I
Lea sat solemnly on the edge of the bed, eyeing the small jewelry box across from her. With a deep breath, she finally opened it up and stared at the single item it contained.
Tethered to a small cord of braided hemp, a small cross, formed of clear hand-blown glass. Inside it was a single rice grain, floating in clear oil which magnified the rice enough to read the inscription of her name on it. Her mother had given it to her when she was a child, a keepsake when Lea had accepted Christ and been saved. When her mother passed away, she took it off and locked it away here, the painful memory of her mother too much for her to bear.
It had been a difficult time for Lea, as she questioned everything about the world. Was there really a God? A Devil? What if the perception of the two was skewed, or worse inverted? Was God cruel and evil, while the Devil was truly forgiving? Was that the deception, the unforgiving truth, the damning fact about humanity was that the God they believed would save them was a false, lying God?
But now, as her hand delicately traced the glass edges of the cross, she thought of Connor. How powerful and noble he looked in his costume, of the power he wielded and of how he clearly fought for something stronger than all of them. Connor had always been skeptical of religion, and who could blame him? After all, his parents were brutally taken from him. It was enough to shake anyone’s fate. But now Connor himself was an Angel. Somehow, by some trick of fate, Connor was the embodiment of everything Lea doubted and questioned, and that gave her a bizarre, calming reassurance. Lea pulled the cross over her head and clasped it in her hands, blind to the glowing light that emanated from her palms enveloping the cross in her own light.
Lea believed. Lea knew what was right, and so long as Connor was there, she knew she could no longer doubt the existence of a true, noble God. She smiled and squeezed the cross a little tighter.
As if on cue, the world around her erupted into chaos.
II
Vilnias, the powerful King of Fallen Angels, howled like a dieing beast. He flexed the sinewy muscle of his black, charred arms and laughed. Imprisoned in this shell, hiding and waiting for so long, praying for the day when he could be free. For so long he had hidden under the guise of the human Stefan Radu, turning him from a poor dirt farmer into a renowned magician. How easily fooled they were, the foolish dregs of humanity, unable to discern the dark powers of Hell for their own wonder and special effects.
But now the guise is gone, and the last of the Earthborn Angels stood before him. Connor Sharpe and his mentor, the Angel Gabriel, poised and ready for battle, swords drawn and eyes narrowed. Vilnias licked his lips and balled up his fists.
“Come then, mortals. We fight to the death.”
Connor shook his head and turned to Gabriel. “I…I can’t do this.”
“What?!”
“Gabriel…I have to go. I can’t fight this man.”
Gabriel grabbed Connor by the shoulder and spun him around, slamming him into the wall. “We don’t have time for this, you idiot!! If we’re going to stop him, it has to be together!”
“Gabriel…he knows about me. About everything.”
“What?”
“He killed my father and made him Eblis. He’s been following me…watching me. He’s been waiting for this. He won’t kill me, Gabriel. He’ll kill her. He’ll kill Lea.”
Connor swatted away Gabriel’s hand and charged out the door.
“She’s all I have left…she’s the only reason I’ve been able to fight this long!!” he yelled over his shoulder, rushing away into the distance. “I’m sorry Gabriel…you’re on your own!”
Vilnias howled and flapped his wings. “FOOL!” He howled, his voice screeching and tearing the sky asunder. “You dare try to avoid me! You run from the King of Fallen Angels!! If you will not face me, then I will destroy everything around you!!”
The heavens opened and filled with fire. The sky fell apart, chunks of brimstone and balls of fire falling to the ground, striking around Connor and destroying everything in their paths.
Gabriel turned to follow after him, but Vilnias moved with incredible speed, blocking his path.
“Oh, no no no.” the demon hissed, “I will taste an Angel’s blood today, sir. And I’ve been wanting a taste of yours for far too long.”
III
Victor awoke from a deep sleep as what appeared to be pieces of hell dropped from the sky. He leapt out of bed and rushed out, away, far from his and Connor’s apartment, stopping only to grab a coat to throw over his pajamas. As if by instinct, he ran to Lea’s, knowing Connor would never stop beating himself up if anything else happened to her.
The streets became a blur as he ran down the road, darting between panicking citizens and crumbling buildings, passing the since closed school building and wondering if that strange beast had anything to do with this.
He finally arrived and dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as a line of blood trickled down to the ground. His hands clumsily groped his forehead, to the spot where the monster had attacked him. 27 stitches had been placed there hours earlier by an emergency room doctor, and all but three of them seemed to have burst, fresh blood seeping down his head and dripping on the hard concrete. He took a deep breath and looked up at the apartment where Lea lived. As he looked up at the sky, a large piece of rock struck the side of the building, a large white streak burning through concrete and steel just before the building collapsed.
Victor knew she must be dead.
IV
Connor put all his power into moving forward as Lea’s apartment came into view. He burst through the wall, snatching her out of harms way before the rock struck the side of the building, narrowly missing getting hit by it himself. The world around him blew up in fire and brimstone as Connor held Lea close to him. As the two landed, his costume dissipated, giving way to his more obscure street clothes as they blended in with the panicked crowds. Lea, clasping a necklace he had never seen before, stared at him long and hard, her eyes filled with fear.
Lea stared in awe, gasping. “Connor…” she whispered “What…what is this?”
“It doesn’t matter.” He said stoically, grabbing her hand and dragging him along with him. “We have to hide, now.”
“Why? What about-“
“Don’t worry. Gabriel…he can deal with this. I’m getting you out of here.”
As the two walked off into the shadows, Connor’s heart dropped, a great sorrow filling his soul. He hated this, hated leaving Gabriel…but Lea was all he had. The only proof that he had anymore that there were indeed good things in life. He’d be damned if anything was going to happen to her.
On what felt like the other side of the world, Gabriel took a deep breath and kicked hard, sending Vilnias flying. The demon laughed and rose.
“At least you’ll be giving me a run for my money…this will be just like old times, won’t it Gabriel? Maybe this time you’ll actually win…”
As Vilnias’ laughter filled the air, Gabriel readied his sword…
NEXT IN ORIGINS…
ACT IX
GABRIEL’S RECKONING
