The Wayward Son

A light shone from the apartment like a miniature sun. The angels standing around the building turned to it. Each one knew what it meant, but they didn’t drop their worry. Gabriel was the only one to keep his eyes to the horizon.

“Be ready! Just because he opened the book doesn’t mean we are in the clear! He needs time!” Gabriel ordered. “Archers!”

Reacting quick to the orders, the five archer angels stepped up to meet Gabriel’s position and drew arrows back in the bows. Holding steady, they waited. Ariel walked up next to Gabriel and looked out. Only ten of them. They wouldn’t hold for long. They were lucky it took them this long to figure out that Remiel was human. Now that they did. They wanted him dead.

“Uriel should’ve sent more,” Ariel said. She was really starting to hate all this. While they waited, she twirled her fingers in the air. Light sparkled around her hands then solidified into a six foot silver spear. “We won’t survive.”

Gabriel sighed and did the same routine. As the light died, he was holding a deadly sharp golden sword. “He doesn’t care, but if we survive this, I’m sure Remiel won’t let him off easy,” Gabriel said.

“If?”

Smirking, Gabriel looked at Ariel and answered, “So I’m not the most hopeful angel. Sue me.”

Ariel laughed alongside Gabriel for a moment, but both stopped when they felt it. An energy was pulsing through the air, giving off a vile scent. The beasts weren’t trying to hide the energy. They wanted the angels to know just how many they were.

“Crap,” Gabriel exclaimed and gripped his golden blade tight. “Ready!”

The angels dropped their stances, arrows notched and weapons ready. They were soldiers. They had fought in wars, but this was slaughter. It was Thermopylae all over again. And Gabriel, Remiel and the Arcs had fought there, so they know. The similarity was dropped when the creatures showed themselves.

Demons. Malicious and cruel beasts burnt and deformed from their time in the Inferno. Each one scratched along the ground on all fours like animals. Dark grey skinned, clawed hands, razor teeth and each one screeching painfully. Beings of evil and deadly as they come. Gabriel looked passed the army of creatures, scanning for their leader. Some high ranking demon would be leading the others. Not seeing anything, Gabriel turned back to the demons and waited.

Letting the demon army get closer, he roared, “FIRE!”

All at once, the five archers released their arrows. In the air, each arrow shined with a golden light and multiplied into more and more arrows of light. With that one volley, the five arrows shot became a hundred and took out and entire company of demons, but it wasn’t enough. There was an endless amount of these.

They weren’t going to win. They just needed to keep them from Remiel. Just long enough. “Fire at will!” Gabriel ordered, trying to get his voice over the army’s screeches.

The archers fired relentlessly, hundreds of beams of light tearing through the army, but they kept getting closer. Readying himself, Gabriel pointed the tip of his blade to the oncoming demons. He was at the front and would meet them first. He was going to do his best to hold them.

Waiting for that opportune moment, Gabriel stepped forward, spun on a heel and swung the golden blade. As he turned, a force of golden light erupted around the edge of the blade. Blasting the light across the army, Gabriel decimated dozens of demons. Before he lost his momentum, Gabriel twisted his wrist and brought the blade back, repeating the light wave and taking out several dozen more demons.

This time, they were too close for another wave. Gabriel ducked quickly as a demon pounced at his head and thrust his blade into the demon as it moved, the creature disintegrated into ash as the blade struck. Gabriel was unstoppable. Turning again, he met his blade’s edge with another demon and moved through the cloud of ash onto the next.

Demons were abundant. Wherever Gabriel turned, another demon was clawing at him. Only just barely did he keep himself from getting skewered. It was his training. Thousands of years under the training of Michael made him one of the greatest warriors of all Paradise, but even he knew he wouldn’t last forever.

Turning again, Gabriel caught sight of a demon sailing towards him. He didn’t have time to react and stumbled back, but before the demon could reach him, it was ash. Where it once flew was a brilliant silver spear, shining in the moonlight.

“Thanks,” Gabriel said to Ariel, who was standing there smiling.

The two continued on fighting side by side. Minutes passed quickly with the swings and stabs of their weapons, but they were getting nowhere. “Where is he?” Ariel asked as she stabbed another demon.

Gabriel twisted around and put the pommel of his sword in a demon’s face. “Taking his time. Come on, Remy. Hurry.”

No such luck. Ariel and Gabriel kept moving regardless. Ariel ducked down quick and swept her spear across the ground. Without hesitation, she spun around Gabriel and swept her again. As she kept the massing army, Gabriel was focusing. Concentrating on a conducting his light enough to do what he needed.

At last, Ariel caught the sense. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Gabriel sparking with twinges of gold. Bending down and rising again, she leapt into the air. Sailing high, she stopped mid-air and looked down at Gabriel. Roaring out, Gabriel released all his light. A blast exploded from where he stood, erupting like a sun around him.

Dropping back in the center of the decimation, Ariel protected Gabriel as he recovered, his flesh still sparking light. The army was cleared fifty feet in every direction, but were slowly crawling back to them. Both of the angels looked around for their companions and for the first time in the battle realized they were gone. Where? They didn’t know and they didn’t want to know.

Continuing to scan the field, Gabriel witnessed a group of demons clawing their way through the door of the apartment building. He couldn’t move to protect, but then he relaxed. He didn’t have to. The door was sent flying off the hinges and tumbling through the mass of demons, ash spreading aimlessly as it impaled itself in the ground.

Everyone looked to the doorway. Gabriel, Ariel and all the demons. Each of them looked to the shadows, waiting for something to happen. And then it did.

In a flash, the shadows of the entrance reached out and sliced several demons into pieces and then receded. The ash cloud fell slowly where the demons once stood until he stepped through. Illuminated with rays of light and darkened with clouds of shadow, he returned to the fray.

“Remiel,” Ariel said under her breath. All Gabriel could do was nod.

Remiel was back and the demons were scared. The entire army was backing away from Remy as he walked out into the open. He wasn’t holding his scythe, but at the moment, he was the most dangerous thing alive. The power of all Paradise resided within him.

Stretching his hand out, Remiel’s eyes glowed and the darkness moved. The shadows of the night reached out from the ground and grasped at individual demons. Within a second, the thousands were kept immobile. Remiel wasn’t done yet though. Kneeling down, he picked up a bow and arrow. Pulling it back strong, Remiel released. The arrow did the same as all the others, but this time, exceeding expectations. More arrows than needed flashed around that one and pierced through each of the demons, fizzling out into nothing after.

Remiel stood there calm. Dropping the bow, he looked to Gabriel and Ariel and said, “You were supposed to leave me alone.”