Miles LightWing's Story

Miles could feel a shift in the celestial winds before he saw anything, he knew something was wrong instinctively. Then the blood curdling shriek tore through the air; Miles clutched his ears and fell to his knees as he felt his very essence bend and tremble with the force.

Eerie silence blanketed his conscious; it was as though he was watching a silent film. He saw the seraph spin, her wings fanning in a radiant arc before the demon made contact. Deep blue-crimson blood spilling over her eyes from a long gash in her forehead. NO! Miles thought he screamed as he struggled to his feet shaking his head slightly, he knew others were moving, but who and to where he was unsure.

Taking a bounding step he launched himself over the crowd of thrashing angels and demons his wings snapping in to position, he had to help her.
She was pinned, the demon pressing her into the ground. Miles angled downward hoping to beat the foul creature off of the sacred protector, but he was a moment too late. He saw the claws sink into her chest as though he was watching in slow motion. He could see pain flash in her eyes as angelic blood began to well around the demons claws. Unsheathing his dagger, Miles twirled gracefully above the demon and plunged the dagger into the back of its neck severing the spinal cord.

The demons body slumped to the side uncovering part of the seraphs body. The vile thing still had its claws lodged deep into her body, horror and grief appeared in Miles, he could not stand the sight of this desecration. With gentle fingers, he pulled the demon from her chest, Laying her hands gently over her stomach as he pushed a few stray strands of bloodied hair from her face.

Miles only wished he knew the sacred protectors name; they had never had a reason to converse thus they had never been introduced. He turned his face to the rest of the congregation, sorrow pooling in his dark blue eyes, opening his mouth to speak he hesitated, feeling a change in the air around the seraph, it had begun to electrify. Miles gasped, his feet lifting off the floor, there seemed to be some energy, an energy propelling him away from the sacred protector.

Frightened that the demon had done something to the sacred protectors body he reached out, gently taking one of her hands in his.
"They will not claim you for the dark!" he screamed, pouring his own energy into the charged air. Small vortexes of energy began to spin around them, growing larger and larger as the seconds passed. He felt her slipping from his grasp, slipping away disintegrating. With a final desperate burst of energy, he grasped for her fingertips even as he felt them slip from his grasp. Suddenly he was falling,

Falling through darkness,

Falling endlessly,

There was a loud crack and suddenly Miles could see something vaguely blue; sky. A few moments passed as the wind rushed past him, buffeting his body. Abruptly his shoulder connected with something hard and all consciousness was lost.
Blood pooled from his ears, and where the blood seeped into the earth tiny bleeding heart flowers began to bloom.

The slow, steady lapping of gentle waves against the shore greeted Miles as he slowly regained consciousness. As his mind slowly returned he found himself paralyzed, mind locked within a bent and broken body. He could feel the places in his back where his spine had snapped, he could also feel the coarse sand against his wings and along his bare back. He gasped as movement slowly began to return to certain parts of his body. He could only assume that he had fallen, and a deep, fathomless well of despair built within him. He had fallen from grace; forced from heaven, to wander the earth for the rest of eternity, seeking some unattainable recompense.

There was no death for fallen angels, only eternal torment.
Suddenly a small weight was lifted from Miles' chest, and he watched as a small pendant bearing the insignia of the virtue of air hung suspended before his eyes. "What sorcery is this?" He whispered through barely moving lips. Suddenly he felt his body shake slightly as the wind spun below him, lifting his broken body off the sand, holding him aloft. With a violent shift in the wind, he felt the breaks in his spine realign.

How is this possible? He wondered as his body was placed gently back on the sand.
If I have truly fallen then I should not still have my powers. The pieces didn’t add up, thus Miles felt he must seek council. His faculties returned with the mending of his back.

Miles stood in the shallow depression he had created and surveyed the scene before him. Despair overwhelmed him as he looked in horror at the destruction before him. The deserted shells of broken million dollar homes lined the shoreline like an endless parade of specters. The sea had risen up to spite the owners of these homes, ones who thought they could tempt nature on a whim and win.
With little more than a flutter of his wings, Miles flew into the nearest building, hoping to find some salvageable clothes. Using his wings to keep most of his weight suspended, he moved through the rickety building looking for a closet or any sort of area that might hold clothing. Deep in the recesses of the gutted house he found what could have been the master bath, through which doors lead out into a large room that had at one time been home to many of this families treasures.

