The Coup- Part 13

QUIET HORIZONS

The trio tore through the veil of the clouds, giving new meanings to the phrase 'sky is the limit'.
Aris protectively held Archie and kept his eyes on the horizon, but his mind was just not with the rest of his body.

Aris missed Raul. Every moment when he was not moving, when the adrenaline wasn't pumping, whenever he relaxed, the memories came rushing back to haunt him. Tormenting his soul, taunting him at his failure to save him or take revenge either. He missed the sanity and peace of his earlier life. He missed the love, the friendship, the companionship. A tear formed in his eye.

Flying across him, Donovan was fighting the demons of his own. He had no purpose, no goals, nothing to look forward to. And what he had just learnt, made a joke of everything he had done in his past. His mind kept wandering back to the conversation they have had in the clearing.

'And that's how he died Donovan.' Aris had said,'That is how we have all been dieing. The man we have been protecting has been the one who had been selling us off.'

At first Donovan had denied it all and simply refused to believe him. He had almost attacked Aris again but then Aris offered him to see the proof for himself.

Aris had held the girl's head and hypnotized her.Soon, the images of the last moment of Raul had sprang out in front of them.
Donovan's heart sank to a new low while the fury within him attained new heights as he saw the slaying of the angel.
Aris stopped just as the girl lost her consciousness

'Archie was Raul's human. He was to be her guardian angel so when he died a part of him got into her to protect her, to be her inner voice, her conscience. This is no magic, if we continue you can see all of Raul's life.' Aris said,'I'm telling you the truth Donovan, but I also know no one will believe me over the righteousness of God. That is why I have decided to get revenge for our brothers and sisters.'

A flying Duck broke the series of thoughts in Donovan's mind and brought him back to the present.

'So we will end it where it all started. At the Garden of Eden.' thought Donovan while dodging another Duck.

Garden of Eden was the only thing which kept flashing across Archie's mind also. She remembered seeing someone dieing in her dreams. At first she had attributed it to the shock, after all so much bizarre happenings had taken place in the last 24 hours but when she came around and saw the two angels arguing about something she knew something was not right. And then their subsequent conversation simply cemented her opinion that she landed amidst something very horrible and dangerous.

'She is the only one who can end this. Shreyaan has told me. You know why God always preached against vengeance?? Because it is the only feeling that he can't overwhelm. The EXACT opposite of his teachings, of his religion.And the weapon that will destroy him.' Aris had said.

'There is this source in Eden, the perfect synergy between dark and light. The source of everyone's energy. If we can get to it, we can suck out God's life by using Archie. I know how to do it. I just need to get there.' Aris had said.

She recalled that the dark winged angel, the one who called himself Donovan had exploded quite violently after that. 'You are fucking mad in what you are planning to do, you know that?? and I must be mad in...' she had lost consciousness after that.

'Well, he is still with us. I guess Aris made him see his point.' she thought.

The thought of Aris suddenly made her realize how close she was to him at this moment. She could feel his arms holding her close to him. She could actually feel his heart pounding in his chest, or was it her own? Her feelings for him confused her. He is still in love with someone else, a guy.
HE IS GAY, her mind scolded back.
And I'm in love, she replied back.
A wrong kind of love darling, the mind refuted, it won't go anywhere.
Just as the best comeback came to Archie's mind, Donovan spoke.

'We are here. The Garden of Eden.'

The Coup- Part 12

DOMINO EFFECT

As Michael walked into the corridor, all the conversations between lustful centaurs and passionate fairies, between angry cupids and rude smiling goblins died. Standing a little over 6 foots, with wavy blond hair, coal black eyes and a body chiseled out of stone, Michael was the the Commander of God's army. The part of God's erstwhile quartet of power.
Gabriel,the messenger was considered to be the closest to God while Raphael,the healer God's most favorite but it was the cool, calculating, detached Michael who held God's most terrible secret.

Everyone knew that, that the fourth angel of the quartet, Lucifer had lead the Great revolt of Angels against God and subsequently was defeated and thrown into the underworld by Michael but the truth behind all the facade was known only to the three of them- him, God and Lucifer. Only he knew that it was all a smoke-screen for 'Project Divine' and Lucifer was still in God's service since then.

And now the secret was out because Lucifer had blabbed it to a dying angel in his adrenaline rush and by some incomprehensible logic all of this was known to the lover of his. And now it became Michael's responsibility to get it all sorted out.

Lost in his thoughts he suddenly found himself in front of God's office.


-----


'There is something in the cup.'

Aris' line of thought broke and he threw a lost look towards Archie. 'Huhh??'

'I said something is in the cup. Seems like a fly and it is getting biggereerrrr....aaaaggghhhh'

Despite the thoughts that had gripped Aris' mind, he came back to his senses as a figure leaped out from the cup and flew away. He could catch only a glimpse as the figure rushed past him.

'It's another attack' the thought raced through his mind. 'Archie hide somewhere. I'll take care of it' he said, taking flight.

The full moon bathed the whole landscape in its light. The lack of wind and the utmost silence sucked all the feelings of comfort from one's soul.
But Aris had left the feelings of security and reassurance a long way behind him. Anger fueled him right now and the realization of the fact that he was almost at a touching distance from his final move pumped in adrenaline through his system for good measure.

All sorts of attack and evade maneuvers raced through his brain as his eyes locked up at the figure flying ahead of him. Suddenly the dark winged figure stopped and turned back. Aris could make out the silhouette of an angel with the moon as the backdrop but the fact that this figure was someone from his own brethren didn't comfort him. He knew sooner or later, the best avenging angels would have been ordered to hunt him.

With a silent battle cry and a mighty push of his wings Aris increased his momentum to ram into the figure. At the last moment the figure changed his position to float horizontally with respect to Aris and grabbed one of Aris' hand. Before Aris could understand what this figure was upto, the figure caught the front of Aris shirt with his other free hand and gave a mighty push of his own wings.

From the ground Archie saw horrified as the two angels locked in a death grip accelerated towards the majestic forest like a free falling stone dropped from the Eiffel Tower. A row of tall mighty Redwood trees stood as sentinels at the edge of the forest, preventing the moonlight to expand the kingdom of light to the last of the grounds and casting long shadows throughout the forest.

With a loud crash the figures collided with the Redwood's and uprooted several of them as gravity did its work on all of them.

Archie started running towards the death still figures lying on the ground.


