(Kira's POV)
I watched as everyone around me gathered with their loved ones, once we returned from the war. The children had ran off through the hedges, to a place where they could escape into a world of their own. A world where they could be themselves. A parting gift of mine.
I stuck around for only a few moments, to speak with my daughter, before leaving all of this behind. She was sitting with Alice, admiring the daughter she had created, the daughter I made her leave behind. If there were any other choice I wouldn't have, but I did it for the greater good. At least I'm hoping it was for the best. I had played out every other scenario in my head, and it was the only way to keep them safe. To separate them, and allow them to live safely amongst the humans, until the time was right for them to reunite.
The day Tara was born, caused a ripple in the galaxy, allowing the Gates of Hell to crack. I didn't find out until after Lucifer had made his first attempt at escaping from Hell. He had possessed the vessel of Adam and Eve's son, Cain, causing him to kill his brother in a sacrifice. Everything Lucifer did came at a price, a sacrifice had to be made.
So, I made a sacrifice myself. After grabbing a sword from the wall of my parents library, I dipped it in the fountain of holy water, before facing the evil that provoked me. I pierced Abel's heart with the blade, returning Lucifer back to his cage and sealing the Gates of hell. In the deaths of Cain and Abel, I could not let Adam and Eve live with a hole in their hearts. As a gift, I gave them a son, and from the rib of their son I formed a mate. A way for my creations to continue on making their own kind, instead of falling into extinction.
Once I had fixed the problem, I made one more sacrifice, which was having to hide Tara amongst the Immortals. I transported her to a time where new creations and creatures were a common thing. She would live under the care of descendants of Adam and Eve. As fate would have it, there is always a bad apple. The betrayer spilled all of the trusted secrets, and allowed himself to be used as a vessel for Lucifers soul to control. If only he knew that Lucifer wasn't someone you can trust.
So, to hide my daughter once more, I had to separate her and Alice. The only one who knew what Tara looked like, was me, Emrick, the other two Immortals, and the Betrayer. None of them ever had their pictures taken or paintings made of them. It was a way to keep their identities a secret. All they knew is that they would be looking for a woman with a child. Having Alice live with a mortal mother in a modern day setting, was the only way to give them their best chance at living.
Before letting Tara and Emrick give her up, I used my Father's journals to give Alice the curse of the Banshee, the first pure blood. Making her the silent one, a mute child who couldn't speak. The day she began to use her abilities to communicate with Anna, was the day Lucifer picked up on her scent. With the the Gates of Hell already being cracked from Alice being born, he was drawn to her. I couldn't find the Betrayer, because Lucifer was more prepared this time around. That was until last night, when we sent him back to Hell.
I saved them both once again, and I will continue to save them, no matter the cost. After all, they're the heir to my throne. Shall I ever need to step down or become extinguished, and need the next Goddess in line to rule over all the realms in the galaxy. Tara shall take over, then of course Alice. Each of them had been given a personal guardian angel, to keep them safe, to guide them on their journey as they evolve into their next form. Tara had Celestial, and Alice had Anna. I had my Morningstar.
I was lonely most of my childhood, due to my parents leaving me. With little to no instructions, on what I was to do while they were gone. My father handed me a small wooden box, it was a puzzle box, one that seemed impossible to figure out how to open. He carved it out of the branches from the tree that stood in the center of Heaven.
Before leaving, they had promised me that they would someday return, only they never did. They were on a quest for knowledge, from places beyond our realm. Something had thrown off the natural balance in our realm, causing my fathers creations to die. Out of fear, he set out to destroy the anomaly, in order to live in peace once more. I was alone for many years, healing the lands that were once crumbling into dust.
When I wasn't doing that, I was reading the books in my parents library. Every once in a while, I would go without sleep, because of the nightmares I would have. I tried to ignore them most nights, burying my head in a book, never having anyone to console me. Until one night, I was awakened by a flashes of light outside my window, a meteor shower lit up the dull sky. I peeked out of my window at the beautiful sight.
When suddenly, a meteor explodes, causing it to shatter. It seemed like hours had passed by, before it finally crashed at the Gates of Heaven. I stayed inside the castle walls waiting for it to hit, watching the sky change colors as the sun and moon chased each other. After knowing it was safe to walk outside, I ran down the path to the Gates, but slowed down as I neared the crash site.
