If you want to live, I suggest you do so...
Alexander had died; at least that was what he thought. He could no longer feel his heart beating. All that existed was his mind, and his body still sat there in the chair.
Okay this weird... I'm dead but I'm still here. If I want to live... of course I want to live, I have to. They still need me...
Warmth returned to Alexander's body, his atoms charged and his heart began to pulse slowly until it returned to its average rate. Then with a sharp gasp of air, Alexander woke up, fully healed and able to move again. Quickly, he got out the chair and looked around for Chaos then stopped himself, "Right, bastard's at a concert... seriously?!" Alexander looked up, waiting for some sign...nothing.
With no way of getting out, Alexander paced the circle for what seemed like an hour before Chaos finally returned with a smile, "Ah, the messiah lives."
"You killed me!" Alexander tried being furious but he was only annoyed at Chaos' nonchalance.
"Lighten up, Arch Mage." Chaos returned to his throne and relaxed, "So, what is it that you came to me for in the first place?"
"I thought you already knew." Alexander replied.
"I'm the Lord of Disorder and Destruction, not omniscient."
"Oh... Did you know The Whisperers were freed?" Alexander wondered how a being such as Chaos was not omniscient.
"So that's what that ripple in the cosmos was. And here I thought was just my father having gas again. You know, the first time he had gas he ruptured time and half of space. So who are these mysterious Whisperers anyway?"
Now this was ridiculous, "How do you not know them?"
"Are you paying attention? I'm not omniscient. Anything that has to do with the first five millennia of Time, I have no knowledge of. This is why I know about you Arch Mages: the tools in my father's box."
Remembering what Nyxx had said about Chaos being like a spoilt child, Alexander ignored the insult, "The Whisperers are supposedly the seven most dangerous beings in existence and they're goal is to destroy everything and rule over all that will be left in existence."
"So what's wrong with that? They sound like an ambitious group. It does me proud to see someone finally take some action in this glum place."
Alexander resisted shaking his head at Chaos' naivety, "Why don't you know anything of the first five millennia?"
"I had an argument with my father and got exiled for that period of time. Why?"
"While you were gone, The Whisperers almost destroyed everything in their quest for total domination. They were accidently created by the Universe...so in a way, they're your siblings."
"Their quest for what?!" Chaos rose out of his throne, "No-one, and I mean no-one, threatens my father but me! Siblings or not, they're going to die. What do you need?"
This was easier than I thought, with the exception of dying. "We need you to allow the Protogenoi to fight alongside an army that's being prepared to fight The Whisperers."
"Come to think of it, that explains why after my exile there were a lot less pantheons. And my Deyvanna... Why didn't anyone tell me?" As Chaos looked up at Alexander, his children appeared along the edges of the circle.
Chaos no longer smiled as he so often did since Alexander had first seen him, "Phanes, Nyxx, Ananke, Nemesis, Rhea, Erebus, and Thesis... before you, stands the fourth Arch Mage, Eternity. I want each of you to do two very simple things for me: protect him, and kill the whispering infestation that dares to threaten our inheritance. All but their leader, that is. When he's the last one left, summon me and I shall deal with him personally."
"I'm afraid your last wish cannot be fulfilled, Father." Nemesis stepped forward, "Synner, as their leader is called, carries with him dominion over the same realm as you. Should you both co-exist on the same plane, it will destroy everything...including you." Chaos cursed under his breath.
"That explains why the good suffers for the bad." There was a flash of light followed by the sudden appearance of a woman covered in a white cloak. As she pulled back its hood, she revealed an uncanny resemblance to Chaos, an appearance that caused the Protogenoi to kneel on one knee with their hands to their sides and fingertips touching the floor. "For every good, there exist two evils. For too long now has the Balance been disrupted..."
Chaos cocked his head to the right then chuckled before straightening himself, "How long has it been, sister?"
"Now is not the time for pleasantries." The woman walked over to Alexander as the Protogenoi rose to their feet, "Do you know why you lived?"
Alexander found it impossible not to look into the woman's gold-ringed amber eyes, "Because I can't die."
"Because you are Eternity, you carry the power of your predecessors and your creator. But you have yet to accept what you are, who you are. The exact moment that you do, all will know it. Through you, the Balance will be restored and peace shall reign...for a time."
"For a time?Why not forever?" But Alexander knew the answer even as he asked.
