Heaven was a paradise that held a numerous number of depictions. A box in the sky. A paradise. A true Eden. An isle of clouds that led to halls of lapis lazuli. These depictions did Heaven no justice whatsoever. Heaven was a place among the clouds. A realm that existed apart from the Earth yet still retained its orbit within Earth's dimensional space. It was split into Seven Heavens and guarded by a large golden gate surrounded by a powerful barrier that could incinerate even Ultimate Class Devils.

To the eyes of the souls that earned their Blessed Sleep to the Angels that frequented and lived here, the entirety of Heaven could be described as a massive nebula, far larger than the Earth itself, containing a multitude of colors and iridescent twinkling spheres that glittered like stars.

Its ethereal appearance left all that gazed upon in shock and awe, something Uriel would never tire of.

She appeared in a burst of flames and red light at the Gates, startling the Angels set to guard it. They bowed in deep reverence to the Archangel as she passed through the gates.

"L-Lady Uriel, the other Seraphs and Archangels are gathered within Araboth," one of the Angels said.

Uriel nodded, not even hearing what was said. She was too focused on the little star swaddled in her arms. "Thank you," she said absentmindedly.

The Angels saluted her as she walked past them.

The child cried happily and grabbed Uriel's hair.

"Wait…? It looked like Lady Uriel was carrying a—"

"A baby?"

The two angels exchanged glances before turning around to see Uriel was carrying a large bag of human groceries with her while balancing something else in her arms. And the last thing they saw before Uriel dispersed in a torrent of red flames was the chubby arm of an infant waving.

Araboth was the highest level of Heaven, serving as the core of all things that were Holy in the world. A large tower stood, towering into the endless cosmic sky, emitting a bright blue light that trailed off into shimmering iridescent auroras. Streams of indecipherable symbols raced up the tower as bluish-white lights. Ten golden nodes orbited the tower like Moons traveling across the night sky. The nodes traveled in concentric circles which spanned the entirety of the endless starry sky. Each star etched into the fabric of space shimmered as the Tower pulsed and released streams of blue light across the glimmering tapestry of stars.

Uriel appeared on one of the islands that surrounded the massive pillar. The child in her arms cooed and reached for the bright tower in the distance. She smiled softly as she allowed the child to see.

"See this, little star. That is the Sephirot. The Holy System that supports Heaven and allows for Miracles and protects from creatures of Darkness. There are other things that it controls but you'll have to wait until you're older," Uriel said in a gentle manner.

"Abababa! Awa?" the baby babbled as she grabbed the strap of Uriel's dress.

"Come now. Let's meet the other Angels, okay?" Uriel said as she walked forward.

"Gyaaah!" the baby squealed happily as Uriel kept walking. Her stubby arms reached for the sparkling lights that floated past her. One of the starry specks landed on her nose, causing her to sneeze.

Uriel resisted the urge to hug the life out of the baby. The infant was just too adorable in her eyes. She cleared her throat, attempting to compose herself. Her blue-green eyes flicked over to a group of people standing at the edge of the island.

You are an Archangel. The Archangel of Annhilation. Come on, you are…

Uriel looked down as the baby in her arms yawned.

"So cute…"

"Ah. Uri, you're here," a ditzy voice called out to her.

Uriel looked up to see a blonde angel with twelve wings and a white dress staring at her. The woman bounded over to her, causing her very large breasts to jiggle and bounce with each step. Uriel's eyes wandered over to the other Seraphs, some of whom were looking away while blushing.

"Elder Sister Gabriel," Uriel said as she took a step back.

Gabriel stopped in front of Uriel, brushing her curly hair aside. She smiled serenely as she laid eyes on Uriel. An airheaded smile appeared on Gabriel's lips but Uriel knew better than to trust it. Gabriel was extremely cunning. That smile was a pretense. How the Satan Leviathan never realized that was beyond her.

"Bababaaa!"

"Hmm?" Gabriel blinked when she saw the bundle swaddled in Uriel's arms. "By Father's name is that a—"

"Can we talk about this later, Onee-sama? I have to—"

"Bwaaaaah!" the baby in Uriel's arms began to cry. Uriel jumped, startled that such a small thing could make such a loud noise.

"Shh, shh. Come on now. Don't cry, ummm," Uriel fussed as she tried to rock the baby to sleep in her arms. She hummed, trying to emulate what human mothers did to their children when they began to cry but the baby continued crying.

Her crying eventually elicited the attention of the other Seraphim as they began coming over.

