16Empress of the Angels
Disclaimer: I don't actually own Inuyasha and companions, just this world, the archangels and the idea lol.
Sins of the Angels
A/N: Teehee, you all that I was gonna make a second chapter…not a new first one. Oh well, please enjoy, it helps the story make sense later on.
Little is still remembered of how the world came to be and each of the seven kingdoms will tell their own tale. The true story has been lost over time, and changed through the ideals of storytellers. The true story, it is something much more amazing than any one being could ever comprehend. This story however, is what came after the beginning. It is a story about finding something that was lost and regaining a love from times long past. Mine is a story you will not soon forget, for it is one of remarkable loss and an ageless tale of rising above it all. So read my story and learn of me; Kagome, Zarachiel.
Before the fall, all the worlds were ruled by a single god, and power, or godhood, of the worlds was given over to individual angels that were under his rule. These were angels that had risen through the ranks to stand just below the seven. The top of this hierarchy was the seven, the archangels that God himself had created. They were the elite, the beautiful, the powerful and the wise. They were; Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Jegudiel, Barachiel, Uriel and the seventh, Zarachiel.
Gabriel and Michael were twins, the first two archangels, created together so that none could claim to have come first. Michael was the patron of the wolves, renowned for his envy of the love shared between his sister and the seventh. His twin was the patron of dogs, and she was most commonly compared to the breed called huskies. Gabriel had straight, shoulder length silver hair, full of fluffy layers and wispy bangs. Her sultry amber eyes were framed by long silver lashes that gave her eyes an added glow. She stood at 6', her long tan limbs covered in a red tunic, belted at the waist with a white sash, and a darker pair or slacks on her legs. She went bare foot, to keep herself as connected to the earth as possible. Michael was a tanned 6'2", clothed in the fur of his people. His rough black hair was held back by a leather thong, and his wolf patronage was given away by his light blue eyes and lengthened canines. Both his sister and him had the ability to shift into a demi and pure, or fully animal, form.
Gabriel developed ivory husky ears, with silver tips, as well as extended canines and nails when she was in demi form. When she became pure, she became a large husky, measuring about 5' at the shoulder. Michael was ever the opposite of his bright sister, his wolf ears a dark brown in demi form. He also grew longer claws and his canines extended even further. The one difference in demi features between the twins was the tail that grew on Michael, the same colors as his ears. As a pure, he was a large wolf, the same size as Gabriel, except he had sleek, dark brown fur with small amounts of black.
The third archangel was created from the earth, air and the freedom that only exists in the harsh wilderness. He was given the name Raphael, and though he was only 5'10", he was built thick; strong as the equine race he was patron of. His straw like black hair only grew down the centre of his skull, creating a two inch thick mane growing down his back. His brown skin, square jaw and thick brow accented his wild black eyes, the freedom he was partly created from bursting from inside him. In demi form he took on the appearance of what the humans would later call a centaur, a bay with a black tail to compliment his hair. As a pure, he became the complete horse that his demi form betrayed, a mighty stallion that would have made any breeder proud.
Fourth was Jegudiel, almost a mistake in his creation. He was birthed as the patron of all of the serpiente, and found it almost impossible to take on his human form. When he was able to, he had sickly pale skin, with emerald green eyes and ear length red hair that had long, face shaping bangs. He was a small 5'8", and was very thin and wiry, able to fit in small spaces to eavesdrop on private conversations. In demi form he developed dark grey scales over one of his eyes, and choice parts of his skin were replaced with dark grey or black scales. He was most commonly seen in this form, and it always caused shudders in the other 6. His pure form was that of a king cobra, striped with grey and black scales, but retaining his piercing green eyes.
The feline patron followed, a gentle, loving and overly lazy archangel named Barachiel. He was a cute 5'11", with a little extra padding on him, and a soft, round face. He was somewhere between dark and light skinned, and had the trusting brown eyes that humans found so adorable on kittens later on. His short blonde wavy hair only added to his peaceful appearance, and complimented his neutral composition. In demi form he grew small tan ears and a long, thin beige tail. In animal form he was a large mountain lion, standing 4' at the shoulders with an entirely creamy brown colored body.
From water and familiarity came Uriel, the patron of all aquatic creatures. She was an outgoing and beautiful example of feminism, with extravagant jewelry and coloring. She had thick turquoise hair that fell down to her waist, pale blue tinted skin, lips the color of coral and eyes the greenish brown of seaweed. She was a small 5'4" and wore only a colorful, transparent skirt and thick beads that hung down the front of her body. In demi form she grew a fish tail, covered in scales that varied from toxic green to cobalt blue all the way down to the consuming black of a squid's ink. Her pure form is that of a creature that has been forgotten by her descendants and only exists in the deepest parts of her oceans. She became a creature that had the shape of a dolphin, but was covered in the same scales as her demi form. The scales didn't start until they were past her eyes, and there was only a few scattering on the rest of her face.
