Uriel (The Hallowed Chronicles Book 1) (10 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Clouds scattered the blackened sky, blocking out all Light that tried shining from the Heavens. The world reeked of corruption and it was shattering; becoming nothing but cracks and earth. Human screams filled the air as they tried to escape the horrible demise of an eternal death by Hell. If they died, their souls were dragged into Hell. No one was safe. Thunder boomed, greeted by immediate strikes of lightning that cracked the earth like a whip. This was Armageddon? It was worse than I thought. Armies of demons had entered the area with weapons poised and I was ready for the biggest battle of my life. Fire was the only thing that provided light, save for what radiated from me.

In the distance, a dragon roared its violent cry for battle, lusting for bloodshed as it fed on the fear pouring from the humans that attempted to flee. With no Light breaking through the sky, it seemed like all hope was lost, but not when we were here. Jophiel and I stood side by side and I could see my own eyes; white and colorless; Light bursting from within. My blades were held perfectly in my hand and Jophiel took a hold of my arms. "Ready for this?" he said. Though I wasn't sure what he was implying, I nodded. I trusted him and knew he would come through with his plans. I jumped up and he locked his arms tight around mine and swung in a circle. I used my energy and shaped blades coming from my feet, sticking them out to slit the throats of those coming at as from all around us. I knew what our power could do, but when my energy actually worked with me, it startled me. Placing me down, Jophiel nodded to me and we went our separate ways, taking down the variety of demons that had been coming at us.

We were only two archangels, but I could see why we were deemed such a high rank; our power was immense alone, and together, it was like we were unstoppable. Several times I dodged the lightning that attempted to strike me down and wound me, weaving in and out of obstacles that wanted to block my path. I was still the girl I had been, pacifism aside and I knew Light more than anything in this moment. I knew I couldn't give up. I could feel the distress and fear coming from Jophiel and I stopped short and turned. Upon the hill, he faced the fear dragon that hovered, watching him with soulless eyes. "Jophiel!" I screamed, breaking out my wings to meet him there, to fight until death and as I grew closer, the dragon lashed out, emitting a roar deep from within its chest and brought its jaws upon him.

I woke with a start, forcing myself to open my eyes for I was too afraid to see what was to become of him, though something inside me knew how it would have ended. It was just a nightmare. I sent a silent thank you to the Heavens and shivered under the covers, bolting up when I heard someone at the door. "It's just me," Jophiel's voice said in the darkness.

Exhaling loudly, I was relieved to hear his voice. "You can come in you know," I said with a small smile across my face. He hesitated by the door for a moment and walked inside, going around my bed onto the empty side and laid next to me. We lay there in silence for a while until I turned around to face him and stared at the outline of his body.

"I had a nightmare," he said, causing my heart to speed up in my chest. Steadying my breathing, I inched closer to him, seeking comfort.

"What happened?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't regret it.

He spoke of the same nightmare, the same ending and I couldn't help but feel paralyzed in my own skin. It was one thing when it was just me having the nightmare, but it was definitely another when we both had it. What did this mean for us? "I had... the same nightmare," I admitted, my stomach tying into large knots. He turned to me and looked me in the eyes with a serious expression. His hand was flat against the air in front of me and I stared at it for a moment before putting my hand to his, entwining our fingers together. Though the hollow pit in my stomach kept my mind running with all the possibilities of our same nightmare, his energy was soothing and melodic, attempting to calm my speeding heart. "I don't know what this means, Uriel. To be honest, I'm scared. But remember what I said the day I confessed my love for you," he said with an even tone.

"Stop, I don't want to hear it."

"But Uriel--"

"I'm serious. It could just be a nightmare we shared. We do have a strong connection and remember, I saw through your eyes."

Silence greeted the ending of the sentence and it made me regret telling him I didn't want to hear what he had to say. His other arm moved and smoothed my hair as it pulled me closer to him and he wrapped both around me. "You're right," he said. "We shouldn't live in the so-called future; we should live in the moment." Sighing heavily, I pressed myself into him and kissed his neck, feeling him tense from my lips. Looking up, I smiled at him when he gave me a look. "I know I shouldn't shut you up when there's the possibility that we saw what is to come in the future," I began to say with a shaky voice. "But I want you to know I didn't forget our past; I know we loved each other before. I will always love you and no one else. There's a reason we kept falling in love; it has to be part of Father's plan.”

"It could very well be. Love makes us strong, but it also exploits our weaknesses. When love is at stake, we tend to not think about the outcome, for as long as we save the one we love, things won't go wrong, right? No."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you had to choose between me and saving the lives of the humans we agreed to save, choose them. My life isn't as important as they are and in the end, we will always find each other."

