Heaven's Ashes: Feather Trial

Chapter I (Part I) - A World Without Angels

Before leaving heaven Stella bundled herself in her coat, it would be a long journey to earth without her ability to use magic and an even longer one because she knew she'd be alone. Pulling the hood of her coat over her head, she made my way out of heaven while she still had the chance. Now, swaddled in a cloak and her only companion being her tattered rucksack, Stella Edlyn would make it to earth before the first light of day. The ashes of heaven rained down on the earth and for the first time mortals felt unprotected. Hellfire spread through heaven just after dawn, some angels fled, some angels went down with their land. Taking the source of our powers down with it, the only traces left of being an angel would be their ivory wings. In that moment, she knew she had to accept the invitation. She knew she had to take part in the Trails.

An angel had always been one of eight at the governments table. Now more than ever, it was imperative that she be the one who sat at that table. There was too much at stake to avoid all this, it was her duty to restore her home. Now that Heaven was destroyed, it would be at least two hundred years for it to revive itself. It would give her the power to get the angels a home on earth to live in and an agreement for demons to refrain from killing us. If an angel didn't get on the council, now that we were vulnerable, it would be no doubt that they'd be hunted by either mortals or demons. For as long as they can remember, the trials were a way to keep the peace between immortals, to get projects and rules approved by the other champions The trials were to test the invited, to see if they had what is would take to handle extreme pressures, the anxiety of difficult choices and the dangers of being forever hunted. She knew it wasn't uncommon for members of the council to go through attempted assignations and heavy tracking, it was their job to hold their own and stay as inconspicuous as possible. How the government officials were chosen was always kept a secret from all but the invited. No angels made it onto the council last year, causing suspicions that all government officials were the ones to order the destruction of heaven. As angels, they always held our own, it wasn't ideal to lose a seat at the table but they managed. But now more than ever, angels needed a voice.

Her fingers dug into her pockets for extra cash, she wasn't use to using any mortal currency, a boy that looked no older than her chuckled before covering his smirk. She needed to catch the train. "Having a problem there?"
"You think?" She said with a blunt tone.
"I'm guessing you're not from around here then," he pulled some cash from his pocket, "here." The blond haired boy smiled before walking away. She noticed a white feather poking out of the bottom of his hoodie, an angel, he obviously didn't fold his wings well enough. Without hesitation, she bought a ticket and jumped on the next train to anywhere that wasn't here. She just needed to keep moving for the time being, to avoid being hunted by whatever wanted to cause her harm. The invitation to the trials sat in her pocket, it was almost time to be summoned, just a few minutes more. Taking a quick glance around, she slipped out to an empty compartment of the train as a summoning circle drew itself around her and took her somewhere unknown.

Everything about the trails were mysterious, even the location they were held. There was no place on earth that could house this big of a trail run but it exists outside Earth, maybe a place that as created but left unfinished, dangerous. A lump formed in her throat, everyone here were strangers, none of which looked remotely friendly. "You're dressed like a runaway princess, you sure you should be here?" A boy approached her and stood in her way. She looked him right in the eye and raised an eyebrow.
"What, are we just here to socialise?" A smile crept up onto her face, "anything else to say?" He let out a hearty laugh before running a hand through his short black hair.
"No," he tilted his said to the side, examining the other invited champions, then catching view of the small sword tattoo on my neck, the emblem for warrior angels, "actually, I think we should try to get along next time because I feel like this isn't the last we will see of each other."

She marvelled at the terrain around me, it seemed to be situated at the bottom of a cave. Looking up, she saw the bright light of the world on the surface and the walls stretching up towards the light had flora blooming in patches and cracks. Steams of water trickled down the stone making the place glisten against the light. The only trace of life ever being here was the microphone and cameras. The speaker went static overhead, calling attention to everyone. "Congratulations, we have chosen you for your, cunning, intelligence, skill and strength but it isn't as easy as giving you the job, you all must work together in the awaiting trials. You're first task is to assign three of you to both of the trials retrieval and survival meanwhile two of you must complete exploration.

Out of the seven others in the room, Stella knew one and recognised another. From the looks of it, they had two Nymphs, two angels, two demons and two vampires, a diverse mix. They all glanced at each other, adrenaline was running as high as the tension between them. By the end of this all, they'd all she'd have, they would become family. She doubt there was anything left to go back to, for her anyway. Their individual portfolio listing their skills and achievements lay in the middle of a summoning circle. With one more cautious look at each other, they gathered together. A familiar face jumped out to her, that angel at the subway, he caught her staring and shot her a small smile. Out of the eight of us, the female vampire looked as if she was ready to take charge. "I will divide us into our groups based on our strengths and weaknesses, if you wish to assist me you can do so but I do not ask anything of you for the time being."

Stella wandered over to her, sitting down next to her on a patch of grass, "My name is Grace Willow, as you can see I'm a vampire," her eyes glistened red in the light, "I'm teaming you with Alex and Chase, your natural ability to fight paired with Alex and Chase's quick wit will do well in the first trial, retrieval."
"I'm Stella," she said with a small smile.
Grace looked up, unamused, "warrior angel huh? Seems like quite the title."
"So is vampire princess," Stella said with a laugh, "but how do you feel about all this?" Grace moved her black hair to the side before looking up from the portfolios.
"Ready, you?" She said callously.
"Numb. Feels like nothing but an obligation," she muttered, quiet enough for Grace to shake it off as a subtle breath. The vampire barely batted an eye but why would she care, they had just met, it wasn't like they really took an interest in one another. "Can I read this?" She asked, picking up Alex's file, she quickly recognised him as an angel and a powerful one at that but he made a fall from Grace centuries ago. In pure curiosity, she continued to read.

Stella's wandering eye glanced over at Alex, the blonde angel that lent her cash at the train station. Him and Chase who were already beginning to discuss the trial the three of them would be going into. She waved at him and smiled, he chuckled and waved back before returning his attention to Chase. It wasn't often that angels felt weak but both her and Alex knew that they'd have to stick together with everything that has happened, he didn't lend her a hand out of goodness rather to better his odds, strange for an angel. Stella thought about joining the two boys but decided against it when she felt a pain ebbing through her back. Her wings had shrunken again, now just as big as the palm of her hand. Heaven was falling apart and she was too but she knew it was always duty before self. Even in the face of death.

••• -

{A/N don't forget to vote and leave a comment with any criticism you can offer 💕✨}