The Love of a Fallen Angel

"You are hereby banished from the Kingdom of Heaven," declared the Archangel Michael. Tall, pale-skinned, blond-haired and blue-eyed, the leader of the Archangel stood on the Wall. Clad in a white toga and bright blue cape, his huge white wings fully unfurled, Michael looked magnificent. Behind Michael stood the glittering spires of Heaven's towers. The Celestial City gleamed bright and beautiful. Michael's expression was stern. Beside him, the Archangels Gabrielle and Raphael appeared somber. They remained silent while Michael passed sentence unto the rebel Angels.

"Damn," said Mael. The tall, dark-skinned and muscular Angel found himself filled with despair. He'd been hoping that the Archangel Gabrielle, the merciful one, would speak for the rebels but Gabrielle remained silent. Mael tried in vain to break his golden chains. They were made of Empyrean steel, just like the swords of Heaven's warriors. More than that, the chains were enchanted. If Mael was able to break out of them through sheer physical strength, they would magically restore themselves and bind him once more. Beside Mael, his friend Belphegor shot him a sad look.

"Save your strength, Mael," said Belphegor, shaking her head. The tall, red-haired, pale-skinned and green-eyed Angel gave her friend Mael a wan smile. Once, they had served together as members of the Order of the Dominion. The middle management of Heaven. Now, they were among the Fallen, along with tens of thousands of other Angels. They believed their cause to be just. Alas, they lost the war. Lucifer, their fearless leader, had been captured and sent to a fiery dimension where he would be tortured for all eternity. The rebel Angels anxiously awaited their fate.

"What is to become of them?" asked Gabrielle. The petite, brown-skinned and dark-haired Archangel gently flexed her huge brown wings as she spoke. Michael looked at Gabrielle and fell silent for a moment. The leader of the Archangels had decisions to make. The Lord of Hosts put Michael in charge of Heaven's Affairs after Lucifer's betrayal and rebellion. Adam and Eve, the first humans, had been tempted by Lucifer and even now were wandering the Earth, afraid of the elements and the savage beasts that once obeyed them when they enjoyed bliss in the Garden of Eden.

"Gabrielle, little sister, please trust Michael's Judgement," said Raphael. Tall, dark-haired, bronze-skinned and brown-eyed, the most erudite of the Archangels smiled gently at his siblings. Michael was the warrior, Raphael was the intellectual, and Gabrielle was the soulful, kindly one. Once upon a time, Lucifer had been one of them. A fellow Archangel. Those days were over. Lines had been drawn after Lucifer betrayed Father. The Archangels had been sent to defeat Lucifer's army of rebel Angels and restore order. So it is. So it must be.

"I hereby declare that the fallen Angels will be banished to Earth, to dwell among the humans and the lower beasts they believed to be beneath them," Michael said with a savage grin. Mael sighed in relief. Belphegor tensed. As a high-ranking member of the Order of the Dominion, Belphegor often dealt with Michael. He was strong and courageous, but could also be stern and cruel when doling out discipline. Belphegor did not think Michael was going to simply let the rebel Angels go...

As Mael, Belphegor and the other rebel Angels looked on, Michael exchanged a few words with Raphael and Gabrielle. Raphael stroked his beard thoughtfully while Gabrielle shook her head. Michael smiled and nodded. suddenly, the leader of the Archangels drew his heavenly sword. This was no mere blade made of Empyrean steel but a sword of fire. The only one of its kind. With this sword of fire, Michael cut off Lucifer's wings before sending him and his lieutenant to a chaotic, nameless dimension of fire and pain.

"After we cut off your wings, of course," Michael said with a gleeful smile. Mael and Belphegor exchanged a look of horror. Michael approached the first row of bound, helpless rebel Angels. With savage glee, Michael cut off their wings. The rebel Angels screamed in pain. Raphael watched impassively. Gabrielle turned and looked away. When their turns came, Mael and Belphegor, friends since before the Big Bang, before Creation itself, held hands. Michael smirked as he cut off Belphegor's pure white wings and Mael's dark gray wings.