Tears built up in my eyes, but he was there to catch them when they fell, caressing his thumb across the bottom of my eye. He was right; we couldn't be selfish. We agreed to save the human race and fulfill our duties as archangels on this world. It was a Divine agreement that if broken, could prevent us from being with each other for eternity. Staring at him, my hands cupped his face. I wanted him to look straight at me when I said what I needed to tell him, what hadn't been said when it should have. "Jophiel, I love you," I said, my voice cracking. Putting his hands over my face, he kissed my nose. "And I love you, Uriel," he said sweetly putting his forehead to mine. I let go then, twisting my arms around his neck and pulling myself closer. He tilted my head and pressed his lips to mine, making my heart explode and I drowned in him, kissing him back the best way I knew how. A gasp escaped my lips as he pushed me down and rolled on top of me, deepening the kiss.

Love. I thought I knew it when I told Nikita I loved her and I did, but this kind of love was different, feeding me the power I needed to get by in life. It was the safe feeling, the happiness, the balance of positive emotions that I needed to be sane in a world that provided no comfort; the reassurance I needed to know that in the end, things will get better. Though Dark was overpowering the Light, there was always a way for that Light to shine through and eliminate the pain, the tears, the loneliness... enough to hope for the best, even when it seems that all hope is lost.

When I had woken for the second time, I found myself still unclothed from before and felt my body heat up, the blood rushing to my cheeks when I realized he was sleeping beside me. I silently picked up my clothes and put them in the hamper, replacing them with fresh ones from the dresser. Someone moved downstairs and I strained my ears to hear Jenna and Gazardiel talking quietly among themselves and I went over to Jophiel and shook him awake. His sleepiness melted away and was replaced by the same blushing feeling I had when I realized what had happened not too long ago. Handing him his clothes, I still respectively turned from him and let him get changed before we headed downstairs to meet them. "Good morning you two. I hope you slept well," Gazardiel said looking at us weirdly as Jenna giggled. My face flushed and I sat down, needing to change the subject before it went too deep. "Not really," I said, partly truthful.

"Why? What happened?"

"We both had a nightmare... The same one."

"Hmmm. This could mean a little intuition into the future or could mean that your connection became stronger and therefor, one of you got inside the other's head during your sleep. What was it about?"

"Jophiel and I were fighting hordes of demons, but in the end, the... fear dragon got a hold of him."

There was silence in the room and I stole a glance at Jophiel who sat looking down at the table. The house began to shake uncontrollably as the skies opened up and spewed fire, one landing into the house, causing us to jump. "What the--" Thunder roared above us as air sirens screamed with warning and the sound of people screaming in fear. My heart dropped into my stomach, wanting to be eaten away by the acid threatening to rise in my throat. This couldn't be happening, not now. We ran to the window and looked out. It was like the sky had fallen and the world was crumbling in on itself. The cement roads were split apart. Through the cracks, lava flowed like blood in veins and the sky was pitch black. My heart beat rapidly within my chest as Jophiel grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers together. He looked down at me with sad eyes. "Remember what I said, okay?" he asked me seriously. Nodding meekly, we walked to the front door and opened it as few humans ran with demons chasing them, hopping on them and devouring their souls.

My stomach lurched at the scene, and all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball. Jophiel pulled me into a hug and our lips found each other, needing for the reassurance our love gave us and we stepped apart, staring into each other's eyes for one last second. When he looked away, I choked on tears, hoping this wouldn't play out like the nightmare. I summoned my blades, releasing my wings and ran into our made battlefield. We slashed at the demons that spotted and leapt at us; we were always best as a team and the roar of the dragon stopped me in my tracks. No, this couldn't happen. "Uriel!" Jophiel screamed, leaping forward to slice a demon that had gotten too close to me while I was distracted. "I know this is hard," he said over the booming thunder. "But remember, this isn't about us. It's about this world and our world. If we don't succeed in our mission, we will never be together." The truth hurt and it made me want to die inside, but with a quick kiss to his hand, I nodded even as the tears fell from my eyes.

We drew the attention of distant demons and we sliced our way through them, helping the humans escape to safety, though something told me safe was no longer a word to use. The roar of the dragon boomed in the sky, louder than the thunder that had shook the earth and my eyes found the sky where it circled before descending quickly, its wings outstretched and its claws open. My heart shot to my stomach and I ran for Jophiel as a canine-like demon lunged for me, knocking me down and pinning me. I struggled against it, snarling at it and banging its nose with the hilt of my sword. "Damn it, get off!" I screamed, my heart racing in my chest. A group of demons followed suit of the canine and descended on me as I watched in horror as the dragon, at full force with jaws wide open, plummet to the earth where Jophiel stood. "No!" I yelled, tears stinging my face. The ground shook violently. Power exploded from me, knocking the horde back at full force and piercing them with shards of the angry energy. I rushed to the crater made by the dragon's force, small hope tugging at my chest, only to flat line when only his sword remained.

