《When the Heavens come crashing down》 A month prior... Despite the atmosphere all over the world, I''m enjoying myself. You have to find something to keep your mind off of possible impending doom. I''m heading to a club with a few college buddies, friends for life all of them. They claimed it was to help me finally find a girl, but I know they were needing a relaxer just as much as me.We are approaching finals week for our spring semester and they were planning on spending this summer relaxing. Anyway as we enter the front door of this new club called ¡°The Pond¡± one of the girls immediately tries to drag Brice to the bar. He tries to rein in her eagerness but he''s smiling like a doofus all the while. The rest of us decide unanimously that we may as well join them. We¡¯re college students, not party-people. I drink along with everyone while they stare at me strangely for not seeming drunk in the slightest. I just say ¡°genetics¡± and smile like that explains it all. They shrug because, well, it doesn''t matter that much. We came here to unwind so that''s what we¡¯re gonna do. A different girl from our little circle, Micah, began to rouse my pal Rajeet to come with her to the dance floor. Did I not mention there was a dance floor? Not important, because now all the other gals are getting the same idea and dragging their drunken boys to their feet for some Dosey-doe. Being the good friends they are I¡¯m included in their attempt, even the guys are trying to tempt me but...I can''t let go completely...not yet. Just like always I keep my barrier up and decline lamely. Upset but also not wanting to be pushy they relent and go have their fun while I stick to the bar.
In front of me stands Tephil, a family friend before we had to flee. Tephil: ¡°Hey Lucifer why don''t you try to connect with any of the women?¡± L: ¡°What do you mean? I talk to everybody to make sure- Tephil: ¡°I mean intimately.¡± L: ¡°...¡± Tephil: ¡°If being a Fallen Angel bothers- L: ¡°It¡¯s not that¡± Tephil: ¡°What? Speak up.¡± L: ¡°I don¡¯t want any distractions if what I fear is to be upon us soon.¡± Tephil: ¡°Is that what we are to you...distractions?¡± L: ¡°Yes¡­¡± Tephil: ¡°You know we¡¯re willing to die for you after you saved us all and continue to protect us but why can¡¯t you let us closer to you?¡± L: ¡°Because then I wouldn''t stand to see anyone else die for me...I''d shield you all and take on the corrupted myself¡± Tephil: ¡°You know we wouldn¡¯t stand by as you sacrificed yourself-If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. L: ¡° Exactly¡± I walk away before she can gather a better argument, but manage to catch her calling my name. Tephil: ¡°Luci-
???: ¡°-fer?¡± I take my eyes off the bar counter to land on the bartender who somehow knew my name. L: ¡°How do you know my name?¡± Bartender: ¡°I heard one of your friends call you that when he ordered your drink. Sorry if that was intrusive.¡± L: ¡°No it''s fine, that makes sense that you would hear a lot of names being called.¡± Bartender: ¡°you were so unresponsive for a while I thought I might need to call your friends to take ya home haha!¡± L: ¡°huhu sorry to worry you, just lost in memories.¡± Bartender: ¡°I get it, I won¡¯t pry. But uh some girl came to hit on you and you didn''t even acknowledge her so she walked away.¡± L: ¡°humph probably for the best¡­ Bartender: ¡°your at a club, don¡¯t act so dow-¡± It was at that moment that both Paul and Jeni slipped their drunken arms around my shoulders(or tried). Paul: ¡°Heeeeyyyyy mishta never drunk what time is it? I look down to my watch, L: ¡°Oh damn, it¡¯s almost- Jeni: ¡°It¡¯s time you found a girlfriend!¡± L: ¡°No it¡¯s eleven o¡¯clock Jeni: ¡°Sooooo, whyss thach important?¡± L: ¡° We agreed to study tomorrow for the finals?¡± Paul: ¡°...¡± Jeni: ¡°...¡± Paul & Jeni: ¡°Shieeeeeeet!¡± Most people within earshot started busting their guts laughing, I at least managed to suppress my laughter to a chuckle. Oh boy tomorrow is gonna be fun for them! L: ¡°You guys ready to leave?¡± Rajeet: ¡°Stop wassssting time talking and let''s goooo!¡± Rajeet pulls the two chimps from my back and tries to pull me. I say tries because he''s drunk and can''t find his strength. Finally up and ushering my five friends to the exit I catch the bartender shout ¡°take care of yourselves!¡± but I just not my head. Pouring into Brice¡¯s car took a Herculean effort on my part because not only are my friends drunk, their clinically lazy too! A few of them are falling asleep on their feet so I slap them awake before letting them nap in a seat. By the time I sit down and start up the car, everyone''s asleep or getting there. Brice: ¡°Had some fun tonight man?¡± That caught me by surprise so I sat there thinking for a second, before replying, L: ¡°Not much after you guys went dancing.¡± I try to be as honest as I can with anyone I talk to, I''ve got a great dislike for deceit after all that''s happened. Brice: ¡°I told them the club was a bad idea, we could''ve done mini-golf or summthin!¡± L: ¡°It''s alright, you guys shouldn''t have to try to include me in everything. I''m a big boy too.¡± Brice: ¡°Juss don''t want you disappearing on us, with your loner tendencies.