The Ringleader

So what is my story? A story to tell about a girl who takes a trip to hell to find her lost lover, yet she doesn’t know what will be waiting for her when she enters the hellish pits of tartarus to find her last hope before the last judgment, before the world ends. Yet along the way she finds a new love, a fallen angel that needs help to save his soul, one that is chained by his wings screaming for help, for salvation.
It was a quiet day in Ashville Oregon. The birds singing and the roads where bare, no cars to be seen for miles. In a two-story Elizabethan style house a young girl was just waking up. Her boyfriend was already up and at work. So she got out of bed and decided what to wear, once dressed she went down stairs and got her coffee ready and left the house to go to her job, she was the assistant to the local undertaker. It was only a short walk to town, once there she went to find a phone to call Gwen. “Hey Marie!” a voice called behind her. Marie rolled her eyes and looked behind her to see the source of the shouting. When she did she saw Gwen’s boss. “What it the matter?” she said concerned. “Gwen disappeared five minutes ago” the boss had said. “Damn, this is bad” Marie said. “I have no idea where he is, I’ve called everyone that might know but no one tells me anything” Thor, the boss said.
Thor looked at Marie then back to the town, no one was around it looked like a ghost town. “Just great I have no one to ask and no one will answer the doors or pick up the phone” Thor finished. “Well go look that way” Marie said pointing to the left. “I’ll take the right” Marie ran in the direction she pointed to and left Thor in the dust. She keep running and did not stop until she rounded the corner and saw a man standing in front of her wearing all black robes and holding a scythe. “W...Who are you” Marie stuttered. For her life. “My time is not up yet” she finished. “I’m not here to take your life, but to tell you where your friend is, also just so you know I’m one of the four grim reapers that guard this town” the man said. “So where is Gwen?” Marie said.
The man looked at her then back down at his feet for a moment and replied “he is in hell. The last days are coming near and don’t take my words lightly miss, the Ring leader will kill you if he finds out you know this.” The reaper said seriously. Marie felt really confused and wondered what those words meant and before she could ask him what he meant the reaper disappeared in to thin air leaving a black feather behind. She quickly picked up the feather. It was really light and had a red top. It was a really beautiful feather and she realized something she did not notice before, the reaper had wings or that was what she thought at the time. “Marie where are you?” Thor shouted looking all over for her. She still stood where the reaper had been, holding on to the feather as if it meant the world to her. Truthfully it did. It held so many questions and answers yet she could not unlock any of them. Then she had thought back to the last sentences that the reaper had said “The last days are coming near” she still wondered what they meant. “come on Marie forget it, whoever that was did not mean anything by it, he was just trying to screw with your head” Thor said later on while they sat in Marie’s kitchen later on that night. “to be honest to you, I’m so scared about all this. And by the way Thor, that was the grim reaper that I was talking to” Marie said with a determined face. So when Thor left around 11 that night Marie stayed awake wondering what that was all about. Wondering why someone she had loved and held so dear to her had to disappear like that. She never did fall asleep that night. She kept thinking back to that talk and about what she had read while she was a kid, about the world ending and what it meant. She thought back to a specific talk her and her father had talked about, that the world would end. But it never did. That supposed to of happened two thousand years ago. So why was it happening now? She got out of bed and walked to where her computer was and turned it on. Once on she went to google.com and typed in the last judgment, The end of the world. It came up with over two hundred thousand results. But she went to the first and read something about angels and about what was supposed to happen. So she clicked on it and read. She stayed up all night and did as much research as she could before having to go to work, but she had realized that she was no longer needed and that she had to find some way to get to hell, or the underworld, whichever one you want to call the place below our feet. She got dressed in black pants and a dark gray long sleeve shirt with her cashmere coat on top of her shirt. She slipped her feet in to her shoes and left her house behind her. Not bothering to take her car to town, and not bothering to lock her house door she just left. Her mind was running possibility’s though her brain. She had never heard of a person going to the underworld, only in myths.
She started walking and when she got to the same spot she was the day before she had relized that someone was there waiting for someone or maybe her. “who are you?” Marie asked. “you don’t know me?, that is so impolite” the person said with a sneer in his voice. “I’m Azza, I’m the one that will lead you to the kingdom of the dead, from there someone else will continue with you” Azza said. He stretched out his arms to either side of him and Marie flinched as a ripping sound was heard. Big black wings ripped through his shoulder blades. “Come miss, time to go” Azza said holding out a hand for her to take. Marie put her smaller hand in his and they quickly vanished, only a black feather remained.
They flew through the darkness and the smells and sounds changed. The air smelt of burning wood and flesh, while the sounds changed from chirping birds to the screams of helpless people and shouting above all the cacophony. The sights changed from pitch black to light, when Marie opened her eyes she was in a dark cell with the light from the outside filtering in. her clothes where ripped and shredded in some spots and blood leaked out of her left arm, she looked at what she hoped was just a small scratch but it was a brand, a scythe with black wings. She screamed and screamed until she could not scream anymore. She should’ve known what this meant but she was too laid back to even think about what this meant until now. She had started crying and did not stop until someone had stepped in to her cell and looked at her. Her tears where blood red, and she did not feel so good she had started to fall when that person brought her to lay down on the mat but the window. “Who did this to me?” she said in a hoarse whisper. The being did not say anything, he just left her laying on the mat with one word he said “sleep” and darkness flooded her vision and she fell in to a deep sleep.
When she awoke she saw that it was already light out. While looking around she had realized that she must have came in the middle of the night the night before. While looking around the place she was in she saw that she was not the only one here. Other people or things where in the cells on either side of her, they were all talking among themselves. she looked towered where the door was and saw someone walk in. he had wings coming out of his shoulder blades, a different style then Azza’s from the day before. These wings where pure white, white as snow but with black intertwining designs on the back and front. While Azza’a where all black with white tips. Then it hit her to who these winged beings where. She was in the presents of the fallen angels, the ones that got banished from heaven for going against the Mighty One, for fighting and loosing this was where they were sent, to earth, but made hell for their place. The other beings in the room quieted down when they saw this being that walked in. Marie had realized that she was the only human in the room. “Marie Lockheart please come forth” the being said an air of authority in his voice. Marie took a step forward and hoped that she could die quickly and not think about what would happen to Gwen. She continued to the front of the room where she was greeted by Azza who stood next to the white winged angel, a smile graced his features and when the other angel looked at him the smile quickly as it came, it left. “you are here to find your mate, am I correct?” the angel said. “yes that is right” Marie said. She did not feel scared at all. Just curious about this place she was in. “where is Gwen?” she asked. “he is no longer here but in a much worse place” the white winged angel said. “is he okay?” Marie said “I don’t know, I’m not the one that sent him to that place. So I am sorry but I don’t know” The angel said. “by the way what is your name?” Marie said “It is Amy” the white winged angel said. “I’m also one of the stronger angels here” Amy said. “when do I get to go? I don’t want to be here anymore” Marie said she had a desperate edge to her voice that made Amy and Azza wonder if she was hiding anything. “so…I’ll bring you to your room” Azza said. “fine” Marie said with a huff. They left Amy to deal with the other beings in that room while they were walking away from there, she heard loud screams coming from the place she was just in. Marie wanted to turn around but Azza held tight to her arm and steered her to continue down the passage way she first came down. They hurried and did not look back after that. Azza’s wings trailed behind him as he walked beside Marie. He had origanlly wanted nothing to do with this human but since he had been ordered by the higher ups to watch and guard this measly human being, then he would, even if it caused a lot of eyes rolling and complaining for his part. Marie was wondering where they were going, hoping that it would be a safe place for her. A ear splitting scream pierced the quiet air. Azza just kept walking while Marie wanted to stop. Azza grabbed her wrist and made her keep walking “what was that?” Marie asked while they were almost to the end of the passage way. “Nothing, don’t worry about it, and by the way it was not Gwen so cool down” Azza said. Marie breathed a sigh of relief and was very glad to hear it. As they walked sunlight started to come in to the passage way making it easier to see without a flare to guide their way. They came out of the tunnel to see what looked like an entire kingdom underground. “Wow” Marie breathed. “Don’t get to exited, this is the part that my leader wants all to see when entering this place, the rest is not so beautiful as you may think. School books will never show you true hell’ Azza said. He looked around and told Marie “let’s go, we have to get you ready” so they continued their long trip everywhere they went humans and angels alike would bow down to Azza but they kept walking until “Azza wait a messenger from above sent a letter for you to see!” Azza and Marie both turned around and Azza went towered the other angel and got the letter from him while Marie looked at them both while they were talking in hushed voices. “So they want the human back?” The new angel that had come said. “So it seems so, they want them both back but that won’t happen” Azza said. “I understand” Baal, the gray winged angel said. “Amy will kill me if I don’t give him this letter so I had better be off, take care of yourself Baal” Azza said. Marie just stood there wondering what humans they were talking about but she did not ask as she and Azza continued the trip to her lodgings while she was here. Then Azza stopped and Marie nearly crashed in to his back. “ I should warn you, you will be staying with the lesser angels and a good word of advice, be careful to who you talk to” Azza finished. “here we are” he said about a half an hour later. They were standing in front of a big stone mansion like building. They entered the building and there even was a receptionist at the front desk. “is this like a hotel for angels?” Marie asked slightly intrigued. “no, these are where all the rooms for the servants of our lord are, the other angels are housed here” Azza said. “come I will show you to your room” he said. They started up the winding staircase. As they go to the landing they both heard voices talking and laughting about who knows what. Azza just rolled his eyes and continued down the hall.
They passes the common room where it seemed that at least twenty or more angels where talking. “we better move before they see you, if they do then we will never get anywhere” Azza whispered. Marie just let out a light laugh at that and they got passed with no problem until a new voice came down the hall way “ so Azza, looks like you have a new human friend” a angel said, this one had violet wings with white markings. “no I do not, she is just a guest here for a while, Ipos” Azza said. Azza and Marie continued to a room at the end of the hall way. “This is your room, I have no idea who you are sharing with, just remember, please be careful and keep your eye sharp, they are very sharp and will find any hole to sneak into and hurt you, also we are not the nice type so keep your anger and any other emotion hidden until you enter your room” Azza said. “also I care about your wellbeing so just don’t do anything to piss anyone off” Azza finished.
Marie looked behind her and noticed that Azza was already descending the staircase. Her shoulders dropped and she put her hand on the door knob and twisted. When she walked in to the room she noticed that it looked like that someone already lived here, but then further looking around the big room notice that there was another bed already with sheets and blankets and two pillows on it, there was also a note addressed to her on the bed spread. The note read:
Dear Marie,
This letter is to welcome you to this room.
Please take care while here. I will do my best along with Azza to
Keep you safe. I’m the angel with Blood red wings and White markings.