"The portal is ready," said Valel, an Angel of the Order of the Powers. Tall, blonde-haired and green-eyed, she was slender and wore a dark brown robe. A pair of silver wings unfurled from her back. Valel summoned the Portal out of the Ether. This was one of the many Portals linking the Kingdom of Heaven to the many, many dimensions, worlds and realities of the Infinite Multiverse. Mael and Belphegor, along with their Angelic brothers and Angelic sisters, watched in horror and fascination as the portal grew.

"Begone, rebel scum," Michael bellowed as tendrils of energy shot out of the Portal and ensnared the fallen Angels. They were transported to various regions of the Planet Earth. Jungles. Polar regions. Vast plains. Rocky valleys. Mountaintops. Oceans. Deserts. The tendrils did not care where they deposited the rebel Angels. For these were the treacherous sons and daughters of Heaven who dared to take up arms against their brethren. All because of Lucifer's folly. Well, Lucifer would pay for his prideful arrogance, and the same held true for the rebel Angels. Heaven does not forgive evil doers...

"Fuck," Mael thought as he landed, naked and wounded, on the African Plain. A herd of giraffes was grazing in the distance. The tall, majestic creatures ate grass and enjoyed each other's company while watching out for lions. The animals had done a good job adapting to the Planet Earth since they got kicked out of Eden along with Adam and Eve, the rebellious humans. Mael had nothing against giraffes but he resented landing amid a pile of giraffe dung, thank you very much.

On Mael's very first night on the Planet Earth, he was alone, and lost. After making a fire by striking two stones together, Mael slept on the grass by the campfire. As lions, leopards, hyenas and African wild dogs hunted the antelopes, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes and buffalos in the night, Mael shivered and trembled while trying to sleep. The Angels of Heaven are immortal, for that's the way the Lord made them. Father's works are magnificent. The rebel Angels lost a lot of things when they fell to the Planet Earth.

In the many, many years since Mael fell, the world would change. Adam and Eve's descendants were many. The Africans, the Europeans, the Asians, the Native Americans, the Latinos, the Arabs, all those races came from them. Mael learned a lot about humanity and about himself. While Mael and his fellow rebel Angels were no longer immortal, they were not human. They retained certain attributes such as superhuman strength ( equal to that of twenty healthy adult men ), enhanced stamina, sharp senses, and the ability to regenerate. The rebel Angels also retained all of the heavenly knowledge and intellect they'd possessed prior to their fall and banishment.

Thirty thousand years after the Fall, Mael, now called Malcolm Elmore, now lives in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second decade of the twenty-first century, and in this time, Macolm Elmore, a proud alumnus of Harvard University, now teaches mathematics at Emerson College. To his students, Mael appears to be a tall, handsome black man in his mid-thirties. What they don't know is that Mael has been around for a long, long time. Mael has known Methuselah, King David, King Solomon, Queen Sheba, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Christopher Columbus, Shaka Zulu and Michael Jackson.

"Mathematics and science will open the universe to humans, undoing the harm done by religion and mysticism," Professor Malcolm Elmore said. He looked at the thirty students in the classroom. Seventeen young women and thirteen young men. They were black, white, brown and everything in between. The sons and daughters of the melting pot that is modern-day America. Mael considers himself privileged to be able to teach and mold young minds. Throughout the ages, Mael has often been a teacher. In fact, Mael invented mathematics and taught it to humans eons ago but never got credit for it...

"Amen to that, sir, religion is for suckers," said Stella Grant. The tall, blonde-haired young woman in the Richard Dawkins Rules T-shirt and jeans pumped her fist into the air. Mael smiled. He often enjoyed the company of atheists. They were the most enlightened of humans. Most mortals would turn their backs on organized religion if they knew how cruel the so-called good guys above could be. Nodding at Stella, Mael allowed himself a smile. This one was interesting...