I studied it intently, watching for any activity or moment. It was faint at first, but eventually grew brighter, the fainted away again. Almost like the pulsation of a heartbeat. I wanted to feel it, to know if it felt like a heartbeat. Hesitantly, I reached out my hand, placing my palm flat on the meteors surface. The glowing orb that was trapped inside fluttered around, it was practically bouncing off the walls. As if trying to fight it's way out.
I remembered reading about something like that in one of my Father's journals. After searching through the pages for a few minutes, I finally found what I was looking for. I pricked my finger on the thorn of a rose growing in the bushes around the gates. Once the blood trickled from the tip of my finger, I traced the symbol onto the meteor. The area where I drew the symbol, began to crack like an egg, and the orb floated out of the meteor. It floated in front of me for a few moments, before passing over my head, and through the Gates.
I followed the orb the whole way to the tree in the center of Heaven, where it sunk into the ground. Once again I was alone, so I decided to read more from my Fathers journal. I sat under the tree, and eventually fell asleep while reading the pages of the journal. In my dreams a boy came to me, and he told me all about the orb and where they came from. I now had instructions.
Everyday, for 365 days, I watered the tree, where the orb absorbed into the ground. On the morning of the new year, I sat below the tree reading a book. Suddenly, the ground below me started to shift. I was startled by a hand that popped out from the ground. It clenched its fist, gripping the loose soil tightly in its hand. Once the shock no longer overwhelmed me, I sunk to my knees and began to dig this mysterious person out with my bare hands.
I brushed the dirt from his face, and he gasped for air. His eyes were clenched shut, as he spat out dirt. I continued to brush the dirt off of his naked body. When he was clear of all the dirt, I looked back up at the boys face. His eyes were open, and he stared at me. Confused and curious. We both were.
"What are you?" I asked him while studying him.
He looked kind of like me, only a boy. Dark hair, pale skin, blue eyes. Without saying a word, he stood up, brushing off the remainder of the dirt. That's when I realized he's still naked. So, I unfastened the buttons on my cape, and draped it over his shoulders. After covering himself modestly, he stared at me once more.
"I shall call you... MorningStar. You fell from the stars, and were born in the morning," I said to him.
Together, we taught each other new things. Once we had mastered the power of creation, I began to make more beings like MorningStar, who eventually decided to choose his own name. Lucifer... Lucifer MorningStar...
Celestial became the second Angel of Heaven. I gave her a mate, to ensure she'd never be lonely. Soon, there were hundreds of them. They all worshipped me, thanking me for giving them life and luxuries. Once I made Heaven in the perfect image, I decided to go further. I created Earth, and every living and non-living thing on it. If only I hadn't been so wrapped up in making new creations, I would've been able to see the evil within him. We wouldn't be where we are today.
A tear trickled down my face, and I finally opened my eyes. Allowing myself to return to reality. Even now, I am just as lonely as I was before. Until Tara finally joined me. I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me. She pulled me into a hug, catching me off guard at first. I wrapped my arms around her, and didn't let go until she was ready.
"It's not often we get to do that. I figured you could use one, before you disappear on us again," She said to me.
"Maybe one day you'll join me," I said suggestively.
"I just reunited with Alice and my grand children. If only you could stay here," She began to say, but I stopped her.
"I'm sorry, Tara, but you know my place isn't here on Earth. I must return to Heaven, and return things to their natural order. Without balance, everything will collapse," I explained.
"Oh, I do wish you wouldn't speak in riddles," Tara said with a huff.
"All in due time, Tara. One day you will know all the secrets of the universe. As for right now, do what I never got the chance to do. Be with your family, and don't take a single moment for granted," I said with a sad smile.
"Are you going to be okay?" She asked.
"I will be" I said with a nod.
"Stay out of trouble. Make sure to keep everyone in line. I will see you all tomorrow, to discuss the the plan," I said to Tara, while cupping her face.
She nodded her head, and closed her eyes.
"I must go, the angels need me," I said to her, before hugging her one last time.
I closed my eyes, and could feel my body floating, as if I were being pulled back to Heaven. My home. My own prison. When I opened my eyes, the Gates of Heaven opened in front of me. I stepped through the open gates, and was immediately shocked. The angels were waiting for me, the roads and buildings had been fixed, and a load cheer roared over the Heavens.