-----


'The remains of the carcass of the Sea Rhino was found at the edge of the Bermuda triangle and I suspect he has taken refuge in the underworld sir.' Michael said. 'I think it would be better if Lucifer is asked to look for him over there.'

'I don't understand Michael.' said God. 'Why was Donovan heading towards the gateway to hell? He didn't know he was being looked for in the first place?'

'I...I don't know sir.' came the curt reply of Michael. 'But Aris has also disappeared. There is no news of him anywhere.'

'Lucifer failed too Michael.' God's voice held bitter disappointment and sadness in it. 'Aris succeed in taking away Raul's human with him. you know utmost secrecy is required for finding them that is why we have to use simple minded creatures to find them but day by day it is getting difficult to do so. Rumors are flying about the heavens that a second Great revolt is in the making.'
God laughed,'Ironic isn't it? There wasn't ever a First revolt to start with and now we are facing an actual danger of having a Coup d'état at our hands.'

Michael looked at God and suddenly he didn't see the charismatic, all powerful being. He saw an old man, tired of spreading the message of love and peace and harmony through the ages. An old man who has lost all hope and zeal to work further for the cause.

'Don't worry sir. We know where they are ultimately headed for. I'll set up the ambush for them. If we are unable to find them before that, we will still find them there.' Michael said.


-----


Aris stirred as he felt a soft hand on his forehead. Suddenly everything came back to him and he opened his eyes. Archie's face loomed in and he saw a trickle of tears dropping from her eyes. His ribs were definitely broken and he could feel a throbbing pain in his right leg.

'Don't worry Archie. We Angels recover quickly given time. We have the blessing of Raphael the healer.' Aris said through gritted teeth as a pang of pain ran through his spine.

'That means he'll be alright soon?' Archie asked with concern and fear in her voice while pointing towards the figure sitting beside a tree.

He was in as bad as condition as Aris, if not worse. he had a nasty cut on his forehead and his face was matted with dust and dried blood. One of his eyes had clamped shut as the blood had coagulated on his face. His left hand was twisted at an unnatural angle and half of his left wing also had a bad tear which slitted the wing almost in two.

'Hello Aris.' the figure spat some blood on the ground. 'My name is Donovan.'


-----


Reaper was in a foul mood. He didn't know where Donovan is and had no idea what he ought to do. And now he had an unknown message lying in front of him.
'The opportunity you strive for will be presented to you in the Garden of Eden. Very soon.'

It could be a trap he thought but at the same time he didn't had anything to loose now. He had come so far to fulfill his desires that going back now was not an option anymore. He also could never live serving Lucifer anymore. 'I will go' he decided.

And with that the first of the domino pieces began to topple, the effect of whose was going to change the course of the three worlds.

The Coup- Part 11

OLD LOVE

Donovan woke up from the depths of darkness, to find a dolphin examining his face up close. Any other day, he would've sat right up and his initial reaction would've been to push the mammal away. However, at the present moment lifting even a finger seemed to him like carrying the world on his shoulders, just like Atlas.

He shook the cobwebs out of his mind and with the support of the dolphin slowly tried to sit up. His wounds had healed and the bruises were fading but every part of his body still ached. With every movement he could hear his bones crackling like logs in a fire. If he hadn't lived his whole life in heaven, he might have had easily mistaken this place to be it.

He was inside an underwater cave, every inch of whose surface was covered by moss giving the place a dark green colour. The place was decorated with small multicoloured pieces of corals and small starfishes. Donovan could see the marine life in full bloom outside and the light of the sun being filtered by the surface illuminating everything. Schools of fishes were busy making a rainbow underwater and for miles and miles the white sand could be seen as if carpeting the bottom of the sea. A blue stingray floated just above the white carpet while a family of sea horse nibbled at the corals. From far, the songs of whales reached Donovan and he was reminded of the music composed by a human spirit named Mozart, who currently was the official composer of the Hall of the Heavens.

'Life here is so peaceful' Donovan thought touching the bubble which enveloped his face, enabling him to breathe.

'A sea shell for your thoughts, and I wouldn't be playing with that if I were you, but then again I don't need to right? I can breathe underwater. Perks of being a mermaid' someone shot the words at rapid speed.

Donovan turned around and his jaw dropped.


-----


She was wearing the pearly white gown, the sword lying feets away but attached to her armband with a chain . Her greenish hair flowed around her shoulders and a rainbow parrotfish roamed around her. The silver scales on her tail gleamed because of the reflected light but it was the spark in her eyes which dwarfed everything else. Her eyes held the light of a thousand suns, of all the joy and happiness that was filled in her soul. She radiated warmth and love but at the same time confidence and boldness. She was a live wire- full of life, liveliness and spunk. As she moved towards the dolphin, to adorn on it's neck a necklace made up of pink and black pearls, one couldn't help but notice her graceful movements. A sweet, disarming but playful smile resided on her pleasant face all the times.

'So we meet again dark one.' her mischievous grin widened,'and you should be thankful for that, else right now you would've been in a worse state then the wreck of the Titanic.'

'Tishu??'

'Princess Tishu servant. Don't forget, I'm the daughter of Triton, granddaughter of Poseidon, the God of sea. Next queen of the Atlantic' her jazzy laugh filled the cavern.

'I'm sorry my lady. Thank You for saving my winged ass, and now without intending to cause you further trouble I'll be taking your leave.' Donovan snapped back.

The sudden tension increased the density of the water. The fish stopped moving and even the Atlantic current made a brake on it's movements. Tishu's smile faltered a little while anger swept over Donovan's exhausted features.

'God still didn't give you a sense of humor.' she said finally.

She smiled back at Donovan, a smile that had captured his heart a long time ago.

She moved into his arms and they kissed.


-----


'It's been too long Donovan.' she said gazing into his eyes 'Too long.'

Donovan looked back into her green eyes and saw his own reflection in them. 'Yes damn it. It's been ages.' he thought.

'And nothing has changed since then Tishu. There were no options then and things are even worse then before, for me at least.' Donovan said loosening his grip around her.'You are a mermaid, me an angel. You are royalty and me, well I'm not even an archangel anymore.'

'and still in love with me?' Tishu couldn't keep the optimism out of her voice.

'Yes.' Donovan kissing her forehead. 'It has always been you and always will.'

'That's good.' she said happily. 'But you have been a very bad boy. I know. What did you do?'

'I guess I attract trouble.' Donovan's voice was flat but the shadow of mischief in his eyes betrayed what he meant.

