A small portal opened up in the shape of a large white ring. Lady Light walked through the portal which immediately closed after her. Her feet landed on a hard white floor made of a cloudy form that appeared solid simultaneously. All around her were floating white clouds-"watchers" as they were famously called. They played an integral part in the all-knowing power of God. She walked forward quickly, her dress flowed along the floor noiselessly. Ahead of her, was a towering wall forged with gold. On it was a collection of elegant carved art, depicting all of the time, since the conception of mankind; The gate of heaven. Its width was not as great as its height which extended upwards, as far as any eye could see. Occasionally, the images on the great wall shifted and "moved", if you will. This wall stood to serve as a screen of judgment which displayed the deed-righteous and ill, of all who passed from the mortal plane and sought entry into the Lord's house. As she approached the wall, two sentries appeared, posted on both ends of the wall's foot. Each sentry was well over 7 feet tall. They wore dazzling white robes and wielded long blades, silver and pure. They gripped their blades at their hilts and allowed the tips of the blades to rest on the floor. On sighting her, they both grinned in recognition.
"Hello Bo and Ro", she said warmly.
The first one, Bo, who stood at the left spoke first in a loud, energetic boom: "My fair Lady! What's it been? 10? Maybe a 1000 mortal years? It is awfully hard to keep track of it all from up here. But how do you do?"
She responded: "All is well Bo. That is what I would have loved to say. But, contrary to what you've said, I'm sure you're well aware of what brings me here already."
He smirked knowingly and parted his long brown hair which previously concealed most of his eyes to the side, revealing an acknowledging glint in his eye.
She spoke again: "Ro! Silent as always I see"
The other sentry who had crimson red hair looked at her with narrowed eyes, even though he had a faint smile on his lips. "I'm good thanks," he said curtly.
Bo spoke again, the pitch of his voice louder than ever: "And where is that shady snake, Shadoww? Lurking about somewhere I suppose! It's a real wonder some still call him a lord. For someone who was meant to be the third power, he is nothing but a weed the master has allowed to grow for too long. If I..."
He was about to carry on before he was interrupted sharply by Ro: "Bo...It would be best if we got this matter over with. You're oversharing again."
Bo chuckled nervously and fidgeted with the hilt of his blade.
Light laughed a bit before she spoke: "Come on Bo, you of all people should know how delicate this matter is."
Bo grinned widely, his voice a bit lower now.
" 'Course I do. The watchers keep me in the loop. I won't kill the fun but your buddy shadows up to no good. He never has been but now... he's making some pretty big moves."
Light's countenance suddenly fell. Frantically, she asked: "What exactly are you trying to say? Does he have some big part to play in all that's been happening? How can I fix this?"
The smile on Bo's face faded a bit as well. "Hmm...I'm sure you're not here to speak to me and I think I've said too much as is. I only said any of this because you're the one asking. Plus, the watchers told us all about your issue before you got 'ere. I'll let you through, but good luck with the higher-ups...you know how it is."
Bo and Ro lifted their swords in a trained, coordinated gesture. The tip of the blades pointed upward. They let their blades join together, to form an 'X'. Simultaneously, the blades were set ablaze in a flame that burned like gold. They turned to face the wall and with great speed, each one struck the wall, creating oblique cuts on the wall, with an X pattern.
The pattern on the wall burned into its surface and opened up into a white space that Light could fit through with ease. She nodded her head in appreciation and hurried through the door. The door closed with a zapping sound, leaving the two sentries to resume their usual positions. However , something smelt burnt. "Bo...", Ro said with a linger in his voice. "Yes Ro, what's the matter now?" "Your hair. It's on fire." Ro said, evidently beating down his laughter.
Bo's eyes widened in horror. He quickly started patting his head violently to try and put out the flame but to no avail-Holy fire was not so easily doused. The golden flame blazed on...and on...and on...till there was nothing left.
Two sentries stood at the wall. One with crimson red hair and a newfound grin on his face and the other, with a head as shiny as his blade.
***
The hospital compound was deserted, mostly, as it was a national holiday. The car park had only a few vehicles and two ambulance vans. The security lights were all beaming across the compound, lighting up every corner of the building.
A brown-skinned man with platinum silver hair is seen speaking with the receptionist on the ground floor of the hospital. As he spoke to her, his cross-shaped earrings danced around his ear lobes. He was dressed rather peculiarly; A white turtleneck and trench coat with a long pair of white trousers, pencil-style. He put on white Italian shoes that would go well with any Tuxedo. He had a bit of gum in his mouth which he chewed slowly. After making some inquiries, he walked away and headed towards the elevator- Destination: Emergency Ward. He stepped into the elevator and clicked the floor number the receptionist had told him. Number 13. He silently thought to himself; "who adds number 13 to the elevator panel?" As he clicked on it he felt some reserved dark energy accompany the elevator. A dark hue settled into the elevator behind his shoulders and at his ankles. He chuckled softly to himself and murmured: "These bloody lesser spirits. Who do they even think I am? The janitor?"
He released some of his Aura, a silver fog which emitted from all over him. Immediately, the dark hue disappeared. He hissed took the gum out of his mouth and adhered it to the roof of the elevator. It shone like refined silver. "That should keep them out."
