One

A young angel sits on the cliff side, watching the tiny humans below. The small village is bustling with activity; every villager prepares for the annual harvest festival, which takes place every fall. There will be games,food, music, dancing, drinks, and fun.

Children laugh and chase one another, while women and men are cook, farm, clean, or setting up a stage. A few are singing songs; songs worshipping their goddess, Lauriel. The goddess cares for her people, however has no clue of the danger they are in. It is the job of the archangels to warn her.

Markanius' eyes search wearily for impending doom of the oncoming apocalypse, prophesied by the one one and only king of hell, Lucifer. The angel who wishes to wipe out the human race and take revenge on the father, whom betrayed him.

Markanius' mind, however, strays to another subject. A man, in particular. A beautiful, golden skinned, dark haired, blue eyed, lean, yet skinny man. A man who sticks out in the village of short, voluptuous women and tall, heavily muscled men. He doesn't have abs, or thick muscles, but he's just as strong as the others, and far more intelligent. He's kind to every living creature, where the others are harsh to those that dont belong.

Markanius, though warned against it many times by his brethren, has fallen deeply in love with this human man. And it scares him.

Human/angel relationships are hardly a rare thing, but an angel, a male angel nonetheless, falling in love with a mortal man is very rare indeed. Humans grow old and die; angels live for an eternity. Angels are not able to visit spirits when they pass and travel home. Not if so many angels avoid falling in love with the human race. A hundred years to human, can seem like the blink of an eye to an angel. It is never a good idea to grow too attached.

The man, Flynn, is 22 years old today, and Markanius catches him on the outskirts of the village, helping his father tend to the farm. He watches as the shirtless man slaves over the crops. He's a strange looking man, compared to the others, but what makes him stick out, is exactly what the angel finds so attractive.

But this isn't a story about their love, however. Not really. It's a story about saving the world, about tragedy, and death. This is a true story about a young man with extraordinary power who can save the human race and close the gates of hell forever.