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    Ilias''s Six Commandments To Man


    1) Thou Shalt Not Have Intercourse With Monsters


    -Monsters are a disgusting scourge onto My Beautiful Earth; do not indulge in their lustful ways.


    2) Thou Shalt Not Have Interspecies Marriage


    -If you cannot consummate the Marriage in adherence to My First Commandment, it is a false preceding and an insult onto My Name.


    3) Thou Shalt Be Dutiful In Their Prayers


    -Stay loyal to Me above all else, and your rewards will be Heavenly.


    4) Thou Shalt Not Turn Their Sword Towards Their Goddess


    -If one wishes not to bathe in Eternal Hellfire, they should keep their wrath pointed away from their Goddess.


    5) Thou Shalt Not Worship, Nor Bear False Witness To, False Idols


    -Keep only Ilias in your prayers, lest you wish to suffer eternal damnation.


    6) Thou Shalt Not Disgrace Their Goddess


    -Keep my name with respect, and your rewards will be Heavenly.


    <hr>


    Ilias''s Six Commandments To Angels


    1) My Daughters Shalt Not Have Intercourse With Humans


    - Keep your modesty and do not indulge in lust with Humans.


    2) My Daughters Shalt Not Fraternize With Monsters


    - They are enemies of your Mother, and the friend of an enemy is also an enemy. Do not become an enemy of your Mother.


    3) My Daughters Shalt Be Dutiful In Their Prayers And Obligations


    - Stay loyal to your responsibilities, and your rewards will be Heavenly


    4) My Daughters Shalt Not Worship, Nor Bear False Witness to, False Idols


    - Mutineers will receive a judgement worse than eternal Hellfire


    5) My Daughters Shalt Not Deny Their Goddess


    - If your Mother asks, you will give. My demand is of the utmost.


    6) My Daughters Shalt Bring Greatness Unto Their Goddess


    - Shine glory onto my name, and your rewards will be Heavenly.


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    Towering high aloft Earth hovered a large swath of resplendent golden clouds. Standing out powerfully from the ones that shape the Earth''s weather, these "clouds" were an entirely different plane of existence separate from everything around it.


    The facade of this dimension seemed to be the size of a small island but in reality, it wasmuchlarger than even that. This mythical realm was known asHeaven,and it was home to a being of pureLight.


    This being sat upon a polished marble throne, which rested in a field of seemingly endless golden cloud found at the very top of Heaven. She was adorned with a split dress of only the purest white, the cloth held close to her body with a thing golden waist-piece. Cascading down alongside her dress was similarly golden hair that drifted through the air, rippling as if underwater. Coming out of her upper back were the grandest pair of feathered wings in all of Heaven.


    This was the self-proclaimed Goddess of Light, the World, and all Creation,Ilias.


    A look of reserved discontent marked Ilias''s face as she started muttering,"She should be finished by now, why is it taking so long?"The rather blunt question betrayed the woman''s visage as a Goddess, as her impatience was almost childlike.


    Ilias slowly raised a gauntlet-clad arm and a rift formed in the collection of cloud before the Goddess''s throne. Inside of this newly formed hole was an image of a scene taking place on the Earth below in a small village aptly named Ilias Village.


    In this vison, a woman could be seen laying on a small futon. The woman had messy, golden-brown hair and eyes as bewitchingly blue as the Goddess looking down upon her. However, unlike Ilias, there was no aura of grace radiating from her form.


    Such a thing is difficult to preserve when in the middle of giving birth.


    This woman was Lucifina, the second Angeleverto be created by Ilias. In what seemed like eons ago, she was better known as one of theThree Great Seraphs butwas known more infamously known in Heaven as the firstFallen Angel.Besides the flustered and panting Lucifina was the one who held the pregnancy become possible, a man named Marcellus.


    The man clasped Lucifina''s hand with one of his own, putting on a very believable facade of concern on his face to help mask the unbelievable amount of pain radiating from his most certainly crushed hand. His short pale purple hair was frizzled from the stress of the situation as, even with numerous years of fighting under his belt, the now-retired Hero had trouble processing the event.