Tishu turned to a light hue of red and continued, 'And what deal have you made with Devil that God wants you dead?'

'What are you talking about Tishu?'. The edge came back in Donovan's voice.

'Do you really think I was just out for a stroll in this part of ocean silly?' she said playfully ruffling his hair. 'I heard Michael, Commander of God's army telling grandpa that God wants you dead and he ought to send someone to kill you.' she shuddered. 'I couldn't just let him do it, so I followed.'
She continued,'He was grandpa's own and I can't control magical creatures. When I got here I saw a Sah-Raaki taking you away from the Sea Rhino. Sah-Raaki is a creature of the dark, a subject of the Devil you know? The Sea Rhino caught up with him and killed him and I, well killing fishes and killing a warrior princess are two different matters, the bully found it the hard way.' she laughed.

She stopped as soon as she saw the somber expression on Donovan's face.

'It doesn't make any sense' Donovan finally broke the silence and told her everything from the start. The death of his human- Jack, his resignation, and the attack by the earth demon.

'Why would Lucifer try to kill me first and then send one of his minions to save me? And why would God wants me dead?' Donovan thought aloud.

'I can't answer this but I think I know who can. There were rumors floating around that one of the angels has turned rogue and has risen against God. At first I thought it was you, given your friendly nature,' Tishu said sarcastically ' so I found out more. Seems there is another one like you. His name is Aris. I think you should talk to him. Birds of a feather flock together, you know. The only question remains is to how to find him. Skies are not safe for you.'

Before Donovan could say anything Tishu opened one of the shells of her necklace and a portal popped out of it.

'This portal will take you to the nearest water body around him.'

Seeing the puzzled expression on Donovan's face she laughed and said,'By magic silly. Grandpa gave me a gift on my 18th, the other side of this portal opens anywhere I, want provided there is water there.'

'I don't know what to say, I can't thank you enough Tishu. First you save my life and now this...'

Tishu leaned forward and gave him a light kiss on his lips, disallowing him to complete his sentence.

'I love you too Donovan. I just hope that maybe someday we can be together.'

They held each other tightly. Donovan broke the embrace and disappeared into the portals.

'I'm sorry Donovan' sobbed Tishu, tears welling up her eyes.

'He believed you?' A bold and clear voice filled the cavern.

'Yes' whispered Tishu between her sobs.

'Good princess. Your beloved baby seals will be returned safely and their habitat will not be harmed' the same voice said.

Tishu turned back to face him, anger burning in her eyes but he had already turned his back to her. She could only see a black cloaked figure with a pair of big white wings projecting from his back.

'You'll make a good ruler princess. You are caring, compassionate and practical. Sending the only person you love to death to save a forest, to save the lives of the animals living in it. You care for your subjects.' he said while leaving.

'Go to hell' said Tishu throwing a shell towards him but which only met the empty space.

'I will princess, I will.' thought the cloaked figure while swimming towards the surface. 'After I've destroyed God and extended my rule to all the heaven, hell and earth, I'll take a vacation in hell.'

The Coup- Part 10

ANGELS' ANGEL

As the mangled remains of Sah-Raaki dropped to the ocean floor, to be consumed by the bottom feeders, the Sea Rhino started searching for Donovan again. Without much trouble it spotted his silhouette mixed with the black sand of the ocean.

But something was amiss.

A group of dolphins were trying to nudge him back to consciousness and had formed a protective circle around him. Donovan's head also was contained in a bubble and he seemed to have no trouble breathing. Like a bull in the Spanish arena, the Sea Rhino showed his fiery temper and tried to intimidate the group of dolphins by circling at the place where he was, but without a doubt he was taken aback by their audacity. With a loud grunt, which though couldn't be heard underwater but whose vibrations could be felt, he lunged towards them.

He was ready for the kill this time, to mix the remains of the bird with the sands of the sea. But again someone decided to lay ruin to his plans.

The Sea Rhino dropped dead in his tracks as something passed in front of him at rapid speed. Distracted he searched for the one who had the nerve to challenge him.

His eyes finally stopped at the figure who was just turning back to face him. Her white gown gave out a faint pearly glow and her silver scaled fish tail was expertly balanced on the glass surfboard she was riding. Her hair had a black-greenish tinge to them, cradling her pale oval face and complementing her ocean green eyes. But it was the sword in her hands which was a sign of the steely resolve and daring nature which resided inside her beautiful body.

Sea Rhino shook off the spell and took off towards her for a head on collision. Without missing a beat she just smiled and nodded as if accepting his challenge. She tilted her surfboard back to gain acceleration and zoomed towards him. The Sea Rhino dropped his head so that it's 7 foot long horn could do the maximum damage but as a trade off he lost sight of his opponent. For a head on fight the Sea Rhino was unparalleled and unmatched. Just one strike meant doom for the opponent, but it was essential that they both meet following a linear straight line course.

The smile on the gowned figure's face didn't even decreased an inch as she approached the massive, accelerating figure of the Sea Rhino. Seconds before the impact she jumped off her surfboard and moved towards the Sea Rhino's right side while her surfboard took the opposite direction and went for his left side.
As she inserted her gleaming sword in the body of the Sea Rhino, the blade of her surfboard entered the Sea Rhino's gills. She kept on swimming with the sword still inside the Sea Rhino's side and made a large cut in his body running across till his tail. The Sea Rhino bellowed in pain as the water around him started turning crimson. The figure again mounted her surfboard and clapped her hands. Instantly many sharks and a battery of barracudas made their way towards the bleeding carcass of the Sea Rhino.

'That will be a fast death for him' she thought and forgot all about him as she took her eyes off the feast she had just provided to her servants.

She swam down towards the battered and bruised figure of Donovan.


-----


'Drink this, it will make you feel better' Aris holding a sweet smelling green coloured broth.
Archie was still shaken by the attack and the sudden appearance of her supposedly 'guardian' angel.
They were sitting in a forest clearing, under the shadow of a mountain a blue flamed firing burning between them.

'Where are we?' she finally asked.

Aris looked around and smiled. 'Beautiful isn't it? You are only the second living person after Dante to visit this place, mind you there was a lot of furor when Dante went back to earth and wrote down The Divine Comedy describing hell, heaven and purgatory, so be careful about what you tell people back home.' he smiled widened.'You are on the better side of Purgatory. The door to hell lies behind that mountain and that my dear is a twisted place, the side we are on is relatively much better. It leads to the gateway of heaven.' he said while pointing into the forest

'Purgatory?? Dante??? Divine comedy??? What are you talking about? Dante as in the main character from the video game 'Devil may Cry'??'