¡± That got me thinking, how did I let myself get so involved with these people? I gave my own kind the cold shoulder only to turn around and get so close to a group of humans. I don''t deserve this nor do I need this...this...distraction. I''ve got to make some drastic changes. Failure at this juncture would be cataclysmic. Increasing the distance After I got us back to my apartment and laid my friends on various pieces of furniture to rest, I left by way of flying through the roof. With miniscule applications of magic I made sure I left no damage and no presence. My first order of business was going to be to check on all of the Angel sanctuaries. I flew over to the Bermuda Triangle at mach 1 speed. I could''ve been there sooner but I wanted some alone time. Upon arrival I was greeted by the Arch Angel of Bermuda Island, Briniel. He reported that the angels are still doing fine amongst the bermudian people and asks if I can stay and celebrate Bermuda Day. It hadn''t occcured to me but I had largely been disregarding time, else I would know it was may the twenty-fifth. L: "Apologies but I''m only stopping by briefly at every Angel sanctuary, I need to prepare more and make sure the angels and humans are as well." Briniel: "No need to apologize, I owe you a personal debt for coming to out aid all that time ago!" L: "I appreciate your kindness but it''s only natural that I am willing to sacrifice for my people." Briniel: "Just know that we may not be as powerful as you but we are always willing to do the same for you, just look at their faces." I hadn''t noticed while talking to him but his wife and child had sauntered up to stand beside him while more angels, the thousands on this island alone, had walked or flew to surround me and Briniel. I spied tears upon smiling and sad faces alike. Not every family member had made it to earth together. This...this is why I need to distance myself because I know the thing that God has become will try to play on my weaknesses and I know even now that to watch anymore angels die will crush my heart. I don''t need this now. L: "I''m sorry but I should be going now. He readies to strike within a month." Briniel: "Do not let fear control your mind, temper it with determination to survive until the end." L: "...Thank you." With that I fly up and some angels make way for me. I can see concern on plenty of their faces but I ignore it as I take off on my usual route around the world.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. After visiting all the sanctuaries I returned home to find my phone had about 18 messages and about 10 missed calls, all from my college friends. I ignore it in favor of brainstorming more and making sure that my other plans are secure and ready to execute at the drop of a dime. After getting the "ok" from my various human and angel elders, I once again check on the time until our possible collective end. I don''t know why butit doesn''t seem to be in a rush to attack the earth or the remaining angels. I''m worried what it went so far to obtain that it couldn''t get from God or the angels it''s already taken. It worries me greatly. I stayed awake the entire night, deciding that I should no longer sleep so that I miss nothing that could possibly happen. I''ve been connected to a neural net, one that I''ve created over the entire earth, to alert me of any otherworldly beings entering or leaving the atmosphere. For such a sinister beingit hasn''t turned up anywhere on the planet and there are no traces of its plague. The next day I''m back in my dorm deciding whether to push forward some plans regarding the humans or let them be. I don''t want to doom humanity but I may need to incite conflict so they build up their strengths. I switch from my active connection to the neural net to passive as a few presences arrive at the door. Paul: "Hey Luci, you in there? You''ve been a lot more anti-social ever since the day after we went drinking." Jeni: "Yeah, the rest of the group has class or club but we''re all worried about you. No one on campus has seen you, at least those who know you haven''t, and you didn''t answer your phone or door when we tried." I could just stay silent but I''ll be out of their lives soon enough anyway so... L: "Yeah I''ve just been re-thinking some of my life choices and...changing some things." Jeni: "Well can we come in and talk, maybe being around friends can help alleviate some of the burden." Paul: "Friends gotta be there for each other. Who else is- L: "I''m dropping out of college." Paul & Jeni: "..." L: "I just need some time away and maybe I''ll return when my business is done." Paul: "Open the door Lucifer." L: "Excuse m-" Paul: "Open the door! Stop avoiding us so we can talk!" I''ve never heard Paul be so forceful when speaking to, well, anyone really. If I hadn''t hardened my conviction to face God and save earth he might''e gotten through to me, but as it stands... L: "I dont need you poking your heads into my problems. If I wanted your help I would''ve asked for it." Jeni: "Paul, Paul! Calm down okay? Look Lucifer, please just trust us to help you, don''t push us out like some nuisances." I stood there waiting for them to either