An Archangel's Ache Read online

  LEO E. NDELLE

  AN ARCHANGEL’S ACHE

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious, despite references to certain real persons, living or dead.

  Do not purchase this book without a cover for any reason.

  Copyright © 2018 by Leo E. Ndelle

  Excerpt from Baiting The Beast copyright © 2018 by Leo E. Ndelle.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems without the written permission of the writer.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  And the journey continues! I would like to thank all of you (family, friends and fans) for your undying support and encouragement. You all have been the powerhouse behind the growing success that has been this book series.

  A special thanks to my beta readers: Anita C., PhD and Laura N. Your patience and critique have been most invaluable.

  DEDICATION

  To you, Mami!

  I could never ask for a better mother!

  PART ONE

  THE LOGOS

  THE ZARARK IS an artifact of creation that resides in the central realm of every dimension. It is a physical representation of The Logos and bears the mark of The Logos; a glyph of a seven-faceted crystal. In certain realms, the Zarark is housed in special structures, while in other realms, the Zarark is hidden in the core of the realm. Word is that the Zarark acts as a conduit for new vibrations of consciousness to impact a dimension. While the use of the Zarark includes using it to spawn new creatures, the other uses of this artifact of Creation remain a mystery to most. But no matter where the Zarark resides, one creature of that realm is assigned to be its guardian.

  Valla is the first realm-dimension in Creation, spawned directly from the Core of Creation. Valla’s vibrational frequency is, therefore, second only to that of the Core of Creation. And, like every realm-dimension in Creation, Valla has neither a guardian nor a Zarark. It is home to a single crystal-looking entity called The Logos. A Cosmic Countdown spans the duration of a perfect cycle and a phenomenon called a Cosmic Spark marks the end of a perfect cycle. During a Cosmic Spark, all of Creation, space, time, energy and the ethers, comes to a standstill. A Great Reset follows a Cosmic Spark. During a Great Reset, a new aspect of The Logos is birthed, and new consciousness is released into Creation.

  The Logos consists of a number of aspects, which equal the age or number of perfect cycles of Creation. Though The Logos has many aspects, it is, in essence, a single entity. During the last Cosmic Spark, The Logos split into seven aspects. Each aspect took on the semblance of one of the seven colors of light. Rach was red; Och was orange, Yach was yellow, Gach, green; Bach, blue; Ich, indigo, and Vach, was violet, the newest aspect of The Logos. After the last Cosmic Spark, light now consisted of seven colors instead of six. The Logos sat in a circle, in near-infinite potential, and admired Creation. Their centers glowed and released into Creation the vibration that creatures in lower realms call ‘love’. The Logos then began its session.

  Bach: Another cycle is complete.

  Ich: The moment for something new is nigh.

  Vach: What do we propose?

  Ich: A new vibration for our handiwork to make decisions on their own.

  Och: We are not sure that may be a perfect idea. Not from our standpoint though. They may not be mature enough to handle this vibration yet.

  Gach: And how will they know, if we do not give them the option?

  Yach: We knew this moment would come! We say we give them a chance.

  Och: They are not ready.

  Rach: Even though we agree with Och, we cannot continue to shelter them from themselves. How can they appreciate the light if they do not taste the dark? How can they learn to rise if they do not fall?

  Vach: We are pure and perfect. But we know what this new vibration brings.

  Bach: That we know, but we say we let them have it… starting now.

  Gach: And all that we have spawned may be reduced to naught…

  There was a moment of silent contemplation until Vach spoke.

  Vach: They are a part of us and we are a part of them. We are one. In them resides the seeds of perfection and purity. I believe this seed will sprout and blossom, given proper nurturing. So, I say, we let them have it now. All in favor indicate!

  The Logos beamed in their respective colors of light in unison and the decision was final. And so, it came to pass during the last Great Reset a perfect cycle ago, that the vibration called ‘free will’ was introduced into Creation. And this introduction of free will resulted in the polarization of consciousness.

