Davariel hovered over the rift, his wings a humming blur barely audible over the howling wind. The sky overhead, choked with thick clouds, was reddish, almost black. He knew Megdoluc's twin suns were shining on the other side of these clouds at their midday mark. However, beneath the thick volcanic ash floating in the atmosphere, it looked closer to dawn.
The air, a fetid mixture of excrement, rotting flesh and ammonia, contained enough poison to blind any being without protection, but Davariel's eyes had a transparent nictating membrane, common to his species, which protected the eyes during flight.
Below him, the frozen waves of the black ocean resembled great canyons. They spiraled around in a funnel that measured about a mile across. The heart of the funnel had a thick layer of a strange glass-like substance, which looked solid, yet rippled at its center. Devils were still leaking out, but the larger more powerful fallen archangels still could not get through.
Time was running out. Davariel knew reapers would return to Megdoluc, searching for him, something they did sporadically. They still clung to the hope of killing him before he opened the gateway to hell and set Lucifer free.
What surprised him most was that the demons hadn't questioned him about the sacrifice or Luciel's whereabouts. The two remaining demons simply stayed away, along with two others that appeared a few nights before.
Three months had passed since the dragons whisked Luciel away with the help of a clan of were-tigris. The shape shifting humanoids provided a star cruiser for their journey to Earth.
Davariel felt Luciel reaching out to him telepathically and shunned her each time. She even tried a dream walker spell, but he kept her blocked out of his mind.
Three weeks passed since the last time she attempted to connect with him. She'd finally given up.
He felt heartbroken, even though he knew it was all for the best. He didn't want her suffering for him. He didn't deserve it.
Summoning up his powers, he concentrated on the rift. He felt strong enough to try to reseal it.
"Abba," he begged to the Divine One on a sob, "I know I'm unworthy... but I implore you to give me the strength to mend the evil I've done."
He whispered the incantation that summoned the demon sword, then, with both hands, raised it over his head, pointing to the sky.
Davariel began praying in the ancient language of the Dominatios.
The wind began to pick up, whipping his hair behind his back. Energy filled him until he thought his body would explode into flames. White light surrounded him and he felt that energy extend into a long beam that rose into the stratosphere and down into the heart of the funnel. The entire surface of the planet shook, as if trembling in terror. The volcanoes exploded again, with more violence than before, fire shooting up like solar flares. The black clouds began to part around the beam of light he projected allowing the rays of the suns to break through.
The entire funnel glowed, revealing dark shadows swimming beneath the barrier.
"Davariel, stop." The voice was deep, laden with a power so terrible Davariel almost complied to its demand. Could it be Lucifer speaking to him?
Davariel closed his eyes and prayed more fervently.
*******
Not far from Megdoluc, a star cruiser containing a handful of reapers and two Seraph Master Guardians witnessed the terrifying display of energy. The entire planet glowed as if it were about to burst. Davariel's power harnessed the strength of one of the suns, causing it to flicker as he drained its life. They watched horrified as the star began to swell and turn first white, then yellow to orange. As the color darkened to red, the star tripled in size.
"What the hell is he doing?" one of the reapers exclaimed. "He'll kill us all!"
"He must be opening the rift." The high priest that had replaced Gadriel cursed. "We've got to hurry. We may be able to kill the smaller less powerful devils and demons, but not the fallen archangels."
The star cruiser dove toward the surface of Megdoluc. They were greeted with the sight of fire and ice once they broke through the thick covering of black clouds.
Landing at the edge of a frozen whirlpool, the sound of clashing swords drew their attention to the sky. Davariel fought three fallen angels and a horde of devils. The reapers took to the sky, but when they neared the battle the unholy creatures fled, leaving Davariel alone. He turned to the reapers and lowered his sword, panting. Immediately, they seized him and brought him down to the ground. He didn't fight them.
They made him kneel, pushing him down with rough hands, a reaper at each arm holding him. Another four grabbed hold of each wing and spread them out behind him in a very vulnerable position.
*******
And so begins my crucifixionβDavariel thought with a shudder. The rift was almost closed, but the last three fallen angels to come through attacked him, preventing him from closing it completely.
He kept his head bowed and saw when the black boots of the new High Priest stopped before him.
Davariel knew Ashriel. By Seraph's standards, he was still a chickling, barely ninety sun orbits. Baby down still covered his black wings, despite his full-grown male body.
"We meet again, Davariel." The High Priest bent to tilt Davariel's face up with his fingertips. Wisps of his dark chocolate-brown hair drifted across his boyish face as he gazed into Dava's eyes. "I remember the way your eyes were before... so blue and clear... so beautiful. What have you done to yourself, Davariel? Why did you divest yourself of your magnificent wings? No one's wings were blacker than yours."
"They were a curse to me," Davariel replied in a soft voice.