It was time for Aris to be puzzled. 'Google it later.' he sighed and looked at the full moon bathing the whole landscape in it's white light.

Suddenly anger flashed across Archie's face. 'And what about that bat thing? You swooping in from no where?? Am I supposed to google it too??' she hissed.

Aris weighed his options before speaking. Should he tell her the truth and to what extent?? or just lie to get her on his side?? She and her kind were conditioned from birth to think of God as a holy, all powerful, compassionate, righteous being. 'Even we angels thought of him being just that' he thought bitterly. Making her believe would be almost an impossible task.

At last Aris made up his mind that the best course of action would be for him to tell her the truth, but he decided that he would withhold half of his own motive from her.

In order to gain her trust and cooperation Aris decided to tell her that he was out to destroy Lucifer and her help is essential for the same but he decided against telling her that he would be also using her to annihilate God.

'Tell me Archie,' he started 'Have you ever loved someone?'

The Coup- Part 9

NAILING THE PROTECTOR

Sah-Raaki swam through the strong Atlantic currents towards the floating figure of Donovan. He could make out the Sea Rhino making room to strike one final time and finishing it all up.

The Sea Rhino was actually only an enlarged Rhino head on the body of a Blue Whale, with the world renowed meanness and short temperament of the Rhino present in it.
It backed up a little, blew a school of bubbles from it's nose and charged towards the half dead figure. The calmness of the sea took a turn for the violent as if an underwater volcano had erupted. The disturbance due to the rush of such an gigantic body accelerating through, caused havoc in the underwater world. Fishes and other marine animals flew across the water and a layer of slime started to raise it's ugly head from the bottom, as the body passed it. Producing a cloud of foam behind it, the Sea Rhino zoned in for the kill.

Sah-Raaki was momentarily faster then the Sea Rhino and this fact became a life saver for Donovan. Just before the Sea Rhino could reach him, Sah-raaki grabbed Donovan and took him away from harms path. The Sea Rhino whipped around and his mean little eyes focused the fleeing figure of Sah-Raaki. With double the intensity he swam towards it to claim it's prize. Sah-Raaki could sense that Donovan's body had some signs of life left in it but couldn't mend to him until their pursuer had left them in peace. Fighting the Sea Rhino wasn't an option, with the strength of the Sea Rhino clearly tilting the scales in it's favor, swimming away was. But Donovan's body was causing a hindrance. His large black wings were ruining the 'streamline effect' further reducing the speed.

With a mighty push of his tail, Sah-Raaki ducked into a 19th century shipwrecked remains of a large ship, in the hope of loosing the Sea Rhino.

As he swam through the maze of tunnels and rooms, the whole world suddenly decided to go Topsy-turvey.


-----


Not to be outdone, the Sea Rhino had struck the broken ship right in the middle, breaking it's back and splitting the whole ship into two. Sah-raaki swam out through one of the opening cracks but just as he was getting out, the half rotten mast of the ship gave way and went straight for him.

Sah-Raaki had been through many fights, completed a lot of impossible tasks for it's master and eaten a lot of bigger and meaner opponents, it might have had even beaten the Sea Rhino right now.

But he died instead. And all because of a rusted nail.

As the mast struck Sah-Raaki's back, a protruding nail went through his dorsal fin and teared half way through it as Sah-Raaki swam forward. He dropped Donovan and stopped dead in mid water. He tried fanatically to move forward but failed with every effort, panic swept through him as the picture of the impending death loomed in front of Sah-Raaki. Like most marine creatures Sah-Raaki needed to keep moving so that it can actively pump the water through his mouth and over his gill slits.

Slowly his oxygen starved brain started to go numb and every part of his body spasmed in agony,as if he was on fire. Just before dieing he saw the hazy figure of the Sea Rhino coming towards him to take out it's frustations. Welcoming death, Sah-Raaki closed its eyes and thanked his master, the Angel of Death, for saving him from the pain of the mauling which was soon to be inflicted upon him.

The Coup- Part 8

WATER AND BLOOD

Donovan flew just inches above the surface of the sea. He could feel the cool breeze meeting him head on, the shimmering sun being reflected off the surface and the salty flavor of the sea in his mouth. Once in a while he would dip under the rising swells to cool down. Taking rest was not an option for him anymore, besides the place he was heading to was known for its high temperatures.

He saw a few Albatrosses flying overhead and dismissed them as his only companion for the journey.

Once again he missed the Grey vulture following him.


-----


The Reaper sat in his cave, contemplating what to do next. He saw Donovan flying over the Atlantic ocean coming towards the Bermuda Triangle, the only gateway to hell.
Sending the earth demon to attack him had been a stroke of genius, the plan was to make Donovan believe that Lucifer wanted to kill him and direct his already seething rage for a direct assault on the Fallen One. Reaper's main motive was to seize hell in the subsequent confusion. After being the harbinger of death for so long, being the Angel of Death, a new zeal to achieve greatness burnt the Reaper from the inside. The fire to prove himself and the greed for greater power fuelled his ambitions to no limits. And he knew Donovan was the only one capable enough of taking the Satan down.

But the conversation his vulture had overheard in Rebus' office had changed everything. The fact that someone else was also plotting against Donovan was his main concern. He couldn't afford to let Donovan loose his focus, but without the knowledge of who he was against, planning the next move was almost as difficult as finding his robes in the pitch dark cave.

He glanced towards the vision being sent by the vulture. Something caught his eye. Not more then 10 feet in front of Donovan, a shadow had started approaching the surface from beneath.


-----


Donovan sensed something wasn't right. The albatrosses in front of him had suddenly screeched their heads off and dispersed as quickly as possible towards the horizon. The swell had changed it's rhythmic motion and had started churning as if a vertigo was forming inside the sea. Donovan scanned the sea for any immediate signs of danger but for miles he saw nothing but the blue of the ocean staring bleakly back at his face.

SPLASSSSHHHHH !!!!!!

The horn of the Sea Rhino missed Donovan by inches, or else the it would have had certainly converted all of his ribs to bony pulp. Still Donovan struck to the side of the rhino and the impact resulted him attaining a height of more then 25 feet without the aids of his wings. All the breath was knocked out of his lungs and he could already taste the sourish blood mixing with the salty water in his mouth.

