Heaven’s Machina
Chapter 1 - Heaven’s Machina
ARC I - BEYOND GENESIS: MACHINE -
“For I have seen the throne. Who else but I take it.”
(01100110 01110010 01100101 01100101 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100) - find me of your volition
-- Brother, the Forgotten.
“God has bequeathed us an important mission, placing us at the crossroads of destiny for our flock and all creation,” Michael declared, his hands firmly gripping the chamber’s grand table. Light flowed through the windows, catching the Twin Dragons adorning his armoured chest and casting dancing shadows.
“Time slips through our grasp. Yet perhaps, Brother Michael, we shall see her again,” Raphael said, his voice trembling with hope and certainty. Michael shot him a knowing gaze. He crooned worriedly, like a dog to its owner, tilting his head at Michael, then shifting his gaze to the books adorning his sister’s corner of the table. His legs shaking, he began his march.
The scent of timber flooring soon gave way to cold steel in Uriel’s corner of the room, which had an alloy floor. They had tubes inside where little machines could crawl, transporting materials around the Tower.
The wind pushed against the Tower’s facade, hastening Raphael’s steps as he noticed a single leaf fluttering against the window. Stopping before Uriel’s corner of the table, he took a moment to meet the wolf’s eyes decorating her table. He folded his wings, the sun’s warmth from outside seeming to evaporate. A single note detailing Uriel’s nephew, Razeth, lay on the table with just a few words. I will find you.
The whispers of his siblings that caressed his flesh urged him forward, his heart taking a brief leap.
“If only you were here, Gabriel.”
Coming closer to Michael, words dissolved before they could reach him as a sharp pain ruptured his thoughts. His hand traced his white wing scarred from a battle. Each rift etched lines of gold. It stopped erratically before a dark spot, the feathers rustling with each tremor of his hand, a thought running through his mind. I must see this through for her. He continued his measured walk, stopping in front of Michael. He sensed the cold reflection of her alloy tiling turning into the familiar hard knock of the stone of Michael’s floor.
Michael tilted his chin and rested his arm on Raphael’s shoulder.
“Raphael, do not worry about me. Trust your big brother, will you?” Michael uttered with a quivering repose. Raphael’s lips twitched, then sealed. He stood motionless momentarily before shifting his attention to the table, running his fingers over its surface, basking in its presence.
A rhythmic rap echoed through the chamber. Raphael ceased his tracing along the table’s edge and nodded at Michael.
The door swung open.
A graceful figure came through, Uriel, and silence followed.
“My apologies, Michael, Raphael.”
Her lips curled slightly, mirroring the turning cogs of her mind. A singular notion sparked to life. Hiding is necessary, especially from those endangering what I hold dear – even from Raph. She sighed ever so slightly, turning her face away from Michael.
The kidnapping of our kin from our enemies escalates ever more. Where they see two paths, I see one.
She paused briefly, scanning Raphael’s subtly changing expression, ever aware of Michaels’s sentinel presence. Before she entered, she saw the subtle longing, the shaking of his body as he felt the wood. His fingers were trailing each grain of wood, almost as if every touch filled his void of affection.
In the quiet without Gabriel, a path unfolds before me, one where only Raph and I walk together. In this delicate operation, the cherubim’s failure to follow my protocols cannot be overlooked. They risked more than they knew trying to retrieve the female demon as leverage.
“A cherubim required... correction. Our project remains uninterrupted.”
Her heels sent the unnatural creatures scurrying below the floor into a frenzy. Her gait was restrained. Black robes wrapped around her lithe body, drinking the light.
Another step forward.
“I expect more judicious attendance, sister,” Michael remarked, his gaze steady and expectant.
Jagged vertical panels, mimicking a wolf’s fur lines, snaked down her torso, fluttering in the movements.
The High Covenant had convened in the White Tower at the highest peaks of Heaven, shrouded by a golden light. Its marble arches were intricately carved with designs of past heroes who embraced the Tower. Water flowed from the reservoirs in the Tower to Heaven below. A clock
on the Tower read 2040.
