The Word is Mightier...

Fandom: Original (The Fates of Angels)
Character(s): Dagan (about Lucifer)
Words: 508

It’s impossible to “know” the Devil, he simply doesn’t exist. The devil is an entity, it isn’t corporeal or any one thing; I suppose it is more accurately described as the essence of evil. Like when people say “the devil is in the detail”, that is somewhat accurate because details are there to cause problems and chaos. This whole representation you people have of a red demon with horns, pitchfork and tail running amok in Hell? Please. There’s only one governor of the dark realms and, while he does have more than a little devil in him, he is not this cartoon caricature that you have invented. He is something much worse.

Lucifer may not bare the resemblance of any demon (unless it suits his purpose, of course) but that doesn’t make him any less terrifying. The man is beyond sociopathic; were there more like him they would need to create a more fitting term but you may thank your lucky stars that there aren’t, the term may remain simply: Lucifer.You may think that you can get to know him, he is after all very cordial; a smile here, a laugh there accompanied with comforting touches and bright, attentive eyes. But it’s all for a purpose. Lucifer never, never acts without motive, it’s carved deep in his soul (or whatever remains of it). Everything he does is to distract, to analyse, to assess…How useful might you be? Are you worth his time? Should you be allowed to leave as you came? Do you deserve a punishment for taking the liberty of merely approaching him.

I have been an acquaintance of his for many centuries but I don’t even attempt to kid myself that I have even seen the tip of the iceberg of what he is. And I don’t believe I ever want that familiarity. Every time I visit Hell, I am 98% sure that I will leave intact – mentally and physically – but that 2%...it is almost enough to paralyse me every time I descend. I don’t doubt that he knows the effect that he has but he never raises it, it is unimportant to him for now. But while I may never underestimate him, he deeply underestimates me. Because when I see that smile, I see a hunter stalking its prey, when I hear that laugh it’s like nails on a chalkboard and each touch and look burns me to the core like a brand. But I know that he isn’t aware of anything beyond the fear I have for him, he feeds off it so much that he misses the respect and disgust that is also there, the contempt and desire. The ulterior motives. Because while Lucifer is an irrefutable genius, he tends to only see what he wants to see. And if you don’t meet those standards, he will go to any lengths to make it so.

So, better the devil you know? This particular one is best left well alone, because once you “know” him, he’ll want to get to know you. Intimately.

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.