As Donovan tried to control his senses four water streams shot from the sea and tied his hands and legs, stopping his rapid ascent abruptly. This sudden stoppage made his head go dizzy and before he could think of anything else the four streams started pulling Donovan down to the murky depths of the sea. A fifth thicker stream shot out and struck him squarely in the back. As the two opposing forces of the two sets of stream ravaged his body, a scream filled with agony escaped Donovan's lips. He could feel his back and his sockets crumbling under the dual force of the streams and his capillaries ready to explode due to the resultant pressure.

He opened his eyes and saw the sun, before a rush of sea water entered his lungs to push out whatever life was left in him. The mighty orange ball of orange had a azure colour from within the water. The surface gleamed as the rays of the sunlight penetrated the water to some extent. Donovan stopped struggling as the last of his strength left him and prepared to die in a cold chamber made of water.


-----


The Reaper got furious as he saw Donovan disappearing down into the sea. He could see all his plans crumbling to rubble in front of him. A golden opportunity to get what should've been his, slipping away.

No. Not yet. Reaper faced the portal and a shark demon appeared on it. The creature had a face of a shark but with arms and legs protruding from his body. A brilliant shade of blue adorned his back.
'Go Sah-Raaki. Save my instrument.', he commanded the demon and directed it towards the mammoth figure of the Sea Rhino.

The Coup- Part 7

THE KEY TO IT ALL

The last rays of the sun kissed the skyscrapers before vanishing into the growing darkness. Soon the white light of the half moon would be casting shadows even in the darkest of streets. While the night life of the city started to awaken from it's slumber, a lonely figure observed the kaleidoscope of lights taking place across the city from her window.

Her jet black, shiny hair were tied in a pony, while two loose strands of them carelessly fell upon her dainty, gentle shoulders, kissing her neck from time to time. She was a tall girl, with a small scar on her right eyebrow. She was not your classic beauty but it was her confidence, her persona, the zeal she radiated and her never back down attitude in the face of difficulties that made her attractive. Her kohl rimmed eyes held a spark which one just couldn't ignore. A sweet innocent smile constantly played on her lips, cloaking the steely resolve she held within her and the sharp practical mind that decided a course of action in minutes. A girl of beauty, soul and substance.
She was the girl everyone had been talking about.
The person on whom the fate of the world depended upon.
Raul's human.

Archie.


-----


As soon as Aris flew from the garden of Eden he knew that time has also joined his list of adversaries. He flew as fast his wings could carry him. The moment Shreyaan would've told God of his intentions, the almighty would've passed the order of his death. Before his pawns could reach him, Aris needed to get to Archie.


-----


Archie smiled at the dog in the apartment across the road. She adored dogs. She remembered the overweight Labrador back home with her parents. Her parents. Brother. She missed all of them. If only her job hadn't brought her so far away from them, she would've surely spent every weekend with them.
'Well at least it gives me the chance to date', she thought,'which you don't' a voice inside her replied back. She started laughing at this point, looking lovingly at the pictures of her family and herself which adorned the walls. 'God, I miss them'.

A whooshing sound brought her back to her senses. A dark shadow was looming across the sky, coming towards her building.
'Too large for a bird, maybe a large bat?' she thought as she came closer to the window peering through the darkness to figure what it was. As it came towards her, she made out it was a bat. A large human sized bat.

SMAAASSHHHH !!!!!

The glass shattered into a thousand little pieces as the silent sound waves emitted by the bat struck it. It was a good thing the window was closed, else if the sound waves had struck directly, their sheer force would have burst every vein and capillary in Archie's body. But instead she only lost her balance and fell outside.

Her scream acted as a backdrop for the cacophony of the city behind her. Just as the reel of her life started rolling in front of her eyes, she found herself falling,upwards.She had closed her eyes due to the shock but she could feel two strong arms holding her and the whooshing sound much nearer this time.

'Wait here' she heard a voice as her feet found something solid beneath them. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself on the roof of her building. As the initial shock wore off she could make out a figure flying away from her and towards the bat.

Both of them collided with each other and she heard the breaking sounds of bones. The entangled figures hung in the air for some time still struggling and then suddenly dropped towards the earth.

Her mouth opened wide but no voice escaped her throat.

She slowly reached the ledge and peered down. A white winged figure hovered over the stirring body of the large bat. The wings of the bat were twisted backwards at an unnatural angel and blood oozed out of his mouth. She watched in horror as the winged figure reached out and broke the bat's neck in two.


-----


Arius glided back towards her. Her pale faced was flooded by the moonlight. Her eyes were filled with amazement, wonder, terror, and numerous questions.
'She can easily give all the fairies a run for their money' he thought.

'Hello Archie. My name is Aris and I'm your guardian angel.' He lied.

Archie looked back at him, swayed like a pendulum and fainted

The Coup- Part 6

REVELATIONS

Rebus glided nervously through the corridors, leaving a trail of foul smelling cigar smoke behind him which hung in the air. He wore a tunic today for the meeting. He kept one in his office for moments like these only. God had called for him urgently and something in his voice betrayed to Rebus that this wasn't going to be a happy conversation.

Nervously he tapped the door.

'Enter' a commanding voice boomed from within.

He was wearing his trademark white robes. He had shoulder length silver hair which enveloped his face while his neatly trimmed beard served as a nest for his pearly white teeth. The most striking feature of his was his deep blue eyes which missed nothing. They seemed like full of compassion and forgiveness from mirroring centuries of hardship of his creations but Rebus had seen those same very eyes change their colour to grey when he got angry.

He was the only man in front of which Rebus actually felt naked and inadequate.

The embers of last night fire still glimmered in the fireplace and threw a reddish glow around the room.

'Sit down Rebus, and stay calm'. One could fathom the reason why he was considered the supreme being just by listening to his deep powerful voice.

A sudden fire started in the fireplace which startled Rebus and before he could compose himself is eyes opened further wide in disbelief as Lucifer stepped out of it.


-----


'Welcome Lucifer.' said God.

In reply a bone chilling smile came to Satan's lips and he nodded. Rebus meanwhile was too stunned to react in any way. He forgot his smoking cigar, his nervousness, his nakedness and saw the exchange of pleasantries between the two arch enemies with bewilderment.

God turned to him and said,'Rebus you recently told me that Donovan has quit, is it not?'. Rebus nodded his head in affirmation.
'Hmmmm. What about an angel named Arius?'

