Part of Sahinia, Much?

Long ago, when the world was new, and the heavens were bright, The Creator grew weary from His conception of the universe. In order to save Him strength for later, The Creator opted to fashion helpers, to oversee the Earth and its brother world Sahinia whilst He rested, generating more strength for the future.

He did not spend a great deal of time contemplating His first helper; time was never something He did not have control over. Since on his planet, His first child was a man, He chose for the first of these new children to be a woman. He created me in the image of the Light, Purity, and Virtue. He called me “Humilis”.

He desired to see the power He had given me, and so The Creator asked me to create the next of my kind. I asked if the next creation was to be male. He replied that it was my decision.

And so I created Humanitas, who was my opposite in every way in appearance. If I had been shaped from Light, then Humanitas was shaped from Darkness. The two of us were as Day and Night to one another, neither ever leaving the other’s side. We aided The Creator in forming five others of our kind, but neither Humanitas nor I desired their company, merely each other’s.

The seven of us were The Creator’s High Angels.

The Creator immediately sent me down to Earth, and Humanitas to Sahinia, in each of which only two humans lived.

Adam, Eve, and the other halves of their souls, Aslet and Eyri.

Each pair lived in Paradise. But they were human, and thus able to be tempted.

Lucifer, a Fallen Angel, one of the many created after the High Angels, along with Gabriel and Michael, one of the Angels who were given human names, sought an end to their happiness.

Humans are led to believe that they are the original cause of Sin. Amen, I say to you, one of The Creator’s own High Angels, full of kindness and love, was the one to father true evil.

Lucifer attempted to seduce Adam and Eve with evil words, but he found, to his rage, that the two of them were still too childlike to even contemplate wickedness. They were far more interested in the wonder that was the world. And over them was the protection of the highest of Angel, myself.

And so Lucifer decided that instead of merely tempting humans, he would seek the second Angel, Humanitas. He would use his darkness to infiltrate the Angel’s mind, and manipulate his pure thoughts into wicked ones.

The words Lucifer whispered to Humanitas over and over are lost to darkness. Luring, tempting words they were, in the middle of the eerie night, when one is closest to evil and the Shadow world. Humanitas began to succumb to Lucifer’s shadows, as the demon could enter his mind and change his deepest values.

However, we Angels are not fools. Humanitas knew what was happening, and decided to expel the evil from his soul. He considered several options, but he knew there was only one way to eradicate the evil most efficiently.

And so Humanitas split his soul in two.

The other High Angels were pleased with his actions. A wise decision, I heard them say to one another. Now he is purged of evil. But The Creator was troubled, for he knew the evil half-soul Humanitas created would not disappear, and that Lucifer would seek and abet its darkness.

True to The Creator’s prediction, Lucifer found Humanitas’ evil half-soul and transformed it into a full soul, using the lives of some of the beasts in the gardens where the humans resided. Lucifer decided to call his creature, the Sin of an Angel, Invidia.

And so Lucifer sent his Demon to Sahinia, as he himself went to Earth, and the two evilest of souls had the humans sin. Lucifer took Eve’s sin of pride from her and created a demon even more powerful than Invidia.

He called her Adrogantia.

The Creator banished the four humans from His Gardens of Paradise, not only for betraying Him, but because now they could not be sheltered from sin; their hearts were no longer pure. It was not possible for Him to keep them under His protection. They knew of good and evil, they were no longer entirely his.

And thus, for some thousands of years, many prophets arose, along with kings and demons, and time and time again, the Creator’s human children prevailed against evil. They suffered and they fought, but the descendants of Abraham and lived on.

It was not until the birth of the Prince of Peace that Lucifer once again decided to attack the Creator’s people. As the Prince bowed His head and begged for forgiveness for the sinners, eternally saving Earth, Invidia entered Sahinia.

In order to prevent the death of many, Humanitas followed his soul brother, and in his haste, he neglected to inform his siblings, the other High Angels.

Humanitas was never heard of again.

*****

I looked around the charred remains of a once happy village, tears welling up in my eyes. I could feel the pain and suffering the people of this place had felt as Invidia sent his black fire, entering through their eyes and ending at their hearts, turning their bodies into burnt corpses.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him,” I heard Lucy say softly behind me.

I shook my head. “No. You are not of any guilt, Lucy.” I pictured the demon’s red eyes in my mind. His malicious laughter as he sent his flame of death through the humans, his sadistic pleasure in seeing the mothers rush to save their children, only to torch them to death together. “There is nothing…you could have done.”

I turned and saw that she was crying silently. “She took them,” Lucy whispered. “I couldn’t even stop that.”

“Of course you couldn’t,” I said gently. “You are only an Angel, Lucy. Adrogantia and Invidia are the highest of the High Demons. Had you fought them, you would have lost your soul.” At her anxious face, I sought to reassure her further. “She will be unable to kill the three of them, you know. Latito is her own daughter, and Valeo’s magic is on par with hers.”

She swallowed. “And Caligo?”

