Tempest’s POV

I could describe the feeling that washed over me as I ran my fingers over the edge of the ancient sward. It almost felt like a rush of energy from a thousand souls hitting me in the chest, taking my breath away in an instant. Did it have some kind of power that Gates and Pandora weren’t telling me? I had no idea, but the longer I held the sword in my hand, the more powerful and strong I felt. Finally, I was holding a weapon that actually made me feel useful, not just the crappy plastic training sword. If I was going to be useful in the upcoming battle everyone kept talking about, I needed to know how to fight with an actual weapon.

“Pandora lost one of them in the battle of the fallen,” Gates explained, watching me with a smirk on his handsome features. “So... if Pandora wants it back, she will have to fight you for it.” He grinned before turning toward Pandora.

A small smile pulled at my lips as I placed the leather handle in my palm, swishing it back and forth. The blade was a lot heavier than the plastic sword I had been using before and I couldn’t deny the excitement that coursed through my veins. This was it, my first time with a real weapon, my first time to prove to Pandora that my hard work was paying off. I wasn’t some helpless angel anymore. No, I was a trained warrior, ready to save the lost souls.

“I’m ready.” As soon as I took my defensive stance, I felt another rush of energy surge through my body. Only this time it didn’t feel so good. It felt like mystical energy had ripped my soul from my body, blacking out my vision in a blink of an eye.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of a vast desert. The sun was burning so brightly that I had to shield my eyes from the sun as I squinted off into the distance. What the in Gods name was I doing here? Had he called me back to some other part of Heaven? Though, this didn’t look like anywhere I had seen or read about before. So if I wasn’t in Heaven, where was I?

“Here they come!” A voice called next to me but I couldn’t turn my head to look at the speaker. What the? Why couldn’t I control my own movements? What was going on?

The clouds from the Heavens seemed to part followed by a rapid outpouring of soldiers dressed in white racing towards us. The sound of a barbaric scream sounded in the distance as the figures charged, their swords flashing in the blinding sun. What was going on? Was I in the middle a war?

“Hold steady,” a voice erupted from my throat, startling me as I unwillingly held up my right hand. I suddenly realized I had no control of the body I was looking out of, almost like I watching the scene unfold through someone else’s eyes.

“Commander if we don’t move now, they will overpower us.” My head slowly turned to look at the demon general sitting next to me, a smirk pulling on my face. He was dressed in all black and was honestly one of the most frightening beings I had ever seen. He had scares that stretched across his face, making him look like one of the characters from the horror films Gates, Shadows, and Vengeance liked to watch.

“You have little faith, Morax,” I replied cockily before turning to look over the sea of white charging toward us. “They will fall, just like the ones before them. These untrained, skill-less angels are no match for the legions of Hell.”

Wait, so I was on Hell’s side of the war right now? How did that happen? Only I didn’t have time to think about it because right at that moment a loud yell erupted from my throat. “Charge!”

I could feel the hot wind blowing through my hair as I rode on horseback through the crowd, slicing my sword through each and every being that crossed my path. The gold blood flying up onto my arms and face was the most barbaric thing I had ever seen, and as much as I wanted to stop, I couldn’t. I wasn’t in control.

I felt a laugh rip through my throat as I jumped from my horse toward a woman dressed all in white. She shakily held her sword up to and I easily knocked it out of her hand, the silver blade falling into the sand with a dull thud. The angel fell down the ground, her knees sinking into the hot sand as I closed in on her, ready to end her life in an instant. Her purple eyes were pleading as I brought my blade down on her, but surprisingly she caught it with her palms.

“I. Am. Better. Than. You.” I spat angrily as I forced the sword down on her harder. She let out a ear-piercing scream as the blade cut into her hands, her gold blood gushing from her wounds.

No… this had to stop. How could someone so barbarically slaughterer such an innocent soul, specifically one that didn’t appear to stand a chance against her attacker. If I could have stopped the attack, I would have but I wasn’t in control and that made my heart ache. How many others died like this? It made me sick to my stomach to think about, let alone experience. I knew right then and there that I could never harm another man, no matter how much danger or trouble I was in. I couldn’t let anyone suffer in this manner.

“Gates!?” the angel’s voice screamed as I pressed harder into her small frame. Wait, did she say Gates? As in the devil Synyster Gates?

“Enepsigos, stop!”

I felt a warm pair of hands land on top of mine as reality came crashing back to me. I was still holding the sword and instead of an angel on her knees before me, it was Pandora. No… it couldn’t be. I instantly dropped the leather handle like it was made out of molten lava and bolted away from her as she cried out in pain. Oh no… what had I done?

I shook my head as I walked toward the wall, trying to clear my thoughts and sort out fact from fiction. What the hell just happened? How did I go from seeing through another’s eyes in war to holding a blade inches from my best friend’s chest? It just didn’t make any sense! Though the evidence was right there before as I watch Pandora roll on the marble floor in pain.