For the first time a reaction originated from Rebus. 'Arius? Angel of Mercy? What about him?'

'Has he showed signs of turning rogue?'

'No my lord. He is hit by the loss of his love, the Archangel Raul during the Holy Strike' Rebus threw a disgusted look at Lucifer whose smile had broadened at its mention, 'but I guess it is because the wound is too new.'

'Alright Rebus. That would be all'


-----


The menacing persona of Lucifer vanished the moment Rebus left the room.
'What has been happening my lord?' he asked.

'A chain of events which we hadn't foreseen Lucifer.'

'The angel you killed had a lover. Somehow he knows everything that happened in the bowels of hell and that, that I've been sending the angels on holy strikes to get them killed. He is now bent on taking revenge. He talked to Shreyaan and you know how she helps everyone, only good thing is she tells the other party also what she has done, in this case me or else we would've been caught unawares.'

'But he is just an Angel my lord. What possible harm he can do?'

'Shreyaan told him about the supreme light source Lucifer. The source of everyones light. From where every entity in the world originates from and where the light that surrounds them go back to, after they are dead. He is going to project Raul's light on the source. Which will in turn suck in the light of the killer and the deceiver, in this case you and me, ultimately destroying both of us. She has told him the name of Raul's human. You know that when an Angel dies his light goes into his human instead of going to the source, with his memories also. I believe Aris's plan is to get her.'

'My lord even if he is able to get her, what good it would be? You know as well as I do that light would be fragmented inside her and he would need someone to amplify and project that light on the source. Aris has a selfish motive for taking this course thus he can't be the projector'

'That is where Donovan comes in, the Archangel of Vengeance. Due to Raul's death, a human died on earth. Donovan was to be his guardian angel but without him, he has no purpose left and no chance of moving on to the next level. Although indirectly, he is connected to the events and as you said he doesn't have any selfish motive in doing so. He percieves he has no purpose left and also doesn't care for anyone. The perfect candidate for being the 'projector'. I have no idea whether Aris has contacted him or not, or whether he would agree to be part of Aris' scheme but this one chance I can't take.'

'So the situation is grim my lord.' A steely resolve came on Lucifer's face. 'What are your orders then.'

'I will order Michael to take care of Donovan. He has already turned rogue and he is a short fuse so he won't be a problem. You just concentrate on Aris and Raul's human. Their coming together can be catastrophic for the universe.'
'The name of the Raul's human is Archie....'


-----


Outside the room, Rebus's jaw dropped as he heard the words being exchanged inside. He concluded that he needed to tell 'him' all of this as soon as possible.

The Coup- Part 5

SHREYAAN


Aris glided through the forest. The smell of the flowers and the trees intoxicated him and blurred his senses. The noise of the flowing river, the rustling of leaves and the songs of the birds and the bees, created an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Aris could feel the calmness entering his soul and found himself relaxing.
He shook his head to break the spell. The last thing he needed was to find peace within himself. To find the feeling of tolerance and forgiveness in him. He owed Raul. He owed all the Angels that have been betrayed by the one man the whole universe trusted. And he was out to expose him, cause his downfall and if possible, his death. He owed that to himself.

Aris kept on flying deeper and deeper into the forest, fighting the emotions of love and compassion which tried to sweep over him. At last he reached the clearing where she waited for him.

Shreyaan was the first angel. The first of her kind. Her beauty and purity gave her a glow of a thousand suns. She was the only one who didn't had even an iota of black light within her. Her compassion, clarity, understanding, patience and above all her eternal love for everyone were the stuff of which folklore were made of.
It was said even Satan himself was scared to come in front of her lest he himself gets enveloped by her white light.
These were the reasons due to which God had given the actual heaven to her, the garden of Eden. Only those mortals who were as pure as her could come and reside there. Obviously since the start of the world no one had been able to meet the criteria. In fact, God himself was unable to enter until she gave him permission.

And today Shreyaan was sitting on the branch of a tree in the form of a White Peacock.

'Bless me mother', said Aris knealing down.

Shreyaan took flight from the tree top and settled in front of him.

'I expected you a long time back Angel of Mercy', she said.
'I sense a sadness in you son', she chirped 'and a deep hatred within. Even this place is unable to wash these negativities away from you. Look what has happened to your wings. You are changing.'

Aris looked at his formerly pearl white wings. They had become paler, the edges already turning grey.

'It is a bad omen son. changing of colours. More the black light gets a hold of your heart and soul, the paler your wings become'

'You know what happened Shreyaan. You always know what is happening around the world. Which secrets burden our souls and what thoughts raise storms in our mind. You knew it all along and still you didn't stop it.' Aris said changing the course of the discussion in the direction he wanted.

If Shreyaan was shocked about the straight forward confrontation, nothing on her persona showed it. 'It is a beautiful place, isn't it?' she sighed sadly.
'I knew about it Aris, but I also know the reason why God needs to do this.' she continued,' but you don't and neither you'll try to understand. Your reasons are different. You are driven by the love of one man. He needs to love many. You are driven by revenge. He by necessity'

'The reasons are not important now mother. I've chosen my path and have taken the oath to avenge my dead beloved. I need to be the Avenging angel. I can't turn back if I want to live peacefully for the rest of my life. You know what I need to know. Tell me the way.'

'You understand that son once I tell you everything I'll inform God what you plan to do? I can't choose between the two halves of myself.'

'I understand mother. You just tell me the name of the person whom Raul was a guardian angel of.'

'Here is what you want to know. The name of Raul's human is...'


-----


Donovan flew but this time he didn't let his mind wander. He was cautious for he expected another attack. Demons didn't attack Angels. They were happy preying on mortals, sucking the happiness and sanity out of them. He only knew one man who could've sent the monster after him. The one who brought heaps and heaps of troubles and miseries on both heaven and earth. He, who had caused the recent massacre of Angels.
'For centuries us angels have been unable to contain his influence or his powers but he has messed up big time when he took directly on Donovan, the Archangel of vengeance.' the thought ran through his mind, 'this time it will be the end of Lucifer.'