    At the foot of the futon, a nurse worked assiduously to help the painful process, but Lucifina''s labor had been ongoing for a worryingly number of hours now and had been rife with many troubling issues. One such issue being the fact Lucifina had already lost a concerning amount of blood.


    This, unbeknownst to anyone in the room but the pregnant Fallen Angel herself, was due to the fact that her Angelic body was simply notbuiltfor the stresses of the birthing process; even though it was -technically- physically possible, Angels were strictly forbidden from mingling with Humans in such a way. Angels were supposed to protect, guide, and provide wisdom to Ilias''s followers, notbed them.


    But after leaving Heaven, Lucifina lived on Earth while disguising her Holiness by sealing away her powers. Living under the guise of a Human, she had roamed the Earth for Hundreds of years until eventually settling down with Marcellus in Ilias Village, which eventually led to the situation at hand. Despite the overwhelming odds against it, an Angel –albeit anEx-Angel– might very well finish the day by being the first being of Light toeverbear a child.


    Which presented a complicated problem for the Goddess of Light.


    If the pregnancy was a success, it would becomequitethe revelation. Ilias herself had no idea if an Angel, upon indulging upon in a particularlyforbidden fruit, could indeed bear a child. If not, then nothing really changes. However, if Lucifina was able to pull through and do what should be impossible, the ramifications would becolossal.


    Lucifina''s child would be the first of a whole new breed of creation, an entirely new species! And on top of everything else, Ilias would have to decidewhatto do if this hypothetical half-Human half-Angel baby were to actually be brought into her World...


    ...However, merely seeing if it was possible wasn''ttrulythe only reason Ilias was observing the event.


    Ilias would not admit it, but the Goddess did still have some lingering fondness for her second Daughter; even if Lucifina did turn her back on Heaven, Lucifina had served her Mother well for millions of years and had proved to one of her most diligent Daughters when she was following Ilias. In a strange and somewhat warped way, Ilias being an audience to this birth was the Goddess showing the stray amount of affection she had left for Lucifina.


    Down on Earth, Marcellus diligently used his uninjured hand to brush a set of tangled, knotted locks out of the face of his beloved as she continued to push. He tried to avert his light blue eyes from the ever-growing amount of blood coating the small bed; he was not a squeamish man, but the sight cast a dangerous question about the health of his wife and their soon-to-be newborn child.


    Lucifina, clothed in only a blood-stained white nightgown, continued to push and cast out the thoughts of her pain as she did. Meanwhile, Ilias watched on, thus far unimpressed with the lack of any real progress. The Goddess of Light sighed, beginning to believe that this birth would ultimately prove to be a fluke.


    Just as this doubt began to grow in her, Ilias watched as Lucifina practicallysnarledand gave a grueling final push.


    From between the ex-Angel''s legs, a small head began to sprout. On top of the head was a small fluff of pale purple hair, just like his Father''s. Within the few breaths allotted to the fatigued Lucifina, the rest of the baby nearlyflewout into the bed nurse''s arms as if all of the subsequent pushing had finally caught up to launch the newborn out like a cannonball.


    Despite the intensity of the moment, the child was silent. Strangely enough, he was also clean of blood all other debris from the birthing process. Marcellus quickly rushed to the nurse as Lucifina collapsed onto the bed, overcome with exhaustion. The newly-made Father tentatively approached, looking in wonder at the tiny form of his newborn son.


    Marcellus chuckled, the joyful cadence in it resonating through the room. "A-Amazing!" The newly made Father reached for his son, gently procuring him from the nurse and holding him close to his chest with a gentleness that he had only before used with his wife in the afterglow of the nights when they had begun to work towards this day.


    Marcellus chuckled again as he strode to his wife, his face adorning a smile nearly as bright as the setting sun just outside the window. The late evening light of said setting sun washed over the child, shining off of his purple hair and reflecting off of his pale-blue pupils. Even his skin, as pallid as it was, had an ethereal glow that enchanted a certain Goddess of Light


    Ilias''s vibrant blue eyes were dumbfoundedly locked on the boy, unable to even spare a second''s long glance at anything but the baby. Ilias had witnessed many births over her impossibly long lifetime, too many to her liking. The process of birthing to her was unpleasant, so she usually shied away from watching what she would usually think of as a disgusting ordeal. So, if it wasn''t for theextraordinarycircumstances, Ilias wouldn''t even bother.