Descending into the crater, I picked it up with tears pouring from my eyes. An ugly sob escaped me as I ran my hand down the cool steel that was made physical. It was then that I realized what had happened; the nightmare became the cold, harsh reality I was now to live alone. Stabbing the ground with his sword, I screamed; sadness laced with an undeniable hatred and power exploded from me, pushing me deeper into the solid dirt. In response, the dragon roared, a mocking tone that came from its grinning mouth and disappeared. I screamed at the empty skies, forcing my power upward in a beacon of light, wanting the pain to escape me... but it didn't and I succumbed to the darkness that clouded my vision. No one will be forgiven.

Chapter Nineteen

My life had fallen apart since the day I lost Jophiel. In the past few months, I was a mute void of empty feelings; a silent, living ghost of my past self. Since that day, something in me had changed and so did my appearance. Within those months, my chest sprouted twice its size and I had grown in length. My innocent facade was replaced by a blank face with the same hazel eyes that once glimmered with pure Light. Every night, I would close my room door and take his sword in my hands, caressing the cool metal of its blade against my skin, trying to remember what it felt like to have him by my side; but it never came to me. Agony was permanent and inside, my body was fighting itself to live through each lonely day, an internal war beneath my emotionless face. The clothes that once fit me perfectly were too small since I started growing into my new body and I shopped by myself and only for the fighting gear I would always be wearing.

A lot had changed since his death; the world was in shambles and human population was dying out. Their world had become our battlefield. It was an inevitable fate we couldn't control. Even then, the other archangels didn't appear like Nikita said they would, and I was beginning to think that the others had given up, like I wanted to. But I wouldn't. In the ever racing thoughts in my mind, only one thought would push through in a never-ending loop of Hell as I faced the fear dragon myself. After that day, I had learned that this dragon feeds off fear to gain power while using your own worse fears against you to paralyze you from doing anything. But I no longer fear much; I had nothing to lose. Not anymore.

I sat silently in the darkness of my room. Though it was only around noon, we never saw Light, another confirmation of the end times. In my hand was his sword, reflecting the face of a broken girl who once knew and found comfort in Light. Laced into the metal of the sword was the essence of our memories and though I could not see through the steel, they were shown to me a different way; a way to escape the reality when I had lost hope of feeling the way I once had. The cool metal ran across the bottom of my arm, drawing blood as I pressed it in when anger bubbled to the surface and I began drowning in memories.

Upon the hill we once called our place, we lay on a thick blanket side by side with our fingers laced around each other, looking up at the sky. We shared our dreams and what Heaven would look like. We had no care in the world about whether or not who would find out first. In that moment, we shared many stolen kisses with arms wrapped around each other in our own safety bubble. We stared longingly at each other for a long moment before his expression seemed to change and he said my name sharply. "Uriel!" And I was taken back to reality.

My eyes opened to Jenna's shrieking voice, yelling my name as if I was dead, and I pushed her back. "Stop," I said coldly, slamming the sword onto the floor.

She put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight, raising an angry eyebrow. "You're telling me to stop when you're the one trying to kill yourself?" she asked, her voice raising an octave.

Rolling my eyes, I stood as I pushed the energy to my wound to heal itself. "I wasn't trying to kill myself," I said sharply.

"Right, and I wasn't trying to kill myself when I jumped off the building."

I glared at her and ground my teeth against each other forcefully. Obviously, it was okay for her to be on my ass about a lot of things that came to my safety and my training. After that day, she became Gazardiel's 'little helper' and it angered me. I walked past her to make my way down the stairs, jerking my shoulder into hers and letting my wing push her from behind. I was getting sick of all of this. Even as she called my name, I stomped my way down the stairs and into the kitchen where I grabbed a bottle of water and started chugging it, ignoring the weary eyes of Gazardiel. The house had since then been fixed up and looked quite normal. "Going to train again, I see," he said with a tired voice. I didn't need to respond; he knew the answer and so I started my way down the stairs, but he grabbed my arm, making his form flesh for that moment. "You need to stop pushing yourself like this, Uriel. This will do you no good because you're using anger as a fuel to the fire," he said. Shrugging him off, I turned on him and grabbed his hand. "I will do what I need to do to kill the bastard," I spat in his face before going downstairs.

Several times since the incident, I had heard Nikita's voice in the wind, whispering and trying to soothe the inner struggle I had with myself. Though I knew I would never let darkness corrupt me, it seemed that my anger was the one taking over, shrouding me from the Light. Pulling back my shoulders, I faced the dummies that circled me and worked through all of them, slicing at their throats and knee caps, using my blade to sever each major necessity to go after someone. This worked well when it came to fighting hordes of the demons that walked this earth nowadays, for they only relied on their way of transportation to feed on souls of the innocent.

