Celestial Wars Ch 01

First some house clearing.

This story is the direct sequel to 'Celestial Matters' and should not be read without reading that first.

I have broken the story into three parts. (Mainly due to fan encouragement). Each part will be six chapters long and about sixty pages in a word processor. Also, in lieu of some emails I have received I feel obligated to warn you gentle reader, that this is story does not immediately launch into the sex.

Your comments and your votes mean the world to me...so thanks.

Happy Reading

-Noble Truth

***

Chapter 1: Eons Ago

In the beginning, there was perfect darkness. It was a void of deepest nothing, which screamed its terrible rage against reality. It was an abomination, created in a moment of blind rage with a pure undertone of cold fury.

Such was the beginning of Hell.

I awoke in such darkness. Blackness surrounded me ... like it was a part of me.

We lost, I thought quietly to myself.

I remembered the last moments, when light clashed upon light, and Angel felled Angel. It had been glorious ... it had been terrifying. But it wasn't enough.

Existence had stopped upon a word.

Lucifer had underestimated his brother's power, and the power of that terrible artifact, that fragment of chaos that HE controlled.

When HE spoke, and the white light of chaos flared, I knew we had lost. Lucifer and his legions were cast from existence as we had known it.

I pulled myself up from the cold rocky floor. My eyes adjusted to the unnatural gloom. Bodies lay strewn about the dark stones. Some were twisted and mangled, obviously dead. Others looked whole, but I couldn't make out details.

"You're awake," murmured a voice that sounded like a choir in harmony.

I turned, for a moment I was looking into the same all encompassing blackness ... but I knew that voice. A brilliant golden glow whooshed into existence, and I was suddenly looking at the perfect face of our leader.

Lucifer smiled.

"Sleep well?" he said mockingly.

"Where are we?" I asked. My voice sounded tired. This place was unsettling.

His smile turned down, but he was no less beautiful. His alabaster face was still framed by his curling blond hair; his cheek bones were still sharp and high. He looked exactly the same, except for his eyes.

Eyes that had once been a royal purple now glowed a crimson red.

"A new place," Lucifer said slowly, "a place forced into being for the express purpose of torturing us."

I glanced once more at the fallen bodies. "It doesn't feel like torture," I said.

Lucifer's new eyes flashed brightly, "You have me to thank for that," he said coldly as he glared at our barren surroundings. "I underestimated my elder brother. I did not think he would use the chaos fragment, I thought he feared its power."

"I had no idea of its power," I said, "I did not know it could break all of us so easily."

Lucifer shook his golden head. "Its power is not meant to be a weapon. Its magic is the magic of creation and movement. It is the magic of life. He used it to trap us here, where we could be contained, until such a time that we could be disposed of."

The grim weight of a fate decided settled upon me.

"So we are to wait for the end then?"

Lucifer's smile returned, "No, he no longer holds the power to create, or the power to turn this new land against us."

That didn't make sense. "What? How could he lose such power? If you're telling me pretty lies to calm me, I'd rather you didn't. I'm not afraid to meet the end with eyes open."

His blond head shook slowly as he gazed up at a ceiling of darkness and black stone.

"I knocked it from his hand at the last moment," Lucifer said slowly, his eyes far away. "It spun out into the void that was created between heaven and this place."

"And?" I asked slowly.

"One could spend an eternity looking for it ... no, the power to shape worlds has been lost," Lucifer said simply.

My gaze once again skimmed over the ground. As my eyes adjusted I made out the shapes of five deformed bodies littered about.

"Am I the only one awake?" I asked.

Lucifer gestured with his hands to the endless space around us.

"Three others have awoken before you," he said.

"Who?" I asked.

"The three who are stronger than you, my servants have awoken in order of magnitude."

I was silent, it irked me that he thought I was fourth in power.

His eyes glittered with amusement, nothing slips his notice. "Beelzebub was first. He woke angry, ready to continue the fight as soon as he was upright."

I nodded, and kept my silence.

"Lilith came next. She checked all of your motionless bodies before saying a word. I told her what I have told you. She has gone exploring ... hoping to find something in this place."

Lucifer then met my eyes and held them, "Baal was third. He left almost immediately to look for the fragment of chaos. I told him he would never find it, but I didn't stop him for going. He has traveled the farthest, though he left only moments ago."