    How glad she was that she did, though.


    As Goddess of Light, Ilias could view many more layers of existence than the regular being. All levels of Light were visible to her, and one of those levels that she could observe was the Light of a living being''s very soul. In her lifetime, Ilias had only ever observed three different types of soul light.


    To a degree, the souls of her Angels were on a spectrum of gold that, at its brightest, shined like the sun. None of them burned brighter than Ilias''s, which was naturally the brightest.


    Monster souls, on the other hand, were on a spectrum of violet, their darkness being a reflection of their inherent devious nature. The darkest of these belonging to whatever Monster was the current Monster Lord, the champion of the Universe''s Darkness.


    Humans were a special case, each one being on a certain spectrum of gray. Some were lighter and some darker, depending on how much good versus evil lay dormant in the Human soul. This boy''s soul, however, was one she hadneverlaid her divine eyes on before.


    The image of his soul was purewhite. That, to her knowledge of the Universe, meant that his soul was purer than any Human''s, purer than any Angel''s!


    This was an exciting, yet confusing discovery for Ilias to make.''How could the crossing of an Angel and Human create something this divine!? Sure, Lucifina had been a model Seraph for millions of years and Marcellus had aided my cause well by slaying the Fifteenth Monster Lord...''The Goddess thought,''...But both of them have sinned in excess! How could they create something this pure!?''


    It didn''t make sense to the Goddess; it had always been that two wrongs don''t make a right, hadn''t it!? But right here, right before her eyes, the copulation of a Fallen Angel and a Failed Hero resulted in thepurestsoul ever created. They had made something Ilias could never do; they made theperfect soul.


    "His soul''s Light is even..."She paused while whispering her sudden revelation; clutching the collar of her dress, she could feel her heart pounding erratically against her chest as her mind went haywire as it tried to digest this discovery. She looked down to her own golden aura."...Even greater thanmine."


    Unfamiliar, conflicting emotions manifested inside the Goddess. She felt ecstatic to gaze upon something like this but also terrified that it appeared to be a greater force of Light thanher, the very Goddess of Light! Should she bejealousor even somewhatafraidof this? Should she be thankful? Perhaps the boy is a gift, a blessing sent to her from the Universe itself?


    With these questions floating through her mind, Ilias gazed closely as the boy was given to Lucifina, laid down with the utmost care by Marcellus. Ilias felt a pang of envy as Lucifina held the baby but ignored this as she listened to her ex-Seraph speak.


    The tired woman looked to her husband,"Luka,yes, that name will be perfect." Marcellus whispered with something to support this, but Ilias paid it no attention.


    "Luka...My, you are correct, Lucifina. It is aperfectname." The Goddess murmured to herself, still not breaking her gaze from the newborn. Suddenly, an idea breached her mind, one that put a rare genuine smile on the Ilias''s face.


    Sitting back on her throne, unconsciously having leaned more and more forward when she had inspected Luka, Ilias clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. The small smirk on her face morphed into a wide smile as her mind began to weave together a stratagem from this new event. "This ratherblasphemousaffair may actually end up beingjustwhat I needed..."


    The way Ilias saw it, she figured that where Luka''s parents had both failed her, this boy Luka could make up for their failures and more. Naturally, being the son of a Seraph should mean that his power should at least rise to the same level that his Mother had possessed, perhaps even higher if such a thing were possible. This would be very beneficial, as the Goddess was in short supply of truly powerful and fearsome followers on Earth.


    The full-blooded Humanstried, but they just weren''t enough by themselves to make any difference. Plus, they were easily swayed by temptation. With the recent attempts of Heaven''s enemies to unite once more, she needed strong leaders to help control and guide the Human race before the Monsters took them away from her for good.


    "...Yes, then so it will be done." Ilias proclaimed to herself. Without needing to do even as little as lifting a finger, Ilias summoned two of her Angels to her throne room.


