Chapter 5

After millions of years, the sky had turned blue with the clouds white and peaceful.

The world was still quiet, spinning slowly through space with the moon orbiting around rather close.

The Being looked down at the vast ocean from their mountain top, staring down into the seemingly endless abyss of blue and black.

There was movement under the surface, The Being only watching.

The Being continued to watch as the water was growing more and more turbulent.

Something under the surface was growing rapidly.

Small, microscopic organisms that were invisible to the ***** eye. They were rapidly splitting apart, creating perfect copies over and over and over again.

Cells growing larger and larger and larger.

The cells bunching and beginning to become visible.

Life was starting.

Ash-Shaytān was standing near one of the columns of the Pantheon, his Brother Azrael standing with him.

“We must have more of our Brothers and Sisters come to our side. We need them to gain the control of Father’s throne.” Ash-Shaytān whispered.

“How will you do that Brother?” Azrael asked.

“I will use my greatest skill, my silver tongue.” Ash-Shaytān said with a smile, reaching up to rub the back of Azrael’s head.

All of the other Angels were still standing around all throughout the Pantheon. They were all loudly discussing the exact same topic…

Who would be the new God to watch over the Universe?

Ash-Shaytān smoothly darted in between the large clusters of his Brothers and Sisters, moving around looking for a perfect target to talk to next.

Over at the edge, a marble railing that looked over the vast emptiness that existed outside of time and space. No stars to twinkle or shine light. Only black darkness.

“My lovely Sister Verchiel, I have missed you so.”

The Angel turned, looking at Ash-Shaytān with a soft but hesitant smile.

“Brother, what brings you over to me?” She asked.

“I noticed none of our siblings were paying you any attention. I simply could not stand by and leave you alone.” Ash-Shaytān replied as they leaned against the railing.

Verchiel sighed and tried to look away from him.

“Well that is very kind of you Brother, but I do not wish to discuss anything with you.” She said.

“And why is that Sister?” Ash-Shaytān asked.

“You were banished from here for a very good reason. You were sent away because you were unstable. A monster. And yet you come here to show false sympathy in hopes that we believe you changed. In hopes that we would let you take the throne of our Holy Father. You are mad.” Verchiel said, ending with tears beginning to form and gritting their teeth.

Ash-Shaytān held his hand out, as if waiting for permission for Verchiel to take or accept it.

She was hesitant, looking down at the slender and unkept hand that was covered in black dust that seemed to be fused into his skin, unable to be washed away.

She finally took her hand and softly placed it in his.

“I simply want what is best for this Universe that our Father…Peace be upon him.” Ash-Shaytān said as Verchiel wiped their eye with their free hand.

“I only…I only do what He asked of me.” Verchiel replied.

“And now, you could have the chance to make Father proud once again. I remember that you were one of his favorite children.” Ash-Shaytān said while their other hand went up, brushing hair out of Verchiel’s face and wiping the tear away.

“I only wish to make Him proud.” She said with a smile.

“We will be able to do it together. Do you trust me?” Ash-Shaytān asked.

Verchiel did not respond for a few seconds, as if thinking it over as thoroughly as she could.

“Is everything alright?” A voice interrupted.

Both of them turned to look at one of their Brothers.

“Brother Jophiel.” Ash-Shaytān released Verchiel’s hand, opening his arms to try and wrap around Jophiel with a hug, yet was stopped as Jophiel put his hand to Ash-Shaytān’s chest.

“I could not help but overhear your conversation.” Jophiel said, looking over at Verchiel. He nodded his head slightly to the side, Verchiel nodding in response before taking off walking away from her two brothers.

“Why are you here Ash-Shaytān?” Jophiel leaned in and whispered.

“Because…”

“And if you dare lie to me like you lied to all of our Brothers and Sisters, I shall banish you back to whence you came.” Jophiel interrupted.

Ash-Shaytān stared at Jophiel with nerves visible on his face.

Yet he quickly smiled, wrapping his arm over the shoulders of Jophiel.

“Look out Brother. You see all of our siblings here, brought together because of our Father, Peace be upon him. Glory be upon him. He was a great man. A loving, understanding, and strong man. And yet, he sat by as the world ended. He cared about his creations. All of them. The thousands of beings he created including us. And yet, he let them die.” Ash-Shaytān said.

“Because Father did not wish to interfere. He created those thousands of beings to live free lives. Not be influenced or have their lives changed by His doing.” Jophiel immediately replied back.