I nodded slowly.

Lucifer shrugged, "Then came you Devnikolus. What is it that you will do?"

***

1623, Outside Dublin Ireland

The red sparks cleared abruptly, and I landed with a graceless thud. Hard wooden planks did little to break my fall, and my head bounced off the timber twice before I came to rest.

A moment later another thud echoed mine right next to me, and a strand of red hair landed neatly on my nose.

I tried to lift my hand to remove the offending hair. My hand jerked once then started to vibrate violently.

Oh shit, I thought immediately. I tucked myself into a ball, and rolled into a corner. My entire body began vibrating like my hand and I had to exercise all my will to clench down and control my body.

A small piece of my hand shattered like glass, and inky black shadow slowly started to leak from the opening. I brought the full weight of my willpower down, and tried to keep myself from falling apart.

Sudden movement caught what was left of my attention. Cariel the Seraphim groaned as she clutched her head. Her silver eyes flickered open and after a brief moment, focused squarely upon me.

In a blur of movement she was on her feet, and eyeing me cautiously.

"Where are we?" she demanded, her lyrical Angelic voice tight with strain, "How did you manage a transportation spell while you were encircled with holy water?"

I didn't say anything, I couldn't spare any concentration to move my mouth, let alone make words with it.

"Answer me Demon!" she screamed. She raised her hand, and a jet of blue sparks erupted from her palm.

Luckily it was at that moment that I mastered myself.

With speed the little Angel wouldn't be able to follow; I raised my hand and caught her spell. I curled my rapidly healing fingers around her magic, and crushed it effortlessly.

That was the moment she remembered her fear. Her gaze flew widely around the room. There were no windows down here in the cellar. There was no sun to save her.

The cut she had carved into my chest knitted itself back together and my powers swelled. Red sparks fluttered about, and the room became cold and dark.

I prodded my chest through the tear in my clothes, "That was a close one," I said softly, a smile creeping along the edges of my face.

I looked up at the terrified flame haired Angel, "You almost had me there."

Her silver eyes flicked over to the wooden staircase leading up and out of the cellar. Using what must have been all of her remaining power, she augmented her speed, and ran supernaturally fast towards her freedom.

To say I moved faster would be an understatement. For all intents and purposes, I simply willed myself in front of her.

She ran headlong into my chest. A small sonic boom shook the rafters as her body rapidly changed directions. Her wings erupted instinctively from her back. White feathers littered the floor as they attempted to slow her down.

The stone wall still gave slightly when she collided with it.

Cariel the Seraphim tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap.

***

-Cariel-

The pain of the impact rattled me to the core.

I had used the last of my power reserves on that last mad dash at the stairs. I opened my eyes slightly. Devnikolus leaned casually against the wooden railing on the bottom stair.

His red eyes blazed with amusement.

A small amount of blue blood dripped from his shirt. I gingerly touched my face. My hand came away speckled with blood.

My nose was bleeding.

He took a step towards me. There was nothing I could do. My magic was depleted. I couldn't even heal a bloody nose. All I could do was watch him wearily, corned, trapped.

"Little ickle Angel, cut off from heaven, and trapped by the big bad Demon," Devnikolus said in a sing song voice. "Whatever will I do to pass the time?"

He took another step forward.

"Please," I said shakily, "I give up ... I'll leave you in peace ... just let me go."

His beautiful face twisted into a cruel smile, "Awww, but I thought you wanted to spend more time with me. Why else would you grab onto my transportation spell?"

I drew myself up, and tried to appear more authoritative than I felt, difficult to do while on the ground.

"Prince Devnikolus," I began, "I must remind you I am a Seraphim of the Second Sphere, I am a entity of high importance to the Light, and I demand you release me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You seem to be forgetting something," he said arrogantly. "Stand up Cariel," he ordered.

I snorted, "I'm injured," I said, "I'll stand when I..." I trailed off as I realized what was happening.

My neck suddenly became warm, my limbs started to move on their own accord. Despite the mind numbing pain, my legs moved to support my weight, and without any input from me at all, I found myself standing.

"Excellent," Devnikolus said with a chuckle. "The collar is working perfectly."

