Tempest’s POV

“Astaroth, do you think what Gates said is true?” I couldn’t help but look down at the floor as I followed the priest down the long hallway to his guest room, my heart aching painfully with each step.

I just couldn’t believe it. No, I refused to. There was no way God would have created me to be a ticking time bomb, ready to explode when the time was right. It just didn’t make any sense! I mean, I certainly didn’t feel like a weapon of mass destruction, nor did I have the mental capability to hurt another soul. It was quite the opposite really. I thought my purpose as an angel on earth was to save innocent souls, not destroy them in a second. Just thinking about it made my heart ache painfully.

Why would God do this to me? Was I not faithful and kind enough? What had I done to upset him so much that he would create me to be a weapon? I just didn’t understand why he would do such a thing. It just seemed so out of character…

“It’s hard to say,” he simply shrugged, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. Easy for him, he wasn’t about to wipe out mankind. And speaking of mankind, one of God’s number one rules was to love mankind more than thy self, so why would he create me to destroy them? Was everything I’d learned in the Silver City a lie? I swallowed thickly and quickly looked at the priest for guidance. He had to have some answers, right?

“The Devil has his own motives…” Astaroth looked thoughtful for a moment, which only made the frown on my face deepen.

“But isn’t he the only one other than God that could read Drakorian? Why would he lie about what it said?” I pressed, meeting his dark eyes. I know we were taught to never trust the Devil, but there was something about the look in his eye that made it seem truthful. What was I thinking? Had I fallen in that deep that I couldn’t decipher good and evil anymore? “What would he have to gain from lying?”

Astroth stopped and looked me in the eye, his face looking more serious than I had ever seen. “Your trust, Enepsigos. He wants you to gain your trust so when the time comes, you choose him over God.”

I stopped in the middle of the hallway and opened and closed my mouth in confusion. Why would the devil want an angel by his side? An angel’s traits and mannerisms were the complete opposite of the fallen angels, demons, and legions he had under his control. There was literally no gain from the Gates having me on his side, unless what he told us was the truth…

“Tempest?”

I rasped in a shaky breath as the reality of the situation crashed down on me. I was a weapon created by God to destroy the earth… the one thing that could destroy everyone. I could feel the tears falling from my eye at I blinked at Astaroth, my entire existence crumbling around me. My whole life up until this time had been a lie.

“No, no, no…please don’t cry,” the priest looked at me with panic as he shook his hands at me, trying to figure out what to do. “We will figure this out, besides, he said he could be wrong. You could bring peace!”

“W-w-wrong?” I cried, shaking my head. “Why else would he-he want me?”

Now it was Astaroth’s turn to look like a fish out of water as he opened and closed his mouth. “I don’t know… but don’t fall victims to the Devil’s games. This exactly what he wanted from you. He was trying to break your resolve and make you question your faith in God. Stay with the light, it will always guide the way.”

Astaroth reaching into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to me. I took in a ragged breath and carefully wiped my eyes. Was he right? Was this just another one of the Devil’s mind games? I slowly nodded my head, chewing my bottom lip and feeling even more confused.

“It’s one of the reasons Lucifer was caste out of heaven. He was jealous of God and wanted his power, so he tried to turn his disciples against him to win the crown. And if I’m not mistaken, that’s exactly what he is trying to do with you…” the priest said and my brow furred together. I had heard that about Lucifer before, but something about Astaroth’s words weren’t sitting well with me. It was almost like the stories between God, the ancient texts, the archangels, and demons didn’t match up, and that made me feel uneasy. What exactly happened back then?

Maybe if I could figure out what happened between God and Lucifer, I could uncover the truth behind my own fate. Maybe these things were just pieces to a big puzzle that I hadn’t solved yet? I mean, something had to have happened in order for God to create me as a weapon, right? There had to be some logical explanation behind it and I wanted to figure it out.

“How about you just go relax and get some sleep? That might make you feel a little better. You’ve had a long day.”