I opened my mouth, but saw that I had no definite reason for why Caligo would live. He held no great magic, and Adrogantia would have no reason to spare his life. “We can only hope…” I whispered, “that Valeo will protect him.”

Lucy’s eyes widened in terror. “But…Caligo…”

“Lucy,” I interrupted, more sharply than I intended, “if you are considering going after him, allow me to assure you that it will only end in both your deaths. But if you leave him be, he has a small chance of life.”

She was reluctant, I could see. But she nodded, knowing that she knew less of this matter than I.

I sighed. “Come, Lucy, now is the time we should—”

Mama.

I stiffened.

"What is it?” Lucy asked, worriedly, as I spun around and scanned the ruins once more. “What is wrong?”

I can't breathe, Mama.

I swallowed. That is no cry of the dead, I thought, frowning. Someone lived through this.

“Lucy,” I said quietly.

“Yes?”

I turned and looked at her once more. “Return to Eden.”

“What? But, Humilis, my mission—”

“—was not to be the same as mine,” I said softly.

Her eyes were confused. “But…”

“Return to Eden,” I repeated. “You are needed there. I must be the only angel on this world. If not, we know not how many demons Lucifer will send in retaliation.”

“We know not how many demons he has already sent!” she answered furiously. Her white wings angled sharply. “How will you survive in this world alone?”

“I will not be alone,” I said softly. “Someone has survived Invidia’s slaughter. That child is meant to be my only companion.”

She opened her mouth to protest once more, but then sighed. “Let me look upon the child,” she begged. “At least let me see this one companion of yours.”

I turned and sent a small tendril of magic as a sentry. I felt many memories of the dead, heard many shrieks and screams and sobs, felt much of the agonizing pain of being slowly burned alive…and then…

I found her.

Relieved but anxious, I drew into her mind, to see her encounter with Invidia. How could anyone survive this demon’s murder? His magic was less than mine, to be sure, but still more than any human should be able to bear…

I gasped as the child’s memories flooded into my mind.

Mama.

Mama and I together, praying quiet. “Amen,” I say, too early. She smiles at me, but makes me keep going. We keep praying, til there’s a loud BLANG outside, and someone starts laughing. Someone else is screaming though. Are they playing pretend? I get up and try to go over to the window to see, but Mama pulls me back, whispering really fast the rest of the prayer.

Then someone knocks on our door. Mama’s eyes get bigger, and my stomach doesn’t feel so good. Mama’s scared. Why? What’s wrong with playing a pretend game where one person pretends to get hurt? It’s fun, isn’t it, Mama?

And then the door gets kicked open. That’s not nice. People should wait for us to open it for them. I want to tell that to this boy, this boy only a little taller than me. But…when I look at him, I can’t talk or move.

His hair is long and black, and his face is sharp and young, with dark red eyes that remind me of fire…

I shudder. It’s really him. Of course I had known, but still…

Mama is shivering against me. It isn’t cold. But I’m shivering too. We don’t like this boy.

He smiles up at Mama. I don’t like his smile, either. He looks friendly, but I feel like he wants to eat us. “Hello,” he says cheerfully. His voice makes me wanna run away and hide under my blankets. But I can’t move…

“Wh-what are you?” Mama asks, holding me close to her.

The red-eyed boy walks into our house completely. That’s when I see his little black wings. Like the bats that live in the kitchen…but his are so small…how does he fly?

“What am I?” he repeats, his smile getting bigger. “Huh. What should I say? Something ominous, like ‘your worst nightmare’? You already look terrified of me, so I suppose that would be redundant.”

I don’t understand what he’s saying. But I know it isn’t good, cause Mama’s eyes keep getting bigger, and she keeps pulling me even closer to her, and she starts whispering prayers under her breath.

“That is so rude,” the red eyed boy says, like he’s bored. “Can’t you listen to me, woman? My voice will be the last thing you hear, anyway.”

“Be gone, Satan!” Mama shouts, her voice shaking.

The red eyed boy smiles. His teeth are sharp… “Not quite, mortal, but you’re oh so close. So very close…”

Mama stands up, picking me up with her. The red eyed boy makes his eyebrows go up. “Oh, are you going to try to run? Please do, it would be so amusing to see you try and escape,” he says, folding his arms.

Mama looks up. “Lord!” she cries. “Save my child! Let him kill me, but save her! I beg of you!”

The red eyed boy looks bored again. “He can’t hear you, you know. I’ve sealed off this town’s ties to heaven. The girl will die along—”

“I’ve given her nothing!” Mama screams. “Nothing! I’ve never had anything to give her! No matter what, I must give her life!”

I don’t understand. I don’t know what’s happening. Why is Mama crying? Why is the white haired man laughing now? And what is that blackness that’s all around his hand? Why is he pointing at Mama? What’s—

“Die.”

Mama drops me. I look up. Her eyes, so blue, blue as the sky, are all black now. The black is spreading…to her face…hair…neck…arms…

“Mama?”