I touched the gold band around my neck ... I had forgotten ... how had I forgotten? A wave of despair overwhelmed me. I could feel tears pooling at the sides of my eyes. I would have toppled over if my body was under my control.

It wasn't though, and I remained standing.

The beautiful monster looked at me intently. The playful grin was gone.

"I can make you do anything Cariel," he said with simply, "Anything at all."

With that, my tears spilled over, and great wracking sobs heaved their way through my body.

***

-Devnik-

The red haired Angel stood there, trying to mask the sounds of her despair. Her body shivered delicately, and little whimpers occasionally escaped her clenched lips.

She reminded me of Maria, and that made me terribly, terribly aroused. Submissive Angels were becoming a thing of mine. But I already had one, I didn't need this one to serve me like that.

"You should be thanking me," I said, "I'm going to make you my bondswoman. You'll attend to all of my needs, won't that be grand?"

"Fuck you," she said softly.

I took a step forward, and to my surprise, so did she. Her hand was waving in an intricate pattern, as she pulled her sword from the ether.

Some are slow learners, I thought to myself.

"Stop," I barked.

Her body jerked sharply as she froze, and her sword faded back into nothing. I apparently needed to lay down some ground rules for the neck band.

"Little Cariel," I said slowly, "You will never attempt to harm me in anyway, nor will you try to escape."

I paused, I couldn't really think of anything else I needed to tell her.

"That is all for now," I said. "Come, sit down, we must wait out the sun in the cellar until I can make it to the house proper."

She sat down heavily, and no longer tried to hold back her tears.

A little twinge I wouldn't have felt before Maria tugged at my heart strings.

With a sigh, I moved over to the supine Angel, and gathered her into my arms.

***

France, 1623

-Alarial-

Jon and I stood at the edge of the field outside of the inn. Parts of the grass were scorched from the ravages of Master's magic.

"I can't go any further," Jon finally said with a sigh, as we reached the ring of holy water.

"How are you part of the Dark Jon?" I asked slowly. I didn't know if that question was offensive or not. I still didn't know many of the rules or customs of this new world I found myself in.

"My connection to the Master is essentially what makes me a part of it," he said, "Though only to a lesser extent. I can cross thresholds and stand in the sun just like any other man."

"Well then, why is this different? I asked with slight exasperation.

"Holy things are a different matter. I can't touch bibles, I can't enter a Church, and I can't cross an unbroken ring of holy water."

This was ridiculous, my Master could be anywhere, and we were stuck in this clearing. Well, at least Jon was, I felt no resistance from the water.

"What if I just moved some dirt around with my foot? Or what if I went and got some regular water and poured it on it?"

Jon shook his head, "It probably won't work, if even the smallest bit of it still exists I won't be able to cross. Storms for some reason get rid of it, but I don't know why they are different."

I crossed my arms and glared at him, "I'm not waiting for it to rain," I said.

I knew I was being unfair to the butler, but my entire body ached for my Master. Everything about me felt wrong because I was not in his presence. Jon winced slightly, and reached into his pocket.

A glint of silver caught the light as he pulled something out.

"What's that?" I asked moodily.

Jon looked pained, "Something I wish I didn't have to do," he said, "But I agree, we can't wait here, not when the Light could arrive at any moment to investigate."

In one quick motion, Jon slipped the ring onto his right ring finger.

There was a small whooshing noise, like wind moving quickly through tree branches. Small red sparks moved along Jon's arm ... and then stopped suddenly when they reached to ring.

"Okay," he said through his teeth, "Let's go."

Then, as if nothing was wrong, he stepped neatly over the holy water, and motioned for me to follow. In my shock, I did so without comment.

***

"What did you do Jon," I asked after we had made it to the carriage in the stable.

Jon clambered up into the driver's seat, and I leaped up to sit next to him. He pulled the reigns into his hand, and flicked the horses into motion.

"I bound myself," he said as we pulled onto the road.

I cocked my head to the side, "What does that mean?"

Jon shifted his weight, "It means that the ring is a binder, it strips the wearer of all magic. Without magic, I am not a member of the Dark."

"You can cast magic?"

Jon shook his head, "No, the only magic I had in me was my immortality, now that is in the ring."