Your friend,
Furfur
She thought for a long time and was glad that it seemed that this angel named Furfur cared for her. Then she realized something, all the angels she had seen where all men, where there any female angels in this place? She thought. She lay down on her new bed and thought about everything that has go on the last few days, here she was in the angel’s territory and enjoying herself. She slowly fell asleep, she was jolted awake from a door being shut and when she opened her eyes she looked around her and she saw a person standing in the room, he had the red wings and white markings that where described in the note. “So you are Marie” the angel said. She stood up and walked to the other being. “Yeah I’m Marie, and you must be Furfur” Marie said she had a slight smile on her face when she said this. “Nice to know you” Furfur said. “Yeah same here” Marie also said. “I’m really sorry this place is a mess, I’ll clean up later today” Furfur said. “It is fine, I don’t care” Marie said. “Azza was just briefing me on why you are here, and I will help in any way I can, to help you find your mate and to get you both freedom, even if I have to disobey my master.” Furfur said. “Come we can go to dinner if you are ready” Furfur finished. “I have a question” Marie said. “Ok what is it?” her new roommate said. “I need new clothes, mine are all bloody and dirty and I am really uncomfortable” Marie said. “I think that we can get you some easily enough, come with me” Furfur said. “Are there any female angels here” Marie asked. “No” Furfur said. “Oh, I was just wondering that is all” Marie said. “Don’t worry I know someone that could loan you some clothes” Furfur said. They both left their room and went the opposite direction then she had come. They went to the right and down six doors to a black and violet colored door. “Ose will be able to loan you some clothes, he is more of a slight build then the rest of us, and to warn you he can be more of a cuddly type when he wants to be, but most of the time he is kind of laid back and willing to help others when needed” Furfur said. He knocked on the door and a muffled come in was heard. Furfur pulled on the door knob and let him and Marie inside the room. “So, this is the new one?, what are you doing here?” the Violet and blue winged angel said. “Yes, she is Marie, I don’t know how long she is staying here, but it is for a long time, also I was wondering if you have some spare clothes she can borrow for a while. Since she only has the ripped and bloodied ones she came here in” Furfur said. “Yes, I can let her borrow a few shirts and pants for a few days” Ose said. “Thank you” Marie said. “here you go, hope these help you” Ose said handing Marie a black backpack. Furfur was pleased as they left and went back to their own room. Marie went in to the bathroom to change, at times like these she was really glad for private bathrooms, even though she had to share with Furfur but for her that was fine. She did not care. She opened up the backpack and took out a clean shirt and a pair of clean pants. She smiled a bit when she looked herself in the mirror for the first time. She pulled on the short sleave shirt and put the pants on. Furfur was right about one thing, Ose was of slighter build all right the clothes fit her perfectly, even though they were mens clothes. She also found make up in the front pocket along with some shampoo, attached was a note that read:
Marie,
Hope you like the clothes
I kind of figured that you where the type to use
Make up. The shampoo is for you also, thought you needed it
I am sorry for not being real nice to you. Hope to see you soon.
-Ose
She read the note and smiled. She was glad that she had some friends in this place. There was a knock on the door and a voice talked from the other side “ready yet Marie, me and Azza want to go down to Dinner with you” Furfur said from the other side of the door. “Yeah I’m coming give me a minute” Marie said. She put on her watch and left the bathroom. She saw Azza and ran and gave him a big hug. “I’m so happy to see you again!” she said as she nuzzled the skin under her face. “ready” Furfur said with a smile on his face. “I am wondering about something” Marie said. “What is it” Azza said “Is there some way I can become an angel?” Marie said. “yes there is, look at the mark on your left arm, it is the symbol of an angel, I don’t know what your name would be though” Furfur said. The three of them continued to walk down the hall toward the stairs. She continued to think of what Furfur had said. That she was an angel but with no powers or wings, she wanted wings. “So Marie, how old are you, in human years?” Azza said. “I’m eighteen years old, why do you want to know for?” Marie said. “Nothing just wondering” Azza said. “Well let’s get going Rahab will get mad and who knows what he will do.” Furfur said in a mock serious voice that made both Azza and Marie snicker. They walked about a half a mile and they came to another big stone building. “This is the great dining hall for all two hundred of us” Azza said. “Come on, Azza and Furfur, and Marie” a voice said from behind the three beings that were standing in the door way. The three of them turned around to see Ose who had decided to come to dinner after all. “Fine we are going” Furfur grumbled. Marie snickered and the four of them opened the door only to hear shouts and catcalls. Azza held tight to Marie as they went to the front table were there were three empty seats. “You can have my spot Marie” Ose said with a smile. “Thanks, but you don’t have to” Marie said. “Take it” Ose said. Marie watched as Ose went down and found a spot among the other angels to sit. “So a human is in our domain?” A angel said. Marie looked and saw with much surprise that it was Amy, who she had just seen this morning, his wings were tucked behind him and Marie noticed that he had a slight golden shine to the edges. “You dare take a spot beside Furfur and Azza, as if you belong in this place? “Amy said. “I let her take my place, she is a friend to Furfur and Azza” Ose said standing up to face the older man, a determined look grazed his face. “Fine she may stay but in the days to come I want her to be siting with the other angels, not up here with leaders such as ourselves” Amy said.
Marie was confused for a moment then was pulled to sit down beside an angel that had green and silver wings. “You will be fine, he tries to scare us all, you will do just fine even though you are human” the angel said. “What is your name” Marie asked it is “Uzza” he said. “Nice to meet you, Uzza” Marie said. Dinner passed nicely, talking and joking around with her very few friends and smiling for the first time in such a long time felt good. “Well let’s get going” Azza said as everyone else had already left leaving behind Azza, Uzza, Furfur, Ose, and Marie. “Yeah that would be great” Marie said while yawning again. “Yeah let’s get going, the sun will be setting soon and I don’t want to be caught out here when they lock the doors for the night” Azza said. “Yeah I have to agree, it gets so cold out here at night, and is really creepy” Furfur said. “Ok let’s move” Ose said. The all finally got to their home and went to sign back in and started to walk up the stairs. Ose took of the right, Uzza went to the left, Furfur and Marie went to the left and Azza took off to the next set of stairs that lead to the third floor. When Furfur and Marie got to their room they both changed into pajamas and turned of the lights and crawled in to their beds for the night.
When morning came Marie woke up and once again looked around the room that she now shared with an angel. She looked at Furfur, his wings raping around his body making a cocoon like structure. She smiled and fell back asleep only to be awoken by someone shaking her awake. “Marie wake up, I have to help you look for Gwen remember?” The voice said, Marie woke up to see Furfur and Azza looking at her. “Yeah I am awake, give me a minute” she said. “What time is it?” she asked as she went in to the bathroom to get ready for the day. “Around nine thirty am.” Azza said. “Is there some way I become the angel I am branded with?” Marie said through the door. “Well when you come out of the bathroom we can talk about it ok?” Azza said. He and Furfur hoped for the best for Marie. “you know what will happen if she calls forth the angel side of her, right?” Azza asked Furfur. “I know and she will be bound here, by blood, body. Soul, though she would really have beautiful wings though, no one has ever went from human to angel, so she will be rare, she would be able to traval between the human world and this world.. I wonder what color her wings will be?” Furfur said. “ I would rather wait and see not wonder” Azza said. Marie came out of the bathroom a few minutes after the two older angels had a talk about wings, halos, powers, colors, branding techniques and among other things. “So what is going on with you two, all serious all of a sudden.” Marie asked. “We’ve been talking about what type of brand you have and what will break the curse placed on it, our resident grim reaper would know what to do, more so then us” Furfur said. The two angels got talking again and there was a loud knock at the door and a voice from the other side said “Come on! We don’t have all day” the voice belonged to Uzza. Furfur opened up the door and Uzza came plowing through the door looking astatic about something, while holding what looked like a letter in his grasp. “I’m here now, what are you doing here Uzza?” Marie said. “I came with a letter and talk” Uzza said. “Let’s go. I’ll bring you to the reaper” Furfur said with a sigh. Azza looked from Marie to Furfur to Uzza and rolled his eyes. “ I better be getting back to the palace, Lucifer will kill me if I am not there in fifteen minutes, so bye!” Azza ran out the door and stretched his wings and jumped in to the air.
The other three had decided to go to the reaper for help. The same ear splitting scream pierced the morning air. Marie was still wondering who it was. Maybe the person was in pain or needed help. She could not worry about that now, she had a mission and she was going to complete. She kept thinking back to when Gwen left and was starting to not want to get him back. She really loved it here, she had friends that may not be human but were great to her. She continued like this for a while, all the while following the other two angels that where leading her to the third floor of the building. Marie’s mind was in turmoil she did not know how to choose between her life in the above world or this one. “Here we are” Furfur told her. He knocked on the door and a person moved to the other side of the door. “Who is it?” the person said. “Furfur, Uzza, and the human named Marie” Furfur said. “Come in” the mystery person said. Uzza griped the door knob and turned it.
The room of the reaper looked just like all the other ones that she had been in. nothing great. A person sat at the table holding what looked like a manuscript of something. “So this human has a mark, a mark of an angel?” the reaper said. “yes and she wants to know how to control the angel and to become it when needed.” Uzza said with a serious edge in his voice. The reaper sighed and picked back up the manuscript “come here human Marie” the reaper said. Marie stepped forward “take of your shirt” The reaper told her. She did and the reaper looked at the mark that was on her arm. “This is serious. A angel marked her all right, but this is the mark of Gabriel” The reaper said. “I think I can break to mark. But she will lose all humanity in her; she will become a full angel and cannot go back after the change is done. Gabriel will want her when she is an angel, when the mark overwhelms her body and soul” the reaper said. “So she will become one of Gabriel’s angels for life? She can never come back here? She will be our enemy?” Furfur said. Marie looked around and dropped her head and silently cried. Hoping that she could stay here. Once again the scream broke through the silent room. “Don’t worry about anything Marie. You can stay here as long as you want. And when you do become the angel, we will fight for you, we all want you to stay, even Amy thinks so even if he doesn’t say it” Uzza said. “And once you are one of us I will tell you who that scream belongs to, but you cannot leave us before then.” Furfur said.
“Break the seal” Marie said. “I will” the reaper said. The reaper brought her in to a back room and told her to lay down. Once she did the reaper did a series of movements and chanting. About four hours later a foreign scream hit the stale air. Marie kept screaming and ripping could be heard in room. A few hours later Marie calmed down and felt a whole lot better. Her wings where silver with violet and blue deigns intertwining the inside and out of the wings.
“Marie” a voice said. Everything seemed more sensitive than before. The voice belonged to Azza. He had got out of work to come see how she was holing up. “thank you. That is so nice of you do to.” Marie said. The angels along with the human turned angel walked out of the room thanking the reaper along the way. Marie flexed her shoulder blades and when she did she could feel the soft feathery touch of the wings that where on her back now. “for the record, you are the first female angel here. All the others go work in heaven. Feel honored that you are chosen to stay here with us” Azza said. “Your wings are beautiful, you are worthy for them” Furfur said. “Azza! Furfur! Uzza!” a new voice shouted from down the hall. “what do you want” Azza snarled. “our Lord wants to see you three. Oh he also said to bring the human” the angel said. “who are we going to see?” Marie asked. Azza sighed and told her “Lucifer, the king of this place” Azza told her after a few minutes. “By the way we never speak his name so don’t do it or you go to the cells and stay there, they bind your wings and keep you chained to a wall” the new angel said. “Oh by the way I’m Andras” the new angel said. “nice to meet you, so can we go” Marie asked, nervous and scared at the same time. “yes lets go” Andras said. They started to walk down the stairs that lead out of the building and when they did Marie looked around again and realized that no one was around. “where is everyone else?” Marie asked. “Work” was all Andras said. They walked around two miles and when they got to the end of their trip Marie saw herself standing at a really big building. They flinched as that scream hit the morning air once again but this time a lot louder than before. The angels looked at one another and shook their heads and talked among themselves for a minute and promised that they would not tell Marie about any of this until the right time, let her wonder.
Azza knocked on the door and a servant opened the door. He had a slight smile on his face when he opened the door for the angels and Marie. Marie entered the building last. The entry way was like the how the home for the angels was put together. Beautiful black marble floors and chandeliers that really looked nice in that building. “who was that?” Marie asked referring to the servant “I have no idea, they change everyday, sometimes every few hours so I really don’t keep track.” Azza said. That answered her question. They walked up a flight of stairs and when they stopped in front of a door the servant told them “This is the room, remember politeness in what counts” the servant started to walk away and the little group knocked on the door when a voice from the other side said “come in” the group entered the room. “so this is the human turned angel?” the person said, this person had jet black wings with white highlights. He was dressed a lot like the rest of the angels in this place. “yes sir” Uzza said. “well she will have to go back to the human world for a year.” This winged person said. “Marie Meet Lucifer” Furfur said looking from Marie back to his king.