"Indeed, Stella, once we unlock the universe through science, it is ours," Mael said, and Stella nodded. Mael continued to teach the class. Over the years, Mael has fallen in love with Boston, the intellectual capital of America. The people of Boston were a diverse, unique and lively bunch. Mael hadn't admired the residents of such a big city since he'd lived in Hannibal-era Carthage or King Piye-era Napata, located in present-day South Sudan. Oh yes, Mael hates heaven but he loves humanity. The humans can be awesome when they want to be...

Located in Boston's Theater District, between a huge bookstore, a movie theater and a bar, Hell's Bells was a peculiar establishment. A bar, a pub and a strip joint that nevertheless served good food and drink, the place had it all. The key to the magic was the owner, Bella Gorman. The lady knew how to run a business. From blue-collar workers to bored academics and young urban types, all kinds of people made their way to Hell's Bells, and Bella always took care of them.

"All in a day's work," said Bella as she talked to her bouncers. It was the Friday after thanksgiving and the club was expected a major boost in terms of visitors and client revenue. To that end, Bella hired six new bouncers, three men and three women. Seasoned bar and club types know that a lot of the times, the female clubgoers were more violent than their male counterparts, thus necessitating more female bouncers. Bella is a smart cookie and always takes care of business. The bouncers were at ease with their new boss. Bella pays well and treats her crew alright according to reviews...

"You got it boss," said Salima, one of the new recruits. Bella smiled at the young Somali American woman and then sent her and the rest of the bouncers to their posts. The tall, buxom redhead silently surveyed her little kingdom. Thirty thousand years after falling to the Planet Earth, the fallen Angel known as Belphegor has done fairly well for herself. Ten years ago, when Belphegor reunited with her old pal Mael, he suggested she put her considerable wealth into a new business venture...

"Belphegor, trading arms is a risky business, entertainment is the way to go," Mael suggested to her as they dined on Chinese food inside Copley Mall's food court in downtown Boston. The year was 2014 and Mael was coming up as an academic in the Boston higher education realm. Belphegor on the other hand had been everything from a soldier to a mercenary, an arms dealer and a cartel boss. From time to time, Belphegor's occupation almost got her exposed as mortal men and mortal women tried to kill her.

"Perhaps it's time for a change," Belphegor said to Mael, and then she kissed him. A bit surprised by Belphegor's kiss, Mael kissed her back passionately. That evening, they walked around the Copley Mall, hand in hand. Afterwards, the two of them returned to Mael's townhouse in the Back Bay and made passionate love. After hours of lovemaking which tested even their inhuman endurance, Belphegor and Mael lay in bed, exhausted. The two old friends exchanged a smile. Life can be difficult and lonely for fallen Angels stuck on the Planet Earth but moments like these make it worthwhile...

Ten years later, Belphegor and Mael still keep in touch. They often attend business functions, charitable functions and academic events together. The two rebel Angels, friends since before The Big Bang, a span of time measured in billions of years, will always stick together or so they believe. Mael is a college professor and Belphegor, now called Bella Gorman, is a club owner and savvy businesswoman with a chic investment portfolio. All is well in their world...for the moment.

"Earth is too good for the rebel Angels, find them and kill them," Michael said to the Triad. In the Lord's Absence, Michael is the ruler of the Kingdom of Heaven. The three warrior Angels, a pair of tall, dark-haired and pale-skinned males named Zadel and Gorel, nodded at once. The third Angel, a tall, blonde-haired, pale-skinned and blue-eyed female named Gadriel, bowed her head. Unfurling their huge silvery wings, the three Angelic warriors picked their swords, spears, crossbows and arrows, all made of Empyrean steel, and headed to the Portal. Stepping through, they headed to the Planet Earth. For the thousands of fallen Angels hiding among the eight billion humans, eternity is about to be cut short...