"Because good never seeks to overthrow, that is the trait of evil. And the two must exist together. As long as they do, they will fight –some fights more gruesome than others- but the battle between the two is eternal, as are you. Even now, inside you, good and evil are at the war. But only you can decide the victor, Alexander Salem.
My brother and I have been at war for many millennia, and will always be. That is the order of things, to exist in chaos."
"What my annoyingly sympathetic sister means," Chaos added, "is that you'll be doing this for a long time, kid. So," He looked at his children once more, "before you all go, there's one more thing: Don't die...unless there's someone there to take your place."
There was a sudden pull in Alexander's stomach, and he was back at the Ghoethran Planet.
"Well look who's back!" Shift and the others were lying in the grass.
Looking up and through the trees, Alexander could see that night had fallen, "How long was I gone?"
"A little over eleven hours." Arianne answered. "Where'd you go?"
"To see Chaos."
"Umm, could you be a little more specific? We all know you went to Chaos. It's just that no-one knows where exactly he is."
"Oh?" That's not surprising, Alexander thought, "Well neither do I. Never thought it was necessary to ask. Shouldn't you know though, being his grand-daughter and all?"
"And your point?"
"Ugh, never mind. I'm too tired to argue." Which was a lie; Alexander just wanted –needed- some time to think. First, he needed to wait until they were all asleep so he could slip away.
∞
Walking through the thick forest on his own that night, Alexander began to notice the things that were different about the Ghoethran Planet. The multiple moons cast across a starless sky, the wind that changed in three directions every twenty-five seconds, and the grass that shifted opposite whichever direction the wind blew. Lifetimes ago Alexander would never have imagined such a place, such a planet, to even exist, yet here he was...the last line of defense for the Universe.
As Alexander stood out in the centre if a vast pasture, his thoughts drifted and he found himself lowering into the lotus sitting position. Silence. But the more Alexander listened to nothing, was the more he heard: his 'friends' sleeping soundly; the wind whispering through the trees; the trees creeping through the wind; and voices...
∞
"You shall never see the gates of Heaven...again!"
The words of Anaphaxeton echoed through my mind,
Resonating through my being as it hurtled towards the realm of Man.
I felt the all consuming heat of the Holy Spirit as it burned the purity from my wings,
As swiftly as I fell, they were charred to black – The Mark of The Fallen.
My robes, worn for nearly millennia of service, had loosened the moment I entered the atmosphere.
Air vacuumed past me, gravity rushed to embrace me...
The voices, prayers to my kind, went from shouts to whispers,
...Until they were silenced to nothing.
No more could I sense the warm and reassuring presences of the Creators.
All I could hear, and feel, was my being burning with the shame of the Fathers,
That shame tortured me more than the descent as it grew into fear...
For I would be hunted by the Deserters seeking a catch to impress their Masters.
...
...Then I heard it, his voice, the last Prayer before I would completely lose my abilities,
"Protect and guide me, I don't know what to do..."
Leliel felt the need return to her spirit as she fought to retain her power. Not for selfish gain, as she was so accused and thus exiled, but for her Charge. Never has she done anything but what was best, and now she fought to do just that. Then suddenly, as she neared the final layer within Earth's atmosphere, a feeling of peace washed over her, a divine warmth beyond anything she had ever felt even when she served the Creators. With a smile, Leliel closed her eyes and spoke his name, "Alexander." A renewed sense of redemption spread through her like the very wind that sped past her as she descended, opening her wings to their full length.
Slowly, but surely, her descent slowed until just before hitting the ground, where she hovered. Her black wings flapped proudly and a whisper flowed into her, "Dh'Arch Angel."
Leliel knew what she'd become. To her kind, it was a myth. The Dh'Arch Angels were said to work for a Power higher than the Creators themselves. Their conviction for justice was so legendary, no Man, Angel, Demon, nor God, could stand against them. And for the next few days, Leliel knew that strength, as her Deification called out to the other Dh'Arch Angels, assembling them all to greet their newest comrade.
∞
I'll never forget that day, Leliel thought to herself as she stood atop the peak of one of the many uninhabited mountains of the Ghoethran Planet.
"You're never alone, Lily." The voice had come from somewhere in front of Leliel, but she had grown too accustomed to the dramatic appearances of her new kindred. The air before her thickened into shadows that then took forms and thickened further into others like herself, Dh'Arch Angels...
Leliel smiled warmly at the only other girl amongst their vigilante ranks, "Ráebella." It was from her notoriety as the first female exile that the word 'rebel' had originated in Man's vocabulary. The two embraced each other, careful to keep their wings behind them.