After about an hour later Marie was getting ready to leave to go back to the human world for a while. “sorry you have to leave, I’ll miss seeing you” Ose said. “I’ll be back sometime I hope.” Marie said. She had started to cry, her tears blood red. “listen Marie, we will try to come to visit you. Also I know you have school still and work, so try to be human as much as you can” Azza said. Azza, Uzza, Furfur, Ose, Andras all came and gave her a hug before she had to leave. she knew that people would wonder where she was. As the portal consumed her in darkness she thought of her new friends and of what was happening with Gwen also what was told to her about a week ago. “The last days are coming near”. She still had to figure it out. When she did get back to the human world and back to the town that she lived in people where all around town once again. It seemed as if the darkness had lifted. Her wings were just a tattoo on her back, good thing too. Some of the people crowded around her and all asked where she had been. Her answer was always the same. “Family Business” she never did say the real thing. If she did it would go like “yeah, I went to hell and became an angel and talked to saten, I’m no longer human” yeah that would not work so well.
She walked back to the house that she had lived in and decided to go to be. It was no longer the same as staying with someone else. It was not because her boyfriend was not there; it was no good because she was not staying in the same room as Furfur anymore. She really like sharing a room with an angel .she flexed her shoulder blades and her wings furled out. She slept like that, on that night. Outside a storm raged the dark sky seemed to open up and poor the whole world in rain and sorrow, and pain. A man walked in to Ashville a few hours after Marie had fallen asleep. The man had long blond hair done up in a long braid with the bangs lose, those parts where dyed ocean blue. He had pure as snow white wings that looked fluffy. He did not make his appearance known to the naked eye. Only the gifted and blessed could see him. He was the one that could purge all sin, yet he never made that seen.
The morning came and Marie uncurled herself out of her wings and hid them once again, even if it was very painful. She walked out of the house a little after nine fifteen. Her head was down as she walked through the town only to crash in to someone. “Sorry” she muttered as she kept walking. Someone held her arm to stop her. “Wait. I know you, you are the one that associates with the fallen” the person said. “Who are you, what do you know about me? And how the hell do you know about me being branded” Marie snarled. “I’m the one that Branded you, my name is Gabriel” the white winged angel said. “so you are the one that the fallen where talking about, the one that wants me, to take me to heaven and be an arch angel, but let me give you a news flash, I am not one of you. I stay being neutral. I belong to neither side.” Marie said. “stay with them and see what happens to you. You will become black hearted and not caring about anything. And just to let you know they don’t have Gwen, we do” Gabriel said he started to walk away and Marie though for a minute and ran back to her home. Once there she found the pager that Azza gave her and put in his code. “hello?” Azza’s voice filtered through the small device. “get the others together, I got serious news” Marie said slightly out of breath from running all the way from town to her home. “we are all here Marie” Uzza’s voice also was heard. “Gabriel found me and told me that the fallen don’t have Gwen, that they have him” Marie said. “That is true, that is what I tried to tell you the time you said that you wanted to find him” Azza said. “I think that the Arch angels are trying to get me on their side. I say that I am Switzerland and don’t pick sides with either. I am so confused” Marie whined the last part. “It looks like you might have to go and see them and say that you don’t care anymore.” Furfur’s voice filtered through the pager. "I already told them and no one will listen to me” Marie said. “Well it could be from knowing that you now have fallen wings not clean wings.” Azza said. Marie listened to each one of their ideas and she just wanted it all to end. She now did not care what was going on with her “Boyfriend”. She had started to think back to the screams she had heard while in the palace of Lucifer, and while she was staying there. At night all she remembered hearing was loud painful screams that held so much sorrow she wanted to cry tears of pain. She also remembered hearing what sounded like chains being rattled and the sound of steal and the smell of blood and blood filled tears. She still wondered who or what would make such animalistic sounds like that. She wanted to find out. Marie never did find out while she was there. As much as she knew was that there was one of the fallen that needed help. She might never know but it never hurt to wonder. She wanted to help. She remembered what Azza told her, that each one of the fallen has a different power. She started to wonder what hers was, or if she even had a power. She was a human and as far as Amy was concerned she was a hazard and did not even exist, she was a measly human, even if she did have wings, she was considered a hybrid.
That whole night Marie’s dreams led her to that same sorrowful screaming voice, with the chains rattling. Yet she always woke up before she saw his face. All she would ever see was the chains around his legs, arm, waist, neck, and lastly wings, covered in blood and sweat, screaming at the pain. Marie would wake up crying and just continue her day like nothing had happened. A week had passed since she came back to the human world. Her life kept getting more complicated each day and every hour more mysteries to unlock. She wanted to go back. She sat at her kitchen table thinking and she came up to the conclusion that she could see in to other people’s thoughts and see what goes on, all this without knowing any names or faces. She also realized that she could transport herself to events and see things first had. She then thought back to the dreams and she could remember every one of the dreams. She was decided if she should call Azza and ask his advice but then again she remembered that Amy would be watching every one of the calls to see who would be calling and who could not. But this was her only connection to the ones that she cared about, the ones that would be helping her though some of the rough times lately.
She left for town later that day to go shopping, she knew she needed groceries and she wanted to get some cleaning supplies. Marie was thinking of letting Gwen go, to put him behind her and just think about what to do next, she thought she found someone knew she could love, but in that case she had no name only pictures and actions. She was an angel and she would live by that for her entire life. There was nothing she could do. She was born a fallen angel and because of this she had to stay loyal to them. Gabriel would take her as his own and Marie already knew that she did not want to live her life up in heaven. She wanted to be able to go between worlds, hell and the land of the living. Not have to stay up in the fluffy clouds and watch people, she wanted to be in the world where she could be a human but also go and be what she was brought in to this world to be, a fallen angel. She entered the store and she needed bleach sponges, a new mop, dish soap, liquid detergent for clothes. While on the food list were only lettuce, broccoli, carrots, chicken, and seltzer water, along with coffee. When she left the store she walked back home and put everything away and was going to go out for a walk, but someone grabbed her arm. “Wait” a voice said. Marie turned around to see one of the fallen his name was Azza. “What are you doing here for?” Marie said. “you need protection and I got “ordered” to go protect you so here I am” Azza said. “Good to see you though and I did not mean to be snappy to you just now” Marie said so the two of them left to go on that walk that Marie wanted to go on. While walking Marie looked at Azza who looked a little different in a full human form, the wings where not there, his hair was up in a ponytail, and his clothing changed from a formal suit to casual everyday jeans and long-sleeved shirt with a leather jacket and sunglasses. It seemed that Amy let someone come to the human world to watch over Marie, but Marie wondered why. She did not need to be watched, or did she?
“MARIE DUCK!” Azza told her. Marie looked around and got out of the way just in time before she got slammed in to the stone wall that was by the road that she and Azza where walking down. “who are you? What do you want with Marie?” Azza said ferious about how things took a turn for the worse. “You don’t know me? Well I feel so sad” the person said. “I’m Raj” The man said. “I work in with the fallen, I’m one of the angels, just in human form” Raj said. “Oh, I know who you are now, you work in the prison, in the torture department” Azza said. “yes that is me. I’m here to inform you that our king wants you back. Also bring the girl” Raj said. Marie watched as he started to transform in to his angel form, with Gold wings with perpal lines interwining on each feather. Raj disappeared and Azza looked over a Marie and told her “come lets go, and not keep the lord waiting any longer” Azza said. They both transformed in to their angel forms and they jumped in to the portal that Raj left for them. Marie felt the feel of the cold dark air press against her and the smell of blood hit her nose again as they flew thought the tunnel that separated the human world from the world of the fallen. As soon as they entered the place the scream ripped through the air. Marie looked over at Azza but her did not even look up at her, he just looked at the ground and kept walking. They passed a few other angels, all of them walking the other direction, looking serious about something. None of them flinched when that haunting scream hit the air once again, three angels that just passed them where talking in hushed voices, but Marie never heard about what they were talking about. “Come on Marie” Azza said with a hit of exasperation in his voice. “It is not nice to listen in on others conversations” he whispered to Marie. Marie and Azza continued to walk until the y got to the familiar building she had to go to the second day of her stay. The Palace of the king, Marie looked from the building, back to Azza and back to the building again. She was scared to death, from not knowing what was going on. Why was she back here? Why would Lucifer want to see her again?. So many different answered ran in her mind, with so many possibilities. Azza knocked on the door and a different servant answered the door. “Come in, he is waiting for you.” The servant said. Marie and Azza walked in to the big house once again. They both walked up the long spiral staircase to the room that they had first went to only a few weeks ago.
When they got to the door Marie stopped for a minute to look around and realized that it was not like her to act this way, but since her new power she had she could see everything that was going on, but most of all she could find out information from them, the fallen, that would not tell her anything. Even this was not enough to see the truth behind what they all say to her. “Marie pay attention” Azza said shaking her for dear life. “What?” Marie asked. “Would you like to move here for good and not go back to the human world, but only for missions” Lucifer asked. Marie was just about to answer when another scream hit the blood soaked air. “Sure I would like that” Marie asked a few minutes later. So let’s get your stuff from the human world back down here” Azza told her. “Also I think we can have help bringing what you need down here, I’ll ask a few of the others to do that for you.” Azza said. “Thank you but you really don’t have to do that for me” Marie said. I am more than capable of doing it myself. She left the room and walked down the long hallway to the front door and out of that door. Soon as she was out of the building and walked to her room in the main building she thought back to her dream she had the other night. No one had answered her question about who the screams came from; they all had avoided the question all together.
She still wanted to find it out but right now it was a mystery, one that she alone could not solve unless she had help but she knew that she would not get. She left Azza and ran back to her and Furfur’s room and lay down on her bed and thought about everything that had happened over the last few days. She really wanted to find out more. But she knew that doing that would be risky and could cost her, her life. So one night while she was laying in her bed she woke suddenly and decided that she was going to go fine the being she had been seeing in her dreams. She did not know where to look or what to do but she found that if she thought hard enough she would find where to go. She just had to follow the road to the old catacombs just like the man said in her dream. She had wanted to help yet she did not know how to do so. A dream is not always reality she thought until now. Until she snuck out one night and found the hole to go in to. The stench of blood was thick in the air as she ran, suddenly she fell. Marie had not known what would happen. She was lost underground with no one around. All she had was her gift and by now the familiar painful screams and shouts from farther down the hallway. She knew that she was not welcome there. Her gift had grown is size and now she could see people’s faces along with their names. She now knew the name of the man that was locked up. His name is Azeazl, a fallen angel with a painful past, one that cannot be recovered. As Marie lay on the dirt ground she heard the chains rattle. She thought back to a few days ago and had realized that she was not alone in any of the dreams that she had. Or it had felt like someone was there, she had a feeling that she knew who it was. A cry for help was still thick in the air as Marie got up off the ground and decided that she was going to help him. She suddenly thought back to when Gwen was around and had felt something toward this being. But she knew that he was one of the fallen and it would never happen.
She had thought back to one of her last dream sequences and played it back. She saw a man with waist length black, wearing all black with big jet black feathery wings of a massive wing span of at least twenty feet, chained to the wall behind him. Around his neck, arms, ankles, waist, wrists, upper arms, upper legs where chains that locked him in to place against the stonewall behind himself. By now blood was dripping from his neck and falling to the ground. His shirt was shredded and the only thing that was in tack was his jeans. New scars littered his chest, fresh blood still oozing from some of the cuts that looked like they were made from a really sharp object. His once handsome face held new scars and cuts as well, one of his eyes looked like it was missing and or was infected., his eyes at the time where blood red, a trait that only he had. He was once one of the most powerful members of the Fallen but now, that had gone down to becoming a common criminal for something that he did not do. He had wanted to really see how much pain he himself could take and when he got to his limit pain coursed through his body and screams hit the stale air once again. Blood was scattered on all the walls. If he were a mere mortal he would be dead long time ago.