    The first to appear was Ilias''s right-hand Angel in Heaven, Lucifina''s younger sister, the last of the Three Great Seraphs,Eden.


    Thick tresses the hue of sage fell behind Eden''s shoulders, reaching all the way down to her lower back, and came to rest in the middle of the Angel''s six large wings. She also had two fluffy twin tails of hair fall down to her collarbone and rested below her chin. Above her head, hovering over another small set of wings attached behind her head, was the largest and brightest halo of any living Angel.


    Eden''s clothing was simple and modest, consisting of nothing more than a plain white robe that started at the middle of her neck and went down to the top of her sandaled feet. The sleeves of her robe went all the way down her arms, ending just below her wrists.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Very abruptly, the Seraph dropped to her knees and clasped her hands in front of her bosom. "My Goddess, to what do we owe the great honor of residing in your presence?" Soon after, a light snickering could be heard emanating from the Seraph''s side, much to her visible annoyance in the form of a scowl.


    Floating next to her was a morescandalouslydressed Angel. She was the Angel ofLove, to be more exact, Cupid.


    Her blonde locks poked out messily from underneath a large pink cap, some of which partway covered her right eye and face. The length of her single braid behind her was impressive, going nearly the entirety of her body. The front of her cap had a golden outline of a heart emblazoned upon it, which connected to the hat''s golden trim.


    Cupid''s eyes flashed a bright pink as well, fitting as her pupils themselves were glowing hearts. Sprouting from her back were a single pair of wings that looked much simpler and smaller than that of the other two. Her halo was also very -very- small. If one were to spare only a passing glance, they wouldn''t even be able to see it.


    The Angel of Love''s clothing consisted of a light pink dress, with half the length being button-up. A fraction of which was unbuttoned, leaving an ample amount of flesh visible, including half of a heart tattoo on her right breast. The dress also split at the bottom, showing a questionable amount of thigh as it did, despite the effort from her knee-high boots to conceal her legs.


    In her forearm-length pink gloves haphazardly held Cupid''s famous –and for some,infamous– bow and arrow: The ultimate instrument of "Love".


    Eden hmphed as she glared at Cupid with her eyes, not having moved a muscle of her body or face away from her Goddess, "Is there something terriblyamusingabout that?" The Seraph snapped in annoyance.


    Cupid''s thinly veiled snickering turned to an outright cackle before she proclaimed: "Aha, nothing to do with you my dear Sister, just something amusing from earlier that I remembered just now." Of course, it was a lie, but even Cupid wouldn''t joke about Eden''s nonstop groveling when Ilias herself was right in front of them. Even when she oh-so-terriblywanted to tease on how accidentally provocative Eden''s position looked fromjustthe right angle...


    ...Such things being implied of the Seraph would drive her absolutely insane with anger.


    Eden huffed, rising from her knees to stand in front of her Goddess just as Ilias began to speak. "Listen close now, you two. What I have for you is very important news. Something has just transpired on Earth, something that could aid me in finally bringing peace to my world."


    This quickly gave Ilias the full attention of what she considered to be some of her most useful subordinates. Looking at them both, she evaluated them quickly. For they were, perhaps begrudgingly, some of her best choices for this new project of hers.


    Eden looked at her, eyes steeled and determined. The last Seraph looked at her with a fierce loyalty that had never waned once throughout her entire existence. For that, she could consider Eden her most important piece on the chessboard as the leader of her Angel army. That being said, Eden could be considered somewhat...


    ...Daft.


    As said, Eden''s loyalty to Ilias was greater than any Angel or Human, but alongside her devotion to Ilias was a seemingly complete incapability to musteranysuccessful attempt at free-thinking. The Angel could personally relay every single last order of Ilias''s to every single last Angel from top to bottom with no issue but was utterly unable to come up with any decision by herself on her Goddess''s behalf when needed.


    She was as lost as a baby bird outside its nest if she were to be with her Goddess''s guidance. It wasendearing, but also could bevery annoying.


    Ilias''s eyes scanned to the next Angel, who took a moment to... Well,floata bit straighter and more proper once she noticed that her Goddess''s gaze was upon her.


