The Beginning part 1
Paradise Lost
Chapter 1-The Beginning part 1
In the beginning, there was darkness, and the universe was but a black spiral swimming in the void. Then out of this darkness came a light, the first light to shine in the universe. This entity, who had no name and no form, was called the Axiom, and would be known by humanity as God, the Creator.
The Axiom did not think or operate as mortal beings did. It was an entity driven to create, preserve, and destroy according to the laws of causality. At that moment, deep in the sea of chaos, the Axiom sought to give form to the shapeless chaos. In a manner that cannot be explained by any mortal or immortal creature in the far future, the Axiom moves on to create and shape the universe according to its divine will.
First the Axiom divided the day and night, illuminating the universe and creating the celestial sphere that shall be the home of all its creations. It created the stars from this first light and placed them within the cosmic sphere in fixed positions, before making the cosmic sphere rotate in a steady movement.
Next the Axiom created the Heavens, a separate dimension that exists outside the terrestrial universe, filled with air, light and aether. From this mixture of spiritual elements the Axiom created the angels, beings of light that were tasked with governing the natural laws of the universe and ensure that the cosmos remains stable until the end of time. The angels would worship the Axiom as their lord and creator, following its orders to the letter.
Then the Axiom created the world from chaos, giving it form and shape, bringing it into existence with a name-Gaia. It shaped the world from a single crystal that sits at the center of the world, and the Axiom shaped the world to create the land and sea. The Axiom then gives Gaia the ability to create and support life.
The Axiom then created a spiritual mirror of Gaia that existed outside of the physical universe but below the cosmic axis—the Underworld, where the souls of the dead would reside after death in the physical universe. And so the Axiom had created the three realms of the cosmos, Heaven, Gaia and the Underworld.
Next the Axiom shaped the Sun and Moon, putting them into place around Gaia at the very edge of the ethereal spheres surrounding the planet.
Finally, the Axiom begins to populate Gaia with life that shall inhabit the land, sea and air. The first animals were sea creatures that lived within the world's oceans. After that the Axiom created the creatures of the air that could roam the skies. Finally, the last creatures born were those that lived on land, both on the surface and underground.
It is at this time that the first intelligent lifeforms would appear on primordial Gaia. They were not
born from the will of the Axiom, but were instead born from the lingering remnants of chaos that still clung to the world. These creatures were demons, chaotic and violent monsters that were born with the unique ability to merge with any living lifeform, from simple plants to complex animals, and could adapt to their environments to better survive.
The majority of the angels were disgusted by such violent creatures. They were appalled by how demons would routinely kill and devour each other, constantly merging with the weakest of their species so that only the strong survived. Only a few angels truly admired the demons' ability to grow stronger through evolution, among them was Lucifer, the left hand of Heaven and the heavenly Morningstar. He could not find it in himself to hate the demons, for they embodied his ideals that the strongest have the right to live.
The demons quickly ruled Gaia as its dominant and most powerful species, becoming stronger yet more grotesque through their odd form of evolution. They quickly gained the ire of the angels, who were agents of order and saw the demons as everything they stood against. In turn, the demons saw the angels as arrogant tyrants that sought to rule over everything…even death itself. This animosity between the two races would continue for generations with no end in sight.
But things changed on Terra with the coming of another species—humanity. The Axiom created humans from clay and breathed life into them, gifting them knowledge and the power to choose between good and evil, something yet unseen in the ancient world. To the angels, humans were strange creatures—unlike angels, humans were separated into two genders, male and female, with distinctive differences. To demons, humans were simply food or another means to grow stronger through assimilation. Only a handful of demon communities actually attempted to live alongside certain human groups.
Ea, high leader of the angels, decided that mankind would inherit Terra as the dominant species. And for humanity to thrive, the demons must be eradicated. The majority of the Heavenly Host supported her decision, though some angels, like the Archangels, remained neutral and protested such drastic actions.
It was this decision that formed a schism within the angelic ranks, and planted the seeds for what would be known as the first war in history.
XXXXXX
The Stellar Galleries in Providence was closed to the public. In the luminous halls of starlight and nebulae, at a shrine he had unconsciously claimed as his own for meditation, sat the Archangel Michael. He was deep in the midst of his meditation, his energies merged with the ambient aether that invisibly spanned all of Heaven, composing the air they breathed and the light that gave them sustenance. Only the most powerful angels could merge their consciousness with the aether streams of Heaven, and Michael was one of the most skilled at this technique.