She’s falling now…her belly is black…her legs…feet…she’s all black…and smells like fire…

“M-Mama?”

The red eyed boy looks down at me. “How sad,” he says, pushing some hair out of my face. His hand burns me. I feel tears coming from my eyes. “I’d hoped to kill you first,” he says quietly. “It would have been amusing to see her broken. But I suppose this works just as well. Tell me, little one, do you wish to see your mother?”

I blink. “Y-yes.” Little one? But he doesn’t look much older than me…

He smiles. “I’ll send you to where she is,” he says, but his voice is so scary…I can’t move…Mama, please get up…

I was on my knees from the memory of the death. That’s why we couldn’t find him, I realized. He set up barriers. Even when he’d been trapped in a human body, that of an eight year old boy, he’d still managed…

The white haired man puts his hand over my eyes. “Don’t worry,” he tells me, “you’ll be with her soon.”

I can’t move.

Then I hear someone singing. It sounds like Mama’s lullaby. Her sad lullaby to God that she’d sing to me when I was bad. I never understood the words. Mama said Papa taught them to her. They were in Elvish.

Where was the song coming from?

Then I knew.

I was singing it.

“Will you shut up?” the red eyed boy asked angrily. “That’s so annoying.”
I didn’t stop. I hadn’t even known the words til now, but now I knew them all. And so I kept singing Mama’s lullaby. And I hear someone singing with me. It isn’t Mama, though…his voice sounds a little like the red-eyed boy, except that his voice is soft, kind, sad…

“Stop interfering!” he screams, and takes his hand away from me. I look up, and he’s moved away from me. His eyes are big, and he’s breathing loudly. “What are you?” he asks, and his teeth are clenched.

I keep singing. That’s when I realize I can’t feel the floor anymore. But I don’t care. I keep singing. He’s moving away from me now.

“You’re one of His,” he says angrily. “Aren’t you? One of his little chosen ones.” He curses. “If I’d known all of them would have their powers at such ages…!” He looks at me. “I can’t kill you,” he says, standing in the doorway. “But mark my words, you little witch. The day will come where my hands will be around your throat. I’ll choke that divinity out of you. That day, neither your God nor Valeo will be able to stop me. And then we’ll see how protected you really are.”

He spins around and slams the door shut.

I sit there, not moving. I look down. I’m not on the floor anymore. I’m…floating. As soon as the word crosses my mind, I fall back onto the ground.

It hurts.

Then I smell smoke. How? I look out the window, and see only darkness, only smoky death. But then I know. The red eyed boy is filling everything with his blackness.

I look down at Mama. A weird noise comes out of my mouth. I don’t know what it is. “Mama?” I whisper one more time.

I hear a cracking noise and look up.

The darkness is coming through the roof.

The roof.

Why…why is it getting closer?

So much closer…too close…

I jolted back to reality. “Lucy!” I screamed. “We have to save the child! She’s suffocating!”

Lucy looked confused, and so I took off on my wings to the place I felt the child’s mind.

It’s so dark.

I landed on the black ashes, and rapidly said a spell.

I can’t breathe.

I was crying again. This child must not die. Soot rose, and then more, and more, and more...

And then I saw a hand. A small hand, the hand of a child.

I reached down, whispered a prayer, and then pulled on the tiny fingers that immediately coiled around my wrist. And so the hand turned into an arm, and then, a little girl.

She was completely covered in black, except that when she blearily opened her eyes, I saw that they are perfectly blue, with no black in the irises or in the white. Then her eyes closed, and she fell unconscious in my arms. I heard Lucy land behind me.

“This is the child?” she murmured.

“She drove Invidia away with a song,” I said quietly. “A song. A lullaby.”

Lucy knelt beside me. “So then, she is quite powerful?”

I shook my head. “No. Her faith is strong. She sings to God as a prayer.”

“And that gives her magic strength?” Lucy said, almost disbelievingly.

“It is different from the normal use of magic, to be sure,” I said, bemused. “But that makes it so much more powerful. This is the child. And I…am to raise her.”

Lucy reached out and touched the child’s forehead. “How old is she?”

I looked down at the little girl. When I probed her mind, I saw many other memories along with her encounter with Invidia. I knew her name, her age, her favorite foods…

“She is five years old.”

“Five?” Lucy exclaimed, shocked. “And, already, she can…!”

I nodded. “Yes.” I raised my head to look at Lucy. “Now, you must return to Eden, Lucy. I will take this child with me. I wish you luck.” I stood and folded my wings back into my body. I did not wish for Kitilina to wake and think me the angel of death.

“Humilis!” I heard Lucy shout to my back.

I turned and looked at her.

She smiled sadly. “The Lord be with you,” she said, touching her fingers to her lips.

I nodded. “And also with you,” I replied, laying one hand on my heart.

Then we turned from one another, I with Kitilina in my arms, Lucy with her mission to tell our Lord of Invidia’s slaughter. I heard Lucy take flight as I began to walk.

And so my life on Sahinia began.