    Cupid was a mentally exhausting case. Her loyalty, though not as unwavering as Eden''s, was usually without question. Additionally, the Angel of Love was much free-willed than Eden was, which led to her having an easier time with spur-of-the-moment decisions. With little trouble going off on her own, she could spread Ilias''s will through her own means, as perverted as these means could be.


    Ilias could even say that Cupid was a bittoocunning for her own good, as she easily found ways to circumnavigate certain restrictions put on her due to the depraved tendencies the Angel of Love had shown to have. To put it plainly, the Angel quite frequently had ratherscandalousulterior motives when performing her duties. Which is why she often needed to be put back in line.


    Cupid''s primary poison was that the Angel''s Soul was probably one of the mostpervertedof all of Ilias''s Angels. This was due to theegregiousamount of desire in her heart. She was supposed to be the Angel of Love, yes, but Ilias had noticed her foster more and more lustful tendencies as time went on.


    Now, Cupid had never actually engaged in any physical relations with Humans, but she had certainly pushed the limitations that had been put on Angels when it came to matters of intimacy. An impulsive voyeur, Cupid often watched as Humans consummated their marriages a bittooclosely and did so in a mannerfarfrom innocent.


    The phrase, "Caught with your pants down" had been quite literal, especially in the last few hundred years.


    In short, the Eden and Cupid had very conflicting personalities. However, they were begrudging the best options Ilias had available as any Angels more capable were busy on Earth with the fight against Monsters, or in Heaven trying to manage the flow of the Realm of Light. Ilias couldn''t afford to waste any of her assets, as creating Angels took much more time and effort than her enemy did in creating more of their licentious kind.


    ''At the very least, even if I''d rather my Angels not suffer from such unhelpful behavior as these two, their differences could balance each other out some.''Ilias mused in her mind.


    Indeed, Eden''s dogged strictness and focus could help wrangle in Cupid''s lecherous thoughts while Cupid''s spur-of-the-moment thinking couldpotentiallyinspire Eden to take initiative in situations instead of calling upon Ilias''s guidance every time a decision needed to be made.


    Ilias put on her best benevolent smile and cast an arm toward the portal she had been viewing."Behold,my Daughters."


    The two Angels drew near, Eden being the first to recognize the severity of the development, "I-Is thatLucifina, w-with achild!?"She exclaimed, eyes wide with confusion and just a touch of awe.


    Cupid''s eyes grew soft, a look that was more akin toactuallove rather than her usual lust."Aww~"She cooed, "What a cutie!"


    Ilias replied, "Yes, your dear Fallen Sister has had a child with a Human." Ilias slowly hovered up from her throne and flew closer to the vortex until she came to the side of the Angels to examine their reaction. "His name isLuka, and I believe he may be the one to finally aid me in bringing peace to this world for good."


    Eden quickly glanced back to her Goddess, her wings shuffling wildly behind her. "Truly, could it be? But how could something..." She turned back to the scene where Lucifina had begun to nurse the small newborn. "... born from such asinfulact, be able to help us in our War againstsin itself!?"


    Even Cupid, while she didn''t voice it, seemed to be confused by her Mother''s words as she peered down at the son of Lucifina.


    Ilias sighed, frustrated but sympathetic to her Daughter''s lack of understanding. After all, what Ilias could see was a privilege to her as a Goddess. How then, could she have mere Angels comprehend what their Goddess sees? Ilias folded her arms underneath her breasts, her face contorted in thought as her Angels waited for Ilias''s eventual answer. An epiphany struck her, and Ilias addressed her loyal followers.


    "Here," The Goddess beckoned to her Daughters, "Gaze upon the one sent from the stars to purify my poisoned World..." Ilias paused, searching for a fitting title for the boy. Then, deep in the recesses of her memory, she found one she had long since forgotten.


    "...YourProphet, Luka."She placed a hand on the heads of both her Angels and temporarily morphed their essence to be more akin to her own, allowing them to see the physical manifestation of souls. Eden and Cupid were startled by the new sensation, as they could now see the souls of Marcellus, Lucifina, and most importantly, Luka.


