game beforehand, am I right?"

I don't answer, and the Archangel keeps on ranting like he has forgotten he's not alone.

"Michael is moping around and obsessing over souls, Raph is insufferable since Luci's been locked in the cage, so guess who's gotta do all the dirty work? Me!"

This isn't how I imagined Gabriel would be. He is not like Raphael. More dramatic, more lively.

I stare at him unblinkingly and the question I have been repressing deep in the back of my mind for years surges out of me:

"Gabriel, does God really look like Humans?"

He freezes and looks down at me as if he just became aware of my presence.

"You're a soldier from the Garrison, aren't you?"

"Yes. My name is Castiel."

"Well. Castiel. Try to avoid this kind of question from now on, bro."

He gives a fond pat on my shoulder with his wing before he flies away, leaving me alone and confused.

I suppose I will never get an answer to my question.

At my feet, Abel is stroking the dead lamb's head in silence.

oOo

In the next chapter

"I will never forgive you."