Marie was on the run again and found the right door to go in to. But the door must have been locked from the inside. She wanted to help but at this pace it would not happen. He would be dead by the time she got into the room.
“you are not worth killing” the torturer said. “Then let me go, I did not even do anything wrong.” Azeazl said. “no” the torturer said. “You did a lot of crimes over the years and this is what your punishment is” he had finished. “What? Being chained to a wall for ten years? That is what you call punishment?, then you are so sick, thinking that this is fun, that you hope I will die” Azeazl said slightly out of breath from the loss of blood. So this is what will become of him? Die chained to a stonewall.
Marie felt like crying. It was just too painful for her to even watch through her dreamscape.
It was telling and showing her just what was going on in that room. The screams stopped and they had started talking again about what, Marie could not tell. The floor shook and the door that Marie had been leaning on suddenly gave way. She fell in to a room and the door slammed shut behind her. In total darkness and lost she tried to see what was going on in the other room, but she realized that this room blocked her senses, she could no longer see what was to happen and what was happening. She had to decide whether to keep moving or stop all movements and wait to see if someone did it on purpose. A scream hit the blood soaked air and Marie shivered at the thought.
The lights came on suddenly and Marie looked around and saw that someone was also in the room, back turned toward her, unable to see his face she walked over and just as soon as the lights came on the turned off.
“Who…who’s there?” Marie said slightly afraid for her life. Nothing answered her back. The only sound was the water dripping off the ceiling down on to the stone floor. She thought for a long while and came to a conclusion, it was another one of her hallucinations that most likely had something to say before she freaked out and ran to the door, but it was locked. “I know you are there” Marie said, her voice sounding more confident than it was before. “You were listening to the conversation between the fallen angel and I weren’t you?” the man said as he came out of the shadows. “You where the one that was torturing Azeazl” Marie said. “Yeah and what of it He screwed up and this is what he gets in return for not paying us back for all the times we had to cover for his ass!” the man said. Marie thought for a long while and she wanted to ask what Azeazl did to earn this type of treatment. But the man just walked out the door and it locked behind him.
A door a few doors down open then shut, then once again blood curdling screams hit the stale air. Marie shivered and hid in a corner of the room. She must have fallen asleep when the door opened and light flooded the room, overwhelming the darkness within. Marie got up from her spot on the floor and looked toward the door where a winged being stood. She looked a little harder and realized that it was an angel that she did not know at all. The angel had blue wings with white deigns all around the feathers. His overall appearance was different from the other angels she had met over the short time she had been here. The angel was dressed all in different shades of blue and his long blond hair had dark blue streaks. “Who are you?” Marie asked. She was worried that something would happen to her once again. “Rafik” he said. So that was the angel that she had seen in one of her dream sequences that she had last year, before she had been put under protection by the Fallen. She had gone in time to the future to see what would happen, or better yet what would happen to herself later on, but all it showed was a man in all blue with blue and white wings.
Marie just looked at him then a thought came to her mind “what will happen to Azeazl?” Marie said. “He will most likely die, I was on my way to help but I found a complication in the plan” Rafik said. “I want to go too” Marie said. “No, he is really unstable and needs someone that knows him well enough to take care of him” Rafik said. Marie sighed and once again her gears started to turn in her head “what is wrong with him?” Marie asked. “that is for him to tell you. I have no right saying anything about it to an outsider like you. For that I am sorry, but just this once I will let you go with me. Only because I know you care enough about our kind to help one in need” Rafik said.
So the two of them started to come up with a strategy to bring Azeazl back, make a diversion is what both of them thought of and like that idea. Marie would distract the torturer and Rafik would take care of the rest. That was the plan. So now they had to put it in to action. Both walked quietly as possible down to the sixth door on the right, they paused and Marie knocked as loud as possible on to the door. It opened and the man from before came out. Rafik who was hiding came out of his hiding spot and ran into the room.
Azeazl had heard all the commotion and looked up from his half-conscious state. He had seen someone standing next to him and looked to see Rafik. “You will be okay, I am going to get you out of here even if it kills me” Rafik whispered. “Thank you, my friend” Azeazl said his voice still hoarse from screaming. Rafik did the job quickly and efficiently. The chains came off and blood came rushing back to Azeazl’s arms and legs and wings. He fell limp against Rafik and the other angel picked him up and ran out the door, his wings catching the air and he flew out of the catacombs. Marie was not far behind for she too was now an official member of the fallen. The angels of death as she had been told while still in school, people would not believe her now even if they saw this for their own eyes they still would not believe her.
A few weeks passed since the escape and Marie had been sleeping so much one might think she was dead. She still shared a room with Furfur and they still had late night talks about what ever Marie had been dreaming at the time. No one came to disturb her until one morning there was a loud knocking at the door. “Who is it?” Marie said. “Rafik” said the voice on the other side of the door. Marie ran to the door and swung it open to see the blue angel on the other side. “Azeazl has woken up and asked to see you” Rafik said. Marie quickly as possible without tripping got dressed and followed him out and down the flight of stairs to door that lead to the outside. They both walked down to what seemed like the hospital. Rafik entered before her and went to the reception desk and asked for a few hours to be with Azeazl.
They walked down a long hallway and got to room number 626. They opened the door and walked in. Azeazl was awake and was reading what looked like a book on human warfare, which was an odd topic for an angel. His long black hair had been washed and put in a high ponytail and for once the grimace was not on his lips. Instead a light smile was on his thin lips making him seem more beautiful then he already was. His missing eye had been replaced; Marie looked between Rafik and Azeazl and saw that now Azeazl had a sky blue eye in the place of his empty eye socket. She realized then that eye had belonged to Rafik. “Hey, how are you doing” Rafik said. “Better than I was and the doctors are letting me go home in a few days, but they want to put me back in to that home I was in before. Marie Right?” Azeazl said. “Yeah” Marie had said. “thank you for seeing me and coming to my aid. This has saved me more than I could ever really say. And by the way it was me that was interfering with your dream sequences, I wanted you to notice me and be willing to help me” Azeazl.
“I’m always willing to help out” Marie said. She was slightly distracted by a crow that was sitting on a branch of an ash colored tree. The crow made a slight gesture with his head as if to tell her something. “Be back in a moment” Marie said politely excusing herself from the room. She ran outside to see the crow on the lawn. It slowly glowed bright green and became a person. “Azza what are you doing here!?” Marie said. “I’ve got a message for you, and I don’t think you will like it very much.” Azza said his voice grave. “What is it?, what happened?” Marie said, she was desperate now and she wanted to know what happened. “Gwen is dead.” Azza said. Marie who looked surprised at first quickly became sorrow deep in her eyes. But no tears fell. She was stronger then most females and she was also a member of the fallen. Her life revolved around this, around being strong and willing. Not being weak and needing someone around her all the time to tell her what to do. She had been a reliable resource to everyone and she had the free use of her dream weaver. “You’re not upset or anything?” Azza asked. “No. to be honest I am very glad he is gone” Marie said. She was looking Azza right in the face and told him. “Ok whatever you say. But don’t blame me if something goes wrong. Or if he comes back to haunt you later on as a spirit” Azza said, his voice held a bit of anger as Marie told him these things.
Marie left and Azza turned back in to a crow. She walked back up the stars and to Azeazl’s room. Where the two angels where discussing some important things about what they call the Last Judgment, the end of the world. “Hey Marie, what happened?” Rafik said. “I got a message from Azza; he was just in the human world. He said that Gwen is dead.” Marie said. “Who is Gwen?” Azeazl said. “he was my best friend and my lover” Marie said. “So that explains a lot then. So that was also who you were trying to find when I came across you looking on that side road. ”Azeazl said “hold on “Marie said. “That was you that found me while looking for Gwen!” Marie said. She was lost for words and she knew that if she kept this up she would die. Maybe that was for the best, but she also had to realize that she was not the only one that could hear her thoughts. Azeazl could hear them too and a frown crossed his face.
Night came fast down in hell. Marie was not very happy and she had to remember that if she decided to go back she would never be able to come back. So in the end she decided the best thing to do was to stay. She let her wings out and stretched before curling up and falling asleep. Her dreams took her to faraway places that she would never get to visit or see. A scream woke her from her deep sleep and Marie and Furfur where out of their beds and dressed and out the door. They both looked around, not a soul to be found. The corridor what bright with light still and whispering was coming from the common room. The two of them ran down there and all Marie saw was red. She fell and no one was there to pick her up. She woke up a few hours later and saw that she was in a white room. Her wings ached and she felt really bad. ‘what happened’ she thought. “you got seriously hurt, your left wing may be broken and you have a slight concussion” what looked to be a doctor said. “When am I getting out of here and who brought me here” Marie demanded. “Iriss” the doctor said. “he found you when you were out cold. He knew you needed to be put here so here you are” the doctor said.
“what is going on, I am so confused, who was screaming? What was there blood all over the place?” Marie said. “War has broken out, between the fallen and the Guardians” the doctor said. “You have to get better so you can fight along side the others” he finished. Marie had tried and failed to move her wings and she screamed in pain as the hooks went to deep and a new hole was in the left one. There was a loud knocking at the door and Azza, Furfur, Rafik, and Azeazl came in all covered in blood. “Marie will you be able to fight? We need another hand in our team” Azza said. “yes, give me a moment and I will be there to help out” Marie sighed but detached the pins that where in her wing and stood up. She found her clothes but Furfur stopped her. “here these are more durable for such things as this” he said. She put on the heavy shirt and pants and her boots. She walked out of the room and once she was out a thought came through her. Did she really want to fight? She had no answer. But she was not fighting for Gwen, she was fighting for her right as a member of the fallen, to kill and not give mercy to anyone. This was her job.
Once outside she was just how bad it was. Flames took over most of the area, the ground was slick with blood and who knows what else. A few angels came over to their little team and joined their end of the fight. Marie was surprised at what a good fighter she was with no experience what so ever. The smell of burning wood and flesh stung her nose as she ran. Her wings out wide, her dream scape helped and she found the leader of the whole thing but she did not care. She was going to find someone that could help her out. She kept running and the ash and smoke stopped her from running very far. “Marie!” a voice said. Marie looked behind her and saw Azeazl, his wings spread and blood pouring down his face. He had that look that Marie had never seen in a person before.it was bloodlust.
Marie did not know what to do. She wanted to leave but at the same time she had to find out what was going on. This was not looking so good and Marie knew that.
Two weeks passed and Marie was still fighting. Everyone betrayed her, leaving her to fight for herself. But the end Marie was hurting and in pain, she needed to get back. She was standing on a mountain and she looked around and she saw that half the underworld was destroyed. Azeazl who at the time was running with Rafik to find Marie heard a scream. “who was that?” Rafik said. “I think I may know, it would be Marie” Azeazl said. By the time that they got to her, she was crying and disorientated. She had been hoping that she could leave, to find something else to make her happy. Azeazl looked at her and really wanted to kill her for some unknown reason. His only hope right now was to find someone that would listen, but he as well as everyone else exept for Marie knew that he was going insane. He was not the same as he once was. His dreams had always been out in the open for everyone to see. He liked war, he had welcomed it. He had always been called “demon of Hell” and he had lived to fill that position.