The wind howled, causing the white metal grilles perforating the Tower to rattle alarmingly. They drizzled the water with a cleaning substance, serving a dual purpose as a built-in warning system for intruders. The air carried the distinct aroma of intoxicating perfume. Tick.
Seated in the Grand Confluence, a room reserved for high-stakes deliberation, they gathered at the Table of Creation. Projections of the realms hovered above, allowing them to monitor activities.
A fire blazed in the center. Flames licking at their youthful faces, the exalted figures of the Ruling Council - Uriel, Raphael, and Michael - claimed their seats.
“Sister, your regard for attendance is as dependable as ever,” said Raphael with a smile wrapping around his face, a teasing twinkle in his eye.
As Uriel countered Raphael’s jibe, her head turned with an exactitude that was too delicate a dance. Michael leaned in, his lips parting — what do you hide, little sister? Is it discipline, or is it more mechanical? You have always hidden too much from us. He tilted his chin to Raphael — And my little brother is too trusting, idealistic as Raph is. Finally, his attention entirely shifted back to Uriel.
“Our Sovereign is not overlooking us. Things just... happen,” Uriel responded, overlooking the projections. “Your attendance is not impeccable either, Raphael. Someone might need to mend your will,” Uriel retorted, barely concealing a smirk.
Before the conversation continued, Michael cut through, “Siblings,” Michael began, pausing to look at each of them, “we have convened here by God’s direct command.” Moving his hand, his eyes scanned past holograms detailing her arrival. Nothing. It contained records, an eye looking in each room, yet now all it showed was her trademark insignia. He took a short exhale.
Uriel, resolute, nodded. “Indeed, brother. We’re prepared to begin, shall we?” Uriel agreed. Her round glasses sat on her heart-shaped face as she took her seat calmly. The reflection of the flame hid her eyes.
However, Raphael was lost in the labyrinth of his thoughts, his eyes tracing the empty throne of an Archangel. “Our steps must be measured, not hasty,” Raphael murmured thoughtfully, “especially with Gabriel’s seat empty.”
As Uriel’s gaze locked with Raphael’s, a fleeting beast-like glint flashed in her eyes, complemented by a slowly forming wolfish grin. “Raphael, your concern for Gabriel always shines a bit brighter than the rest of us, doesn’t it? Your heart seems to throb louder at the mention of her.” Her gentle smile softened the tease. “Her absence casts a gloom over us all.” As she spoke, her hand brushed against Raphael’s in a fleeting, tentative touch before their fingers intertwined, locking together in a firm yet gentle grasp.
“Uriel, we should-” Raphael began, his voice faltering slightly.
“Hush, Raphael. We are at a meeting right now.” She bowed her head, gripping his hand with a firmer yet tender hold, and leaned in, her whisper a breath away from his ear. “I know, dear Raph. I miss her too.” Uriel added softly, a slight smile playing on her lips while her eyes passed into his, maintaining a mellow yet calculating gaze. In their shared connection that followed, her eyes, cryptic and red, betrayed a whirl of unspoken thoughts.
Raphael is always so kind, so oblivious over the glances he draws. Mine should be the only gaze he claws with warmth. She clicked her tongue. While entranced, she watched the slight twitch of his lips, maintaining control. Oh Raphael, if you only knew how I felt about you. Your idealism so tears you. Caught in my web, what shall I do? Must I always come second to her? After all, it was me who helped him fly on his first flight when all the others abandoned him. Raphael raised his hands but stopped as Michael raised his eyebrows.
A barely perceptible blush emerged on her cheeks as he looked a little too long, his gaze drifting between her eyes and lips.
“If the demon princes got to her.” Raphael’s lips twisted into a frown, his cheeks tensing. “We may have another war on our hands.”