"What the hell? Did Uriel bring a baby here?" A male silver-haired Seraph walked up to them. He was dressed in a silver and blue, long-sleeved tail coat. He had a blue scarf around his head and a golden halo above his head. His golden eyes gazed upon the child, inspecting it as she cried.

"Watch your words in front of the child, Metatron," Uriel said in a low and menacing tone.

Metatron raised his hands in self-defense.

"Ahhh, a baby~!" Another seraph, this time, a female with silvery-blue hair, walked over. She wore a white and violet dress with a white bracelet containing a star inside of it and heels. Her blue eyes lit up at the sight of the baby. She walked over, making silly faces at the child.

"Truly. Is she not cute, Sandalphon?" Gabriel agreed as the two female Seraphs tried to calm the child down.

"I see you came home with a souvenir, Uriel."

Uriel looked up to see her oldest brother walking toward them. He was a tall man with long blonde hair and green eyes, dressed in red robes decorated by a large cross. There were two large, golden pauldrons on his shoulder. His twelve golden wings left a small trail of golden feathers in its wake.

"Michael-oniisama," Uriel said respectfully.

Michael smiled kindly at the child. His eyes flickered down to the small white down poking out of the blanket. "And a Miracle Child nonetheless."

Gabriel's eyes lit up as she stared at the baby in wonder. "A Miracle Child? We haven't had Nephilim in a while, especially one born from an Angel. The Grigori seems to have more Nephilim than we do nowadays."

"Well, we cannot reproduce without the risk of falling. Fallen Angels have no such limit," Uriel said.

"No wonder, they're all such horny bastards— Ow! What the—!?" Metatron felt someone strike him in the back of the head and turned to see Sandalphon glaring at him.

"Brother, don't say such bad words in front of a baby!" Sandalphon chastised.

Metatron rolled his eyes as he rubbed the back of his head. "We're waiting for two more. Raphael and Helel aren't here yet," Metatron said.

"Oneesama is inside the Ein Sof running diagnostics on the Sephirot," Michael said.

"And Raphael-oniisama?" Uriel asked.

"Here."

Uriel yelped and looked over her shoulder to see the man walking in silently. He ran his mechanical hand through his short brown hair as he walked by. The slight breeze created by the massive tower in the distance caused his white coat to billow slightly. The tassels whipped and brushed against his arm.

"Mmm? Uriel, did you have a child?" Raphael asked. His indifferent face betrayed no emotion whatsoever.

Sandalphon suppressed her laughter while Metatron cackled.

Uriel sputtered and blushed at his words. However, the baby in Uriel's arms cried even louder.

"BWAAAAHHHHH!"

Raphael scratched his cheek as he walked over to them. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he inspected the child. His nose crinkled up as he took a smell.

"Well, Raphael, is she okay?" Sandalphon asked.

"She needs to be changed," Raphael said.

As soon as he said it, the other Angels save for Michael immediately took five steps away from Uriel.

Uriel sighed in annoyance as she used telekinesis to levitate the child. "Do any of you how to change a diaper?"

"Ara, you're all lively," a melodious voice echoed through Araboth. Uriel looked up to see a flash of black light appear next to Michael. A woman with snow-white hair and blue eyes walked out. She was dressed in a white coat over black eastern-style top with black leggings with openings at her thighs and black boots.

"Helel-oneesama," Uriel said gratefully. "You have children. Do you know how to change diapers?"

"Eh? Children? What are you…" Helel's eyes trailed down to the bawling infant in Uriel's arms. "Uriel… Give me a minute."

Helel snapped and all the baby supplies Uriel had bought flew into her hand. After a few minutes, Helel disposed of the waste, changed the diapers, and handed the child back to Uriel.

Uriel gently cradled the baby in her arms, who calmed down and began babbling happily at her.

"I assume this child was the only survivor?" Helel asked.

Uriel stiffened before nodding.

"Then let's begin the meeting. We don't have time to waste," Helel said as she walked past Michael.

The stars within Araboth's sky shimmered brightly as they projected a large, real-time image of the Earth and the Moon. The projected simulation floated in the air beyond the island's edge. Various lights glittered on the holographic planet as it lazily spun before them, representing the different people who believed in the faith. Some of the lights were highly concentrated in certain countries or areas across the globe such as the Vatican or the Middle East. Some of the lights let out a different shine, ranging from gold to red.

Helel waved her hand, causing the globe to spin before fixating on a single spot with a large red dot.

"I assume this meeting has to do with that distress signal and massive power surge we detected in Ukraine," Metatron said, stroking his chin.

Helel nodded before turning to face them. Her blue eyes held an air of worry within them.