“Marie, wake up….Marie!” a voice yelled above her. Marie slowly opened her eyes and realized she was back in her room. Furfur stood over her looking worried about her. “Where is everyone else?” Marie said, her voice rough from not being used for so long. “The hospital” he answered shortly. “everyone but Azeazl got hurt in some way” furfur said. Marie had to think really hard then came up with a conclusion. There was something seriously wrong with that being. But she did not know what. She thought back to what the torturer had said and remembered that Azeazl had been chained for over ten years for something he did not do, or that is what he had said. That he had no part in it what so ever. Marie did not believe that, he was lying to them all. He was the one that started all of this to begin with. So she then thought that he was not to be trusted. as the two of them where talking a scream hit the air, even if Azeazl was out of the catacombs, Marie got up from her sitting position and looked out the window. The site that she saw was not looking so good. Two human men had an angel chained and where taking him to the execution block, the angel had long black hair, with two mismatching eyes. “Azeazl” Marie whispered. “So it is finally happening, as soon as he dies the world ends, he holds our fate” Furfur said. “Can we do something to help though” Marie said. “Give me a moment” Furfur said. He went over to a message box and called up Rafik. There was a knock on the door and furfur answered it. “We need your help and this time there is no refusing. If you don’t want your best friend to die and the world to end then help” Furfur said.
So about a week later the whole thing was over. Azeazl was put back in to the home where he was before and the reconstruction stage began. Weeks passed months came and went and Marie was happier than she had ever been. She had a great group of friends and people she called her family. She never did really think of Gwen anymore, she acted as if they had never met.
Marie was the wondering one. She had always wanted to learn new things. But her dream scape took her to a whole other place. One night as she lay falling asleep she had a vision. In the vision she saw a little boy. He was sitting on a stone wall playing a game. The next thing she knew was that someone was looking for him and when the person found him he was already dead. His insides scattered around his body and his pretty face all torn up. Marie woke suddenly and remembered the face she saw. Then she found Azeazl’s face in her mind and compared the two. They looked alike and he had that scar running down one side of his face also. But what was his name before he was a fallen angel or was he something else before all this happened. What happened to him in his life to make him go crazy? That was what she was wondering. If she wanted to know that bad she would have ran in to Azeazl’s mind to find out.
She woke up one morning with an odd feeling in her gut. She was in the middle of deciding what to do about it. No one was around to talk to. They where all out fighting for their freedom. She thought that if she helped she would earn some respect. She was wrong however. Being the only woman in the battle did not help matters. She was treated like a man and she had to pull her own load. Her dreams did not help anything at all; they kept going to the same scene over and over. She was of course, too scared to ask about Azeazl’s past and to know why he was in her dream. The whole area was quiet and not a noise was around, the only ones that where around where those who were in the “home”. Marie had still to figure it out. She knew that Azeazl was kept in the same place but he was able to fight.
She had found out that there was a library not too far from where she was. She got dressed and left to find it. She found it in a big old building that had stone pillars and had the feeling of coming out of the renaissance period. She entered and felt glad to be in a library again. She walked over to a shelf and found a book that seemed to be out of place in the shelf. She took it out and read the tittle it read “The Past” and that was all. The author was not written. She sat down and opened it up. Dust came out and she had to laugh, her grandmother would have called the book “dust tiger infested”. She started to read, before long time seemed not to be important anymore and she soon found out what this book was about. She had started to play it out like a movie and before long her last dream scape fit right in to her reading. The book was on the past and future of Azeazl. No wonder no author was written.
She was deep in reading when she heard screams and shouts coming from outside. She took the book and signed it out and walked out the door. A group of fallen where running by, going to what she though was the battle grounds. But she was wrong. She started to run and the smell in the air made her almost gag. A group of Guardians where surrounded by the fallen. In the middle of all this was Azeazl and another angel that she did not know. All at once blood flew and when Marie looked up again none of the Guardians where standing. Blood lust was all Marie thought as she left the scene and went back to her room. A few hours past and someone came into her room. She looked up and saw Furfur. “What happened?” Marie asked. “You were there weren’t you, at that execution?” Furfur asked. Marie did not answer for she knew that she was now in some deep trouble. “They all saw you Marie! We will now be in some deep shit because we let a girl see what our true nature is! Azeazl will be more than willing to kill himself all because he let you of all people see what type of being he is or better yet his personality!” Furfur was furious. He and the others had let her down, not telling her to stay inside and let them take care of the dirty work. Marie for the first time in a long time was upset with herself. She did not want any of this, but she was here and was not allowed to do anything on her own. She suddenly had an idea. She would join the fight but make sure no one recognized her. She wanted to be needed she wanted to prove that a woman can do just a good job as a man when it came to fighting. But she knew that she would need some training and she knew that no one would be willing to help her after what happened today. This felt like the last thing that she could do, to help out the ones that she cared for. She had suddenly stopped in her tracks. A voice coming back to her remembered this “the last judgment is coming, the world will end. What will you do?”. She still wondered if what the reaper said was right. if she could somehow get in between the fallen and the guardians.
“Marie! where are you?” a voice called. This voice what Azza, who had been on a long trip because of a mistake that had happened, which involved Azeazl and the human workers at the “home”. Azza had been looking all over for Marie and all this time oblivious to the war that had taken over the land. Azza’s wings drooped and he squared his shoulders and ran off, to fine Marie. He had been thinking about what Azeazl had done, to be willing to kill the workers just to get out in to a measly battle that had nothing to do with him? To get him captured and to just about die chained to the wall. Azza would never understand that angel but most did not call him a demon for no reason. He was considered a monster; even for fallen angel standards he was completely lost to them. But he was a very good fighter.
“Marie was in her and Furfur’s room reading the book she signed out from the library. She had learned more then she would ever know. Like what this battle was for and who they were looking for. Marie was lost in thought when the door opened and Azza stuck his head in. “can I come in?” he asked. “yeah go ahead, as if I can stop him” she said the last bit to herself as she watched him take a spot on the floor beside her. “what are you reading?” Azza asked. “I just found it laying around so I thought..” she trailed of as Azza picked up the book and told her “why? Are you planning to betray us too?” he said. “no. I just want to help, I want to know more” Marie was getting sick of being yelled at and her attitude showed it. “you really want to know what goes on in one of our minds?” Azza asked. He himself was getting uncomfortable talking about the topic. But he knew that Marie wanted to know the story. “which one do you want to know about?” Azza asked. “About…well…Azeazl, why he is the way he is and all the others are the total opposite” Marie said. “Ok, I’ll tell you under one condition, you keep your mouth shut and not tell anyone about this” Azza told her. Marie nodded. “ Azeazl and I had been childhood friends. Until one day he did not come to school. I had decided to go to his home to see what was going on. I got there and knocked on the door, no one answered to door. So I opened the door and walked in, I walked through the house to Azeazl’s room. I had taken a deep breath and opened the door. I looked around the room and laying on the bed was Azeazl, he looked really sick and I had then realized that, that is why he was not at school that day. But at a closer look I saw scares littering the left side of his face. And the worst part was that it looked like tattoos marred his back but I then saw odd things where coming from his shoulder blades, wings, jet black wings. He had then woke up and told me “don’t tell anyone, my parents would kill me and I would have to leave this world for good” I was surprised that he told me that but sure enough he was the first one to leave this world, but about three years later I saw him but not as a human, but as a fallen angel. He had always been watched really closely because people thought that he was crazy and sure, he was. Soon after I was brought there, a massacre happened. Most of the fallen where dead. Azeazl was in the center of the bloodshed. Not a tear in his eyes., from that day on he was to live in the “home” as they all called it, where unstable fallen angels go to. From that on you know the rest from that book” Azza finished. Marie did not know what to say but to say the lest she was amazed. No wonder he acted all care free around her. Where in reality he was hurting. “Rafik later came and took my place of watching him. Those two where really close and they never where out of each other’s sight” Azza said. “that must have been hard for you to cope with, to see one of your best friends fall to such a low place” Marie said. She had decided to be quite about it all and not say anything to Azeazl. She know knew about his past, and now she wished that she did not know anything at all.
That night sleep did not come easily. She stayed awake and tossed and turned not able to find a spot to sleep on. Furfur was still away on an assignment and who knows when he would get back. It could be today or tomorrow or a few weeks from now. But she did not have anyone to talk to, to help her out. All the information she got was going at one hundred miles an hour though her head. She finally fell asleep and when she did her dreams took her to a faraway place, where people killed each other and where cold blooded killers. One question still plagued her mind though, how was Azeazl turned in to an angel to begin with, who was the one who changed him? She would never know.
Close to a year past and the battle still raged on. Marie did not know what to do. All her close friends where fighting. She was left on the sidelines with nothing to do. She was a loner once again. Her mind strayed to when she was human and the school she was going to at the time. She was not very popular but she had a few close friends. But in this case all her friends were out there fighting and killing and doing what they love to do. Her mind went to Azeazl, and what she was told. Now though she knew that he had a twin brother that forced Azeazl to go insane, the brother’s name was Azazel, he though was once a guardian but followed Azeazl to hell. Marie was getting worried the quietness was getting to her and she was on the verge of screaming. No one would answer her calls she sent though her mind. They had all said that they were busy and that they could not pay attention to her right now.
