Gabriel took me all over the seven heavens. The angels greeted her with admiration and they also saluted me merely because I was doing her company. The seventh heavens was that of worldly management, angels doing paperwork regarding the situation in the world, and their influence on humans and other races... it was like a massive city where angels lived and went about their business. There are councils, agencies, armies... a well-organised group.
Nonetheless, I couldn't help but notice that despite their numbers being great, it was as if they were not enough for this massive world.
"We used to be a lot more, Lord Ray. Our numbers have drastically decreased after suffering humongous losses during the last war against the devils. A great chunk of our forces fell in the hands of the Original Satans, another chunk deserted to be fallen angels... and there hasn't been a single angel born for the last ten thousand years" Gabriel told me with a desolate voice that didn't fit her.
I decided to ask questions by the end of the tour.
The second heaven was some sort of prison, she said special humans through history resided there. They weren't bad enough to go to hell, but also not good enough for the third heaven... something about the Tower of Babel. She said those who resided there were 'high humans'.
I couldn't help but recall Tsunade Senju, that's what she evolved into after she got my massage.
Next was the third heaven where all good souls that vanished from the earth resided, they were treated like kings there by the cherubins.
"Under normal circumstances, after your death, here is where you would have come, Lord Ray".
"I see-!"
It took me a second to analyse what she just said but instead of giving me a clear explanation, Gabriel giggled and pulled me along further.
[I don't think she has bad intentions… but she knows many things, Ray] Elysir commented and I nodded, at this stage, I don't know if this is the same clumsy Angel, she looks the same and smiles the same, but there is this serious aura around her now that she's donning that armour.
Like someone who has lived way too long.
...
The fourth heaven was the one where the mythical garden of Eden resided, we landed in it, and there were humongous trees everywhere, all with different fruits, some of which I hadn't even seen before. Everything was colourful and perfect here.
We approached one tree in the middle of it, the biggest one with a fruit that resembled an apple, but instead of red or green, it was golden.
"This is the tree of wisdom. Here, have one of them~" she plucked one of those fruits and presented it to me.
I looked at her in shock.
"Are you sure I should eat this…?"
"Hehe~ my lord, wisdom has already been imparted in humanity. Even if you were to eat it, nothing would change, try it~"
I did as she said and had a bite of this gold apple, the taste was like anything I had ever tasted before, it was unbelievably sugary, but despite it, you still wouldn't consider it oversweet.
"So delicious...! If it is this delicious then… why?" I knew how the story went although I was never a religious person.
"The sin was not to eat the fruit… that fruit was fated to be eaten, otherwise... why would it exist? The sin was to disobey the lord father… eating the fruit of wisdom before the stipulated time" She sighed.
It made sense, she even plucked one of them and ate it herself, delighting at the flavour, she looked at me and giggled when she noticed I had already eaten mine, so she gave me hers, I accepted it.
"I'm glad you like it, you can come here to have any fruit you want, my lord" Gabriel said and then pulled me out of there before I could even question here, why would I even come here again?
[I can sort of guess her intentions now... haven't you noticed how she's calling you?].
...
"Humans and us angels were created by father using a miraculous tool. He personally called this tool an 'Overgod Artefact' that hailed from beyond the limits of this universe… hence the term 'Overgod' was a tool that was even beyond the deities of this world of that time. Evil spirits existed Gods, Devils and Demons. But that is a long story for another time, what is important is..."
I listened to her while eating the fruit, she took us to fly again to our next destination.
"He named that tool the Manus Septem Dierum (Seven Fingers of Creation) because he created this world with it in seven days".
I understand now why she called me here, but I couldn't help being on guard.
"You don't need to be afraid or on guard. We don't intend to take it away from you. I'm relieved that it is in your hands instead, my lord. You don't look like a bad individual, j-just a tad bit perverted" She blushed for some reason.
This angel knows something!
"I heard you and Lady Reina... doing that... last night".
!!!
"How did you hear us?! we were in a different room!" I protested, she might as well have been peeking at us.
"I am a Seraph, my senses are very accurate, b-but I don't have any problem with that... R-Reina say was moaning quite a bit and c-certainly the fact that she's your mother is a bit troubling but-" I pulled her against my body and closed her mouth, the angel blushed bullets.
"Stop stop stop!" These are certainly not the sort of things you should be talking about in the heavens.
She looked at me with a gaze that said 'I will stop'.
