The Angels Have Fallen

Prologue

"Abba, tell me a story?" Young Siris begs his grandfather, Eren, who shakes his head, willing the child to sleep. Of course, Siris uses fake tears to convince Eren otherwise. It is tradition for Eren to read Siris a story every night, and Eren has yet to tell Siris the greatest prophecy created by the Lord Aurelius.

"Well," he sighs, "this one is a bit scary."

"Is it?"

"It tells of the end of the world."

"All things come to an end, Abba. Tell me, please!" Siris restlessly rolls around in his knitted wool blanket, propping himself on his elbows to peek at the worn out book that Eren held on his lap.

The leather-bound book filled Siris with curiosity, though Eren allowed no one to touch it. Siris always figured it was some sort of personal journal where the wise, happy, perhaps even sad, thoughts of his grandfather were inscribed.

Eren laughs, a soft smile replacing his typically tired expression, "Fine fine, but do not tell Marie-I mean your mother, that I read you this. She always thought it was far too pessimistic. You know how your mother is with myths. That smart woman won't be swayed by anyone's declaration of the past."

"Deal!"

Eren cleared his throat and flipped the pages,

         "The Great Rabbi told me, The Eldest of all, that there would be a great destruction; one they could not prevent, as it took all their power to bring this world into existence. My father seemed saddened, but refused to tell me of the exact events that were to come."

"WAIT! How do you know a story about The Eldest?! Is he not a sinner?" Siris grips his blanket; the children of Olam are taught to fear The Eldest Archangel Kael, taught that she is the mother of all things evil and all things of death.

His grandfather snaps his fingers.

"Siris, you know we do not believe in the scriptures written by imperfect beings."

"But the church-"

"Are filled with biased priests, who can be correct in some things, and be incorrect in others." He smiled. "Do you really think that the favorite archangel of all of Lord Aurelius' children would be the mother of sin? Can we really condemn the actions of a being accused by Archangel Zachari, whose descendants were cursed by the Archangel?"

"Well... I guess that's not fair to do... maybe the stories are wrong. Miss Mai told me that different churches and tribes believe different things."

"Exactly. We listen, but we don't judge as though stories are truth. We learn from them."

"You're right, Sabma."

His grandfather smiles. Siris' willingness to learn was something he'd always been proud of. Eren continues,      "We sat down in a forest for tea, overlooking Gehenna on the horizon.
      'The one who will bring destruction is the most unlikely of all.'

       I looked toward my father and tilted my head. 'Is that not the case for most sudden destruction?'

       

       'It depends. It will be someone who tends to life itself that destroys the world, in the effort to bring theirs back.'"

"Abba, why would they destroy the world if they're trying to bring it back?" Siris can't grasp the idea of black and white. The rules are clear in Olam; the home of the angels is peaceful. Evil angels are fixed. Evil angels don't exist, and neither does destruction.