    Marcellus had a very gray soul, a trait he inherited from his distant ancestor Heinrich, whose soul was similarly mixed. Lucifina''s soul was a faded golden hue, showing how she was still Angelic like any other of Ilias''s daughters, but her''s being dimmer due to her cutting off her Holiness by betraying Heaven and sealing away her power. And just as Ilias had seen it herself, Luka''s soul was a pure and Holy white.


    It was difficult for the Angels to even look upon, as they were not used to such anoverwhelmingsight.


    Eden especially was staggering, completely ill-prepared to take in this discovery. She stammered, "It-it is amazing my Lord. It''s as if the b-boy''s Soul is… is…" She trailed off, Ilias finishing it with an enthusiastic interruption.


    "-Perfect, isn''t it?" Ilias cut in.


    The Seraph nodded, having nothing more to say. Eden couldn''t fathom ever actually having admiration for anything but her Goddess. However, this was very different from anything she''s ever experienced. Luka''s soul was the paragon of purity, so much so that she wondered how her own soul could compare if it even did at all.


    ''Does… mine hardly even come close to his? How deep could that gap possibly be?''Eden''s thoughts trailed off, going down a route unknown to the Seraph. This train of thought that she had never considered, ever, in all her years of assuredness in her own abilities.


    Eden had always prided herself in being Ilias''s most loyal and most pure creation since she became the last and now only Seraph, but now that position was now contended. Luka''s soul being the purest ever born on Earth must mean that his aspirations reflected her Goddess''s more than Eden''s did. With this inclination, he could become a great spiritual leader for Humanity. Which would naturally discharge her from her position as Ilias''s right hand.


    The position shealonehad owned with great pride for hundreds of years...


    ''Wait, I shouldn''t think of it like that,''The Seraph berated herself,''This isn''t about me; it is about my Goddess and her will! We need every advantage we can get, and this Luka could be exactly what we need to turn the tide!''The World was in desperate need of Human leadership, as the Monsters continued to corrupt whatever they touched without much challenge from Humanity itself.


    ''Once he is mature, he would be invaluable to Heaven''s will as a spiritual leader for Humanity, like a candleflame in the night he will guide them to Heaven and away from the bane of Alipheese''sbastardabominations...''With her mind and heart now settled on this idea, Eden began to envision how Luka could serve Ilias in the future. She could see him as a beacon of light, Ilias''s light, cleansing a dark and unholy world.''With his will alongside Heaven''s, we could not possibly fail.''


    Using Luka''s Father as a template, she could imagine an older Luka in her mind. Clad in Angelic white silk, a mark of his divinity, he rose above all other creation as a pillar of Holiness, abastionof Ilias''s will.


    New, interesting emotions began to swim in the Seraph''s head at this image. It was warm and fuzzy yet exhilarating at the same time.''Maybe,''Eden thought,''Luka could even help to cleanse us of our impurities. In order to help better ourselves in serving Ilias of course...''The thought of this holy purification excited her, her heart''s beating quickening as she clutched her hands together tightly in front of her.''...I look forward to the day I can be cleansed.''


    Floating beside the great Seraph, Cupid was having a similar internal battle. However,anythought of purity was absolutely not involved. Instead, the Angel''s heart-shaped pupils homed in on the boy''s soul in reverence. Inside her bubbled up a mixture of something different than her usual love and lust.


    Cupid felt light-headed, and her legs would wobble if she were to actually stand on them. This Luka was most definitely something ofhighinterest to her now. Not because of his Holiness, though, but because of a veryunholyidea pervading Cupid''s mind.


    A thought having to do with a very particular Commandment that Ilias had placed on her Angels:


    "Thou Shalt Not Have Intercourse With Humans."


    This Commandment was the only one for Angels that expressly forbids them from having intercourse, all other avenues being closed off without even needing thedistinctionof being a Commandment due to their outrageousness. Because of this, all Angels were virgins aside from the Fallen Angel Lucifina.