Finally he found a dresser, and, pulling open one of the drawers he found an old pair of sweat pants and a ratty tee shirt. With swift decisive action, he broke through one of the remaining intact windows gliding to the beach below. Wrapping his wings tightly about himself he slid the pants and the shirt over his body.

With a deep breath, he took off running, down the beach and onto one of the connecting roads to Manhattan Island. He had to find Aline, the principality.
People on the streets scoured him with strange looks as he ran past, a wing shaped sweat pattern lining the back of his shirt.

It would have been so much easier to fly, he thought to himself miserably. Alas, heavenly protocol required all angels to remain earth bound while in the presence of humans.
He felt it before he truly knew he had found her office, the aura of angelic power was quite powerful even though the large tinted glass window mimicked all the buildings surrounding it. He paused before the door his hand rested on the handle. Taken aback by his reflection he faltered.

His head was adorned with a shock of bright white hair matted with sweat and disheveled yet not the color he remembered from the last time he had traveled to earth. With a puzzled shake of his head, he pulled the door open and went inside.

Seeing that she was not in, he decided to wait for her.

Aline stiffened. Bune. Of course. How could she have forgotten a Fallen like him? The accursed demon was one of the worst any of her kind had encountered, and it seemed impossible to her that he was once one of the angels. Aline had never wanted to be face to face to him, because although she was powerful, she was no warrior angel, she was a protector. Now, she wanted to know how he had somehow been.. Deleted from her mind. She wondered darkly if only her memory of him had been clouded over, or if she was immune to feeling his presence in the city. She must have been, for she did not note an extra demon of his power enter the state lately.
Bune offered her some refreshments, but before she could decline, he rang for them. She felt annoyed irrationally - She should have been above annoyance, but he fact he spoke for her settled bad with her already tense state.

"But back to the matter at hand; the angel, do you know of her?"

Aline didn't speak for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I know very little at the moment. I have yet to speak with the Power, as I believe he is trying to deal with the Fallen One now, and I was intercepted by you on my way." She crossed her legs. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have bothered her that she was wearing the 'normal human wear'- a shirt and sweatpants. But Bune was an ancient demon and quite well dressed, and she felt that perhaps the demon put more stock into appearance than Angels did. Either way, she felt undermined.

Not letting her feelings show on her face or voice she spoke. "Are you disappointed I couldn't inform you of the latest gossip, or is there something you'd like to tell me?"

And just then, she felt another mental earthquake, considerably less violent than the first. Yet, with this celestial wave of energy, came a sweet noise, like a chime. It wasn't a Fallen - but one of her brothers did fall to Earth. Miles, she believed it was. This fall wasn't planned - She would have been informed ahead, so she could welcome him. His essence seemed to be one of Virtue, particularly air. She felt an overwhelming concern for him, and wished this meeting would end as soon as possible so she could help her brother.

A Seraph.

He was lying, obviously. It couldn't have been true. They were infallible. Mere demons couldn't take one down, let alone drop her to Earth. And besides that, they needed to get past the Cherubim. As she was busy comprehending it, he bade her farewell, strolled to a window and leapt out. She watched him angrily, wishing he had given her a chance to interrogate him about his ridiculous lie. But the fact was, what she sensed next to the Power Angel was far more powerful than the average angel. She had hoped it was a Throne, and she was terrified to think it was a Cherub. But a Seraph never crossed her mind. It was unthinkable to think that one of God's favorites had been successfully attacked.

She followed his example by dropping out of a window, but she chose one at the back of the room that opened up into the alleyways. She slipped through the air lightly and landed soft enough on the concrete. First, she had to speak to the Virtue. Perhaps he could explain what happened. And secondly, she would call the Power with the Seraph, to her. She needed to deal with this now. This was Angel folly and the people of New York would not suffer for it.

She hurried out of the alley and caught a cab immediately. Guardian angels were good at planting the idea of helpfulness into their humans' mind when it came to Aline. She was at her office in ten minutes, and she paid the cabby, barely remembering to tip him so he could buy a bike for his two year old son. She didn't wait around for his reaction, but his Angel's happiness radiated around the car.

She took the stairs to the entrance two at a time and pushed the doors open. There he was, in dirty clothes, waiting for her. "Miles, brother, what are you doing here?" She extended her arms and hugged him. "Your visit wasn't scheduled! Are you okay?"

Miles sat quietly in the stone entryway. Staring absently at the opposite wall, it occurred to him that no human had even once looked at the office building since he had arrived. Feeling somewhat safe he removed his shirt swiftly slicing two holes into the back just along the shoulder blades. He then replaced the shirt and unfurled his wings through the holes breathing a sigh of relief as they began to dry out, no longer glued to his sweat covered body.