I was surrounded by my angels, receiving hugs and gifts. Yet, I still didn't feel right. Something still felt off. I dismissed the angels, and they left me be, while they prepared a victory feast. Once more I found myself below the tree in the center of Heaven. It was a fruits bearing tree, but didn't grow just one type of fruit, it grew them all. I pulled an apple from the tree, and took a bite.
The sour taste sent me into shock. Or at least that's what I thought it was. Everything went extremely bright, as if I were looking straight into the sky, then became pitch black. There was no light, just darkness. Was this death? Was this a dream?
When I heard his chuckle, I knew what this was. This was his way of tormenting me. The screams of all his victims echoed through the black abyss. Sometimes they sounded close, other times far away. I could hear him whispering to me, saying profound things. No matter how hard I tried to block out the noises, he was there and he wasn't going to stop.
"What do you want from me?" I yelled out to him.
"I want you to suffer. Just as I have," He whispered in my ear.
When I turned around, he wasn't there. I strained my eyes to see in the dark, but it was hopeless.
"You don't think I have suffered? I lost everyone I loved. My parents, you, our daughter, her family. I was alone," I responded.
"You had your precious angels. That was more than I had. You put me in a place where there is nothing but death, rot, and chaos. Along with all the other unfit souls you deemed unworthy," He said angrily.
His voice bellowed throughout the darkness. I couldn't tell where he was, but that's what he wants, to mess with me. So, I stayed silent, listening for his next move.
"You're selfish, you know that?" I asked him.
"Why? Because I wanted you to myself? We had each other. That's all we needed, but you insisted on creating more and more. You stopped caring about me," He insisted.
"I loved you. You were my favorite creation," I said, as I reached out and grabbed him.
He now stood in front of me, his eyes glowing through the darkness. I touched his face, but he smacked my hand away. When I looked back at him, he had a grin on his face. He took me by surprise, when he grabbed me by my throat, I could hardly breath.
"You can't hurt me, and you know it," I said to him, as I grabbed his wrist.
"No, but it is fun watching you struggle. Thanks to you, I've found a new outlet," He said with a smirk.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" I said while attempting to break free of his grip.
"The day you freed me, allowing me to be planted in the soil of Heaven, is the day you connected us for life," He replied.
"Don't speak in riddles, snake," I said while scolding him.
"Haven't you wondered how I've been able to escape? Why were so drawn to each other?" He asked, before loosening his grip.
I fell to my knees, gasping for air. My throat burned, as if I were inhaling smoke. It caused my eyes to water, and my veins to constrict.
"Enough of the games!" I yelled, before standing up.
"No! The games have only just begun. You may rule the realms, but it is I who has control of you. I'm in your mind. My DNA floods your veins, and our kin carry my seeds. When the newest kin is born, I shall return, and I'll be the one who watches you all burn," He said before engulfing the darkness in flames.
I closed my eyes and shielded my face from the flames. The heat wrapped around my body, engulfing me in ring of fire. Apart from the sound of the crackling flames, I could hear Lucifer speaking in the background.
"I will not be caged! I will not be silenced any longer! I will not be tamed!" He rambled on, "In seven years, the Gates will open, and I shall claim my vessel. I'll take my rightful place on the royal thrown, and wear a crown of thorns. I will wreak havoc amongst all the realms, condemning any soul that dare try to stop me. Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Earth, all the gates will be opened, and under my control. Everyone will worship me, beg me for forgiveness, praying I spare their pathetic lives."
Once he stopped speaking, my ears began to ring with the screams of all the tortured souls he trapped in his river of Styx. Then suddenly nothing. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in that place. The sun beamed down on to me, its light was so bright, it nearly blinded me. I touched my face trying to shield my eyes, but my skin was hot to the touch. Almost as if I had a terrible sun burn.
He was able to hurt me. Had I become weak? Had he become stronger? How did he do it? I was brought back to my senses, when Celestial dumped a pail of water over my head. The steam rose from my skin, as it hissed like a snake. Holy water. Lucifer had tried to possess my vessel. He is becoming stronger. Something needed to done. He has to die.
"Kira?" Celestial asked.
