PROLOGUE: Meet and Greet “In the beginning darkness, silence, nothing. Eternity stretched out its cold, perfect void before us, and we ruled. We did not know evil, we did not know good. Inchoate we floated in our own minds, yet knew each other and interacted therein. We grew, strengthened through our contact. “For us, time meant nothing, and so we did not notice the subtle changes in our environment as time progressed. Then Light came violently into our beloved void, burning many of us in tha...

Chapter 6: Into the Light At first it was one or two, always in secret, in the dead of night. But then, it was always night in the abyss. I felt them come into the cavern where I lay, I smelled them over the sulfur and raw earth. Here a gentle flower, there the sharpness of spice, and then ozone crackling in the darkness. Some would whisper to me. I heard them far away, but could not make out the words. I didn’t care what they said. Adoration, comfort, promises of further torments, I don’t kn...

CAPTER 5: That Sudden Stop I sat atop a hill with my back to a tree, feeling the rough bark digging into my newly solid flesh, pushing the recent memory of pain from my thoughts. The fact that I would not be allowed to come home still had no meaning; I did not yet miss the ever present touch of my Father. For now, there was only the miracle of the tree and the feel of it at my back. In my hands I held my deception, my expulsion. The single grain of praise I had kept for myself glowed faintly ...

CHAPTER 4: Deception Home again, and this time I felt the old ease of familiar places. Gone the thoughts that tormented my previous sojourn. The light seemed brighter, the singing of my siblings sweeter, and I welcomed the thought of performing my latest song for God. I ascended into heaven taking note how the lesser angels parted before me, bowing their heads in respect. I walked by, not looking directly at any of them, peeking from the hair that fell in my face. To my great embarrassment, w...

CHAPTER 3: Aftermath Uriel was waiting for me when I returned from the garden. He stood at the gates softly illuminated by his own light. Always he shone thus, the light of truth radiating from within him, and our encounters left me uneasy and cold. “Brother,‿ I said, nodding in his direction, hoping to pass without having to speak. “Lucifer, you are changed. Why?‿ His words gave me pause, for although he never used flowered speech, he was rarely this direct. “I do not understand your questio...

CHAPTER 2: Song of Sorrow There came a time when Father became unhappy. Restless, He wandered the planetary gardens, never staying in one place for very long. Finally, my brothers and I decided there must be something we could do to make our Father rejoice once more. Michael gathered many stones together, and fashioned them into shapes. Two opposing sides, one of jewels and one of granite, were set on a field and animated into battle. His stone armies clashed in great tactical feats, while Mi...

CHAPTER 1: Creation Heaven is a place of finite space with infinite possibility. Or, at least this is how God described it to me when I was born. I myself never found the boundary of heaven, nor did I ever find the boundaries of the universe. Perhaps they only exist for God, are only there for God, because only He is boundless. And powerful though He made us, my brothers and I are limited in our perception. My first memory is my brother’s mighty call of welcome as I came into consciousness. M...