Aline pulled open the door open and before she had stepped into the building Miles was on his feet, moving toward her a mix of relief and trepidation a wash of his face. "Miles, brother, what are you doing here?" She queried as she enveloped his limp body into a warm hug. "Your visit wasn't scheduled! Are you okay?" concern was clear in her eyes.

"Merciful sister, I bear grave news!" he said as his knees buckled beneath him and he slipped out of her arms to kneel slumped at her feet.
" heaven has been attacked! A seraph... she fell... the demon had his claws in her chest...." he said straining to keep is voice from cracking.
Broken pieces of thoughts and memories flooded his mind overwhelming him, "Her body, it-it... I could not let them claim her.... tried to stop them.... too late". His voice breaking as tears flowed hotly down his cheeks "I tried!" he said in a strangled whisper.

A moment of silence passed as the emotion Miles had been overwhelmed by subsided.

"Smite me, sister." he said, his whisper gaining a steely edge.
"Smite me for I have fallen." He took a deep stuttering breath and continued despair heavy in his voice.
"I failed to protect the sacred protector and for that I have been cast from heaven,"
"Make your retribution swift and I shall go willingly" he said, Pulling the silver chain with the pendant of virtue from his neck and placing it at her feet.

As soon as his fingertips left the cold metal he felt his wings heat up, they began to glow, bright white light pulsing from them. A few moments passed and the heat began to subside and as it did the edges of his wings began to lose definition and as the light faded they disappeared completely.
This was the end of him. he could feel all traces of power leaving his body, he was truly a shell of his former self just as the houses along breezy point had been.

"Brother! No!" She knelt next to him and watched in horror as his wings flared up and then began to disappear. She felt the power that hummed in his body still itself, but it didn't die out. It was simply hushed. She frowned to herself - She didn't know what Miles did to quell his power, but he didn't quite manage it. There was hope he could return to his angelic powers, despite what he did.

"She was saved, Miles. She fell, yes, but a Power has taken her under his wing. He will be with us shortly." She pressed the palm of her hand to his face and rubbed away his tears. "She will then tell you how she survived, but rest assured you played a major part in her recovery. I refuse to smite you, for you did no wrong." Here, she stood up, and supported him with her. For the first time, she noted a stench coming from him - or more correctly, his clothes. Angels had no personal smell. She resolved to bring him upstairs when he regained his strength. There he could shower where he could stretch his wings, and Aline was sure she had men's clothes in some of the spare rooms.

"I don't think you are aware of it, but here on Earth, you are still an Angel of Virtue, as you were not cast from Heaven." She reached down and picked up his chain. She wanted to examine it, for it was beauty of angelic style, but she felt it may be rude. She slipped it into his hand and closed his fingers around it. "You do not answer to me, but this is my city. You are welcome here, of course, to stay as long as you wish. I have several safe houses about the city where you can stay if you visit. As for now, while you're adjusting to life on Earth, I'd request you stay here, until you're totally on your feet. Same with the Seraph, except I'd like if she'd stay here permanently until we can somehow devise a plan to send her home."

Aline continued to support Miles, as they walked towards the elevator. She pressed the button for the fifth floor, and waited. Every moment, Aline was aware of human deaths. Death never made her grieve, but she did feel for the humans left behind in confusion and pain. But it was rare, incredibly rare, that she felt the death of an angel. Yet, now, everything that normally didn't happen, seemed to be happening today. A pain seared through her chest as what felt like a mental knife cut through her breast, and an Angel's light flickered and died even before she could draw a breath. She groaned and let go of Miles, afraid she'd pull him off balance in her distress.

Paul. an old angel, but one new to Earth. He chose to be a Power because he felt it was his duty after so many years in Heaven, to protect the Lord's creations. He wasn't cowardly, but apprehensive, for Earth was so abstract from Heaven. He was here for over a year now, and he was as much of her brother as Miles was. She tipped her head back in an attempt to halt the flow of tears that burned behind her eyelids.

Why were so many woeful things happening now? she thought in despair. It began with the Seraph. A little well of dislike pooled inside of Aline, and she wasn't accustomed to the emotion. And now that God is displeased he lost his little pet, the angels will pay. Aline didn't let her thoughts completely rule over her emotions, but still, she couldn't deny that the Falling of a brother and a death of another within an hour were terrible things.