A dinging sound was heard as the elevator came to a halt. The door parted and he walked through, into the hallway, whistling a catholic hymn. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass of marble. He threw it to the floor, causing it to shatter to pieces. Suddenly, the walls, floor, and ceiling cracked like glass, as though they would give way and shatter as the marble had. The hallway lights sparked and went off. The reserve supply came on, filling the room with its red glow. Even in this light, the man's eyes shone a beautiful silver. He walked ahead quickly, every step like the sound of hard boots on shattered glass.
This hallway was now an extension of the 'otherworld'; A realm that exists in addition to but separate from every place, time, and event in our realm. This provides that all those outside of it would continue to carry on as usual, completely unaffected by the happenings within. Now that this world has been summoned, only those who meet the summoner's set criteria are permitted to exist. The criteria: all supernatural beings. The broader the scope of criteria, the easier the realm was to maintain.
The man smiled for the first time now, revealing his perfect silver teeth. He walked on confidently and more or less skipped into Cain's room. The nurse, Zara, sat on a chair at the side of the bed, fast asleep. The hospital monitors beeped regularly.
Zara woke up startled by the sudden sound of shattered glass and Strada skipping into the room. The grin on his face made it difficult to tell if he was friend or foe. "You're not allowed in here sir." She said, still trying to gather her thoughts. 'Why was the power out of all of a sudden? Why was the ground shattered but still solid? Was she dreaming?' Millions of thoughts raced through her head.
"Relax pretty face. You're not allowed in here either..." He eyed her thoroughly. "You must be a friend of Cain. Well, his friend is mine," he said, shrugging and walking forward.
Zara, still out of orientation, looked at Cain and then back at the man again. "That's his name?.... Cain?" she asked.
"Mmm...yeah" replied the man. He reached into his pocket to pull something out.
Meanwhile, Zara blushed on hearing the patient's name, for reasons known best to her. She suddenly snapped her head back to the man's direction and resumed her questioning, clearly back to her senses: "Then who the hell are you and what is going on here?"
The man furrowed his brow before responding. "Language, young lady. My name is Strada. I am the 5th power of heaven. A subordinate of Gabriel, the Archangel, the divine messenger."
Zara looked at him in disbelief and let out a sarcastic laugh. "First off, young lady? You look a bit younger than I am! I think you've had a bit too much to drink. I should show you out now."
Strada's expression darkened with irritation.
"I'm not as young as I choose to look, human."
He looked at her with hard eyes and said, "Don't move."
The smile smile was stuck to her lips but she was anything but amused. She tried to move but her body was stiff, rigid, beyond her control. She tried to speak and close her eyelids, but no luck there either. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" She screamed in her mind.
"Why don't you just stand over in the corner there and watch me do my thing, YOUNG LADY," said Strada, mockery drooling over his tone.
***
Heaven was nothing short of beautiful. It was picture-perfect. Beyond anything, words could venture to describe. The light could never get used to the scene, ever since she was created and eventually sent down to Earth to aidCainn on his "assignments". She was the Fourth power of heaven, the power of Light. She reminisced of things long passed;
At the beginning of time, God created the world, but alongside the world in all its grandeur, he created the celestial beings-Angels. The five powers of Heaven are the five most esteemed angels and powerful angels of heaven.
1. Archangel Michael- the power of war.
2. Archangel Michael- the power of speech(the diplomat)
3. Lord Shadow (the exiled)- formerly the power of the night, now the power of the Shadows.
4. Lady light- the power of Light
5. Strada- the power of ???
As she looked from left to right, she saw a green field of young boys enjoying a game of football and on the other end, two elderly people playing snakes and ladders by a table. Heaven was personal. Every scenario existed simultaneously, separated by a thin film, a line of light, setting one paradise from the other. Striking this balance used to be her duty, before the missions of Cain.
Light quickened her pace and found her way to Archangel Gabriel's tower. It resembled a library. A very big one at that. It had rows of shelves holding scrolls and books and lists in seemingly endless numbers. Though as she already knew, Gabriel knew everything that went on here. And outside of her. The true master of surveillance, and coordinator of the watchers.
She walked up to a desk that was otherwise bare, save a small rectangular bell at its center. She picked it up and rang. The sound reverberated in the grand library. It seemed to go on endlessly. The sound ceased and another could now be heard. The beating of powerful wings, an angel's wings.
The sound ceased and another could now be heard: the beating of powerful wings, an angel's wings. Gabriel descended majestically from far above. He was a lot taller than the guards outside, roughly 7 feet. He had golden hair that shone like the sun and reached his waist, tied up in a ponytail. He landed gracefully at her side and spoke in a light and soft voice:
"Lady Light. A pleasure to see you once more. Indeed, time flies. I know what troubles have brought you here. However, I have done all that I can already. My aid has been sent to Cain. Forgive me, for I can tell you no more. My brother, Michael, is against my interference. Beware, he may come after your master. Go forth and do as you must. Godspeed!"
She opened her mouth to speak but he placed his palm a few centimeters from her face, startling her and stopping her speech. He laid his index finger on her forehead and said: "The hour of darkness is upon us. The one you seek to defeat has already been sought. When the light shines brightest, the cause of your misfortunes shall be revealed."He removed his finger from her head, pushing her head backward as he did.
Lady Light awoke in the study of the Cain Manor, sitting on a comfy armchair. Before she was a man. A man clothed in her master's clothes.
"Good day, my fair lady," he said with a thin smile on his face.
***