She fell asleep dreaming of the battle that was raging on outside and about why Lucifer got band from heaven. And why his name meant light bringer. There were so many things that she did not know and out of them all she wanted to know more. She was still considered human by most of the angels but she still carried the brand of Gabriel. She still had a choice, stay with the fallen or go to the guardians to become an Arch angel. Over all her life had been a total mess. No one was around for her to help her get though. She was walking though the building wondering when her time would come, for her to lose her wings and die. She suddenly bumped in to someone. “Sorry I did not mean to” Marie said and continued walking. “Marie wait” the person said. Marie turned around and saw Lucifer standing there. “What do you want?” Marie said. “You want an explanation right? About why I am here and why I got cast down from above?” Lucifer said. “Well I am kind of curious but it is not something to worry about.” Marie said. She could feel another story coming around and she was ready to hear it. “fine I’ll tell you, it was long ago, I had been having a bad day and for some reason I had gone aginst what was told of me and decided that I did not want to obey. I had looked at the situation differently I had questioned My Lord’s authority and did not do as he wanted. But I had been the second most powerful angel in his court of angels. But now I am down here, lord of night and darkness. That is what he calls me now. And he refused to listen when I was in need. Now we are on opposing sides. I had sworn a vow that I would remain by my master until the end. But I did not stay true to my word. My once white wings turned black and I had known I had fallen. So just to piss of My Lord I took five hundred angels with me. I was the one that had the name for light bringer for a name. But I don’t even remember what else happened after that” Lucifer finished. “You don’t really like him do you?” Marie said. “I don’t is right. But I had to stomach him for a few thousand years, but now I am my own ruler” Lucifer said. “but if you really want to know more I would tell you but you are still a human with angel powers and wings, that does not make you a full-fledged angel, I’m sorry Marie but I think it is best that you don’t know any more than is necessary, it could do some major damage to your health to know more than most humans would about the topic” Lucifer finished. Marie understood and continued walking. She had no idea where she was going she just wanted to get out for a while. In a way she wanted to have someone to talk to someone that understood her. The only one was well, Azeazl but he was put back in the home. So Marie thought that she would make a trip to go see him, to ask about what was in store for her later in her life. She went back to her room and got her coat and walked out the door and down the staircase. She signed out and walked out the big double doors, in her mind she did not know what to do. She continued walking until she found the big white building that Azeazl had been talking about, the place where to find him. She took a deep breath and walked inside. She saw a reception desk in far corner and she walked toward it. “Excuse me” Marie said. The being that was on the other side of the desk was clearly a human female. “Yes what can I help you with?” the human said. “I want to see someone by the name of Azeazl” Marie said. “Sorry, he is in isolation and if you do what to see him then you need an adult” the human said. “Fine” Marie said. She was just walking out when she crashed in to someone that was walking in. “damn, me being klutzy” Marie muttered. “Marie what are you doing here?” it turned out that the person was Azza, who had just got back from fighting in the west. “I came to see Azeazl” Marie said. “here I will go with you and we can see him together, because I have something I need to tell him” Azza said. Marie and Azza walked back to the reception desk and asked for Azeazl’s location. “676 on the IF” the human said. As they started to walk away Marie asked “what does IF stand for” “Isolation Floor, where they keep the dangerous or unstable, the ones that like war and blood, so to speak” Azza said. Marie digested this information and they continued walking, up four flights of stairs later they were on the IF floor. There where what looked like nurses walking between doors and talking amongst themselves about “confidential maters” and Azza and Marie just kept walking. They went to the nurse’s station and asked “miss, can I have the key to room number 676, Azeazl’s room please” Azza had said. “one moment please” she said. Marie looked around the floor and noticed that it was really quite and the only noise was muttering amongst the nurses or the muttering of angels the rooms. “Ok done, here is the key and do you need anyone to go with you two?” the nurse said, she had a friendly smile but Marie saw that something else was bugging her. “No, we will be ok thank you miss” Azza said. He took the key and he and Marie walked down the corridor to number 676. Azza knocked on the door and a muffled come in was said from the other side. “Ready” Azza said to Marie, “yeah, I am” Marie said. Azza pulled the key out from his pocket and stuck the skeleton key in the key hole. The thunk it made as it turned was deafening on the ears of the nurses. Azza pulled on the door handle and the door opened easily on its hinges as if it was just oiled. Azza then Marie stepped in to the room. The room its self was small and by that it was smaller than the one that she shared with Furfur back at the dorms. The room only had a bed, a chair in the corner, a side table and a closet. Azeazl was perched on the chair reading what appeared to be human literature. “So you decided to pay me a visit?” Azeazl said. “Yeah and I came with some bad news as well” Azza said gravely. “What is it then?” Azeazl said back. Azza sighed and looked away but finally said “your brother is dead, he died on the battle field in the west, a curse to his heart and a sword blade to his head, I’m sorry. I was not quick enough to save him” Azza said. Azeazl took time to understand what happened and without a tear in his eyes he told Azza “don’t worry about it, he is the one that sent me here in the first place, the one that screwed up my whole life, to be honest I am glad to hear that he is gone.” The sound of chains caught both the visitors’ attention. Azeazl lifted up one of his wrists and one of his ankles and said “I killed a few nurses the other day, I got out of control and no one could hold me back, so the king himself paid me a visit and told me that I was out of the fight for a good long while and locked me in shackles for a while”. Azza just shook his head but Marie stepped in and said “but it was not your fault, right? Or did you just do it because you wanted to go to the battle?” Marie said. She had a slight smile on her face and Azza looked at her then looked at Azeazl and smiled. No wonder them two got along so well, where as anyone else would be dead for just talking to him. That was when something felt off, like something was missing. Azza looked around then noticed that someone was standing in the door way. “Did you know that this one is in an isolated room for a reason? That it is because he killed half our forces during the last war and that he killed his parents and the only survivor is his sister, who is a human?” the person standing in the door way said. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” Azeazl demanded. “you look like you don’t remember me, my name is Asmodeus, we fought on the same side during the rebellion about eleven years ago, a year before you were reported locked up for a long time, which turned out to be ten years” Asmodeus said. “Just shut up” Azeazl muttered. “I should have remembered the one of judgment right?” Azeazl said. Azza and Marie where both surprised at this but then Azza said “ I was, at that time only a fledgling, and I looked up to both of you, two great warriors with great minds but I had hoped I would never have to fight either of you” “Marie meet Asmodeus” Azeazl said. “We used to get along but now we don’t. For various reasons of course, like he and my dead brother ganged up and basically forced me in to this retched place that I am now forced to call my home. I’m only allowed out to use to bathroom and to fight. Besides that I am stuck in here all day, even when I was human I was locked up. I am what Lucifer calls The Ring-Leader. I live for blood and I aim to kill whoever gets in my way. I fell from grace and this is the place I ended up in, I lead four hundred angels in to battle at least five times every month, maybe more this month” Azeazl finished. Marie was surprised but she now knew that the life of an angel is different than the life of a human. She herself was still human, no matter how much she denied it, she knew it was true, a fledgling as Lucifer called her, without real wings and powers that a common human could see though.
She knew that Azza and Azeazl where right about her staying out of it all. That it had nothing what so ever to do with her or the human world. It was a battle fought behind the human’s backs. “So you where the one that the grim reaper was talking about that night that I was looking for Gwen, he had said that the “Ring leader” would kill me if I knew anything about what was going on” Marie said. “So he too was talking about me. I guess I have a bad reputation. But if he was serious then I will let it go” Azeazl said. “Yeah he meant it, that if you knew that I knew that the world was going to end he said that you would kill me, but why only me?” Marie said. “Because you have something inside of you that would destroy the world and take the angel race down with you, your parents knew about us and they had a device that would kill angels and take down the world. But even we don’t know what the name of the thing is.” Azeazl said. Marie took a while but she thought about this and decided that she would have to think about it more on her own. She never knew her parents though, she was sent to an orphanage at a young age. But much as she remembered the woman that ran the place always told her “dear child, no matter what you go though, there are always angels that are watching you” Marie smiled and knew that the saying was from her parents.
She looked over at Azza who was having what looked like an argument with Asmodeus. About what she did not know, Marie was deep in thought when someone put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” the voice turned out to be Azza’a. “I’m fine. I was just thinking that is all” Marie said. “Azeazl we have to go back, our time is up and I hope to come back in a few days with an update okay?” Azza said. “Please come back and tell Rafik that I say hi and take care, I won’t be out of here for a few months at least” Azeazl said. Azza nodded and left with Marie, Asmodeus kept a far distance from the other two in front. Azza returned the key and Marie and he walked down the stairs to the front door. Azza went back to the reception desk and made an appointment for two weeks ahead for time to go with Marie and to see if Rafik would like to go with them. But there was something that was on Azza’s mind, something that was killing him on the inside. He had a feeling that something bad was to come. He pushed away those thoughts at once as Marie started to talk to him about what he did not know. “AZZA! Are you listening to me?” Marie shouted in Azza’s ear. “What?” he replied. “What does this all mean? Am I really the one that is going to destroy humanity? Am I the one that is going to destroy you?” Marie said, her voice was shaking slightly. “I don’t know, you would have to ask Lucifer and Azeazl they are the only ones that know about all of this” Azza said. “but if you really want to become of us you have to fall first, go to your world and die and hope you end up back here” Azza snapped, he quickly walked away leaving Marie to fend for herself as usual.
Marie walked away looking dejected, but she knew he was right. That is what she had to do to get back here. Then she remembered a passage in Azeazl’s journal that she read called the Past it went like this
“When a soul crosses to the afterlife, it journeys into one of the opposing realms;
A Divine source of Harmony and wellbeing
A Consuming source of evil and Malevolence.
A midworld exists for the souls whose judgment has yet to be decided
It is commonly referred to as purgatory
For centuries,
7 arc angels, protectors of the light,
And 7 fallen, soldiers of the dark have silently fought for balance of power over these unclaimed souls
This is a place that even angels fear to tread.”
This she knew was true. She would not let the darkness get to her like she had before. She would overcome it. And become someone that the world needed. This world is just like purgatory she had muttered as she went back to her room. Her train of thought still strayed to why Azeazl was chained up for ten years but she had guessed that she would never know. The events that happened that year where never spoken for that reason. Yes she knew that the world was a dangerous place for angels to tread but she also knew that it was dangerous even for humans to live in it. Marie continued her long walk back home, her mind kept reeling in all the things she learned today, like the knowledge of the fact that Azeazl had a twin brother that was killed today on the western front.
She decided that the next day she would go see Azeazl and try to get some answers about everything that had been happening. But this might be harder then she thought. After the long walk she finally was back where she belonged. The stair way felt like it never ended, like it kept going and going with no real end. She finaly reached the top. She walked down the hall to her room that she still shared with Furfur and unlocked the door. Once inside she stumbled to her bed and fell sound asleep. Her dreams where strange and she awoke screaming, no one was around. Most of the angels where out fighting, Marie thought that, that was where Azza went to, back to the west to finish his part, to help bring down the guardian’s. Furfur was out there too, helping Azza and doing his part. But then why wasn’t Azeazl out there too? He was still locked in his room. Only if the fight gets close to the heart of the city was Azeazl to be let lose. Marie sighed and got up to go find something to eat. She heard a ruckus from down stairs so she walked down the stairs to see a few angels back from the battle field. A few looked like they had been crying, tears of blood leaking from their eyes. One came up to Marie and said “sorry, we could not save him.” “Save who?” Marie said “to save Furfur, he died, to protect you and this place he calls home. Just to let you know, Lucifer just let out Azeazl, I would advise you stay inside out of sight or else you die” the angel said “why” Marie said “you cannot control a fox that has rabies, they are uncontrollable and unpredictable, that is how Azeazl is when he fights so just stay away and let him take care of it. That would mean one thing Marie though. The strongest of the Fallen was now out of chains to fight a fight that had nothing to do with him. But Marie also knew that fighting was all that Azeazl was good at doing, bloodshed was all that he lived for, he was the Ring Leader. A being that controlled two hundred angels, with a bad attitude seemed to get him whatever he wanted but it also dealt a horrible condition to him, that no one knows what it is. But Marie’s mind was on the bigger picture, most of pit that they all called home could be destroyed.
A loud bang woke them all from their reverie as a human came running in shouting things “he is here! We will all die! Help us! He will kill us all! Then what!” “Hold on, what are you talking about? Who is here?” the angel said. “Azeazl!” the human said. “Marie go somewhere safe, I’ll try to take care of this myself” a new voice said, the voice what Rafik. Marie was surprised to see him but she knew that he would take care of this, that he himself was Azeazl’s keeper, the one that keeps him in control and in check. But this case would be much more different by the looks of it. Marie thought back to Gwen and what happened to him, that he was dead. But the question still got under her skin, why was he dead? Who did it? Marie stood there rubbing at the brand that was tattooed on her upper arm. Death was not pretty and it stunk really badly. A loud bang resounded around the room and the all the angels ran from the room to the door and pulled it open. Rafik ran in front of the others. The sky was colored red with flames. The air once again was filled with screams and the smell of burning flesh and wings. In the middle of all this was none other than Azeazl, his mismatched eyes glowing, one red the other azure blue. His long hair already matted with blood. Rafik did the only thing he could do to help his dear friend, he ran into the flames not caring if his wings burnt. “Enough of this madness, calm down and forget it all, no one wants to fight you. Lucifer is an idiot if he thinks that you can take care of this. What will the rest of your men think if they saw you like this? Be strong and fight this madness you have on the inside” Rafik said. About after an hour Azeazl finally calmed down and suddenly everything around them was covered in water, the flames died down and so did the singed wings of Rafik’s. Azeazl’s wings where not even touched by the flames, the only thing that was, was the brand he had on his right palm. Marie was surprised by all this but she stayed out of the way and let the others take care of everything. She just walked away but the death of Furfur still ingrained in her memory for the rest of her life. Her only real friend was dead. Where was she going to go now? The angels all had to be in a room of two and her only friend was dead. She collapsed and did not get up. All she remembered hearing was someone screaming at her but she soon forgot being awake. All she felt was being carried to the hospital by someone that had an odd sent of burnt wood and the feel of blood on the skin. But she did not care now.