“What have I done…” I breathed, sinking down the wall and pulling at the roots of my blonde mane. I couldn’t believe it… I couldn’t have hurt her, could I? I would never hurt another, especially someone as close to me as Pandora. It just didn’t make sense. How could this have happened?

I could feel my heart racing a mile a minute, my chest heaving up and down in panic. I hurt one of my only friends here on Earth… I could have killed her… I swallowed thickly, my stomach churning as I bile rose in my throat. None of this made any sense. I had broken every rule in Heaven and betrayed Pandora. God, she was never going to forgive me!

The tears started to well in my eyes right as a demonic scream echoed through the hall, making my heart stop for a second. I looked up from my spot pressed against the wall to see a very pale Pandora rush out the door with a trail of blood dripping from her hands.

“You both are exactly the same...” Pandora hissed before she disappeared out the door. What did she mean we were the same? Gates and I? I sucked in a ragged breath, slowly shaking my head after her. No… I wasn’t the same as the devil. That wasn’t me that attacked her. It couldn’t have been because I would never willingly hurt another soul. Pandora had to know that, right?

I pinched my eyes shut and roughly pulled at the roots of my hair. No… this had to be a dream and I was going to wake up from this nightmare any minute. I would never forgive myself if something happened to Dora… not in a million years. She was the one person I could rely on and trust fully. God, this was all my fault! I didn’t deserve to be an angel, not after that. I had unknowingly betrayed everything I had ever known in an instant and all because of a stupid celestial sword. Gates should just lock me in one of those torture chambers now…

“Look at me.” I felt a pair of calloused finger cup my face, but I just shook my head, feeling the tears roll down my cheeks. I couldn’t forgive myself for that. “Open your eyes, Enepsigos. It’s not your fault.”

“Not my fault?” My eyes burst open to see those hypnotizing dark orbs only inches from my face. “How could it not be my fault? You saw what I did to her!” I cried, shaking my head in disgust. “I’m-I’m a monster…”

Gates chuckled lightly and shook his head, his thumb gently wiping away my tears. “You are by no means a monster.”

I scoffed and pulled away from him, not willing to trust myself with him so close. It seemed like every time Gates and I were in close proximity, I lost all my wit. I still wasn’t sure what kind of power he had over me, like how his mere touch could make every worry melt away in an instant.

“Listen love, Pandora’s sword is hers for a reason. She is the only one who knows how to wield it without succumbing to its beastly nature,” he stated and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Then why on Earth did you give it to me?” I snapped, pushing myself to my feet. I still felt a little bit woozy after that apparent out-of-body experience, but I couldn’t think about that now. My thoughts were on helping Pandora. I really hoped I hadn’t injured her too badly.

Gates simply shrugged with a small smirk forming on his lips. “I knew you were frustrated with using the practice sword and I thought maybe you could have the same control of the it as Pandora.”

“Well you thought wrong,” I shook my head and irritably ran my fingers through my golden locks. “I didn’t have any control over anything! Hell, I thought I was in a battle in some desert, not slaying my only friend!”

“Wait, you were at a battle in a desert?” Gates raised a questioning brow at me and I let out a frustrated sigh. He suddenly looked extremely intrigued, but I didn’t see what the point was.

“Yes I was in a desert, but that doesn’t change the fact that I almost killed Pandora!” I angrily wiped the last few tears from my eyes, the guilt of hurting her consuming me.

Syn pursed his lips and put his hand on his chin as he looked down at the bloody sword on the floor, obviously deep in thought. “What happened in the desert?”

I sighed again and looked toward the door, praying that Pandora went to Matt for help. “I was in a battle with angels… and-and I was killing them.” I swallowed thickly and tried to shake those horrible images from my head. “And when you touched me, I was back here, about to slash the sword through Pandora’s chest.”

“So the sword showed you one the first battle from the war with the Heavens…. Interesting,” he mused and I shook my head. It was great that he was deep in thought about this, but I couldn’t just stand here knowing Pandora could be dying somewhere. I had to help her.

Without another thought, I left the giant hall, ignoring Gates calling my name. As I race up the stairs, I followed the trail of blood all the way down to Shadow’s room. God there was a lot of blood… I just hoped I wasn’t too late to do something.

“Pandora?” I called as I approached the open door. With each step I took toward the doorway my heart rate increased. Please answer. Please answer… don’t let her be dead.

“Pandora! I’m so- so sorry, I... Oh!” I stopped in the doorway to see Matt with his arms wrapped around a half-dressed Pandora, his lips trailing up and down her neck. My eyes lingered on Shadow’s archangel markings before I dropped my gaze to the ground with a blush. Obviously I was interrupting something between them…

“Stop,” Pandora chuckled at Shadows as she pulled away from him to come towards me. Why was she only dressed in her underwear? “You have to clean her wound.”