"At approximately 2000 hours in Ukraine, we detected a large surge of power in this town. Two of them to be precise. One of them was only detected after the System recalibrated itself for the disturbance and the other was a brief blip," Helel said.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "That town had a single angel stationed to it along with a priest. At first, I thought another mythological pantheon was staging an attack on us but that doesn't seem to be the case."

"How sure can you be that it wasn't?" Raphael asked.

"The Sephirot is coded to detect fluctuations of energy, including that of Gods. What it detected was… completely unknown, even to it. The closest thing it could cross-reference is the Seed of Entropy," she said.

Hushed whispers erupted among the Archangels at Helel's words.

As if she sensed the tension, the baby whimpered in Uriel's arms.

Uriel smiled gently before letting the infant grab her finger.

It seemed to do the trick as the baby smiled happily.

"Of course, shortly after the town was destroyed… according to Uriel's reports when she got there," Helel said, glancing at her younger sister.

Uriel nodded gravely. Her eyes darkened as she remembered the sight of the thing. The devastation it had wrought. An entire patch of land had been completely erased from the Earth and left no trace behind. There was nothing, not even a single brick left. And the only evidence that the town had once existed was the infant giggling in her arms.

"Yes. The town was completely obliterated by the time I got there. I estimate that the town was only a small portion of the area. The actual crater… I estimate it to be around the size of New York City," Uriel said.

"New… York City?" Metatron said in a hushed tone.

Uriel nodded. "The thing that was there… I think it was the one responsible for destroying it. But I didn't recognize it at all. It wasn't a thing from any of the other mythological factions. It looked like… I don't even know how to begin describing it. It felt and looked like a living shadow but there were so many things wrong with it. Every time I stared at it, I felt like my mind was rejecting the very idea of it."

"A living shadow? Perhaps it's something that the Underworld has been working on. Something that we don't know?" Raphael suggested.

"You're quick to make accusations but considering the fact that the Devils have someone the likes of Ajuka Beelzebub, I find that to be within the realm of possibility," Metatron said.

"No, it's not," Uriel said. "I didn't feel an ounce of demonic power from it."

"Then what about Azazel? He's been experimenting for a long time. And the Grigori is basically a research faction," Sandalphon said. "Perhaps he's found some way to create a living weapon? One that doesn't operate on demonic or holy power."

"That would be plausible if Azazel was hellbent on starting another Great War. Remember, Azazel retreated first out of any of us," Michael said, rubbing his chin.

"What if it's… Yam?" Raphael suggested.

The other Archangels stiffened at the mention of the name.

Yam. The name of the Canaanite Goddess of the Abyss and the Deep. An ancient foe from when their Father was once one with the Canaanite Gods. Memories of him from a time they had long since forgotten resurface. Memories of a time when a war far worse than the Great War was being fought.

Michael's eyes narrowed at the very thought of the thing. "That's impossible. Yam was sealed at the bottom of the Red Sea. What would Yam be doing in Ukraine of all things? And the System detected power whose wavelength was similar to The Beast, not Yam. Yam's power would be reflected as Divine, no?"

"It's a mere possibility, Brother," Raphael said. "Do not forget how dangerous Yam was during those times. Her wrath nearly destroyed us, the Egyptian Gods, and the other Gods of the Near East."

The other Archangels chimed in, their voices intermixing and trying to speak over one another. The rising voices and clamor caused the baby in Uriel's arms to whimper in fear at the sound. Sensing the infant's discomfort, Uriel immediately went to try and comfort her. She glanced at her eldest sister, who had her eyes closed in deep thought.

Helel raised her hand, releasing a wave of divine energy that stunned the other Archangels into silence. "Regardless of who or what it may be, I believe we must continue to monitor the situation. Uriel, you said that you were able to kill it?" Helel opened her eyes and looked at her younger sister.

"I was. But before it died, it mentioned something," Uriel said as she rocked the baby in her arms to sleep.

"What did it say?" Gabriel asked.

"Someone named Sophia. I assume that's what it was after. Why else would it go so far as to level an entire town?" Uriel said.

Helel's eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. She crossed her arms and turned back to the holographic globe. With a flick of her wrist, the globe disappeared and a large screen appeared in its place. Helel's eyes searched the vast quantities of information that flew across the screen at incomprehensible speeds. After a few seconds, the screen vanished and Helel let out a sigh.

"The System shows multiple records of people named Sophia that have been members of the Church. I'll have to investigate their records at my own time," Helel said.

"You really think someone named Sophia is what this thing was after?" Raphael asked.