keep talking or leave. They eventually left and I detected tons of pity, sadness and betrayal as they were leaving my aura. Good, I don''t want more worries on my mind than necessary. I''ve decided...I''m moving forward with the humans plans. I''m done being so idle, I need to be proactive to have a chance at humanities and the angels'' continued survival. The shadow looms ever closer I contacted my agents after I got my thoughts together. These angels I''d tasked with surveillance of humanity and it''s inner workings since they were little more than slightly smarter monkeys. I did it to make sure humanity didnt destroy itself early on but now...now they are being used to incite terror and violence. I hate that there aren''t many alternatives to this plan. I ordered my agents to falsify and communicate threats from various major powers to others that they already had shaky relations with. They made sure that the messages were consistent with their opposites and were real, credible threats. I had just let an angry bull loose on the world theater and everyone was scrambling for weapons. I received fewer calls from my friends but I ignored them all the same. The Omens, as I called my various alarms, were becoming more numerous and clearer. The worldwide aurora had be one to resolve itself into numerous deformed silhouettes of angels, or at least they''re the popular belief of what we look like. They are as spread out and numerous as clouds except they appeared everywhere and they didn''t turn with the planet, they only moved closer to it. The religius communities were going on about rapture and the end times. The conspiracy theorists were shouting about aliens and Overlord Xenu''s...and probes. Eew. Everybody else was just waiting for something to happen, for the signs to mean something. A week later their attention was pointed firmly back on earth when the declarations of war started ringing out. Many were probably going insane at this point. What else was next, was the devil going to appear and start proclaiming the apocalypse?Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ...Dark humor is more depressing when it''s half-true. I had instructed that the communications be accompanied by articles from many news sources that bespoke utilization of the most heinous weapons of mass destruction. Even when my agents reported that publicly the various governments were feining calm and scoffing at the claims, they also reported that secret meetings were going on to restart production of said banned weapons. Hush orders were also being put on everyone involved, including the workers, so I reinforced that with compulsions on them all. What those abominations that "God" twisted don''t know, won''t hurt them. I just received a mental ping from "Jersey Devil" about a group of Satanists apparently preparing for a ritual. They are going to try to summon Satan at midnight tonight because they believe the signs mean Satan is going to appear and rule over the earth. I tell him to monitor them for signs of that corrupting power that "God" now wields. As much as I don''t want to see humanity snuffed out I will order the deaths of any who are being manipulated byIt. Sasquatch reports increased human activity in various forests, most of them vile acts. He doesn''t even need an order before he is off to slaughter those despicable humans. I task Wicca with returning the victims of these acts to safe areas outside these forests, for that purpose I allow her to take on the form of a classic angel with wings and white flowing robe. With that unpleasantness done and over, I return to monitoring the political situation around the world. I decided to personally look into what was being newly developed or reintroduced for the purposes of warfare. Sometimes...sometimes even I don''t look forward to the future of mankind. Though only the most abhorrent manmade weapons and chemicals could stand a chance against planet killing corruption. As I was lost in these depressing thoughts I felt it''s power descend upon Earth. Although the signals were individual and small, I knew for sure. It was soon to arrive and I just hoped that total annihilation wasn''t the outcome. Derailment I immediately alerted all the elders that the Nephil have appeared on earth and to up vigilance and the various protections around each sanctuary. Nephil is the name that was branded for the warped angels. Their signatures seemed to veer into areas where human presence was scarce only to show up amongst the humans while staying inconspicuous to them. What the fuck is itplanning? It would be all too easy to rule over humanity either through force or worship. Churches would quickly come into huge amounts of influence if Angel lookalikes began to pop-up all over the earth. Control the minority to control the majority. The abominations that haven''t been killed are just mingling with humans at their leisure. I put Gorgon and Seemore on surveillance while I swept the globe for the mastermind. I''m not getting any reports onitswhereabouts and it''s making me paranoid. Despite this sudden development I won''t personally sway the humans. I''m not that desperate yet. The search turns up