The Word is Mightier...

Fandom: Original (The Fates of Angels)
Character(s): None. Focused on the setting of Heaven.
Word Count: 793
Author's Note: I tend to have a bit of trouble when describing the surroundings of my world, especially when they are complete fabrications so I thought I'd give this prompt a try. And it came out in a kind of weird second person narrative as well...I don't know if it works but it's how it wanted to come out.

It should be cold. You look around at the marble floors and the columns that continue upwards beyond your sight and it looks hard and solid and uncomfortable. But when you touch it, it instantly warms to your body temperature. It's strange and yet welcoming at the same time. The floor seems more inviting then, as you slip your shoes off to feel the marble beneath your feet. Again, the expected shock of cold doesn't come and instead the smooth surface of the stone seems to almost massage the newly tender skin of your soles. It's not like walking on air or grass but it moulds itself around you with every pace you take, assuring you that it's there, that you won't fall.

You look around you and can see for leagues. The white scenery, like a blank canvas, continues indefinitely in every direction. It's daunting and makes you feel so small yet you feel a cloying sense of claustrophobia, that a move in any direction will make you lose your way. You reach out a hand to steady yourself as your head spins slightly but there is nothing there, no walls to lean on. It's freeing, of course it is, but it's also too much. Too much open space to get swallowed in. You shuffle over to a column to at least have some kind of support should your legs give out. Moving seems like terrifying prospect all of a sudden so, with a quick shake of the head and a harsh blink of your eyes, you continue to just focus on your surroundings.

The lack of colour is obvious though not unexpected. The sheer volume of white makes it hard for your eyes to adjust but it's getting easier. You notice some muted blues and greens and the occasional pastel yellow but nothing vibrant or bold. At least where the people are concerned. The decoration appears to be treated somewhat differently. Furniture is sparse but the odd bench can be found here and there, possibly more for aesthetic purposes than for resting legs and backs that no longer get tired.

There is, however, quite a large quantity of flora scattered about. No, scattered is the wrong term. If you were to have a bird's eye view of the area, you're sure that everything would be symmetrical, nothing would look out of place. Numerous ferns add a dense green to the surrounding areas but there are no trees, nothing taller than any of the people around. The flowers provide pinpricks of colour, a veritable rainbow with the amount of exotic species there seem to be, many of which you suspect might not have even existed back home. But despite their beauty, there is something almost sad about them. They seem rigid and deliberately crafted rather and wild and alive. The lack of any breeze makes them stand stiff and awkward, like those fabric decorations you used to see in department stores. But you brush your fingers delicately across a petal and feel the softness and fragility within, revealing it is indeed real. The smell is sweet and yet unobtrusive as it permeates the air.

Beautifully crafted yet simplistically designed fountains are dotted throughout, the water flowing over the rim rather than the heavy gushing. You look into the base and the water is so clear that were it not for the reflection of light skimming over the surface, you could swear there was nothing there at all. It's cool to the touch and no doubt refreshing to taste but you refrain as you see no-one else indulging.

The technology is something else entirely and not something that you can decipher at this stage. Beams of light zip constantly above your head, silently and unobtrusively and transparent board hover under glass domes with an image of what looks to be a blueprint but is more likely to be a map. You notice similar beams of light on the image, moving at a greater speed over the scaled distance. The writing covering the map is as useful as hieroglyphs to you so leave it be for now.

You've been walking for a while now and not a lot appears to change. If it weren't for the frequent new faces, you might be convinced you were walking in circles. You close your eyes for a moment to soak in the absolute tranquillity: the smell of the flowers, the flow of the water, the gentle warmth soaking into your skin...and you still feel ill at ease. It's too quiet. The soft murmurs of friendly discussions filter around you but there are no birds, no sudden noises or outbreaks of laughter or tears...no life. It's a strange kind of perfection, but maybe you'll get used to it.

Fandom: Original (The Fates of Angels)
Character(s): Mostly Elias.
Word Count: 725
Author's Note: Yet another point in the story that I have yet to reach but have a vague idea of the unfolding of events. This is just a tiny glimpse into that.