"It's a start, at least, Raphael," Michael said.

"For now, I'll look into this. Michael, Sandalphon, I want you two to begin overlooking the training for the Exorcists and to begin tracking down potential Sacred Gear wielders to bring to our side. Raphael, I want you and the science division to begin drumming up a way to increase our numbers. Even with me at the helm, our natural lifespan and several encodings within the System, we are still at a disadvantage numbers-wise and with this new threat, we need to shore up our defenses," Helel said.

Michael, Sandalphon, and Raphael nodded.

"And what of the child?" Metatron asked.

Uriel stiffened. Her hold on the baby tightened slightly, holding her protectively against her chest. She shot Metatron a sharp look, causing her fellow Archangel to raise his hands in defense and take a slight step back.

"What about her?" Uriel growled.

"No offense, Uri, but you can't seriously be thinking of raising her here," Metatron said.

"And if I am?"

Metatron looked to his siblings for support. Some of them looked away while others like Sandalphon shook her head.

"What about her, Metatron?" Uriel asked.

"Heaven is no place to raise a child, Uriel," Raphael said.

Uriel's eyes narrowed in anger as she turned to face Raphael. "So you just want me to abandon her? She's a baby for God's sake!"

"Even if she is a Miracle Child, Uriel, we cannot guarantee she'll remain stable within Heaven. Her human half introduces a whole slew of factors to raising a child in an environment that's rich with holy energy," Raphael argued.

Flames erupted around Uriel, causing the other Seraphim to back away. The five other Archangels watched calmly as the confrontation between the two unfolded. Her green eyes glowed with molten fury and her twelve wings spread from her back.

Raphael calmly stared her down as a wave of intense heat washed over him.

"Are you so heartless that you'd be willing to let an infant fend for herself out there on Earth where she'd become an instant target for the Devils, Fallen Angels, or the other mythologies!?" Uriel snarled.

Raphael rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Let me finish."

Uriel raised an eyebrow. She held the baby in her arms protectively, ready to fight Raphael if he so much as tried something.

Seeing the distrustful look in his sister's eyes, Raphael coughed into his hand. "I never said you had to abandon her. How about we raise her in one of our institutes down on Earth? I know a fairly secluded one in Europe that functions as an orphanage where she can live peacefully."

The flames around Uriel subsided as she took in Raphael's words.

"Oh, I know that one. The director there is preparing to retire. How about we have Uriel run it in her place?" Sandalphon suggested.

"What? Are you insane?" Metatron raised an eyebrow. "Uriel is the commander of our forces. Are you all really going to let her go just because she wants to play house?"

Some of the other Seraphs chorused their agreement to Metatron's claim.

Uriel's glare switched over to Metatron, who raised his hands in defense.

"Again, I'm just saying, Sister. You have immense responsibilities that outweigh the wellbeing of a single child," he said. "Helel-oneesama, say something."

Helel closed her eyes. Her silence only made Uriel's anxiety grow with each passing moment. After a few minutes of tense silence, Helel opened her eyes, her blue gaze directed at her younger sister.

"You may go down there and raise the child," Helel said.

Uriel's eyes widened at her older sister's decision. A wide smile broke across her face and a sigh of relief escaped her lips.

"However."

Uriel's smile faltered briefly at the sound of her older sister's voice.

"I trust you to not shirk your duties. On days where you find yourself unable to come, I suggest having someone look after her in your stead," Helel said.

"And… if I really can't come?" Uriel asked.

"Then find a Seraph to cover for you for the time being," Helel said.

Uriel looked down at the baby in her arms. The baby babbled in her arms, looking around curiously at the other Seraphim. She smiled and looked back up at her older sister, nodding in response. "I will."

"Good. Unless anyone has anything pressing to bring up, this meeting is adjourned," Helel said.

With her dismissal, the other Seraphim began to leave Araboth until only Helel, Sandalphon, Michael, and Uriel were left.

As Uriel turned to leave, Sandalphon called out to her. "Did you name her yet?"

"Huh?" Uriel turned around to see Helel and Sandalphon eyeing her expectantly.

"Name her? I assume she already has a name since she had parents," Uriel said.

"Yes, but do you know her name?" Helel asked.

"N- No. I can always scour her mind, right?" Uriel said.

"Uriel, I advise against that. The minds of children, especially infants, suffer the worst side-effects from mental magic," Michael siad.

Helel crossed her arms, her serious demeanor having vanished with the end of the meeting. "So, why not name her yourself?"

"I… I'm not her mother," Uriel said.