The seventh, and last archangel, has always been considered the truest of them all. Taken from the innocence of a new day, the prestige of a bird soaring through the air and the love for beauty and color, Zarachiel was created. She was considered the baby of the group because she was just barely 5' in height, and was very willowy because of her hollow bones. The patron of the birds, Zarachiel had a heart shaped face with almond shaped eyes and prominent cheek bones. Her lips were a rosy perfection and her eyes were a sharp sapphire blue. Her thigh length ringlets were such a dark black, that it seemed as though there were blue highlights in her hair when the sun hit it in mid-flight. In demi form, Zarachiel had black wings with the same blue highlighting her hair appeared to have. When spread apart, her wings were 12' across, over twice her height, and the feathers were a soft down at the place they met with the sevenths back. As well, her nails grew longer and sharp and her ears became pointed, allowing for many intricate piercings to be put in. As a pure, she was a large raven, boasting a 3' wing span, and possessing her intriguing sapphire eyes instead of the usual beady black eyes.
The seven were different than many would have though; each possessed their own traits, their own flaws, their own secrets. It's often said that twins share everything, and the first archangels were no exception to this. The innocent Zarachiel caught the eyes of both of them, but only Gabriel caught her eyes in return. A sinful relation soon developed between the contrasting pair, the outgoing husky and the timid raven were always together, creating a chasm between Michael and his sister. And envy over his sister's happiness took her place inside of his heart.
It wasn't long until sides were chosen, Jegudiel and Raphael choosing to side with the spurned twin, while the kind Barachiel chose to defend the lovers. Uriel's followers begged her to stay out of the conflict of her land bound friends, telling her that it was not their battle to fight. In agreement with her people, the marine patron chose a neutral position, helping neither side, although her hopes were with the impossible love.
At this point in time, chaos was beginning to rule the worlds that were still governed by the God, the followers of each archangel choosing the same sides, and fighting the ones against their chosen angel. Then, Michael came to assign the 7 deadly sins on his comrades. The first accusation was of Uriel, said to be guilty of sloth, too lazy to go to war. Angered by such an unfair labeling, she turned to Michael, declaring he too was guilty, of envy of his sister and the love she was given by the woman he desired.
And so it went, until 5 of the archangels had been accused of sins; Uriel sloth, Michael envy, Raphael wrath, Barachiel gluttony and Jegudiel greed. It was an affront that God could not look away from, and he held court to decide on the punishment for his creations. When it was decided that they would be banished to live as mortals on an uninhabited world, the final two archangels stepped forward. Her over the top personality not allowing her to stand still during this punishment of her friends, Gabriel demanded she too be banished, claiming that she had been accused of being guilty of lust behind her back. For what other reason would she want the love of another woman if not for lust? Zarachiel claimed the final sin to herself, the original sin that sent Lucifer to his hell, pride. She told the court she was guilty of having pride in herself, pride in her people and pride in her honor. She claimed there was no honor in banishing all but the last and demanded that she too be part of the fall, which God sadly allowed.
Rather than banishing the beings he considered his children, God decided to give a world to the seven of them. He named the world Sebun, which meant seven, after the seven archangels that had become gods over it. On this world, there was an ocean filled with many islands, and three continents. He divided the world amongst the archangels and gave them each their own country, with a vague set of rules. They were to create three ranks of beings, creatures in the forms of them as pure, demi and human. They also needed to create other creatures and plants, so that their beings could feed and survive. He then told them about the countries they would soon be the figure heads of.
"So stands before me, my seven archangels, you who have been closest for all of eternity. You know well that I cannot damn you to the punishments your actions call for. Instead, I give you seven; mortality and a world. Uriel my dear, I give you the Koraal oceans, fill them with beautiful things, and make the islands inhabitable for your humans, and the water for your pure and demi." Uriel nodded her agreement, her creative mind already full of the beautiful colors and creatures she would be able to use. God then turned to Raphael, "My son, to you I give the hard, empty land of Lege Vlaktes. It is barren for now, but the earth will flourish with enough hard work, and there is much land for your creations to run free."
"In the forest to the east of Raphael's land will be Michael, his people shall have the east. To you I give the country Oostelijk, it will be a hard country, the winters there are violent and there are many mountains in your forest. Only the strongest will survive."
"You have put one in the water, and two on this first land, is that how it will be? For if you plan on coupling us and hoping our people will not go to war, let me be with Gabriel, for our love will create peace between our nations!" Zarachiel stated, her eyes full of fire.