nothing of note and so I''m left to stew in my thoughts. Just as before the waiting game continues. I head back to my college''s campus to ease my mind a bit. I know from human history how a stressed mind can be someone''s downfall and I intend to avoid that outcome at this juncture. I''ll mostly avoid interacting with students and instead just observe them living life. Even in these uncertain and world-changing times much of humanity pushes those worries to the back of their mind to just exist in the present. That''s why I find it so calming, because it''s something I haven''t done in epochs(millions of years). I''ll relax myself a little until the thing deigns to appear before before the world stage. Hmm, the looks I''m getting occasionally either mean they are wondering about my absence or they''ve heard some5hing from my friends. Considering how much I closed myself off from most people, it can really only be answer two. A professor just leaving the math ad n science building spots me walking and approaches. I pick up a hint of worry which is just buried under curiosity.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Professor Tenneman with a brow raised asks Tenneman: "Can I speak with you briefly Lucifer?" L: "What about?" Tenneman: "To the point as always, heh. I wanted to ask you about your recent absence. Paul seemed quite hostile lately and when I asked him what was wrong, he asked me to talk to "That bastard Lucifer." From your relaxed expression I''d assume nothing was wrong but I felt I had to at least ask." L: "Just having to deal with some personal problems. He was trying too hard to get me to confide in our friend group, so I shut them out of my life...at least until I''ve got my life back in order." Tenneman: "Well did you get that across to them, because I think you didnt quite reach that mark." L: "That''s fine by me." Tenneman: "I know that my words might not mean much coming from "some professor", but don''t let whatever is troubling you overwhelm you. Don''t let it ruin your relationships like it seems to be doing with your friends. I''ve got a break to enjoy but I hope to see you around campus again soon. Take care." As he began to walk away so did I. I wasn''t about to dwell on her words when my worries were literally about stopping the world from ending or facing the extinction of all life on earth. I needed to focus on this new dilemma of Nephil infiltration into human society. For a few days I just kinda hung around the campus, enjoying the carelessness that these students were afforded...relatively speaking. I received constant reports all the while but nothing spoke of the Nephil doing any evils. After lounging around the campus I decided to tour the world; give myself a bit of perspective once again about what all I want to protect. Tons of human history has been lost to them by their own hands, but it''s all been recorded in our archives. Monuments that stand as a testament to human ingenuity and greatness. Places that were once filled with beauty now irradiated or filthy beyond compare. Countries that are rife with warlords and drug cartels. Though I hate the evils that are committed, it is not my or my people''s place to correct them. Humans have grown by making problems and mending them on their own. Just this one time, their problem is my fault and I''ll either fix it or die trying. Plans shredded like so much confetti No no no! How hasItgone unnoticed until now! When didIteven get here!
I''m watching the news in shock. The report had come immediately, but I chose not to use the neural net. I felt that I had to see this with my eyes. I regret not giving the order to slaughter them all. A group of Nephil took a page out of some drama show and decided to descend from the sky. Not only that but they decided to descend in flocks in front of the equivalent of the White House for every country. Entourages were ushered outside either in fear, confidence or worship. Another thing I cannot tolerate of humanity is their worship of what they believe to be benevolent beings led by an omnipotent creator of all. In reality, we are the template from which humanity was created. We vary widely in personality and appearance. The only thing not included was magic. It was deemed that humanity would advance through their own efforts rather than relying on higher power. The nephil groups spoke at the same time but were somehow still easily understood. Nephil: "We have come to prepare you humans for great changes, both good and bad. We also ask that you hold on to your grievances until The Great One arrives." I know where that bane of existence will show up...and I need to keep my people and the humans fromitsinfluence. I immediately linked to the neural net. L: ''This is aKormel message; this net may not be private anymore but...all agents are to keep anymore angels or humans from getting near Washington, D.C. Also, Porter, see about getting as many left there out as fast as you can. Once you have ensured that no more people can enter, begin extermination of the Nephil. For that task you should request assistance from the sanctuaries. That is all."