He jumped to his feet, appalled and confused by what he had witnessed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Diego make an aborted movement to stop him lurching forward, towards Dagan's kneeling form, but he stopped of his own accord. Should he go to him? Should he run and never look back, forget he had ever met the man? It would be so easy to conform and accept the norm like he should have, would have, had Dagan not gotten to him first. But in the short space of time that he had been his apprentice, he had been shown so much and didn't think he could just forget it all under these unforeseen circumstances. He had heard them whispering, heard words like "brainwashing" and "manipulating" being carelessly tossed around. They didn't understand. Elias could barely understand himself, but he was at least willing to listen. Maybe that was why Dagan had taken to him in the first place. Or maybe he did just think he was young and niave enough to mold to his liking.

As the thoughts chased each other around his head, Dagan's eyes lifted from the corpse in front of him to meet Elias'. The moment stretched as Dagan stared right into him, as if searching for something, hands still twitching with the strength it had taken to break the man's neck. Diego remained passive at Elias' side, unsure whether he should risk leaving them alone but feeling like an interloper. Just as Elias was about to break eye contact, uncomfortable with the attention, Dagan's mouth twitched into resigned and ugly smile. His eyes drifted back to the slowly disappearing form of Caleb on the ground, fingers idly playing with the ornate robes that he had so often disparaged as he nodded slightly to himself.

When he spoke, it's unexpectedness made both Elias and Diego start and they had to lean in to make out the words due to the roughness of his voice. "Follow who you will, boy," he began, eyes still remaining downcast as his whole form started to tense, as if he were fighting against something, "But be sure to feel. Don't let them quash what you have fought hard to regain."

Diego frowned at the words but Elias remained impassive, refusing to acknowledge the sentiment one way or the other. When Dagan looked up again, the fear that was plain on his face was like a physical blow to Elias, forcing the air from his lungs. Never had he seen him anything but controlled, even when he was angry or frustrated. It was then that he noticed the change of his skin, the way it had begun to glisten silver, as if a second skin of ice were forming over his body. Dagan seemed aware of it, expectant even, and dismissed Elias' wide-eyed stare with a weary wave of his hand.

"Follow who you will," he repeated, the words sounding more and more of a struggle, "But not me. I go where none can follow. Better yet, lead for a change. Your...pig-headedness...will get you far." He chuckled to himself but it came out more like a wheeze and it was the last exhale he managed before his whole body became rigid, encased in the silver film.

A choked sound escaped Elias and this time Diego did move to hold him back before he could even think of approaching the form of his...friend? Mentor? ...Downfall? Without warning, the figure rocketed into the open sky, propelling them both back with the sheer force of it and sliding them a good distance across the marble floors. When Elias had finally gotten his wits about him once more, he scrabbled to his knees, dragging himself across to where Dagan had been. Both figures were now gone and there was zero evidence of what had just occured, save the only two people that had witnessed it.

Diego, who had made it to his feet, tapped him softly on the shoulder but Elias just continued to stare at the bare ground. He dimly heard the young man sigh before shuffling away, leaving him to his half-formed and endless thoughts.

Clenching his fists together, he raised himself up and squared his shoulders as if preparing for battle. Considering who he knew he had to pay a visit to, maybe he was.

Fandom: Original (The Fates of Angels)
Character(s): Dagan & Elias
Words: 755
Author's Note: Again, a random scene from later on in the story...Dagan is taking Elias to see Lucifer via a gateway in the Hollywood Cemetery in Virginia. Cemeteries are crawling with souls in limbo, one of which happens to be a close, personal friend of Dagan's. 

"They are there, but they are harmless enough." OK, so it had been a lie. But it was hardly one of the most damning lies he had told in recent times so the guilt he felt for it was more of an afterthought. Dagan knew that Elias was going to prove very useful in the coming days and was not about to say anything to scare the boy off now. If he made it through the next few hours, he had nothing to worry about but until then he was going to tread as carefully as possible.

As they marched through the deserted cemetery, Dagan saw the way Elias was shooting glances to his left and right, hands thrust deep in his pockets. It was obvious that he still wasn't completely comfortable in his presence but apparently curiosity trumped any sense of self-preservation.