I nodded in response and the next thing I knew I was walking into the guest room at the end of the hallway. It was a modest sized room decorated with an odd floral pattern that I had never seen before. It was a tad musty and smelled like dust, but that was the least of my concerns right now.

“I think you’ll find everything you need in the closet or the bathroom,” the priest said but I was only half listening. Thankfully after a few more brief words he left me alone to my thoughts.

I don’t know how long I paced the length of the small room before I collapsed backwards on the bed, trying to wrap my head around all the new information I had gathered today, starting with why all the fallen archangel’s names seemed so familiar. It was almost like I had learned about them, though I knew that wasn’t true. It was frowned upon to talk about the fallen or even the Devil for that matter. Though I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had overheard a conversation about them a long time ago and that didn’t settle well with me.

I closed my eyes and lay back on the old bed, the mattress creaking underneath my weight. “Come on, think Enepsigos! Where have you heard the names Samael and Remiel before? And why?” I muttered to myself, pulling at the roots of my hair. The memory was right on the brink of consciousness and it was madding how it stayed just out of my grasp. What was it? Why was this all familiar?!

Did it have something to do with the other archangels? Yes… that seemed to be right but it was a long time ago. Maybe back toward the beginning of my existence when I was still going through school? Suddenly the image of walking down a long marble hallway flashed in my mind, sending me back in time to my younger years.

“I don’t know, Gabriel,” I heard a voice whisper as I walked down the cool marble hallway. I was early for my Biblical Studies lesson but I was just so excited to learn that I didn’t want to be late. “Maybe Samael had a point all those years ago… something doesn’t seem right about this.”

“Shh! Don’t say his name too loudly. You’ll be liable to get us kicked out of here too! Do you want that?” the voice of Gabriel replied and I slowed my steps, not want to intrude on the archangel’s conversation. They always taught me that it was rude to step into a conversation when not addressed and to always wait your turn, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to practice.

Wait a minute? Did he just say someone got kicked out? As in kicked out of Heaven? I covered my mouth with both hands, shock coursing though my veins. I didn’t know that was even possible! God please forgive me for any sin I may have had… I don’t want to be kicked out of Heaven! It was my home!

“No, but do you remember what he said? He was right. Humanity should come first, that was God’s number one rule, but this… this doesn’t seem—”

“Don’t even think it, Raphael! He testing us to make sure we are still loyal, that’s all this is. Don’t even think twice about what Samael said back then,” Gabriel scolded as I chewed my bottom lip. I had no idea who or what they were talking about but their tone was making me anxious.

“But what about Remiel? He was the angel of wisdom and he supported Samael, so you know they didn’t get kicked out for wanting to take the throne, because you and I both know neither of them cared for that,” I quickly looked around the corner to see the two men standing very close together, looking extremely tense. Were they okay? “I’m just saying maybe they had a point because the pieces of their exile don’t quite add up.”

Gabriel slowly shook his head and took a step way from Raphael, a look of disgust on his face. “I don’t know what happened with them either, okay? One day they were on God’s side and next thing you know they doubted his every move. He is our Lord and we are to serve him without question. Are you questioning his judgment?”

Raphael quickly shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. “No… I’m not questioning his judgment. It’s just… something doesn’t seem right about this order. But I trust him. God will lead the way, just like he always has.”

“I knew you were a true angel, Raphael. Just remember he does everything for a reason. It might not be evident at first, but there is always a reason.”

I quickly sat up from the bed, looking around the dark room. Everything happened for a reason? Gates and Shads getting kicked out of Heaven and me being created as a weapon? It didn’t make any sense! From what I remembered, the archangels made it sound like Gates and Shads were kicked out of Heaven for standing up for what they believe in. How could God punish them for doing what he taught them?I didn’t know, but something inside of me was telling me to search through the past for answers.