    Now, to most Angels, such a thing was no issue as they were content with nothing more than praying to and fighting for Goddess Ilias. However, Cupid was in the very small percentage of Angels that felt lust. Watching and helping select Humans in finding partners to bear children with for millions of years had made the previously pious Angel turn perverted, wanting in any way possible to feel such a sensation.


    And so, this Commandment was the one that had caused the Angel so much grief. It was the one that made it to where she must remain so frustrated, regulated to just being able to watch at most and merely dream at worst. It had reduced her and, to a lesser extent, all the other Angels to living in forced chastity.


    Of course, none of the others had nearly the amount of overflowing lust as her, but was it not to be expected? She had to watch as literally hundreds of thousands of Humans got to receive such Heavenly pleasure! Why, then, should she be denied the sameexhilarating release?


    It was the only misgiving Cupid had against her Goddess and was why she bent that Commandment''s rule whenever she could.


    But as Cupid had listened to her Goddess and watched Lucifina hold her child, she came to a startling realization.''The Commandment says we cannot lay with Humans...''the Angel grinned,''...But Luka is not reallyjustHuman, is he? No, he is a mix of Human and Angel, the only one of his kind!''


    Cupid''s grin widened, depraved thoughts entering her mind.''Whichtechnicallymeans that there are no Commandments specifically saying that I can''t have sex with him!''With this admittedly shaky realization dawning on her, Cupid became ecstatic. Of course, the day when she could metaphorically fly through this loophole was far away, but when that day did come…


    ...She tightly squeezed her bow, as quiteblasphemousthoughts entered her mind. Cupid fought to stifle her giggles in check, not wanting to leave any hint of her internal thoughts. She wanted no one else to know her plans to use Luka as the "key" to unlock her chastity.


    "Now then, your mission statement." The two Angels gave attention to Ilias, her face stern to match her tone. She looked to the Angel of Love first, "Cupid, since most of your work is done on the planet below, it would only be fitting for me to add onto you a new priority."


    Ilias turned towards the portal; her arms folded. Before her, Lucifina and Luka had already fallen asleep due to the stressful birth. Marcellus was beside the futon, watching the pair with a soft smile. "You will be tasked with observing young Luka in the periods in which you aren''t undergoing your usual daily tasks, until he is of age to beBaptized."


    She looked down at Cupid. "In short, watch his progress from asafedistance and report any significant events to your commander, Eden. And do try to do this before the day ends. Prayer requests are already backed up enough as it is, I don''t need last-minute extra paperwork clogging up communications."


    The Angel of Loveattemptedher finest and most dignified bow, though Ilias looked on with disappointment as the surprisingly graceful curtsy ended up doubling the amount of cleavage Cupid was already showing.


    ''It wouldn''t be half as shameless if she could just keep the loose shoulder strap up on her shoulder...'' Ilias thought, though it was really her fault, since she really should have made the regular white Angel robesmandatoryas her legion''s uniform, instead of a meresuggestion. Still, to go back on that now would be too much paperwork for her.


    After exasperatingly rubbing her eyes, Ilias then turned her attention to the aforementioned Seraph. "And Eden, it will be up toyouto review everything Cupid has for you, and ultimately decide whether it istrulyworth being relayed to me or not."


    Ilias sharpened her gaze, staring directly into Seraph''s eyes, "I alone, as powerful as I am, don''t have time to keep tabs on this boy due to my responsibilities, so I need you to be able to decide what is truly needing of my attention." Ilias backed up on her intensity some, noticing Eden''s anxious look. "Otherwise, I am to trust that you are diligently carrying out my plan."


    Eden was about to give a nod but hesitated. "Wait, whatisthe plan, my Goddess?" She held her arms out as if waiting for an explanation to drop into her waiting arms. "That, and would it not be best to bring the childhereto Heaven if we wish to-"


    "-No."Both Angels flinched at the immediate change in tone from the Goddess, her previous benevolent cadence replaced by one of immense displeasure. But it wasn''t without reason.


    "Luka needs to stay on Earth. If he is to be My Prophet and assist us in purifying the world, then he''ll need to be there to combat it. Being in Heaven would merely distract from his true purpose. So, the best way to ready him for his destiny is to allow him to grow up in the fields in which he will have to battle." Ilias tilted away, gazing up into the swath of golden clouds above before continuing.