Miles' mind began to lose its clarity, as the remnants of his angelic power seeped from his body. He felt weak, broken. The crushing depression that began to consume him dampened his sisters sharp, "Brother! No!", as she knelt down next to him.

Aline put a hand on his shoulder and began to speak "She was saved," she said brushing the tears from his cheeks. Miles lifted his head to look at her, hope budding in his chest. He marveled briefly at her compassion for one so broken. She continued to speak, bits and pieces floating through his addled brain. ..."I refuse to smite you"...Here she stood, gently lifting him to his feet, the chain with the pendant clutched in her free hand. He felt it better not to speak for fear of breaking down again. "...you are still an Angel of Virtue...” she said as she glanced at the pendant, obviously curious. They were moving toward the elevator at the back of the office space.

He felt her slip the pendant into his hand and, as soon as the cool metal touched his skin energy rocketed through his body, this time a different interference began to cloud his mind; white noise much like the energy of the fall began to muddle his senses. It felt as if someone was shoving a thousand daggers into his brain and into every nerve in his body, his knees began to buckle again and Aline held him up, the only thing that kept him moving forward and not slumped on the floor. He knew she was talking but he could not hear, could not see, and could not cry out. He could feel only the pain of his powers reentering his body, and that to forsake his powers as he had unwittingly done would result in this pain every time. The pain began to subside as they made it to the elevator.

Aline pressed the button for the fifth floor and the doors closed before them, straightening up he leaned less heavily on Aline, her arm still slung comfortably around his waist.
As the elevator began to move Miles once again felt a searing, painful heat enter his chest, he knew of this pain, though it happened so rarely. This was the pain of a fallen brother, the death of an angel, What, No! he thought as he clutched his chest, his fingernails cutting small holes in the shirt he was wearing as he felt the energy flicker and then die.

A deeper more profound sorrow fell over him, he could see that Aline was feeling the same way as she tried to hold back the tears that seemed to threaten her composure. Miles wrapped his weak limbs around her pulling her into a simple hug.
“This is not the end, her fall and his death does not signify the end of peace on earth," he said, breathing in the clean scent of her shampoo,
“We will stop this."

The doors to the fifth floor opened, releasing her from the simple embrace he stepped out into the hall gracefully and, after pausing to let her though followed her down to the room at the end of the passage. Bidding her farewell, he moved into the room surveying the seeming luxury. With swift efficient movements he peeled the dirty clothes from his body and moved to the shower.

Letting the water cleanse him and wash away the sorrow and pain he had become so well acquainted with during his visit to the mortal world, he stood beneath the flow and basked in the soothing nature of the element. soon he was clean and dry, wearing clothes that were more befitting of his style; a mint green, short sleeved dress shirt and black slacks. He sat down on the bed running his fingers through his hair as he sighed comfortably.

Aline stepped back into the elevator, sure that Miles would make himself at home. There was a map of the building in his room if he needed to get to her when he was finished and a phone with her number next to it. She pressed the button for the highest floor, hers. Stepping into her little haven, she turned on the air conditioning. It wasn't even a warm season, but she felt too hot. It was the poison of anger in her veins. She threw down her things and went to her desk. Picking up her pen, she settled down in her seat.

I request your presence, Grantus, if you will. I am waiting for you at my office. Please bring Ms. Pure with you. We have much to discuss, and I am afraid for both of your safety. You are aware that New York City isn't a safe place, even for angels, and especially for a Seraph. The demons are fully aware of her 'arrival' and I am not so naive as to believe they won't try take advantage of a perfect hostage.
Hurry.
A.

She finished the note and walked to the window. A dirty street dove was waiting for her, like she wanted. She tied the note to its leg, and then brushed the dirt off its wings. She gave the dove a little chunk of meat and then sent it flying. The dove would find them quicker than any other means of communication. Aline assumed Grantus had a phone, but Aline always preferred personalized notes - Those couldn't be forged.

Then, she continued to do what she normally did at home. She began planning her next few days. She had things she needed to cancel. She couldn't take her daily walk around the city, nor her rounds at the soup kitchens. She'd prioritize the important things, and spend the rest of her time trying to get in touch with a Throne and dealing with the Seraph.

Aline checked her watch. The angels should be arriving soon. Standing up, her human body ached. Aline wondered if it was stress, as she knew that bodies on Earth we affected by their mind's state. Shrugging to herself, she changed out of her casual clothes into more suitable attire. As a personal affect, she added a small garden flower to the lapel of her grey jacket.

