Lucian narrowed his eyes at the storm. Was . . . there another branch of Angels still in heaven that decided to join their side?
He saw the club door open, the fallen and demons flanking out of the club. So Azazel sent them on the hunt.
He wasn't sure where Gabriel took off to. He decided he had to get in contact with Leviathan and Bezel.
While Azazel was still in the club, Lucian had to find a new place to crash. He took out his phone.
"Leviathan, where are you?"
He waited for a few moments, his phone vibrating in his hand.
"We are at the church no one uses anymore."
Lucian replied.
"I am on my way - we have problems."
He spread his wings, but before he could take off - his phone vibrated again.
"We know - and you are not going to . . . be impressed when you get here."
He pocketed his phone and took the skies, the storm was still raging, and he flew west. He thought about Christine. She was a bit drawn back when they were in the kitchen.
Usually, Gadrial's previous lives wanted him badly and yet here is this one in the modern age. She was into it, he could tell, but somehow she switched off and decided to be a bit distant.
So he had to do this the hard way; dating. That was something he hadn't done in a while, and the thought made him grin. He sped up and landed in front of the abandoned church. He looked at the board that was half hanging from the gate. Hail Santanis.
It was an old Satanic church that fell to fire ten years ago. Since then, most demons and fallen had taken refuge here - for fear of heavenly retribution.
He pushed the gate open, it creaked, and he looked around. There were a few dead trees, the grass was overgrown - and a few paces from the church was a graveyard.
Hallowed ground, only neutral angels may walk on that soil. Lucian walked to the church; the windows were barred by planks, a few tiles from the roof laid on the ground - and the exterior was black.
He pushed the door open, and his eyes widened at the sight that greeted him. There were only five people - including Bezel and Levithan. "Is this all?"
Leviathan looked at him with a bored expression. "Yes, the others, unfortunately, heard about Azazel."
Lucian cursed in his mind. Azazel was still influential in the fallen community. "So they blindly decide to follow him?!"
Bezel stepped forward. "You know bloody well - that we all followed Azazel before the Creator killed him!"
Azazel was the first angel that raised a rebellion against God. They were punished and damned to earth to become the first fallen. Neither a foot in heaven nor a foot in hell.
So Azazel rallied demons to his side - and attempted to breach the gates of heaven once again. But it was in that battle where the Creator had run his sword through his heart.
The front gates had run with rivers of blood, and demons and fallen tried to flee but most did not make it back to earth or hell. Lucian remembered that day that was when they feared their Creator.
What struck him was that the Creator enjoyed the killing, and he lived for the wars. Since he killed Azazel, peace transcended in the Kingdom of Heaven.
But the Creator was obsessed with war, and that was when he started to create more angels with weird positions. Just in case there was another war.
A few hundred years later, that was when he made the twins. Gabriel and Gadrial, one for healing and one for war.
Lucien felt the anger that rose in him. "What does that matter! He shouldn't be alive! He started to scream. " You all saw the Creator kill him!"
Leviathan took a step forward and placed his hand on Bezel's shoulder to keep him quiet. "Lucian, screaming about shit ain't going to solve the matter. You have our support . . . and it might not be enough - but we can try."
Lucian glared at them both. "What are we going to do with six people?"
Bezel shrugged Leviathan's handoff. "You forget, Gabriel isn't here - and we couldn't get Uriel to come."
Lucian paused. Yes. He forgot that he had already convinced Uriel to their side, but he would only stand with them because of Gadrial. "So, that makes eight people in total."
Bezel rolled his eyes. "What about Gadrial?"
Lucian's gaze fixed on Bezel hard. "You know she has to come willingly."
It was Leviathan's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Your exact words were; 'I can turn her to our side.'
Lucian gritted his teeth. They got him there. " Yes, I did say that - but-"
Bezel took another step forward and grabbed Lucian's collar. "You promised - without her, we can not tip the scale. So go do what you do best and fuck."
Bezel threw him backwards. His back hit the church doors, and he slid down. Leviathan turned his back towards him. "He is right, Lucian. You did promise . . . and we heard in the grapevine that she was not baptized. So be quick about it and damn her."
Lucian stood up, rubbing his neck. "Sure, you make it sound so easy! Every reincarnation is different than the last."
Bezel crossed his arms. "GAdrial is still the same woman - they all operate the same."
Lucian gritted his teeth - clearly, they had never wooed a woman. "Fine!"
He turned around and pushed the church doors open. How the fuck will he get Gadrial on their side before she surges?
Time was not on their side, and even if he could get the mortal to fall in love with him, no one could tell how Gadrial would waken. Would she be understanding - would she have all her memories because she wasn't baptized? Or would she be vengeful?
All these thoughts were running through his head. He walked fast down the overgrown footpath and took out his phone.
"Gabriel, where are you?"
His phone vibrated.
"Fuck you, Lucian. You are not my babysitter."
He replied.
"I am not asking you because I am trying to babysit you. We need to fucking talk."
He waited for a few moments, but nothing came through. He spread his wings when he closed the accursed church gate and took to the skies.
He noticed the storm let up. The skies were cleared, and the stars twinkled. He couldn't go back to the Children of the Damned, Azazel's presence irked him, and it would take weeks to get the smell of him out there.
He stopped on a random building roof. He folded his wings and took his phone out again. New message.
"That is all you do, Lucian - you just want to talk. You don't have the fucking guts to act - and to think you were freaking out in the alleyway, like a little shit."
Lucian rolled his eyes. He remembered now why he never liked Gabriel in the first place.
"Wouldn't you have freaked out - you fucking hypocrite! We have to talk strategy; most of the fallen have joined Azazel. Bezel and Leviathan only found three more to join our side."
The message came immediately.
"You talk as if I am on your side, Lucian."
His anger built up again and typing hard on the keyboard.
"You have my mark on your arm! We are fucking brothers now! So tell me - where the fuck are you?"
He spread his wings as the message came through.
"I am at Lillith's Apple."
Lucian almost dropped his phone. Why did he go to Adam's wife's bar? That sent shivers up his spine.
Lucian's fall. . .
He groaned and opened his eyes. He felt disorientated. He tried sitting up, but his back hurt and not to mention his wings were spread at weird angles around him.
A woman came into his vision. She was beautiful . . . she had long black hair, brown eyes and red lips. "Hello, love. I am Lillith, Adam's first wife. Welcome to earth, my dear fallen."
She grinned at him - her teeth looked normal except for her canines; they were a bit longer. "Cat caught your tongue?"
He blinked up at her, and she let out a shrill laugh. "Oh my, I forgot the first fall is always the worst-" She offered her hand. "Let us get you cleaned up."
He took her hand. She brought him to his feet, but he swayed - and she steadied him. "What do I call you?"
He leaned against her, "My name is Lucien."
To the present. . .
Lucian's phone vibrated, and he looked down.
"Are you fucking coming or what?"
Lucian gulped. He really didn't want to see Lillith again.
"I am on my way."
Lucian jumped from the building he free-fell before flapping his wings . . . he had to bite back his hate for Lillith if he wanted some sanctuary.