Without thinking twice I jumped off the bed and raced out the door. Astaroth was a fallen and reformed angel, maybe he had a library of ancient biblical documents or something I could look through, or at least something to help point me in the right direction.

“Library… where is the library?” I mused, quietly opening door after door in search of my target. So why was I searching for a library of old books instead of asking those that were there for the answer? That’s simple, my only sources were the Devil and his right hand man. They were both were marked for their deception at one point in time and who’s to say they wouldn’t try it again? I just wanted the truth, no twisted tails for fabrications. Just the cold hard facts.

Unfortunately the only things I could find in Astaroth’s library were multiple different copies of the bible and other texts that were written by humans. If wanted answers, I was going to need to find documentation by a celestial figure—like the old diaries or scriptures from the archangels. But who on earth would have those?

I slowly looked up from one of the bibles to see a cartoon picture of both God and the Devil staring back at me from across the room. To most it would seem silly for the picture to be hanging there, but to me, it was a sign. Gates had God’s journal… so he probably had other historical or important documents too. That was it I knew it was sinful to go through another person’s private things, but it was the only way for me to get some answers. But to get the journal… or any other sacred document for that matter, I had to go back to Gates’ mansion and pray that he didn’t catch me. The last thing I need right now was for him to try and sway me into his favor. I needed the truth so I could finally start to understand my true purpose.

Very quietly, I crept out the front doors of the church, hoping to not wake the priest. I’m sure he would try to talk me out of my quest, but I needed answers. I felt lost and hopeless and honestly, finding out the truth about my purpose and what happened in the Heavens all those years ago were the only things that were holding me together.

“Which way was it again?” I mused aloud, walking under the streetlamps to avoid the darkness. My eyes were still having a hard time with the darkness and the longer I could stay in the light, the better I would be.

I took a chance and turned to the right at the eerily familiar crooked tree. I vaguely remembered passing it in my haste to get away from the Devil earlier in the day. Who would have thought that I would be returning later? Certainly not me, but if I had my way, I wouldn’t encounter him at all.

Much to my surprise, and a few more turns, I found myself walking up the front walk of the Devil’s mansion. It was dark and scary, with only two lights showing from the upper floors of the house. No way in Hell, was I going anywhere near those lights. It was an in and out kind of mission.

Very quietly I made my way up the front steps, the cold breeze sending a wave of goose bumps over my pale skin, my ears ringing lightly. Was this a warning sign to turn back before it was too late? With that thought, I turned around only to see the stars shining down at me and the peaceful moon lounging in the sky. Nothing threatening. Nothing exploding in the sky… Well, here goes nothing.

“Please open… please open,” I whispered, grabbing the handle and giving it a hard tug. The heavy door opened so quickly that it knocked me over, causing me to land on my bottom with a loud thud. “Ouch…” I grumbled, rubbing my bottom, as I stood up and made my way inside. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t as graceful as originally intended.

“Library… library…. It was down this way,” I breathed, sneaking through the quiet halls and hoping that none of Gates’ men were lurking around in the dark. God that would be scary for one of them jumped out at me now. I seriously might wet myself if that happened.

Thankfully I made it to the library door undetected and stealthily slipped inside. Once the door shut behind me, I did a little victory dance. “Yes! I made it! I made it! Gonna find the journal to find out where I came from,” I sang, dancing around the room with a mambo motion. “Gonna find the journal to get the people salvation!”

Suddenly a chuckle sounded from somewhere in front of me and I froze in my spot, my heart beating wildly in my chest. No… I thought I was alone… My wide purple eyes followed the sound to a desk in the center of the room, illuminated by one light and a pair of dark eyes staring back at me with a wicked smirk.

“You just couldn’t stay away, could you?”

Notes

Another chapter for you lovely readers! So do you think Teek will find some answers to the open questions she has? Who did she run into? Tell us what you think!

Also, thank you for all your comments! We love reading them, as they really make our day! :) You guys rock!

<3 Kay