Like much of the rest of the great city of Providence, the Stellar Galleries was constructed of gold and silver that lent itself to the towering architecture that that comprised the capital city of Heaven. Heaven's architecture favored towering, monumental buildings topped by conical structures that looked as if they were reaching for the sky. The entire city had been shaped by the first angels from the very light and aether that composed the entire realm. Michael remembered those early days, back when the angels were truly united in their devotion to carrying out the word of the Axiom and maintaining the balance of the universe. There were many cities in Heaven, but Providence was a symbol to angelic culture that existed in the memory of the oldest of the Heavenly Host.
The Stellar Galleries provided a little haven for the archangels, who managed the entirety of their race. Their duties were not easy, and as life on Gaia became more complex and grew in size and population, it became even more difficult to manage things. The growing number of demons on Gaia and their accelerated evolution didn't make things easier either.
Michael sighed and open their eyes, standing to his feet. They were naked, having divulged themselves of their armor earlier before their meditation. The golden light of the stellar stream that coursed throughout Heaven bathed Michael's naked body in a bright aura, highlighting their shapely bodies. Angels were both male and female, harboring the ample breasts and genitals of a woman and the reproductive organs of a man. Being created before the concept of gender was introduced to the world, angels only saw themselves as one race, only dividing themselves into genders they felt comfortable with until recently.
Michael was one of the most beautiful of the angels, with long golden hair and bright blue eyes. Their body was both shapely and muscular, with the ample curves of a woman and the physical strength of a man. Their twelve wings, which appeared as twelve long streams of golden light, were folded up on their back. Michael was the perfect fusion of soft femininity and hard masculinity that even mortals would have a hard time seeing where one began and another ended.
Many of the younger angels described Michael as the most beautiful angel in all of Heaven. Michael, being the humble soul that they were, always said that there were plenty of beautiful angels in Heaven, though Michael was only rivaled by Lucifer in that category.
Once Michael fully disengaged themselves from the stellar stream, they stood in the center of the shrine with a deep, contemplative look on their face. Even in the Stellar Galleries it was hard to properly relax with everything that had been going on lately. A stir that had rippled throughout Heaven with the creation of the Axiom's latest creation—humans.
Humanity, created in an appearance similar to the angels but were divided by gender, and had the choice to do good or evil. They had been molded from the earth and given the breath of life a few centuries ago, and now their race populated half of the planet, constantly coming into contact with the demons that still dominated the land. These constant clashes between the two races continued nonstop and it was becoming tiresome to some of the angels, most notably Ea, the high angel herself.
Michael had no qualms with the humans. They were a reasonable race, weak and frail, but surprisingly strong and resilient when it came to their survival. They adapted so quickly to the various environments on Terra and formed tight knit communities to survive. It's as if their mortality only made them fight harder to make their place in the world. So unlike the ravenous demons that plagued them so.
However not all angels were as accepting of humans as he was. As angels, they were forbidden from interfering in the affairs of man, and were only able to observe the mortals in their daily lives. Some angels had witnessed humanity at their cruelest moments, during their first wars and smaller acts of murder against one another. It soured the opinion of these angels to witness humans being violent against each other, no matter their age.
These mutterings only grew louder when Ilias announced that she would make an appeal to the Axiom to sanction the eradication of the demon race so that humans may have a chance to fully populate Terra and evolve the way they were supposed to. It was a radical idea, to wipe out an entire species in what basically amounts to an extermination without relying on nature to take its course. Many angels agreed with the proposal, several weren't comfortable with the implications behind it, and others were outright enraged that Ilias even considered the idea.
The loudest voice opposing the cleansing of the demonic race was Lucifer, the Morningstar and the brightest in all of Heaven. Lucifer was probably one of the few angels that actually respected the demons, saw their odd form of evolution as nature's way of giving them the means to survive. Michael didn't know what Lucifer saw in them, perhaps they felt a certain kinship with the demons in a way that only they could understand. In any case, it had caused some friction amongst the ranks that was starting to worry Michael.
Michael considered it their sole duty to protect and preserve nature according to the will of the Axiom, to govern the laws of nature and ensure that everything runs its course, from the rotation of the sun and moon around Terra to the rise and fall of entire species. The idea of the angels taking it upon themselves to decide who lives and who dies didn't sit well with them, and they made it known to Ea. Things had been rather frosty between them since then.
'I hope that these whispers of discontent remain just that—whispers.' Michael thought.
Unable to fully concentrate on their meditation, Michael sighed and disconnected from the stellar stream. They stood from the well of sparkling energy and snapped their fingers, summoning their armor back onto them. Michael's miraculous golden armor hugged their strong figure and was both stylishly ornate and very functional too. Its design showed Michael's status as an archangel and a glorious warrior of Heaven.