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Whether this is my last message or not is irrelevant, whether it''s what saves or dooms this world and it inhabitants remains to be seen. I get affirmatives from my agents through the net as I go through the various plans that are still viable. ???: "I''ve got something special planned for you before I take what is owed to me. I hope you enjoy HAHAHAHAHAHA-" No no no! How hasItgone unnoticed until now! When did It even get here! I had to cut my connection to the net before I destroyed something in my anger. That...and the fear felt close to overwhelming that anger. I never even considered that that thing could get past my defections. Maybe...maybe it used my own systems against me. They were designed to detect rising levels of that corrupting energy that took so much from us. It''s possible the thing was able to lower the energy it was emitting from His body. I switch to the TV now knowing full well that the net is compromised. News stations have dominated every channel to broadcast...my people fighting in cities turned battlefields by the Nephil. Seems the first wave of them were a fluke, because the ones their fighting are as powerful as they were before they were turned. Everything...everything is devolving into chaos with barely a touch from the thing in God''s body. I feel so inadequate next to God and this thing is emulating that same feeling of being beyond prepared for any situation. It''s too bad God didn''t seem prepared for this monster to possess him. Brother, are you still in there struggling to stop the wanton destruction of all that we and the humans have built together? Or have you gone somewhere better than this? I dearly hope you aren''t trapped in the same body as that plague. Enough of this introspection, nothing will change by sitting here in thought. As I''m about to move, I sense a sudden surge of blighted energy...and before my eyes I watch on TV as my brother''s body, wreathed in radiance, descends in front of the White House. Whatever happens next, I need to close my heart to it all. I can''t hope to kill a heartless monster if I shrink at all the lives that have and will have to be taken. I gotta go shopping So, beyond my inability to dedicate my time to this story it is missing some ingredients at the moment. I gotta find some MEAT, PASTA AND SAUCE. Right now the meal is a little small when I''m trying to feed a family...of ten. I want to at least reach mmm 700 words. I believe there will be one more chapter after that with all the seasonings...or maybe I''ll cook one more short meal after... Either way I''m sorry for taking so long and look forward to a poll *cough* *cough* a dessert about what story idea I should focus on next! Ciao!A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. 7/16 - so the poll won''t be happening, sorry. I realized I don''t want to just discard the story idea I have been most dedicated to for awhile, so you''ll be getting that instead. Though I may very well do that poll at some point down the line so let''s hope for the best! It begins by my hand, I hope it wont end by his It clearly doesn''t know my whereabouts or else it would have come directly for me. I also know it would sense my mental scans and trace them back to me. I¡¯ll have to rely on what I can learn from the tv. In the most pretentious manner possible, my brother¡¯s body with arms spread out to his sides, eyes closed and a wide smile plastered on his face descends to about 10 feet over the White House. Again I wonder what all of this has been for; what this monster wants from me or the rest of my people. Abruptly all thoughts are shot from my brain as I watch more familiar faces descend out of the sky to land completely on the ground. Gabriel, Durmal, Umbriel, Ventus and Neptune get down on one knee in a semi-circle before ¡°God¡±. Then that monster deigns to speak using my brother¡¯s hijacked body. ¡°God¡±: ¡°Greetings, my children. I appear before you with news both joyous and catastrophic. I have decided to lend my guidance once more unto humankind!¡± A quick jaunt in the neural net shows me that there are ¡°angels¡± positioned in the most populous places or popular landmarks in the world. Each of them seems to be broadcasting live video and audio of ¡°God¡¯s Proclamation¡±, as it¡¯s already being called, through the use of light magic. I can hear the cacophony of crying, praying, cheering and a myriad of other sounds from not only these locations where the Nephil are but also from outside the dorm room. ¡°God¡±: ¡°Unfortunately, part of the reason for this change is quite terrible. It is to protect you mortals from the present and future evils.¡± I¡¯m already flying on a course for the ¡°quarantine¡± of sorts that my agents established outside of D.C. All the while keeping myself tuned into the net to keep myself informed. ¡°God¡±: ¡°That evil is the Fallen Angel Lucifer. His true clan name is Grivaldi but my Angels tell me he currently goes by Derringer. If you know his whereabouts shout it to the sky and an Angel will descend to root. Him. out. Do not stray around the area for long, he corrupts those around him. It¡¯s why I had to exile him from Heaven.