Slowing their pace, Dagan half turned to address his apprentice, "I wouldn't look for them, if I were you. They're not social creatures. They've been without contact for so long that the majority of them have become somewhat hostile."

"I think the term you actually used was 'harmless'," Elias responded accusingly, eyes still darting around while his shoulders hunched in further.

"If you don't engage them or draw attention to yourself then that will certainly be the case. Just keep your eyes on me."

Grudgingly, Elias obeyed as Dagan led them through the deserted cemetery. The surety in his steps told Elias that they were headed for somewhere in particular but nothing looked out of the ordinary as far as he could see.

Something flashed in the corner of his eye and before he could think better of it, he turned his head in the direction of the light. At first he couldn't quite pinpoint what had caught his attention but then he saw it; a darting light, similar to the reflection of a watch as it flits across a wall. Except there was nothing there for anything to reflect off of, especially as the sun wasn't even visible beneath the clouds. He approached with care, hands slipping out of his pockets as he raised them in a gesture of peace. The light stilled its frantic movements to hover in front of the gravestone but despite its sudden calmness, it was giving off an irrepressible vibe of 'under threat'.

Just as Elias came to a halt in front of it, the orb transformed with a wisp into a human figure. Or what used to be a human figure. The face was so worn and distorted, almost skeletal, that he couldn't even define whether it was a man or a woman. The remains of clothing hung in shreds across rakish limbs and hair so fine it was barely visible clung stubbornly to a flaking skull. It was the eyes that made Elias lurch backwards; glazed and sunken, barely a hint of pigment left in them, they bore through him with such desperate sadness that he felt a sudden compulsion to just break down and weep.

The figure lunged for him but he was just out of reach, wrenching his arm back for good measure. He made to turn, wanting to get back on track when another figure crowded him, then another before he found himself surrounded by the tortured apparitions. All reached out for him, their frail looking limbs holding a fierce strength he wouldn't think them capable of. The sound was deafening; a constant roar of nonsensical wails and moans. Despite the fact that he couldn't identify any words, he knew they were pleas of mercy and howls of loneliness.

A firm hand grasped him by the collar, yanking him sideways but before Elias could lash out, he realised the hand was attached to Dagan who was wearing a concerned frown. Just as he took a breath to explain himself, both of Dagan's hands came up either side of his head and connected hard enough to make him black out for a split second and stumble forward.

Above the dull thudding in his ears from the sudden violent contact, he absently noticed that the wails had vanished. Straightening up, he gave a quick look around him to see that the figures had receded back to orbs, once again left to their own personal torment. He looked back at Dagan who was giving him the most phenomenally unimpressed look yet and decided to keep any excuses to himself.

They continued walking as if nothing had happened as Elias muttered to himself, "Harmless. Right."

She managed to bite back her bitter words. However, Dagan thought he would have preferred her vehemence, her righteous anger over this charged silence. They sat opposite each other; his posture stiff and still but his fingernails digging into the faux leather of the armchair while she crouched forward, rocking ever so slightly back and forth, wringing her hands together in her own chair. He noticed her hands shaking and how the tremor ran through her arms and shoulders. Shock, he thought. She's going into shock.

At the barest inch that he moved forward, she abruptly raised a hand, eyes not leaving the worn carpet below her feet. "Don't. You dare," she said, the restrained tremble in her fingers alone keeping him in place. Her voice was wrecked, words choked out of a throat that sounded too dry and over-worked. He'd have thought she'd cried herself hoarse had he not been in front of her the whole time and not seen a single tear spill from her, admittedly damp, eyes.

He sank back further into his chair, making himself as non-threatening as possible. Several more seconds of disquiet followed before a shuddery breath forced its way past her lips and she looked up through hair that hands had raked through, distressingly. "You-" The words caught in her throat and she had to cough to make them heard clearly. "You have absolutely no idea, no idea what you've done."

Once again he made to speak but she cut him off with a sterner gesture of her hand, "No, you shut up. This is not up for debate. I have to believe that you had no idea 'cos I don't want to think that anyone could be cruel enough to do what you've done to me all these years."