Fully clothed, Michael left the Stellar Galleries and focused on their destination, flashing away in a burst of energy as they traveled across the city at the speed of thought. There was no sense in pondering on the current issues when they could just go to the angel who was better suited for such discussions.
Heaven was experiencing a great change that might have severe repercussions in the future. As powerful as they were, Michael couldn't see the future, and could only hope that this didn't end in broken hearts and hurt feelings.
XXXXXX
As chief of the Thrones, the angels of knowledge, Raziel was knowledgeable in many things both
known and unknown to the majority of Heaven. It was their job to catalogue the repository of information in the three realms for future use, and Raziel alone was able to sift through the massive cosmic records without going mad from the strain such vast information put on the mind.
Raziel was also a good source of information when one wanted to know what was going on in the Silver City.
The angel's chamber was located at one of the upper levels of the Stellar Galleries, in a restricted area that was home to the cosmic repository called the Akashic Records. Raziel resided there day and night (in Gaian terms) guarding the information that only they knew how to operate. Michael could have just flashed into the chamber itself, but out of respect, they appeared right outside the door and knocked twice.
Raziel was sitting crosslegged in the center of the chamber, floating in place, completely devoid of clothing as they focused on managing the intense energies of the Akashic Records. Upon seeing
Michael, they smiled serenely.
"Michael," Raziel said. "What brings you here so abruptly? You're not one for random visits."
"I…seek news." Michael said, just keeping themselves from wincing at how they worded it. They hated coming to Raziel just to basically spy on their fellow angels, but he wanted to be sure that the whispers he was hearing around the city were just that—whispers.
"About Lucifer, I'm guessing." Raziel said. Reading the expression on Michael's face, they smiled. "It's okay, Michael. I don't mind looking into certain things for you. At least you ask nicely compared to Ea's commands."
"What can you tell me about Lucifer's stance on the eradication of demonkind?" Michael asked. "I know they've gained some supporters, but I'm not sure how many angels actually support his viewpoint."
Raziel's expression fell. "I must confess, I've been looking into Lucifer as well, and I'm afraid that those handful of supporters has grown into a couple hundred, and still growing. Apparently Lucifer isn't the only angel that has grown rather jaded with humanity over the centuries."
"By the primal source," Michael sighed. "Are they going to be a problem?"
"That depends on Ea's decision. But it is clear that a divide is forming amongst our ranks, and Lucifer is a very persuasive person. They have managed to convince many angels over to their side. Whatever Ea's decision, I'm afraid Lucifer's disillusionment with the high council will remain steadfast."
"I was afraid you'd say that." Michael said. "Has there been any news from the mortal realm?"
"Only that Lucifer has been making trips down to Gaia with another angel—Azazel. Where they descend and what they are doing down below I cannot say." Raziel said. "But
"I see." Michael frowned before nodding to Raziel. "Thank you, Raziel. I'm sorry for asking you to
spy on your own brethren like this."
"It's okay, Michael. I have seen what's going on around the realm and I admit, this is not something
I can keep to myself." Raziel smiled. "Just don't worry yourself into restlessness over it. You have your council meeting coming up and you'll need to be of a sound mind when it comes."
Michael nodded. "I will, thank you."
XXXXXX
Raziel watched Michael leave their chambers and gave a tired sigh. Michael's visit did not make them feel any more optimistic about the state of affairs in Heaven than they did before the archangel's arrival. If Michael was worried about things, then this growing division within the Host was direr than they thought.
The duty of the angels was to maintain the balance of the universe and ensure that the flow of life throughout the three worlds was kept in order. For Ea to suggest actually wiping out an entire species was borderline blasphemous, though Raziel began to notice that Ea was starting to be a bit more…proactive in running operations in Heaven and Gaia. It made Raziel nervous.
Then there was Lucifer, the brightest in all of Heaven, rivaled only by Michael in terms of power. Lucifer had a strong affinity, almost an obsession, with the demons of Gaia, and they didn't hide this at all from the rest of the angels. The Morningstar also made it clear where they stood on this subject, and there were a surprising number of angels that supported them. Already Lucifer has been building up their ranks and these secret visits to Gaia were worrying.
Raziel knew that things were only going to get worse before they got better, if they ever will. They didn't know if Ea was aware of the schism their decision was causing, or if the high leader even cared, but it was clear that Heaven was going down a path that they have never tread down before since the dawn of creation.
"Oh beloved Axiom," Raziel prayed, closing their eyes. "Please hear my prayer. Guide the wayward souls of Heaven and Gaia toward a better future. Dark times are upon us, and I fear that your loyal servants will experience great turmoil in the times to come."
As expected, Raziel heard no answer for their prayers.
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