  The Logos: It is done!

  With this affirmation, The Logos beamed in their respective colors of light, which converged at a center. Then, The Logos beamed as one towards that center and re-merged as a singular form, marking the end of a perfect cycle and the start of a new one. The Cosmic Spark ended and all of Creation, time, space, energy and the ethers, came out of its state of standstill.

  Akasha is a realm-dimension, just like Valla; although, Akasha is of a lower vibrational frequency than Valla is. Being the keeper of the records, Akasha is the relay between The Logos and the rest of Creation. Akasha is, therefore, the first to receive all new bursts of consciousness from The Logos, which it transduces to the rest of Creation. Prior to the Great Reset, Akasha was accustomed to order, because Akasha is Order. But the vibration of free will was new, even to Akasha. As such, when this new vibration of free will was imparted unto Akasha, Akasha’s essence experienced an esoteric shock which resulted in a polarization and an esoteric split of her essence.

  This esoteric split of Akasha’s essence gave rise to the first vibrations of what became known as ‘ignorance’ and ‘confusion’. These new vibrations of ignorance and confusion caused Akasha to create another identity within its essence. This was the birth of Akasha’s ego and this ego raged within Akasha, feeding on these new vibrations of ignorance and confusion. Ignorance and confusion were alien vibrations to Akasha and Akasha did not know how to handle these vibrations. And thus, Akasha became afraid and panicked for the very first moment in its existence. Out of fear and panic, Akasha rid itself of these feelings by projecting its ego out of itself.

  Akasha gave its ego a form and imbued this form with the vibrations it did not want; the vibrations of ignorance and confusion. Thus, this form became an entity and Akasha gave this entity a purpose that was opposite to its own. Akasha’s ego identified with the masculine and Akasha identified with the feminine, which was also new to her because Akasha had never been identified with either. After this projection of its ego, and creating this entity, Akasha returned to her normal state of order. But Akasha’s relief was only for a split moment when she realized what she had done. Akasha had just released the entity known as Chaos into Creation!

  But Chaos was just a youngling, and Akasha took Chaos under her wing, hoping to mentor him as her apprentice. She called him The Scribe, believing that Chaos would work with her and eventually become reborn into a new purpose of order. But Chaos was like a baby, albeit a multidimensional being, broken from birth. He sought to understand himself in his ignorance and, in his quest for self-awareness, he embraced his nature in its entirety: chaos. He held nothing back and decided he would epitomize his true nature. As such, Chaos declared himself a purveyor of purpose. And because Order and Chaos had opposite purposes, while Order would strive to maintain Creation, Chaos would strive to undo Creation!

  CHAPTER ONE

  I HEAR YOU!

  IT WAS PAST midnight and the baby would not sleep. Her tired parents were still happy to play with her regardless. After seven years of trying, the Mukongs had finally succeeded in a
dding a new member to their family. So, if this blessing came with many nights of little or no sleep, then so be it. They named her Jenna Ebude Mukong, but Eliel preferred to refer to her as Baby JEM. Eliel shared in the parents’ joy. Baby JEM was his newest assignment after his last assignment died from a meth overdose. His previous assignment had his whole life ahead of him; but the thirty-one-year old had chosen the life of a drug addict. It was unfortunate that the rules warranted Eliel to not interfere with the life choices his assignments made.

  Eliel was on the other side of Baby JEM’s crib, directly opposite her parents. He spread his wings, flapped them once and retracted them. Baby JEM shrieked with joy and reached out towards him, beckoning Eliel to take her in his arms. Eliel grinned, while her parents wondered why their daughter was stretching out her arms away from them. Eliel brought his face close to hers and made funny faces. Baby JEM reached for his nose, but her hand swept right through his face. She tried a few more times while Eliel stroked her thin, baby-soft hair. She half-closed her eyes as Eliel’s touch sent soothing sensations through her body. It literally was an angel’s touch! She felt his lips press on her forehead and grinned, exposing toothless gums.