"Rav-"

"NO! I swear to- to anyone out there that if you interrupt me one more time I will be out of here and will not come back. You let me say my piece and then we'll see where it goes." Even the slightest suggestion of a positive resolution to this nightmare was enough to make Dagan's mouth snap closed. He knew that whatever she was about to say would cut straight to the bone, it had every right to, but he had to physically steel himself for the blows. The result could be worth the numrous cuts and bruises to his soul.

Due to the various communities I've joined on DW so far, there will undoubtedly be posts told from the perspective of my various characters and so I wanted to sum them up a bit for anyone (the icons for each charater can be found below, and yes I know I used Callisto for Erich but she's the closest thing to how I imagine him!). I will tag posts with the character's name, just to make it clear if it isn't elsewhere.



Dagan Foster: One of the central characters of the book (probably the main character if there need be one). He is a senior guardian angel, having been one of those original tasked with the job and has been in the position for several millennia. He has become utterly disenchanted with the role and wants out by any means necessary. He is hard-hearted, introverted but with a fierce passion for things he believes in.

Elias Campbell: Another central character, Elias dies in the opening chapter to become a guardian angel and apprentice to Dagan. At only 22, he is one of the younger GA's and his endless curiosity and tenacity cause a stir amidst the community. He values honesty and integrity and is a very wholesome person but his intrigue of Dagan's past and the inner workings of the GA system force him to take a big step out of his comfort zone and take some major risks.

Ravon Evermore: A very important character but one that takes awhile to appear in the text. Ravon is a 31-year-old Australian woman and former charge of Dagan's. "Former" being a somewhat inaccurate term seeing as how she gets more attention from him than any of his others. She is the only human being to be without a GA as several years ago Dagan pushed her to such limits, testing her resolve that she finally went against him and he deemed her worthy of total free-will and stopped acting as a conscience. However, that didn't work so well for her and he is soon faced directly with the consequences of his meddling. She's quick-witted, hard-working and loving but has a bone-deep anxiety that haunts her every move.

Diego Martinez: A supporting character, Diego is another GA. He immediately hits it off with Elias and shows him the ropes. He's energetic and fun-loving and also not quite dead. The council were slightly to eager in recruiting him that they didn't wait the appropriate length of time before assignment and didn't realise that he was on life support. As a result, whenever he flatlines in the hospital, he will temporarily vanish from heaven only to return several hours later when he stabilises. He doesn't like Dagan and the feeling is mutual. He is kind-hearted but internally struggles with back and forth he suffers and becomes increasingly undecided about his allegiances.

Isaac Westwood: Another supporting character, Isaac is a confederate soldier who died during the Civil War and is still currently stuck in limbo. Because of the numerous deaths at the time, there was quite a waiting list to get into heaven or hell and he suspects he fell through the net somehow. It's gone on so long that it's believed that neither side wants to admit that they missed something as serious as a human soul and just keep putting it off indefinitely. As such, he cannot leave the cubic space of his grave site and wallows in the cold and dreary existence that is limbo. He is one of the few people that Dagan can tolerate, visiting him fairly often. He is a voracious reader, a loyal companion and powerful ally but he is slowly losing the battle of will against the psychosis that limbo can provoke.

Lucifer: The prince of darkness himself is a supporting character, albeit a very important one. He has a partnership with Dagan but is rather fond of the angel, in his own way. He thoroughly enjoys his work, especially the little details that people take for granted, and is remarkably easy going and deceivingly friendly. He's certainly a charmer and it's easy to get sucked in by his voice and smiles. He's controlled, devious and enigmatic but he is also terrifying and single-minded. The potential to get back into heaven is his overwhelming goal and little will detract him from that. He won't let it.

Erich: A minor character but one that has a lot of influence on Dagan's character. They were friends back in their mortal life but Erich betrayed Dagan many times over and left his mark over the man's soul. For his sins (of which there were countless), he found himself in one of the deeper circles of hell to suffer for eternity. But his mind never strays from Dagan and he still vows to tear him apart a piece at a time. He is psychotic, chaotic and sadistic. Absolutely no redeeming features there.