¡± As I arrived at the site, or the impromptu border now, I was receiving visual of an obvious scene at my college campus. Someone who knew me only in name was readily giving me up; actually many people were giving me up. They were shouting to the sky like their lives depended on it while a crowd was rushing into the building and some were gathering things to use as weapons while surrounding the building. Even being told by a being they see as their God, they risk themselves to rid the world of a perceived evil either out of bravery and selflessness or greed and superiority. Amidst the crowd I spot Rajeet and Micah trying to squeeze their way to the dormitory. Guess I¡¯ll never know what they could possibly be rushing to my room for; I¡¯m long gone and likely never coming back.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. My agents have sensibly ceased their attacks on the Nephil, at least the groups that are being used as broadcasters, because too many people have gathered around them. All it took was some completely pointless wings and the human population is either reverent or fearful of what this could mean for the powers of the world. Through the broadcasts it shows Durmal appearing and preparing a flashy and obvious beam of yellow light. How to make magic look Holy 101. Ignoring the stream of students leading into the building he fires at my room , cutting a huge swath of the infrastructure. The screams are abruptly cut as the scene shifts to ¡°God¡± and his vile servants. ¡°God¡±: ¡°I warned you children, but you heeded me not. And now your fellow man has died for naught; Lucifer had already vacated the premises. Maybe...maybe I should make an example of you all HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.¡± As it begins to prepare a large-scale magic similar to Operation Rolling Thunder, I decide to interject with some of my own magic. I stealthily launch a pinprick ball of mana at his back and watch as it launches him into the ground. It finally begins to lose hold of of his disguise and his previous visage seems to melt. What is left is a bastardized version of my brother¡¯s face and body. His face now sports holes leaking a liquid that sizzles and looks as dark as a black hole. His body now has pruned skin with spindly elongated arms and he floats above the ground, considering his legs look deformed and broken to the extreme. Rage exudes from his figure and the Nephil around him. With that rage comes a wave of power, enough to appear to be physically be forcing humans within the area to go flying away from the group. Fortunately some of my people are around from the evacuation efforts and they use their magic to rescue these humans from a high speed and gorey death. The wolf has now discarded his sheep costume and he needs to be hunted down. I¡¯m all to happy too oblige. A price is paid Now that I think about it, we¡¯ll probably end up destroying much of the world in our ensuing battle. That is assuming one of us doesn''t die instantly or get swarmed by enemy forces. I''ve always been just a step below my brother in terms of power, but now his power has been wholly changed and I can¡¯t detect it without it being present in the atmosphere. She must¡¯ve guessed the same thing because Agent Porter lessens my burden by taking the surrounding Nephil to a different battlefield. Even before she ported me over there I could feel his power climbing steadily. With any luck this would be the last time that this thing continues to haunt this world. But I¡¯ve learned early on to make my own luck, it¡¯ll either be enough or it won¡¯t. As I appear before my brother¡¯s body, it¡¯s new inhabitant fires a tendril from its back aimed at my leg. I rush forward past the tendril intent on smoking a fist into its head. Instead my hand is caught by his, which is twisted unnaturally. No point in backing out now. He springs to his feet as his other hand comes up to snatch at me. I make no move to dodge, instead I blast him into the ground with a concentrated beam of magic. I suspect he didn''t see it coming because well, magic is not a visible energy. I also think that whatever being now inhabits my brother¡¯s body can¡¯t detect magic very well. There was recognition on his face before I struck with magic but it was a very late reaction. That doesn''t mean this¡¯ll be any easier. I watch as more tendrils shoot out of his back and meld together to form two pairs of deformed angel wings. They form almost too fast for me to see clearly and has flying at me at the same speed. As he crashes into me he begins to squeeze and carry me well into the exosphere. I apply a thin but durable layer of magic to my body. As he spins away from earth, ready to launch me into it, I snake a small magic tether near his neck. When I''m finally released I quickly loop the tether tightly around his neck and we both go shooting towards earth. Before I can touch ground in Beijing, China I shorten the tether while also harshly pulling it towards the ground. He comes whipping into the earth fast enough to cause a sonic boom and create a shockwave. I quickly create a net of magic through the air and earth to halt the force that his impact caused. Only looking around to see if there are Nephil nearby