Creator?”
“Yes. The light that made everything. The one you call God.”
“So you’ve met him? It’s a him? What’s he like?” Lilliah smiled as she spoke, but Azrael was completely straight faced and serious.
“No one has met the Creator. Not even the highest of archangels. We’re just like humans in that respect. We need to have faith.”
A little twinge of doubt started to form at the bottom of her stomach. “Right.” She took in a deep breath, for the first time trying to really imagine what he was telling her. “This is crazy.” She shook her head before turning back to him, her knee bouncing with energy. “So if all of this was real, who was I? In Heaven and in the war?”
“You didn’t fight,” he replied softly, moving to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear.
Lilliah stared at him for a moment, a little shocked by the intimate gesture. She spoke after a second of silence. “But you said people had to fight, that they didn’t have a choice?”
“The archangels made their own rules. And you were Michael’s favourite daughter. So because of that, you were locked away from the war. You were locked away from everything.”
“Michael?” She felt like she was repeating everything he was telling her, but she couldn’t help it; she felt as if she was in a strange twilight zone. “As in the Archangel Michael?”
“Yes. Supposedly the right hand of God.”
“Wow,” she breathed, trying to remember everything she had been taught in her religious education class, everything that had now been revealed to be a lie. “Of course I am.” She stood up, bouncing from one foot to the other, no longer able to just sit and listen. “Of course I'm someone important. I mean, I've heard all the stories about people finding out about their past lives and stuff. None of them are ever dull, boring people, are they? No one has ever come out of those things and said, “Oh, I was a hermit in my last life and I didn't leave my house,” did they?” Lilliah turned to him but didn't wait for an answer. "Oh, no. They all had amazing, exciting lives!" Lilliah stopped rambling for a second to look at Azrael. “So how old would that even make you?” She carefully sat down beside him once again.
“Very old.” He smiled down at her. “You constantly surprise me. I think you’re about to do or say one thing, but you turn around and do the complete opposite.”
“Is that a good thing?” Lilliah asked, suddenly very self-conscious.
“When you’ve lived through what I’ve lived through, unpredictability is what you crave.”
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke, and the charged energy sizzled around them. “And you’re right, you are someone important.”
“Oh, God.” She shook her head adamantly. “None of this is real. It just can't be!”
“It is real,” Azrael stressed. “Think about what you saw in your kitchen, think about what attacked you. How could that be possible if this wasn’t real?”
“Oh, God. Oh, God.” Lilliah sat forward, her head in her hands. “Right.” Her head shot up. “So if I'm an angel, why am I not that old?” she challenged, on the verge of having a mental breakdown.
“I’ll get to that bit,” he promised, moving back slightly, his movements casual. “The war had been going on for too long, with neither side winning. The chaos eventually spilled onto Earth.”
“So were all the angels fighting on Earth fallen?” Lilliah interrupted, clearing her throat. Even as she didn’t believe the story, she couldn’t help but want to know more about the world he was describing.
“No. You’re only fallen when Heaven is closed off to you. They call it ‘falling’ because that’s what it feels like. You could be standing on Earth’s solid ground and then suddenly feel as though you’re falling through the sky at a hundred miles an hour,” he explained softly, trying to give her a minute to put the pieces together.
“I had a dream like that
“Yes. The light that made everything. The one you call God.”
“So you’ve met him? It’s a him? What’s he like?” Lilliah smiled as she spoke, but Azrael was completely straight faced and serious.
“No one has met the Creator. Not even the highest of archangels. We’re just like humans in that respect. We need to have faith.”
A little twinge of doubt started to form at the bottom of her stomach. “Right.” She took in a deep breath, for the first time trying to really imagine what he was telling her. “This is crazy.” She shook her head before turning back to him, her knee bouncing with energy. “So if all of this was real, who was I? In Heaven and in the war?”
“You didn’t fight,” he replied softly, moving to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear.
Lilliah stared at him for a moment, a little shocked by the intimate gesture. She spoke after a second of silence. “But you said people had to fight, that they didn’t have a choice?”
“The archangels made their own rules. And you were Michael’s favourite daughter. So because of that, you were locked away from the war. You were locked away from everything.”
“Michael?” She felt like she was repeating everything he was telling her, but she couldn’t help it; she felt as if she was in a strange twilight zone. “As in the Archangel Michael?”
“Yes. Supposedly the right hand of God.”
“Wow,” she breathed, trying to remember everything she had been taught in her religious education class, everything that had now been revealed to be a lie. “Of course I am.” She stood up, bouncing from one foot to the other, no longer able to just sit and listen. “Of course I'm someone important. I mean, I've heard all the stories about people finding out about their past lives and stuff. None of them are ever dull, boring people, are they? No one has ever come out of those things and said, “Oh, I was a hermit in my last life and I didn't leave my house,” did they?” Lilliah turned to him but didn't wait for an answer. "Oh, no. They all had amazing, exciting lives!" Lilliah stopped rambling for a second to look at Azrael. “So how old would that even make you?” She carefully sat down beside him once again.
“Very old.” He smiled down at her. “You constantly surprise me. I think you’re about to do or say one thing, but you turn around and do the complete opposite.”
“Is that a good thing?” Lilliah asked, suddenly very self-conscious.
“When you’ve lived through what I’ve lived through, unpredictability is what you crave.”
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke, and the charged energy sizzled around them. “And you’re right, you are someone important.”
“Oh, God.” She shook her head adamantly. “None of this is real. It just can't be!”
“It is real,” Azrael stressed. “Think about what you saw in your kitchen, think about what attacked you. How could that be possible if this wasn’t real?”
“Oh, God. Oh, God.” Lilliah sat forward, her head in her hands. “Right.” Her head shot up. “So if I'm an angel, why am I not that old?” she challenged, on the verge of having a mental breakdown.
“I’ll get to that bit,” he promised, moving back slightly, his movements casual. “The war had been going on for too long, with neither side winning. The chaos eventually spilled onto Earth.”
“So were all the angels fighting on Earth fallen?” Lilliah interrupted, clearing her throat. Even as she didn’t believe the story, she couldn’t help but want to know more about the world he was describing.
“No. You’re only fallen when Heaven is closed off to you. They call it ‘falling’ because that’s what it feels like. You could be standing on Earth’s solid ground and then suddenly feel as though you’re falling through the sky at a hundred miles an hour,” he explained softly, trying to give her a minute to put the pieces together.
“I had a dream like that
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