“But listen here Brother, don’t you wish that we could help them? That we could help the lovely and beautiful creations that our Father spent thousands of years dreaming about and creating? Do they not deserve to live the glorious life that he obviously wanted for them?” Ash-Shaytān asked, pulling his lips closer to Jophiel’s ear.

Jophiel crossed his arms as he stared forward.

“I will not be tricked or seduced into your ways of evil. We will continue to only be watchers and observers. We are not to interfere, just as our Father wished.” Jophiel replied.

Jophiel began to walk away, Ash-Shaytān’s fake smile slowly waning away.

“Who else is there?” He asked himself as he looked around.

His eyes locked onto one Angel in particular, immediately making him smile.

“This…could work out well.” He said quietly to himself.

Ash-Shaytān made his way over, ending in a small group of multiple Angels.

“Brother Michael, Brother Gabriel, Brother Raphael, Sister Jeremiel, Sister Raguel, Sister Zerachiel and Sister Remiel.”

They all turned to look at Ash-Shaytān, all of them with judgemental faces and arms crossed.

“What does our former Brother wish to speak to us about?” Jeremiel asked.

Ash-Shaytān looked at her curiously, a smile forming as he tried to play it off calm and collected.

“Former Brother? My Sister what do you mean by such a thing?” Ash-Shaytān asked.

“You were one of us. Until you went against Father and were stripped of your title, your name, and your place here.” Zerachiel replied.

Ash-Shaytān sighed and looked at each of his siblings.

“I understand. We were our Father’s first children. You were all made from the very light that our great Father created to bring life to this Universe.” Ash-Shaytān said.

“And yet…you were not made from light, were you?” Michael asked, crossing his arms.

Ash-Shaytān’s face dropped, as if that very question had gotten to him deeper than anything that could be said.

He struggled to keep the smile, but it was no use.

“Brother Michael…a pleasure to see you once again.”

“There is no pleasure wherever you travel.” Michael replied.

Ash-Shaytān was obviously struggling to keep his composure.

“I just wanted to have a chat with my closest, oldest siblings. We must be the ones to discuss and figure out the future of this place. Of The Pantheon. Of this Universe our Father worked so hard to create.”

Ash-Shaytān said as seductively as he could.

The other Angels looked over at each other, each of them sharing glances before they all turned back.

“We do not wish to discuss anything without all of our siblings being involved. And we certainly do not wish for you to be here. You being anywhere other than your home is disrespecting our Father’s wishes.” Gabriel said.

Ash-Shaytān’s eye subtly twitched.

“I came to pay my respects.” Ash-Shaytān said, his rage on the surface and preparing to bubble over.

“Yet here you are, trying to politic your way into power.” Gabriel replied.

Ash-Shaytān clenched his fists tightly, but rather quickly they released.

His shoulders rolled back, his back straight and his face calm.

“I was banished from this place, that is true. You, the Seven Seraphs that were born before me, were created from the very first light to ever shine on this Universe. The first light that our Father created using his infinite power and wisdom. And it is true that I was not formed from light, but rather from fire that he created using that light. I am not pure of light like all of you, but I also know that we are the ones that must take control of this situation. All of our younger siblings were made from the very light that was used to create you. You are the ones who should rule, and I should at the very least be given a chance to show my worth. To show that I have been rehabilitated in my time away from my true home here in the Promised Land. I will do whatever I must to show you that I only want what is best for us, and for that Universe below us. I say that we form a council. A Seraphim like we once were when Father was creating the very thing we are supposed to watch over. We will guide it to be the thriving place that our Father would have wanted it to be. All I wish to do is to make our glorious, loving Father proud and show Him that I have changed. Show him that I can be the Son that he wished for me to be.” Ash-Shaytān said, his eyes growing more and more tearful as he spoke.

The other Angels looked at each other, sharing unsure glances.

Some were still very much against anything that Ash-Shaytān said, while others seemed to consider it.

To pity him.

“We shall discuss this matter in private. When we have reached our decision, we will find you. Is that alright with you Brother?” Michael asked.

Ash-Shaytān rubbed his eyes and softly laughed, trying to sound weak and vulnerable.

“Yes Brother…that is most gracious of you. Thank you.”

Ash-Shaytān bowed as the other Angels looked at each other.

They turned their backs and began to walk away, making it to the back of the Pantheon which sat empty and unused.

Once they were far enough, Ash-Shaytān stood upright. He smiled wide, his tears quickly disappearing as he began to walk back towards Azrael, his face emotionless.

He had tricked his older siblings once again.

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