Romeo and Juliet, Angel and Demon style.

A Story by Jordie

Fall in love with Hael, a young angel who just received her wings and gotten her first assignment: Watcher over a girl who is being followed by a well known and terrifying demon named Dante.

A long, long time ago, before the age of man, lived a peaceful realm of paradise, later named Heaven by the tongue of God’s child. The inhabitants of Heaven, named Angels, had a leader. This leader, whose name can only be pronounced in my native tongue, but what Mortals call God, ruled over Heaven. He spun together the nine planets, setting one of the them in just the right place to make it sustainable for life.

Some of us didn’t understand why he would do this, and he would not explain it to us. One of us, known now as Hades, Lucifer, or Satan, questioned God’s reasoning on creating the human race. God, who did not liked to be questioned, cast Hades to the underworld, later named Hell. The humans went on to write the Bible, where they made off to make God sound like the essence of Good, while Hades was the essence of Evil.

Some of the Angels went with Hades to the underworld because they would not live to rule under one Angel any longer. They did not realize that Hades would soon rise up and lead them, just like God would, but they would not be able to return to Heaven once they left.

This story talks about an Angel who grows up believing that Hades and his followers are Evil, and that we must destroy them. She is sent to Earth as Guardian and finds out that not all Demons are as Evil as she has always thought…

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“Must you go?” Anauel fluttered beside me, her wings beating softly in the air as they kept her a few inches off the ground. Anauel was an Angel of Prosperity, and kept balance over the human’s successes. Her hair was a lovely honey in color, and her eyes sparkled like dazzling stardrops upon her face. She was also my best friend.

“You heard Him. I just came of age, and my job is Guardian. It’s not the best, but I mustn’t anger Him. You know how He gets.” The “He” I was referring to was what the humans called God. He was an Angel like all of us that appointed himself leader of the Realm of Heaven. Any of us could have created Earth, and the human race, but God took it upon himself to do it, and they all worshipped him. It pleased Him, and us Angels did what we were told.

Anauel’s look of disgust was evident on her face. The humans believed we envied them because they believe God created us, but really it wasn’t the case. Many of my kind disliked the humans for thinking such a thing, and Anauel was one of them.

“Well, if you must go, try and get a decent human to look after. Some of their lives are so dreadfully boring. You don’t ever have to do anything but sit there.” Her laughter was heard from miles around and I joined in.

“Really, not all of them are that bad.” I smiled and waved hello to an Angel of love and another Angel of Prosperity.

“Oh look at Barbelo. She’s been His favorite since she helped that one Mortal author wrote that story about wizards and a school called ‘Hogwarts.’ I must say she has been strutting around like she’s better than everyone else.” Anauel’s face was sullen, and I patted her sympathetically on the back.

“I got to get to Ezekal. He is awaiting my audience so that he may give me my assignment and send me through the Doorway.”

“Send Biku every once in a while. I don’t want to stay out of touch.” Biku was the Angel of communication, and Ezekal, the one I was heading to, was the Guardian of the Doorway between Heaven and Neamh. Neamh was the realm you went to after you died, where a being by the name of Balanaki would judge your Soul and give you your options on where you went for your next life.

“I will. Bye Anauel.”

“See you after you complete your assignment, Hael.” I nodded and turned away, unfolding my wings from my body and taking to the air. The Heaven is especially different for Mortals than it is for Angels. For the Mortals, they get whatever it is that is their perfect place. Wherever they are the happiest is what they see when they walk through those pearly gates. For us, however, it is merely a large town of white pillar buildings sitting atop of fluffy white clouds. The Almighty lived in the biggest building, where any other Angel was only allowed when summoned.

“Good luck Hael!” An Angel of Harmony, Zuriel, passed by me and waved. I waved back and strapped my wings to my side, diving through the air towards a circular structure made of pillars. That was where the Doorway was, and where Ezekal would be waiting for me.