Static brought the silence to life as the police radio buzzed from the other side. I kept it there to hear if anyone had found it to acknowledge they were still alive. I dropped my blades, letting them disappear in the air and walked over to the cackling radio with an intent stare. "H-hello?" a scared voice said on the other side. "P-please. If you can hear me, I-I need help. I'm surrounded b-by these... demons," he continued. Cracking my knuckles in habit, I reached for the radio and pushed the button to activate the microphone. "Where are you?" I asked plainly.

"Thank God you answered! I took a police radio from a patrol car and ran into the church on Broadway."

"Stay put and be quiet. I'm coming."

"W-wait, just you? You don't understand! There are hundreds of them."

Rolling my eyes, I let go of the microphone trigger and left, running up the stairs and out the door without saying anything to anyone. They didn't need to know where I was and they would know what had happened if I didn't return. Taking flight, I soared past the broken city of the once beautiful Manhattan. Abandoned buildings had been taken over by demons seeking refuge where they would rest before hunting for survivors. Nowadays, it didn't matter that I constantly had my wings out and presented at all times. I became a sense of hope for humans, even though I no longer felt hope for myself. My eyes found the church the man on the other side of the radio had told me about. I swooped in, landing softly on my feet in the mass of demons that walked around with blank expressions on their faces, saliva hanging from their mouths as they starved.

Summoning my blades, I forced my energy around me to burst forcefully, pushing them back before they even caught a whiff of my presence. While they were dazed and confused, I ran at them, slicing at their throats and stabbing those that came at me after slight hesitation. One by one they fell, their ebony blood splattering onto me, creating its own war paint. A scream tore me away from my focus and a man ran out of the church with a demon close at his heels. The man was a young teen, around my age and clumsy. He fell over himself and turned around pointing the radio he used to contact me at the demon. "Stay away!" he yelled at it, jabbing the antenna at it. I walked up behind the demon, unseen by the boy until I stabbed it through the back of its head and watched it fall, disintegrating into a pool of tar. I stared down at the boy who was still shaking and he stared back in awe, causing me to roll my eyes. "Get up," I said extending my hand.

"Holy shit. You're the girl from the radio? Y-You're an angel!"

"Yeah. So what?"

Extending my wings outward, they shuddered in warning just as four came at us from all directions. The boy screamed and I pulled him to my back, using my energy to shield us from the two coming at us from the front and behind and jabbing my swords into the faces of those coming from the right and left, watching them fall from the blades and into nothingness. I took control of the rage inside as I had done in the past and melded my two swords into one, stabbing it into the ground as more came at us, causing the ground to shoot up and outward like blades, into the bodies of the many demons. Grabbing him, I pushed with my wings, bringing us off the ground and toward the home that had seemed to turn into a safe house. "Wow," the boy said over the wind. "You're like... the heroin in a zombie movie."

"Zombie movie?"

"You're kidding, right? You know... Dead coming alive to bite/scratch you and turn you into one too?"

"Zombies don't exist. Those are demons and when they eat you, they drag your soul into Hell."

"Y-you mean... my family...?"

My heart dropped into my stomach as his feelings radiated from him, punching me in the face with his sorrow and loss of hope. He stared up at me, studying me. "You're too young to be an angel... but, you can save them, right? Bring them to where they belong... Heaven?" he asked a bit too hopeful. Sighing, I tightened my grip on him. "That isn't my job. My job is to restore the balance here and give the surviving humans a life to go back to... to look forward to," I replied through my teeth.

"But all those innocent souls... they don't deserve that."

"I
said
it's not my fucking job."

"Woah, chill. Angels aren't supposed to curse."

My body shook in anger only to subside when the house came into view. I swooped down and let go of him, letting him land on his feet at the front door. "Go inside," I demanded. "There are people there that will help you." Without another word, I pushed the air and went the opposite way I had come from. The dark day was giving away to an even darker night, where I hunted to clear towns of the threat so people may find shelter in abandoned homes.

Landing, I made my way through the dead and silent town away from the busy city; that place would be last. My thoughts were kept at bay for I needed full concentration to hunt for the demons that walked the town in search for stragglers or any sign of life that they could take. From behind, it felt like I was being followed only to turn around to an empty street filled with an orange glow from the streetlights. The feathers of my wings shuddered in warning, but nothing was around me; the town was as dead as the humans that once found safety in the homes that stood with memory of the past world. I couldn't help but feel as if my wings were being pulled on and I pushed them outward only to feel a tearing pain. My body was forced to the ground, and I found myself unable to move as something stood over me, prying at my wings in attempt to rid me of my possible Ascension. The bone structure of my wings started cracking under the tearing and I cried out in pain. I couldn't let them take the only thing I had left.