"I'm so sorry my child, but you know that your love of Gabriel is unholy, and I would never be able to join you two, no matter how true you believe your love to be. I want you seven to be happy, for you are like my children, but that does not mean I can encourage such a vile union. I forgive you my angel, but I will never leave you with Gabriel."
Upon hearing this, Zarachiel was floored. She had never felt anything but love from God, and her heart stung in a manner that only the disparagement of a father can cause. Turning to flee from the pain, Zarachiel ran into the strong chest of Gabriel, her dark arms coming to wrap around the tiny angel. Resting her head against her lover's warm body, Zarachiel let the tears fall from her eyes. Tucking an ebony curl behind the seventh's ear, Gabriel nodded to God, asking him to continue.
Hesitating for a split second, the Father turned to Jegudiel. "You will be the final country on the continent of Drie. You are at the edge of the mountainous forest, and your land is swampy, full of fertile valleys. It is called Moeras, and though it is smaller, its dense and has much for you to use there." Looking at Barachiel, God shook his head slightly at the half asleep feline patron. "My sleepy little cat, to you I give the fertile rainforests. Regenwoud is a warm country filled with large trees and fertile soil, there you and your lazy people will be able to rest often, for all you will need is at your fingertips."
Without looking at Zarachiel, he turned to Gabriel, his second twin. Exhaling slowly, God's endless gaze took in the determined amber stare. "Gabriel, to you I leave the second country on the continent of Twee. It is a forested land with a mountain border, it has been named Verlangen, and has vast amounts of space to create an empire."
Without waiting for protest from the canine patron, he turned his gaze to Zarachiel, taking in the tears still running down her face. "To you, I give the continent Ravijn and the country Ukiseu. It's filled with tall trees and clear skies, perfect for people you love to be in the air. Fill it with beautiful things, and remember that all life comes to an end, but it will come to a beginning again, and be the ideal goddess. For someday, you may be praying to an image of yourself."
Looking at the God in front of her, Zarachiel angrily wiped her tears and muttered a quick chant, vanishing from his court. It was a well known fact amongst the ranks of angels that Zarachiel's magic was a powerful thing, as she was considered the 'truest' angel, being the only one to possess actual wings. Her teleportation, most likely to Ravijn, was no surprise, only a major insult at the reprieve her Lord had given her.
"I'll go to her country in a little while, make sure she's okay. I know she didn't mean to insult you like that, she's just upset." Gabriel amended, walking towards Him. The other angels couldn't teleport as Zarachiel had, and had to wait for God to send them to their individual countries.
"You won't be able to." He replied simply. "None of the archangels may leave their country until they are reincarnated, in about 10 000 years time. Its for the best I believe, that you wait 'til your next life, to attempt at love once more."
With those words, God sent the 6 remaining archangels to the countries, each appearing in their perfect little world, no knowing that they were stuck there for life. Utopia made into prison.
On a world called Kaiyoukai, on a continent called Ravijn, Zarachiel appeared. She was visibly upset, tears running down her face and hair thrown about wildly. It was these emotions, this horrible ripping inside of her, that resulted in her first creation magic. The tears from her misery, created little blue flowers on the ground, shaped like little bells. These bluebells, as Zarachiel named them, were a turning point for her. After creating the little flowers, she chose to explore her new home. What she found was absolutely beautiful, a ravine with a stream, waterfall and little pool. It was there that she created her next creature. 3 blue/black birds, which she chose to name ravens, both after the ravine and the name of her continent. She made them guardians of the ravine, to wait and watch until someone came into the ravine thousands of years later. To make it so that only her reincarnation could enter, she created a white tree that grew golden blossoms, a memorial to Gabriel.
After this, she created the pure, creatures that looked like her both in animal form but also creatures that existed in her mind, making a hierarchy of animals so that they could feed and survive.
In the year 714 AF, after fall, Zarachiel created her first humans. The looked like her when she was in human form, all pale skin, light eyes and feather colored hair. They quickly grew in number, creating small civilizations and living off of the land. But Zarachiel wanted more, she wanted people who needed the sky, who needed to fly in order to live.
She got her wish in the year 1000 AF, the day that she died. On the large white tree, Zarachiel lay on a supporting branch, as beautiful as the day she descended. Sitting up on the ivory wood, the goddess raised her hand to one of the golden leaves, the surprisingly sharp edge slitting her wrist, letting her blood run down the rivets in the wood. Using her most powerful magic, Zarachiel called on all that she was, called on her love of the sky, her love of people and her magic. As she lay dying, a new people rose from the ashes.
A/N: So this is the new beginning to my story, the next chapter was more of a second chapter anyways, this one contains all the descriptions you'll need to know the basics of the 7 kingdoms, as it contains descriptions of what their people are based on, where they live and character traits. Please review, as I'm changing an original story to make this fanfiction and I really would like people to enjoy it. Thanks .