For a fleeting moment, the darkness consumed Michael’s crimson gaze. Then, lifting his eyes, he looked up. “The absence of Sister Gabriel weighs heavily upon us all,” he acknowledged solemnly, “but we must also confront the urgent crisis of vanishing aether and angels in our realm.”
As they watched, the projection shifted, showing a map of Heaven. Points of light blinked to life - each one a beacon for a missing angel.
The words lingered as their faces were hidden in shadow.
Moving his hand on his chair, Raphael accidentally nicked his pale skin. Blood seeped from his wound, reflecting the ethereal glow of the floor—a scarlet canvas magnified by tiny machines. He observed as his nanorobots emerged and tended to the droplets mirroring their brethren in the floor.
With a mix of curiosity and concern, Uriel remarked, “Such machines within our midst—born of humans, now among the divine. Though mostly present among human-born angels.”
“Yes, Sister Uriel. The skies of Heaven have changed significantly over these two decades,” Raphael mused, his gaze sweeping over the chamber’s expanse where light played.
With a slight tremor in his tone, Michael cut through, “While Gabriel’s whereabouts are yet unknown, her Academy yearns for leadership. Its stewardship cannot remain absent.” Michael moved his hand, conjuring an image of Gabriel’s Academy in shadow. Feeling the soft velvet of the projection hug his hand, it was a mimicry. He signalled to Raphael, holding a brief stare with him.
“Silhouettes dance in Gabriel’s Academy,” Uriel interjected, her voice diminishing to a hush. “They tell of a mysterious AI, born of her own making, perhaps a key to her absence.”
Uriel gestured, and as she appeared to physically move the Academy, the air above the Table shimmered. It showed a portrait of Gabriel, her silver wings cast in the air, blonde hair flowing down her body, and a cape with a Phoenix emblazoned.
“Moreover,” Uriel continued, her gaze piercing through the circle of her peers, “there is talk of Gabriel’s ward, her adopted son Razeth. Whispers suggest she implanted AI within the boy, possibly to compensate for his... unique nature—a solitary wing, but burdens far beyond.” The projections shifted again, showing a young man, his body sculpted, yet his eyes seemed worn, his cheeks sunken.
Raphael allowed himself a soft smile at Razeth’s image before turning his attention back to Uriel. He clenched his fist, his eyes darting to Uriel’s blue wings that seemed to siphon the surrounding air. His eyes darted to her sapphire cape with silver threads tracing the contours of a snarling wolf.
“The boy is akin to us in more ways than one,” Michael acknowledged, his eyes narrowing with concern tinged with strategic interest. “One wing or two, he is of Heaven, and if these rumours prove true, we must ensure that we guard him in the interest of the realm.”
“We must commit ourselves to this task, in line with what Sister Gabriel envisioned for him,” Raphael stated, his voice firm. As he spoke, the vibrations of his voice seemed to reach a euphony in the gentle hum of the metal.
“Very well,” Michael conceded. His gaze softened as he looked at Raphael’s wing, which had been deformed in an accident. Trembling, he pronounced, “We shall investigate the Academy and perhaps even the boy. I can assure you, Brother Raphael, that it will be conducted under the purview of Cherubim Daniel.”
Raphael grimaced, his eyes wavering.
“The balance of Heaven,” he stated conclusively, his voice rising with an air of finality, “may well hinge upon our unravelling of these mysteries and our subsequent actions.”
As the gilded light of the chamber waned, a silence settled over the assembly, each member bound by the gravity of their duty. The gathering dispersed as they retreated into their respective chambers.
As the sun dipped behind the high Tower, the night took place with a definitive tock.
Beneath the High Covenant lay the still air of Heaven. In Gabriel’s Academy, shadows bloomed, slicing through the once peaceful halls. The moon rose over the vast forest, its light gliding in the Academy’s garden where Razeth faced machines of war. He settled on the ground, his eyes reflecting differing shades, steeling themselves. Zelda and Sorin are with him, tensed, sword at the ready. First test. Trial by blue mist.