  “You should go to sleep now, my little friend,” Eliel said telepathically. “Your parents also require sleep.”

  Baby JEM’s big, black eyes just stared at her guardian angel, but her smile never left her face. Eliel reached out and stroke her head again.

  “Sleep now, my little friend… Sleep…” Eliel spoke softly, lulling her to sleep.

  Baby JEM thrust her left thumb into her mouth. Her little red lips wrapped around her thumb, with toothless gums clamped around it. Her tongue and cheeks went to work as she started sucking on her left thumb. Her beautiful, black eyes closed halfway and then opened again, before closing completely as she lost the fight and drifted off to sleep.

  “Good night, Angel Eliel,” Baby JEM said telepathically. “You’re still watching over me, right?”

  “Always,” Eliel replied telepathically. “Good night, my little angel.”

  And Baby JEM plunged into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

  “She’s gonna be a handful,” Mom said.

  “I wonder who she gets it from,” Dad responded jokingly.

  Mom punched Dad playfully in the arm before Dad scooped her up on his shoulder and smacked her butt. She gave a little playful scream and then covered her mouth with her hands, realizing that she may wake up the baby. Husband and wife froze for a few seconds and waited. One could hear a dust particle hit the floor in that deathly silence. When the happy couple was satisfied that their offspring was still sound asleep, they continued to their bedroom, giggling all the way at the notion of a grand finale that would mark the end of an exhausting day.

  “Shouldn’t you two be watching over your assignments?” Eliel telepathically addressed his colleagues.

  “Very funny, El,” Farel said telepathically.

  “Would you like to swap for tonight, El?” Gahel asked rhetorically.

  “They are great people, though, aren’t they?” Eliel asked, finally peeling his eyes from Baby JEM and facing his colleagues. “It’s sad that soon she may forget I exist.”

  “Don’t they all,” Farel said, switching to angelic frequency. “Her father forgot about me when he was barely six months old, I think. It takes practice to understand their notion of ‘time’!”

  “And her mother forgot at age five,” Gahel added.

  “Yeah, sad indeed,” Eliel said. “So, I will enjoy my moment with her before I become a mythical creature to her.”

  The three angels burst into laughter.

  “So,” Eliel said, “I heard Mazel might be getting a promotion?”

  “Oh yes!” Farel confirmed, rolling her eyes. “She was one of those selected for archangel training. Claimed she heard The Voice too.”

  Eliel picked up on Farel’s jealousy.

  “Just like countless others, unfortunately,” Gahel replied. “Well, Uriel will determine if she speaks the truth or not. Do any of you know for how long she has been an angel?”

  “Two celestial cycles, I hear,” Farel replied with envy.

  “I say, you ARE on Mazel’s case!” Gahel said to Farel. “What the flap did she do to you?”

  “Nothing!” Farel lied.

  Then Farel saw the way her colleagues raised their eyebrows at her. She shook her head and heaved her shoulders.

  “Alright!” Farel conceded. “I was supposed to be under Uriel’s stewardship during the special units training, but Mazel was chosen over me.”

  “I think you mean to say you applied to be considered for Uriel’s stewardship,” Eliel corrected her.

  “Yes, El! I did apply, and I was considered!” Farel spat.

  “Wow!” Gahel exclaimed in surprise. “You were considered for Uriel’s stewardship?! By Celestia, you’re a celebrity for that alone! Look at El and I. We’ve never been considered for anything; and here you are, being considered for stewardship by Uriel herself. Oh, I’d give my wings just to get close to her bracelet. I think she’s the coolest, senior archangel. She’s wise, compassionate, strong and fierce. I can only imagine how hot she is when she summons her archangelic battle flame.”

  “Pun intended, I presume?” Farel asked and rolled her eyes.

  “No archangel compares to Michael,” Eliel said calmly, noticing that both Farel and Gahel were unconsciously rubbing the wrists of their respective dominant hands.