Stepping into elevator, she pressed the button to go to floor five. She needed to let Miles know that they were in their way, even before he could sense them near. Common politeness, in her opinion. She passed on the message, but returned quickly to the elevator. She'd prefer to be the ones who greeted them below, rather than her receptionist.

Aline was fond of her receptionist. Her name was Annie, and she was a godly child. She was one of those rare 21st century children who wanted to dedicate her life to God and be a nun, but life was against her. She had five brothers and sisters, and only her mother to take care of them. That meant she felt that she couldn't simply abandon them to live in the nunnery. Although she had multiple jobs besides her studies, like her mother did, nothing was enough for the children. They needed clothes, school books, food, warmth. They were left alone for long periods of time every day, enough that guilt pained Annie, even though she was working herself to the bone. The poor thing was so desperate, that one night she told her mother she had a night shift, and went out to the streets. That's where Aline found her; frozen and shivering in scanty clothing. Aline knew that this was the ultimate sacrifice that Annie could've made - To sell herself when she had hoped at least to save herself for her husband. But Aline had heard her prayers, even if God hadn't. She brought Annie to a local diner, and although Annie seemed to be utterly ashamed of herself, she wanted to go back. She felt that she shouldn't enjoy a warm dinner when her siblings couldn't.

But as they spoke, Annie seemed to realize in some way that she wasn't speaking to an ordinary woman. It dawned on her that Aline was simply more, and holy at that. Aline was pleased. It meant that Annie truly was more attuned to the celestial world than normal humans, and she would be perfect. That was when Aline offered the job as secretary at her building. She hadn't been looking for one, but God worked in mysterious ways, as a human poet once said. Now, Annie had a daily job after school in Aline's main building that supported her whole family and left some at the side for the future. She could study perfectly well in the quiet building, and Aline allowed her to bring a sibling or two over when she felt like it. Aline was truly affectionate for this girl, and she was pleased to see that her family flourished under Aline's care. But Aline repeated explained to Annie that she was responsible of her newfound fortune - That all her prayers and her faith in God resulted in this.

Shaking herself from her reverie, Aline stepped out into the reception. "Annie, dear, I'm going to have some visitors shortly. I'll be here to greet them, but I'd appreciate it if you could order some good, quick food. I'm expecting them to be ravenous. Perhaps four three course meals, and some extra sides. The diner in the corner is good for that sort of thing."

"Sure thing, Aline." Annie smiled. "Anything you'd like me to order in particular?" When Aline shook her head, Annie hesitate key spoke. "Ben is in the side room, napping, and I'll leave him there. He won't disturb you." Annie assured her, looking apprehensive that Aline would mind.

But Aline simply smiled and said, "I know that child. Buy yourselves something too, please. I wouldn't like you hungry on the job, and I'm sure Ben would like a snack when he awakes."

Annie smiled and left. She knew better than to decline the offer by now. When she left, Aline situated herself in the middle of the lobby and waited patiently for her visitors.

On her way to the diner, Annie paused outside a corner coffee shop. She wasn't really hungry, but this place made a lovely cup of earl grey tea. She could even buy Ben a small cookie here. Otherwise, Aline would chastise her, gently, but chastise her still. A smile crossed her face as she thought of her mentor, and she opened the door of the small shop. Aline was literally a gift from God. She was a holy being, and without her, Annie and her family would have been spilt up long before now. And besides that, Aline was great for spending hours with her, teaching her about the celestial world, how to tune in on non-human beings, amongst other things, like trigonometry.
Annie ordered a small tea and a chocolate chip cookie and moved to the waiting counter. She had a bad feeling, contrasting with her happiness before entering. Remembering her lessons, she looked around slowly, eyes narrowed. There. There he was. A fallen. Aline had told Annie not to worry about them in public places, but still, she shivered and wished her tea would hurry up. She always felt anxious when she was in the same room as a Fallen, although it happened surprisingly often in New York City.

Aline checked her watch. She expected them earlier. Grantus.. she thought in annoyance. You had better hurry up. As well as him, Miles needed to come down. She needed to talk to him in private. She, personally, knew nothing of this Seraph. Perhaps he did. She didn't want to seem ignorant, but she was simply too lower class to speak to a seraph, never mind be told about them. Of course she knew what they were, and their names, but she was told nothing of their age, their appearance, their personality. Aline didn't care about her class, really, but she criticized the system exactly for this reason. She was no less than this Seraph, but Aline had a feeling many more Angels would die on her behalf.