There were eight original angels He had created long before He made Earth. In the beginning, God had determined eight key factors to what made the universe work. The universe needed protection, healing, messengers, art, wisdom, mercy, truth, and seduction. And with those eight needs in mind, He had made His original children.

The first He created was the protector. The angel was formed from dark clay, a magnificent creature with dark skin and nearly golden eyes. To add a final touch, God gave him wings laced with gold. He named His first angel Michael.

The healer was formed from the white of the clouds, molded shorter than Michael. His wings were tipped with green to signify his desire to help. God called him Raphael. He then made an angel from the bluest of waters. This one had wings as blue as the first oceans and nearly as deep. He called the angel Gabriel, the messenger.

And so it went. Uriel was crafted from the trees, wings interspersed with green dots. God called him the angel of art. Jophiel was wisdom, made from God's kiss. This angel's wings were gray. God made Zadkiel from His own hair. Zadkiel's wings were the purest of white to represent mercy.

Samael was crafted from the night sky, the angel of seduction. His wings were edged dark purple. The last angel He made came from fire. This angel was unlike any other, so He called her Lucifer, the angel of truth.

When God had banished Lucifer, the other angels only felt confusion of course. What could his Right Hand have done to make her Fall? It left the angels feeling like they needed something to ensure God was not the sole decider of decisions.

Since they were the first angels God created, they were called Archangels and granted the power to help other angels and determine their fate after God's decision. Since Lucifer fell, they decided who belonged with her in Hell.
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Matthew's POV

Standing in front of the Council, I waited for them to determine the fate of a name on my list. I let them indulge in their discussions. As a whole, the Council believed their will was one step down from God's will. If they only knew my list was His will. Rarely did I listen to the voices of the Council. They may have been Archangels, but only I had the power to truly kill both angels and Man.

"Matthew, why is the name of Gadriel calling to you?" Uriel asked. Of all the Archangels, he was my favorite. I even preferred him to my own father.

I looked the angel of art in the eyes. "The names call to me as they see fit, Uriel. It is not up to me to determine who I am sent for. My bidding is the wish of the Heavenly Father."

Jophiel and Zadkiel stared at me. Of every one on the Council, what they presided over was closest to me. Without wisdom, I would not know who to kill and who to allow life. Without mercy, there would be only death. But they still did not understand my duties, and I doubted any of them ever would.

"Gadriel has been a good shepherd of God," Raphael said, "Why would his name appear on your list?"

They always questioned when a new name, especially that of an angel, appeared on my body.

I sighed. "It is the will of God. I am merely His hand of justice."

Though I wished not to be. Gadriel had been a friend. There was no way I could know what my old friend had done until he was under my blade. It was my sword that revealed the truth of what they had done.

"Find him." Michael sent me a look. "You may leave."

Turning on my heel, I left the Council room. Those seven always left a bad taste in my mouth. They believed themselves all-knowing. Even as the angel of death, I knew very little.

"My love," I said as I entered our home. "How was your exploration to Earth?"

Kaylee's eyes met mine, searching for an answer to some questions in her mind. "Strange, Matthew. A demon escaped Hell and possessed the body of a human. When I took his soul to Hell, I left with this." She pulled up her left sleeve to reveal Lucifer's mark branded onto her wrist.

My brow furrowed. "I did not think her mark lasted that long." I gently grabbed her wrist to examine the pentagram.

"It should not still be there. Something strange is happening in Hell, Matthew."

I nodded. "And something equally strange is happening in Heaven, my love. Let us not concern ourselves with these matters today. Should Satan's brand persist, we will head to Raphael. Our healer should know what to do.
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Heaven wasn't the only ones racing to create a Council. God provided the Archangels to make up His own Council, but Satan was still manufacturing hers. There simply weren't enough demons to make up much of a Council.

Satan had manged to create four demons. Unlike God, it took more energy for her. He had all the power in the universe, the omnipotent bastard. Lucifer had maybe a sixteenth of that in her wheelhouse. Each demon she made forced her into a sleep that lasted for several days. Lilith alone had been a three week recovery.

In the time since Lilith, Satan had created demons from aspects of the Earth in much the same way God had done for his Archangels. God derived His angels from elements that helped and healed. That was not Satan's design.

Her second demon came from the sickness in the ground, the sickness that polluted God's animals. She spun a thick thorn crown for him and a glowing, white horse. The man carried a bow from the oldest of trees on Earth. Satan called him Pestilence.

From the heart of her serpent, she forged a mighty demon. His crown was drenched in blood and a large sword rested in his hand. Satan gave him a horse of bright red and called him War.

Lucifer forged her fourth demon from the dying trees she had first stepped on. They lacked all that made them God's creatures and so Satan forged a crown of blackened leaves and a black horse to match. This demon held scales and was named Famine.

These were her first demons, her own Council. Where the Archangels were meant to enforce or overturn God's will; her Council was designed to create chaos and lure angels and humans to them.

She would need them only in a time of great need, except Lilith. Lucifer created seals to be broken when the Council was truly and desperately needed.

But there was one more that called to her, something she had created long ago. If only her own son would Fall, her Council would be perfect. Death should preside in Hell with her, not in the lights of Heaven. Death was inescapable, and Lucifer wanted Death.

Notes

I know it's a lot of world building right now, but I promise it's worth it!