The Coup- Part 4

LAST STRIKE COUNTS


The Beast rose from the depths of the earth and saw the silhouette passing overhead. Standing close to 10 feet tall with legs as thick as tree trunks and bulging arms which almost touched the earth, he gave an impression of an overgrown gorilla. With his small beady eyes he focused on the passing figure and raised a bit of dirt with his plump fingers. He could almost smell the blood and the anticipation of the kill made a smile to leap onto his lips. His yellowed, jagged teeth saw the world for a while and with a grunt he threw the dirt towards the flying figure. As the distance between the dirt and the figure started decreasing, the dirt started to transform into a spear. The pointed end was tearing the air as it passed through the space and it accelerated at a speed of almost Mach 2. Thirsty for blood the spear made contact with the flying figure causing the Beast to emit a squeal of joy.


-----


Donovan felt the air rushing through his hair when suddenly pain shot through his left side. In a matter of seconds his training kicked in but it was too late for him to control the rush of blood which his heart had kicked into his body, causing him to loose focus and as a result altitude. Clouds, birds, stars rushed past him and the earth came at an alarming speed towards him to give him the kiss of death. In the last moments he composed his mind and pulled up. Three more spears rushed through the spot where he was a few seconds ago. Evasive manoeuvres kicked in automatically and he flew zig-zag in the anticipation of the next wave of attack. He wasn't disappointed when four more spears rushed past him. He finally saw the assailant. An earth demon, smiling every time he threw a new weapon at him.

The rage which was bottled up inside him since ages suddenly flared. With a snarl of fury he flew towards the demon dodging his spears. About 20 feet before reaching him he stopped, straightened up, extended his wings to their full span and flapped them with all the force his muscles would allow.


-----


The sudden gush of wind felt like breeze to the beast. He didn't even staggered but tried to rake his peanut size brains to understand what antics this bird was up to. Suddenly he understood the whole idea of changing the flow of wind towards him. The dirt he had thrown towards the bird was coming back right at him and changing into spears as he thought. He knew no weapon could penetrate his skin but wasn't too sure about the weapons created by his own light. He scooped an amount of earth by his hands, which would've given complex to any modern earth digger machine, and threw it in the path of the projectiles coming towards him.
A small sand storm erupted as a result of this chaos and momentarily he lost the sight of the winged figure he was sent to eliminate. Turning his head in utter disbelief he started looking around him to locate the figure again.

He should've had remembered that Donovan had wings.


-----


Donovan held one of the spears the demon had thrown at him and accelerated towards the figure on the ground, aiming for his head. The wound on his side left a streak of blood in the air behind him but right now the adrenaline rush subdued the pain. His whole focus was to kill this creature and find some outlet for his anger.
The words of his trainer kept echoing in his head.
'Last strike counts'.
In the dieing moments before the impact his anger ridden scream filled the sky.


-----

The demon looked up at the figure coming towards him. The last thing he heard was his own cry mixed with fear and pain. The last thing he saw was the tip of the spear millimeters away from his eyes.

The Coup- Part 3

FIRST MOVES

'I'm sorry Aris, you know that part is classified.' said Rebus, through the cloud of smoke that came out of his mouth as soon as he parted his pink lips. He tapped his cigar with his small chubby fingers to drop the ash into the already overflowing ashtray, but missed it by miles. He was a small, cherubic, naked, pink kid with two small pearly white wings. An ex-Cupid. A career guy who had survived in the corridors of power for so long by his sheer canniness and by masking his ambition from others. Girls would've gone all 'cutey-smoochy-pie' on him if he permanently didn't carry an expression as if someone has put dung under his nose and for good measures, shoved a 5 foot iron rod up his ass.

'Besides what good will that do? I know you loved him and all that crap...and I'm not being judgemental here...you can do it with a deer if you want to and I won't give a rat's ass, I've seen some strange shit on earth in my days' he said thinking about the past and making an expression as if the rod has doubled its size inside him,'but I can't help you here. You need to move on, at most I can get you a date with the Centaur.'

'I just wanted to be assigned to his human. So that I could be close to a part of his light you know' said Aris.

'I don't understand a ruddy thing but I'll see what I can do. Don't get your hopes up though. Rules are rules' said Rebus dismissing him.

'Love is a shitty thing' thought Rebus as Aris glided out. 'Screws your mind out of sanity. Hell a hangover from a cocktail of vodka and rum, with smack and LSD thrown in for good measures will be a better option. At least the effects are temporary.'

He forgot about the conversation and dived right into the paperwork weighing down his table.

If only he knew that something else was driving Aris.


-----


Three earth hours later Rebus was tapping in all of his reserves of patience and was at his diplomatic best trying to soothe down the raging storm in front of him which went by the name of Donovan.
'I know you are disappointed Donovan, but don't worry something good will come soon.' said Rebus, 'You are a friend, I'll look into this and do something for you as soon as something worthwhile comes up'.

'Your best isn't worth it Rebus and you know it.' snarled Donovan,' and don't you dare play me for a fool or else I'll tear those pretty little wings of yours and stuff one in your mouth while the other up your....'

'I'm still the head of the department Donovan. Remember that' snapped Rebus,' You might be the best there is but you fail to acknowledge or understand what is happening here'

Rebus took a deep breath to calm is already erupting anger down to simmering level and continued, 'Heaven is in disarray while the earth hasn't really been helpful. The failure of the Strike force and the death of 15 of our top angels have hit everyone hard. You know how many bad things happen on earth when a single angel dies and here it was a massacre.'
'Donovan I know you wanted to get out of this Archangel messenger stuff and do something. You were to be the guardian angel of Jack but he got killed because of these deaths. Shit happens.'

'Shit happens Rebus but you know the score with me. I don't take any one's shit back. Putting it right where it belongs is my mantra.'

'Donovan listen...'

"NO REBUS !!!! YOU FUCKING SHUT YOUR TRAP AND LISTEN. I'VE BEEN TAKING THIS CRAP FOR TOO LONG. YOU KNOW AND I DO, NO ONE CAN MATCH UP TO ME BUT I'VE BEEN WASTING AWAY MY LIFE FOR THE GOD IN WHOM I DO NOT BELIEVE IN AND FOR THE MORTALS WHO CAN FUCK THEMSELVES AND DIE FOR ALL I CARE.'

The silence between them amplified all the noises coming from the outside.
'I am done Rebus.' said Donovan at last.

Donovan walked out silently while Rebus tried to comprehend what to do.
Finally he picked the phone and dialled the number. 'Donovan just quit. I think he might create a problem.'

'I will deal with him' the voice on the other end said.


-----


The Grey vulture was just hovering outside the window and transmitting every syllable that was being exchanged inside the room.

'Now isn't that interesting.' thought the Grim Reaper as he heard the whole conversation in the confines of his cave.