The male Dh'Arch Angel that was beside Ráebella came forward right after they parted, "What news have you of the Arch Mage's development?"
"Nice to see you again too, Nathaniel." Leliel smiled sarcastically, "Alexander is progressing as he is meant to. Come, you should meet him." Leliel suggested to her comrades.
∞
He should not be eavesdropping, but Alexander could not stop himself from hearing their conversation.
"Come, you should meet him." Leliel suggested to her comrades.
"Are you certain we won't surprise him?" Ráebella cautioned.
"He already knows we're coming." Leliel replied, then she flashed herself before Alexander whose eyes were closed calmly as though he were asleep. Leliel knew however, that he was only in a meditative state and was locked onto her aura. When the other Dh'Arch Angels appeared as well, she spoke directly to Alexander, "That state of mind you hold, be sure to remember it."
"Gah!" Alexander jumped to his feet, eyes wide. He was so focused on Leliel while meditating that he did not notice it only became easier because she was closer. Right in front of him to be exact.
Ráebella chuckled, "I thought you said we would not surprise him."
"You didn't." Alexander defended, "I just didn't know you were so close..."
"Uh-huh." Ráebella smiled, then she gazed at him with intrigue, "Our files never come with pictures, only descriptions, and nothing in your file said how cute you are. It's no wonder Leliel clings so dearly to you."
"Ráebella," Nathaniel stepped forward, "now is not the moment for inciting trouble." Nathaniel bore a striking resemblance to Shift, only he had wings and a sort of dark aura cloaking his demeanor.
"Humph," Ráebella pouted, "Leliel doesn't seem to mind." Then she notice Leliel's clenched fists and tightened jaw, "Oh alright. Geez, is it so much to ask for even a tiny little squabble?"
Leliel relaxed, "We already have a big enough one looming over us."
"But that's too far away. It's like what, almost eighty-eight days left!"
Nathaniel spoke again, "While I do not object to the entertainment of watching our only two female comrades belittle each other, I prefer to enjoy both your companies for as long as circumstance allows. Besides, the Arch Mages will need as many of us as is available."
Suddenly the sound of air rushing through a vacuum was heard, and then stopped just as quickly with the appearance of six of the most lethal-looking female demons Alexander had ever seen.Then again, they're the only demons I've ever seen.
Each stood at six-feet and six-inches tall, dressed in blackened armor and laced with more weapons than even Alexander's enhanced senses could locate. Despite their crimson complexion and stone-black horns, the six demons were irresistibly sexy. Dear Gods my brain must be fried... maybe I cleared my mind too much.
"Protect the Arch Mage!" Nathaniel commanded. The Dh'Arch Angels surrounded Alexander and turned their backs to him in response.
"Tsk...tsk... we're not here for the brat." The leader of the demons said with so much mockery in her voice it could shatter a king's pride. She pointed her black steel katana towards Leliel, "It's you we want."
All logic abandoned, Alexander appeared between the Dh'Arch Angels and the Namu Demons, his mind revealing their true names, "Go back to your Master and tell him there's no deal." Alexander's voice was deep, feral, and he spoke in a language known only to the demons highest ranks within the Hebrew Pantheon's Nether Realm, Sheol.
"How dare you taint our language with your filthy tongue?" The leader unsheathed her second katana and commanded, "Kill them all, but take the Master's chosen one to him, now!"
Before any of the Namu could attack however, Leliel slew each one in quick succession, the only sounds being the jabs and slashes of her dagger, paired with guttural dying breath of the Namu. All but the leader was left, whom Leliel was now standing behind, dagger to her throat and Leliel's lips to her ear, "You heard him, no deal." One by one the Namu bodies faded into black balls of mist then seeped into the ground. "Now go home. And you might want to give yourself a few scars, just to say you barely survived. Though he'll probably kill you anyway." Leliel stepped back and pushed the Namu leader, causing her to flash.
"Wow," said Ráebella, "Leliel wants the Arch Mage and Lucifer wants her. Ooh and don't forget, the Arch Mage has already kissed demon-spawn." she grinned and clapped in excitement.
Nathaniel looked down at Ráebella with frustration, "What are you, the narrator for a paranormal soap opera?!"
"Don't mind me, dear. I just love when things get complicated." Ráebella winked at Alexander, who almost froze in embarrassment.