She awoke a few days later. An odd black lump was lying at her feet. She sat up and looked closer and saw long black hair and a scared face and jet black wings protruding from his long black coat. She smiled but that soon faded when she saw the chain that was hooked to his ankle and wrist. She shifted a little and the being woke up. “Your awake, we all thought you died or something” the being said. Marie looked back and saw Azeazl looking back at her. A haunting look was across his face, one that made Marie shiver. “What happened to you!?” Marie demanded. Azeazl sighed but told her “nothing. Don’t worry about it, I am fine”. “No. you’re not fine you just about killed us all, you are going to be the death of us all, you will end this world” Marie stated. “I thought I liked you, but this is not going to help matters, I hate you! I thought I could trust you and I was wrong” Marie was angry. “I stayed so I could say that I was sorry and that I was the one that took Furfur’s life” Azeazl said. “But how? You were locked up” Marie said. “I was let free last night and I took that as a chance, all because it was in the middle of the night and it was dark out” Azeazl said. “By the way I am being put in a high security room, no one will be able to see me, only a high ranking angel. You won’t be seeing me ever again and if you do then it will be right before you die” Azeazl said. Suddenly the door to Marie’s hospital room opened and two angels came in and unchained Azeazl and dragged him out the room. Marie sighed and was just about to go to sleep when sure enough the door banged open and Azza and Rafik came in. “you’re here to criticize me too?” Marie muttered. “no, we are here to help straighten a few matters out with you, like what happened ten years ago and why Azeazl seems to hate you and a few other things as well” Rafik said. Marie looked at them both and told them “fine go ahead I’m listening to you”. “Ten years ago someone showed up in this place that did not belong, Azeazl was psychotic as it was then and could just barely be controlled, but when a news cast was sent to all angels he found out about the mass massacre that took place. He decided to have his own. He was a very good escape artist and the only person that he did not kill was…your mother” Rafik stopped and looked at Marie. “hold on, so why was my mom here for?” “She was put through the same thing as you, but Azeazl had other plans, he liked your mom but later in the human world he seduced your mom then killed her. Your father was gone as you know. When Azeazl was brought back here he was chained and locked in that cell where you first saw him. His time down there was supposed to be twenty years but you interfered, it was that or death. I think now Azeazl would pick death. But he is the one that started all this, so he has to finish it himself. He is not called the Ring Leader for nothing, Lucifer loved Azeazl because of his straight forward way of doing things, Lucifer had planned that if something happened to him, and Azeazl was to take over. But once again that is ruined because of Azeazl and his ways. But he hates you because you look so much like you mother. In his books he rather not see you at all but he was nice in the beginning only because he had to and because he did not know that your mother had been there. Remember what Azeazl had told you though that you had a device that could destroy all of humanity, well he was telling the truth about that and that I think is all. The rest of the story is up to him to tell” Rafik finished. Marie thought about it for a few minutes and said “so all this is true? And I have to stay here for how long?” Marie said. “You have to live here and it is not a choice, there is a school here and I know that you don’t want to go but you still have to .we are the ones that don’t have to. At that place though you will learn to fight and get ready to help us fight in battles.” Azza said. “But you guys don’t look any older than me, where is the difference in that?” Marie said. “We have been like this for hundreds of years we don’t age or die unless someone finds our week point” Rafik said. “But most here where once human and had kids. But with Azeazl, he was born an angel, just not the one that his parents hoped for, his father was a member of the fallen, his mother was a Guardian, Azazel, who just died chose to be a guardian and his brother who we all know, Azeazl chose to be a fallen angel. But their sister is a human and still in school, she thinks that her brothers died and will not be back. Azazel will never be back since he is dead, but Azeazl is still alive and up to no good what so ever” Azza said. Marie was surprised about all of this and had a feeling that she was about to hear more of it. Then she remembered something that had been eating at her mind, “when an angel choses death, they also lose their wings and fall” it had been a part of a book that her English class had to read. So was it true? She decided to ask. “does that mean when and angel choses death, they also lose their wings and fall, is this true?”. “it varies, some fallen angels are born that way while others do have to die first” Azza said. Marie thought about this and it did make sense.
What about Azeazl? Was he born an fallen angel or was he made? This question ran around Marie’s mind. “I know what you think Marie, Azeazl was born a fallen angel. While still in a human’s body” Rafik stated. Marie was surprised; she never knew that fallen angels could be born. She had heard stories about the creation but that was all. “how was he born a fallen angel though? Aren’t they created?” Marie said. “Well it varies to the circumstance that caused it. Azeazl had it in him at birth. Though even I don’t know how” Rafik said.
“Why are we even discussing this. Such a dreary topic. He is nothing more than an insane being, that deserves to die” Azza said. “What? I thought you were his friend?” Marie said. “It is not that easy. We’ve been rivals for an eternity. The only time we help each other is in battle” Azza said. “Really? It seems to me that you two get along fine” Marie said. “Sometimes we do. Then sometimes we don’t. it varies to the circumstance” Azza said. “but if you want to know more, then you have to talk to Azeazl about it. We cannot disclose any more than we did.” Rafik said. Him and Azza both walked out the door. Marie was left to her own devices once again. Who knows what is in store for her these up coming days. Marie stayed still for a few minutes and thought about what had been going on these last few days. How much she had learned, and about what really happened to her parents. She had decided to go back to bed when the door slammed open again and two humans came in to the room. “your needed” one of them said. “Our lord needs to for a minute” the other one said. “fine, one moment” Marie said, she quickly put some shoes on her feet and left with the humans. Her wings floating behind her, since hers where not as big and full like Azza’s or Azeazl’s she did not have to worry about them getting dirty all the time, hers just grazed her knees and that was all.
They finally got to their destination. And the door opened and the humans led Marie up the stairs to speak to Lucifer. Marie knocked on the door and a “come in” was said. She took a deep breath and calmed her breathing. This was the first time she was here alone and with out support from her friends. But right now that was not the concern. What was the concern was why she was here. Marie took the door knob and twisted. She stood in the door way with her eyes down. “So, do you know why you are here?” Lucifer said. “No I do not” Marie answered. She slowly opened her eyes and look straight ahead. Her eyes suddenly got big as saucers when she saw a furmilier face and wings. The chains where the thing that caught her off guard. It was Azeazl and the reason he was there was unknown to her. “we have a problem, and you must fix it” Lucifer said. “Azeazl clams that you are related to a woman by the name of Lilly, am I correct?” Lucifer finished. “yes, she was my mother. But I don’t see why this has anything to do with why he is here” Marie made a motion to where Azeazl stood. “he said that you have the same device that your mother had. But I don’t see that in you though. The thing that I really want to discus with you is the fact that you have done something that I must punish you for” Lucifer told her. Marie looked at Lucifer then at Azeazl. The look in the latter was enough to make Marie’s skin crawl. “I don’t know what I did” Marie admitted. “You disobeyed an order not to look in to Azeazl’s past and you did it anyways. It was up to him to tell you, not you to find someone or someway to find out more. You did a sweep of his mind while he was comatose, and you ended up destroying your fragile friendship with him, you should feel ashamed of yourself. “Lucifer said. “I just wanted to know more that was all, but now I see that I screwed up. And I should have asked before doing what I did. By the way what will be my punishment?” Marie said.
“you are going to be sent to the kingdom in the sky and work as a spy for us, with no contact from us until the job is complete. If you come back before two weeks you get killed. Understood?” Lucifer said. “who would kill me?” Marie said, slightly uncomfortable with the topic. Lucifer just pointed at Azeazl and the look of blood lust suddenly flashed across Azeazl’s face. “Why?” Marie said. “it was his privacy you crept in to.” Lucifer said. “Remember if you try to kill him the world is gone. Understood?” Lucifer finished. “Yes” Marie said. With that she turned around and walked out the door. She wondered what he had meant by it, by the fact that if she tried to do anything she would die. But how?, she never had seen Azeazl’s true strength, and she already knew that no matter what he did, she would die just like her mother.
She walked slowly back to her room. It was dark and gloomy now that Furfur was dead. She had yet to be assigned to someone new to take his place. Until a knock sounded throughout the room “Who is it?” Marie said. “someone you don’t know” the voice said. Marie looked at the door and wondered who it could be but walked over to the door and opened it up, Marie looked at the being standing in front of her and all she saw where beautiful purple and red wings. “My name is Tarel, I heard about Furfur so I offered to watch over you until you go on your mission to kingdom above” Tarel said. Marie thought about this and was glad that the room was no longer quite and lonely. But that was just the beginning.
Marie left for her mission two days later. No one was there to see her off and she had a feeling that she was betrayed. But right now that did not matter. She had wanted to stay alive and live life to the fullest. But that looked kind of far away. She flew in to the sky and beat her wings twice and she was in a whole other world. She suddenly felt a harsh pull on her left wing and looked over to the left. What looked like an angel was really something she had never met before in her life. The two beings said “we are the Seraphim of this domain, we do not allow fallen in to our home there for you must die” they said. “what did I do though” Marie said. “ we just don’t like fallen in our domain” They said. “But I got assigned to be here for a mission” She stated. “yeah so what” they screamed. “what is going on down here?” a voice said, authoritty lacing every word. “nothing, just a dirty fallen wanting to go in to our domain” the Seraphim said. “who are you?” Marie said, her wings starting to hurt from the pressure the celestial beings where putting on them. “Lurial” the stranger said. “I’m a lower white angel in this territory. I am the head guard around this gate; we don’t let your kind in here. After Azeazl’s brother betrayed us we have been fighting them non-stop, so you came at a very bad time. And I can only send you back to the place where you came from” Lurial said.
Marie was going to have none of it. She wanted to finish her mission and go back. But she understood punishment when it was aimed at her.
“But here is three tasks that you must complete within ten hours, with no extra time involved” Lurial said. Marie looked possitivly motifiyed when he said that. She should have known that sometime soon this would happen, like the fact that she was banned from the human world until her mission was done. “here is task one: go to the eastern gate, defeat the guardian named toili and then pick up the award monay from the treasurer that lives to the west of that point. Then return here in 2 hours, you are dismissed” Lurial said. Marie looked horrified but did what she was told. About two hours later she returned, bloody and sweating, carrying a bag which she gave to Lurial. “the second is to ask the hurboligist on the forth cloud to the south about a way to treat sword wounds with out having to use any sort of human antibacterial stuff.” Lurial said. Marie sighed but did as was told, she flew off but when she got to the place she was to go the cottage was in ruins. Marie looked around the building then walked to the door and opened it up, the hinges squealed in protest as she pushed the old door wide open. On the far wall she saw fresh blood stains still wet. She ran out the building and went to the nearest place and asked about her “do you know what happened to the old lady that lives in that cottage over there?” Marie said. “some masked man came and took her away” the man said, looking bored with the topic. Marie huffed and walked out. It took her about an hour but she found the man she was looking for, but did not kill him, all she did was take back the old lady and ask “do you know of any treatment to use on a sword wound besides using human antibacterial cream?” “No I do not sorry” the lady said. Marie was upset but she knew she had to go back for her third task, and knowing Lurial he was going to give her the hardest one last when she had so little time left.
She flew back to the main gate and told Lurial “ She said that there was no cure and that you should give up on hopping for one” Marie recited. Lurial sighed and told her “well….Just this once you can go in, but finish your work quickly and get out before the bell tolls twelve or else you are a dead woman, understand?” Lurial finished. “yeah I know, I’ll be done soon.” Marie said as she ran by him to the gate, it opened and as she ran by the Seraphim they gave her a dirty look and went back to their posts.
