Jonah began to regain his senses after a few moments passed, he couldn't see clearly yet but he felt the cool cradle of powdery snow beneath him. He could hear the occasional rev of a car engine and the chirping of crickets. As helped Jonah to his feet as his vision unblurred.
He scanned his environment, he was in another parking lot, this time of a small wooden building, it was modest and simple, and the cross on its roof gave it away to Jonah as a Christian church. He could see some humans dressed in warm winter coats and scarves begin to file inside, the warmth of the sunrise shining through the prismatic stained-glass window that hung above the double doors. Around the church was almost nothing manmade, it appeared to be at the edge of a pine forest, their needles resilient against the weighty snow pushing down their branches. A single main road was the only way in or out of the parking lot, and it looked to stretch for miles before any other signs of civilization could be spotted.
"What is this place?" As asked to no one in particular. Compared to the dreary hospital they had last visited, this seemed like an alien world, a joyful painting, not reality.
"It's a church." Jonah said, his voice shaky like his body. Jonah had learned about churches, mosques, synagogues, and various other places of worship during his studies with Samael and Metatron. Humans seemed to have an innate desire to worship a higher power, yet they always got it wrong. They prayed for forgiveness for their sins and prosperity and peace in their lives but angels could not provide that, at least not anymore. Angels hadn't been able to regularly interact with humanity for two thousand years, not since God's death. When he died, he sealed the firmament forever, closing the access angels had enjoyed previously. Now they were relegated to one hour, the ninth hour, to intervene. Another issue was that of power, in death, God had taken with him his well of infinite divine energy. Angels now had to rely on their own self-generated energy, which was much more limited and slower to regain. The mere lightning bolt that transported Sera, As, and Jonah to earth had cost a great amount of Sera's power.
"That is why angels must gather," he remembered one of Samael's first lessons, "every human soul contains God's divine energy, and with enough of it, we believe we can revive his corporeal being." Souls – exclusively human souls contained the most valuable resource to angels deprived of God's resources: divine energy. The souls were taken from humans, gathered by God's emissaries, and taken back to Beulah. Once there, their energy could be siphoned into the Cistern, a vast well of reserve power that kept the very city itself in orbit. If they could accumulate enough energy, they could bring God back – at least that was their theory.
Jonah had often wondered what role gathering had played before the desperate need for souls took over, this was probably "reaping", but Metatron was very tight-lipped about that subject. 'Until His Return', Jonah remembered the bronze lettering above the gate to the Military District.
"Why a church?" Jonah asked Sera.
"Because I want to prove something to you, cadet." Her voice was determined, almost spiteful. "I am going to show you the futility of your affection for humans." Jonah and As began to walk towards the church, but Sera held out her arm as a signal to stop. "Patience, cadets. We will wait until their service has begun. It is Christmas morning after all..." Metatron's scrolls had explained this holiday to Jonah as well, once again, very incorrect.
They watched as the last of the flock entered, closing the heavy wooden doors behind them. "Now," Sera began "For this demonstration, I will uncloak myself to the congregation." Jonah was shocked.
"I thought we were never to reveal ourselves?" As asked, just as surprised as Jonah was, "That it would endanger all of us!"
"If it's a Lion, yes." Sera began to approach the church, "But this is a Lamb." Jonah and As looked at each other, clearly confused. "Take note of their fealty, their joy as I gather their souls. They have no agency, we are the superiors, they exist to benefit us." Slowly and with trepidation, the cadets followed behind their Lieutenant. "Stay behind me, do not reveal yourselves. Simply observe."
Seraphiel threw open the heavy wooden doors to the church, the older woman playing an antique harpsichord ceased. Most of the churchgoers turned around to see what had caused the doors' unexpected clatter.
What greeted the churchgoers was a sight beyond their belief. The figure of a woman shrouded in a brilliant white glow, like a small star was lit within her. Her face radiated with light and with a jubilant smile. Her feet did not touch the floor, instead she floated gracefully into the aisle. Her eyes sparkled and gleamed, her arms outstretched.