    "It may be somewhat cruel, but his duties as My Prophet will be taxing, and he will need to bear that burden to be this World''s Savior. And once he is ready, he will come to me and embrace his Prophethood, I''m sure of it." Her sage words had an obvious effect on the Angels, as they both looked to their Goddess in awe. To them, it was another example of the sheer depth of Ilias''s wisdom and divinity.


    To Ilias, it was pathetic that she felt the need to lie.


    Ilias quickly focused back on her Angels, banishing her inner turmoil to the back of her mind until she was alone. Ilias waved away her Angels, "Then you may leave." Cupid disappeared quickly, not wishing to draw the ire of her Goddess.


    Eden, however, was hesitant. "My Goddess," she nervously started, "Don''t you wish for therestof your Angels to know about their Prophet?"


    Ilias considered it for a moment, debating whether she wanted the rest of the legion to know about such a thing. "For now, only inform the Order of Archangels about Luka. They are the only ones who I can trust to hold that information for the time being. I don''t want regular soldiers carrying such precious information with them. If his existence is known before he''s ready, it could be catastrophic. The rest of the Angels will find out when the time is right when Luka is older and more capable."


    Eden nodded, teleporting away without another word. Ilias stared at the spot the two had occupied, her mind and heart colliding as she was filled with more unfamiliar emotions.


    Simply enough, Luka couldn''t live in Heaven simply because Ilias did nottrusther Angels around him. They had good intentions, but there was corruption in her ranks, Ilias could see the sinful urges in their souls. She couldn''t say for certain that any of them would try anything with the boy, but...


    ...She would level her very own Heaven if his purity was to be stained by unholiness.


    Therefore, ironically, Ilias Village was much safer for the boy due to its isolation. Then, when he was ready, he would help Ilias finally take back the world she was created to rule. At least, she hoped.


    She glanced back at the boy''s face, his small body curled tightly against his Mother. She watched as the aura of his purity radiated off of him, almost like a warm fire pulsating around him. Right in front of her had been born a soul genuinely worthy of her. A soul deserving to aid her in finishing her eternal battle with the Goddess of Darkness for good. Then, he would help her bring true peace to Earth...


    ...Unless he rejected her and proclaimed her a false, corrupted Goddess.


    "No, not him too. So many before him, especially of his bloodline have turned on me. If he were to turn on me as well, with a soul as pure ashis..." Ilias reclined on her throne, unable to finish the forbidden thought, tired of the what-ifs floating in her mind.


    It wasn''t something that could be helped, even by her. For now, Ilias had to be patient and wait to see if the seeds planted on this day would grow to be fruit perfectly ripened for her picking or become the weeds that would strangle her roots.


    With her malfunctioning Angels and the unyielding Monster forces that conspire against her, Ilias was getting desperate. Luka could be her very last chance to win back Earth for good. If not, the planet may just be put toruin.


    However, without realizing it, Ilias had just placed a trap for her very own forces. For, when the word of her "Prophet" would spread through Heaven, it would be like a poison, as each Angel latched onto the idea of their Savior as much as they latched onto Ilias''s word itself, if notmoreso.


    For the Goddess''s own complex emotions towards the boy would reflect upon Heaven and cause their already warped minds to react disturbingly. It had already manifested in Eden and Cupid that day and would continue to spread throughout the rest of all Angel kind from top to bottom. This was due to Ilias inadvertently giving her Angels encouragement to break one of her most crucial Commandments:


    "My Daughters Shalt Not Worship, Nor Bear False Witness to, False Idols"


    A False Idol, they had been given. And they would witness his rise, even if it were a role that Luka would not desire to have.


    To make matters worse for both Ilias and Luka, Angels would not be theonlyears to hear of this new development. Said eavesdropping being done by a small stuffed teddy bear hiding amongst the clouds behind Ilias''s throne.


    Once satiated, it slowly sank into the clouds, swallowed up by a nearly unseeable pale blue rift that closed as soon as the brown stuffed bear had disappeared.