Azazel (Demonology II)

XX

RAVEN

God received us immediately after Wynne gave us the news. I was shaking with anxiety, more than Finn was. When we were flying to the headquarters, I had to focus just to fly straight. 

  Once we arrived, we entered the Council room and Wynne locked the door shut behind us. Ever since Lilith had drawn all of the demons out of Heaven during their last raid, they hadn't come back again. There were even less angels in Heaven since then. The entire army was dead, leaving only a small portion of the domestic angels alive. The rest of the Council was either dead or in hiding. During the demons' first raid, they had either died trying to fend them off or fled in fear. But I wasn't worried about them. If they came crawling back, they would get their judgement. 

  As soon as the doors were shut, a sphere of light appeared before us. It was God.

  "These are dark times, my children." He said. He spoke in multiple voices, ranging from men to women, adults to children. "I left the first fallen angel - " he was referring to Lucifer " - alive thousands of years ago, and it has come back to bite me. He has grown stronger than I could have ever predicted, and threatens to tip the balance of the three worlds."

  "But that's why we need you, my lord." Wynne pleaded. "You created him, and you can destroy him. It's the only way to restore balance."

  "Might I remind you that you played a large part in this destruction." God scolded her, but there was no contempt in his voice. "You openly waged war with demons and humans on Earth, turning my beautiful creation into a war zone." He then turned to me. "And you, you broke one of the Holy Laws, by mating with a human. You disrespected the responsibilities that you took up as a high angel, and you have, in turn, subjected your son to a year of tragedy and despair." I looked to Finn, who wouldn't look me or God in the eye.

  "Finn the Crusader," God spoke. "Look me in the eye." Finn did as he was told. I could see the worry in his eyes. He looked like he was awaiting a punishment. "You have also contributed to this chaos," God continued. "Waging war in Heaven and Hell. You've denied the Holy Order, and you've abandoned both of your parents. In fact, you killed one." I was shocked. I looked to Finn for confirmation, and he gazed back at me solemnly. I felt something shatter inside me. Seth, my husband, killed by my own son?

  "Do not look away when I am speaking to you." God ordered, snapping me out of my reverie. "Finn, even though you have sinned time and time again . . . I will give you a chance to repent. You possess something special, your sister does too, but you are one of a kind. There is not a single soul in existence like you. That is because your body has harbored the blood of angels, humans, and demons all at once. While some of that demonic aura has dissipated, I can feel it deep within you. Let me ask you something, Finn; do you know why demons and angels do not mate? Do you know why I made it so that they despise each other?" Finn shook his head.

  "Let me teach you, my son," God continued. "As you've experienced, having the blood of humans, demons and angels all in one body can cause disaster. It was a war within you. But when you remove the human element, you remove the mortality. And you create a Demi-God." I already knew what God's plan was. 

  "Young Crusader, let me take your mortality." God was actually asking Finn, not ordering him. "Let me make you into a Demi-God. But if you do, I will have to harbor your mortality, which means you will have to protect me. Do you accept my proposition?" Finn seemed to consider for a moment. He looked at me, and I assured him with a nod. He then turned to Wynne, who did the same. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and looked God right in the eye.

  "I accept."

FINN

Losing my mortality was a completely euphoric sensation. I felt more power than ever before. Once all of my human blood was gone, the demon blood filled the void that it had left. The angel's and demon's blood were no longer fighting each other. They were instead working together to empower me. My body became more muscular, and the veins stood out on my arms. My hair turned coal-black - to signify the demon within me - and my eyes turned orange to represent my angel's blood. I even had gray wings that I could fold back beneath my flesh. I could harness not only Holy Fire, but fire from the deepest pits of Hell. 

  God, however, was not doing so well. His light was not as bright, and his voices lessened in variety. 

  "You will have to end this quick." He warned me. "Now that I am mortal, I will not be able to sustain this form for long. I will retreat to the Sun - the greatest source of life. Once you defeat the first fallen and his children, fly to the sun and, I will return your mortality and move you safely back to the Earth. I will also take away your demon's blood, so that you will be fully cured of the darkness that taints your body."

  I nodded and turned to Wynne and my mother. "I'm not gonna do this without you. I'll need you two to back me up."

  "Raven will go with you." Wynne said. "I'm not much use in this battle. My skill lies in my leadership, but right now, you're the one leading us. What I will do, however, is fly around the Earth and fight off the lesser demons. I'll guide as many humans as I can to safety." I turned to my mother. She took my hand, squeezed it reassuringly, and we both jumped down from Heaven. 

  Once we passed the barrier between Heaven and Earth - which was like the sensation of your ears popping during flight, only ten times stronger - we split up. My mother spread her wings and flew gracefully down to the Earth. I allowed my orange and black flames to surround me. I had no clue how to use my wings, so this was still the preferred method. When I hit the ground, it caused the Earth to crack, creating mile-long fissures. 

  Azazel and Abaddon stood before me, with a giant serpent - Lucifer - around them. Laying unconscious in between them was Ivy. 

  "Step away from her, or else." I boomed. My voice even felt more powerful. 

  "An interesting proposition." Azazel taunted. He grinned smugly, showing that Eloy was very much still alive within him. But that only made me want to kill him more. "Or else what?" He taunted.

  I channeled my power - but not all of it - into my fire. It caused a giant vortex to appear. It was so mighty that it went past the clouds and danced across the sky. 

  When the fire cleared, I heard the sound of beating wings. Two pairs of wings. My hearing was also sharper, I could pinpoint every individual sound around me. 

  I looked behind me. Perched atop a boulder was my mother, who looked at me with complete awe. She was in complete shock that she had birthed me nearly nineteen years ago. I was in shock, too.

  But standing just a few yards away from me was someone else. It was a woman. She had pale skin that glowed in the sun - which was just beginning to rise. Her hair and wings were both a deep, dark purple. And her wings . . . they were shaped like a bat's, but had feathers. I looked at her for a while, trying to figure out who exactly she was. She was definitely a demon, but which one?

  I realized with awe that this was Eva in her true form. She had told me that she took on a human form so she wouldn't scare anyone. She did it because she wanted to fit in with humans, because she wanted to look normal. But I suddenly didn't understand any of that, because what I saw before me was absolutely beautiful.