Michael stretched his wings. He was preparing to return to the Mortal Plane; he found it much more peaceful and simple among the humans than among the angels in the Kingdom. He was tired of serving the Ruler and the inequality he saw in the Kingdom. He heard the prayers of the humans all the time and watched the Ruler do nothing. Michael had asked Gabriel and Zerachiel, his two oldest brothers if the Ruler used to step in to listen to the prayers. Zerachiel told Michael that centuries ago, the Ruler listened to prayers and answered the ones He felt were most deserving. Things between the Kingdom and the Mortal Plane were peaceful. But Gabriel told his youngest Brother that the Ruler had grown apathetic as the populations of humans grew and became more numb as more and more humans became Unbelievers.
The youngest Seraphim stepped forward and out of the Kingdom. Opening his eyes, he found himself in his favorite forest in the Mortal Plane. A small grove outside of a small village of primarily poor villagers.
Many of the villagers near this forest were Unbelievers, especially since a significant illness had claimed the lives of many of the inhabitants about ten years prior. "What kind of Ruler would allow this to happen to us?" cried the villagers as they buried their numerous dead.
Michael knew being among Unbelievers was best for his kind, as they would go to any length not to believe what they saw when they spotted the angel watching.
Sitting on a fallen tree, Michael stretched his long legs before him and was happy to have peace. He did not have the pressures of the Kingdom here and did not have the looming power of the Ruler over him here. The Ruler allowed Michael to continue to visit the Mortal Plane as long as the Seraphim only watched; all angels were forbidden from interfering with or interacting with humans. As such, Michael was always careful to leave no trace of his presence in the Mortal Plane, as the Ruler would end his visits here.
The youngest Seraphim sat on the fallen tree, listening to the nearby stream bubbling its song to the world. He heard two ravens nearby and listened to a young woman talking to them as if they were old friends. He smiled to himself; so few humans took the time to interact with nature as they should. Knowing the woman would be coming this way, Michael stepped away from his perch to stand among the trees, farther away from the stream.
A young woman emerged from further down the path, carrying her basket. Michael stepped back, careful not to make a sound. She was thin and graceful, with long, flowing black hair, and a light dusting of freckles was spread across her face. She was beautiful, he thought. He watched the young woman in the flowing dress and apron pick various plants and herbs. She sang to herself as she worked, a sound soothing to Michael. The Seraphim watched the young woman work; he watched her peer into the stream and then fix her hair before leaving the forest clearing. Michael let a silent sigh fall from his lips, knowing he could never interact with this human.
As the young woman left the forest clearing, Michael stepped from his place among the trees back to his fallen tree. Michael had seen the woman in the forest many times before; he had been in awe of her beauty and love of nature since the first time he had accidentally spotted her. He put his head in his hands and raked his fingers through his golden curls. This was a gift and a curse from the Ruler to allow him his peace to visit the realm of the humans but not interfere.
His wings stretched, and a single white feather fell to the ground.
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Hours later, Michael stood alone outside of the village center. "What am I doing here? Why am I following this woman? I can't help her. I can't speak to her. She can't even know I exist." Michael pulled at his hair. What was the matter with him? She could never know of his existence. She was a human. He was a Seraphim, a servant of the Ruler of the Kingdom. Why was he so drawn to watch her?
Fighting internally and silently with himself, Michael watched the young woman go from shop to shop in the market. His heart ached as he watched her pick up a small child with golden hair, bounce him on her hip, tousle the child's hair, and playfully pinch his cheeks before handing the child off to his heavily pregnant mother. Michael pinched his side, hard. Why was his heart aching from such a sight? She was a human doing human things. It was none of his business. He shook his head, trying to shake some sense into himself. He would have to ask Raphael if he had ever heard of an angel of any ranking caring so much about a single human. Raphael was wiser and knew to keep his mouth shut about such questions.
Michael was about to turn and leave his position in the shadows when he watched a well-dressed, heavy man approach the young woman in blue and grab her. Fury flared in the Seraphim; how dare this man touch her? His ice-blue eyes were cold as he watched the man try to get her attention, and he relaxed as the woman wriggled her way free of the man's grasp.
"I will have my day, Ravenna!" cried the man, exasperated.
Ravenna. What a perfect name for the woman, thought Michael to himself. The woman with the hair as black as ravens' wings. The woman who took the time to befriend the ravens. Ravenna. The name burned into his mind as Michael watched the woman return to her home.