that are going to try to interrupt our deathmatch do I finally notice what I launched him into. It¡¯s an embassy, a US embassy. I¡¯m sure the humans could forgive some casualties for the sake of survival. It wouldn''t be the first time they¡¯ve done it. Suddenly I was blasted through a house half a mile away by a shadowy tendril. Actually it was more like a thick darkness, if that makes any sense. Another one comes shooting from above, aimed at my head. I side step but it just turns on a dime and impales my left arm. It slowly begins to worm its way around my bones and up the inside of my arm. I ignite my blood and channel it to spread down the tendril. He just whips me about 40 feet into the ground. He morphs his body to slink into the earth and coil a bunch of tendrils around me. Instead of trying to kill me he tries to siphon something from me, specifically my soul-scape. My brand of magic is nothing too special so wh-...how have I not noticed before now? Shielded in a dense layer of my own magic is a seed of life magic...magic that only God has ever wielded amongst the angels. He...he gave this to me even as he was being corrupted? How, when, why? I snap from my revelation when I feel It begin to unravel the shell of magic to get to the seed. Instead of just twisting other beings, it would be able to create brand new monstrosities from nothing but magic. I gather my thoughts and strike out at the being. Just as is within my soul, so too can I explore it¡¯s. Every soul is different but this thing¡¯s soul feels...fake, as if it is an imitation. No one knows how souls come to be, angel or man, but it seems this being is an incomplete one. I extend my mind towards where the soul typically connects to the body, at the point where the spine and brain meet. So engrossed is the thing that it doesn''t notice me until I start severing the connection to the body. "God": ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhh!¡± At once we both fly back into our own bodies. I blindly fire a magic missile in his direction. It either missed or he ignored the pain to launch a tendril into my head. While it doesn''t punch through my magic cladding, it still sends me flying through houses and...and I''m skidding over water now. As my vision finally returns to me I find that I''m too far from land to see it. Also I feel some magic about a mile away, viewing magic apparently. Strange but irrelevant. My focus should only be on winning this battle. He comes rocketing toward me so I turn and flee in a direction. I fly past some mostly deserted islands before shooting into the ocean. He follows like a dog on a leash. Once we reach about 1, 000 fathoms down I start to mold a ball of water around the imposter. It drastically slows him but doesn''t stop him completely. I manipulate the gravity around to pour into the water around him. He uses his own power to resist but I''m still able to hurl the ball down towards a hydrothermal vent. As he entered it the water around begins to boil before exploding due to the pressure I had him contained in. As the bubbles began to clear, a noticed something that gave me some more hope for this world. One of my brothers arms was mangled(still) but now it was blown clear from his body. Though it pains me, I need to destroy my brothers body. I''m so sorry God, you won''t be getting a burial but hopefully I can collect your ashes. Maybe when I attacked his Essence I weakened his control on God¡¯s body. I may need to make riskier moves. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I get charged straight out of the ocean while distracted by the new breakthrough. He immediately gathers some of God¡¯s power and uses it to crush my magic cladding against me. I''m forced to break my barrier to avoid further crushing. I try to flee further but I''m smashed in the back and end up crashing into solid ground. I crashed in Scottland I think. Before I can move he is upon me, restraining me with those dark tendrils. This is going to be a close thing. While I''m immobilized he begins to search for the seed of power again. Knowing it''s there now I''ve set my magic to constantly shift it around my soulscape. I''ll need time and to keep this thing distracted with the seed. When I bridge the connection to its soul, I instead focus on the body. Now I know why I am able to destroy my brothers body, his body has always been dead. Its It''s been sustaining off of God¡¯s large magic reserves, its completely saturated with it. I start siphoning as much as I can but I can feel the thing getting closer to the seed. An idea strikes me and I send the siphoned mana back into my soulscape. It joins with the shell protecting the seed, reinforcing it constantly. Unfortunately I cant handle all the strain and have to stop moving the shell. It finds it quickly but can''t get through the constant empowering of the shell. After an hour of this his body is finally out of magic. I grab a bit off my own and insert it into his body. Actually, I grab a lot and drag it into his body, then I release my will over it. Natural magic is volatile when interacted with and with no more magic to keep the body together¡­ Boom! A wave of force rips his body