A blast of light. Another dark angel fell, dead. Gabriel flinched as the corpse hit the ground. He darted past it before his eyes could linger.
As he led the Powers to the castle, dark angels assailed them, and every time Gabriel never failed to cut them down. A blast of light here. A cackle of lighting there. It barely made a dent in his divine energy reserves, as the dark angels were mostly Powers.
They died easily. Too easily.
"Just a little further till the castle, my friends. Hold strong!" Amaranth's voice. Steady. Reassuring. He looked behind him. The civilians were huddled close, carefully trailing behind him as they flew toward the castle. The barrier he had cast over them had kept them safe from any stray attacks. It was his first time protecting people, and his first time in a battle. They had to be safe if he made any mistakes.
He wished he had Amaranth's demeanor, as she worked to calm her companions, wished he had Michael's skill, Sariel's charm, Raphael's detachment, anything that would make this easier on his mind.
"Worry not, brethren. I'll ensure no harm comes to you." Too distant. But it was the brave face they needed.
Halfway through the flight to the castle, ten more foes attacked. Nine Powers led by a Cherubim. The Powers charged at him, swords, axes, and spears enhanced with the black glow of their energy. The Cherubim, more refined in her use of Influence, bathed several crumbling buildings with her energy, her palms outstretched and aglow with dark power. The buildings crumbled, their debris shaped into all sorts of weaponry ablaze with dark fire. The weapons launched towards him with a wave of her hand.
He took a breath, outstretched a palm, and called on his power. His palm shone an intense, brilliant blue, and for a moment reality bent to his will. A massive beam of light burst from his palm and engulfed the charging angels and the Cherubim. It tore through several buildings and travelled across the Holy City, scorching the air and earth in its path.
Too Much. Too much. Stop!
He yanked his hand away—laying waste to a few more blocks and a few stray dark angels in the process—before finally managing to halt the flow of his divine energy.
Michael's words flooded his mind. "You're too inexperienced. Your skill with Influence is laughable for someone of your station. Stay back, you'll only be a liability."
Michael was right. He should have stayed back. What use was his vast power if he could barely control it? And even if he could control it, every single life he took weighed on him like a mountain. If only Lumiel were here. They shouldn't have split up when they got to the city. He'd only get these poor Powers killed—
A series of gasps broke him out of his stupor. He turned. The Powers beheld him with nothing short of admiration in their eyes. Whispers such as 'By Jehovah' and 'So powerful' floated through them.
He sighed. Right. No matter what, protecting these Powers was something he could do. And he'd be damned if he couldn't do it right!
He hoped his smile was reassuring. "As I said, nothing will harm you. Let's go."
Amaranth looked concerned. "Archangel Gabriel, are you…alright? Your halo…it's flickering."
Gabriel smiled and steeled his emotions. The flickering ceased. "I'm fine. Perfectly so. The attack took quite a bit of my divine energy reserves. That's all." That much was true. He lost a whole quarter of his reserves. He shook off the exhaustion creeping in.
Finally, they drew closer to the floating castle's gates. He wished he could have just teleported them there. It was a trick Lucifer—goodness, just the thought of him ached—taught him a while back ago. But Raphael had fortified the entire city against such tactics to prevent ambushes.
Gabriel waved at the guards, about to signal to them to open the barriers and gates for them, when his divine senses screamed at him. Before he could truly think, he cast a stronger barrier over himself and the Powers.
Then, the world went up in black flames.
The fires licked at his barrier. Gabriel grit his teeth as his upheld arms trembled. His barrier was starting to crack. The Powers were screaming. He could faintly hear Amaranth trying to calm them over the roar of the flames.
I can't let them die.
With a roar of his own, the barrier extended into a wave of blue light that washed the flames away.
Chest heaving up and down, Gabriel turned his gaze to the Powers. They looked shaken, but physically, they were fine. He turned to the gates and his eyes widened. There was a hole in the barrier. The guards manning the battlements were dead, with gaping holes where their chests used to be.
And then there was him. A dark angel floated before the massive double gates of the castle.
Like the others, he was adorned in armor blacker than the night sky. His halo was void—blackness where his divinity should've shone, and the entirety of his face was covered in a void-like mask. But what made Gabriel's breath hitch was how he differed from the rest. Streaks of long, silver hair cascaded down his head to his waist. Six pitch black wings fluttered lightly behind him, keeping him afloat with an ease an Archangel could never have.
Before Gabriel was a Seraph. The highest class of angels.
"You survived. Good. Though I would be disappointed if Heaven's first Archangel, God's Messenger, was so easily slain."
The Seraph voice was rough, warbled. As if it came from some sort of void. It was the first time Gabriel had heard a dark angel speak. It sent shivers down his spine.
Gabriel's voice quivered. "A Seraph?" Then, he glared. "Who are you?" Simple. Direct. As menacing as he could make a question.
"Hmm?" The Seraph cocked a head. "So forward! I expected trembling. Your followers have the right idea," he said as he leveled his spear at them.
Gabriel's glare hardened. "I know all the Seraphs. Besides the Virtues and I, your kind is the closest to the Almighty. I find it…maddening that one of you would betray Him."
The Seraph made what sounded like a laugh. "You might as well lose your head then, our forces aren't as weak as you'd hoped."
The Powers murmured behind Gabriel. Amaranth gripped his shoulder. He didn't need to look; the force of her grip said enough.
"Why? What could Lucifer have possibly offered you that would be worth all this?" Gabriel said, waving his hand to the battles around them.
The Seraph clicked his tongue. "So many questions, so little reason for me to answer. Tell you what," the Seraph spun his spear, "get the civilians past me, and I'll answer one of your questions." He raised a hand. "Before you ask me how you can trust me—you have my word."
"You expect me to trust the word of a traitor?" Gabriel asked. Sparks of light flared at his clenched fists. Amaranth gripped his shoulder tighter.
"Well." The Seraph's palm glowed a dark gold. "You don't have a choice."
He snapped his fingers.
A wave of darkness burst forth.
No, the Powers—
Gabriel's vision went black.