But who was the man who tried so hard to get her attention? And why did Michael strongly want to protect Ravenna from his clutches? He shook his head, trying to rid himself of his thoughts. Ravenna could never be his to protect, anyway. Seeing that Ravenna was safe, Michael stepped between the realms, back to his home in the Kingdom.
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Surrounded by perfection and white, Michael stood in the Kingdom's library, looking for his Brother, Raphael. When Raphael was not directly serving the Ruler, he was found in the library, trying to expand his knowledge on as many subjects as possible. Raphael was always on a quest to know more; other than the Ruler Himself, Raphael was the next wisest creature in the Creation. He was also the Seraphim Brother that Michael was closest to, both in age and friendship. Michael trusted all his Brothers, but with Raphael's wisdom, Michael trusted him the most.
The Library of the Kingdom was a dream to any soul that loved books. The first floor was expansive, with row upon row of shelves inviting readers to delve into their vast sea of knowledge. The second, third, and fourth floors were rings, leaving a large central area open, in which a giant statue of the Ruler reached toward the ceiling. The books occasionally interested Michael, but if he wanted to know something, he typically asked his Brother, Raphael.
After searching the first floor to no avail, Michael ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor. He searched everywhere, knowing Raphael often tucked himself into unusual places to read. It did not help that Raphael resembled many statues scattered amongst the library. Michael passed by Raphael the first time, not seeing his Brother among the stack of books on the floor. Deep in his book, Raphael did not notice the large Seraphim walk past him.
Michael heard Raphael cough from the dust among the books and backed up. He noticed the other Seraphim sitting on the floor, partially obscured by a pile of books. He sat on the floor across from his Brother and greeted him. "Good afternoon, Raphael."
Raphael looked up from a thick book. His vivid green eyes met Michael's ice-blue ones, and Raphael smiled. His youngest Brother, Michael, was in the library, meaning he had questions about something again. "Hello. What is it today, Brother?" asked Raphael. The younger Seraphim flicked his wings, and he cast his eyes downward. Maybe asking his Brother wasn't such a good idea. He should forget the woman he saw today. He wasn't allowed to interact with humans; why bother asking Raphael if angels and humans could ever be together?
"I... was....I went to the Mortal Plane today...," began Michael. "I thought-"
"What did you do, Michael?" interrupted his Brother, anxiety in his voice. "You know the Ruler only allows us to visit the Mortal Plane as long as we are not seen, and we do not interfere. His wrath will be terrible. Michael, please. What did you do?"
"Nothing! I haven't done anything!" Michael put his hands in front of him. "I just watched. I wasn't seen!"
"Good. We can relax. The Ruler does not care about us taking a break outside of the Kingdom so long as we follow His rules. What did you come to tell me?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you there... was a nice forest. I thought you would like it. It was... peaceful for reading in," Michael lied, scratching the back of his neck aimlessly. He had always been a terrible liar; all Seraphim were awful liars.
Puzzled, Raphael lowered his eyes back to his book. "You'll uh, I guess you'll have to show me sometime."
Michael walked out of the library, leaving his Brother to his books. He decided he had caught Raphael at the wrong time and would ask his Brother about the things on his mind another day. He watched a lower-ranking messenger angel, Uriel, hurry past, and Michael continued toward the Gardens
Absent-mindedly, Michael walked through the immaculate Gardens, his body in the Kingdom, but his mind with the young woman in the forest. He wished he could meet her. He thought her way with nature was beautiful. Michael continued to walk, his thoughts with Ravenna. He passed several lower-ranking angels tending to the garden, who stopped to bow toward the high-ranking Seraphim. He finally came to the center of the Gardens, to the large white marble fountain. The Prayer Fountain was where the Ruler used to come to listen to the prayers of the humans, a place where the blessings of the humans could still be heard, but the Ruler had long abandoned the Fountain.
Distracted, Michael sat by the Prayer Fountain. He never liked sitting here; he could hear the prayers of the humans that the Ruler paid no heed to. He didn't know why he chose to sit on this white marble fountain today, listening to the pleas and hopes of the humans. A small voice that had a hint of familiarity with Michael made a prayer. The Ruler would never pay attention to it, but Michael heard it.
"Please, Ruler, don't let me end up with Mr Jones out of necessity. Please send someone who would understand my devotion to my healing. Please. I cannot trust someone like Peter Jones."
Michael's blue eyes turned down, weighted with Ravenna's words. He wanted to give the woman everything she dreamed of, but he was forbidden to reveal his existence to her, let alone answer the prayer that the Ruler would ignore. Michael leaned forward and put his head in his hands. He wrapped his wings around himself, shutting himself out from his world.
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Author's Note: Michael: My-kull