I could feel my mouth drop, "Take it off then!" I said a little too loudly.

Jon kept his eyes on the road, "It doesn't come off, I'll have to cut my finger off when we stop tonight in order to regain my immortality."

Magic is barbaric, I thought to myself.

"I'm sorry Jon," I said quietly. "I'm sorry you felt you had to make this sacrifice. We should have waited for a storm."

"No Maria," Jon said with a slight smile, "We needed to be away from that inn, and now we are. I've had this finger for half a millennium. I think we can stand to part ways."

Did all the creatures of the Dark have such black humor?

I shook myself, and put my head in my hands.

***

The Master's long pale hands moved down my back to cup the swell of my buttocks. He hefted me gently, but I felt his strength. My core was moist and grasping. It's emptiness was all I could think of.

I needed him to fill me to the brim. I felt like I wasn't complete without him inside me.

His red eyes gazed into mine, "Who do you belong to, pet?" he said with a lazy smile.

I could have dropped to my knees, but his hands underneath me supported my servile weight.

My head fell onto his chest, and I felt him rest his chin on top of my golden locks.

"You Master," I said with all the emotion I could muster, "I'll always belong to you."

"Good," he said kindly.

***

I awoke with a start. The cart had lurched as the wheels had passed over a stone in the road.

Jon glanced over at me, "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to wake you."

The ache of my Master's absence returned to my body with unprecedented force.

"That's alright Jon," I said with an unsteady voice, "Let's just hurry ... I miss him."

***

Chapter 2

Old Friends

~The Bra'rul are sharp and fierce. They appear as beautiful men or woman with long dark talons and black feathered wings. There greatest strength is their speed and ferocity, which is unmatched by any other demon to walk the plains of Hell. Best disposed of at a distance- The Hunter's Manifesto ~

***

-Cariel-

I felt his arms slither around me.

My body shivered, and tensed immediately. A sense of wrongness and panic encroached on the edges of my mind.

I had never been this close to a member of the Dark before.

The pain would come soon, I was sure of it. He'd squeeze me until I came apart. He'd snap my bones from their joints and pluck out my eyes.

But none of those things happened.

Instead, I very slowly felt him pick me up, and shift us so that he sat upon the ground with me in his lap.

A pale hand slowly combed its way through my hair. The action was soothing...even though I didn't want it to be.

"Stop," I said weakly. My body wriggled slightly, trying to get off of the Demon's lap.

The room rapidly dropped in temperature once more.

With a slow deliberate movement, the demon brought his mouth right next to my ear.

In the softest of whispers he said, "Little Angel, I have become accustomed to the feeling of touching and controlling your kind. Be still, lest I choose to remember that it was you that separated her from me."

A cold chill traveled down my neck.

His hand returned to my hair, and once more began the gentle motion of threading through my battle tangled hair.

A few new tears rolled down my cheeks, but this time I had no idea why.

***

I could feel the sun passing out of the sky as we sat there. Eventually the Demon's hand became still, and came to rest on the small of my back. I sat still, too afraid to move.

My powers were slowly trickling back into my depleted reservoirs. Small blue sparks set my nose straight, and stopped the bleeding. With slight trepidation, I sent out a small probe at the Demon.

We were touching, and with this contact I should be able to learn all about the Demon's nature.

I slipped past his human form easily, and delved into the inner monster.

There, I found no comfort. My probe was greeted by a rolling ocean of unholy power. Blood red magic rolled and turned violently...raging against its confinement.

The Demon's hand pressed upon my shoulder, "Be careful what you wish for Angel," he said in his melodic tones.

Suddenly my probe was sucked deeper into the Demon's inner being. It plunged into the ocean of power, and I discovered that it was both deep and wide. However, that was not all.

I could sense something...else. A force that was being restrained. It was cold and dark and unendingly hungry.

Quick images of shadow black flames licked my vision...and then they were gone.

A small jolt brought me back to the present.

The Demon's red eyes were gazing into mine. His dark hair covered half his face like a shroud.

"You were curious about me," he said simply. "Now you know what to be afraid of."

I looked down. I didn't want to look into those eyes. "I never had any chance did I?" I said in a small voice.