Marie realized that she was in that place for almost three hours until she remembered was she was there to do, so she got to work. Around eleven-fifty-seven she ran out the gate and tucked her wings in and dove into the darkness below, past the human world and through the portal to the fallens’ domain. She sighed a sigh of relief at seeing her home once again but she had to go through with everything at this point and ran once again back to Lucifer’s castle. She knocked twice and the door opened and the servant on the other side said “You are expected to on up” Marie walked by the human and up the stair case. She was just about to knock when the door swung open and two angels that Marie had never seen stormed out and past her, their wings blending in to a rainbow of color. She walked in and stood near the door. “I’m back” Marie said. “I see that, so what did you learn?” Lucifer said, while turning around to look at her. “they test people before they are aloud in through the gates, and that they are already planning an attack on us in the winter, and they are working on a new sort of wepon, the name was not discussed, no one knows what it will be called.” Marie finished rattleing off everything she knew. “well, I’ll tell Azeazl about this and see what he has to say, then we will know if you are safe to stay or not, you may stay in your room and not leave, you are confined there until I say otherwise” Lucifer said. Marie sighed and left the room. Glad to maybe be out of trouble, she ran out the building and walked slowly back to her room in the main building where all the angels stay. As she was walking she noticed that most of the buildings where being rebuilt. This made her think of what was going on while she was away. But before she knew it the building that she wanted was right in front of her. She walked inside and back up the stairs. What looked like blood stains where all over the floor and over one wall. She had even more things to think about now. “What the hell is going on” she murmured to herself. “Azeazl went berserk and no one could stop him, half of us here where killed” an angel that Marie had not seen before stood in front of her eyes. He had blue wings but the tips of his feathers where gray. “I’m Shax” the angel said. “but I already know you, Marie. I had seen you in the human world while I was on a mission a long time ago; you were only a child then.” Shax said. Marie looked at the other angel and noticed that he looked different than the others. He looked like a human being. “I know what you are thinking; you wonder why I am in the form of a human?” Shax told her. “it is my sealed form, all of us have a human form. My half- brother Ferfax is the same way, except he has cat ears and has a nasty disposition. You I bet will sometime see him around but he tends to keep to himself after his fight he had with Uzza a while back. And got his eye gouged out”. Shax finished. But Marie did not know what to say. She leaned too much in a short time. “how did you get here? I never saw you before now?” Marie said. “I’m not from around these areas. I’m from the northern most part. I live out on the streets; my parents gave me up for dead and wanted nothing else to do with me. So here I am” Shax said. “SHAXY” a voice screamed from somewhere behind them. “Where are you? Ferfax has been looking for you, he has some good information on some things” a girl came out of the nearest hallway, looked around and saw Marie talking to Shax. “There you are, let’s go.” The girl said. She had long fiery red hair with a set of headphones over her ears. “fine.” Shax said. “By the way this is Lolly, she is a human spy” Shax said. “Nice to meet you Lolly, I’m Marie” Marie said. “Yeah same here” Lolly said. “Come on Shax, enough talking to the girl and lets go find Ferfax” Lolly finished.
They both walked away and Marie stayed in the spot wondering what just happened. She did not even know either of them and they both considered her a friend. She was just about to go to her room when shouting came from one of the hall ways. She walked down the hall and saw to angels fighting, two that she did not even know. Everything was changing here and she knew it. Why though? She had no idea. Out of nowhere came a flash of black and a angel was standing in between the two fighting angels. “Stop there is no time to fight” the angel said. Azeazl Marie whispered. The angel looked over at her and smiled, but it was not the nice one that she had first seen. This time it was more of a sneer then a smile, Marie looked away and before she did she noticed the slight indent in his wings, from where it looked like feathers where taken out, as if to clip his wings. One of the angels had cat ears, that where both pierced with a eye patch over one eye. The other one looked like a carbon copy of Azeazl, long jet black hair with deep navy blue eyes. “Ferfax, Ichor what are you doing, and right in the hall way?” Azeazl said. “He screwed up!, he did what I told him not to and the mission went to hell!, Thanks Ferfax” the black haired angel, Ichor said. Ferfax just sighed and walked away, “don’t you walk away!” Ichor said. “I did not do anything; there was just a little mishap with the plan that was all. I was just doing my job” Ferfax said. Azeazl rolled his eyes and walked away “I’ll leave you two to do what you want, just no more fighting in the hallway” Azeazl said while walking away. “Don’t you interfere” he said while walking by Marie.
Shax and Lolly came up behind Marie to watch what was going on. “Hey, Ferfax, did you have something you had to tell me?” Shax said. “Yeah, the Guardians are on the move and they aim for this to be the first stop, they also want to recruit some of us for some reason, yet they know that we are loyal to Lucifer” Ferfax said. “Who are you?” Marie said “Demon, but everyone calls me Ferfax” the cat eared being said. “How long have you been here, I’ve never seen you before?” Marie said. “Well…I stay in the house with Azeazl, and a few others. I’m not aloud outside usually” Ferfax said. “Who else is there? I mean who else is in the same ward as you” “well, there’s Azeazl of course, Janus a two faced pain in the ass, Sharon a little delicate child, Leah, a girl with many talent and great skill, then last there is Terminus, he has his own issues. These are the only ones that are in the same ward as me. We’re all there because we have similar problems but we all love to fight when given the chance” Ferfax said.
She left the other three talking and she walked outside. It was not raining today which was a surprise, the sun was out and angels where coming and leaving. She breathed in the air and looked around her. She was just about to turn around and go back inside when there was a sharp tap on her shoulder Marie turned around fast and saw a face she never thought would look at her again, Azeazl. “What do you want” Marie sighed. “You’re needed in the briefing room with Ferfax, Shax, and a few others, go” Azeazl said as he walked by. Marie turned and walked towards where the meeting would be. As she walked by she heard pieces of other conversations, most having to deal with an angel that had not been out in about five years, they were saying. She just thought of it as nothing and continued to walk. She got to the big doors and walked in.
There where about six other angels in the room, they all turned and looked at her as she stepped further in to the room. One of them stood up and started talking “since we are all here let’s begin. There was a battle on the south side, we are the chosen ones to fight.” The angel said. “Hey Marie, how are you?” one of them said, who turned out to be Shax. “I’m fine” Marie said. “Come here Marie, I’ll introduce you to everyone” Shax said. “These are Ichor, Ferfax, Janus, Sharon, Azeazl and I” Shax said. “They are all great fighters, so these are the ones that Lucifer picked for this mission. We’ve been wondering who was the strongest, so we’ve been put on this mission.” “Why though?” Marie asked. “To see who can handle the heat of a real battle that depends on the strongest.” Shax said. “what if one of us dies or gets hurt” Marie said. “we leave you and continue the mission” Ferfax said.
The mission briefing went on for a few more hours and Marie was getting tired. It looked like everyone else was too. But they all knew that this was mandatory, that they all had to be there for something to happen, and for decisions. Azeazl and Ferfax where the only two that had zoned out and were in their own little worlds, but it was Shax that brought them out of their daydreaming with a smack to their heads with his folder that he was holding on to. They both looked up but continued to not pay attention. Marie was wondering why neither of them had done anything to Shax. “ Okay, lets move out, we have four hours to clean up the mess, along with the original mission, take out the rest of the Guardian Garbage, understand” Shax said. “Oh by the way, at the end of the four hours we all die, so we have to get a move on” he finished.
They all stood up and walked out the door, at the entry way Lucifer stood “good luck, come back alive, and Marie, don’t do anything stupid or reckless” and he walk off. The others snickered and continued walking out towards the west gate. “Before we go out, we must prepare for the worst, keep a look out, and keep weapons drawn.” Shax said. After that total silece was upon them, they walked though was looked like old battle grounds, the dirt stained red with blood, ash and dust where still in the air and the air smelt foul, like death and sulfur. All of them except for Marie where veteran fighters. They continued to walk, over broken angels and over the wreckage of what looked like a resent fight. “I wonder who fought here.” Marie thought to herself. “It was a bunch of lower angels, who knows, even I don’t know who fought here, there are so many that could have made this their last resting place” Azeazl told her. “What the hell! I did not even say anything, but you answered that for me?” Marie said. “I can read minds and yours looked like it had a question, so I just answered it for you” he said. The silence fell around them once again and they started their walk again, to their demise.
They soon reached their base of operation, where they were to communicate from. “this is how it is going to work, we work in teams. Ferfax, Sharon, Janus you guys are a team, now begin the mission. Azeazl, Myself, Ichor, and Marie, we are a team. Time to begin, each team goes a different direction from this point, left or right” Shax said. Each team left at a point, and before long Marie was in frenzy, scared yet exited, but in her head she was thinking that she was going to die, and if she did then what. She could not stop it and she knew that no one would be there for her. she left her daydream and came back to reality. Time to pay attention and not die she though.
She looked down at the watch she was given and saw that half the time was already gone. “We have to make things easy, Marie, to stick with me. You two go along and see what you can do, don’t cause any more damage than need be, we have to clean up after” Shax said. “yeah sure” Azeazl said. He and Ichor ran ahead of Shax and Marie, determined to finish the battle before it even starts. Marie and Shax watched as the other two ran off, in the other direction. Shax was in the lead, he already had an idea of what was going on and who had started it all, one angel that was in his team. “hey Shax, are you okay?” Marie said. “I’m fine, let’s go” he said as he ran off. Marie finally caught up at the end of what looked like a path, this path lead to somewhere else completely different. Shax looked around and listened to the wind, what sounded like people talking caught his sensitive ears. He thought back to when he had first joined the fallen angels, and how he had first met Azeazl for the first time and the fight they had, they never did get along. One had too much light in him while the other had too much darkness, but this made the too beings work well with each other. He was even more grateful to when he met Rafik, and learned that he was the only one strong enough to hold him back. Shax was brought back to present when someone kept shaking his shoulders. “Shax, are you in there” a voice said. Shax opened his eyes and saw a blurry face of someone, someone with long black hair and mismatched eyes. “Azeazl? Were you supposed to be working, not wandering around?” Shax said, coming out of his daydream. ‘Yeah I know but I wanted to make sure that you did not kill the girl yet, not without me anyways” Azeazl said.
“Whatever, come on we have to move, or we could die here and that would be the end of us”. Shax said. They started to walk towards where they left Ichor when suddenly a bright light surrounded them. “What the hell?” Shax murmured. He looked to his left, then to his right, and what he saw just about killed him then and there. Azeazl was surrounded in a dark purple mist, so dark that it looked black. An ear splitting scream hit the stale air. Marie looked terrified but one thing came to mind, run. But she was frozen in place with Shax. She heard a loud crack and looked over and Azeazl, “hold on, weren’t his wings broken?” she said. “Yes that is what I thought too, but I don’t even know what is going on, Rafik should have come with us, if I knew that this idiot would go berserk” Shax said. They both looked back over at the angel, his wings looked like they were pushing their way to the surface of his back, Marie watched horrified at the sight, but continued to watch as his wings where fully uncovered from the skin, one of the wings was slightly out of place, and the other was in one piece not out of socket. The screaming only got worse, and before long Marie saw a bright red flash and the ground they were standing on gave out.
In the proses they were both knocked out, and when they came to, it was silent. Shax and Marie clawed their way to the top and when they looked around all they saw was destruction. “no way, what’s going on? How could he have done all of this in only a short time, and are the others ok, did they die?” Shax rambled. “they are fine, but Azeazl is not. We think he ran to the human world, but are not sure. Once we know we will tell you okay?” the ranger said. Marie was scared, she did not know what to do. Her only choice was to run or stay. “Can I go with you?” Marie said. “NO WAY!” Shax said. You will die, or worse you will be sent back here, but not here as a guest, as a prisionor of war” Shax said.
“Fine then, I won’t go, but I can at least tell you where he went, I know his location.” Marie said. The others just walked away completely ignoring her. damn she murmered. Then she thought of an idea. “hold on I know where he went, he went to the cemetery where my mom was buried” she shouted after the retreating figures. Shax gave a signal of hearing her but continued to walk away. They all knew that they should have had Rafik with them when this all happened. Azeazl was branded a traitor once again and was put on all the angel’s execution list. His head was now worth enough to buy a mansion in the human world. But she did not want him to die, he was the only hope for survival and Marie knew that she had to live to help. Then she thought about her possibilities and she did what she knew how to do she started to run. She kept on running until she got back to her room at the hotel for angel’s, she picked up her stuff that she knew that she would need and was just about to leave when someone stopped her in her tracks. “I’m going with you, you don’t know what he is capable of doing, so lets go before we are both caught” the voice said. Marie looked up and saw Rafik. She sighed a sigh of relief and they both left. Not knowing what the future would bring them.