"Be not afraid!" Sera bellowed in a soft, matronly voice. It sounded so incredibly unnatural coming from her lips. A radiant white light illuminated the entrance to the church, casting Sera in a silhouette of glorious, divine warmth. "I come to deliver a message to the faithful!" Sera gestured, arms outstretched, to the dumbstruck crowd. The flock of congregants had all filed to the end of their pews, pushing into each other. They hadn't decided whether or not to run yet... or to welcome Sera as a true angel, a messenger of God. Sera reached her arms forward, the tall wax candles cradled in bronze candelabras ignited in holy fire, pillars of flickering flames silenced any chatter and doubt coming from the congregation. The man in the front, standing behind the altar adorned in white robes with golden accents began to approach Seraphiel, his arms outstretched and his eyes welling with tears.
"Angel! I am honored! Praise be unto God!" the congregation echoed his chant 'Praise be unto God!' One by one, as Sera watched with a caring smile painted onto her face, the flock began dropping to their knees. They outstretched their arms and began to pray; the sound became chaotic. Prayers upon prayers upon prayers rose from the crowd, all overlapping and interrupting one another. Sera smiled warmly, but Jonah could feel the frozen river again; a smile of genuine kindness may have adorned her face, but under the ice, the river of contempt and anticipation churned and frothed.
"I offer you all a reward for your pious lives!" Sera grasped her hands to her heart, false admiration in her eyes. "The Earth has become so corrupted and evil... I am here to deliver you all from this place and grant you eternal rest in heaven, and complete absolution of your sins!" The entire church erupted into shouts and even more prayer. Amidst the cacophony, Jonah noticed a few children, too young to understand what was happening scurry off to hide in a small alcove behind the altar. Jonah looked with concern to As, but As wasn't concerned. This kind of gathering was what he had always hoped to experience. Adoring flocks of faithful humans, offering souls freely to him. Not the life of an emissary, but the life of a conqueror, the life of his father... Jonah felt sick... but he didn't know what to do.
"Anything you ask!" an older woman plead loudly to Sera. "Anything!"
Sera chuckled slightly, "I ask nothing of you, disciples. I only ask that you give your souls over to God..." Sera put her hands together in faux humbleness. The radiant light behind her grew brighter, her platinum blond hair shimmering in her own radiance, her bronze armor shone bright like a mirror. 'She's really trying to sell it..." thought Jonah, uncomfortable to say the least. The crowd erupted into cheers and clamoring. The humans were falling over each other, holding out their hands and even weeping...
"As... this is wrong!" Jonah whispered aggressively at As, who was watching in complete awe at the feat Sera was managing to accomplish with her deception.
"What?" As couldn't have heard Jonah correctly, he thought. "Look at how happy they are! They worship her!"
"Yeah... but it's a lie, she's lying to them!" Jonah's temper got the better of him for a second. "She's not taking them to heaven or absolving their sins, she's just going to take their souls!"
Their conversation was cut short by Sera raising her hands above her head, "Open yourselves up to the power of the Lord!" She bellowed, her voice powerful and commanding. The most unnatural smile Jonah had ever seen warped her face. The joyous parishioners folded their hands in prayer as Sera demonstrated to them. "Open your souls to Him!" She lifted her arms higher in the air, opening her eyes. Jonah and As could do nothing but stare in trepidation and awe, respectively. Sera began to concentrate. Suddenly the two dozen or so churchgoers began emitting a slight glow from their foreheads. "Praise Him!" Sera thundered, "Praise Him!" the congregation echoed back to her. She flexed her hands upwards, and as her precise fingers drew towards the heavens, so did the brilliant orbs of light that began to emerge from the flock's foreheads! Their chorus of joyous cries and pious exclamations ceased to complete silence as their bodies all went still, their eyes rolling back in their skulls. The light of the two dozen souls was nearly blinding. Like will-o-wisps hovering above a bayou, the brilliant orbs dazzled with every color at once, prismatic and beautiful. Sera pulled her arms in closer to her body and the souls followed, drawing nearer to her. She opened her palms, welcoming the 'offerings'. One by one, each soul vanished into her outstretched hands. With each light was extinguished, Jonah could hear one of the faithful's bodies fall. They crashed into pews, landed their faces on the hardwood floors, or cracked their heads on the side of the altar – in the case of the priest. Soon, every body had dropped and every soul had been collected.