I landed with ease and my wings laid at rest behind my back. Between the pillars I saw Ezekal, standing with his back to me. His hair was long, all Angel’s hair were, as we didn’t have the capabilies to cut our hair. His wings were folded around his arms, the golden tips glowing lightly in the sun.

“Ezekal, I await your audience, when you’re ready.” I fell down to one knee and waited for Ezekal to acknowledge me. Since he was of higher status than me, I had to respect him. There were stories about a time when all Angels were equal status, but that was a long, long time ago.

“I acknowledge you now, Hael, Guardian. Rise.” Ezekal turned around. He appeared young, chiseled jaw, raven hair, teardrop blue eyes. However, looks were deceiving. He had been one of the Angels before the Almighty rose in power, back whenever Earth was nonexistent.

Here we could not wear anything that covered our wings, they would simply smother underneath that cloth, so males simply kept his chest bare and the women wore flowing white dresses that didn’t cover their back.

Rising to my feet, I met Ezekal’s eyes with an easy smile. Once formalities were over and done with, Angels were generally friendly with each other. “How has your coming of age been for you, Hael?” Ezekal asked, gesturing towards me. He was standing next to a giant hole in the middle of the structure, which was the only way to Neamh, and then on to Earth. Ezekal looked down towards the bottom of the clouds, where there was white, white, and more white. Neamh really was an unusual place.

“Well, I was hoping to get ranked higher than Guardian, but I shall not complain.” When an Angel comes of age, which is the day they get their wings, they have to visit the Almighty and receive our rank. Archangels and Sepherim were highest rank, Guardian and Angel lowest. Every child longs to become the first two, myself included. I was not happy when I learned about my rank in Guardian.

“That’s why I was sent to see you off. Your job as Guardian entitles a little more than your original assignment.” He clasped his hands behind his back and started to pace around the hole, his eyes locked with mine. “You are to hunt a demon that has been wreaking havoc on humans. He is close in the Rebel’s council, which is a surprise, as he is not much older than you are.”

"Who is he?" I asked, curiously. I wasn't sure who this demon was, but if the Almighty was worried, then we all should worry. Demons were not to be messed with and were extremely difficult for Angels to handle. I didn't know how I was going to do it.

"His name is Dante. His possessions always prove in a successful killing, and he is cunning and dangerous. You must be careful, Hael. We haven't lost a guardian since Hitler." I winced. Those were the Forgotten Times. Hitler was one of the Rebel's right hand men, and all those humans that lives were lost were hard on the Almighty. We also lost a lot of Guardians. A Guardian's assignment dies, they pass into the void unless their assignment didn't need them anymore.

"It is understood." I stepped towards the hole in the ground, peering down. I heard the fall was the most terrifying thing in an Angel's lifetime. The only thing that remotely comforted those that had to make the fall was that, unlike the Fallen, we did not get stripped of our wings.

"Would you like to know about your assignment." I could hear the amusement in Ezekal's voice, and I turned my head to look at him. "Her name is Viktoria. She lives in a small midwestern town in America. Her house is very old, and Dante found his way to her through her connection with the demons. She has a small amount of demon blood in her." I turned and saw the look of pure disgust displayed on Ezekal's face. "One of her ancestor's was raped by a demon."

"That's repulsive," I said, trying to mask my own horror in the matter. Ever since the Almighty banished the Rebel to rule the underworld, he had been sending his followers to prey upon humans, the Almighty's greatest creations, ever since.

"Yes, which is why we must win this War. Now go. Balanaki is awaiting you." He gave me a little push, and I stood next to the edge of the hole, ready for it to swallow me up. I felt no fear--angels felt no such emotion--so I unfurled my golden tipped wings and stepped off.

The angel’s stories could not have prepared anyone about the Fall. It was all the more terrifying than I ever thought imaginable. My stomach was plummeting more quickly than my body was, and I felt like my wings were going to be ripped from my body. I tried to close them, cursing myself while I did, but the wind was too strong and I was unable to. Crystalized white tears flew from my lids, and then, all of a sudden, it was over.