"W-What I mean to say is... uhm... it is good that you're a bit perverted, that's all!"
'This girl is not making any sense'.
[Oh but she is. Hehe~ I think you're going to like this, Ray].
'You think? I feel something ominous about all this, actually'.
...
She strolled me across the fifth heaven filled with all sorts of buildings that looked like research and experimentation. She didn't delve further into it and instead took me straight to the sixth.
"Big brother, I have arrived".
In the sixth heaven, we met Michael, Metatron and other angels. It was a gigantic golden palace where the Seraphs resided, the strongest angels.
"It's good to see you again, Ray… we're happy to have you as a guest" I shook Michael's hand and watched past him where the rest of the Seraphs assembled to salute me.
"Nice to meet you, my Lord… I'm Raphael" A tall man, taller than Michael, also wielding golden armour didn't stretch his hand and instead bowed down, following Japanese courtesy. Next to him was another man, this one had dark skin and was a bit bulky.
"Uriel"
His bulky body beneath the armour certainly didn't scream 'Uriel'.
Four individuals surrounded me. The four Great Seraphs and second in leadership of the heavens after 'God'... all with blonde hair: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and Uriel.
Behind them were another ten Seraphs, although they were just Seraphs, not great Seraphs, Metatron was included and they had ten wings instead of twelve.
"My lord, I'm Sandalphon" A gorgeous lady introduced herself, unlike Gabriel who had an innocent aura around her, this was an absolute bombshell of a mature angel.
"Jophiel" Another girl walked by, astonishingly beautiful.
Beauty was a trait shared among all angels it seems, aside from their names all ending in 'el' except for a few exceptions.
"Zadkiel".
"Sariel".
...
Among them one lady was standing far away, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Her ten wings were the only ones that were pitch black, like her dress. 'Why is a fallen angel here?' I thought.
While the angels screamed holiness, she screamed curse and negativity, she kept her distance. When she saw me looking at her, she bowed down although with less courtesy compared to the rest.
"Azrael".
"Is she a fallen angel, Gabriel".
"Oh, Eldest Sister Azrael is known as the Angel of Death, my lord. She is not a fallen angel, her wings are just naturally black" Gabriel explained to me, but this explanation seemed to not sit well with Azrael who took the chance to fly far away from the crowd as if she didn't even want to be here.
"My apologies, she's a bit desolate..." Michael apologised in her stead but I didn't pay it any mind.
Instead, I just saved her in my mind.
…
The four Seraphs took me inside the palace to sit in a great hall with five golden chairs, Gabriel and Michael sat at either side of me, and Sandalphon walked by to serve us tea.
"Lord Ray, as I promised you, I have yet to tell my brother about the reason why I have brought you here" Gabriel began.
"Really?" I gwaked, at the cordiality with which they received me, I thought they knew everything.
"That is the truth, Gabriel only said you were very important to us, Lord Ray. You also assisted her in completing the divine mission. If it is okay, could we know now?" Uriel inquired.
Gabriel looked at me asking for confirmation and I just nodded... that's when she began to explain to them that I was the one holding the Manus Septem Dierum, although that was no longer its name. She also mentioned that it was me who saved Anna from the start. The 'divine mission' was the one in which they were tasked by God to save Anna.
By now, I was wondering why I was talking to them and not with their God directly.
They were shocked, they even went as far as to ask for confirmation. I merely put my hands on each of their heads and released my aura the same way I had done with Gabriel, figuring that would be enough to prove a point, it was.
"My lord!".
All three of them fell on their knees in front of me and praised me, Gabriel didn't do so immediately, instead, she was giggling on the side.
"..."
[I told you you were going to like it... hehe~ and from what I can see, this is not even the start of it].
Michael stood up first, he had tears in his eyes, "My lord please follow us to our next location, it is urgent!"
The four great seraphs created yet another portal that took us to the last subdimension, the seventh heaven; not all angels came alongside us, only the four seraphs. This was a secluded space that not even the normal Seraphs were allowed to enter.
It was a gargantuan golden gate. Gabriel placed her palm on it and it started opening ever so slowly. It was just massive, I felt like an ant in front of it. The moment the door opened I felt a rush of energy like a gust of wind flush past me with warmth and speckles.
[We have a situation, Ray] Horus spoke to me.
'What is it?'
[There is a hostless system on the other side… and it is requesting to pair up and synchronize with our system... it seems, this system was also created using the Septem Diebus]
'Ah?'