The Coup- Part 2

TREMORS

Aris woke up with a start. The air was cool around him but he was perspiring like a can of Coke on a hot day. The words of Lucifer kept ringing in his head. His own God. Hands in gloves with Satan. Gifting him his angels like sheep to be slaughtered since countless centuries.

No one knew that in the dieing moments of Raul, Aris had broken protocol and made contact with him. He was the sole witness to the torture inflicted on Raul. His sweet, gentle Raul. His beautiful, strong companion. The only person he loved. How he had died with the hands of the Fire demon. Roasted alive. Two tears fell from Aris' eyes as he remembered Raul's last thought.

Someone has to pay for his death. But first he needed proof.


-----


Donovan was the Archangel of Vengeance. One of the best in the business but entangled so much in the bureaucratic maze of power that his chances of becoming a higher being were almost nil. Frustrated, angry and pissed off at everyone around him.
He stood in the middle of New Delhi with the downpour drenching his jet black wings. The first monsoon rain used to be a wonderful time to be here. With the smell of rain on the parched earth, cool breeze flowing through your hair taking away all the troubles with them and the ice cold water soaking your soul with its purity. But now all he saw was a world rushing past him at breakneck speed. Everyone in a hurry. Drivers screaming their head off at each other and the blazing horns eating away the sanity of one's mind. The uncaring, sweaty swarms of humans moving as the columns of the Spartan army. The bottlenecks on the roads and the smog that enveloped everything. The grandeur of the Taj Hotel striking a bleak contrast with the homeless living on the pavements. With the chance of the next terror strike just on the horizon, this place can give 'hell' a run for its money anytime.

'This is the world we are fighting for??' he wondered, 'These mortals fight each day to survive. Their life is a constant struggle, how can I expect them to be loving, compassionate and tolerant towards each other? How can anyone expect so much from them? For what purpose they were put on earth in the first place??'

A car suddenly banged the vehicle in front of it. A lady screamed as the two occupants got into a scuffle. Soon they were joined by a mob cheering them on.

Donovan shook his head. With hopelessness entering his heart, he wished his tenure will get over soon and he may get out of this job. Disillusioned with his kind and their work he soared into the sky. If only he had seen back once more he would have seen the lights of the city shining as a beacon of hope and might have felt reassured.

He might have also seen the Grey vulture following him.


-----


Jack was also running in a downpour through the streets of New York. But instead of musing on the the whole philosophy of his and his fellow beings existence, all his attention was focused on finding a cab. At 24, a recent Yale graduate with a looker of a girlfriend to sleep with every night, life was cruising according to 'the plan' for him. But like all the plans, this was destined to fail too.

And it started with his being shot dead by a mugger on the next street.


-----


'Every time an Angel dies, something bad happens on earth', thought God.

The Coup- Part 1

BETRAYAL

I started the long lonely walk towards the door behind which was the cause of all this destruction and the end of the road for me. I had no delusions, I wasn't going to survive this. The mission had 'Suicidal' written all over it from the day it was decided to be carried out. From the original party of 15, I was the only one who had survived to finish what we were sent to do. My comrades had laid their lives on the order of the greater being, sacrificed our selves to save the mortals. And the humans will never know.

The black mahogany door towered everything else around it. It might make a sound but after the fight the bodyguards had given us, maintaining silence became futile. The one behind the door must be alert by now. Just not enough was what I hoped for.
The door opened noiselessly and I stepped on a plush, wine red carpet. I scanned the room quickly for any movement and kept on walking. BIG MISTAKE.
Suddenly I sank into the carpet till my torso was above the ground. Chains, hot enough to burn my flesh came from nowhere tied my hands and wrapped around my neck. I noticed for the first time that the shadows I had so conveniently failed to notice, on account of my adrenaline rush, were creeping towards me, to send me down to the bottom of the pit where numbing agonies awaited me.

'Welcome my dear boy', a sharp, bone chilling voice traveled through the air, 'My guards didn't give you much trouble, did they?'

The target was right in front of me. All 6 foot 3 inches of his snake like body in front of me. He wore his trademark black with streaks of red with a violent smirk playing on his thin lips. His shiny, oily black hair were swept back and stuck to his scalp. He held in his hand a walking stick with a diamond of the size of a fist at the end.

And suddenly I understood why he was the second most powerful person since eternity.

I stopped struggling as it was a futile gesture now.

'Just give me one chance and I'll rip that smile off your face' I snarled.

'You are quite violent for an angel aren't you?' he laughed again.

'You might have survived me Lucifer but mark my words this won't end untill...'

'You want me to be scared of you, Son? Of you and your honey coated friends?? Me, the Lord of underworld scared of you who can only transform themselves into a Dove at the most?? God has a sense of humor I must agree. The supreme being of such pitiable servants.'

'He is greater than you, his message of love and peace is spreading everywhere. The one who is followed by millions on earth.'

'And the same beings kill each other on his different names? Cheat and kill their fellow beings. And you wonder why I call his servants pitiful. Tell me boy have you ever heard any one of my followers killing each other on the basis that I'm called Satan by some, Devil by others, and Mara and Asur by others?? NO. They follow my path. Follow my instructions to the letter.'

My brain refused to come up with a comeback.

'I don't ask them to perform complex rituals to please me. I don't need your Priests to spread my message. I just let them follow their basic animalistic nature. The nature YOUR God has given them. And THAT is the whole beauty of it son.'

His laugh raised a cold feeling of dread inside me, as if all of my insides had turned to ice. I looked around to find something to improve my present situation but every time a germ of a plan started to come to me my mind fogged. Aris's doing. Damn his protective nature.

'And you think your God to be so pure, so loving, so good??? Why do you think all my guards expected you?? Why do you think you witnessed a massacre on the way here?? Why only you have survived long enough to have an audience with me?? Why do you think God took away your wings so that you can't fly out of this quicksand??', his menacing laugh filled the room yet again.

'You poor naive fool. You were mine for the taking the moment you had agreed to come and assassinate me. Your God personally told me when to expect the 1003474388th holy strike to kill me.'

By now my jaw had welded shut by itself, all my neurons started fizzling out as his diabolical laugh entered my mind and wrapped itself around my soul. The fog in my mind had changed to a thick white wall by now and blocked all my abilities to think. I tried not to believe him, tried to have faith on my God but the seed of doubt had already been sown.

'It is nothing personal son, but every time an angel dies, my job on earth becomes much easier' he hissed.