Helel sighed and walked over to her. She placed a hand on Uriel's shoulder.

"Uriel, you are all this child has. You said so yourself that you refuse to abandon her. I understand that becoming a parent is a terrifying prospect but right now, this child needs you more than ever," Helel said.

Uriel glanced down at the baby, who babbled happily at her. Her heart melted and she smiled fondly at her ward. "I… Sorry, it's just that I felt like I was robbing her of something by giving her a different name."

"You aren't. You're giving her a new life. Her parents would be happy to know their child is safe," Michael said.

Uriel nodded as she began to think of a name.

"Lucia," Uriel said.

"Lucia?" Sandalphon repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"What? I like it," Uriel said defensively. "It means 'Light'. I'm sure she'll be a bright child as she gets older."

Helel smiled at her words. "Well, if she's going to be your child, I have no doubt she'll be a bright soul."

6 years later

A cool breeze swept through the area, causing the rich green of the mountain meadow to rustle. The Church had many facilities across different places in the world yet only a few were located in a secluded paradise such as this one. And of the institutions that the Church ran, this one was one of the few that was fairly normal by the standards of the Christian Church, though it still served to produce the next best exorcists. It used to be a colder place before the administration changed hands. The previous administrator was an efficient yet cold man. The leaders of Heaven trusted him, however, he retired and made way for a new overseer. As a front, it was a quaint little orphanage run by the current Head Matron, Auriel Reid.

The laughter of a child ripped through the almost quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the orphanage.

"My Lady! Please! Slow down! I can't fly!" A silver-haired young woman yelled as she tried to run after a black blur that flew down the hallways.

The little girl glanced over her shoulder as she flew down the hallways at rapid speeds, determined to outrun the teen chasing her.

She darted past the other occupants, nuns and priests that came and went.

"My my, this is an unusual sight. Miss Lucia usually isn't like this."

"Lady Uriel must be back from her meeting in Heaven."

"I feel bad for Griselda, though."

Lucia giggled as she rounded the corner. She glanced over her shoulder to see Griselda still hot on her tail, panting all the while.

"My Lady! Please! I… How do you have this much energy!" Griselda wheezed as she maintained her pace. "Please, Miss Lucia!"

"But Mama is back! She promised to begin my training as soon as she got back!" Lucia exclaimed as she flapped her wings harder. She darted down the hallway in midair, sticking her tongue out at Griselda. However, she failed to see what was ahead of her. With a soft oomph, Lucia hit something, causing her to fall mid-flight.

Before she could hit the ground, a pair of arms caught her. Lucia opened her eyes to see her mother's stern green eyes staring back at her.

"H-Hey, Mama," Lucia said sheepishly.

"L-Lady Uriel!" Griselda slowed to a stop, taking in large quantities of air. The 18-year old placed her hands on her knees as she panted. "I… I don't know why she…" she heaved. "Miss Lucia usually doesn't act this way."

Uriel sighed as she held Lucia in her arms. She smiled warmly at Griselda. "She's a child, Griselda. I was worried that she might be a bit too mature for her age but it's nice to see her still acting her age."

She set Lucia down, who stood next to her mother with a now calm expression on her face.

Griselda's breathing slowed down as she stood up straight.

"Thank you for looking after her, Griselda. I know a young exorcist such as yourself has other duties," Uriel said.

"N-No, Ma'am! It's an honor to be selected as the protector of a Miracle Child," Griselda stammered.

Uriel nodded. "Come on, Lucia. Let's go."

"Yes, Mama," Lucia said as she followed Uriel.

Griselda watched as the mother-daughter duo walked off down the hallway, relieved that she would be getting a break for the time Uriel was here at the institute. She smiled as she listened to the two banter back and forth.

"Mama, are you going to train me now? You promised," Lucia said.

"Of course, when have I ever broken a promise to you?" Uriel asked as she held her daughter's hand.

Griselda smiled.

Perhaps it was the changing of seasons, however, for some reason, the orphanage felt warmer than it used to.

Okay, there is a 1 year timeskip between this chapter and the next. So just be warned.

Now, before you ask, no, that is NOT, I repeat, NOT Lucifer. Helel and Lucifer are two separate beings. I'll explain it all later but for now, just be patient. Yes, the protagonist is a girl named Lucia. Also, to the people who will continue reading this, thank you. I'll try to make this better quality than my two other fics. And for another thing, the Doomsday Option will get an update in December so no it's not dead. Beyond that Broken Red Sky/Azure will continue its regular update cycles. Once again, thank you for reading.