"That was incredible!" As marveled.
"There is so much to be learned about manipulating a human's soul." Sera said, "You'll learn all of it under my tutelage."
Jonah's ears began to block out the chatter of As fawning over Sera's skills... he heard crying. It sounded like children, two or three of them... sobbing. Jonah began to scan the room until he saw three children, aged between three and six, two boys and a girl, cowering behind the altar. Blood from where the priest's head had impacted the altar had begun to puddle beneath it. He could tell the children were trying to remain unseen, but that their emotions were betraying their hiding place. It appeared that Jonah wasn't the only one who heard the noises coming from behind the altar.
"Ah, it appears a few humans were not as willing as the others..." Sera feigned sadness... but it shattered. "Asmodel, gather them." As and Jonah were still hidden from the children, so As would be undetected. Jonah knew that Sera was trying to torment him... making his best friend commit an act so similar to that which had been so upsetting to him the last time... As, looking more determined than ever, began to walk towards the altar. Sera directed her frigid gaze to Jonah and painted an almost imperceptible smirk on her mouth. "Watch how it's supposed to be done, Jonah." Her voice dared him to intervene.
Jonah walked closer, As had walked behind the frightened children. "As, wait..." he begged, "you said it was okay because they wanted this, but they don't!" He pointed to the children, desperately hoping As would snap to the senses Jonah knew he had.
"You're going to get yourself into more trouble!" As retorted, he was right. And he now knew the extent of the motives that Metatron 'didn't approve of'... she sought revenge on Jonah for disobeying her. This wasn't a 'second chance', it was a trap. She meant to enrage Jonah so that he would be remanded to the forge for a very long time.
"I don't care!" Jonah shouted, "I can't let you do this!" Jonah had caught up to As. He looked down at the children, up close for the first time. Though none of them bore any real resemblance to her, all Jonah could see when he looked into their frightened eyes were the eyes of Maria... the granddaughter... never to see her abuela again... "I can't let this happen again!" He had begun to lose control, physically pushing As away from the children. A creaking noise made Jonah turn back towards Sera. She had sat down on a pew, left leg crossed over her right, the empty husk of a faithful elderly man lay beside her... that damned smirk on her face, she wanted this to happen.
"Jonah! Get a fucking grip!" As pushed Jonah back, his superior strength nearly making him tumble to the floor.
"This isn't you, As!" He plead, "She did something – the empath – to your head!" tears were forming in Jonah's begging eyes. He had been led into a trap by Sera, if he physically stopped As or Sera – not that he could stop her – he would be arrested the second they stepped back on Beulah's docks. If he fled, he'd be a wanted fugitive on a foreign world. The only option was to relent and allow those children to be gathered... he couldn't. Sera had woven a perfect web with strands of revenge and Jonah had flown right into it like a wayward fly. Nobody crossed Sera and got away with it, and Jonah wasn't going to be the exception, no matter how close to Metatron he was.
"Please, stop!" Jonah begged. As took another step towards Jonah and the children. Jonah had to act... now!
He had already let Sera take their parents, maybe grandparents... he wouldn't let her take another one... Maria. He had to do it for her, the guilt had been weighing down his thoughts like an anchor ever since the first gathering. 'I have to make this right'. He thought.
"I said, stop!" Jonah roared, and with his willpower came a deafening crack! A bolt of lightning – of pure divine energy – slammed into the church. The metal cross on the roof had made a perfect conductor, the bolt split the air in two as it blew every window from its frame. The ornate stained-glass pane shattered into a million pieces, its multicolored shards raining down with the snow...