  To become an archangel was the biggest dream of most angels. Keyword: most. Eliel was not a part of that group and never intended to be. All he cared about was upholding his angelic vows and focusing on his assignments. He never cared about wearing a gold bracelet of an archangel. Michael wore a gold bracelet on each wrist because he was Archangel Supreme. He was truly a leader and the Realm of Celestia idolized him. But only a few had ever laid eyes on him, ever since the Great Rebellion many celestial cycles ago.

  “None but one,” Farel countered, remembering that it was preferable not to speak her name.

  But her colleagues knew of whom Farel spoke.

  “Anyway, have any of you even seen Michael, or Raphael?” Eliel and Gahel shook their heads.

  Michael had indeed become estranged to the point that he was slowly becoming a myth to younglings, like Eliel, Farel and Gahel. Yet, his presence and authority resonated through his inner council of senior archangels, who governed the Realm of Celestia. Every new angel was taught about the history of the realm, with emphasis on the Great Rebellion. Michael’s greatest adversary was in incarceration. But so long as Hell Realm existed, there was always the possibility of another rebellion. And from what the younglings had heard about the first one, it is something no creature should ever have to go through. But while Celestia prayed for peace, Celestia also prepared for war!

  “Do any of you know anything about The Voice?” Eliel asked, changing the topic to something he considered more important.

  His colleagues shook their heads and they resumed watching over their assignments, obviously not enjoying the fact that Eliel was such a buzzkill. The chances of any of the three of them ever hearing The Voice was only at the level of a concept. Anyone could hear The Voice, Uriel claimed. That statement was as true as the fact that an angel could summon the archangel battle flame, which was essentially and physiologically impossible! The Voice was meant for THE special angel of promise and there was nothing remotely special about the three of them. So, why would Eliel choose to remind them how un-special they were by asking about The Voice?

  But they knew Eliel was right to kill the mood. They had assignments to take care of and that was what they were supposed to be doing, anyway. Gahel and Farel did admire Eliel’s unrivaled dedication and focus, though. They never voiced it out, but they always wondered why Eliel was never recommended, or why he never applied, for archangel training. The one dream of every angel was completely lost in Eliel’s focus and dedication to his job! True, he was a real bu
zzkill. However, they enjoyed working with Eliel, even though he acted like his wings were glued a little too tightly to his scapulae, sometimes.

  Eliel underwent the same basic grooming as every angel. From the moment he emerged from the Spawn Sanctuary, he was asked to select his preferred weapon. He had picked the sword. From there, he was educated on the history of his home, the Realm of Celestia, the history of angels and celestial governance. Michael was their supreme leader and his inner council members oversaw specific divisions within Celestia. When the history lessons were over, he understood why the very first thing he had been asked to do after being spawned was to select a weapon. He had then undergone rigorous training and had made significant progress that had stunned even his archangel trainer.

  “Have you ever witnessed an angel falling?” Gahel asked.

  “No, have you?” Farel replied, grateful for Gahel breaking the awkward moment of silence.

  “Only once,” Gahel continued. “It happened about half a cycle ago. His name was Darel and I used to work with him. I remember he kept telling me that he wanted to be human. And I kept wondering who in the right mind would want humanity’s insanity. I later learned it was all about the experience, regardless of the possibility of never returning to Celestia. He was my good friend and sometimes, I miss him very much. And so, he went ahead and submitted his petition to our supervisor. He stated that he was of sound mind, he was aware of the possibility of permanent amnesia and that he was not under any influence from our fallen brethren on the other side. His petition was granted, and he fell!”

  “How was the fall?” Eliel was quite intrigued now.

  “It was sad, but very beautiful at the same time,” Gahel replied as he relived the moment from his memory. “They took him to The Edge and Nubiel, our supervisor, was present, as protocol dictates. He bade us farewell turned around, and free fell… He accelerated downwards towards the lower realms until finally, he was gone.”