apart and continues for some distance outside of it until a crater forms about a hundred feet outward from us. Some pieces flesh rain down amidst which I feel both an emotional and physical pain. Having lost its host it chooses me as its next victim. The explosion provided it the perfect opportunity to pierce my chest. From there it begins to burrow towards the entry to my soulscape. I stand near the center of the crater in absolute agony as the entity burrows through my flesh towards my center. I think I can hear people through the haze of pain. Their worried crying and panic remind me of what I''ve been doing all this for: the people. Not just humanity but angelkind as well. Time to make another sacrifice. The pain makes me yell my next words as loud as I can! Lucifer: ¡°Guess I won''t be getting a burial either!¡± I plan to destroy my body along with my magic and God¡¯s, it is the only way I can think to destroy this thing or at least keep creation magic out of its grasp. I start taking as much of my own magic as I can handle and start molding it into a pressurized spring beneath my feet. As I pull from my center I make it easier for the thing to get closer to the seed but it still has to contend with the reinforced shell. Then I notice that my body is developing black pools of darkness so I hurry the process of the spring molding. More people are gathering around the crater and some are even sliding down the gentler slopes. I''ll be long gone before any of them get themselves killed approaching. Launch! Faster than even my eyes can follow, we are shooting into the atmosphere. Passing layers in the span of seconds, I let myself ponder what I might miss once I''m gone. Correction, once we''re gone. I fully intend to take this thing with me as I go. To that end I entwine my soul and the abomination¡¯s. ???: ¡°I am a being of spirit, you cannot possibly hope to contend.¡± Lucifer: ¡°I''ve done a pretty good job so far. And besides, we''re almost done with each other.¡± ???: ¡°You think your puny star can erase my essence? I thought you smarter than that to have lasted as long as you have.¡± I let his insults and threats slide as we speed past Mercury. As my soul produced more magic I used it to begin severing the connection between my body and soul. Because it didn''t take much to do, I filled my soulscape with the leftover. Magic is supremely volatile when not restrained by a being''s will. As we grew closer to the sun I relinquished all control of my magic and immediately felt it sting my soul. Apparently my hitchhiker felt this as well. ???: ¡°What have you done? What is this pain!?¡± Lucifer: ¡°I...let my hold over my...magic go. It''ll burn...us away!¡± ???: ¡°Aaaaaaarrrrgrh!¡± Lucifer: ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!¡± We spend the last of our existences wailing in agony. Magic begins to burn both of our souls, the parts that burn away turning into pure energy. We''ll both become fuel for the sun now. It''s not too much later that the pain starts to fade along with my soul.
Meanwhile on Earth, the various angel villages and their human allies mobilize their peoples to hunt down the last of the Nephil. Various news stations scramble to cover the world-shaking events and publish them as truth. Nearly all astronomers were searching the heavens beyond earth for a glimpse of God or Lucifer. What they got instead was a strange sun flare. Then the sun began to change color and brighten. Mass panic ensued as nearly everyone on earth could visibly see the sun changing. A month passed in this agitated fog over humanity before a group of angels showed up in every minor and major community hub. No matter how remote the person, family, village, town, city, state or country, a group of Angel''s showed up to deliver a message to humanity. An image of a certain angel appeared before every earthling. Briniel: ¡°I would like to formally apologize for the death and destruction that has been wrought upon the earth. We had fled our home in the heavens to escape the monster that had corrupted God, but have only made it your problem as well. His brother Lucifer accepted that he was seen as the evil-above-all-others. As long as he could have the chance to save his people and humanity, he was willing to go far and above what any of us would consider. Now he has sacrificed his body and soul to completely erase the corrupting presence.¡± At that, someone from a group of college students spoke up. Brice: ¡°what does that mean?" Briniel: ¡°The only thing left of Lucifer is his name and our memories of him. Whether you hated him or not he is well and truly gone forever.¡± Most of the world was awash in silence. The angels and their allies silently grieved for their fallen while the rest of humanity didn¡¯t know how to react to all that had happened. This silence was shattered by another strange phenomenon, snow. Snow over most of the world, or it looked like snow. Briniel: ¡°This...this is a shower of magic particles! It¡¯s coming from the sun! The sun is radiating magic!¡± At this, many of the angels burst into tears. Many humans began to bawl as well. The world just became a lot more magical, but at a great and terrible cost.