"We've got work to do," I said, while standing up and brushing myself off.
"Yes, Kira. What is the plan?" She asked me.
"We're going to have to kill him, or find a better way to contain him," I explained, while motioning for her to follow me.
She sped up her pace, following me to my parents library. I swung the doors open, causing dust to fly everywhere. It'd been so long, since the last time I'd gone in here. I grabbed my father's journals, and spread them across the table in the center of the library. Celestial and I pulled up two chairs, dusting them off, before sitting in them.
In front of us there were six journals. Each labeled something different. I found them hidden in a secret room, behind one of the bookcases on the south wing. My Father was a brilliant man, and he loved his secrets. He would always tell me stories, sometimes they were about fun adventures, other times they were silly stories that were made up of complete nonsense.
He would go days without sleep, just to write new stories to tell and creating new inventions. I suppose after time it drove him mad, because only a few months before my parents left on their adventure, my father began to tell me dark and scary stories. He spoke of the vision-like dreams he would have. The darkness that swallowed the world. It was the whole reason my parents left me here. I never knew if they stopped the darkness, maybe it was Lucifer, and I had set him free.
"Kira, you're staring off again. Are you sure you shouldn't rest first?" Celestial said, as she touched my shoulder.
"No!" I said harshly, then once composed, "I just got lost in a train of thought is all."
"Very well then, where shall we start?" She ask me.
"I'm not sure... I found them about a week before MorningStar fell from the skies. I never fully read them, because he came into the picture, and became my new distraction," I said with a sigh.
I read the names of the journals in my head. The Beginning. Heaven. Earth. Hell. Purgatory. Rapture.
"How many did you read?" She asked me.
"I read the first four. The Beginning, Heaven, Earth, and Hell. I never finished the other two. Maybe the answers are in one of them," I said, before reaching for the journal with the word Rapture written on it.
Celestial picked up the other journal. We spent hours studying the journals. I began to remember why I never finished the journals. My father was writing these around the time he went crazy. He was always muttering something under his breath.
'Knowledge is power, and your power is your strength'
Those words etched themselves into my brain, and have stuck with me all these years. They were written in his journals several times. I repeated the words inside my head multiple times. Trying to solve his riddle, I began pacing around the library, hoping I'd find another clue. While wandering in the South wing with my Father's journal in my hand, I found myself standing in front of the bookcase with the hidden room.
I pulled the candleholder that hung on the right side of the bookcase, and the locks clicked from top to bottom. The hinges creaked as I pulled the bookcase forward. I sat on the floor inside the hidden room, and knocked on the wood, listening for the hollow sound of a secret compartment. Once I found it, I peeled back the rug, and lifted up the loose floor board. I reached my hand into the dark hole, and found what I was looking for. The little wooden box my father had given me.
I fiddled it in my hand, while reading the journal. It fell out of my hand, and I wasn't fast enough to catch it. When it landed on one of it corners, a piece of the wood shifted. At first I thought it broke or splintered, but when I picked it up, I noticed it was a perfect block of wood that moved. I began trying to shift the other pieces of wood around it, until finally I reached what was in the center.
I sat it on the velvet carpet in front of me. A clear spherical crystal. That was it. I didn't know how to feel in this moment. Glad that I finally opened the last gift my Father gave me? Or angry that it was just a useless crystal ball? The tears swelled up in my eyes, and I laughed to myself. I had never felt more defeated. After drying my tears and taking a deep breath, I stared up at the ceiling where the sun roof showed a clear sky, the sun slowly peeking through.
"Father please give me a sign?" I begged, "What am I supposed to do."
When the sun met the center of the sun roof, it let in a beam of light. It hit the crystal ball at just the right angle, causing it to glow, making the journal readable. He wrote it in holy water, making it an invisible ink. What was he trying to keep a secret? Who didn't he want to know?
I quickly read through the pages, taking in all the knowledge it shared, before the sun light disappears. Everything began to make sense. The answers were right in front of me all along. I knew what I had to do, even if it meant making my biggest sacrifice yet.
We will divide and conquer, to protect the humans. I will purify these lands, to prepare for the greatest war yet. The 21st century cure. A chance for redemption, a Rapture. Everyone will be given the choice. With my Father's instructions, I will defeat the darkness, and restore the balance.