“My wound?” I asked confused. What was she talking about? Dora was the ones with the wounds, not me.

“Your hand, where you stabbed yourself in our… duel,” Pandora stepped towards me, pulling my hands out to look at them. Her dark greys searched my hands and arms for any sign of a wound, but I was too busy looking at the thick reddening bandages on her hands. Oh God… I did that too her.

“Oh, Dora,” I cried, shaking my head and gently taking her bandaged hands into mine. “I’m so-so sorry… I-I didn’t mean to hurt you… I didn’t even know I was fighting you… I-I was in some kind of vision and when Gates touched me it brought me back…” I said shakily, trying to prevent the tears from coming again.

“Relax, Teek, I’m fine,” she simply shrugged and I shook my head in disbelief. “I’ve had much worse. Just listen when I tell you something next time. You weren’t ready for that sword. Do you understand now?” I nodded, my gaze still focused on her bloody bandages. I had to help her.

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” I whispered, looking up into her eyes. “I-I cant risk hurting someone again…I supposed to help people not hurt them.”

Before she could respond, I closed my eyes and gently squeezed her hands, willing the bubbling warm feeling out from inside. Suddenly the warmth was cascading out of me. I felt weightless and free as the tingling warmth flooded through my veins, blinding me with a light that I had never seen before. And just as quickly as it appeared, the blinding light disappeared, leaving me breathless as I stumbled backwards into the hallway.

“What the fuck was that?” Shadows was suddenly standing between Pandora and I with wild eyes. He looked like he was seconds from beating me to a bloody pulp on the floor. “What the fuck did you do to her?” He looked the angriest I had ever seen him and I instinctively took a step backwards.

“She-she….healed me…” Pandora breathed behind him, looking down at her hands in awe as she pulled off the thick bloody bandage. “Not even a trace of the cut…” she said in awe.

“She what?” Shadows quickly turned around to face Dora and a smile fell over my lips. Finally I made something right, and that fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach was proof. “How the hell did she do that?” He whipped back around to face me with a confused look on his face. “How did you do that?”

“I-I don’t know…” I shrugged looking at Pandora with a small smile. “It just happens sometimes I guess.”

“You just heal people then?” he asked incredulously.

“And dragons,” I shrugged, thinking back to Lumi. Poor guy, I hoped he was okay. I missed him terribly but I guess dragons weren’t allowed on Earth. Though I didn’t understand why. I bet the humans would love them! They were so sweet!

Matt turned back around to look at Dora who just shrugged. “Don’t look at me, I don’t know how she does it. I only saw here do it back in—”

SMASH

“What the hell?” Shadows said as all three of us looked down the hallway to where shouts were now echoing down the corridor. I wasn’t an expert, but those shout sound pretty threatening and serious. My thoughts quickly flashed back to Gates and my heart started to race. Oh no, what if something was wrong with him?

I quickly turned and rushed down the hallway, the voice becoming loud and louder with each step I took. For the second time today, I ignored my name being called behind me charged ahead. I couldn’t explain why I needed to make sure Gates was okay, but the sensation in my chest was the strongest thing I had ever experienced. It was almost painful.

“I told you before, I my answer is no!” I heard Gates yell as I neared his office. I let out a small sigh of relief. At least he was okay. “I refuse to go on this ridiculous crusade! Its fucking suicide!”

“You’ve gone soft, Gates,” a deep voice growled and I swallowed thickly. Just the sound of that menacing voice sent shivers down my spine, and not in a good way. “What has that angel done to you?”

“I have not gone soft, I just don’t have my head shoved up my ass, Amon,” Gates growled. “And the angel is none of your concern.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. Maybe it’s time for you to step away from your throne considering you’re not in a right state of mind.” I heard a fist bang down on the desk and my eyebrows shot up as I stood in the shadows of the doorway. Why was the fallen general back? I thought it was all settled.

“Over. My. Dead. Body.”

“Well, that could be arranged.” Amon growled back.

“Are you suggesting you want to battle me for Hell and command of my legions?” Gates laughed and I took a sharp breath. His own people would turn against him for the crown to Hell? Was that even possible?

I heard the sound of a deep sniff followed by a loud chuckle. I carefully peeked around the corner to see Amon standing with his arms crossed and a wicked smile on his face. “If you don’t join our cause, then I see no other choice. Though maybe we will add the angel to the wager for the battle. Maybe eliminating the celestial scent will pull your head out of your ass. I’m sure Wormwood would happily help that cause.”

My jaw dropped as Gates eyes narrowed on Amon, taking a menacing step toward him. “If you want a battle, then that’s exactly what you’ll get. But mark my words, Amon. You will fall. ”

Notes